Philip@LA

I watched No Country for Old Men the other day, and i was really impressed. I am sure I have to watch it again to understand some of the details, but the story actually reflects some of my own ideas (apparently I did a lot of thinking recently).

 

When I recalled the movie, I realized the main character of the movie is indeed the old sheriff Ed Bell. Although I am sure this movie tried to convey a lot of heavy stuff to audience, the one strike most is that how Bell felt that he could not “understand the world” anymore. The conversation between him and his uncle is also very intriguing. His uncle said that the world would move on without him, his wish of changing it is vanity. At the end of the movie, he talked about the two dreams he had about his father. One is about that his father gave him some money but he lost it (the ability to make sense of the world?), the other dream talks about his father passed him and light the fire in all that cold and dark (his father and others that hold the values and morality in the otherwise dare and evil world), and at end Bell said “then I woke up”—and he has to faced the reality:  “no country for old men” and that’s why he chose to retire instead of finding the killer….

 

I think the movie is a reflection of general decay of values of the society. Interestingly, I felt the same way recently that I had very hard time to understand what happened around me. No values at all. It doesn’t MAKE SENSE. What fears me most is that not only I cannot hold the values that I once believed in, I also went even further to adopt to be part of it.. I could understand the frustration of Bell. The difference is that he chose to “retire”, I decided to join the decayed value system.

 

No country of old men. American dream is not free. I now realized what I have paid and too bad I cannot get a refund, even worse, I cannot stop from paying it, coz I don't wanna retire yet.

given the fact that I had the wrost time in my life right now...I was Listening American Life by Madonna...and now i undersand what she tried to say...she realized it after she was 45, maybe? but poor me now is living in this american dream..and it's definitely not free...and it's definietly gonna take me forever to realize maybe it's not what it seems... 

 

    

 

Do I have to change my name?
Will it get me far?
Should I lose some weight?
Am I gonna be a star?

I tried to be a boy, I tried to be a girl
I tried to be a mess, I tried to be the best
I guess I did it wrong, That's why I wrote this song
This type of modern life - Is it for me?
This type of modern life - Is it for free?

So I went in to a bar, looking for sympathy
A little company - I tried to find a friend
It's more easily said, it's always been the same
This type of modern life is not for me
This type of modern life is not for free

American life (American life)
I live the American dream (American dream)
You are the best thing I've seen
You are not just a dream (American life)

I tried to stay ahead, I tried to stay on top
I tried to play the part, but somehow I forgot
Just what I did it for and why I wanted more
This type of modern life - Is it for me?
This type of modern life - Is it for free?

Do I have to change my name? Will it get me far?
Should I lose some weight? Am I gonna be a star?

American life (American life)
I live the American dream (American dream)
You are the best thing I've seen
You are not just a dream (American life X2)

I tried to be a boy, tried to be a girl
tried to be a mess, tried to be the best
tried to find a friend, tried to stay ahead
I tried to stay on top ...

Do I have to change my name? Will it get me far?
Should I lose some weight? Am I gonna be a star?

I'm drinking a Soy latte,
I get a double shotte,
It goes through my body,
And you know I'm satisfied
I drive my Mini Cooper
And I'm feeling super-dooper
Yo they tell I'm a trooper
And you know I'm satisfied
I do yoga and Pilates
And the room is full of hotties
So I'm checking out the bodies
And you know I'm satisfied
I'm digging on the isotopes
This metaphysics shit is dope
And if all this can give me hope
You know I'm satisfied
I got a lawyer and a manager
An agent and a chef
Three nannies, an assistant
And a driver and a jet
A trainer and a butler
And a bodyguard or five
A gardener and a stylist
Do you think I'm satisfied?
I'd like to express my extreme point of view
I'm not Christian and I'm not a Jew
I'm just living out the American dream
And I just realised that nothing
Is what it seems

Do I have to change my name
Am I gonna be a star
Do I have to change my name