More about the movies

I really wanted to continue on the path of seeing as many nominated films before the Academy Award presentations next week, but I got out voted.

instead we went to see "Taken," last night, and I can’t believe the interest and the high regard for action films. I just don’t see the point. Liam Neisen was not acting, but being a ridiculous action hero who deflected every attempt to thwart his progress through the plot – bullets, car chases, hanging – it didn’t matter. No matter how people tried to get rid of him, he prevailed. It was really laughable it was so unbelievable. Plus, he’s getting old and isn’t in that great a shape anymore, so that he could do this action hero stuff makes no sense either.

Needless to say, I didn’t like the film. It made me sweaty because the plot line was so uncomfortable – people kidnapping young girls and then selling them into prostitution and slavery. It makes me uncomfortable because I know they do this all over the world – including the U.S.

This film in the end provides a good lesson for parents. Don’t let your young daughters go off on their own to Europe or other foreign countries on their own. The young guy at the airport who offers to share a cab with them may be their first contact in the kidnapping ring -- as was the case in "Taken."

Unfortunately, the film was still on my mind when I woke up this morning. Is that a message to me that the film was better than I thought? No, but the message had a huge impact on me. It's one the serious film makers ought to take on in perhaps a documentary. People need to know about the kind of crime portrayed in "Taken." Young girls need to be educated about it in school. They go around so exposed these days -- not only in the way they look but also in the way they act and think. Unless they are warned they probably think nothing bad could ever happen to them.