Hubby and I watched the movie PUSH last night through PayPerView, and wow. I can't get it out of my head. Absolutely fantastic movie, one of my top favorites, I believe.
(If you watch it, know there is very mild sensuality, a bit of language, and some violence.)
Basically, it's about these "special" people (think X-Men type mutants but more normal looking). Some are good, some are bad. All have super powers. There are Sniffers, Movers, Watchers - all whose names imply their powers. (tracking skills, telekinetic energy, and psychic. Plus a lot more, some which we didn't even meet in this movie. Then there are Pushers, which is really neat - they have the ability to push thoughts, even lies, into people's head and make them believe it as truth. Very powerful stuff.
In the picture above are the two stars, Dakota Fanning and Chris Evans. (side note - it was really neat to see Dakota in an "adult" role instead of movies like Babe the Pig. She's grown up and her acting is
amazing. I hated they gave her a few cuss words but it did fit her character - tough chick, on her own, etc.) Dakota is a Watcher and Chris is a Mover, but kinda bad at his powers. Those develop throughout the movie. They are independent, on their own, trying to stay under the radar from a governement agency named Division who is all about control, power, and experiments. They are trying to build an army of special powered people and experiment on the "mutants" (though they are not called that) like lab rats.
The plot is sort of complicated to explain, and I won't really try because A. It's just hard and B. I don't want to give anything away. But basically, Dakota's mom is stuck in Division and Dakota wants to get her out, and knows through her powers as a pyschic that it all boils down to finding this one particular girl and this particular case she has - before Division does. Chris gets involved because he at first believes there to be money in it for him, and needs to pay off some bookies for gambling. But then he forms a bro/sis type relationship with Dakota and wants to help her, not to mention another twist involving the girl they are trying to find.
It's a race against time, as with every good movie, and the writer really amped the stakes by having not only the Division after Dakota and Chris and this girl, but another group of bad guys, an Asian mob family that want the case for themselves. Stakes stakes stakes! I should have taken notes. That is always my weak spot in writing.
Which brings me to my point in blogging about this movie. It was so good it made me feel like a chump writer. LOL! Do you ever have those days as fellow authors? You read a book or see a movie where the plot absolutely blows you away. So detailed, so meticulous, practically flawless, complete with SHOCKING twists and turns...and you think, man, I could never think of something like that. Couldn't even begin to!
I told that to my hubby last night. I was in a good mood from such a great movie, but was at the same time a little bummed because, seriously - never in a million years could I concoct that.
But he said something really profound that touched me. He said "Isn't your writing ultimately from God? Are you saying that it would be impossible for God to use you to write the next best seller, or impossible for Him to use you to write something that amazing?"
I just kinda sat there, ashamed, because he was so right! Just because I doubt my abilities doesn't mean I should doubt God's. And yes, I believe my writing is a gift from Him and I believe He guides it. So I shouldn't speak negatively about my abilities (nor should I be prideful of course!) but there is a balance in being confident in what He does in me and through me.
So today, as I work on finishing up my contracted novel to meet my deadline next week, I'm going to remember that God guides my pen, and even though I might doubt my own abilities at times, I will NEVER doubt His. He might or might not choose to use me to write a best seller or be "the next Nicholas Sparks" or "the next Stephanie Meyer" or "the next Susan May Warren" but you know what? I
am the only Betsy Ann St. Amant and I'm going to write as if that's all I need to know.
Fellow authors, your thoughts on this??
