Tonight's movie was "Patriot's Day" (2016), a very well made thriller about the Boston Marathon bombing of 2013. Because we all know the story, we know what's coming in the movie. There is thus no plot to become involved with, and no mystery to keep us hanging on the edges of our seats. However, because the film is directed by Peter Berg, an expert at high tech, action packed real life "headline" stories, what you get is an involving film that is even handed, which means that everyone is presented as a real person and not as a caricature. This includes the bombers, who are given their own storyline. They were brothers, and are presented in reality as a bullying older brother with a chip on his shoulder and a phony-baloney religious philosophy, and a younger brother who is a university student who sells pot and has assimilated into American Millenial culture. He is also heavily influenced by his older brother, and this is shown in the movie, though his own culpability for what he did is not watered down. Director Berg very simply - but with great skill - presents things as they happened, and some of these things are a shocker.
When the brothers are on the run after being identified, and have been stopped by the Watertown police, I had no idea the extent of what happened during that showdown, and indeed the full truth of it may have been presented in this movie for the first time.
I do not recall hearing on the news that the brothers threw very powerful pipe bombs at police, many of them, which in the movie are shown as explosive enough to overturn police cars. I don't think this was done just for Hollywood Show. Peter Berg would not do that. And yet, I am certain I do not recall a pipe bomb showdown being reported on the news. I knew that pipe bombs had been found, but not that they had used them against the police.
But at any rate, my goodness.........this is one hair-raising scene, and if it really went down that way, then perhaps the public is being shown for the first time just how dangerous these guys were, and possibly how well-trained the older brother was. By whom, exactly, we do not know.
But to sum up : "Patriot's Day" is not my usual fare, I watch older films, art films, and all the other stuff that you know I watch because I write about it. I don't usually watch modern thrillers because they usually simply aren't well made - they don't keep me interested. But because it was made by Berg, I knew it would be good, and it exceeded my expectations. He also made "Deepwater Horizon" and "Lone Survivor", both of which starred Mark Wahlberg as does "Patriot's Day". Those two guys are a good combination for this type of movie, director and star, and they do it better than anyone else, so a big thumbs up for "Patriot's Day". As a final note, near the movie's end, the Wahlberg character (a police sergeant) is asked by a colleague if he thinks terrorism can be prevented, and if not, what the best response might be. His answer might surprise you. It's a powerful ending to the movie and it kind of blew me away.
That's all the news for today. Been trying to fight depression for the past week or so, and felt a bit lethargic this afternoon, so no hike was had. I haven't been sleeping real well either, which had something to do with it, but that is more job related than depression related.
Don't worry too much about me. My depression is more "situational" than clinical. I don't have the kind of brain chemistry depression that is chronic and is classified as a disease. Mine is more related to just having had to deal with this doggone 1989 thing all by myself, every day, for 23 years, since 1994 when my memories came back to me. I have still lived my life during all that time, and I have been blessed with many great experiences since '89, but still, it always lingers and it has always been - every day - something I think about. And it has been exceptionally hard, and at times extremely difficult, to deal with the fact that no one but myself has ever spoken of it. No one else has even acknowledged it, let alone discussed it. It's just been a neverending Wall Of Silence from everyone I know who knows about it (even if they pretend they don't) and those who participated in it.
It's been an impenetrable Wall Of Silence from everyone involved, and after all of these years, it's really begun to wear me down. I hate to say this, but I hope it doesn't wind up killing me.
It has affected me pretty severely, you guys.
In fact, the silence about 1989 has been even worse than the events of 1989, which is really saying something, because 1989 is the biggest secret in America today, and for a reason. But for me, the silence has been even worse. The events of September 1989 went on for twelve days; the silence has gone on for 28 years now, and is continuing with no end in sight.
So, that's why I wrote what I wrote last night, and why I wrote all of this tonight. And again, as I said last night, I sincerely hope you all will think about what I have said, and consider talking about what you know, and what you remember. You could effect a lot of good in the world by doing so.
It's no good anymore - just a lot of lying on your part - to pretend that you don't remember what happened to all of us, and what you participated in. I had total amnesia for four years, and I remember quite a bit of what happened to me, and I remember many things about all of you as well. So I know all of you remember, too. You just need to step up to the freakin' plate.
So do it already. Stop waiting. Stop postponing. Stop ignoring. It's wrong to do so!
The time is now. You guys need to tell the truth, to stop pretending you don't know, to stop pretending it didn't happen, and to stop just going merrily on your way in life.
You need to stop it. Stop the silence. Stop it today, and don't wait.
God Bless, and I will see you tomorrow, so long as I have something to write about.
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