"Holy Inspiration, Batman!"

What can I say? Things are good right now. Ah still be happy y'all (blee eyen hara). Thanks for all the positive feedback from the last blog (both on and off the site). It wasn't easy to share, and was an experimental risk in terms of style, but I'm really glad that it left a positive effect.

I just got back from a swell night in Brooklyn (I know, Brooklyn! What the heck is going on here?!), with swell people (ahhhh Irony: I finally get a great chevra I'm totally comfortable with and don't have to compromise my values for, and I'm leaving in 3 weeks!). We saw Batman Begins and I must say it was excellent- as good as Burton's original, maybe better (there were also Dunkin Donuts involved, but out of my respect for the wonderful world of Krispy Kreme I'll say no more). Bravo to the casting director of the film. As a fan of the comics and animated series I was impressed by the A-list actors hired to play secondary, but pivotal characters (e.g. Gary Oldman as commissioner Gordon, Morgan "Drop Dead Sexy" Freeman as Lucious Fox, and Michael Caine is perfect as Alfred).Christian Bale reinvented the Batman persona, adding new menace, angst and brooding authority to the Dark Knight, whose image was marred by the likes of Adam West, Val Kilemer and George Clooney (not that I don't like those guys, just not as Batman). Michael Keaton still gets props in my book, however.

One quick mussery note. Aside from conquering ones fears (which is mussery in its own right), the main theme of the film seems to be:"It's not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you." Truly Batman speakith the emet. Indeed it isn't what we say or what we feel, but what we actually do in life that shows who we really are. I can blab all I want about being a write, but until I have a finished product I'm all talk. And in the religious sense I can justify this not-so-kosher act, or find a reason not to do this or that mitzvah, but all I'm doing is succumbing to the yetzer hara's affinity for inaction. When we act, we can accomplish. My Rebbe always says "Actions influence feelings". Combine this with Batman's motif and you got yourself a good formula for growth.

I have to say that I found the film to be quite inspiring as well. I find that inspiration is a key element in fueling ones groth, and for myself (and many others) the cinema can often fulfill this inspirational need, if only briefly. Yet sometimes that initial push is all a person needs. As a general rule, most people enjoy watching films were people work on themselves and achieve amazing goals. This is why we love Rocky, Rudy, Groundhog Day (one my Top 5, and the BEST.MUSSER.MOVIE.EVER) Gattaca (very underrated film) and maybe even The Mighty Ducks (I blame channel 11 for ruining a good thing in this case). But what separates real life from the cinema in this regard, is that what can sometimes take years in the world of the film, is shown in a few niftily edited minutes. Yes, these moments generally fuel us as we work out (also known as the Rocky IV syndrome), but does that inspiration really last? Obviously if seeing Bruce Wayne become Batman can trigger some sort of inner emotional resonance, instilling a desire to grow in some way, then there is something to these little montages. But we have to keep in mind the big picture: that true growth and achievement takes a great deal of time and hard work. What makes Batman such a great character is that he must go through hell, both in his personal life, and in his training, to become a "super" hero (yes the fact that he's a billionare helps, but I assure you that if Bill Gates put on the Batsuit and had all of Batmans gizmos he'd probably die in say 8 minutes, 10 tops). Yet Batman has no super powers, which has always made him easier to identify with. He's a guy who just works hard to achieve his goals. Superman, Spiderman, the X-Men, and most of their friends didn't really have to do anything to become superheroes. They were either born with or received superpowers through no effort of their own. In fact if you traded Superman into this plot, the movie would be around 5 minutes long. Superman puts in maybe 5% of the effort that Batman does. The Caped Crusader stands as a symbol of what one can accomplish if properly motivated (of course in relation to the film there's a great deal of hyperbole- obviously I wouldn't reccomend becoming a vigilante dressed up like a winged, nocturnal-mammal, but the sentiment for growth is there nonetheless.) These days I'll take inspiration where I can find it, but have no qualms about finding it in a film. One who is inspired wants to achieve, and that is certainly me. I'm not looking to clean up Gotham, but I am certainly looking to make a better life for myself, and in this effort must be given to the Nth degree. I just have to keep focused, be strong, and of course stay inspired. I know it'll take more than Batman to do that, fortunately I have goals that I want to attain, which may be motivation enough for me right now.

So yes, while watching the movie I wanted to go out and do great things, and maybe I will as a result, but for right now all the movie has done is entertain me for 140 minutes and give me a good topic to blog about.