Category Archives: Movie review

In reflecting on my career as a high school principal, I recall many board meetings where a few board members would panic if the enrollment did not go up every year. That statistic alone was the acid test, and  a low enrollment number on any given year would be the catalyst for extensive discussions about what was wrong with the school and what we needed to do to fix it.

Fortunately, most board members took the long view and saw the inherent complexity and difficulty of establishing a Jewish day high school in a city that never had one. Thankfully, they supported me over the years in building Yeshiva High School of Atlanta, now known as Yeshiva Atlanta.

Panic in the face of adversity is not a good response, and I was reminded of this truth as I watched Apollo 13, a classic film about one of America’s early space flights in 1969. “Life is not a straight line,” a friend once told me when I was dealing with a lot of things that were going wrong. The key is to stay focused at moments of crisis. Rather than lose one’s cool, concentrate on how to solve the problem.

The tag line for the film is ‘Houston, we have a problem,” and they do have a serious problem. After months of preparation, the crew led by Commander Jim Lovell and assisted by Fred Haise and Ken Mattingly, is scheduled to fly to the moon. Two days before the launch, Mattingly is compelled to withdraw from the mission because he has been exposed to measles and he has never had them before.  The possibility that he could become ill during a crucial part of the flight disqualifies him; and Jack Swigert, an astronaut who has been out of the loop for many weeks, is asked to fill in for Mattingly. Lovell decides to accept the substitute rather than wait for another turn to fly to the moon.

The problem is compounded once the astronauts leave earth.  While in flight, Jack Swigert performs the routine procedure of stirring the oxygen tanks, and the oxygen tanks explode causing a mechanical failure. Now the mission is not to land on the moon, but to get home safely.

The two characters who stay focused and don’t lose their cool are Jim Lovell and Flight Director Gene Kranz at Mission Control in Houston. Aiding them is Ken Mattingly who simulates what is going on in the space capsule in order to give the Apollo crew the best advice to stay alive. These three men, very bright and who fully identify with the Apollo crew, think creatively to come up with solutions that will enable the men to re-enter earth’s atmosphere and arrive home safely.

The Bible is filled with examples of people who, when faced with negativity and bad karma, rise above the problem and find a way to succeed. Joseph, son of Jacob, is one role model. According to a Midrash, he is left in a snake-filled pit by his brothers. He then is sold as a slave in Egypt, and later finds himself in prison where he languishes for a number of years. During all that time, he does not give up and surrender to his environment. Instead, he finds a way to survive and eventually he is catapulted to the position of viceroy of Egypt. He does not look at the present dark moment as forever. Rather he sees beyond it. He knows he has a mission, and in his own quiet and deliberate way works to actualize a bright future.

Apollo 13 affirms that same message. When things go awry, do not collapse. Instead, analyze the situation and develop a strategy for success.

Purchase this movie from Amazon.com.

Many years ago, I asked a friend to mail a $10,000 check for me. He mailed it from the post office, but neglected to send it by registered mail as I requested because the line at the post office was long and he did not want to wait. Unfortunately, the check was lost and it took months before the situation was resolved. The check never was found, and no real harm was done, but the incident reminded me how one simple error in judgment can lead to an avalanche of problems.

An errant check is not the problem in Unstoppable; rather it is an errant train that can unleash a cargo of toxic chemicals if it is not stopped. The problem originates with a lazy railroad worker, Dewey, who decides not to connect the air hose to the rest of a long train, thereby removing the air brakes that are critical to stopping the train. Compounding his mistake, he leaves the locomotive cab when he sees that the train is lined up to go on the wrong track and runs to manually switch the track. Unfortunately, the train’s control levers move on their own accelerating its speed, and Dewey cannot reboard the train in time. Now the train is unmanned and moving very quickly towards populated areas.

Two heroes emerge to deal with this crisis: Will Colson and Frank Barnes. Colson is a young newly minted conductor, and Frank Barnes is an engineer who has been working with the railroad for 28 years. Together, they use the physical strength of youth and the wisdom of advanced years to devise strategies to stop the train, even at great personal risk. Both men, knowing that their lives are in danger, want to connect with family. Will, who is estranged from his wife, wants to speak with her but is fearful of being rejected by her. He doesn’t call but his thoughts turn to his wife and child, whom he may never see again. Frank, a widower, phones his daughters to tell them he loves them. It is a 9/11 kind of call, full of love and uncertainty about the future.

Jewish tradition emphasizes how important it is to obey the rules, especially in problematic or dangerous times. The Bible informs us that even the king is not to veer from the commandment; for if he does, his kingdom will not endure. Rashi, an 11th century Bible commentator, explains that Saul lost his kingship because he did not follow the instruction of the prophet Samuel. Samuel had told him to wait seven days for him to arrive before offering a sacrifice. Saul does not wait for the prophet to arrive and, as a result, loses his kingship. The commentators opine that Saul did not realize the importance of his position and how careful he had to be to perform his obligations correctly.

Neither does Dewey in Unstoppable. Dewey takes his work responsibilities casually, and people pay a price for his unprofessional conduct. He makes the mistake of a lifetime, jeopardizing the lives of many innocents. In a coda at the end of the film, we learn that Dewey no longer works for the railroad but now is employed in the fast food industry.

Unstoppable reminds us to take our professional responsibilities seriously. No matter how mundane our jobs may be, we are required to give it our best effort for our sake and for the sake of all those who depend upon us. We lead a different kind of life when we realize that every action of ours has a reaction in the lives of others.

Purchase this movie from Amazon.com.