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wisdomonwheels
Reviews
30 for 30: Bad Boys (2014)
Not Bad
Pun intended, but this was very well done, as all the 30 for 30 episodes are. I think the earliest basketball memory I have was sitting in my aunt's and uncle's family room downstairs watching the Detroit Pistons finish off the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1990 NBA Finals. I was six years old at the time. They definitely had a reputation. This documentary also reminded me of how much better the old NBA was, a lot more physical, a lot more in your face, but just an overall better quality of basketball as well. Overall, I would definitely recommend this as well as all of the other ESPN 30 for 30 episodes for the excellent quality of work that they do. Even if you are not a sports fan, it is easy to get caught up in the people and personalities behind the stories because of how well these are done.
Haktana Hanal (2006)
A journey incomplete
The aforementioned infant is a description so impersonal, so devoid of significance. I feel for her on her journey. The birth certificate is canceled, but her birth wasn't. If it's archived, then it still exists. Just because something is canceled doesn't mean it didn't happen. Legal acts change what is lawful, but they can't erase reality. If it is permanently sealed, then it's NOT canceled! It's just hidden.
On the other hand, her identity has not been canceled. So it's not as if her years growing up as an adoptee are fake. Her life still happened and still has significance even if it doesn't feel complete. So that's how I would describe this. A journey of completion.
I do have to say I am not pleased with the woman who disparaged Christianity. First of all, original sin is a part of the Bible. That is unmistakable and undeniable. Second, we all have a sinful nature that is a part of us. You don't have to teach a child to say "mine" or be selfish. Every baby starts life as a little savage. He is entirely selfish and self-centered. He wants what he wants when he wants it: his bottle, his mother's attention, his playmate's toys, his uncle's watch, or whatever. Deny him these, and he seethes with rage and aggressiveness, which would be murderous were he not so helpless. He's dirty. He has no morals, no knowledge, no developed skills. This means that all children, not just certain children but all children, are born delinquent. If permitted to continue in their self-centered world of infancy, given free rein to their impulsive actions to satisfy each want, every child would grow up a criminal, a thief, a killer, a rapist (Minnesota Crime Commission, 1926). Yet each child also has immense value because they are made in the image of God. While infected with Adam's sinful nature, humans are still the crown jewels of God's creation.
Furthermore, while I do not believe that it would be good or healthy to refer to a child as a "bastard," the word means a person born of unmarried parents. In other words, a bastard is an illegitimate child. If that accurately describes a person's situation, it's not wrong. It just shouldn't be said to a young child. To do so would be almost as cruel as the guy who refused to give him his seat on a bus for a pregnant teenager because she didn't have a ring on her hand.
There is a powerful pro-life message in one of the segments of this film, whether it was intended or not. I really like the woman who described her thought process of not having an abortion because it wasn't fair. So she decided to give the baby up to a Catholic charity for adoption. Fortunately, she has an emotional reunion with her adopted son during the documentary. That part was an excellent example of the right attitude and how things should be under challenging types of situations like the ones in this film.
Hearing the story of when the filmmaker finally gets to meet her birth mom was good, though. However, I wish there was a video of that because that would have made this even better. And it was sad to hear her talk about how, on the second visit, the birth mom said she wanted nothing to do with her anymore. How heartbreaking that must have been for her and hopeless it must have felt when she continued to try to connect with her. I guess my reaction to this at first was similar to wondering why someone would want to have a relationship with anyone who didn't want them. But seeing this woman's journey, I think I get it a little bit more. I still don't desire to find my own mom that I have never met, but I guess I can see how someone would want to. I wish this would have had a happier ending, but real life doesn't always give us that in this sin-cursed world.