Popular media, like film, gives us opportunities we should embrace.

There's just something about good film. There are a lot of good films out there, not too many amazing ones, but a lot of good ones. This season, I decided that I would aim to see every Oscar-nominated flick out there, because to be nominated by something so prestigious, I assumed that these movies must be of a high caliber. Most of the movies nominated have appeared to be. I have not yet seen them all, but have viewed a fair few of them. Though there are a few in particular that have made me think so much that I feel maybe deserved a little more attention.

Julie Christie is nominated for Best Actress for her role in the film Away From Her, which is a very good film, I think. The lead actor opposite Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent, was also very good, although most of the award attention seems to be focused on Julie Christie. There was one scene in the film in particular that struck me, although I do think the scene in which the punk girl has her little conversation with Grant is extremely beautiful and moving, and that would be the scene in which Fiona is watching television, more specifically, watching footage of the Iraq War, and comments "how could they have forgotten Vietnam?" or something very similar to that statement. Now, without further commentary on this topic, if an older woman suffering from dementia has enough hindsight to see history and apply it to current affairs, why can't people trained to use hindsight and foresight do the same?

I have recommended two movies this season to anyone I come across. I have enjoyed a fair few movies since I really started my movie splurge in the summer, but Stardust and Across the Universe were perhaps the two I personally enjoyed the most. I plan on focusing on the latter as opposed to the former. Across the Universe is a visual masterpiece. The visual effects are stunning, the choreography is amazing, and all it is represents a generation I am not a part of. But my parents were. They saw the movie several months after I had; I saw it twice in theatres, but they watched it once it was released on DVD. The first thing my father told me is that he had a friend that Max had reminded him of, and I had expected such a reaction, for people who were there, for my mom who told me she had been a hippie when she was younger, to be more deeply touched by this tale.

But Across the Universe is much more than a visually stunning piece; it is a commentary on a generation that is slipping away from us. Once history is past, humans have a tendency to take steps to forget it. I'm not only talking about war, but what I mean is that nostalgia is what keeps the past alive and once those people feeling nostalgic are gone, the past will be forgotten, and it shouldn't be. The images and characters and feelings of the generation portrayed in Across the Universe are ones I hope continue existing.

Between Away From Her and Across the Universe I see some truly brilliant remarks being made by some genius artists called filmmakers. The past is important; hindsight is important. If we lose the past, we lose ourselves.

And I am not a history nerd; this is common sense. There is something wonderful in starting anew and being original, but when we want to do these things, we must first look to the past and learn from the successes and failures and plain and simple existences of others, even if it isn't so clear whether they are failures or successes. Regardless, I am simply imploring my generation to embrace all opportunities they have (including glimpses into the past, whether it be through popular media or through history classes) and to learn through these.