I really meant to study Evidence last night, but the PC exam pretty much destroyed any will I had left to live. So instead I sat around, ate pretzels, and watched Memento for the three hundred and eighty-second time.* At least I can claim it is a movie about evidence. Even more so than Elizabeth, despite the glaring lack of Sir Walter Raleigh.
In fact, the entire movie hinges on a non-material, errant fact (the license plate number) leads Lenny to kill the wrong guy. Yes, I'm giving away the plot to movie that is seven years old, deal with it. If you haven't seen it yet, you weren't going to see it. By the way, Rosebud is a sled. And Bruce Willis is dead for the entire movie.
Anyway, the movie also leaves us with a very interesting evidentiary question: what actually happened? Teddy tells Lenny (and therefore, us) the entire backstory, but Teddy is proven throughout the movie to be a gigantic liar. We can't trust Lenny's version because he has no short-term memory and lacks a pretty basic testamentary capacity. Natalie is only using Lenny to kill Teddy, so she's not very reliable either. What are we left with when there are NO reliable witnesses? Is this movie the greatest example of the equal inference rule? All of the evidence points to contrary conclusions, none more likely than the other.
I've decided that Lenny probably killed his own wife. But only by a preponderance of the evidence. I'm not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt. See, even my breaks from studying are still studying. Proving once again that PC has ruined my life.
*That number is just a guess. But it's a lot.
4 comments:
I had a similar moment when I went to see 3:10 to Yuma...all I could think about was the moral questions and how I would frame my opening statement. Darn you PC! This is just a testament to the fact that we will never be able to go and enjoy a movie like a "normal" person
Like I ever enjoyed a moive like a normal person. I tend to rate movies by how many times I noticed they changed reels.
And I am bothered by minor historical details that aren't quite right. Or huge details which bug me for years (like Joe Jackson hitting right handed in Field of Dreams. Completely ruins every scene he's in).
My moment of zen was this Saturday when I went to pay my rent, only to find the office closed for the weekend. As I wrote my check and slipped it into the dropbox, I rationalized that my rent should not be late when they opened up on Mondau, because if the FRCP/TRCP gives you until the next day following a Saturday/Sunday/legal holiday, my management company should too.
My break after the PC I final was American Gangster, and all I could think about was how any of the evidence they get on this guy is actually admissible. Despite it's being heavy in the legal/law school/courtroom related scenes, I highly suggest it to anyone who's interested.
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