POVERTY STRICKEN

I've recently started an internship at a magazine which I am working at FOR FREE. I am their personal slave. It's bad enough that all the girls that work there are decked out in Prada shoes and I'm sporting my payless Bobo sneakers. To top it off, they are complaining because their paychecks are a day late. One girl (we'll call her Lisa)actually makes a joke and says, "It's ok, we'll just work for free this week." I grit my teeth thinking how I'll be working here for free for the next four months.

One of my many mindless tasks today was to subscribe to our online competitors based in New York. In order to do so I simply fill out my e-mail, my name address etc... Then there is that annoying question at the bottom, in which there are five or six options that you may use the scroll button to select. By now, 'I've filled several of these income questions, always scrolling past the "over 250,000 mark", all the way down to select the under $30,000 option. On this particular list however, there was no under 30,000. The only other option past 30,000 was the words : poverty stricken.

If there was ever something that could really just ruin your day so early in the morning, that was it. I don't even think getting a speeding ticket on the way to work could top it. Only in New York could under 30K be Poverty Stricken. I mean, should I be sleeping in a cardboard box and frequenting the soup kitchen?

I suddenly knew how an old person felt when asked for their age. That over 60 selection has got to be rough. However, I do believe they have it easier than my slap in the face. I have yet to see a Nearing Death option on the age requirement list.

TWICE

I feel like after some point, every server finally loses it and just says "I can't do this anymore!" It might be that one final customer that pushes you over the edge, but you will work anywhere but a restaurant. You want out of the food business right then and there.

For me that moment came today in the library. There was a computer with no chair so you had to stand up at the screen. Instead of moving the mouse to click on the button, I pressed my finger to it, forgetting that it was not a Micros touch screen used to ring in orders. The worse part was, I did it twice.

ANOTHER DISAPOINTMENT

I hate seeing a preview and getting excited about a movie, but in the end, it's nothing special. I saw the trailer for Children of Men and penciled the damn thing in my calendar like a Star Wars fan waiting for the final episode. I felt the same let down with Children of Men as they must have had after Episode 3 turned out to be awful. So, I thought I would feel better about wasting twelve dollars and three hours by writing a review.

The main reason why I wanted to see the film to begin with was because it was something out of left field. The movie had such an incredible idea that was chillingly possible. The human race is slowly dying because women are infertile. Without the sounds of children's laughter the world is in shambles. And then, a miracle happens. A young woman becomes pregnant, and with it she brings more then a new life to the world, she brings hope. Sounds pretty good right? It has all the ingredients to be a wonderful, memorable movie. Unfortunately, it isn't put together properly and we are left with too many unanswered questions.

This is a common problem I've been finding with movies that take place in the near future. The questions of "how society get this way?" and the ever-important "what happens next?" are often left out, or only partially answered. By then end of Children of Men we're left with that annoying feeling of "that's it? It’s over?" On top of this, too many characters are killed off. I'm a believer that in the end, there needs to be a few survivors that we have grown attached to, even if they aren't the lead roles. Especially seeing how the idea of the story is that when there is despair, there is always hope. Then ending really killed that theme too.

A majority of the movie was the characters running for their lives, from one place to another while accomplishing nothing at various stops. The main plot was really all there was too it, and there just needed to be more. There are some beautiful scenes however. One in particular is when the sound of a child's tears, (ironically) stops the soldiers from fighting, even if only for a few moments. Another shocking scene is when Clive Owen leaves the restaurant only to have it blown to bits a moment later. It really paints a picture of what life will be like. (Hey we're half way there already) My personal favorite is the playful "ball scene" in the car. It adds a human characteristic to the plot, it's a shame there isn't more of that. Without it, it simply falls short of its potential. In short, it needs less running and more explaining.