War Machine, Netflix

You know a historical movie is good when you rush out to research actual history after watching it. That’s what happened after I watched this comedic fictional version of events based on General Stanley McChrystal’s stint running the war in Afghanistan (2009-2010). I was captivated by the personalities involved and the complexities of our military operations there. It’s easy to say, “We should have pulled out all our troops,” but when you watch the general’s impassioned reasoning, you start to root for him and you hope he’ll be provided with the additional 40,000 troops he requested, if for nothing else, just to see how much more the conflict gets bungled.

We see very little fighting though. Without giving away the ending, let’s just say that politics in war is the same as politics everywhere-complicated and full of diplomatic landmines. But while this is no “Full Metal Jacket” or “Saving Private Ryan”, it was fun to see Brad Pitt portray a swaggering, arms-out-to-the-side rigid general. It was also a laugh and a half to watch Michael Hall, best known from Dexter, playing Michael Flynn’s character. Yes, that Michael Flynn. The interesting part is that the movie was filmed before Flynn became infamous for botching his role as director of the NSA (why on Earth was he ever appointed-he was a paid lobbyist for Turkey. But I digress). But Hall was still able to successfully adopt Flynn’s over-the-top angry and constantly incensed persona.

At any rate, I walked away from this movie curious about the story’s historical significance, and I ended up researching McChrystal’s real story (spoiler alert-the movie was fairly accurate). I also felt compelled to research the history of the conflict in Afghanistan (spoiler alert-our military is still playing the same war games, using the same reasoning). I guess we never really learn, we just switch out players.

Review: Anne with an "E", on Netflix

This is one of those addictive, binge-worthy series that sucked me in so hard that I had to finish it all in one day.  I literally cried through the entire first two episodes of this show.  As a caveat, I have not read the original book by L.M. Montgomery, or seen the 1930’s movie by the same name, so I can’t speak to the series’ comparison to the original.  But I was immediately taken by the compelling story of a rather plain orphan girl with a strong imagination trying to fit in after she is taken in by hardworking and aging farmers who were expecting to adopt a boy to help out.  

But more than an emotional journey of a young girl seeking love and acceptance after a harrowing life, “Anne with an ‘E’” is a metaphorical commentary on the competing beliefs of judging humans by their utility versus accepting others solely based on their intrinsic worth. In primitive cultures, those among us who lacked the ability to “do things,” and instead were born with creative imaginations, were given a place: as shamans, medicine men/women, spiritual healers—known to their people as quirky and socially awkward but held in high regard nonetheless. But post-modern society doesn’t hold that space for artists and freelancers, a.k.a. “leeches on society.”  Instead, like our protagonist Anne, their imaginations are only acknowledged subsequent to the great works that they are responsible for—like when Anne’s sharp mind finds a solution for a baby with croup or a raging housefire.  Einstein is another example.

Anne’s journey for acceptance continues on when she attends school and attempts to become just another person in the community. She finds that sometimes she must subjugate her peculiar nature and hide who she truly is just to assimilate. How much she allows her true self to shine through versus how hard she works to conform to society’s expectations is the enduring theme throughout.