1408

Bumped into a couple of exchange students today who were on their way out to see a movie. I had just got out of 7 hours of class so decided that some mindless entertainment would be fine.

They had already decided to see 1408, a crappy horror movie where John Cusak does his normal thing as a cynical yet brilliant underachiever and Sam Jackson does his normal thing as piamp. The movie proceeds according to your standard locked-in-a-haunted-place-and-can't-get-out formula with a lot of really sudden noises to make you jump. I absolutely hate movies like this.

It was worth my fare though and I'll tell you why. (Stop reading here if you plan to see this piece of shit.) John Cusak is holding a representation of his daughter, who had died previously of leukemia or some other tragic disease. The ghosts are of course messing with his mind at this point and she dissolves into dust after saying a few creepy things. On his knees amidst her ashes, Mr. Cusak passionately cries out something like: "NOOOOO... I CAN'T LOSE YOU TWICE!!" It was the tear jerking line of the movie, a cheap emotional trick, (come on.. dead children?) and the absolutely predictable point where the protagonist decides that he's mad as hell and sure as beans will find a way out of this mess.

To our surprise, the audience erupted into laughter. We Americans looked at each other and shrugged. It was meant to be the saddest thing Hollywood could think of. One of those cases of cultural ships passing in the night.. I guess that's why you go abroad.