The Distortion Of Truth And Reality

Tonight's marathon is exactly what it's title says it is. It is entirely about the distortion of truth and reality, posing questions of what really is happening to the characters, with the end plot twists going against everything the movies originally set up, but when you really think about them, they make complete sense making you question why you didn't see the revelations coming. We have on our roster for this evening:

    The Others 2001, Shutter Island 2010, The Lovely Bones 2009, and The Sixth Sense 1999

With these four movies, one begins to witness the happenings of events that can be considered supernatural. So many questions are posed during the viewing of these movies, and there is absolute guarantee that once the marathon is finished, some of them will still remained unanswered. The evening begins with The Others, a 2001 supernatural thriller starring Nicole Kidman as a woman who lives in a dark house with two photosensitive children, becoming slowly convinced that their house is haunted. Here the supernatural theme begins as well as questions pertaining to what's actually going on in the house. The second film of the evening, Shutter Island, takes the supernatural and distortion of truth theme to a whole new level with two U.S Marshals investigating the disappearance of a murderer who escaped a hospital for the criminally insane, and becoming convinced that the persons being pursued is still on the island. Leonardo Dicaprio is sensational here and the and the climax of the film makes you ask what is truth and what isn't. The third movie The Lovely Bones, is the modern day version of What Dreams May Come. In this supernatural tale, a 14 year old girl named Susie Salmon is stuck between Heaven and Earth after being murdered by a quiet middle-aged man in their neighborhood. While watching over her family and killer, she must decide between wanting vengeance or for her family to heal. Probably the most divisive film of the bunch, Peter Jackson's powerful take on the story has split lovers of the book on both sides of the coin in regards to the film being good. The common criticism the film gets is leaving out some of the most graphic but important parts of the book, but received praise for the visual aspect of the movie and the performances. Stanley Tucci is magnificent here as the quiet and evil Mr. Harvey. His performance alone makes the film worth watching. Not to mention the soundtrack is utterly fantastic and heartbreaking. The final film of the evening, The Sixth Sense goes back to the early roots of the marathon with The Others. Anybody whose seen both of these films knows what is coming at the end, and to this day, still stands the test of time as being one of the greatest plot twists in film history. Bruce Willis and M Night Shaymalan's defining moments as actor and director are in this movie. Why Willis didn't receive a Best Actor Oscar nomination is beyond me. He was incredible here and made you really care for him and his relationship with the young boy who can see dead people. Haley Joel Osment is probably the greatest child actor of all time, and should still be a prominent actor in the acting universe today. This and AI shows us that he had a remarkable range for a child, and spawned one of the most iconic movie lines in pop culture history: "I see dead people."

Tonight is about figuring out what is real and what isn't, accepting certain fates and having the strength and will to move forward.