Painful Reminders

Back on July 3rd, I was at Professor Thom's watching the Red Sox game when something came on the screen that I had been preparing myself for when it would eventually appear. It was the trailer for Oliver Stone's forthcoming film, "World Trade Center," which opens nationally in theaters two weeks from today.

I also saw trailers during both the Mets and Yankees games that night (those games were on different TVs in the bar). I don't believe I've seen them since.

When I heard Stone was making a film about that horrific day, I immediately thought it might be a "government conspiracy" type of film. But it is the true story of the rescue of two Port Authority police officers who were trapped in the rubble for hours after one of the tower's collapse.

Both rescued officers cooperated with the film, along with many of their rescuers. I also heard that Nicolas Cage plays one of the rescued officers, and I've always liked his work. I basically decided to reserve judgment until I knew more about it.

Back in April I saw "United 93," about the heroes of that flight that crashed in Pennsylvania. It was a scary film, but definitely worth seeing. I wasn't sure about seeing that film at first, but I was invited to a screening with many 9/11 family and friends, and I was glad I went. The trailer for "World Trade Center" was also a bit unnerving on the night I first saw it.

As time progressed, I have been thinking about seeing it. This week I read that many police and firefighters have seen the Stone movie and it generally got high praise from them for his accuracy in telling the officers' real-life story. A close friend of mine who also suffered terribly due to the 9/11 attacks has said to me that she may want to go see it. I have heard that victims' family members will be invited to a screening before it's released, so I hope perhaps we can go then.

The fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks is now just 52 days away, and as we get closer, the 9/11 specials will be popping up again. The weeks leading up to each anniversary are a difficult time for me to get through each year, as the painful reminders of that terrible day begin to show up everywhere. (Of course it is a good thing we remember what happened, and not forget those brave souls we lost that day.)

I heard today that ABC is showing a six-hour miniseries called "The Path To 9/11," which will be shown over two nights on September 10 and 11. It is based on a number of discoveries made through The 9/11 Commission Report. It being so close to (and on) the anniversary, I will probably pass on it. But I will be seeing the reviews it gets, along with the Oliver Stone film.

As the years and anniversaries pass, there will be more and more stories told about the events of September 11, 2001 through all different types of media. I just hope we never forget first and foremost that nearly 3000 brave and courageous souls we loved were lost forever on that day.