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David

Genius Finale — Bringing Back the Joy

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(National Geographic/Dusan Martincek)

One January morning in 1998, I walked into a lecture hall at Furman University, not knowing what to expect in the Psychology class I was registered for.  The professor walked in, a rather tall man with bright red hair, and spoke: “Good morning.  My name is Dr. Einstein.”  The class laughed, then he continued: “If you’re wondering, I am actually related to Albert.”  At that point, the class grew silent, then sat back for a fantastic semester of learning with a professor who sincerely loved to teach.  To this day, I still believe Dr. Einstein was the smartest–not to mention most challenging–professor I had.  (If you’re wondering, he’s still teaching at Furman)

In the final two-hour conclusion to National Geographic Channel’s Genius, Albert Einstein (Geoffrey Rush) has moved to the US and is a professor at Princeton University. But the events of the world have seemed to conspire against him. Franz Haber (Richard Topol) dies, as does Mileva, his stepdaughter Ilse, and his current wife, Elsa (Emily Watson). To assuage his feelings, a svelte Russian bombshell named Margarita (Ania Bukstein) enters his life and helps him get through the process of becoming a US citizen.  We soon discover she’s a spy attempting to get access to Einstein’s calculations for an unknown purpose, but she fails in her mission. Later, Albert’s work on general relativity becomes linked to the atomic bomb being worked on by the US and Germany, a thought that makes him sick.  When the bomb is dropped on Japan by the US, Einstein is thrust into the spotlight again—not as a brilliant scientist, but as the harbinger of nuclear death.

(National Geographic/Dusan Martincek)

As a result of this new moniker, Albert begins to push away from his love of science, becoming more active politically.  It creates another big issue in the form of J Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI (TR Knight).  He thinks Albert is a Communist and is willing to go to any length to prove his assertion true.  It makes life difficult as Einstein is concerned with the witch hunt going on for people like the Rosenbergs and is ready to make his feelings known to the world.  But that’s exactly what Hoover wants.  When Albert writes a letter to the judge of the Rosenberg trial, Hoover intercepts it and proceeds to discredit Einstein all over the pages of America’s papers. All Albert has left are a few friends and his assistant Helene (Emily Laing), who he prefers to see and not hear.  His son Hans has come over from Germany, but the rift from the divorce is still fresh.

Sinking into a funk, an unexpected help arrives in the form of Alice Edwards (Dixie Egerickx), a little girl who asks him to help her with her long division homework.  Suddenly, he remembers the joy of teaching and breaks out of his depression.  In the end, he is able to reconcile himself to Hans (even telling him that he would’ve never achieved anything without Mileva) before finally passing away.

Ken Billings directs the final two part-episode and provides a satisfying conclusion to the series.  He’s even able to inject a little emotion into the end sequences as Albert is reconciled to Hans and tells Helene she’s a blessing to him.  It was nice to see a little glimmer of hope as Einstein’s carefully crafted world began to crash down around him. I’m already looking forward to the second season of Genius, which will feature the life of one Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Maria de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santisima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (yes, that’s the painter’s full name).

One of the neatest things to see in the final episode was how Alice Edwards, with her constant questioning and eager desire to learn, helped bring Albert back to a love of teaching.  When life seems to feel unbearable and the only safe space is under the covers of the bed, there is a way to get back to normal. King David mentioned this in Psalm 51, when it seemed like his sins and mistakes were going to overwhelm him.  He went to God and asked for forgiveness, then prayed, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.  Then I will teach transgressors Your ways” (verses 12-13 NASB).  Sometimes all it takes is asking God for the joy to be restored, and it will arrive in a form that will do the trick. Then we will be able to take on life with a renewed confidence and vigor, making a difference in the lives of others.  And isn’t that what we, in the end, want to happen?

Origins Ep. 5 – The Blood of War

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(photo credit: National Geographic)

Conflict is something that most people find unenjoyable.  In many cases, we do our absolute best to avoid it at all costs.  But at some point in our lives, we will all have to deal with some aspect of conflict, whether it’s against another person, an aspect of society, or even ourselves.  Yet no matter how we feel about conflict in our lives, most of these situations do not involve going to war. However, war has done more to shape the history of the world than one might be willing to consider. In tonight’s fifth episode of Origins (NatGeo, 9 PM/8 CT), the topic involves fighting (and killing) other people (it’s a bit gory, so be advised, parents).  The episode starts off a little slow, but picks up in the middle, providing a challenging look at our past—and a hope for our future that, sadly, will not come to pass.

Tribal groups grew crops and killed animals for food.  But when food was difficult to find, fear took over and the people resorted to taking it from other tribes by any means necessary.  Stealing was one option, but eventually people found it more effective to just beat up and kill members of the other group. It seems war is a symptom of our humanity, showcasing our worst attributes.  But it has also given rise to civilizations, such as Genghis Khan’s massive Mongolian empire in the 13th century (aided by an important military item known as the stirrup). As a result, people became loyal to beliefs (such as the Crusades) and nationalistic creeds—and yet fighting continued over large and small issues.

(photo credit: National Geographic)

More changes came with modern warfare, as World War I proved. As part of the terms of peace, boundaries were created in the Middle East, creating countries that had never seen a specific form of government before.  This led to anarchy within those areas and gave rise to something called terrorism, seen in the US in 1993 when the World Trade Center was bombed and eight years later when it was destroyed by two airplanes. One commentator in the episode likened it to David versus Goliath in that ‘David’ is willing to do anything to keep himself alive in the eyes of the general public.  Think about it: do we still talk about terrorism today? Are we a bit fearful of what could eventually happen if terrorists go unchecked?  If so, ‘David’ has done his job.

Host Jason Silva introduces the concept of cyber warfare at the end of the show, noting that people have the ability of using 0s and 1s to take down physical objects, thus controlling society through their monitors.  If the power goes out with no way to turn it on in a city, what would happen?  No ATMs, no shopping, no internet (once the batteries on the smartphone are dead), and no ability to perform daily tasks that people take from granted.  It wouldn’t be pretty.

Of course, humanity can do lots of good, but we also have the propensity to be quite evil.  In the Bible, Cain didn’t like that God rejected his sacrifice but accepted the one his brother Abel gave.  His way of resolving the situation involved killing his brother, then having to deal with the consequences of his actions (see Genesis 4:1-16). War is simply an example of humanity not getting along with each other for reasons such as fear, power, money. I was struck that Silva asked, at the end of the episode, “Can we find the will to destroy war?” We’ve tried to give peace numerous times in the past, but eventually, something happens and the killing begins anew (sorry, John Lennon).  The Bible says specifically that war isn’t going to go away, as man becomes more corrupt and power-hungry leaders seek to impose their will on the whole world (you know, the whole mark of the beast thing in Revelation 13). But in the end, God’s plan is to bring peace back—not through the doings of humanity, but through Jesus, who’s already battled death and won. Only then will war truly be over.

Project Almanac: Be Present Today

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PA_Poster

Project Almanac has the vibe of a Blair Witch Project or Cloverfield film. Most of the film is from the perspective of a handheld video camera, smart phone, or GoPro. This time, the sci-fi genre adds time travel to the mix.

David (Jonny Weston) is a smart, clean-cut high school student, complete with the Harry Potter-glasses. Achieving his goal of getting accepted to MIT, David, along with his friends and sister (Ginny Gardner) decide to conduct an experiment in film, hoping to win a scholarship. They discover some old documents from David’s deceased father, who was a scientist, along with an old, vintage camcorder . . . . from 2004.

The camcorder holds video of David’s seventh birthday party at his home. It’s the same day that his father dies in a car accident. David discovers that his current, seventeen-year-old self can be seen in a mirror. This sends David and his friends, Adam (Allen Evangelista) and Quinn (Sam Lerner), to the basement where they find instructions – Project Almanac – to build a time machine.

They build the time machine and after a series of failed trials, it works. What follows is a bit predictable. The teens use this new found ability to travel back and forth through time to score higher grades on assignments, win the lottery, and more.

First-time director Dean Israelite does a decent job, though the film would have been just as good, maybe better, without the found footage format. It is not choppy like other found footage films. It lacks full, first-person perspective. Not to mention that it is seemingly impossible that every aspect of this film was . . .filmed. Take when David travels through time by himself. It’s possible/believable that he is filming what he sees. But when the perspective shifts, for example, in the high school storage room right before he time jumps again, who is holding the camera then?

Project-Almanac-trailer-still

It doesn’t need the first-person, character camera-holding to make the film. The film stands alone without all that. Not to mention the touches most likely influenced by one of its producers – Michael Bay. Bay manages to add his own touch to the film as a producer. The only thing it lacked was an appearance by Megan Fox.

With all the time travel that the teens do, present day events end up changing. David goes from high school nerd to mad scientist. He travels through time on his own for purely selfish reasons, impacting his community and the world in ways he never imagined. They have to go back in time to fix the things they did so the present would not be affected.

David comes to realize that perhaps the time machine is not a gift. When in back in time, he tells his father they “shouldn’t play God.” David destroys the heart of the time machine to remove the temptation to change what was or what will be for selfish gain.

How often do we find ourselves clinging to the past or longing to go back in time? Perhaps things were simpler back then, calmer, less chaotic, and easier to deal with. Perhaps the past is where all the answers lie. Perhaps. But we are in the present. And the present is a gift from God.

We cannot go back in time, but we can be present in the present. I think H. G. Wells would approve.