Media | MJKelly Visions

Mary's Peak Mountain, Oregon Coast Range, Siuslaw National Forest c. MJKelly All rights reserved

This was fun!
A glowing waterfall was a an idea I had while thinking about different ways to bend light.
Imagination and patience is what made this possible.

Big thanks to my long time friend and photo assistant for this photo project, Kevin Lockrow.
It was a long night, but we accomplished what we set out to do.

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If you would like to use this photo, please contact for permission.
Thank you.

Update:
I added a few more photos from this shoot. There are so many other things I want to try using some of the lessons I learned form this shoot. Keep an eye out for my next adventures.

“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” Warner Bros.

The movie that I want to discuss is “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close“. It was directed by Stephen Daldry. The cast is rich with Oscar nominees and winners such as Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, and Max von Sydow. The story follows a boy named Oskar, played by Thomas Horn. This was his first film, yet he demonstrates fantastic emotion and raw talent. The morning of September 11th, Oskar’s father died in the World Trade Center. The movie explores his stages of grief, acceptance, and growth. I actually avoided watching this movie when it was released. To this day, the memories of 9/11 stir up a whirlwind of emotion in many people. I remember it clearly. I was eating breakfast. I wasn’t at work that day because I had a Doctor’s appointment. I turned on the TV to see something I never imagined possible. Immediately, our world was changed. Never, in the history of man, had such a large audience witnessed destruction of that magnitude. Millions of people watched in terror as smoke poured into the sky from the top of Manhattan. Recently, my wife decided to watch this film as I was typing away at some homework assignment on my computer. I didn’t think I would want to watch it. I am glad that I got distracted from my work and watched this film.

We all deal with stress differently. Some of react in ways we wouldn’t normally expect from our selves. It is natural to react. There are three commonly known types of reaction to an unexpected, sudden, and horrifying or life-threatening surprise. In the split second between normalcy and crisis, our nervous system subconsciously engages a series of physiological actions and reactions. An immediate response is triggered in our minds and bodies. Some run, fast. Jumping back in reverse with their breath as they scream and holler, running for safety. Others might stand tall, confident in their gaze. A fighter laughs in the face of danger. Finally, the freezer is one who can’t decide whether to attack back or flee for escape; these people are literally standing frozen in fear. Oskar is a freezer. On the morning of September 11th, Oskar’s father was trapped inside the World Trade Center. As the nightmare was unfolding in the buildings, Thomas Schell, Tom Hanks character, frantically called his wife and son. As Oskar listened to the voice of his father calling out for him on the answering machine, Oskar couldn’t bring himself to reach out answer the constantly ringing phone. This moment of fear is what stands out to me. For people who witnessed this horror, either live on TV or in person, we all found out how our own bodies reacted. In interesting side note of the cast; Sandra Bullock, who plays Oskar’s mother, personally saw the plane hit the South Tower in real life. She was in New York with her family and they witnessed the events play out. Along with most of the cast, she felt an instant connection to the script, and this lead to a very talented group of people wanting to be a part of film.

It is Thomas Horn who really steals the show though. Most young and amateur actors would be intimidated by co-stars like Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Viola Davis, Max von Sydow, and the list goes on and on. Horn was discovered by Stephen Daldry when he was on Kid’s Week of Jeopardy. He can speak four languages. That is impressive of anyone, young or old. His character, Oskar, finds a key in his fathers closet after his death. This leads to him creating a mission to find the lock that the key is paired with. It is a chance to extend his time thinking about his father and to try to stay connected to the life that is no longer; he was encouraged to search for truth and answers by his dad while he was still alive. He thought if he found the lock to the key, he would find the answers about why his father was taken from him.

This movie was a first for Thomas Horn. It wasn’t a first for Tom Hanks. He is no stranger to roles in films filled with sorrow, grief, and loss. Saving Private Ryan was a film that Hanks played a school teacher-turned Army Commander in WWII. He was thrown into tragedy and conflict. He saw good men lose their lives for bad reasons. He showed us how bad life can get; he how horrible we can be to each other. Hanks fills the fatherly figure well. He inspires, he teases, and he encourages. Other movies that Hanks plays a parent include Sleepless in Seattle, Road to Perdition, and Apollo 13.

Oskar discusses adventure and the hunt for truth with his father, Thomas. Image Source http://www.extremelyloudandincrediblyclose.warnerbros.com

This film touches on a nerve just below the surface of American culture. Eleven years later, we are still learning how to adapt to the impacts of that fateful day. The war in Afghanistan is still going on. People are still dying as a result of this attack. The Patriot Act has been renewed. Prisoners in Guantanamo Bay are still being tried for their involvement with the attacks. People are still grieving. The novel that this film was adapted from was written by Jonathan Safran Foer. He wanted to try to explore how children were coping with this tragedy. Oskar’s character struggles with Aspergers and Autistic-like symptoms. This compounds his emotions and impulses during his roller-coaster of a life in his fatherless world. The writer, the director, and the actors of this project have respectfully and compassionately shown us a glimpse of their experience. It is easy to relate to the character’s in this film. It feels real. You can almost feel their pain because of the severity of our memory of the real event. As we speak, people in New York and New Jersey are living through more loss and tragedy. Recently, Hurricane Sandy blew through the East Coast. The storm surge and flooding completely destroyed whole neighborhoods with waves of destruction. Just as the Trade Center Towers collapsed with people’s mothers and fathers inside, Sandy took from us people’s family members with her swept away in her wrath as well. People are now left in disbelief and complete shock with the magnitude of the chaos that is left over. Gas is being rationed and electricity and heat is a luxury in many areas. The post-traumatic symptoms are hard to not notice in the faces of the survivors. Just as 9/11 was broadcast on every station as the buildings burned, we watched as a nation on TV and social media as this storm made landfall. One image that really caught my attention was the one below. The storm surge sent millions of gallons of sea water over the sea walls in Lower Manhattan. Water filled the subway stations and poured into the very hole that is the construction site of the memorial for the terrorist attacks, Ground Zero. It will take a very long time to pick up all of the pieces. It may take even longer to mend and heal all of the wounds Sandy caused too. New York is a tough city; she will survive.

Water pours into the Ground Zero construction site during Hurricane Sandy. Image by AP’s John Minchillo Image Source: http://www.businessinsider.com

For many people including myself, this film’s subject is very hard to endure. The memories are so haunting that any glimpse of similar sights bring back thoughts of sadness. I personally told myself I did not want to watch this film when it was released. It was an accident that I started watching it. It surprised me how I was able to experience the events play out again. I would understand if many people couldn’t bring themselves to watch or read anything related to that day though. It truly was ground shattering for many of us.

My heart goes out to all of the victims of that tragedy. The cast and crew poured their hearts into this project. You can feel it in their words, you can see it in their tears. Horn is able to capture your imagination and steal your attention. Oskar’s father never stopped encouraging him to tackle his fears. He wanted to see him grow up to be a confident and educated man. He envisioned Oskar learning how to fight his insecurities and learn to escape his comfort zone. After his death, Oskar was faced with the challenge of facing all of his discomforts in the real world, if he wanted to get to the bottom of the story behind the mysterious key he found. The story is well written. The characters are played by phenomenal actors. The story is heart wrenching. This formula works very well. Remember Horn had never stepped onto a movie set prior to leading this film. Max von Sydow chose to turn down a role in the movie Beginners so he could be in this film. He plays an older gentleman that Oskar meets in his quest for answers. His character is mute, elderly, and terribly burdened by guilt. The role landed Sydow an Oscar Nomination. He lost to his good friend and fellow thespian, Chris Plummer. Plummer won his Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role award for his role in the very movie Sydow turned down. Ironic, isn’t it?

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close doesn’t have any weaknesses that I can see. It told a sad story with a sad ending. It left the viewer hopeful and proud versus depressed. Oskar learns more about himself and his father than he ever dreamed possible. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but he finds a way to see the world the way his father always wanted.

Watching this film was moving. I experienced some memories I was afraid of reliving. Watching the characters confront their feelings was inviting me to do so as well. Oskar finds ways to speak to strangers just as I am sharing with you. Details I have been afraid to share are similar to his testimony that he decides to divulge eventually.

I now want to read the book that this film was adapted from. I think it would be interesting to compare the writing style with the script. I think the writer was brave to approach this topic. I admire his compassion for the children that were affected. Writing this post has helped me explore my feelings. It has helped me to see this event in a new light.

9/11 was a day that will never be forgotten, but it is a day that most people wish they could forget. I have many mixed feelings regarding that day. I have so many questions that I don’t feel can be answered. There are two camps of people: the ones who want to discuss and investigate further the happenings of that day and then there’s the ones who don’t. With so many drastic policy changes that have been implemented as a result of those terror attacks, it is hard for me not to want to know more. The pain these memories produce is a strong force that discourages many people from further discussion though. There are things in this world that we can’t change. We can’t undue the destruction from Sandy. We can’t bring back the loved ones we’ve lost.

We can though, find ways to cope and move on though. We can find ways to improve how we engage and interact with each other. We must find ways to collaborate and not alienate, if we want to avoid things like this happening again.
We have to face our fears if we want to grow together.

by MJKelly

Movie Website -http://extremelyloudandincrediblyclose.warnerbros.com/dvd/#/home

Please donate to the American Red Cross to help with the relief efforts of Hurricane Sandy if you can.

http://www.redcross.org/hurricane-sandy

MJKelly Visions

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