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Showing posts from August, 2019

Thor: Ragnarok, a lesson in starting over

[This post contains spoilers for anyone who has not seen this movie—read at your own risk. You have been warned.] While Thor: Ragnarok  may stand out as the favourite installment to date in the Asgardian god's story because of it's bright visuals, strong comedic writing, and better character development, we might also consider the important lesson it has for us regarding starting over. The story places its main focus on the development of the title character as he finally comes to accept his role and responsibility, but what this narrative is really about is a people struggling to survive the secrets of their past. Knowing that they are potentially facing their end, these people are fighting for a future, and one that is free of evil, death, and destruction. Their hope for a prosperous future, for a better life, for a new start, is something that I think we can all relate with. Few of us can probably say that our misdeeds have ever caused the damage that Asgard experience

Balancing the scales of justice—Murder on the Orient Express

[Warning: this post contains spoilers for the movie] It may be said that private detective Hercule Poirot's quirks and OCD tendencies are a part of the character's charms. Yet, in this story of murder and mystery, they are symbolic of so much more. Poirot's proclivities From the first moments of Murder on the Orient Express , there are a few things that are clearly established about the famed fictional Belgian detective. First, that Poirot is extremely particular. As he continually measures and inspects the eggs he is brought for his breakfast, it is evident that Poirot has a tendency toward balance in his life. More than that, though, he is more detail-oriented than the average person. Who else would be so specific about the similarity of their eggs that they would require exact measurements to be sure? On top of that, he then goes on to solve the case of a missing relic with no clues aside from a crack in a wall (coupled with his awareness of the suspects'