Chicago, IL USA: Reviewing Movies has always been left to those who work at a major newspaper but sometimes a blommentary - a Blog Commentary will have to suffice. Such is the way I feel about seeing (after months upon months of vomituous Reruns and Reality Series) Life on Mars that debuted last night, October 9, 2008.
Like millions, there were a few standards that stood out in my time:
#1: That was my hey-day. Although I claim 'each' Day as my 'Hey-Day,' 1973 was the year I became legal, of legal age: 21. That was momentous to we BabyBoomers.
#2: The Theme was incredibly clever. The Story Line about losing a loved one and thinking if only a few elements were changed, that that person could be 'retrieved' and returned to us has undoubtedly occurred to all of us...at some point in our Lifetime. It's just part of our IF ONLY Syndrome that we humans seem to suffer. After all, we are Spirits in Human Format for the time being.
#3: The Language of that other Era (before High Tech took over our Lives) was indisputably of a different Time and Place. I understood it. I laughed and new exactly what they were 'talking about.'
#4: The immense amount of Research that went into each Scene, Plot and Line that differentiated 1973 from 2008 was to be applauded.
#5: The shocking Conclusion is that for a Civilization (that acts uncivilized by the Wars it wages and the disgusting Acts we place our loved ones through...just listen to the nightly news -reels), we have indeed come a Long Ways.
The Topic Line of #5 has always intrigued me since Childhood. And, if you have moment I will tell you why. I could never understand how Cave Man lived in Caves without a refrigerator, indoor plumbing and apple pie to name only a few. I am sure you got my Drift. As I got older, matured and decided Comics and Cartoon Art 'said it all,' I developed a Cartoon Character in 1990 called:
CAVE MAN NEVER ©1990
that thru a Series of One-Line Zingers called: CAVE MAN NEVER-isms ® told us the Differences between living in Prehistoria compared to Living Life in Contemporanea. Granted this was the early 1990s before many of us got our First Computer. My first Computer was plugged in on November 1, 1994. I was online and emailable by November 19, 1995 at 3:53 PM...a date I'll never forget. Only because I had an ink-ling that Technology and not standing in line at the Post Office would certainly expedite my Life.
However, Cave Man had a Reign of a few Years in which people were intrigued by the Theory of Living Simpler and more simply. After all,
CAVE MAN NEVER had a toilet;
CAVE MAN NEVER had white-out;
CAVE MAN NEVER had a phone; let alone a cell phone;
CAVE MAN NEVER had marketable job skills...
CAVE MAN NEVER had too darn much…on a larger Scale. And, of course, CAVE MAN NEVER had a Scale (CAVE WOMAN DID!).
Needless to say, there were tens of thousands of more things (material objects - stuff and things to file or store) that CAVE MAN NEVER possessed. Yet he got along. He lived. He survived. Otherwise, we would not be here. As Technology picked up at faster speeds, it was impossible to keep track of all these One Liners. The Humorous Side of the CMN Theory, Strip and Series had done its Part;
it made its Point;
it taught us to Slow Down; and
it made us appreciate what We had and have in the NOW Moment.
Then along came, LIFE ON MARS and it verified everything I ever thought about The Concept of (Fleeting) Time, Invention, Humanity and how only One TV Program can restore Faith and Loyalty into the Halls of TV Clamour & Glamour. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the Shows. I may even buy the Book and join its Fan Club for the latest Updates.
AS A CREATIF MYSELF: During my Creative Course with CAVE MAN in the early 1990s, I did plot Blocks of Time in(to) 50 year Segments, seeing how Man had evolved from the Limestone Caves to the Glass Condos we now inhabit.
Even thinking about Life in 1950 compared to Life in 1900 to Life in 1850 will educate as well as make you think of how far we've progressed. Then, take a look at our Amish Neighbors...Perspective is what it is all about...no matter what year we're experiencing. Living in the Past can be a gas. Having the Chance to experience it all -- like a giant Smorgasbord is what I personally prefer.
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: I may have changed the Title a bit though since 'MARS' (as a term) reminds many Americans of John Grey's Book: Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, and that makes us think of the differences between the Sexes.
And, for the Millions upon Millions of us who will admit to LIVING THROUGH and SURVIVING 1973 (which could be a highly marketable T-Shirt in and of itself), We have to admit that that YEAR was more than a Battle of The Sexes - it was strewn in Politics, Economics and a Life that was entirely different from even 20 years prior.
Initially, I thought LIFE ON MARS was a Science Movie because The Planet has been in the forefront of The News the last few years.
However, for the most Part, remembering the Good Old Days (outside of Mayberry RFD with Ron Howard as Opie, Andy, Aunt Bee & Barney Fife) (especially in this tumultuous global economy where laughs don’t come too often now) gives us REASON TO BELIEVE that anything is possible.
It doesn’t get much better than that…
SPONTANEOUSLY REPORTED BY:
ASK: Adrienne Sioux Koopersmith
Creator of: CAVE MAN NEVER ©1990 &
CAVE MAN NEVER DAYS ©1992
Chicago, IL USA
Posted: Friday, October 10, 2008 – 3:43 PM CST
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