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"We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."

John Keating The Dead Poets Society

'Seven Pounds': Worth Watching

Over Christmas vacation I only saw one movie in theaters, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Only yesterday did I sit down to watch another December drama, Seven Pounds, starring Will Smith. Not much can be said of the film without giving away what the cover calls "one secret." While the ending is fairly predictable from the midway point of the movie, intrigue runs high throughout the first half. Not a film to be forgotten after the credits, but one to be discussed with fellow viewers.
The title of the film, "Seven Pounds," references "pounds of flesh," a phrase from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. "Pounds of flesh" denotes "a debt harshly insisted upon" (originally referencing Antonio's debt to Shylock).