For my second lived experience blog post, I decided to watch the independent film, The Ten. The Ten was directed by David Wain, who also directed Wet Hot American Summer. The film was released in 2007 and was made for a budget of $3.75 million. The Ten has many familiar faces in it. Such faces are: Jessica Alba, Paul Rudd, Wynona Ryder, Famke Janssen, Adam Brody, and Liev Schreiber. The Ten tells ten mini stories that have to do with the ten commandments of the bible. Let’s have a little refresher course on the Ten Commandments. 1. I am the lord your god 2. You shall have no other gods before me 3.you shall not make wrongful use of the name of your god 4. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy 5. Honor your father and mother 6. You shall not murder 7. You shall not commit adultery 8. You shall not steal 9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor 10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. Story one is the story of a guy who jumps out of an airplane without a parachute and becomes a celebrity idol. He becomes arrogant, and refers himself to a god. His fiancé leaves him for a TV anchor. (Thou shall worship no god before me). The second story is the story of a librarian who has a sexual awakening in Mexico with the real Jesus. Later she marries a coworker and is reminded of her affair when she prays (thou shall not take the lord’s name in vain). Next, there is a doctor who kills a patient by leaving a pair of scissors inside her as a “goof” he is sentenced to life in prison (thou shall not kill). A white mother hires an Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonator and tells her two black kids that he is their father, it is later revealed that Arsenio Hall is their father (honor thy mother and father). A police detective sees that his neighbor has bought a CAT scan machine, so he buys one; they each keep buying machines until they hit the bottom and they go for a drink. While they are gone a bus full of nuked kids need the CAT scan machines, but they are gone and they all die (thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s goods). The fiancé, after marrying the TV anchor, falls in love with a ventriloquist’s puppet, and runs off with it (thou shall not steal). The ventriloquist is told by a homeless man about a fake rhinoceros who was a liar, but learns that a band of wiener dogs plan on infecting others with an STD. he warns everyone but no one believes him (thou shall not bear false witness). A prisoner desires a fellow inmate’s wife to be his (thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s wife). The husband from story two skips church to get naked with his friends and hang out (remember the Sabbath and keep it holy). The presenter of the stories has a constant struggle between choosing his wife and his younger mistress (thou shall not commit adultery). Overall The Ten was very enjoyable. The many different actors were great to watch as this smart stretch on something so old and well known as the Ten Commandments was told. I would recommend this story to anyone who wants a few laughs.

By David Michels