Category: A Spiritual Look At All Forms Of Entertainment…

Because I’m such an avid moviegoer, I thought it might be best to post a light entry about some of my own comments surrounding this year’s 2014 Academy Award nominations.

Year after year, I do my best to see just about every movie that’s garnering any kind of Oscar hype prior to the nominations even being announced. Sometimes it’s quite difficult to see some of them though because of their releases only being in New York City and Los Angeles. Other times, I’m also not able to see those really obscure ones, which usually fall into the documentary or foreign film categories. But, when the day arrives and I hear those nominations, I generally have seen more than 90% of the films being nominated through all the categories. And this year is no exception to that.

While I love movies in general and will see a wide range of them throughout the year, I’m always surprised on what actually ends up getting nominated. It used to anger me a long time ago when I saw each year’s nominations get announced because none of the films I was watching were ever getting recognized. What I learned very quickly was that the movies I most often watched would never get a single nomination with maybe the exception of something in the visual effects or sound editing categories. So it was a safe bet to assume that most summer blockbuster films, comedies, and general action flicks I saw would never get a single nomination. So I finally decided one year I would start watching all the films that had any Oscar hype surrounding them to better understand more of what the Academy might vote for. And while I’ve definitely cultured myself a lot more because of that decision, and maybe even grown more spiritually too, I find myself still questioning many of their decisions.

With this year’s nominations, American Hustle and Gravity both led the way with 10 apiece. And while I’m happy for Gravity because it was definitely a breakthrough on so many levels, I’ve been pondering the Academy’s praise for American Hustle. Don’t get me wrong, this movie was incredibly directed and well acted. In fact, I can see how it received each of its nominations. But what actually bothers me is when I see movies like this getting recognized the most when they weren’t very spiritual or heart moving on any level.

American Hustle was all about people conning people to make money. Its focus was really no different than that of The Wolf Of Wall Street either, which also received a high number of nominations. Last year the two films that were most recognized were Lincoln and Life of Pi and each were extremely spiritual and heart moving.

I guess I’m just in a very different mindset today when it comes to the films I enjoy watching the most. Seeing movies that are about conning, greed, gluttony, and addiction are not my cup of tea anymore. And watching any of them receive incredible praise and recognition for being the best films of the year truly baffles me. From an artistic sense, I’ll admit that I can see why films like American Hustle and The Wolf Of Wall Street got that praise. But what I wonder most about is why some of the best heart stirring and spiritual based movies this year were almost completely over looked.

Saving Mr. Banks, All Is Lost, Captain Phillips, Fruitvale Station, The Spectacular Now, The Way Way Back, and The Book Thief were all snubbed this year and pretty much left behind in the theater. Each of these movies in themselves was incredible in so many ways but none of them received the recognition they really deserved. I’m not sure if I’ll ever understand how exactly the minds of those Academy voters think when they place their votes, but thankfully, I don’t allow myself to get irritated or angry anymore about their decisions either. I’m able to detach now from the whole process and appreciate whoever ends up winning no matter what the category.

Regardless, I will look forward to the Oscar ceremony on March 2nd, 2014, especially because one of my favorite inspirational people (Ellen DeGeneres) will be hosting it. And I personally want to thank Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson, Robert Redford, Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, Sam Rockwell, and Geoffrey Rush for making the movies you did this year. Each greatly affected my heart and hopefully one day, the Academy will start giving more recognition to more of these types of spiritual movies. Until then, I’m happy for those that do…

Good luck Gravity, 12 Years A Slave, Philomena, Nebraska, and Dallas Buyers Club…

Peace, love, light, and joy,

Andrew Arthur Dawson

Last weekend I watched the 2014 Golden Globes hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. It’s one of only two awards shows that I will sit through each year, with the other one being the Oscars. There is only one main reason why I usually tune into only these two year after year, even when there are so many other awards shows on television these days. That’s simply because of my love of movies, as both a Golden Globe and an Oscar represent two of highest achievements that can be made in that industry here. But there is something that’s been bothering me in recent years with the both of them, which I continued to notice in this year’s Golden Globes. Why is it so rare for any of these major movie stars to take a moment on the red carpet or during their acceptance speeches to thank their Higher Power for their achievements?

While I’m not famous in this life yet, at least not on earthly standards, I’m in a place now where I always try to offer my gratitude to my Higher Power (which I refer to as God) for every achievement I make. Having made it this far in life through all the dysfunctionality, drama, and disasters I’ve been through, I give God full credit for it today. That wasn’t always the case though.

For the longest time I took full credit for any accomplishment I made in life. When I used to swim competitively in high school and finished in the top three positions during a meet, I honestly can’t remember ever bowing my head and giving God thanks for it. When I received several awards for scholastic achievements during my college years, I can’t remember doing it then either. This is also true for the times I was congratulated in various ways after college by employers for my hard work. And the same holds true for any of the other recognitions I received for anything until just a few years ago when I began realizing just how self-absorbed I really was.

Thank God, this is no longer the case for me. While I may have put hard work into my swimming, my college studies, my places of employment, any many other things, I believe today that it was God who gave me all of the talent and drive to get there. This is what baffles me greatly with so many movie stars. Do any of them feel the same way about how they got to where they’re at today? I only ask this because I didn’t once hear the word God or any Higher Power mentioned during a single speech or interview this past Sunday night at the Golden Globes. Instead, it seemed to be the same as usual with each of the actors and actresses. They thanked each other, their families and friends, and the various industry based individuals and companies who represented them, but I don’t remember any of them ever thanking a Higher Power. Do none of them believe that God gave them their talent or that God put those people and companies in their lives to get them to that very place of recognition?

I think about things like this so much more these days. Maybe it’s because I was very self-centered for way too long. Or maybe it’s because I used to give myself all the credit for any of the recognitions I once got in life. Nevertheless, the only thing I can really say about the matter is this. If I’m ever given the chance to accept any award again in this lifetime, you can be sure that you will hear me thank God before anyone or anything else. Regardless of those people or companies or things that played a large role in getting me there, I deeply believe that God would have been the one to place me in all of their paths. I also deeply believe that any talent that got me there in the first place would have come from the drive God gave me long before.

So whether I’ll ever achieve any type of fame in this lifetime or not, my primary thanks will always go to God for all of the awards, achievements, and accomplishments I’ve made or will continue to make throughout life. Hopefully one day more of those actors and actresses will do the same at those prestigious awards shows like the Globes. Until then, I remain grateful for any of them who do remember to thank God, as it truly was God who guided them to receive their recognition in the first place…

Peace, love, light, and joy,

Andrew Arthur Dawson

I just left the theater and boy it sure does feels like I took a step back in time. Have you ever watched a movie that affected you so greatly because it hit that close to home? August: Osage County did this very thing to me today as it painted an extremely accurate portrayal of the dysfunctionality that existed within my family for most of my life.

It centers around Violet Weston, who is played incredibly by Meryl Streep. I have to hand it to her acting as it just seems to get better and better with age. Watching her play a pill addicted and quite miserable woman throughout this movie brought up a lot of emotions within me. Her character was so believable that it was as if I was watching my own mother live out her life in a completely different family.

From the onset of this film, the viewer gets to see just how seriously addicted Violet is to her pills. As she stumbles around her husbands office, berating both him and a Native American woman who was hired to take care of her, she is completely oblivious to how much pain she’s really inflicting on the both of them. She is also totally unaware of the fact that her husband is preparing his affairs solely because he’s about to take his own life.

After a short segment where she contacts her children and they each come to her aid because he hasn’t returned home yet, his suicide is soon discovered. The rest of the film surrounds around the whole family coming together for his funeral and its proceedings. And it’s then that the viewer like me truly got to see all the dynamics of one seriously dysfunctional family.

First off, I want to say that seeing anyone commit suicide, whether its onscreen or not, is challenging in itself given how my father left this world in the same way. Even though I’ve fully healed from that tragedy, it did leave its scars and anytime they’re touched in some way, some tears and sadness are usually the result. But it was how Violet handled her husband’s death and how she treated all her family members who came for the funeral, that really struck a chord within me.

Streep beautifully acted out the insanity that comes from someone who becomes addicted to alcohol or drugs. In Violet’s case, it was prescriptions. In my mother’s case, it was both that and alcohol. One of the worst behaviors Violet demonstrated was how she constantly turned the focus off of herself and instead picked apart and tormented mentally and emotionally each and every family member present. Watching her criticize everyone with almost a level of viciousness in her words brought back all too well what my mother did with my sister and I.

You see, a person who is unhappy with themselves and also seriously addicted, does not want the focus or spotlight on themselves. Instead, they turn it on everyone else and tear them all apart, because on some sick level it makes them feel better to see everyone else miserable. They like to do this because they are the one that’s miserable and they don’t want to see anyone else happy. So as the addict tears apart those around them, they essentially cause each of them to react with negative explosions like her daughter Barbara did, who is played amazingly by Julia Roberts. I related strongly to Roberts character as well because she did her best to consistently support her mother, even as her mother constantly berated her. But at some point she had enough and lunged in rage at her mother to take the pills from her hand.

I went through that behavior too with my own mother. There came a day where I grew tired of her negativity, her woe is me’s, and the excuses of why she was always that way. I tried to get rid of all her alcohol and pills. Unfortunately, it didn’t work as Barbara and the rest of her siblings figured out in the movie. As they tried to remove all the objects of addiction, they discovered that Violet was still an extremely sick individual who needed spiritual and therapeutic help. But of course, she refused those things like most addicts often do. Addicts try to be totally self-supportive and tell themselves they don’t need anyone’s help. But deep down, all addicts are 100% insecure and unless they get that help, they either return to their addiction or remain just as sick without it.

My mother went through this her entire life. She constantly refused help. She never wanted to talk about the incest that happened to her. She didn’t want to discuss the pain my father caused her with his own addiction issues. She avoided any talks about her own childhood life, and just about everything else from her past. All she wanted to do was make it go away, except it never did. And as it reared it’s ugly head within her in different ways, she took it out on everyone closest to her just like Violet did in August: Osage County.

I want to say that I also liked how the director of this movie decided to end it. Violet basically pushes everyone else away through her negative behaviors to the point where she is left alone. It’s then that she seeks to be consoled by the only person left in her house who is the first person she berated in the movie, the Native American woman that’s there to take care of her. Barbara on the other hand has a moment of triumph when she realizes that she’s becoming her mother and leaves in her pajamas driving away in anger. As she pulls off to the side of a long country road, she takes a deep breath, smiles slightly, and continues on her way to start a new path free from the bondage that came from taking care of her mother.

It took me years to break free from my own bondage I had with taking care of my mother. The work I had to do to get there was painful but necessary. Most of it came after my mother passed away. Sadly, she died alone and her last breath came as she fell down the stairs in a drunken and high stupor. I hold no anger anymore towards my mother though. In fact, it’s just the opposite.

I love my mother just as Barbara loved hers in the movie. Sometimes, it’s all about letting that sick person go so that we may get well. Doing that can be the hardest step we ever take in life but I’m thankful I did it because today, I’m free from all of that pain. I’m free from my dysfunctional family. And I’m free from the prison I created for myself in trying to take care of an addicted parent.

Seeing August: Osage county was a good reminder of what my past was all about, but an even better reminder of how far God has brought me away from all that drama. Thank you God for helping me to get to where I’m at today!

Peace, love, light, and joy,

Andrew Arthur Dawson