28 Days Later and Much Much Later

Let me start by saying that this blog isn't exactly what I expected it to be. I thought that I would have something to say on a regular basis, and while I wanted that to be the case, we all know how that turned out. I am going to try and think more about this blog and work at it, but I am going to try and have my life be injected into it, instead of movies having life injected into them.
Today's movie is 28 Days Later, the English zombie apocalypse movie from 2003. Directed by Danny Boyle, who would later give us the hit Slumdog Millionaire, a film I admit I haven't seen. This film stands out to me as one of the best horror movies I have ever seen, being effective on almost every level a horror movie should be. The film's infusion of loneliness is something that seems to be lacking in most movies of this genre. It seems to be logical that if the world was truly in a post-apocalyptic state, there wouldn't be a whole lot of people around, but most do.
The scene that stands out to me is when the two main characters, with a father/daughter team, make their way through a tunnel in order to cross a river. The main character, played by Cillian Murphy, says "No No. See, this is a really shit idea. You know why? Because its really obviously a shit idea." Then, of course, while driving through, they meet plenty of road blocks and obstacles that cause them to have a tire blow out. During the tire change, of course, the zombies come, and the race is on to fix the tire. They make it out, and the story moves on for our characters. That line, while being a tad salty, invokes something you rarely see in a horror movie, the concept of true personality trait. Often, horror movie characters move and act in very stereotypical ways, making actions predictable. I won't say this film don't have those characters, but you can understand their actions with a sort of logic that should be more present in this genre. So remember to yell at the screen, "That is a shit idea! You know why? Because it is so obviously a shit idea!" next time Tina, the stereotypical slasher fodder runs upstairs to flee from some big guy with a big knife. In conclusion, if you are a horror movie fan or if you can simply stand the adult material featured, see this movie. It isn't a suggestion, its a command. Don't worry, you won't be disappointed.
You might be asking yourself what social problem I have to associate to a zombie apocalypse? I'm going to return to religion and talk about the end of the world. Why, you might ask, is the end of the world a social problem? I think we all recognize that the Earth will not be around forever and ever. Whoever you are, religious or not, there is a scenario realistic to all of us that involves everyone dying and something happening after. While a lab grown virus that creates blood thirsty zombies is not top on my list, it was a good movie, and I thought that it worked, so there.
What brought on this post was a discussion that I had with a man selling a self-written book. He was convinced that he had mapped out the events in the Bible and Book of Mormon that told him the end of the world was coming as soon as next year. I just wanted to know more. So much more that I was almost compelled to buy the text. I wasn't pulled into the idea that the world is going to see Jesus return in 2011, but I was pulled into the idea that someone would believe that they knew the event was happening. I also viewed a documentary, "Waiting for Armageddon," which invoked the same feelings. I wanted to know more. Not about belief systems, but what makes one person, who believes they will see Jesus soon as a function of "The Rapture," different than one who does not. I don't think this is an issue of religion. The man that I encountered earlier in the week was Mormon, and most Mormons I know don't think Jesus is coming next year.
My issue with this thinking comes in when you ask yourself, "What are you going to do differently, now that you know that the end really is nigh." (Side note: there is a scene in 28 Days Later, when Cillian Murphy is walking up some stairs in a church and encountered the statement "The End is Really Fucking Nigh." I laughed.) In "Waiting for Armageddon," there were interviews with people stating they won't see grandchildren and children won't see high school graduation. Christian groups laugh when they see pictures of the Temple Mount, altered to feature the New temple of Jerusalem, instead of the Dome of the Rock. A quote that I find appropriate here is from Bill Maher, "The only thing I hate more than prophecy is self-fulfilling prophecy." That is exactly my fear. What motivation do these people have to continue with business as usual? I would say, nothing. People of this caliber are preparing for the end instead of preparing for tomorrow.
I'm not saying that I want to control religious freedom to believe that your God is coming to cleanse the Earth of non-believers, but I would like people to remember that Earth is still Earth today, and probably tomorrow. Life is still out there. Remember the example of the great lion. A lion will still do lion things today, tomorrow and the next day until he dies, gets eaten, or gets shot by some hunter on safari. Everyday, we have an obligation to make life better and richer. Or maybe we just have an obligation to live it. Don't try and lead yourself to the end; let the end happen.
Lastly, I would encourage my few readers to remember we all love to believe what we want, let others do the same.