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The Scarlet Letter 1934

2017-12-06T07:24:30.093-05:00

Guild Wars 2 is an extremely different encounter

2012-12-27T03:28:52.033-05:00

27th.Dec.2012(Source: http://www.playerassist.com/gw2/ )The sensation associated with targets and the fulfillment associated with experienceing this New level, is certainly present in Guild Wars 2 and you can discover lots of things to mill if you therefore wish. I discovered myself milling intensely in order to max out the skills

We lastly want to maintain playing GW2

2012-12-21T03:29:23.14-05:00

The problem is which too many happen to be hoping for a PvP in GW1. But on your own is actually jumping makes the impossible. GW1 has nearly used every excellent action from the sport, it had been incredibly interferance as well as rigid. The characters had been on their own as well as attacked, they'd the actual mini coupled with to only pay

The Battle of Algiers: Terrorism, torture & ethics

2006-01-08T23:19:16-05:00

The Battle of Algiers The Battle of Algiers, directed by Gillo Pontecorvo, produced in 1966 depicts the 1950’s Algerian war of independence with chilling authenticity. Cast almost entirely with nonprofessional actors, and filmed in documentary neorealist style in the serpentine alleys, stairways and archways of Algiers’s Muslim Kasbah. Pontecorvo used newsreel film stock, telephoto close-ups, and a percussive, hard-driving musical score to create a swiftly moving political thriller (Hornaday). It is an anatomy of terror and counter terror that remains unsurpassed (Rainer). The film does not romanticize terrorists, demonize the French, or valorize violence in the name of some sort of people’s revolution; instead the director goes at once deeper and higher, examining each side’s motives and contradictions (Hornaday). Bombs and bullets do not choose their targets, individuals do, both sides do savage things and both can supply rational arguments to prove that they are on the side of morality. The film is poignant because it shows a level of bitter reality (Ebert) there are no heroes, only perpetrators and innocent victims. Children shoot French officials at point blank range. Women plant bombs in cafes. Men fire automatic weapons indiscriminately into crowds. Soldiers brutalize their captives and the military indiscriminately razes buildings and threaten civilians. The film begins with the Front de Libération Nationale, or FLN, issuing a communiqué calling for the expulsion of all French from Algeria, followed by the murders of policemen, shot and stabbed seemingly at random by nondescript Arab perpetrators who then disappear into the crowd. The incidents multiply and the prefect, moving outside the law, arranges the clandestine bombing of a building in the Arab quarter associated with the rebels. Thereafter the FLN begins it notorious civilian bombing campaign (Beary). In the film’s strongest scene, three Arab women dressed as chic French girls infiltrate the European Quarter, which has been isolated from the Kasbah by checkpoints, in order to plant bombs in two cafes and an Air France office. We see businessmen at the bar, travelers waiting to board planes, teenagers dancing, and children eating ice cream cones… all about to be incinerated (Rainer). The bombs detonate simultaneously, littering the French Quarter with maimed bodies and debris, sending the populace into a panic. Paris responds by deploying French Special Forces to Algiers, and a news bulletin informs that “the

How has James Cameron presented and adapted the true story of The Titanic for the cinema?

2005-12-30T14:06:09-05:00

How has James Cameron presented and adapted the true story of The Titanic for the cinema? The Titanic was a gripping story written by James Cameron in 1996. It is a re-write of what happened in 1912, and it tells the story well, and it has many realistic features, and to make the story even more impressive, James Cameron adds a love story to the equation, and the story is a success, which is very emotional, and a calamity at the same time. James Cameron manages to really make the audience watching the movie feel what is going on, and what it would have been like to experience being on the Titanic. The Titanic is likely James Cameron's finest piece of work, and he has written others like "Terminator", and "Aliens." The film manages to separate the first class people from the second-class people, and it does it in a way that shows us how to really tell the difference between the two social classes. The first class people get to stay on the really nice part of the Titanic, where as the second-class people stay on a much rougher part of the Titanic. There is a scene that really shows this, when Jack and his friend first get on the Titanic, and find where they're going to stay. As they are second-class citizens they weren't very well dressed, and when they find where they're going to stay, they are impressed, even though it is a small, dull, rough looking room, and they have to share a bunk bed. A first class person would not be happy with living under these conditions. After this part of the movie it switches to where Cal-Rose's fiancé- and the rest of the posh people will be staying. The posh people are staying in a rather big place, which was clean, bright, and looked very expensive with shiny cutlery, and expensive chandeliers hanging down from the ceiling. The way it just switched from the two scenes showed the differences between the two classes perfectly. When the first class people are having dinner, and enjoying themselves talking about is how wealthy they are, and Jack puts on a front just to impress, and then afterwards the scene changes and when Jack and Rose go to a fun evening out with the second-class people, they are drunk, dancing, having fun, and basically doing the opposite of what

Dead Poets Society

2005-11-27T10:46:46-05:00

This is a practise english essay for my year 9 exams. If you could give me as much critism as possible it would be much appreciated. Thanks If you would like to give me tips your welcome to email me will_152@hotmail.com "It was Mr Keating's blatant abuse of position as teacher that led directly to Neil's death." Welton was a dull and unexciting school before the highly qualified Mr. Keating came to Welton. Mr. Keating was a previous student and taught the boys many valuable lessons. Neil made his own choices but Mr. Perry (Neil’s Father) restricted Neil doing what he loved. Mr. Keating taught the class to do their own thing; Neil had a passion for acting long before Keating came to Welton. Mr. Keating told the students to make the most out of life and not do stupid things but still be daring. Neil committed suicide because he felt trapped between his passion of acting and his father’s ambitions for him. The reason Neil was unhappy in the first place is because he wanted to act while his father was focused on Neil becoming a doctor. “You’re going to Harvard and you’re going to become a doctor.” Mr. Perry demanded when he took Neil home after the theatre play. Mr. Perry wants to live his ambitions that he never got through his son. But because he never cared to listen to Neil, he makes Neil suffer by not letting him do what he loves. The conflict between Neil’s passion for acting and Mr. Perry forcing Neil to become a doctor ruins Neil’s life. Keating never told Neil to follow acting and it was Neil’s Idea to avoid his father about it. Keating told the class to strive to find their own voice, to break out and make their lives extraordinary. Neil had loved acting all his life. “I’m going be an actor, ever since I can remember I’ve wanted to try this” Neil yells as he jumps up and down with excitement. Even though Mr. Keating encouraged the boys to seize the day, it was no abuse as a teacher. Neil had loved acting as long as he could remember. When Mr. Dalton nearly got expelled for writing in the school newspaper that Welton should have girls, Mr. Keating told him off. “Sucking the marrow out of life doesn’t mean choking on the bone.” Keating tells Mr. Dalton in front of the DPS. Mr.

Comfority in Dead Poets Society

2005-11-23T04:04:33-05:00

“In joining the Dead Poets’ Society the boys have simply replaced one sort of conformity for another.” In the text, “The Dead Poets Society”, we are introduced to the notions of conformity, authority and freedom. Conformity is perceived as keeping to accepted rules or customs. In the film, we are shown many images of conformity in numerous circumstances. The school is operated on the notion of conformity and later in the film we are shown a group of students that rebel against their stringent surroundings by conforming themselves to their new club, “The Dead Poets’ Society.” At the beginning of the film it is made apparent that the school conducts itself in a very professional and rigorous way. Welton Academy is founded on tradition and excellence and is bent on providing strict structured lessons prescribed by the realist, anti-youth administration. In the opening scene, we are immediately presented with the school’s motto, “Tradition, Discipline, and Excellence,” at the first assembly for the school term. The words employed to create the motto reflect greatly on the school’s idea of operating and it is demonstrated in this scene. We are shown images of regulation and discipline at the assembly and further on in the classroom scenes. The boys in both situations do not seem comfortable and also somewhat uniformed. The school has a reputation for excellence in producing successful all round men and is extremely determined to maintain this. It is clear that by being a student at Welton Preparatory, you are expected to conduct your life guided by the school’s motto. The Dead Poets Society can also be seen as conformity. As the film progresses we gradually see the boys rebelling against the school’s pressure to conform replacing it with their own pressure to conform to a newly created society. Initially in the opening scenes the worst the boys would do is meet together in Neil’s room to smoke cigarettes. With the arrival of Mr. Keating the boys are encouraged to “Seize the day” and “Suck the marrow out of life.” With these new mottos in mind, we see the boys embark on a trail of rebellion. Being part of the “Dead Poets’ Society,” involves secret meetings. We see the boys dressed in dark hooded clothing sneaking to the secret spot where the meetings are held, in a cave nearby. At first the meetings involve, poetry being read, general chats

Meet John Doe: Fighting for Social Integrity

2005-11-15T21:35:39-05:00

Meet John Doe: Fighting for Social Integrity Each age range has it own way of looking at itself. In the United States, as an example, the late 1930s and the 1940s was the age of the common man. Millions of Americans gloried in being average and unsophisticated. They saw themselves simply as faces in a multitude of poor people struggling to get along during hard times. In Meet John Doe, Frank Copra illustrates the common man with someone named “John Doe.” It is one of the classic films that Copra did in partnership with Robert Riskin in the early 1940s. The film appeared at the time when the United States continued to come forward from the Great Depression amidst fears of what soon became World War II. This film captures a man who is desperately in need of money and agrees to imitate a non-existent person, who announces jumping off the City Hall roof on Christmas Eve in protest against social injustice. What makes this film unique is how Capra depicts populism--the confederation of common people for a common purpose, something that can bring people together in a country that is dealing with economic hardship. The film opens with a struggling journalist, Ann Mitchell (Barbara Stanwyck), who is in the process of being fired by her new managing editor, Henry Connell (James Gleason), because her writing contains too much “lavender and old lace” and lacks “fireworks.” To secure her job and support both her mother and two younger sisters, she writes a letter for The New Bulletin, in which she puts together a story about an imaginary man name “John Doe.” When the counterfeit story goes to press, it stirs up a huge public reaction. This is where she has the opportunity to get her job back. She then pleads with Henry Connell into playing up the John Doe letter; however, in order to let people and other publishers know the letter is not at fraud, they decide to hire someone to pose as John Doe, an “average man.” This is where Gary Cooper comes in. Gary Cooper plays is Long John Willoughby, a former baseball player forced to retire because of an arm injury. He is unemployed, aimless, and hungry. Ann Mitchell is looking for someone

Meet John Doe: Fighting for Social Integrity

2005-11-15T21:32:52-05:00

CASE STUDY: Portrayal of Aboriginality by Indigenous and Non-Indigenous peoples through the use of

2005-05-08T03:32:42-04:00

Indigenous Australians by examining the portrayal of Aboriginality by Indigenous and Non-Indigenous peoples through the use of Films. The films that were used for this study were Stephen Johnson’s ‘Yolngu Boy’, Bruce Beresford’s ‘Fringe Dwellers and Rachel Perkins’ ‘Radiance’. Throughout the years many Australian films have been made depicting Aboriginal people and their Aboriginality. Three such films are Stephen Johnson’s Yolngu Boy, Rachel Perkins’, who is an Indigenous person, Radiance and Bruce Beresford’s Fringe Dwellers. These three films all demonstrate differing portrayals of Aboriginality and the way in which it is presented. One element that notably affects the portrayal of Aboriginality is the era in which the films were made and if the film makers were Indigenous or non-Indigenous. In Yolngu Boy, Aboriginality is presented in the forms of sacred ceremonies and the use of stereotypes. These stereotypes are portrayed through images of ‘Botj’s petrol sniffing incidents and the association between this substance abuse and his alcoholic father, who abandoned his traditional life and family and caused the family unit to break down’. (Johnson: 2001) The use of traditional ceremonies and totemic symbols shows that Aboriginality is something that connects the film’s Aboriginal people to each other, their communities and country. In contrast Bruce Beresford’s Fringe Dwellers has depicted Aboriginality in a more discriminative and negative way. He has portrayed Aboriginality as being an undesired element of European society. One who views Fringe Dwellers comes away with the impression that to be ‘Aboriginal is to live in corrugated iron dwellings, squander money, be unreliable,’ and by living on the edge of town they are living on the outer edge of the main society (Beresford: 1986). Finally Rachel Perkins’ Radiance portrays Aboriginality as being bound by kinship and through the underlying political issues of her era. Her portrayal of Aboriginality is understood after the women’s childhood house is burnt down; they appear to have released the ties that have bound them to secrets pertaining to their individual childhood memories. The underlying political issues that show through in Perkins’ Aboriginality portrayal are those of Native title and Stolen generations. Rachel Perkins addresses these issues by demonstrating that Aboriginality is not where a person dwells or what their dwellings consist of, it is what the personal beliefs of the person are and their own bodily feelings or spiritual knowledge are. In Stephen Johnson’s 2000 film ‘Yolngu Boy’, Aboriginality is primarily portrayed through the

Conflict Analyzation ("Hackers" movie)

2005-05-07T04:25:27-04:00

Beneath the world we know is the world they inhabit. They penetrate; ravage private and publicly owned computer systems. It’s not something they do to pass the time but it is their life. They can crack any code and get inside any system. They infect computers with viruses and steal information for their personal usage. They posses a superior intelligence and use it in a destructive and anti social manner. They are domestic terrorists. They are a culture of their own…they are hackers. The movie conflict I chose for this assignment is yes, about hackers. The movie is called “Hackers”. I chose this particular subject matter because my personal information was stolen from Ebay by a hacker. The hacker then used my information to purchase items online. Needless to say, I wasn’t happy about the experience but I some how find myself drawn to what it’s like to be a hacker. In fact, “Hackers” is one of my favorite movies. “Hackers” stars Angelina Jolie, Jonny Lee Miller, Fisher Stevens, Renoly Santiago, Matthew Lillard, and many others. This was the first movie for many actors/actresses as we now identify them on the big screen in the theaters. For this particular movie, it was difficult to pick a specific conflict as there were several conflicts to choose from. After many days of thinking, I chose a conflict between Dade/Zero Cool/Crash Override (Jonny Lee Miller) and Eugene Belford/The Plague (Fisher Stevens) as it pertains to many subject manners discussed in the classroom. Briefly summarize the introduction of the movie, Dade (Jonny Lee Miller) was eleven years old when he crashed 1,507 computer systems including Wallstreet’s trading system. Fast forwarding seven years, Dade moves to New York with his mother as part of making a better career move for the two of them. It doesn’t take long for Dade to befriend a group of hackers in his senior year of high school. In doing so, it also comes with a bag of unforeseen trouble. Joey (Jessie Bradford) is arrested and Dade is instantly connected to him who is later approached by The Plague who is a security officer for a large corporate company. The Plague had made a virus to cause a world wide economical disaster in the Elliston Mineral computer system. One day, Dade returns from school, he is attacked by the FBI and placed into his bedroom. After a few minutes of

Gender in Horror Films Carrie, Alien and Amityville Horror

2005-05-05T15:38:10-04:00

The representation of gender in horror films varies from director to director, writer to writer. However certain characteristics of gender representation do, at times follow a certain theme. Whilst studying the evolution of horror films it struck me that in some cases the film, while appearing to differ only ever so slightly from the novel upon which it was based, would create images onscreen that would imply things that the novel had never done. Through the tiny differences between novel and film is where insight is to be gained about the audience to which the film is aimed and also about the director’s perspective on the novel itself. In Brian De Palmas production on Carrie I will analyze the representation of women in the film and of their relationships with men and most importantly with one another. Again in Alien Resurrection, which is interesting because the character of Ripley is developed and so more focus is given to her relationships with other characters but also to her sexuality. Finally Amityville Horror is interesting because while initially it will appear that a normal family dynamic is being attacked in the house it becomes clear that the lack of biological link between George and the children makes him as a male character closer to the audience and therefore more relatable than to the family. Finally I will look fleetingly at the gender representations in Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire and how they appear to differ but in fact are very much like the other three texts. In Brian De Palma’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel Carrie the focus is completely on all things female. While many films and novels previously were more concerned with the male hero while using female roles as the victims Carrie’s relatable characters were, with the exception of Tommy Ross, all female. While the film does not deviate hugely from the novel certain scenes were cut and more attention is paid to the highly sexed atmosphere between the characters. Filmed in 1979 the film concentrates a large proportion of its subliminal messaging on the changing sexual attitudes and promiscuity of the youth at that time and juxtaposes these new attitudes with its main character, Carrie. The film concerns itself from the beginning with creating a clear difference between Carrie and her peers especially in relation to sex. The opening sequence where the girls are changing in the

Proof - Who do you pity?

2004-06-09T11:52:46-04:00

Celia, Martin and Andy all deserve our pity at sometime in the film. Martin is a blind man who is isolated from the world. Andy is a naïve young man who trusts too easily and is often used by other people. However, the one who retains out pity at the end is Celia, as she remains unchanged, locked in her obsession. Martin certainly deserves out pity. He is a blind man who is isolated from the world, he is isolated not only because that he’s physically blind but also because of his metaphorical blindness. Martin has been physically blind since he was born; he lives his life through touching and feeling things. Martin doesn’t trust anyone, he is too obsessed with the truth with what he thinks is the truth. This is Martin’s metaphorical blindness. His metaphorical blindness destroys any possibility of any relationship between him and his mother, and between him and the rest of the world. His mother used to tell him about an old man raking up leaves in the garden, but Martin never believed his mother. He took a photo and keeps it, he want to keep it as a proof, proof that his mother was lying. It really is a pitiful thing that one can’t simply trust someone who gave him life. Martin’s photos do not mean anything; he relies on other people to describe the photos for him. In addition, the description is only in 10 words, it is simply impossible to know the complexities of what’s on the photo and what does it mean in 10 words. Another reason that we pity him is he keeps Celia on despite the fact that he hates her. However, at the end, Martin moves on. He fires Celia and reunites with Andy, more importantly, he learned to trust. Therefore, we feel that he does not need out pity anymore. Andy also deserves out pity. He is a naïve young man who does not seems to have a future and is often used by other people. Martin uses him to describe the photos to him, and uses him as a tool to get involved in the world. Celia uses Andy as a way to obtain Martin’s trust. Because if Andy is there for Martin, Martin will never trust Celia. She tries to break up their friendship. Celia pretends to love Andy, but she’s only doing it

Movie review: Eraserhead

2004-03-09T15:52:43-05:00

The dark and surrealistic movie by David Lynch’s Eraserhead (1977). The abstraction was aggressive to describe, giving the viewers a cinematic poem rather than a visual story. The subconscious was in charge of making this movie. The sublimity of fear delivered in paradigmatic manner. The movie starts in an otherworldly place, a place indescribable. Industrial landscapes, which added to the coldness of the environment. The film was entirely shot in black and white, which added to the strangeness and mysteriousness of the film. For some reason the setting that is mostly, shot in a confined place gives me a phobic feeling. My first impression was the alienated main character was trying vainly to humanize his world by adorning his apartment with human decors, however the process deceived my perception. The post-apocalyptic surroundings, no people, no animals, no plants, gave me unpredictable excitement and keep on deceiving my consciousness. The usage of semiology was massive, from start to finish a circus of semiotics, for example the framing of the characters, the scene where Mary’s mother confronts Henry for having a sexual intercourse with him, then Mary came to abrupt the incidence, Mary was framed inside the steal pipe to represent confined emotions she kept from her mother, because she was afraid to lose Henry. The number on Henry’s apartment the door #26, it represents the alphabet on the opposite room numbered #27 means outsider, a fiend. The scene where Henry‘s head fell of and a piece of his head turned into an eraserhead, he feels he’s existence should be erased, he feels that he does not exist at all. The worm he found in his pocket and hid it from Mary, but he did not throw away in absence of his emotions, he let the worm grow and play on his house, this represents the sins he made and let it grow until a time came he was infested with his own sins, by hiding his affair with his wife. When humans does not capable of comprehending what is around him, he shrugs off and stop investigating. When there are things we cannot explain it does not mean it does not have a value. Even our existence might not have a value but we still exist. The film is a big blow on us that deals with the critical questioning of reality. The presentation of unpresentable succeeded in

Way to dream (Billy Elliot)

2003-12-06T04:26:11-05:00

October 14, 2003 Way to dream All people are different, but everybody has dreams. Dreams are different and depend on the person. Billy Elliot has his personal dream – this is ballet, but most

October sky

2003-12-06T04:23:08-05:00

November 7, 2003 October sky The movie “October sky” shows for as a life story of Homer Hickam. If be more strictly, this is not of all life story, this is only few months from Homer’s youth in Coalwood town, West Virginia in the 1957 year, bat this few months defined of all his succeeding life. Only this couple months reversal his life from ordinary high school student, future coalminer to “Rocket boy“, future NASSA engineer. His life was changed by Russian Sputnik, which overpowered in the sky above his town. It was above his head only several minutes but those few minutes were going to change his mind, in a very significant way. From this moment he found the dream of his life. It was his own dream about space. This dream stand aside from conventional life’s way of his town, but this was his way of setting first precedent in his town when boys didn’t came after school on the coalmine Homer didn’t have understanding from his father, principal of his school, other students of school, who were successful mambas of baseball team. They had success in this life, they kept themselves aloof, and they didn’t wont to change life of their town. They were afraid of any thing new in their life. Once Homer had support from others people of his town who was unsatisfied with their life, who killed once there dream and try to get their own dream across to help Homer’s dream. These are Homer’s father’s coworkers, Homer’s classmates, who didn’t see way to their success in the Coaltown. Another person, who helps Homer, was his science Miss Frieda Riley. This woman shows for us example of dignity and genuine love for her vocation, with competence in helping people find the best in their characters and develop it. Without her help, can we imagine how it could been have for Homer and his friends? In the end I want to comment about two girls from Homer’s class. One of them personify in herself disinterested love -2- to all brightest what people have in their nature, another one shows for us intention to profit motive without any others heart. This is a warning for us to be careful when we choose our friends. In conclusion, we can say, “All purpose can be realize, if you, in spite of everything, have strong spirit and big ambitions to

The Third Man - An Ending Analysis

2003-11-07T18:55:52-05:00

Discuss the way Carol Reed’s technique affects our response to the last fifteen minutes of The Third Man You could question why Carol Reed chose to shoot the film in Vienna. I think it was supposed to symbolise Harry Lime. It was beautiful but the film is filmed just after the Second World War. The place was crumbled and it lay in ruin. Carol Reed had built up a lot of tension in the square already when the soldiers are waiting for Harry Lime to appear. So he had to find a way to release some of it. The drunken balloon man was a fantastic way in which to do this. In the shadows he looks like an enormous larger than life monster and you feel a lot of apprehension because you think it’s Harry. So when he appears around the corner and you discover he’s just a stumbling old drunk there’s a massive anti-climax. When he starts trying to sell the officers a balloon it adds humour to what is still a very tense situation. Carol Reed’s clever use of the point of view shot when Harry’s looking over the square evokes a certain kind of sympathy for him. It shows how oblivious he is of the twenty or so soldiers, waiting to arrest him. You momentarily forget about all the things he’s done. You feel that no matter how much he had this coming, no one deserves this kind of deception from their best friend. He trusted Holly enough to turn up and there is simple, cheerful music playing in the background. You get the sense that he’s not all bad and the penicillin and the murders and the deceptions are just things he’s done, not who he is. You feel that he is somewhat a victim of circumstances and now he’s just painted himself into a corner. Calloway is a very interesting character. He’s portrayed throughout the film as morally unprincipled and almost desperate to catch Harry. These mannerisms really tend to exploit Holly and Anna’s naivety when it comes to Harry. It makes it seem as though Calloway is decidedly intolerant of Harry and very unsympathetic towards him. But when Harry shoots the officer down in the sewers we realise that Calloway is in fact the only one who can see Harry for what he is. Holly and Anna seem almost incapable of doing this, and

Fight Club - Reading Between the Lines

2003-11-07T18:52:22-05:00

In 1996 Chuck Palahniuk wrote a book called Fight Club. In 1999 David Fincher turned it into a major motion picture. Tyler Durden; in Tyler we trust. The first time Tyler met the Narrator he told him “A person had to work hard for it, but a minute of perfection was worth the effort. A moment was the most you could ever expect from perfection.” The Narrator or “Jack” never had an actual name. Chuck Palahniuk never gave him a name because he didn’t feel that he needed one. “Jack” represents an entire piece of society “Generation X” the average working class. “Jack” was never given a name because society no longer recognises Mr. Average Nobody. But, Tyler Durden wasn’t the average nobody. He didn’t exist, true. But, he took an empty shell of a man and turned him into a person who was respected, someone with power. “Jack” says himself on page 174 “I love everything about Tyler Durden, his courage and his smarts. His nerve. Tyler is funny and charming and independent, and men look up to him and expect him to change their world. Tyler is capable and free, and I am not.” This tells us that Tyler is everything the Narrator isn’t. Tyler is the Narrator’s ideal view of what a man should be like, what he should be like. The first time Tyler and “Jack” meet in the film is on the plane. Tyler is seated next to the Emergency Exit door reading the safety card, which tells him “If you feel you are unable or unwilling to perform this procedure please ask the flight attendant to reseat you.” the Narrator tells Tyler “It’s a lot of responsibility” Tyler asks “Jack” if he wants to switch seats to which “Jack” respond “No, I don’t think I’m the man for that particular job.” What the Narrator doesn’t realise is that Tyler isn’t talking about the Emergency Exit door, he’s giving “Jack” his final opportunity to opt out of the situation. But “Jack” says he doesn’t want that responsibility, Tyler can have it, and in that moment, his fate is sealed. Deep down, somewhere buried in his subconscious, “Jack” always knew that Tyler wasn’t real, and, although “Jack” created Tyler, Tyler is like a cancer. “Jack” even says so himself on page 106 “The cancer I don’t have is everywhere now. I don’t tell Marla that. There are

Mr. Keating an excellent teacher.

2003-11-05T21:14:25-05:00

I loved the movie because of the positive emotional feeling which I felt. I completely agree that Mr. Keating was an excellent teacher. The acting was so good, and I became attached to the characters. Robin Williams who is one of my favorite actors does a miraculous job playing Mr. Keating. The ‘Dead Poets Society” is a movie about an English teacher, Mr. Keating, who is determent to teach the students "free thinking”. Because the main plague of this elite school is “Tradition. Discipline. Honor. Excellence,” everything is done the same. The boys learn what they have to learn, without exploring all the other possibilities. The students are basically cooped up in very typical classrooms with very strict teaching. They are shocked at Mr. Keating's new way of teaching, but in time start to respect him. The other teachers and parents didn’t like his ways of teaching. A few students found out he was a member of a secret group called the Dead Poet's Society while he attended the school. Some of the boys asked him about it, and afterwards decided to re-open the club again. The young people find an interest in poetry and other things besides history and chemistry. The story ended very tragically, but as at the same time I felt that humanity still was above cruelty. The movie Dead Poet’s Society contains many typical characters which exist in our society. These characters change because of their teacher, Mr. Keating. He teaches his students many lessons, but his main lesson is Carpe Diem, or seize the day. Knox, Todd, and Neil take this teaching to heart and allow it to change their lives. They are dynamic young boys who overcome their fear and seize the day. Due to the lessons of Mr. Keating the three undermentioned teenagers made attempts of own decision considerations. Knox seizes the day by overcoming his fear of love and the fear of pursuing Chris. He was able to go against the threat from Chet Danberry by calling her and asking her out. To show his feelings Knox also writes a poem to Chris. She does not seem to really care for Knox until they go to the play together. At the play Knox forgets about all of his fear and decides to either be accepted or rejected by Chris. Chris does accept him and his risks were rewarded. It is

A Comparison of the Fight Scene in Act 3 of Shakespeare's Play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in the Film Versio

2002-11-24T13:00:00-05:00

A Comparison of the Fight Scene in Act 3 of Shakespeare's Play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in the Film Version by Zeffirelli (1968) and Lurhmann (1997) The play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is about two families who have been fighting for years. When Romeo falls in love with Juliet and Juliet falls in love with Romeo, there are many consequences, including the deaths of a member of each family – Mercutio and Tybalt. I will be studying the fight scene where Mercutio and Tybalt die, and comparing, the two film versions of the play, I will find differences and similarities as well as describing how each director / producer interprets and makes their version of the film. I will describe how eight different factors are present in each version of the film: Genre/Film, Institution, Audience, Representation, Mediation, Film Language and Ideology. The characters in the play that appear in the fight scene are: Romeo from Montague, Benvolio from Montague, Juliet from Capulet, Tybalt from Capulet and Mercutio who is not from either house. Each of the film produces has made a different type of film in a different type of genre. Genre is the type of film that it is, based on the camera angles and movements, the content, the adaptations and the interpretations as well as other general features that help to determine the genre. Lurhmann has made a film that is like a modern drama in the way that strange camera angles and movements are used, also there are numerous small adaptations and changes to the script. Both films are a tragedy type film because people die, there is fighting and despair, and two of the main characters die during the fight scene and two more die at the end of the play. Both of the films are also romances, which is obvious, and the main theme of the play/film, but the romance is brought into the fight scene in Lurhmann’s version so as to make it feel more important and noticeable. I think that these adaptations of the script by Lurhmann make the film more like a modern drama and very different to the Zeffirelli version. In the film production team (the institution), there are a lot of different people who want the film to be different. The people have different ideas of how to make the film and what to put in it. The shareholders want it to make money, the experts want it

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Dual Affect of Tradition

2002-11-22T13:00:00-05:00

“Tradition can oppress or empower. Discuss in relation to the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

In ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’, tradition oppresses individuals and their relationships, yet it also empowers. Jen is oppressed by the confines of tradition, and her traditional role as a female oppresses her relationship with Lo. Li Mu Bai, however, is empowered by the guidance of tradition. Ang Lee uses film techniques to present this dual affect. Tradition cleaves Jen from her fighting talents. Jen’s parents force her to marry, but have no parental role; Lee restricts their presence in the film, and so isolates the tradition they carry. Hence Lee conveys that tradition oppresses Jen because it is an unhuman law passed by unhuman parents. Further, Lee contrasts Jen’s behaviour as a fighter with her behaviour at her parents’ home, a motif of tradition. The home’s silent rooms, plain walls, and the heavy servant’s clothing are symbols of Jen’s restricted future, for Jen is no fighter at home—she writes calligraphy and drinks tea. Lee captures such contrast to suggest that tradition oppresses Jen because it confines her. But Jen breaks these confines: in place of her family, she adopts Jade Fox as her mother and Shu Lin as her sister, in place of her home, she escapes to the desert with Lo. In the vast red and orange desert, where there are no confines, Jen fights; her flying-style suggests Jen is defying the gravity of tradition. In the love scene, Lo removes Jen’s oppression when he removes her traditional clothing, the exposed skin symbolises Jen’s freedom, her “true happiness”. She also lets her hair out and wears Lo’s clothing, symbolic of her discard of tradition. Hence Lee uses the change in Jen’s character, in her decision to reject tradition, as a means of highlighting the extent of her oppression at home. The feminine order of tradition becomes a barrier between Jen and Lo, oppressing their relationship. As Jen combs her hair, she triggers a flashback to the desert where Lo flirts with her as he steals her comb. Lee uses Jen’s comb as a symbol of her feminine relationship with Lo, and Lo’s return of the comb as a strengthening of their relationship. Back from the desert, Jen resumes her slot as the governor’s daughter; when Lo follows Jen into the realm of tradition, however, their relationship cannot exist—Lo is a barbarian from “the west” and Jen is

Blade Runner - At what cost does Deckard learn a sense of humanity?

2002-11-09T13:00:00-05:00

“More Human than human is our motto” Tyrell tells Deckard, and through the ‘super-human’ replicants the Tyrell Corporation lives up to this motto. Compared to the debauched society of Los Angeles 2019, the replicants are more humane than their commercial-minded creators. Deckard at the start of the film understands less about life and what it is to be human than Roy and the other replicants. But as Deckard pursues the fugitive replicants, he learns something about his own humanity. At the outset, Deckard is cold and heartless, mercilessly telling Rachel she is a replicant, despite the importance of a replicant’s prefabricated past. Deckard is a bounty-hunter and murderer, killing the replicants whose only crime is to seek longevity. As Deckard hunts down the replicants, he begins to see the life of fear and slavery they are forced into, and understands the cruelty of their premature terminations – “painful to live in fear, isn’t it?” With each ‘retirement’ Deckard begins to understand the privilege of living a natural life, where he has the freedom to do what he wants, without living in fear of an early demise. However Deckard’s sense of humanity comes at a cost. Only after he kills the fugitive replicants does he truly understand. With each death, his understanding of their plight becomes more complete. His final exchange with Roy is the pinnacle of his moral enlightenment. When Deckard is precariously hanging from the edge of the building, he feels the fear that the replicants live with every day of their life, and when Roy saves him, Deckard sees that he is more humane than his creator. Without experiencing the replicants first hand and without having to retire them, Deckard would not have gained a sense of his own humanity, but as Roy saves him physically, Deckard is also offered humanity at the cost of the other replicant’s deaths. Throughout the pursuit, Deckard’s relationship with Rachel also evolves, from Deckard’s original contempt of Rachel, (“how can it not know what it is?”), to a relationship where Deckard sees her as more than a machine. In the bleak and cold world he lives in, Deckard learns to love and understands the importance of others, learning from the love Roy has for his fellow species – “this is for Pris”. Deckard’s relationship with Rachel shows what he has learned from his experience; the ability to love other people, and replicants. Without the mission

Fahrenheit 451 compared to the movie The Power of One

2002-11-05T13:00:00-05:00

“So it was the hand that started it all … His hands had been infected, and soon it would be his arms … His hands were ravenous.” Montag had just stolen a book. It was something that he believed had to be done in order to change the world and make it better. His idea had started in his head and then went to his heart. This is what caused his hand to grab the book without him telling it to. Montag, Faber, Granger, and Peekay have affected their society in many ways. They took something that they strongly believed in, or something they felt should be changed, and went after it until they had succeeded greatly and had gotten what they wanted out of it. “Do you know why books such as this are so important? Because they have quality. And what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture. This book has pores.” Faber says this to Montag towards the beginning of part two in the book Fahrenheit 451. He was trying to explain to Montag that it was not books he was looking for; it was the meaning they hold. The society in the book Fahrenheit 451 is very messed up. They are not allowed to think freely. They never have the chance to. An example of this is when Montag was on the train, trying to read a book. But he couldn’t because the speaker kept on repeating “Denham’s Dentriface” and other advertisements. This made Montag very mad because he couldn’t understand the book as it is, and the speaker was interrupting his thoughts. Another thing is that the people have no feelings, and they don’t care about other people. For example Mrs. Phelps, who is one of Mildred’s friends, doesn’t even care that her third husband had been sent off to war. And that when he left, he said to her go find someone else and marry him if I die. It seemed as if Mrs. Phelps didn’t care if her husband would die in the war. And another one of Mildred’s friends, Mrs. Bowles talks about her divorce, how one husband was killed in an accident, one husband committed suicide, and her two kids that hate her terribly as if she didn’t even care. She then talks about the many abortions she has had. And also, how she sends her kids to school

Gladiator: It cannot be that true, Can it?

2002-10-30T13:00:00-04:00

In Hollywood’s brief history of making movies, it has re-written history more than once. It is not that Hollywood intentionally meant to mislead the public or deliver false historical information. It is merely that a good story sells, and depending on the mood of the “people” at the time they maybe had to alter the facts a bit to provide an entertaining movie that the public would buy. In my research I found that while there were non-factual parts of the movie Gladiator was based on older movies such as Ben-Hur. Gladiator, “Is old, but it has a new twist” (Ressner). Many aspects of the movie, Gladiator, were both factual and fictional. According to the begging of the film the time was 180 AD and the current emperor was Marcus Aurelius. This is a fact that Caesar Marcus Aurelius was emperor from 161AD-180AD in Rome, and he did have a campaign against Germania, or the barbarians as they are referred to in the film. However, Marcus Aurelius was not assassinated, as the movie depicts. Instead he died of natural causes. His heir to throne was in fact his son, Commodious, as the movie depicted and there was no indication that Marcus Aurelius intended to hand over his throne to just anyone. There was one area that I could find that glaringly deviated from the truth. That was in the area of relationships. Commodus was not a single child he also had a sister, she married Luscious Veras both were children to Marcus Aurelius’s. And although killing each other was part of the Caesar history, the idea that Commodus killed his father is pure fiction. Historians generally agree that, “Marcus Aurelius died of the plague in Vienna on March 17, 180AD” (www.nmia.com). It is also untrue that Marcus found his son unfit to rule. He had Commodus named Caesar when he was 5 years old, and named Commodus as his successor when he was seventeen. As a Roman father he undoubtedly loved and spoiled his son terribly. The Roman legion depicted in the movie was true to fact. The core of the, “Roman legion consisted of heavily armored infantry” (Ward). Disciplined and well trained, these soldiers fought in closed ranks. At every level the men of a legion fought together toward ultimate victory. In contrast, most of the armies Rome faced were warrior based where each man fought for personal glory.

How do the cabaret songs and routines comment on the social issues which are the background?

2002-10-30T13:00:00-04:00

Bob Fosse uses the songs and routines as artful tools of social commentary, forming the background of Cabaret. By using a musical this gives Fosse the power to choose how the music is incorporated into the events occurring outside the Kit Kat Klub. Cabaret contains an odd display of humanity and is symbolically located underground. The artists perform to us as well as to the array of Berlin’s society present in the crowd; escapists of the world outside “leave your troubles outside, in here life is beautiful.” The songs and routines both unfold and for tell the world of Berlin in 1931. As the camera moves from the distorted mirror to the peculiar masked face of the Master of Ceremonies (Joel Grey) it is essential to note that it is through the MC himself that we establish our initial identifications: the relationship with Brian (Michael York) is secondary, even though he is leading man. As is the audience, the MC is an observer criticizing the world of Berlin. The establishment of Sally (Liza Minelli) the leading lady, is also set forward in the opening routine, her character is far from distinctive as she stands on the stage with the “Cabaret Girls” near the back of the stage, the audience may not realise that she even existed in the opening routine, as the audience of the Cabaret may not have. The first song seen preformed by Sally entitled “Mein Heir’ suggests that Sally couldn’t keep a steady relationship and had many different lovers “ But I do what I can, step by step inch by inch, mile by mile, man by man” Sally also sings “A tiger is a tiger not a lamb Mein Herr” As Sally preforms on the stage of a near deserted Kit Kat Klub she sings passionately, and for the only time not exaggerating her sexuality. This indicates that Sally cannot be changed by the way that she goes from “man to man,” but we soon see that she can be changed when she falls in love with Brian, which is shown in her second performance ‘Maybe this time.’ In this song she sings about how unlucky she has been in love “Maybe this time I’ll be lucky, maybe this time he’ll stay.” And that she wants to have a stable relationship with someone (Brian) “Lady peaceful, lady happy that’s what I long to be.” This song shows

Film Auterism

2002-10-20T14:00:00-04:00

Auter is defined as a French term for the film director who places a personal style on his or her films. It was first coined by Francois Truffaut to describe the mark of a film director on his films. A director can be considered an auteur if about five of his films depict a certain style that is definitely his own. In other words, much like one can look at a painting and tell if it is a Monet, a Renoir, or a Degas, if a film director is an auteur, one can look at his film and tell by style and recurring themes that it was made by a certain director. In auteur films, the director is many times what brings an audience to the theater, instead of the actors or storyline. Often famous directors are more highly billed in advertisements than the actors that the film stars. To further prove the importance of director’s styles on films three directors and their films will be analyzed. Three such auteurs are Frederico Fellini, Satyajit Ray, and Alfred Hitchcock, and it will be effective to discuss these particular directors work. The “Master of Suspense,” Hitchcock, blends the traditional thriller with comedy and a dreamlike aspect. Nearly all of Hitchcock’s movies contain several themes and aspects which enrich the viewer’s enjoyment of the film. It appears that emotion is the most important feeling he is trying to get across. His mise-en-scene is perhaps the most recognizable of his contemporaries. They all include a very tense feeling throughout most of the film which is strengthened through his camera angles, zooms, and the soundtrack. Take for example the dream sequence in Vertigo. The colors and music during his dream keep the audience on the edge of their seat and it finally culminates in a long close up of a very frightened Scotty played by Jimmy Stewart. The score is deathly haunting, the type of music perfect for a Hitchcock thriller. Most of his films also include terror inflicted upon the unknowing, and sometimes innocent victim, guilt, both real and the appearance of it; and fear and redemption. A major theme in many movies is a feeling of sympathy for the main character. Finally, one can not discuss Alfred Hitchcock’s recurring themes without mentioning his numerous cameos in his movies. Hitchcock’s narrative style also normally has a theme. It usually adheres to a constant ascending/descending,

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Mulan - Discuss the representation of the genders in both films

2002-10-08T14:00:00-04:00

Both films are set in Ancient China and back then, China was a male dominant society. Although both films have different genres, they are both quiet similar in what the message is. Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook, both American directed Mulan, so you know the film is in English with Chinese context. Mulan is more aimed towards a younger audience as it is a Disney film, and therefore it is in cartoon animation. CTHD is aimed more towards an older audience. The director, Ang Lee concentrates on the martial art imagery in this film and not as much around the main point I am going to concentrate on, the representation of genders in both films. In the film Mulan, Mulan is excepted into the male dominant army when she dresses like a male to get into the army so her father doesn’t have to go. This shows courage by Mulan, as in China females are just meant to sit back and there place is in the kitchen, Mulan is very out-going and isn’t the stereo-typical Chinese female. Mulan is a lot like the central protagonist in CTHD, Jen. They have a lot of similarities in that Jen is engaged to get married and doesn’t want to, she is very jealous of Shu Lien as she have a lot of freedom as she is not married, therefore Jen chooses Shu Lien to be her sister, this brings diversity to the story line as the main two parts are taking up by female positions. Although, some similarities between Jen and Mulan aren’t so obvious. The supernatural content in both films are obvious, but not so as a difference. Mulan has a little dragon named Mushu to accompany her on her mission, but this is mainly for the younger audience viewing as Mushu is a very comical character in the film and Jen in CTHD has a marvellous Chinese martial arts technique named Wudan. Wudan involves flying, so this is an obvious attempt of defying the laws of nature. In a key scene in CTHD, Jen and Shu Lien are talking about the ways of the warrior; they are also talking about Jen’s proposed marriage. You can tell this is a key scene as there is no non-diagetic sound in the scene, only diagetic. Jen is also pictured in the centre of the screen, implying that she is the character of emphasis in this particular

Artifical Inteligence Review

2002-09-14T14:00:00-04:00

I was hoping for good things from “A.I.” First of all, it’s directed by Steven Spielberg, who almost always delivers a satisfying and/or challenging movie experience. Second, it’s sci-fi, which I like. And, finally, it stars Haley Joel Osment, who performed exceptionally in “The Sixth Sense”. Set in the future when human-looking and human-behaving robots take care of every job you can think of, “A.I.” is the story of one doctor’s effort to take robots to the next level. He and his team create a child robot that can “love” its “parents.” Osment stars as David, the robot programmed to become attached to his mother in a human-like way. But when David’s parents are finally able to bring their real son home from the hospital, things begin to fall apart. Picturing himself as a modern-day Pinocchio, David is eventually forced out of his parents’ home and sets out on a quest to become a real boy so he can earn his mother’s love. In an attempt to escape the “Flesh Fairs”—where resentful humans destroy robots in creative and cruel ways—David hooks up with Joe (Jude Law). Joe is a robot programmed to service women as a “male” prostitute. (We get one early scene and lots of dialog about that). Together, they begin looking for the Blue Fairy, the character in “Pinocchio” who changes him from a puppet to a real boy. Almost everything in “A.I.” is well done, technically. The sets, music, camera-work, and acting all hit the mark. Osment again delivers an amazing performance for an actor of any age, let alone 12. He convincingly presents David as both an emotionless robot and, later, an almost-human machine devastated by emotion. He’s just a great actor. Jude Law as the happy-go-lucky Joe and Frances O’Connor as David’s desperate mum also shine. And for the first hour or so, though slowly paced, the movie seems to be working as a creepy horror story about a robot who only has enough emotion to frustrate himself and everyone around him with his lack of humanity. His “love” for his mum becomes a scary obsession that almost destroys everybody. But when David sets out into the world with a cool little robot teddy bear as his Toto, the movie begins to lose traction. First, we get the old sci-fi cliché about humans hating the robots they’ve grown to rely on. Things get a little better when

Chocolat

2002-07-06T14:00:00-04:00

Information

The Film: Chocolát United States/United Kingdom, 2000 Running Length: 2:00 MPAA Classification PG-13 (Sexual situations, mild profanity) Cast: Juliette Binoche, Victoire Thivosol, Johnny Depp, Alfred Molina, Hugh O’Conor, Lena Olin, Judi Dench, Carrie-Anne Moss Director: Lasse Hallström Producers: David Brown, Kit Golden, Leslie Holleran Screenplay: Robert Nelson Jacobs, based on the novel by Joanne Harris Music: Rachel Portman U.S. Distributor: Miramax Films

Plot Summary

This film is an enchanting brew of confections and humanity. Where a shaman-like woman rides the North wind casting her spell of kindness to those in need; she visits town after town seeking battles with those who would take advantage, and attempt to lord over other poor souls. She travels with her daughter, just as she had traveled with her mother. Carrying on a tradition of lifting the spirits of the downtrodden, with her magical unrefined cocoa and special chili pepper in the form of delicious, and addictive, chocolate creations. Her daughter though, has grown weary of moving from place to place. After settling down in a tranquil, French village during Lent of 1959, she and her mother open their chocolatery. Before long they meet and befriend travelers, one of whom becomes the object of her mother’s affections, who use the waterways to get from village to village instead of the wind; however, these merry people are looked down upon as undesirables in the way she and her mother are. The village elders led by the mayor, a Count whose ancestors had rid the village of undesirables in the past is out to restore, the traditional tranquility of the village. The undesirables however, win over several loyal villagers including the woman the Count has been yearning for. The Count(mayor)eventually becomes enraged at having lost control of the villagers, and breaks into the chocolatery, gorging himself with the magical chocolate until he passes out from the intoxicating effects. He is gently awakened Easter Sunday morning by her mother. Where the Count, offers his heartfelt apology, and she graciously accepts, promising not to tell a soul. Her mother Vianne has won another battle; and the following summer the charming river traveler returns on a breeze from the South. Vianne and he decide to end their wandering ways. And say, good-by to the North wind, and waterways. It is time for someone else, to carry out their endless foray’s.

Style of the film

The style reminds this reviewer of the Dickens tales produced on film; such as, Oliver Twist, and the many versions

The Exorcist - Kristeva’s theory of Abjection applied to a fragment

2002-05-12T14:00:00-04:00

According to Kristeva’s theory, in order to become a subject in the symbolic realm it is necessary to reject/abject that which gave us our existence - namely, the mother. Moreover, within patriarchal cultures women are reduced to the maternal function and therefore women, maternity and femininity are abjected along with the maternal function. “This misplaced abjection is one way to account for women’s oppression and degradation within patriarchal cultures.” For Kristeva, the process is helped along by what she calls the ‘Cult of the Virgin,’ meaning the Virgin Mary - and so the lingering, stationary image of the defaced statue seems a good place to begin. As I will discuss, it is an important image precisely because it takes the deeply-rooted patriarchal model for womanhood and reverses it. In the biblical stories, the Virgin is impregnated by God. Thus “the ‘primal scene’ [of conception] and the mother’s jouissance that might accompany it” are done away with. This fantasy of immaculate conception protects the child from facing a reality “that is too much… to bear”: that of being excluded from the “primal scene” that brought about its existence. So, in a strange fit of pre-oedipal, pre-mirror stage jealousy the child excludes the mother’s jouissance from the fantasy of the Virgin birth, thereby condemning female sexuality to the maternal function alone. The image itself is not abject in quite the same way as, say, Regan masturbating viciously with a crucifix is abject. However, it has power because it violently foregrounds Mary’s sexuality, when she wasn’t really meant to have any. The meaning of the figure’s posture is anchored somewhat by the huge, jutting black breasts and penis that the demon has stuck on. Her wide-open arms can no longer signify total acceptance and submission before God, but almost a sense of collusion in the sacrilege - as if she were saying, ‘Look at me now!’ Of course, the statue is white to emphasise her (former) chastity. Her new-found sexual organs are all misshapen and sharply-pointed, like weapons - like sexuality turning from submission to attack. There is what appears to be blood over her hands and robes which lends the image a brutal sadomasochistic quality, precursory to the infamous crucifix scene. The fact the statue now has both a penis and breasts confuses her gender, masculinizing her without taking away all of her femininity. Most importantly, her maternal function is overruled - and all

Kiss Me Kate, The Taming of the Shrew and Ten Things I Hate About You

2002-05-03T14:00:00-04:00

Choose one of the various film versions of “The Taming of the Shrew”, the musical “Kiss Me Kate” or the recent film “Ten Things I Hate About You”, and critically evaluate the success or otherwise of this film as an appropriated text. The 1953 film of the musical ‘Kiss Me Kate’ is successful in many aspects as an appropriation of the Shakespearian play ‘The Taming of the Shrew’. These include: the transmission of ‘Kiss Me Kate’ from the live Broadway musical to the film version; and the clear portrayal of the play ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ onstage, and the mirrored story backstage. Other successful features are: the contribution of song lyrics which add clarity to the plot; and the fact that the score can still be enjoyed today since the mood and lyrics of each songs are varied. Unfortunately, some aspects of the film do not contribute positively to its success. For example: the obvious fact that the film is a 1950’s piece results in the audience being slightly distracted by the abundance of post-war American values and ideas and renders it less attractive to current viewers. Another negative feature are the frequent dancing scenes which are entertaining, but in which it is not always clear why the performers are dancing, other than the fact that it is an obligatory component of the musical genre. Before the film version, ‘Kiss Me Kate’ was an incredibly successful live musical-performed on Broadway and around the world. It is still performed as a live musical today. Thus the smooth transmission from live performance to film in 1953 enabled the film version to retain the loyalty of the live musical’s fans whilst gaining more viewers with the distribution of the video. The greatest achievement in the adaptation is that virtually all the live musical’s songs are retained, with the addition of one song from another play, ‘Out of This World’. In fact, this addition proved so successful that the song was included in all subsequent productions of the live show. Hence, the film version’s success as a product confirms its success as an appropriation of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ which is enjoyed and studied by thousands of people. Another great achievement of ‘Kiss Me Kate’ is the ‘play-within-the-play’ idea. The movie follows the story of a bunch of actors who are performing a musical version of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’. The cast includes:

Falling Down: a critical look at the film

2002-04-24T14:00:00-04:00

Rush Hour Traffic. Urban Decay. Rudeness and ill will towards our common man. A society clearly coming apart at its seams. And worst of all, you can’t get your hash browns at the local fast-food restaurant because they stopped serving breakfast 3 minutes ago. We’ve all experienced these types of frustrations in varying degrees, and probably felt some sort of primal urge to retaliate at what we perceive as a deliberate and malicious affront to our person. Well in Falling Down, William Foster (expertly played by Michael Douglas) does just that. The film opens to a close-up of Foster, imprisoned in his sweltering car during his commute, or rather, lack thereof. The highway has become a parking lot, and rudeness pervades from all sides, in the forms of honking horns and profanity. We gain a real sense of the building tension, as we hear a super-imposed heartbeat over the soundtrack. Visually, the shots are dominated with warm colors, oranges and yellows. The pressure intensifies to near emergency levels, as the audience is certain that a panic attack is inevitable, and then… the door opens and Foster quietly walks away from his gridlocked vehicle. In response to a fellow irate motorist, he simply says, “I’m going home.” So begins Foster’s journey, or rather descent into madness. In his exploits he encounters every type of meaningless transgression, each taking a higher toll on his sanity. He blows up at a price-gouging Korean grocer who refuses to give change for a phone call, and vandalizes the store. When confronted by violent gang members, he lashes out at his assailants and effectively defends himself. When refused service at a burger chain, his needs are only met after brandishing an automatic weapon. All the while we the viewers are cheering him on, eccentrically righteous in his quest to right these inane wrongs. As the story progresses however, a much darker nature is revealed, as his destination is the home of his daughter and ex-wife, both of whom he is prohibited from seeing under a restraining order. He stops several times to call, each time becoming increasingly threatening. As the police become involved, it draws the attention of Detective Prendergast, played by Robert Duvall. On his last day before retirement, the detecive has seen the same societal woes that have pushed this man to the edge, and at times comes close to sympathizing with him. What remains most disconcerting

Remeber The Titans: movie review

2002-04-24T14:00:00-04:00

The human race has an unquenchable thirst for entertainment. The need to be entertained can be seen through the ages; however, the need for entertainment is greater now more than ever. Because of the use of modern technology, humans have more free time; thus, leaving more time to fill with entertainment. The most common form of entertainment in the modern society is cinema. This powerful media has spawned what modern man knows as entertainment. For example, movies are a simple an effective way of entertaining; yet, a person may be asking what makes cinema so appealing. The answer is simple, modern cinema encompasses the ancient Greeks basics for all entertainment, that of comedy or tragedy. It is true that one of these two ideas must be implemented in order to have true appeal to the masses; however, an effective cinematic masterpiece will house both prolific styles and fulfill the onlooker with an immersion of entertainment. One model of a cinematic tour de force is the movie Remember The Titans. This movie houses both comedic and tragic properties intertwined into a true story. As in life, everything is grey there aren’t definable black areas or white areas, and this movie resides within a sea of grey mixed with the whites of comedy and the blacks of tragedy. Foremost, one can examine a synopsis of the movie in order to further understand its profound approach. Remember the Titans is based on actual events that took place in 1971 when a white southern high school is integrated with black students from a nearby school. Both schools are recognized for their football programs, which are now unified. The black coach is chosen to be the head coach of the integrated team, leaving the previous white head coach with feelings of animosity at having to be an assistant under a black man. This tumultuous time in American history was riddled with racism; therefore, the backdrop of this film is set on the tragic emotion of hate. The comedic properties housed within this film are displayed with the forming of friendships between white players and black players. Second, the metaphor of “Grey” presents itself once again to the careful witness. The players have problems preforming as one because they see “White” and “Black”. When the realization of unity begins to onset during the movie, it is only then the players begin to preform as a team. The

Shawshank Redemption

2002-04-23T14:00:00-04:00

In the movie The Shawshank Redemption based on a novella by Steven King, the movie shows how prison life affects prisoners when they are released from jail. Prisoners can choose to go down two different paths. One path they can take is to live their life, or they can choose to take their life. In the movie there is an important character named Andy. Andy was put in jail for the murder of his wife, which he knows he did not do. He becomes good friends with Red and the Guards like him because he is a banker. Andy is an outspoken prisoner with a lot of common sense. In one part of the movie Andy says, “Get busy living or get busy dying.” This quote plays an important role in the movie because Red and Brooks who are two important characters get out of jail and must make the choice to either “Get busy living or get busy dying.” When people are in jail for a long period of time, they get used to the simplest things in life. Prisoners get food, have a place to sleep, have clothes to wear, and have books to read. They adapt to the guards always telling them when to wake up or when to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Prisoners get so used to these things that when they get out of jail, they don’t know what to do with themselves. They have been taken care of for so many years and now they are let out on their own. Prisoners are used to a small world and then they have to go live in a big world. Most of the time this is scary for prisoners they may be excited to get out and also scared. They have no money to live on, no place to live, nor a job to get by on. The movie offers two ways of dealing with life after prison; you can either live or die. Brooks was an older man who had been in jail for many years. When Brooks heard about his release he grabbed another prisoner and took a sharp tool to his neck. He said that he was going to kill him so that he could stay in jail. Andy came to the scene with Red and convinced Brooks to put down the knife because everything was going to be alright. Brooks was then

Oceans Eleven

2002-04-15T14:00:00-04:00

Ocean’s Eleven, a showcase for the tough-guy shenanigans of that glitzy showbiz gang known as the Rat Pack--Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop, and, of course, Frank Sinatra. Booze flows and wisecracks fly when eleven army buddies are reunited; only this time they're not trading war stories. They're planning to rob five Las Vegas casinos of several million dollars--assuming they can steer clear of the big-time racketeer who's gotten wind of their scheme (Videoflicks.com). This film is a standard example of classical cinema, a style of mainstream fiction films produced in America, which is strong in story, star and production value. Classical cinema, or classical paradigm, is structured narratively, with a clearly defined conflict, complications that intensify to a rising climax and a resolution that emphasizes formal closure (Giannetti, 533). The film’s protagonist, Danny Ocean, was chosen by a wealthy millionaire to rob several Las Vegas casinos on New Year’s Eve with the help of ten of his former WWII veteran friends. Each one of the eleven men had a specific job, whether it was to get the keys that open the designated doors, blow-up the power line tower, drive the getaway garbage truck or actually steal the money. The climax of the movie was when Duke Santos, the antagonist, discovered the plan. Mrs. Reste, Jimmy’s mother, uncovered them accidentally. She was on vacation in Las Vegas with her fiancé, Duke Santos who was working for one of the casinos’ owners, Jack Strager, to help expose the men responsible for the heist. Mr. Santos confronts Danny Ocean and several of his men and they try to then avoid him by attempting to send the money home in one of the coffin of Tony Bergdorf, who died from a heart attack immediately after the robbery was completed. The resolution of the story was when the money was destroyed in the coffin along with Mr. Bergdorf, who was cremated. The movie ends with the disappointed Rat Pack walking down the street back to their hotel rooms. The original Oceans Eleven depicts the typical 1960’s martini drinking, womanizing, casino-going soft gangster. Nelson Riddle and James Van Heusen, two popular musicians of the time, performed the music in the film. There were several almost musical-like scenes where some of the characters actually sang songs. This type of musical incorporation would rarely occur in modern movies. Overall I thought that this was an excellent

On the Waterfront and High Noon

2002-04-13T14:00:00-04:00

‘Much that characterised Hollywood in the 1950s can be described as paradoxical and ambiguous due to anti-communist hysteria and the blacklist.’ How accurate is this statement in relation to two films of the 1950s? A lot has been made of the suggested subtexts present in High Noon and On the Waterfront, that they reflect the experiences of Carl Foreman (the writer of High Noon) and Elia Kazan with the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Foreman has openly assented to this, and Kazan has admitted that there are parallels. However, while this can give us insight of the personal opinions of these men, I do not think that the significance of these subtexts can be played down enough. My reasons are that they are in no way ‘attached’ to the films-that is, not evident without knowledge other than that of the films themselves; that they add nothing to the films, as a work of art; and that the assumption of the subtexts is very ambiguous. By this last point, I mean that we cannot give authorial intention any more power over our understanding of the film than that of any other interpretation. We would be just as well to say that High Noon is really about the Nazi persecution of the Jews, or even about the Allied attack on the Nazis, because, as I have said, this kind of meaning is not produced by the film but is superimposed over it. The films are interchangeable in this aspect, because they are both about people doing what they believe is right-it just happens that the idea of what is right differed between Foreman and Kazan. A better way of commenting on the socio-political climate of the fifties in Hollywood, as reflected in these films, is to take meaning from the films, rather than receive a meaning from someone who claims authority over them and depreciates the role of the viewer. We must look at what the films really say about America rather than what someone tells us they are meant to say, because these can be quite different things. The communist scare was at fever pitch in the early 1950s, when HUAC reopened investigations. Opinion was divided in Hollywood. There were those, like Kazan and the American Committee for Cultural Freedom, who believed that the communist threat was real, and that, in Kazan’s words, ‘communists were in a lot of organizations-unseen, unrecognised, unbeknownst to

Barton Fink

2002-03-30T13:00:00-04:00

“Barton Fink is a movie with complex symbolism, plot twists, hidden meanings, and a

The Truman Show - Image

2002-03-15T13:00:00-04:00

“Discuss the use of and creation of images in The Truman Show. Refer specifically to three key scenes. Pay particular attention to the filming techniques used in these scenes.” The Truman Show is a film that relies heavily on the use of evocative images. To create these images, the director, Peter Weir uses a number of techniques. The major techniques used throughout the film include camera angles, framing, shot types, camera movement, the style of music and costuming, and sequencing. Combining two or more of these techniques enables Weir to create emotive images. In the second scene, when we see Truman leaving his house for the first time in the film, a number of the above-mentioned techniques can be seen. As Truman leaves his house he says to his neighbour in a corny style, “In case I don’t see you, good afternoon, good evening and good night.” While he says this he has a cheesy, almost fake smile on his face. This gives the impression to viewers as if it is almost scripted. Also when Truman leaves his house we see his conservative costuming. His outfit is nostalgic of the fifties. This particular sequence is filmed from a middle distance shot. By using this shot, the director is able to show us Truman’s surroundings. We see the perfectly mowed lawns, white picket fences, pastel-coloured houses and the bright blue sky. The image created is idyllic and almost too perfect, showing that his whole world is artificial. As Truman approaches his car in scene two a large object comes crashing onto the middle of Truman’s street. The sound that comes from the object is a contrast to the atmosphere already created. As the object is falling through the sky there is an extreme high angle of Seahaven. When Truman picks it up and looks to the sky a low camera angle is used showing us the clear blue sky again and giving the sense that Truman is small and insignificant. Once in his car we see Truman from a hidden camera. It is made obvious that Truman is unaware of it because the shot is framed by a circle of black and across the image we can see the dials of the radio. While driving along we hear the radio announcers saying that a plane has been dropping parts onto Seahaven and that it is nothing to worry about. The director of

Seachange and Scales Of Justice - Power And Lifestyle

2002-03-15T13:00:00-04:00

“Power can affect people in many different ways and this can have a direct impact on their lifestyle. How is this true in both Seachange and Scales of Justice?” The issue of power and its effect on lifestyle is clearly demonstrated in both Scales of Justice and in Seachange through a variety of characters. In Scales of Justice, power and the abuse of it is shown mainly through corruption within the police force and in Seachange it is shown mostly through Laura and Bob Jelly. Both television programs show us that along with power there can be both negative and positive effects on people’s lifestyles. In Scales of Justice it is shown that there is a certain hierarchy and those in higher positions often dominate and control those in positions that are below them. A classic example of this is Sergeant O’Rourke and Probationary Constable Webber. O’Rourke is basically a bully in his position. Whilst attending a robbery with Webber, O’Rourke steals a fur coat. Webber catches him but says nothing at the time. Later on this coat appears in Webber’s locker. When Webber approaches O’Rourke about it, he uses bully tactics to threaten Webber. Webber reports this to someone in a higher position. O’Rourke misuses his power and talks to friends in higher positions and it is Webber who is thrown out of the force. Another issue of power and lifestyle demonstrated in Scales of Justice is that those in power are often secluded from the rest of society. An example of this happening is when Webber is not even on duty but on his way to work wearing his police uniform. As soon as he steps onto the bus, everybody suddenly becomes silent and look away as if he isn’t even human. They all feel a certain threat by him simply because he holds some power over them. There are many different examples of the misuse of power in Scales of Justice. The misuse and abuse of power can in some cases actually mean a better lifestyle. At one stage of the show, Webber tells Borland he is thinking of buying a new car. In reply, Borland tells Webber not to forget to wear his “discount suit.” Webber has no idea what Borland is talking about. Borland explains that the discount suit is actually his police uniform. Later on in the show we see Webber pull up in a brand new sports

The Matrix - The Red Pill

2002-03-15T13:00:00-04:00

The movie “The Matrix” is filled with philosophical thoughts and questions. The biggest and most important question of them all is: “Which one, the red or the blue pill?” Given the choices, the red pill would be the most appealing. If the red pill is chosen it will open eyes to a new reality; it will give life a new meaning; and it will give a better understanding of the world to the one who consumes it. When it comes right down to it, to know or not to know, that is the underlying philosophical question. Before the pill, reality was just a picture that was painted for the well being of those who lived within it; however, after the pill, that picture loses it’s disguise and reveals it’s true design. “If someone explained that everything … seen before was an illusion and that now … reality … was actually clearer”, how could it be true? Perhaps that is best answered by Morpheus in his answer to Neo’s question: “Why do my eyes hurt?”, when he replies: “You’ve never used them before.” In other words, reality is right there for all to see, its just that nobody seems to want to open their eyes and look. It seems that as people get older, the walls of reality narrow, and people believe less and less; however, when in childhood, anything is possible, and children do not shut the door on any idea. This is best seen at the end of The Matrix when the young boy sees Neo take off into the air and the mother tells her son “Don’t be silly, honey. Men don’t fly.“ Instead, people are happy being the prisoners of the cave, so to speak. Being able to escape from the darkness would broaden boundaries and change the rules. It would open up doors that were otherwise closed, and allow for greater adventure. In taking the red pill, the bars are lifted and souls are set free to experience the new reality. In experiencing a new reality, a new meaning of life is also exposed. Throughout time, people have been in search of the meaning of life, and all have come up short. Conceivably, this is due to the fact that “The Matrix is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.” It is impossible to know the true meaning of life,

The Mighty Ducks: Levels of Development

2002-03-05T13:00:00-05:00

Screen favorite Emilio Estevez stars in The Mighty Ducks. His on screen character Gordon Bombay is a tough trial lawyer who never loses a case. But when convicted on a D.U.I., Gordon is faced with a community service assignment. He must coach district 41-hockey team. This bunch of kids can't skate; shoot, score, and most of all can't win! With little enthusiasm Gordon takes on the task of turning these bunch of losers into a winning hockey team, and along with that he learns many lessons, one of which is that winning is not the most important thing there is in life. The first scene that I am going to evaluate is the one where Gordon is talking to his boss (Donald Ducksworth) and he tells Gordon that he can either take a paid leave of absence and do community service or he can serve his time in jail or on probation. Gordon reluctantly chose the community service because he did not want to go to jail, and also he wanted to do the easiest thing possible. Which for him was community service. I chose this as an example of Pre-Conventional because, Gordon did not want to go to jail, probably because he was afraid of it. The other reason he chose community service was because to him it may have seemed to be the easiest way out. Little did he know that these kids were the kids from hell! For this scene I thought that Gordon was acting as a utilitarian because he wanted to do this only because he was being forced, and it served him the better because he did not have to go to jail. All he cared about was himself not that those kids needed his help. The second example that I am using is when Gordon asks Mr. Ducksworth for $15000. Gordon is doing this because the kids on the team cannot afford the proper equipment to wear and because the players have no ice time on which to practice they're meager skills. This action by Gordon shows that he is acting on a Post-Conventional level. This is so because he is asking for the money because the kids may get hurt and because he cares about them and wants them to succeed in what they are doing. In this scene Mr. Bombay is acting as an altruist because, he is doing this for the good

Cabaret: How does Fosse, show the dangers of escapism?

2002-02-22T13:00:00-05:00

In Cabaret Fosse uses many techniques to convey his message that escapism is dangerous for the individual and as a society as a whole. Firstly he uses a musical to highlight the dangers of escapism. This is an ironic choice because a musical is typically for pure entertainment. Musicals are normally escapist entertainment, but in this case Fosse has a serious message. Fosse sets his film in the Kit Kat Klub, this is a place where people go to relax and escape from their troubles. Fosse also enhances his message that escapism is dangerous by using film techniques such as crosscutting and montage. Fosse’s main way of showing us the dangers of escapism is through his characters and plot. He shows us the dangers for the individual mostly through Sally and Brian and he shows the dangers for society as a whole through Max. By choosing a musical this give Fosse the power to choose the music. In this case the music helps narrate the film, but more importantly it helps him show his audience that escapism is dangerous. This can be seen from the beginning to the end of the film. For example, the opening number “Wilkommen” welcomes both the viewer, and Brian into the world of the cabaret. Within just a few seconds of seeing the club we can see that it is filled with androgynous looking people, including the MC himself. We are most definitely shown that the cabaret is where people escape from their troubles when the MC tells his audience to leave their troubles outside. He also says to them “In here (Kit Kat Klub), life is beautiful”. During the course of the film we see that life is actually not beautiful, and that running away leads to disaster. Film techniques, such as crosscutting and intercutting further accentuates the films main message. When Brian gives in and agrees to scream under the bridge this signifies that he has lost restraint. This then crosscuts to just outside the Kit Kat Klub, where the manager is being beaten up. The cut from scene to scene makes the viewer feel that the loss of responsibility and restraint has led to or has contributed to the manager being beaten. Intercutting is also used in the same scene. The camera cuts from inside the club and outside. Inside the club the dancers and the MC are doing their version of the Bavarian Slap

Scarlet Letter: Novel v Movie

2002-02-15T13:00:00-05:00

Films of this age are often criticized for lacking ‘substance’ and compensate for this discrepancy with explosions and elaborate camera work. Books, on the other hand, demand a bit more respect from the general public. Many believe that concocting a script is an unsophisticated mode of writing, a copper to the gold of a novel. After careful scrutiny of both, the novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and viewing the rendition of the Scarlet Letter by Roland Joffe, one can immediately comprehend the enormous amount of work put into both, as well as the innumerable differences and similarities between them. It is easy enough to discern the common and uncommon features but one must think of why the filmmaker may have used a specific lighting, or how colors were used to symbolize themes from the book. Analysis answers the questions: How did the two differ? How were they the same? Why did the filmmaker make these decisions? The film is freely adapted from the novel. The word “free” describing the modification is well used; there are major differences in regard to time usage, characterization, visual imagery and symbolism, narration, plot, and tone. The first hour of the movie was devoted to informing the viewer about the background. The film was set in motion when Hester arrived in the New World, not at the grim prison door she passed through on her way to the scaffold in the novel. Many characters not included in the novel were inserted into the film, several of whom were pivotal to the plot. Mituba, Hester’s introverted slave girl, Brewster, the coarse, undisciplined rule-breaker, Goody Gotwick, the mouthpiece of the community’s “pious women,” and Minister Cheever, the influential church leader who attempted to serve as the judge of the community’s morals did not exist in the novel. Mistress Hibbins’ relationship to Governor Bellingham was ambiguous and not well portrayed. It was almost as if they were acquaintances. In the book, their connection prevented her persecution, whereas in the movie, no familial bond protected mistress Hibbins from the cruel witch trials typical of the seventeenth century. Her minor function in the in the book, evolved into an imperative role in the movie. In addition to Hester, mistress Hibbins was as the only character that behaved according to her personal beliefs, and not the traditional values of the Puritans. Dimmesdale’s character was stronger in the film and certainly

Rear Window and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: Blonde’s on Display

2002-02-14T13:00:00-05:00

Rear Window (1954) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) have very different plots but still have many striking similarities, such as the manipulation of the spectator’s gaze. Gaze is the transaction between the screen and a spectator. Two examples of the types of gazes used in these films are voyeuristic and fetishistic. The use of voyeuristic and fetishistic gazes reinforce movie viewing and gender roles during the 1950’s by featuring manipulative and frivolous women as sex objects. Rear Window is a film about obsession and human curiosity. The film further reinforces this point in its plot and through its voyeuristic gaze. The film is about a man named Jeff, a wheelchair-bound photographer, who out of boredom and curiosity spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced that one of them has committed murder. The movie also draws ties between movie viewing and voyeurism. Voyeurism is when someone likes to watch an unsuspecting person. And this is what Jeff does; in fact he even has a voyeuristic job as a photographer. While watching this suspenseful movie, you can’t help but like you are in the movie, which is ironic because it shows that we are doing the same thing as Jeff--we are voyeurs sitting in a dark movie house engrossed in this film. This voyeuristic gaze is shown mainly through Jeff’s eyes. Hitchcock forces us to only see the movie through the eyes of a man. There are females in the movie, but they aren’t in every scene like Jeff is and they do not control the gaze of the camera, but instead are the subjects of the gaze. Also, the camera is kept in Jeff's apartment (except for a couple of shots near the end), which limits the audience's view to what Jeff can see and hear from his viewpoint. When he is looking through his camera lens and binoculars, we have no choice but to see the film through Jeff’s eyes. He is free to take in the spectacle of the events in the apartments around him, but he is powerless to intervene. Why he looks, however, is the larger question, and maybe we (the audience) can identify with that common urge to peep. The supporting female character, Stella, reinforces the idea of the voyeuristic gaze when she says, “We've become a race of Peeping Toms. What people ought to do is get outside their own house

Fight Club - Character Analysis

2002-02-04T13:00:00-05:00

“Fight Club” by Chuck Palahnuik follows the crazy, madcap life of a man who attempts to escape the system that is life by creating mayhem in the world. The main character, the narrator, throughout the book, remains nameless. He is “Mr Ordinary Joe”, he goes to work, he does his job, he comes home, and he spends his money. His job as an auto-recall supervisor is eventless and is one of the main reasons he does not like his life. He has no real friends, and all the time he has free he spends attempting to upgrade the appearance of his home, and the appearance of his life. He becomes disillusioned by life, and is constantly thinking of ways he could die accidentally, or ways he could manage to escape his pain. He eventually drives himself to insomnia, and finds no medical help or support. His doctor suggests that if he wants to see real pain, that he should go round to the local church one night to see support groups for survivors of Testicular Cancer, and other people who have survived terrible ordeals. He decides that he should go round and see, because he has nothing else to do due to his lack of social life. The narrator finds that by going to these support groups, he can let all of his pent up emotion go, and in due course, be able to sleep. In my opinion, this part of the story is one of the turning points for the narrator’s life, due to the fact that the narrator has never felt so low in his life and is now going to support groups to try and boost his ego. All goes well until a woman by the name of Marla Singer comes to the support groups. Marla only comes along to the groups to make fun of the people who are there, and to make sure that her life is not as worthless as theirs. The narrator finds that around Marla he cannot let his feelings go, and cannot cry. He returns to having insomnia. He decides to split his support groups with Marla, because he needs these groups to be able to sleep at night. This suggests that he felt insecure about his life, and needed someone else worse off than him to be around to make him feel better. Also, the fact that he could not

First Blood

2002-01-14T13:00:00-05:00

Ted Kotchef's First Blood is the story of a burned out Vietnam Vet, who after being trained as a Green Berette, and decorated with several metals of honor, has been dumped back into society and left to his own vices. Though generally a mild mannered individual, he has been trained not to be pushed. So when a judgemental Sheriff mistreats him, he brings the war to this small town, and this time he wants to win. This film was filmed in Hope, British columbia, Canada, though it is meant to take place in the Northwestern United States. Adapted from David Morell's novel, this portrays John Rambo as a much more sympathetic character than the book, and shows the Sheriff as much less Sympathetic, and certainly less developed. When Rambo first has the run in with Sheriff Teasle, all of the shots seem to favor Teasle. When we see Rambo it is from a low angle, as if it were Teasle's POV, and when we see Teasle it is at eye level. Kotcheff might have, in my estimation, doen this for one of two reasons. 1. Perhaps he wanted to balance out the Sheriff's role which was dramatically chopped, and allow us to see things fromm his point of view a little bit more. 2. He might have been playing a gag on the audience, where we are used to cheering for the law, he might have been trying to trick us into thinking the hero was Teasle. This film has been criticized for having a weak story, but for those who actually take time to analyze it we see a very thoughtful story there. Playing Mytholical images throughout, such as the cave the hero decends to, and the flaming sword (when he uses his knife as a torch), it has universal appeal. The high stakes in this film are dealing with internal demons, not external, which is primarily why people who look only on the surface of films criticize it, along with the comercialized sequels to follow. The look of the film is very raw. Costumes are simple, using primarily and earth tones as. The sets are almost all outdoors, and generally also have a gritty feeling. The film is also quite dark at times, but the new DVD transfer is very good, so it is not too dark at all. The frames are very alive, and staged deepely. Rarely do we

SpongeBob Squarepants and Squidward Tentacles - compare and contrast

2002-01-09T13:00:00-05:00

SpongeBob Squarepants and Squidward tentacles are both a part of Nickelodeon’s best show SpongeBob Squarepants. SpongeBob and Squidward have a few similarities but most of all they are very different, even though the both of them live under the sea they have different personalities and they like different things. SpongeBob and Squidward both live under the sea in Bikini Bottom. They are next-door neighbors living on the same block. Both of them work for Mr. Crabs at the Crabby Patties Despite their Similarities the sponge and the squid are very different. SpongeBob is a very joyful/happy sponge that has fun doing anything. Unlike Squidward who is very hateful / despiteful

The Name of the Rose (and Midevil Times)

2001-12-23T13:00:00-05:00

The Church played an important role in Midevil times, God was a part of most peoples lives, and for some, gave them a reason to keep their head up. The Surfs led a hard life, if it wasn't for God, they wouldn't have an after-life to look forward to. One of the most important roles the Church played was providing food and shelter to the poor, the sick and the travelers. Life in the monastery was pretty busy. The monks start the day with prayers and chores. After their chores, they begin their studies - most of them would be copying books. Later they would farm in the fields. In the evening they'd have a light supper and end the day by praying and singing hymns. They would pray seven times throughout the day. Living in a monastery would bring happiness to the monks in their belief that God was on their side, and that God would provide them with everything they need, and they would join him in Heaven when it was their time to die. By helping people, they probably felt pretty good about themselves. On the down side, they had to live by strict rules. They could not love pleasure, couldn't laugh, be proud, become angry or show a temper. If someone were to insult them, they would in return have to give praise. The church played a part in the education. Some parish priests ran schools, while Monks and Nuns set some up. They also copied and preserved writings of the ancient world. In the movie, Agenal - the kid, is tutored by his master. The church also provided social services. As mentioned above they looked after the poor and sick, tried to end feudal warfare, and provided food, clothing, and shelter. In the movie we saw the church giving food to the poor, and providing shelter for the girl. For political power, the church had courts, Popes claimed authority over all secular rulers. Churchmen - bishops and archbishops were usually nobles and got their own land. Churchmen were the only educated so they got high government positions. In the movie, we see the church court. Two men were chosen to say whether the person was innocent or guilty, and if guilty the person would be sentenced. The church’s methods of control were the Benedictine Rule, the Canon law - if disobeyed the person would be excommunicated. They outlawed marriage for

Ally McBeal - narrative structure, characters and setting

2001-12-11T13:00:00-05:00

Ally McBeal. What is it about her that makes people stop and notice? Perhaps it's her girlish voice, her complex insecurities, her quirky yet realistic thoughts, and her simple nature. As a girl, I must say, I totally identify with Ally. Let's face it, we've all had arrows shot through our hearts, felt like our faces were burning when we've said embarrassing things in front of others, and, surely, at one point or another, felt a scary sense of loneliness. In any case, Ally McBeal is a reflection of human essence. Intelligent yet underestimated at times, funny yet lacking a sense of being, dark yet focused, insecure yet hopeful. Combine that with a stunning lawyer and what do you have? A giggly, repressed, tense, yet wonderfully charming character. Ally McBeal. The episode “Compromising Positions” teaches the viewer several things about Ally. She is the show’s main character, and many of her distinguishing traits are revealed; her conservative personality, her morals, and her opinions on certain issues, in particular love, trust and morality. Her outlook is a curious mix of angst and optimism. Her mission on the show is not to win lawsuits but to figure out who she really is, what she wants, and if she has any hope of attaining it. It is revealed to the viewer, that what Ally is looking for, is in fact true love. Different characters in the show assist in developing different themes. The incident with Richard Fish’s girlfriend, “Whipper” kissing prospective client, Ronald Cheanie, for instance, helps to explore the themes of love and the truth. When Ally walks into the bathroom at the restaurant to discover Whipper and Cheanie engaging in forbidden kiss, she is thrown into a spin. Should she tell Richard about the kiss, confront Whipper and make her tell Richard herself, or just stay quiet? After all, as Ally is quoted to say, "Sometimes there's no point in the truth if all it's going to do is cause pain." Ally meets the firm’s other founding partner, John Cage, when Fish assigns her to defend him on charges of soliciting a prostitute. At the hearing, Ally and Billy represent Cage, and Billy asks for a sidebar, and it becomes immediately clear that the judge and Billy know each other. The judge drops the charges, to Ally’s shock, and the case is closed. The next morning, Ally learns that the Judge attended Billy’s

'Breaker' Morant - Major JF Thomas character analysis

2001-12-10T13:00:00-05:00

J.F. Thomas, played by Jack Thompson, was an intelligent man and well versed in his profession, although it didn’t seem this way in the beginnings of this case. As is clear to the viewer, he is unorganised, aloof, and unconfident. This is seen in the scene that introduces him to the movie… (Show scene). Notice how he is clumsy, and keeps dropping the papers. As we journey further into the trial, Thomas’s confidence grows. At first, he is not very confident, and this can be seen in his stance - note how he is leaning on the table for support, instead of standing up straight, with confidence. Yet his confidence grows. While the rules of war prohibited using prisoners as shields from attack, prosecution witnesses admit under Thomas’s effective cross-examination that placing railway cars filled with Boer prisoners as the lead car for British trains stopped the bombing of rail lines. Major Thomas forces Captain Robertson, a prosecution witness, to admit that he too had continued to use this tactic because "though irregular, it was effective." It is here that the viewer can clearly see his increased confidence, that is shown in his now confident stance, he is standing up straight and tall, and he raises his voice to make his point clear (show scene). Thomas felt that there were inconsistencies in the military code of the law at the trial, but mature consideration showed him that what was done in the courtroom was overall, properly enough done. His own performance had included some lapses; remember the comment from the Judge Advocate’s review that “…a heap of irrelevant evidence was admitted by the Court on the part of the defence despite the ruling of the judge advocate…” But no matter the outcome of the courts martial, there is no way in which Thomas could have been accused of failure as an advocate. When he took on the defence brief his charges had already been subjected to 12 weeks of close, generally solitary confinement. Having been passed from court of inquiry to the court martial considerably bewildered them, and they had almost no time for consultation with this stranger who was to be their lawyer. Equally, Thomas had no clear knowledge at the outset of the ramifications of the charges either in the military or legal sense, and no personal knowledge of the men concerned. Yet in spite of all that,

Dead Heart - Representation of White Australian & Aboriginal Law

2001-12-10T13:00:00-05:00

The movie “Dead Heart” uses the background of a murder mystery to further explore this complex issue of Aboriginal culture and traditions and the inevitable clash that results when white Australians try to impose their own system of beliefs, values and history upon Aboriginal people. The film is set in the small aboriginal community of Wala Wala, in remote outback Australia, in which lies the significance of the title of the film. A Local town cop by the name of Ray Lorkin tries to maintain some bearing of peace and harmony between two cultures that are essentially at odds with one another. Simmering racial tensions explode in the community when a young aboriginal labourer seduces a teacher's wife on a sacred aboriginal site. The elders of the tribe conspire to punish the pair according to ancient laws, and Lorkin is caught in the middle of an insoluble dilemma as he sets out to deliver justice while the local population heads for a potentially violent and ugly confrontation. British and Australian laws have affected Aboriginal people in many ways in the past, including the development of aboriginal legal rights, use of courts to further their interests, and their treatment received from the courts and police. A fundamental similarity between the two laws is obvious. After all, they are both built on the boundaries of the right way to behave, the rules for which people should follow, and the grounds of legitimacy for these laws. Yet there are equally profound differences between the two laws. For instance, Aboriginal law within itself is religious in character. At its centre lie songs, myths and rituals, which follow ancestral events. The story starts with an aboriginal death in custody. A popular tribal member hangs himself in the local lock-up, and the tribal elder, Poppy, wants “black fella justice” for the guilty and feels the police are as guilty as the local who supplied the grog. The violation begins when the teacher’s wife has an affair with the local Aboriginal labourer. The place they choose is a sacred site, and tribal elders are outraged. When the lover mysteriously dies, Lorkin is certain it's murder. He "knows" how these people work, and he is quoted in the movie for saying, "They can kill you without leaving marks". This event shows the elaborate contrasts between Aboriginal and White Australian laws in the sense that it compares the Aboriginals beliefs on

Amistad

2001-12-05T13:00:00-05:00

Steven Spielberg's "Amistad" is centered on the legal status of Africans caught and brought to America on a Spanish slave ship. The Africans rise up and begin a mutiny against their captors on the high seas and are brought to trial in a New England court. The court must decide if the Africans are actually born as slaves or if they were illegally brought from Africa. If the Africans were born as slaves then they would be guilty of murder, but if their being brought here from Africa is illegal, they had the right to defend themselves. This was not such a simple issue since the slave trade had been banned by treaties at the time of the Amistad incident in 1839. The movie starts on board the Amistad. On the ship the leader of the Africans, Cinque, frees himself from his chains and frees the rest of his tribe. They slaves are being taken from a Havana slave market to another destination in Cuba. The two men who bought them are spared, and promise to take the slaves back to Africa. Instead, the Amistad is guided into US waters, and the Africans end up being tried in a New England court. Luckily, it is a Northern court. If the slaves had ended up in the South they would have no chance of getting off. The slaves are first defended by Roger Baldwin a well-off real estate lawyer who bases the case on property law. Only slowly does Baldwin come to see his clients, the slaves, as human beings. Also, two Boston abolitionists, an immigrant called Tappan, and a former slave named Joadson are in the defense. Together these men work to try to free the 53 slaves aboard the Amistad. After the slaves are tried and freed at the New England district court, they must go to the Supreme Court. In the Supreme Court John Quincy Adams, former president, who is fighting for the freedom of all men, defends them. He gives an 11 minute speech and persuades the Supreme Court to free the slaves as individuals because all men are free under the Declaration of Independence. The slaves are freed once and again and choose to return to their homeland. However, Cinque discovers that his village has been destroyed and the rest of his family has already been sold into slavery. This is where Cinque emerges as a

To Kill A Mocking Bird - Courage

2001-11-06T13:00:00-05:00

The film, To Kill A Mockingbird, is based on courage. Other issues are confronted in this text, prejudice and racism for example. But I think that the main subject dealt with is courage. Courage is about stepping out of your comfort zone, not always complying with others, doing what you believe in. Most characters in the film display this trait, but there are others who blatantly display the opposite. Atticus Finch is a defense lawyer living in the small southern town of Maycomb. He shows courage by taking the case of a condemned black man who has been accused of raping a white girl. He knows that his actions will not be kindly looked upon by the townspeople, but he believes in justice for all so he does what he feels is right. Tom Robinson, his client, is to spend a night in jail. Although he doesn’t have to, Atticus stays outside all night to guard him. He is confronted by an angry mob and stands his ground. He also doesn’t back off when the encounters the victims father, Mr. Ewell who abuses him. He is not afraid to tell the truth to his two young children. He doesn’t try and misguide them by making up lies to get out of tricky situations. He brings them up to have their own opinions and to see people equally. Jem and Scout Finch show courage due to their unbiased upbringing. Jem, the elder of the children is ten years old. When his father is faced with the mob at the jail, Jem turns up. And although being a child and being pretty much powerless to physically do anything, he refuses to leave until after the crowd has left. He shows that he is not scared of one of their ill-reputed neighbours, by accepting a dare from his friends to run up to their porch. He does all he can to protect his younger sister Scout when they are attacked in the woods. Scout on the other hand, stands up for herself by fighting her classmates. One particular time she does this is when she hears someone bad mouthing her father. In comparison, Bob Ewell is not courageous. He takes a black man to court on a lie rather than admit that his daughter was in the wrong. He takes advantage of the fact that the whole town is prejudiced and impressionable and gets them all

Gothic Horror Cinema

2001-11-04T13:00:00-05:00

The genre of Gothic horror film has existed almost as long as the cinema itself, and it has always fascinated me. As the definition above suggests, the word can be loosely used to define any horror story with suitable settings, but such themes as disturbing dreams, desperate, undying love and melancholic romanticisation of death are also usually important in Gothic cinema. The following is a brief and superficial overview on Gothic horror film and some classics of the genre. Directed by Robert Wiene in 1919, Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari was one of the first Gothic horror films. Although the more usual Gothic environment was replaced by disturbingly dreamlike sets, this incredibly inventive story of dream, madness, love and evil is thematically more truly Gothic than any of your average graveyards-castles-and-living-dead spook flicks. Being also the film that first introduced the character of a mad doctor to a horror audience, The Cabinet ★★★★ remains a first rate masterpiece nearly eighty years after its original release. It is obvious that there are few things more Gothic than vampires. This was to be noticed by the world in 1922, when the German expressionist F. W. Murnau made the first ever film adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula. Although the Count was called Orlok, and the story was set in Bremen instead of London, Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (Nosferatu: The First Vampire) was so identical to Stoker’s story that major legal trouble for Murnau followed right after the release. The Count was portrayed by Max Schreck (whose last name is actually German for ‘terror’) as an undead bestial bloodsucker. In the story, the vampire can only be brought to rest by a woman who shall willingly give her blood to the beast until the sun rises, and the vampire turns to dust in a well-known scene. Many scholars describe Nosferatu as the best film ever made in the vampire genre. Released ten years later, Tod Browning’s Dracula,1931 gave the character of the Count a different treatment - the one that we now call ‘the classic Dracula’. (Béla Ferenc Dezsõ Blaskó) Bela Lugosi’s Dracula dressed in an elegant Victorian suit and a black and red satin cloak, and was closer to a mysterious, charmant aristocrat than a blood-thirsty monster. Despite the fact that neither the film or its sequel Dracula’s Daughter ,1936 Lambert Hillyer were cinematic masterpieces, Lugosi’s immortal portrayal of Dracula would be copied by

Frontline: Truth?

2001-10-14T14:00:00-04:00

"Whoever holds the power tries to own the truth". Write a persuasive article in which you explore the above statement in your prescribed and related texts. The manipulation and deviation of a "supposed" truth can often be distorted by the "big guns" of society. Whoever holds the power, in other words, tries to own the truth. Does society allow this ownership of truth to be accomplished, or does it simply defend with obstruction? Influential industry professionals, in particular present in the world of media, control the information we read, see, and hear, offering sometimes misconceived thoughts on events. Opinions prevail, as powerful figureheads decide what we inhale. And is this ethical? Through studies of Frontline and other sources, we see the relationships between those who hold the key, and the lock in which it is placed. Pushing the boundaries of truth and reality are issues continually faced in the world of journalism, with society's continuous entrapment in beliefs of "truth" taking first preference because it's "in the media". The ownership of truth by those who have considerable power cannot be underestimated as a convenient key into pastiche of truths, rather than the absolute. Often the higher informed societal figures are the least conscious of morale, social, and ethical issues. In the Frontline episode 'Add Sex and Stir', truth is manipulated for ratings and controversy, with absolute truth/journalistic ethics taking the backseat as "a leso story" is launched by Brooke that could potentially ruin the reputations of an entire netball team. Sexism prevails as journalists and media professionals sacrifice truth by "Reporting half the story and beating up the rest". As seen through Brooke's manipulation of fact through pastiche and editing, demonstrations of the classic "Take any story, add sex, and stir" were exemplified. Trying to own the truth? 'Frontline's' distortion through the use of montage only clarifies preconceived notions. Through Brian's quote about a gay cricketer's homosexuality ("This guy's a test cricketer… we could ruin his career") we see sexism and bias take the lead. "This isn't a story about lesbians, it's about unfair dismissals". Absolute truth? I think not. Believeing everything we read, see, or hear can sometimes be a mistake better forgotten as organisations paid for telling the truth instead offer it as a subjective commodity. 'Nothing to Report', a poem by May Herschel Clarke and written in the 1940's during the war period, relates to 'Add Sex and Stir' in

Swing Kids

2001-10-04T14:00:00-04:00

Swing Kids was a disturbing film exposing the techniques of the nazi dictatorship in Germany during the early 1900’s. Peter, the main character is a student arrested for a petty theft. he was forced to join the Hitler Jugen (Nazi youth group) in order to avoid casting suspicion on his family. Although Peter appears to be an impressionable and faithful H.J., his heart is free of Nazi beliefs. “Hitler Jugen by day, Swing kid by night” Is how Peter describes his disguise form the government. He is not organizing dissent

The Matrix - Simulacra and Dystopia

2001-09-14T14:00:00-04:00

© 2001 by Daniel du Prie Ours is a world that is both everywhere and nowhere, but it is not where our bodies live. (Barlow, 1996) You’ve been living in a dream world Neo. This, is the world, as it exists today: Welcome to the desert – of the real. (Morpheus to Neo in The Matrix) From Plato’s "Charmides" to the Wachowski brothers’ "The Matrix" (1999), there is a tradition of writing in Western literature, which thinks about and imagines the city as either a utopia or a dystopia, or both. I believe that what such imagining allows us is to do is locate ourselves within a type of dialectic of the best possible or worst possible outcomes that our own historical conditions may lead us to. By imagining utopian and dystopic cities we are alerted to the ethical and moral implications that constantly changing social structures, always under continual sway by developments in technology, hold for communities in cities. Visions of dystopia and utopia function as allegories of contemporary society – of the particular historical moment of society in which a particular utopian or dystopic vision is produced. They historicise given moments by alerting us to and imagining the possible implications caused by technological change. Most of all, they historicise by reminding us of the fact that ours is just a given moment – things do not stay the same. Jameson (1992: 11) notes that, “If everything means something else, then so does technology.” Particularly in an era where technological change is so very rapid, and where traditionally accepted notions about the position and function of the subject in a community or society have come under sustained attack, visions of dystopia and utopia ask just what technology might come to mean for us, in an age where living in diverse city communities challenges the dominance of any single meaning. "The Matrix", like a number of contemporary science-fiction films (eg "Bladerunner", "The Terminator") deals with themes of conspiracy, paranoia, the loss of privacy and the dissolution of human society in favour of a technology that has become supreme in its own right. Their space of action is within the city. In both "The Terminator" and "The Matrix" humans have lost out to artificial intelligence, which, soon after having been invented, quickly becomes malevolent and takes control of itself at the expense of human society. The implication seems to be that two different sentient, intelligent

Film Report - A Time to Kill, Sleepers, An Eye for an Eye

2001-09-09T14:00:00-04:00

THEME: Vigilante Justice 1.0 HYPOTHESIS Movies involving violent crime often position the viewer to sympathise with the victim who enacts the revenge by killing, thus establishing the premise that revenge killing is justified. 2.0 SYNOPSIS 2.1 The way society views vigilante justice and the ideology that it is acceptable are the primary issues in three of the following American films, A Time To Kill, Sleepers and Eye For An Eye. These three films were tested in comparison with the hypothesis that states that the viewer is positioned to accept the revenge killing, thus establishing a premise that vigilante activity is justified. In A Time To Kill, a black father Carl Lee Hailey, is put on trial after murdering the two white men who brutally attacked and raped his daughter. Hailey's lawyer, Jake Brigance, through his incredible "story telling" ability, is able to convince the jury to reach a "not guilty" verdict. This outcome seems to support the idea that the murders are acceptable, therefore insinuating a sense of justice, when in reality yet another injustice has occurred. 2.2 The killing of Sean Nokes in Sleepers is a perfect example of revenge being carried out in cold-blooded murder. The movie unfolds the dreadful story of four boys' lives and the abuse they incurred at the Wilkinson Home for boys under Sean Nokes command. Now men, and at the crossroads of life, two of them murder the guard in a bar, promoting the act of revenge killing as being equitable. 2.3 Eye For An Eye is a film that establishes the premise that the legal system often fails, which consequently creates a situation that implores justice to be served in an illegal manner. Perhaps, it could be considered the most disturbing example of vigilante justice as both the sociopathic killer and victim's vengeful mum are engaged in a dangerous game of provocation, intimidation and retaliation. 2.4 The issue of vigilantism in each of the three movies has proven the hypothesis to be true, with each of the films positioning the viewer to accept the killing and to sympathise with the victim as if they are the only wronged party. The philosophy that says revenge killing is a form of justice is constantly depicted to society through films such as the above. However, in essence the film makers carry an unseen responsibility to the viewer to unveil the moral issues that arise in modern films. A greater

Cabaret

2001-09-07T14:00:00-04:00

'Life is a cabaret...' Do the events of the film support this view of Sally? Sally's powerful closing song, in which she asserts that 'life is a cabaret', indicates her decision to turn away from reality. She chooses the world of the cabaret as a way forward in life over her real relationships with Brian or her father. The song's call to a frivolous life stands in stark contrast to the events portrayed in the film. Sally is characteristically ignorant of the fact that Berlin may be in any kind of serious trouble. She offers us a fantasy, for we can see that outside of the Kit Kat Club, life is anything but a cabaret. Bob Fosse depicts a politically unstable and economically depressed society on the verge of moral breakdown. Throughout the film, the audience comes to understand that the cabaret provides an escape from the burden of society's troubles. Fritz Wendel voices Berlin's exhausted attitude towards the devastating effects of inflation upon meeting Brian in the Kit Kat Club. The people's desperate need for change is also evident in the gradual acceptance of the Nazis, who offer stability, wealth, and a return to glory for a crumbling nation. Sally, however, revels in the 'divine decadence' of 1931 Berlin. Sally's defiant song challenges society's expectations of people. Her attitude towards all external problems throughout the film is to forge ahead in a reckless, hedonistic and often inconsiderate manner, regardless of whether this entails ignorance of significant events (eg. dead Jew in the street). The song contains a somewhat amoral message, encouraging the audience to have a good time, in spite of what it may take to do so. It urges listeners not to conform to society or to worry about other people's opinions. Like Sally, the song alluringly promotes a hedonistic lifestyle, to 'put down' your boring lives and 'come hear the music play'. Sally stand centre stage in the spotlight, shot long in the colour of feminism, selling the image of this self-indulgent world with energetic vivacity. She tells us of Elsie, who died of 'too much pills and liquor', and asserts that 'when [she ] goes, [she's] goin' like Elsie'. Such free spirited sentiments of the song contrast with a society under great pressure. This song, though it offers an affirmation of Sally's chice, is obviously contradictory to the events portrayed outside of the illusory cabaret world. The ideas raised

Cabaret

2001-09-07T14:00:00-04:00

Brian says 'you're about as fatale as an after dinner mint!' Is Sally really harmless? Brian's exasperated accusation that Sally is 'as fatale as an after dinner mint' is expressed at the end of a weekend away with Max. The outburst reveals Brian's opinion that Sally is not the seductress she fancies herself to be, but is simply 'deluding' herself. However, one must stop to consider the meaning of harmless when applied to Sally Bowles. She is essentially self-absorbed and theatrical, a confused and childlike character, used in the film to demonstrate to the viewer the dangers of complacency and self-indulgence in a dangerous political environment. Sally is, in fact, unintentionally harmful, for her actions can corrupt and she is politically ignorant. Throughout the film Sally boasts her personal corruption, and perpetuates an acceptance that 'divine decadence' and debauchery are desirable lifestyles. A representative of the seedy and superficial cabaret world, Sally flaunts her promiscuity and chooses to live a life where external problems do not undermine her opinion that 'life is a cabaret'. Her world is an illusion; nothing will obstruct her view that Berlin's decadent society is a wonderfully exciting setting for her rise to stardom. Her self-absorption is obvious when she tells Brian she wants to know 'absolutely everything' about him, and then proceeds to talk over him. Similarly, her inability to assist Natalia in her romantic dilemma with Fritz suggests that she has immersed herself so completely in the amorality of the cabaret world that she cannot comprehend Natalia's emotions, or even face reality enough to contextualise her problem. This lack of empathy for those in tune with the real world rather than Sally's constructed fantasy has the potential to damage her relationships. Sally is ardently ambitious, and her shameless espousal of hedonism is exemplary of her preparedness to do corrupt things to achieve her dreams. Sally is highly atuned to the potential of power and money to advance her career. To attain these things, she uses her sexuality as a commodity, simply another means for the advancement of her aspirations. Her liberal sexuality may ultimately harm both herself and Brian, as it makes him feel used, and her potential for any kind of real relationship is continuously pushed into the background until it becomes almost an impossibility. Sally's initial approach to all strangers is to attempt to seduce them, as seen with both Brian and Max. In fact,

Citizen Kane - textual analysis of the 'picnic scene'

2001-08-29T14:00:00-04:00

E-mail me if you would like me to do your essays!!!! Directed, produced and starring Orson Welles, Citizen Kane (Welles, 1941), is famous for it’s many ‘remarkable scenes, cinematic and narrative technique and experimental innovations’ (Dirks, 1996). Written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz and filmed by Gregg Toland Kane is ‘classed as a fresh and classic masterpiece’ (Dirks, 1996). Kane is a brilliantly crafted series of flash backs and remembrances centering around the investigations of a ‘dynamic man in a dynamic world’ (Quicksilver, 2001). Kane draws much of its power from its violation of classic codes and conventions. In his debut masterpiece, Welles uses film as an art form to energetically communicate and display this narrative through imaginative and powerful cinematography, setting, sound, lighting, editing, music and performance. The focus of this essay is the picnic sequence that appears late in Susan Alexander’s recount to Thompson. Consisting of 23 shots and lasting for 2 minutes and 10 seconds, this scene signposts the end of the relationship between Susan and Kane. In the previous scene, beside the enormous Xanadu fireplace, Susan is reduced to completing scores of jigsaw puzzles, depicting various outdoor scenes, as an escape from the cold and sterile situation that has estranged husband and wife. However, the couple are denied even the spontaneity and ease of the outdoors after Kane’s decision on a picnic (Jaffe, 1979, p. 353). The sequence begins with a medium shot of a joyless and casually dressed Susan and Kane side by side in the rear seat of a Dusenberg. Kane wears a hat and sunglasses representing the day that is visible through the rear window alongside another vehicle. The 15-second blues-style musical cue begins during the fade from Kane at Xanadu to the first shot of this scene with muted trumpets playing in a dark and foreboding manner. This musical motif illustrates Susan’s feelings and the frigid distance between herself and Kane. Whilst travelling to the picnic the distant couple continue to argue and, as punctuation on Susan’s line “You never give me anything I really care about”, trombones join the trumpets and distort the motif, ‘highlighting Kane’s irrevocable authoritarianism and the uselessness of Susan’s efforts’ (Thomas, 1992, p. 189). Susan’s monotone delivery and the sideways glance that she receives from Kane (through tinted glasses) also demonstrate this. Linked by a dissolve, the following frame is a linear shot in deep focus with the

Bladerunner - Humanity and Nature

2001-08-17T14:00:00-04:00

The central theme of Bladerunner is the relationship between humanity and nature. More specifically it has a purpose in showing how science can negatively influence this fragile relationship. Set in Los Angeles of 2019 we see the decadence of western society into an inhumane harsh impersonal, technology-dominated realm. The inhabitants who fight for their daily survival are in desperate want for nature, contact with which is denied to them by the unrestricted scientific progress and the consequent exploitation of the natural world conducted for the sole purpose of profit. Humanity is also losing touch with it’s own nature. The compassion, the empathy, the love and the emotion are all rare or absent. This ailing relationship between humanity and nature is conveyed through the means of scene setting, dialogue, plot, camera techniques and other film features. All these elements of cinematography synthesise to create an effective portrayal of the unifying theme. In Bladerunner the most prominent element of cinematography is mise en scéne. It generates a context for the film and therefore makes the plot and themes acceptable. To set an appropriate scene different variables need to be controlled. These variables include location, props, lighting and colour. In general the location of the plot is in the vast urban canyons of 2019 LA. The imposing dark buildings, the dirty fog, perpetual rain and the crowded dark streets devoid of vegetation make up the backdrop of most scenes. All this is filmed in dark lighting, which complements the effect produced by the fog in obscuring the living details. From this the responder acknowledges the deterioration of society, the harsh conditions that the humans are subjected to and the way the human spirit itself is progressively destroyed under such conditions. Filming such a location at night provides the director with the opportunity to use chiaroscuro (a technique of strong contrast) to further convey the dominance of technology over humanity. For example in outdoor scenes the garish flickering neons are obtrusively visible but they fail to illuminate the obscure, dark, fogged surroundings, including the multitudes of faceless people. The prominent visibility of artificial things over human presence together with the qualities of the location indicates the degradation of human life under the rule of science. The clothing worn by characters is an important choice made as part of setting the scene. Most of the street people wear hooded dark clothing covering their whole body. This is possibly

Romeo and Juliet, An Affair to Remember and Moulin Rouge

2001-07-29T14:00:00-04:00

The path of true love never did run smooth. Three such love stories from our time are ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘An Affair to Remember’ and the recent movie ‘Moulin Rouge’. These great well-known stories depict the path of true love littered with tragedy, other people trying to sabotage love and other disasters befalling the star-struck lovers. Nothing in love goes smoothly all the time, there are always hiccups along the way. This is the key factor that makes these stories and other great love stories, so popular and unforgettable. A story about true love is never complete without tragedy and troubles dogging the lovers’ every step. In the story ‘Romeo and Juliet’, two powerful families have feuded for generations. Romeo from one family falls in love with Juliet from the opposing family. Romeo and Juliet arrange secret meetings and then decide to get married. Wrongful accusations, misunderstandings and plots going awry plague the pair. The story ends with the very last misunderstanding where Romeo, believing Juliet to be dead when really sleeping, kills himself. Juliet wakens and seeing her lover dead, takes her own life. This story is one of the greatest love stories of all time. There would not be too many people who have not heard of it. The story would not be as popular if Romeo and Juliet met, their families made up, they married and lived happily ever after. We love the tragic element of this story. It makes us cry, it makes us feel deep emotions, it stirs up feelings like no other love story. The path of this true love is not smooth, but the path with its roughness and obstacles, seems to be the best way of showing the nobility and strength of true love. In the story ‘An Affair to Remember’, of the late fifties, two people meet on a cruise and fall in love. They decide to meet at the Empire State building in six months when they will both be free to pursue a life together. On that day the man, Nickie waits atop the Empire State building. Terry, the woman is rushing to get there but in her haste of looking up at the building is tragically run over and becomes a paraplegic. The man thinks that she does not love him so he becomes depressed and starts painting pictures and he paints one of her. She sees this painting and

Cabaret

2001-07-26T14:00:00-04:00

'How do the cabaret songs and routines comment on the social issues which are the background for the story of Cabaret?' Satirical on every level, Bob Fosse's 1972 film Cabaret redefines the previously accepted genre of the musical. Using the songs and routines as cunning tools of social commentary the musical numbers both predict and interpret the world of Berlin in 1931. The opening routine, 'Wilkommen', is a powerful introduction to the opposing worlds of the protagonists Brian and Sally and also indicates the significance all songs in the Cabaret will be instilled with. As the camera moves from the distorted mirror to the grotesquely masked face of the Master of Ceremonies (Joel Grey) who claims, 'I am your host, wilkommen', the need to look below the 'beautiful' surface of both the cabaret and Berlin is established. As the opening progresses the MC welcomes in three languages, English, French and German, communicating from the outset that the satirical and political messages of the film are universal, but often in need of personal interpretation. It is obvious the the MC as a good host will meet all our needs and it is vital to note that it is with him that we establish our initial identification; the relationship with Brian (Michael York) is secondary even though he is the protagonist. Like the audience, the MC is an observer who seeks to critique the world of Berlin. The initial establishment of the female protagonist, Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli), is also undertaken in the opening routine and the character is far from distinctive as she stands on the stage with 'the cabaret girls'. Indeed, from the beginning Sally is a metaphor for the indistinctive, hedonistic masses of people who long for the glory they observe in others and claim should be theirs at any cost. Despite her claims that she is driven by 'divine decadence', Sally uses her costumes and make-up to obscure her inner desires. When she goes to meet her father she has 'a nun's hands' and it is as this unmasked and vulnerable woman that she and Brian become lovers. In the song 'Maybe this time', which is intercut with footage of Brian and Sally's relationship, the lyrics and cinematic structure are used to negatively answer the hopeful plea 'Maybe this time I'll win'. As Sally stands on the stage of a near deserted Kit Kat Klub she sings passionately, fully clothed and for

Richard III: How are McKellen's aims achieved?

2001-07-15T14:00:00-04:00

"To make Shakespeare accessible". Ian McKellen aimed for this when making the film Richard III and to many degrees, the aim was achieved. Shakespeare at the time and even now still seems like a foreign language to many minds. From its deep and complicated plot development, and the archaic English that was its makeup, to the strange and old-fashioned medieval settings and costumes, a Shakespeare film of that time was not something very appealing to the public. McKellen’s approach to making the film Richard III eliminated many of these prejudices people had of Shakespeare movies. The historical “authenticity” of costume and setting was something that was removed from McKellen’s Richard III. To many, the authenticity of costume and setting made it confusing, old fashioned, and distant. It made the story seem like a history lesson, rather than the drama Shakespeare intended. By placing the story of Richard III in a modern setting of the 1930s, it eliminates many of these problems and allows the public to relate the film to their era. (i.e. Hitler, Hussein) It also made the story much more clear as you could recognize who was royalty, aristocrat, etc. The choice of the 1930s setting helped set up the background information needed to understand the political turmoil. The general populace would not have much knowledge of the period preceding the play, which is vital to understand the actions and decisions of various characters. McKellen used the period preceding WWII where a tyrant like Richard III could have overtaken Britain and gave Richard parallel motives to Hitler, Mussolini, etc. Another problem McKellen had to fix was the length of the actual script and the number of characters. To make it appeal to the public, you couldn’t make the film the several hours that was needed to perform the whole script. The fast paced life of today doesn’t allow enough time for that Besides this problem, the original script of Richard III is very slow moving and not very action packed, which is one of the reasons why so many complain that Shakespeare is “boring.” . McKellen therefore cut irrelevant scenes out, cut out many pages of speeches and was left with an accelerated, quality, and much more compacted Richard III. To make the film simpler and to allow for more attention on the main characters, McKellen cut out many of the characters (Clarence’s family, Queen Elizabeth’s children from first marriage,

Apocalypse Now Review

2001-06-11T14:00:00-04:00

Vietnam was a war fought by the unwillingly, for the ungrateful, led by the unqualified. Apocalypse Now is Coppola’s film based on Heart of Darkness, but set in the Vietnam jungle. The major theme in the novel is the examination of America’s involvement, militarily, in Vietnam. However, like Conrad’s novel, it also shows the potential inherent darkness in all human hearts. Coppola retains the basic structure of Conrad’s novel for his film. As Marlow, in Heart of Darkness, travels up the Congo eventually to find Kurtz, similarly, Captain Willard the protagonist in Coppola’s film travels up the Nung River to meet his Kurtz. Both the Company and the Army want their Kurtzes dead. Kurtz exposes his superior’s real motives and methods and the Army does not want the truth to be known. Willard becomes more perceptive to the moral darkness around him: this causes him to question his real purpose, or goal in what he is doing. Eventually, after killing Kurtz, Willard realizes the Darkness that can be brought out in any man, examined through Kurtz, if society allows amoral values to thrive. The message in Apocalypse Now is the same message in Heart of Darkness, which is that any man can succumb to his savage desires, he just needs the right environment to allow his temptations to be nurtured and bloom. Apocalypse Now was based on events that had deep meaning and significance for its director. Coppola had just witnessed his generation and the still younger generation fight this bloody conflict nobody wanted to be apart of. He must have seen the wounded and maimed war vets their physical scars obvious, who came to represent the lost generation. Politics at the time forced the Vietnam War upon the American people: men like Kennedy, LBJ, and Nixon were all guilty of this unimaginable crime. The Cold War was in full force and the American government felt it needed to stem the tide of spreading Communism in South East Asia. So, troops were sent to the Democratic Republic of South Vietnam to fight off their northern, Communist enemy. The war was lost before it even started. American politicians were concerned with body counts, kill ratios, and land occupation. Vietnam was about none of these aspects. The Americans dropped napalm, and Agent Orange, they sent B-52 bombers with ten thousand-pound bombs and dropped these on the dense jungles. They deforested entire regions of

Wilfred Owens Poetry vs Platoon

2001-05-28T14:00:00-04:00

1. Within each text the setting plays an important part. How do both Stone and Owen convey the setting and the conditions the men faced? (Don’t forget you must refer to specific lines and poetic/film, techniques) Naturally it is a lot easier to convey the desired setting of a scene if the medium used involved visual concepts. However, Wilfred Owens poetry manages to give the reader an extremely vivid idea of what the conditions were like for the people whom he describes. Like Oliver Stone, in his movie Platoon, Owen uses some very simple concepts to set the scene in his writing, such as mud, or loud noises, which convey not only the setting, but also the mood that goes with it. For example, in the poem Duce et Decorum Est, in the lines “Gas! Gas! Quick. Boys! –An ecstasy of fumbling, Fitting the clumsy helmets on just in time” This excerpt not only give the reader a clear idea of what is physically happening in the trenches, but the language used and in particular, the incoherent shouting in the first line also implies the confusion of the situation, as if the author can recall no more than a blur of it. Oliver Stone also uses techniques to imply confusion, such as when the platoon are attacked in the jungle scenes; the camera frequently changes perspective (from long-shots to close-ups) as well as focus, and is often jolting suddenly as if it is from the perspective of one of the soldiers running. The movie Platoon also uses light against darkness to represent good and evil, or even at time to imply the emotion and fear which the characters are feeling. For example, the eerie, blue light, which is noticeable in the jungle scene, gives the scene an air of unfamiliarity, which is also reflected on the emotions of the characters’ faces. Despite these good points, it is clear that Platoon does not have the realistic scenarios that Wilfred Owen brings forth in his poetry. This is probably because Owen’s work was written while he was actually fighting in the First World War, and his poems often seem as if they are recollections of the actual events. Oliver Stone on the other hand has served very little time, if any at all, and the movie is no more than a chimerical expression of his feelings toward the American attitude of the Vietnam War. One parallel between the graphic

Hamlet - Text vs Picture

2001-05-25T14:00:00-04:00

I believe Frances Zefferilli’s version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, made in 1990, is one of the best versions of the play to be put onto screen. The film, starring Mel Gibson as Hamlet, and Glen Close as Queen Gertrude, takes a different look to the play. Zefferilli explores the physiological stability of Hamlet very well, especially in Act 3, Scene 4. The interpretation I got of that scene in the text was different to the one given in the movie. After reading the scene, I got the idea that Hamlet was already quite mixed up - he had just come out of a scene where he could have killed the king, but his blunted purpose gets in the way. The killing of Polonius in the text gave me the idea that Macbeth was anxious to find out who he had killed, “Is it the king?” When he finds out that it was Polonius he doesn’t seem too put off by it. He just continues on. He isn’t put off because he had such high hopes that it would be the king, so instead of being sad about the murder of his trusted councillor, he is merely disappointed that it had to be Polonius calling for help instead of the king. This part of the scene is presented a bit differently in the movie. When Hamlet enters, you can really tell that he has gone mad. He is sad one minute, the next minute he’ll give out an almighty roar. Zefferilli has used the scenes surrounding this one to make it seem important. In some of the versions they didn’t have the near death of Claudious the scene before. I think having this scene beforehand sets you up for Hamlet’s confrontation with his mother. You can really tell that both Hamlet and Gertrude are affected by Hamlet’s insanity. Both of them appear to cry for most of the scene. The whole scene is a sharing of emotions. The kiss is a connection between them both, rather than a lust they both have for any sexual contact. They needed to connect physically in some way, after all they are mother and son. When the ghost of Hamlet’s father enters, Hamlet is eager to find out what he has to say. The ghost suggests that Hamlet talks to his mother but Gertrude still believes that he has lost his sanity, “Alas, how is’t with

Oliver Twist and Sense and Sensability comparison essay

2001-05-16T14:00:00-04:00

Set in the Victorian era, Sense and Sensibility and Oliver Twist, parallel but also contrast in many key elements. In both movies, mannerisms, class distinction, and the child's role in society were reflected by both writers. Through these analysis, I was able to achieve new insight into the conditions of the Victorian era. In Oliver twist, mannerisms were greatly displayed in Oliver as a character. His mannerism best demonstrated how upper-class children were supposed to behave during this era. They were to be 'seen' and not 'heard'. Oliver when spoken to, was extremely polite and respectful (Very odd for how, and where he was raised). Even when living in the streets, after being kicked out of the orphanage, he still kept his high morale standards. Much like children, women were also supposed to be 'seen' and not 'heard'. As well, it was not proper to show emotion, such exuberance or love in any way. Marianne, in Sense and Sensibility, goes against these "rules" of proper etiquette many times, such as when she shouts at John Willoughby at a ball; this drew much scandalous attention to herself. This was very humorous to me, because it was nothing i expected, or thought would happen. The one very positive element I saw in this era, was how the men displayed chivalrous attitudes, such as how they courted women, as well as their words. Unfortunately this was a double standard, since it sometimes had unpleasant results, like being forced into marriage. However, their attitudes and respect of women was extremely valiant and noble to me. One very strong and disturbing trait that was displayed within both movies' societies during this era, was how the poor and wealthy not only viewed each other, but themselves: Worthless; criminal; diseased; and revolting. The poor children in Oliver Twist presented low self-esteem but appreciated what they had. Interestingly, they used the low-class stereotypes as an excuse to reaffirm their position as thieves. The wealthy shunned the poor, and believed themselves to be on a pedestal above them: Nevertheless, the poor were presented as relishing the class distinctions. In Both movies, the wealthy were often despised, not only by the poor, but by other wealthy peers. In Sense and Sensibility it seemed as though the wealthy were in constant competition with each other, and would do anything to get higher in the social cast. This to me, is a disgusting lifestyle; it

The Great Gatsby Movie Review

2001-05-15T14:00:00-04:00

The 1974 adaptation of the critically acclaimed novel the Great Gatsby is directed by Jack Clayton and screenwriten by Francis Ford Coppola, with Robert and Mia Farrow as leads. The two actors give excellent performances, and certainly portray the beautiful people they are made out to be in the book. One scene in particular that reflected that Redford was was chosen for this part was when the Nick and Gatsby are in suits and Nick is perspiring in is utterly unsuitable manner of dress for the weather, while Gatsby remains cool as usual, not shedding a drop of sweat. In addition Mia Farrow develops Daisy's flighty character nicely, and she makes you love her but hate her at the same time very well. Another aspect of the film I found impeccable was the scenery, which centres on the lives of America’s decadent and spoiled. The scenery presents the idea that they have money than they need and they can do whatever they want whenever they want. Their scenery is a recreation of European historical grandeur, a fact that the film is keen to demonstrate. Symbolism in the movie was also awesome, I really appreciated how the director added a few twists of his own which I will come to shortly. Particularly memorable is the scene where Daisy weeps over Gatsby's shirts. Is she really weeping for their beauty ? This was really well done and hampered enough to make the viewers believe that someone could actually be so superficial. Also kudos to the director on the scene when the film visits the miserable gas-station home of Tom Buchanan's lover, Myrtle. Here the colour drains from the film, serving as a sharp contrast to the rainbow spectrum of the rich’s world, where money reflects carelessness and happiness. Also recall that owning a dog seems to be the ultimate fashion accessory of the time. The film has dogs running everywhere, a reflection I'm sure on their owners. But see if you can glimpse the scruffy mongrel that steals food from a table at one of Gatsby's parties. Is this a reflection of how Gatsby got his fortune as suggested that he came upon it just like how the dog came across the food on the table. This was one metaphor I didn’t catch in the book and I credit to Francis Ford Coppola the screenwriter. Also the Clayton/ Coppola team portray the spectacles

Fight Club - When does life have no purpose?

2001-05-13T14:00:00-04:00

David Fincher’s Fight Club is a narrated movie that explains the journey of the narrator’s mid-life crisis; the movie begins with the ending scene, a microscopic view of a gun inside of the narrator’s mouth. All of the particles and germs are very visible to give the viewer an idea of what to expect. This scene suggests a dirty, winding, and emotional journey that the narrator will take. The narrator at first finds himself with insomnia. At the same time he is obsessed with consumer goods–he buys complete sets of everything. He works for a major automobile company as an agent who decides whether the cost of a recall is cheap enough to make profit. His job significantly sets up his depressed life. Day after day he travels to examine cars in accidents with remains of human dead burned to the seats. It is his job by which he feels so burdened, and he seems to try to get away from it by buying furniture. The story revolves around these three examples. The gun is full of bacteria; furniture is bought by money, a dirty obsession, and his job deals with car accidents. The Narrator has surrounded himself with consumer goods to occupy and satisfy himself, but when they can no longer satisfy him he breaks down emotionally. Although David Fincher put significance on soap as being a major part of the movie, it doesn’t relate to every instance that it should. In this movie, soap is used to cleanse the body of luxury goods. Fight Club is all about eliminating things that aren’t necessary. Soap cleanses, and several times soap is not used. When they are fighting in the fight club, blood is a dominant image. It is a sign of being able to let go of all your material goods, if you can let go of your physical health. Here soap has no significance; The Narrator, however, uses soap in what could be his possible financial future. By selling this highly profitable soap he can make an easy living, but it would change nothing in his life. The significance of soap with fighting, therefore, is not easily visible. This is what makes visible the fact that fighting releases anger. If blood is noteworthy and is not to be cleaned off, then it is accepted. The narrator soon finds himself with a severe case of insomnia. He describes it: “with insomnia,

Music in the Movies: experiencing something new

2001-04-30T14:00:00-04:00

Question: “For the elements of music are not tones of such and such a pitch, duration and loudness, nor chords and measured beats; they are like all artistic elements, something virtual, created for perception . . .sounding forms in motion.” [Suzanne Langer, Feeling and Form (1952), p.107]. The success of music in film relies on the perceptions and interpretations of audiences based on their social experiences. Discuss. Response to Question: The function of film music is not easily defined. Film music is often associated with realizing the social experiences of the audience, such associations then leading into psychological and aesthetical discussion. Whether or not film music is examined as an analyzable art form, it is part of an audiovisual system that allows spectators to escape. If this is so, music is subliminal in the sense that it unconsciously prepares the spectator for the means by which to do so. Cinema events can allow audiences to perceive reality in a passive framework and therefore, the success of film music does not heavily rely upon interpretations of viewers’ social experiences. More to the point is the fact that film music allows a virtual reconstruction of ‘experience’ along with the proposal of new ones. If cinema accommodates the invention of virtual social experiences, then by what means does the music contribute to this? An understanding of the relationship between music and the cinematic world of the ‘make believe’ will help to answer this question. Film music can allow far-fetched ideas to become plausible. Alien attacks, shootings, murders and court room hearings are not usually associated with the vocabularies of our everyday social experiences, so how can cinema extrapolate such experiences so realistically? Music certainly has an important role. Suzanne Langer discusses in depth the associations between music and time. She suggests that: Music creates and image of time measure by the motion of forms that seem to give it substance, yet a substance that consists entirely of sound, so it is transitoriness itself. Music makes time audible, and its form and continuity sensible. Jean Mitry has similar ideas: Film needed a king of rhythmic beat to enable the audience to measure internally the psychological time for the drama, relating it to the basic sensation of real time. Consequently, film music can cover up the incoherencies between real time and virtual time. The relative time passed between events on screen can be expressed through the music. How else can a narrative spanning

Gandhi Movie Summary

2001-04-30T14:00:00-04:00

The movie Gandhi starts off with the assassination of Gandhi on January 30, 1948. He was killed because of the split of Hindus and Muslims into Pakistan and India, instead of trying to keep the country united (which was impossible at the time). The story then jumps back to Gandhi early in his life, when he is a practicing attorney. He is traveling in South Africa on a train and is thrown off because he refuses to give up his first class seat. The conductor wants him to move because he is Indian. This upsets him and he organizes a burning of the discriminatory codes. The protestors are arrested and released. Gandhi is motivated by religious means; he believes that everyone is equal in God’s eyes. He gets involved in several movements for equality, and he stresses non-violence very strongly. The Indians are very mad because British rule continues to limit their rights. They are supposed to all get fingerprinted, and their marriage laws are invalid. Gandhi’s followers vow to fight their oppressors to the death, but he discourages them from violence. He and his wife form a sort of commune of purity. They live off of the land entirely. During one scene, they ask all of Gandhi’s followers to burn all of their clothes that were made in Britain and wear only what they can make themselves. Gandhi practices this for the rest of his life, usually wearing just a loincloth. In another scene, Gandhi is in jail, and some of his followers are peacefully gathered in a square. The police lock up the square and kill almost everyone, over 1,500 people. Gandhi is disgusted and discouraged. He continues to preach non-violence, but the Indians do have occasional conflict with the police. Gandhi’s counter to the popular phrase “an eye for an eye” says that after that, “everyone will be blind.” Gandhi leads several organized protests against British rule. In one, all Indians stopped doing their work, and the major cities in the country were disabled. Another time, he led a 165-mile walk to the sea to protest the British monopoly on salt. The Indians made their own salt out of the sea. A turning point on the Indian fight for independence was the western press. Reporters witnessed a scene in which Indians tried to get into a factory row by row, and were brutally beaten by soldiers, row by row,

Romeo and Juliet - Film and Text Analysis

2001-04-23T14:00:00-04:00

In Romeo and Juliet, love is depicted in several ways. Both Luhrman and Shakespeare represent love in different ways in different contexts to both the Elizabethan era and the contemporary audience. Both the original and later manifestations of the text are valued because they both communicate to the audience on the values of love and society by employing a variety of devices. The central subject dealt within Romeo and Juliet is the subject of love. William Shakespeare and Baz Luhrman thus represent love to their audience beyond the distinct ideas of love as simple sentiments. In the play, there are 2 basic levels – the real world of Verona and the private, intimate sphere of Romeo and Juliet’s love. The fulfillment of Romeo and Juliet’s love in the social life of Verona is hindered by external influences; the most obvious of which is the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues. The “ancient grudge” is one of many conditions and incidents, which together can be, considered an influence counter-acting the relationship between Romeo and Juliet. Despite the obvious obstacles of conflict and hate, the love of Romeo and Juliet is born and subsists. When Romeo meets Juliet for the first time during the Capulets’ feast (I.v), the language and form of the dialogue shared by Romeo and Juliet shows that heir private sphere is totally different from public life. Shakespeare thus presents their fist conversation via a sonnet, a poetic convention very popular in the Elizabethan age. A sonnet’s expression of the lyrical “I” allows Shakespeare to break the limits of dramatic performance and to involve his audience emotionally as if they were recipients to a poem. This therefore means that Shakespeare represents Romeo and Juliet’s love by making the audience of the two different levels – one where all forms of social order break down, and the other, where Romeo and Juliet are the centre of the universe. Luhrman also presents this concept of two opposing levels as a representation of love via the use of cinematic techniques. In the aquarium scene, camera distances vary from medium close-shot to close-up and back again. The idea of social and physical barriers is presented by having the fish tank between the two of them, keeping them apart – thus visualizing to the audience the opposing level of Romeo and Juliet’s love. When the two lovers kiss, the cameras encircle them, thus suggesting

My Left Foot: The Strength of a Mother

2001-04-07T14:00:00-04:00

"You have broken me heart Christy Browne. Sometimes I think you are me heart. Look, if I could give you my legs, I would gladly take yours." -Mother Brown The love between a mother and her child is a relationship that is so special that it cannot be substituted. Her love is untainted, and she holds her child and their accomplishments in the highest regard. The first time her child says their first word, or walks for the first time is as good as gold; the 1989

Raise the Red Lantern

2001-03-14T13:00:00-04:00

In "Raise the Red Lantern", the symbolic implications of the ancestral altar

Richard III's presence in Black Adder; The Foretelling

2001-03-06T13:00:00-05:00

The good guys always win. We know this because Hollywood has taught us that. We also know this because history has taught us this. But when people take into account and acknowledge history’s teachings, most fail to also consider history’s hypocrisy. Every day, all through our lives we become softened and comforted with drugs, fed gradually and continuously by our trusted media. We are overwhelmed by the goodness of our rulers. Wherever there is evil, it is always won over by the forces of good. America – saviour of democracy, has defeated the evil communist empires. Australia is a more civilised and developed country now that it is in the capable hands of the Europeans. Israel with the help of America (our favourite knight in shining armour) is winning the battle against Islamic terrorists so that they can secure their “democratic interests”. Again and again we are reminded that history, after all, is written by the winners. The Black Adder episode; The Foretelling, attempts to remind us of history’s hypocrisy by studying the events of the War of the Roses an texts from literature depicting this, and illuminating them in humorous light. Special treatment is given to Shakespearian accounts of the war. It provides a ridiculously different version of event, mocking us for respecting Shakespeare as a historian. The writer does this by making continuous appropriations to Richard III through similar but humorously modified phrases, the inconsistent use of Elizabethan language, familiar names but with different characters and by depicting similar events. The story starts off with good king Richard III addressing his group of merry men by saying, “Now is the summer of our sweet content made overcast winter by these Tudor clouds.” Words from that famous opening soliloquy, recited by theatre’s most well known Machiavellian villain, modified to have a ridiculously contrary meaning that we find humorous. Hah, we say in disbelief, Richard a nice guy? We find that hard to take in because we listen and accept what Shakespeare tells us. The essence of The Foretelling’s humour is derived from many such allusions to Richard-III. Richard is not the only victim of such characterisations. Innocent sweet little Edmund is potrayed as the evil traitor; the Black Adder ad is given a particularly daft hairstyle! The knight Richmond – champion of goodness, servant of god – is now the vile enemy, accused of rewriting history for his own sake. It is not

The Decade of Realizations: American youth during the 80s

2001-02-25T13:00:00-05:00

Of all the 1980’s films, that can be described as “Eighties Teen Movies” (Thorburn, 1998) or “High School Movies” (Messner, 1998), those written and (with the exception of “Pretty In Pink” (1986) and “Some Kind of Wonderful”(1987)) directed by John Hughes were often seen to define the genre, even leading to the tag “John Hughes rites de passage movies” as a genre definition used in 1990s popular culture (such as in “Wayne’s World 2” (1994 dir. Stephen Surjik)). This term refers to the half dozen films made between 1984 and 1987; chronologically, “Sixteen Candles” (1984), “The Breakfast Club” (1985), “Weird Science” (1985), “Ferris Bueller's Day Off” (1986), “Pretty In Pink” (1986) and “Some Kind Of Wonderful” (1987) (the latter two being directed by Howard Deutch). For the purpose of this study, “Weird Science” and “Some Kind of Wonderful” shall be excluded; “Weird Science” since, unlike the other films, it is grounded in science fiction rather than reality and “Some Kind of Wonderful” as its characters are fractionally older and have lost the “innocence” key to the previous movies: as Bernstein states “the youthful naivete was missing and the diamond earring motif [a significant gift within the film] was no substitute” (Bernstein, 1997, p.89). Bernstein suggests that the decadent 1980s were like the 1950s, “an AIDS-free adventure playground with the promise of prosperity around every corner … our last age of innocence” (Bernstein, 1997, p.1). The films were very much a product of the time in terms of their production (“suddenly adolescent spending power dictated that Hollywood direct all its energies to fleshing out the fantasies of our friend, Mr. Dumb Horny 14 Year Old” Bernstein, 1997, p.4), their repetition (with the growth of video cassette recorders, cable and satellite with time to fill, and also the likes of MTV promoting the film’s soundtracks) and their ideologies. The capitalist ideas so prominent in the Reagan / Thatcher era are as clearly instilled in the youth of the 1980s films as their, usually middle class, screen parents. Only “Pretty In Pink” (and indirectly, “The Breakfast Club”) actually confronts class differences; in the other films, the middle class way of life is accepted as default. Almost every John Hughes film is set in affluent suburbia with the repetition of certain imagery (the big house, gardens and tree-lined quiet streets, and often a wood-paneled station wagon) with a certain population (rich, white families), which is

The Matrix - Finding Reality in The Matrix

2001-02-24T13:00:00-05:00

Movies are wonderful things; they can inspire, spark debate, and even make you believe in what you are seeing. Virtual Reality is a creation of a highly interactive computer-based multimedia environment in which the user becomes a participant with the computer in a "virtually real" world. Movies and virtual reality can do the same thing: make you believe what is presented to you. Although there are several movies which use virtual reality in the plot, such as The Lawnmower Man, and Hackers, the one most prevalent to me is The Matrix. Although this movie contains many aspects of virtual reality, it stands out in my mind so much because it suggests that the world in which we live, is a virtual one. The Matrix has many different aspects of virtual reality and they are incorporated throughout the movie. Virtual reality is involved in this movie in one major way: it suggests that our world is merely a virtual reality program that was created in order to “control” humans and keep them from the “real world,” which has been taken over by artificial intelligence who harvest humans for power. The main character in the movie is Gary Anderson, affectionately known to the hacker-world as Neo. He is contacted by people who have escaped the Matrix, and through a series of adventures, joins them. At one point in the movie, Neo goes to a psychic to find out if he is the one person who can save the rest of us from the Matrix. While waiting to see the psychic, Neo encounters a boy, there for the same reason, bending spoons without touching them. He watches and asks how he does it. The boy responds in a typical virtual reality response, “concentrate not on the spoon itself, but that there is no spoon.” That is how virtual reality works: you can interact with everything in the virtual world, but it’s not really there. Everytime Neo enters the Matrix, a plug is inserted into the back of his head and he is hooked up to machines. Virtual Reality also uses such equipment. Granted, it is not as drastic as having a probe thrust into the back of your head, but there is special equipment needed such as helmets, gloves, and eyephones. The glove is made of thin Lycra and is fitted with sensors that monitor finger flexion, extension, hand position and orientation. It is

Fight Club

2001-02-10T13:00:00-05:00

The movie, Fight Club, has many themes dealing with some of the class-discussed vocabulary. Through a scene by scene, and dialogue-based analysis of the movie, I have found that these themes are emphasized through discussions, interactions, and non-dialogue scenes between the main character, his imaginary sidekick and the society that has had such effect on the main character. Some of these themes or topics that are shared by both the movie and the class vocabulary appear randomly, sporadically, and repeatedly throughout the movie. Most of the scenes have mainly to do with the materialism in their society and its limits on the freedom, which the characters are trying to obtain. Others deal with how they, the movie's characters, feel a sense of alienation and this alienation distorts relationships developing due to their self-determination. There is also how family interactions help to shape our development on our vertical and horizontal relationships. Then finally, hedonism and how it affects the way we treat each other and how we interact within society. All the characters in the movie deal with and dissect these themes, in all that they say and how they react to the main characters disillusionment with his life; although the main characters are mostly the ones bringing the themes to the forefront of the movie. This any man, main character dislikes his life, even to the point that he is unable to sleep. He is disillusioned with his life, unhappy and does not understand why. And in order to feel anything he has to make a lot of bad choices to under go a life transformation. This transformation originates through his interactions and dealings with Tyler Durden, his alter ego and his imaginary friend. The main character remains without a name until in the end you, as the movie watcher, are lead to realize that he (the main character) and Tyler are one in the same, almost on the level of the Trinity. However he goes without a real name because he is supposed to represent how he could and is Any Man, anybody, and everybody. But after he, Any Man, has made all these bad choices he has to run around and try to undo all the horror he has wrought. Any Man started Fight Club, which matured into Project Mayhem, which then ultimately resulted in the collapse of the institution of their society. In many ways this movie

Nightmare on Elm Street: Film and Reality

2000-12-16T13:00:00-05:00

“The original A Nightmare on Elm Street was inspired by an extraordinary series of unnoticed stories in the Los Angeles Times. A young immigrant male, early 20’s, usually from Southeast Asia, a son, would have a severe nightmare where he would wake up screaming. The next day, he would tell his family it was the worst nightmare he’d ever had, and he had been terribly shaken by it. The next night when he went to sleep—he died. Six months later I looked in the paper and there was a very similar story. I clipped it out and put it with the other one. Then the third appeared about a year and a half from the first one, this time in Northern California. And the elements were the basis for the film. The rest is horror history.”—Wes Craven, Director of A Nightmare on Elm Street. At a time when the stalker movie had run its course to all ends and the image of mute, staggering, vicious killers had been etched into society’s consciousness to the point of exhaustion, a new kid entered the block. The year was 1984 and it was time for a new villain to enter into the horror genre. It was a villain that was agile, intelligent, almost invincible, yet viscous, and by all means deadly. A Nightmare on Elm Street introduced the distinctive presence of Fred Krueger to the horror industry and to the audience. Freddy Krueger took the center stage and with him a new era of horror films began. This horribly scarred man who wore a ragged slouch hat, dirty red-and-green striped sweater, and a glove outfitted with knives at the fingers reinvented the stalker genre like no other film had. Fred Krueger breathed new life into the dying horror genre of the early 1980’s. This paper will enter the realm of the ideas in the movie, such as the psychological horror it held for the viewer, as well as the use of reality within the film. Not knowing what was real and what was a dream made for A Nightmare on Elm Street to be a successful horror movie. Horror films are designed to frighten the audience and engage them in their worst fears, while captivating and entertaining at the same time. Horror films often center on the darker side of life, on what is forbidden and strange. These films play with society’s fears, its nightmare’s

A Sociological Approach to the Simpsons

2000-12-05T13:00:00-05:00

I’m going to start off by saying that until now I never actually thought there was a difference in the way those cartoon characters (the Simpsons) were approached, depending on their gender (not that I watched them too often or anything). First of all I’ll have to break the characters in two groups, because you cannot compare old people with children. So the first group will be composed of Lisa and Bart (the children) and the second one of Marge and Homer (the parents). Just by taking a glance at the show you see that it portrays the typical image of the “traditional American family” of the last decade: mom stays home to cook, clean and take care of the kids, while the husband provides for the family. The little boy is very violent doing a lot of “cool” things, and of course never studies, while the little girl is very quiet and smart. There are certain traces of stereotypes in almost all the activities in which the characters engage and that seems to be meant in a funny way. For example, in one episode, Lisa and Bart are taken hostages by a prison escapist in a zeppelin. Using a computer inside the zeppelin you could write on an electronic board outside the zeppelin. Lisa discovers that and writes a message to let everybody know that they are in there and in the middle of it she puts these flashing red hearts... I wonder if they would have done that if Bart were the one writing the message! This other time Bart gets himself a fake ID, rents a car and goes away for spring break with some friends (he of course lies to his parents); meanwhile Lisa stays home and has fun by going to work with her dad. What’s the message here? ‘Boys go off and do crazy things, but girls must stay home, close to the family.’ Bart is always the one who has all the adventures and does all the exciting funny things and Lisa is the smart quiet one always getting him out of trouble. She never holds any grudges, while Bart is mean to her most of the times and always gets his revenge; in other words ‘girls, you be silent, boys have the right to do anything.’ But enough of the youngsters, lets talk about the adults too. As I’ve said before, Marge is

The Evolution of the American Television Family

2000-12-02T13:00:00-05:00

Television is not just a form of entertainment, but it is an excellent form of study of society’s view concerning its families. This study focuses on the history of television beginning in the early 1950s and will run through present day. It examines the use of racial, ethnic and sexual stereotypes to characterize the players of these shows. The examples assist in tracing what has happened to the depiction of the American family on prime time television. It reveals the change of the standards employed by network television as disclosed to the American public. Finally, I will propose the question of which is the influential entity, television or the viewing audience. The Goldbergs, which was originally a radio show, became the first popular family series. It became a weekly TV series in 1949, revealing to Americans a working class Jewish family who resided in a small apartment in the Bronx. The show, while warm and humorous, confronted delicate social issues, such as sensitivity due to the Second World War. It is an excellent example of an ethnic family’s status in society. A classic among classics, I Love Lucy appeared on television on October 15, 1951, (http://www.nick-at-nite.com/tvretro/shows/ilovelucy/index.tin). The series’ premise focused on the antics of a nonsensical wife who beguiles her easily angered husband. The series created the men-versus-women standard on television, (such as what we see between Dan and Roseanne on Roseanne today), that still predominates today. One circumstance that led TV executives to seriously challenge the show’s impending success was the use of Lucille Ball’s real-life Cuban husband, Desi Arnaz. The “mixed-marriage” status was a questionable concept that worried the administrators. The situation prevailed; its episodes routinely attracted over two-thirds of the television audience. Leave it to Beaver, the definitive 1950’s household comedy, focused on life through the eyes of an adolescent boy, Beaver. Beaver was a typically disorderly youngster. His brother Wally, just entering his teens, was beginning to discover the opposite sex. The relationship that existed between the boys and their parents, Ward and June, was impeccable. A situation never developed that damaged the kinship beyond restoration. The parents exhibited perfect attributes that no real man and wife could attain. The children bestowed unnatural virtues. The program became popular with Americans but it did not realistically portray America’s family status. In 1974, a series developed by Garry Marshal entitled Happy Days issued popularity to this era. The Cunningham

American Beauty: The American Tragedy?

2000-11-30T13:00:00-05:00

In life, everyone must make choices. Choices give an individual the freedom to decide upon the path to which they will follow. Since it’s beginnings, the film making industry has focused on showing the direct relationship between the choices that people make and the resulting consequences they must face. In the movie American Beauty, the character of Lester Burnham must make many important choices that could either lead to his ultimate happiness, or draw him further into his despair. In the movie American Beauty, it is evident that Lester Burnham is in a state of despair. Lester’s dull and monotonous voice introduces the audience to his daily routine of life. When Lester declares plain and simply, “This is my neighborhood, this is my street, this is my life,” he exposes the lifelessness and unhappiness to which he has become accustomed. The hopeless tone that Lester has set continues when he cynically comments, “jerking off in the shower will be the high point of my day.” He realizes his family life is no better when he becomes aware that both his disdainful wife and his troubled daughter consider him “a gigantic loser.” It is easy to recognize and understand Lester’s disheartenment through analysis and symbolic car scene. In this scene, Lester sits slouched down in the back seat with a look of emptiness while his daughter Jane sits up front, next to his wife Caroline who is driving the car. The symbolism is shown through Carolyn driving the car, as she drives the family (especially Lester). She has evolved into the decision-maker, and leader of the Burnham family. Sitting in the backseat, Lester avoids further conflict with his wife, leading him to become an even unhappier and more desperate person. It is understandable why Lester feels like a sedated visitor in his own life. It is also easy to empathize with Lester when he states that he feels “in many ways already dead.” For Lester, his life at work is nothing better than his life at home. After fourteen years on the job, Lester is asked by an efficiency expert at work to write a memo justifying his position. This requires making the first of several choices, which will ultimately affect his future happiness. Should he justify his job and continue to provide for his family or choose freedom and a new life? To answer this question the audience must examine and

Dead Man Walking: The Death Penalty

2000-11-09T13:00:00-05:00

I believe that the movie Dead Man Walking impacted my life greatly. It was a very emotional and moving movie. This was an excellent movie because it portrayed the feelings of both the families of the victims and the murder himself. It shows how much pain and suffering the families had to go through with all the sadness and hatred against Matthew Poncelant. The movie also showed how that the families' hatred did not go away after Matthew was executed. The greatest emotional part of the movie was when Matthew confessed that he did kill the teenagers and that he was truly sorry. From there, he was able to at least die with dignity and also he asked the parents of the teenagers for their forgiveness for him. This movie also showed how the death penalty is biased on those who are poor. Matthew's partner in the crime received life in prison because he had a better lawyer while Matthew received the death penalty. As stated in appeals session in the movie, Matthew would not have been sitting there if he had the money to buy a better lawyer. Instead he had to have a lawyer given to him by the state who had never preformed a murder trial before. I think that Susan Serandan's character was portrayed as a good Samaritan. I believe this because, like Samaritan's back in the time of Jesus, no-one likes to help a murder. Yet she came to his side and was there for him when he needed her. She carried out all his requests even though the parents of the victims' families castrated her and thought of her as a traitor. I think that she did the right thing since we are all created equal and we should help out someone in need, especially someone who's about to die. We must put aside our hatred and begin to care because two wrongs don't make a right and in the end, they are human just like us. The state murdering people because of their crimes simply does not equate to justice. It is real easy to hear about how the government is doing this wrong or that,but the death penalty is abounded with so many injustices and faults that it's an embarrassment to our entire due process of law. Supporters of capital punishment subscribe to religious and ethical points of view rather than facts, and

Titanic

2000-09-11T14:00:00-04:00

Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites The film "Titanic" is riddled with moral dilemmas. In one of the scenes, the owner of Star Line, the shipping company that owned the now-sinking Unsinkable, joins a lowered life-boat. The tortured expression on his face demonstrates that even he experiences more than unease at his own conduct. Prior to the disaster, he instructs the captain to adopt a policy dangerous to the ship. Indeed, it proves fatal. A complicating factor was the fact that only women and children were allowed by the officers in charge into the lifeboats. Another was the discrimination against Third Class passengers. The boats sufficed only to half the number of those on board and the First Class, High Society passengers were preferred over the Low-Life immigrants under deck. Why do we all feel that the owner should have stayed on and faced his inevitable death? Because we judge him responsible for the demise of the ship. Additionally, his wrong instructions – motivated by greed and the pursuit of celebrity – were a crucial contributing factor. The owner should have been punished (in his future) for things that he has done (in his past). This is intuitively appealing. Would we have rendered the same judgement had the Titanic’s fate been the outcome of accident and accident alone? If the owner of the ship could have had no control over the circumstances of its horrible ending – would we have still condemned him for saving his life? Less severely, perhaps. So, the fact that a moral entity has ACTED (or omitted, or refrained from acting) in its past is essential in dispensing with future rewards or punishments. The "product liability" approach also fits here. The owner (and his "long arms": manufacturer, engineers, builders, etc.) of the Titanic were deemed responsible because they implicitly contracted with their passengers. They made a representation (which was explicit in their case but is implicit in most others): "This ship was constructed with knowledge and forethought. The best design was employed to avoid danger. The best materials to increase pleasure." That the Titanic sank was an irreversible breach of this contract. In a way, it was an act of abrogation of duties and obligations. The owner/manufacturer of a product must compensate the consumers should his product harm them in any manner that they were not explicitly, clearly, visibly and repeatedly warned

The Truman Show

2000-09-11T14:00:00-04:00

Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites “The Truman Show” is a profoundly disturbing movie. On the surface, it deals with the worn out issue of the intermingling of life and the media. Examples for such incestuous relationships abound: Ronald Reagan, the cinematic president was also a presidential movie star. In another movie (“The Philadelphia Experiment”) a defrosted Rip Van Winkle exclaims upon seeing Reagan on television (40 years after his forced hibernation started): “I know this guy, he used to play Cowboys in the movies”. Candid cameras monitor the lives of webmasters (website owners) almost 24 hours a day. The resulting images are continuously posted on the Web and are available to anyone with a computer. The last decade witnessed a spate of films, all concerned with the confusion between life and the imitations of life, the media. The ingenious “Capitan Fracasse”, “Capricorn One”, “Sliver”, “Wag the Dog” and many lesser films have all tried to tackle this (un)fortunate state of things and its moral and practical implications. The blurring line between life and its representation in the arts is arguably the main theme of “The Truman Show”. The hero, Truman, lives in an artificial world, constructed especially for him. He was born and raised there. He knows no other place. The people around him – unbeknownst to him – are all actors. His life is monitored by 5000 cameras and broadcast live to the world, 24 hours a day, every day. He is spontaneous and funny because he is unaware of the monstrosity of which he is the main cogwheel. But Peter Weir, the movie’s director, takes this issue one step further by perpetrating a massive act of immorality on screen. Truman is lied to, cheated, deprived of his ability to make choices, controlled and manipulated by sinister, half-mad Shylocks. As I said, he is unwittingly the only spontaneous, non-scripted, “actor” in the on-going soaper of his own life. All the other figures in his life, including his parents, are actors. Hundreds of millions of viewers and voyeurs plug in to take a peep, to intrude upon what Truman innocently and honestly believes to be his privacy. They are shown responding to various dramatic or anti-climactic events in Truman’s life. That we are the moral equivalent of these viewers-voyeurs, accomplices to the same crimes, comes as a shocking realization to us. We are (live) viewers

The Matrix

2000-09-11T14:00:00-04:00

Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites It is easy to confuse the concepts of "virtual reality" and a "computerized model of reality (simulation)". The former is a self-contained Universe, replete with its "laws of physics" and "logic". It can bear resemblance to the real world or not. It can be consistent or not. It can interact with the real world or not. In short, it is an arbitrary environment. In contrast, a model of reality must have a direct and strong relationship to the world. It must obey the rules of physics and of logic. The absence of such a relationship renders it meaningless. A flight simulator is not much good in a world without aeroplanes or if it ignores the laws of nature. A technical analysis program is useless without a stock exchange or if its mathematically erroneous. Yet, the two concepts are often confused because they are both mediated by and reside on computers. The computer is a self-contained (though not closed) Universe. It incorporates the hardware, the data and the instructions for the manipulation of the data (software). It is, therefore, by definition, a virtual reality. It is versatile and can correlate its reality with the world outside. But it can also refrain from doing so. This is the ominous "what if" in artificial intelligence (AI). What if a computer were to refuse to correlate its internal (virtual) reality with the reality of its makers? What if it were to impose its own reality on us and make it the privileged one? In the visually tantalizing movie, "The Matrix", a breed of AI computers takes over the world. It harvests human embryos in laboratories called "fields". It then feeds them through grim looking tubes and keeps them immersed in gelatinous liquid in cocoons. This new "machine species" derives its energy needs from the electricity produced by the billions of human bodies thus preserved. A sophisticated, all-pervasive, computer program called "The Matrix" generates a "world" inhabited by the consciousness of the unfortunate human batteries. Ensconced in their shells, they see themselves walking, talking, working and making love. This is a tangible and olfactory phantasm masterfully created by the Matrix. Its computing power is mind boggling. It generates the minutest details and reams of data in a spectacularly successful effort to maintain the illusion. A group of human miscreants succeeds to learn the secret of

Bladerunner: Humanity of Deckard & Roy Batty

2000-07-30T14:00:00-04:00

Roy Batty and Deckard are both able to show us what it means to be human. To what extent do you agree? Through Blade Runner, we see an epic quest filled with meaning and symbolism applicable to the human condition. Replicants are basically human beings, except for the fact that they lack a history. As a consequence of this, perhaps, they also lack proper emotional faculties especially empathy. Empathy is the ability to place oneself in the position of another living being and understand that person’s feelings. Blade runner promotes that empathy is the defining characteristics for humanity. The replicants, designed not to show any emotion, develop spiritually and emotionally throughout the film. The characters in the movie, even the ones that were not human, had many humanistic and believable qualities. Many of them were able to feel love as well as hate. Although Deckard is supposedly human he at times shows less emotion than Roy. He seems heartless and uncompassionate making himself look very unhuman. We see that Deckard is possibly not "human" as well, but a replicant. He shows no compassion when he tells Rachel of her being a replicant with implants. In tears, Rachel sneaks out of Deckard’s apartment and into the streets. The only time in which Deckard really shows emotion is accomplished when Roy, forging Deckard through the fires of a harrowing battle, looks terrified knowing that he is going to die. Through this, Roy tries to communicate his life experiences, and the importance of life before his own flame extinguishes explaining of the horrors of their enslavement. Again, all of these human characteristics that the non-human characters showed makes them more believable for the viewers. The whole definition of humanity is changed by its interaction with the Replicants. For the replicant Roy Batty it was obvious that that he felt strong emotions, perhaps even love for his fellow replicants. After Deckard killed Pris, Roy leaned over her and kissed her showing that he had loved her. He also showed these feelings for Pris and Zhora breaking two of Deckard’s fingers, one for Pris and one for Zhora. Although this act seemed quite inhuman, the motivation behind it seemed quite believable. He also demonstrates an inhumane role when he kills Tyrell but Tyrell is inhumane to create intelligent beings with such a limited life span displaying greed and manipulation. Batty also showed many human emotions as he talked of

Snuff Films

2000-07-01T14:00:00-04:00

Also known as "white heat" films and "the real thing," the snuff film myth lives on like Bigfoot, despite the fact that no law enforcement agency in America has publicly admitted to ever locating one. Alan Sears, former executive director of the Attorney General's commission on pornography during 1985-86, agrees with the more than two dozen law enforcement agencies I interviewed. "Our experience was that we could not find any such thing as a commercially produced snuff film," says Sears. "Our commission was all-inclusive and exhaustive. If snuff films were available, we'd have found them." This sentiment is echoed by Ken Lanning, a cult expert at the FBI training academy at Quantico, Virginia. "I've not found one single documented case of a snuff film anywhere in the world. I've been searching for 20 years, talked to hundreds of people. There's plenty of once-removed sightings, but I've never found a credible personality who personally saw one." Yet the rumour of snuff persists. The scenarios are invariably the same - a remote jungle village in South America, a deserted beach in Thailand, the landscaped garden of a German industrialist, a lonely Everglades swamp. The victims are usually women, often performing a sexual act, their deaths sensational and unexpected. One of the most resilient snuff rumours concerns convicted "Son of Sam" killer David Berkowitz, who allegedly filmed the murders of some of his victims. Maury Terry, author of "The Ultimate Evil," a book about Berkowitz and cult killings across America, tells me, "Its believed Berkowitz filmed his murders to circulate within the Church of Satan. On the night of the Stacy Moskowitz killing, there was a VW van parked across the street from the murder site under a bright sodium street lamp. "Witnesses have confirmed this, although the van never appeared in the police report. Berkowitz or an accomplice filmed Moskowitz's murder, using the street lamp to light the subject as she sat in her car across the street." The 20-year-old Moskowitz was killed in 1977 in Brooklyn. Terry says the film was apparently made for Roy Radin, the Long Island impresario and "wannabe Cotton Club financier." "Radin was known for his huge porno collection and wanted to add a snuff film to it. I've heard there are ten copies of this film floating around, although I've never seen it." Rumours of snuff have surfaced in many Asian and western European countries, including

Reservoir Dogs

2000-06-03T14:00:00-04:00

"I don't give a fuck what you know or don't know, but I'm gonna torture you anyway, regardless. Not to get information. It's so amusing for me to torture a cop. All you can do is pray for a quick death, which you aint gonna get." Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs, 1992 This guy was the most twisted and sickly perverted guy in the whole movie. He had no reservations about killing people. He was brutal. He loved torture and death. By his own admission he liked to see the peoples' expressions when they died. He was totally ruthless. He had no conscience. I can't really explain why I liked this character so much. I don't EVER want to be like him or do the things he did. There was just something attractive about all his negative personality traits. Before he really starts getting into torturing the cop, he casually turns on the radio as if he needed some music to accompany the grizzly acts he was about to commit. He was a man who insisted on having total control. He liked controlling situations and people. When they were in the jewelry store he advised the employees not to hit the alarm. When they did, he started killing them. This was his way of regaining control of the situation. At the same time he was acting out this concept, he was actually totally out of control. He went fucking crazy in the store. He slaughtered the people lined up in the store like he was shooting clay ducks in a local carnival shooting gallery. I know this is a contradiction, but Mr. Blonde was a contradiction of himself. He had double standards. He hated the cop just because he was a cop. He didn't recognize him as a real person. Mr. Pink and Mr. White confirm this at the warehouse when they discuss him shooting REAL people, which cops are not. They say he just went crazy. They seemed to fear his craziness. His calm facade was a cover for the monstrous things he did to people. When he was in the warehouse with the hostage cop and Mr. Orange he appeared to be very calm. He sat smoking a cigarette while Pink and White argued over the chain of events. He wasn't calm. He couldn't wait to start torturing the hostage cop. You could see it in his face when Pink and White left.

Reservoir Dogs

2000-06-03T14:00:00-04:00

Gangsters, violence, murder and corruption. If these are some of the things that you're into, then this is your kind of movie. Be ready to watch it more than once to be sure to get all the movie has to offer because it jumps from subject to subject and can be a little confusing. The movie on the whole was really great. It was filled with some pretty gory scenes and extreme violent content, Tarantinos' trademark. The way he portrays the real life aspects of crime and violence are unbelievable. I wonder if he experienced some of these things himself and that's why he has a realistic view of them. Then again, I can't really gauge how realistic any of these themes are because after watching this kind of movie it makes me feel like I lead a really sheltered lifestyle. Why does all the violence in Tarantinos' movies become so attractive to us normal people? I think it's because most of his material is underworld stuff. He deals with things we can barely relate to. Topics that are so far fetched to a "normal" person that they kind of hypnotize us into watching. Things happen in his movies that are so bizarre, we can't begin to imagine them happening to us in real life. The weird part is, many of these things DO happen every day. We all know there really are gangsters, mobsters and really low-life people that involve themselves in what we think of as underworld crime. Drug deals.... on a level so great... amounts we can't begin to comprehend. Murders, for whatever reason. Even the thought of hiring someone to kill someone else gives us a goose bump or three. In his movies it's almost like borrowing a cup of sugar from your next door neighbor. Chopping off someone's ear would repulse me and probably make me want to spew my lunch. Tarantinos' characters chop off ears then talk into them as if they were using ma bell. His characters attitudes are totally ruthless. They could give a shit if you were the cousin of the president or a nanny. They have a job to do and they do it. No holes barred, no questions asked, no thought given to actions or consequences. They are almost like robots, zombies of the underworld that have no emotions or respect for the value of life. You would think these characters are drugged

Friday

2000-06-03T14:00:00-04:00

The movie Friday is a comedy, but it also depicts many important social issues. The story is set in the city of Los Angelos, California, in what could be called a high class ghetto. The main theme of the movie is about a young black man who looses his job and is influenced by his best friend to smoke marijuana. The movie also shows the relationships of his family and other members of his neighborhood. With a zany cast of characters and a hilarious script this movie touches on everything from gang violence to the use of drugs, crime, guns, relationships, sex and life in the ghetto. Because of all these issues, I found this an interesting movie with a wide variety of topics to address. Marijuana has been around for a long time. It's use is once again becoming popular. Although it's not legal, many people use it socially and for medicinal purposes. The Hollywood elite smoke it. Musicians such as Dr. Dre and the Black Crows celebrate it's use. Television shows like Saturday Night Live and Kids In the Hall depict it as harmless fun. Marijuana fashion has grown into a ten million dollar industry, with the seven branch marijuana leaf showing up on caps, T-shirts, earrings and tattoos. Studies show that after a decade of declining drug use, marijuana use has increased sharply among high school students and college students in the last two years (Duschbaun 8). In the movie Friday, rap star Ice Cube plays the character Craig. Craig has never smoked marijuana. However, his best friend "Smokey" smokes marijuana everyday. Craig looses his job, leaving him home all day with nothing to do to occupy his time. He just hangs out in the neighborhood with his friends. Smokey tries to convince Craig to try some marijuana. At first Craig doesn't want to. Smokey is persistent. He points out to Craig that he doesn't have to work and doesn't have anything better to . Craig and Smokey eventually sit on the front porch and get stoned. Peer pressure is obviously the only reason Craig gives in. Actually he had other options, but he chose not to use them. Common sense and a simple explanation would have worked for Craig just fine (How to Say No and Keep Your Friends 23) Everyday we are faced with choices. It is up to us to decide what's right and wrong. Craig decides

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney)

2000-06-03T14:00:00-04:00

A gem that has several very visible flaws; yet, with these flaws, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" shines as the best from the Disney factory yet. For, at first, the company name and movie title didn't quite appear to sit well together. You don't marry the king of novel Gothic gloom (Mr. Victor Hugo) with one of the world's most beloved (if not biggest) animation companies and expect the usual world population to be at the reception; but expect even Mr. Walt Disney to pat himself on the shoulder blade (or what's left of it) for allowing a hideous hunchback to be transformed into a Gene Kelly-Incredible Hulk combo type of hero. This "hero" is Quasimodo (Tom Hulce), which by the way means half-formed. It's about his distorted education (whoever teaches the alphabet using abomination, blasphemy, condemnation, damnation and eternal damnation ?), his humiliation (being crowned the king of fools), his first love and his big, big heart. It's about how our outward appearances should not matter (sounds familiar?). It's about believing in yourself but not being self-righteous. And it's about reliving the magic of Oscar-nominated "Beauty and the Beast", directed by Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale (both, incidentally, were also responsible for "Hunchback".) Wise and Trousdale obviously had a vision that didn't exactly conform to your usual "and they lived happily ever after" type of fairy tale. They employed a lot of artistic license when rewriting the plot. It was, after all, a cartoon; but they didn't allow it to become an excuse to dissolve the poignancy and tragedy into nothingness. Quasimodo did not get the girl. Nobody exactly lived "happily ever after". There was an amazing amount of implicit blood and violence. All that with Quasimodo's unrestrained outburst near the end and the best animated celluloid representation of the kiss contribute to the real emotions that flowed from the characters. Talking about being real, the drawings in "Hunchback" were simply breathtaking. The two directors and chief artists actually made their way to the famed Notre Dame cathedral in Paris to experience first hand the magnificence and beauty of it. For ten whole days, they walked through, looked from, sat on, literally lived and breathed Notre Dame. The artists even "swatched" some dirt just to match the colour! The result was such artistry that even George Lucas and Steven Spielberg would have wanted to call their own. The scenes in the

Phenomenon

2000-06-03T14:00:00-04:00

John Travolta. Those two words used to send millions of women (and men) all around the world into a dancing frenzy back in the seventies. He could claim credit for the modern equivalent of the estrogen brigades (for the net crazy "X-philes") of Fox Mudler and Assistant Director Skinner. But nowadays, equipped with a paunch and that same disarming smile, he is proving himself to be more than a passing fever. Together with the great cast of this latest offering from the Disney studios, Travolta lifts "Phenomenon" (tele-kinetically, no less) above the mass of mediocre summer releases. For doubting thomases who thought his brilliant gun-slinging portrayal in "Pulp Fiction" was just "luck of the draw", his portrayal of a simpleton with nothing but heart should re-categorise Travolta from "comeback kid" to "talented actor"; he did not allow "Phenomenon" to degenerate into "Forrest Gump Part 2". The similarities are obvious: a nice, simple fellow earns the favour of Lady Luck and does extraordinary things. Yet, that's all there is. "Phenomenon" packs a higher reality-density than "Gump". Countless scenes in "Gump" had me trying to pull wool over my eyes just to stop myself from laughing at the sheer ludicrousness. Despite the fact that going to the movies is about the suspension of disbelief, it should never be equated with treating the audiences as hoards after hoards of idiots. George Malley (Travolta), on the other hand, comes across very naturally (and believably) as a small town simpleton who doesn't know what to make of his very strange birthday "present". One flash of light and he flips through calculus books in a flash. It's not heavenly intervention, but unleashing the possibility of what the mind is truly capable of. Yet, George quickly learns that he isn't capable of something: affecting what other people think. Small-town insecurities and parochialism soon turn once friends into dumber-than-simpleton fools; with the exception of three very well casted characters. Kyra Sedgwick plays Lace, George's love interest. The agony of having gone through the loss of her perfect family show through her smiles. Despite being intent on keeping George at arms' length, head-strong Lace falls in love with George, with no small help from her two precocious kids. Gerard Dipego's choice of the two kids as parallels and inversions of the adults' relationship is simply brilliant. It is the little girl who extends herself to George when Lace plays the silent,

Philadelphia

2000-06-03T14:00:00-04:00

The movie, Philadelphia, was an excellent example of the severe discrimination many people with Aids are exposed to. In this instance the main character, Andy, was also gay. Unfortunately, in our society, he was faced with a double whammy. The gay issue is controversial enough, but to compound that in the work force with having Aids would be almost unbearable for any person to cope with. Tom Hanks played Andy with a serious need to communicate to the viewers how everyday life, work, emotions and mental well being are affected by this kind of situation. The movie was well cast and thoughtfully portrayed Andy's serious predicament. The theme was very interesting. It made me realize how lucky I am to not have to deal with those kinds of problems. It's really very frightening to realize, as Andy did, that even our legal system can be discriminating. When he started looking for a lawyer, he found many people who did not want to represent him because of his illness. The frustration he felt must have been a real burden. Most people were afraid of him. Even the man who finally represented him was afraid of him. He soon came to understand Andy was no threat to his health or his reputation, but someone he learned from and ended up becoming friends with. Andy himself feared his disease even before he was sure he had it. He did not want to go for his blood test. He didn't want to face the reality of having Aids. He really didn't have any choice. After the doctor confirmed his fears and diagnosed him as having Aids, Andy began to deal with the news and the way it was changing his life and how people treated him. His employer was trying to shaft him. He fought for his rights, not knowing what the outcome would be, but knowing this was something he felt he must do. The turning point in the movie for Andy was when he was in the library trying to learn more about Aids. He was asked by the librarian to go to a private room. His lawyer was there and saw this happening, although he was hiding behind a pile of books. I guess this is when he realized Andy needed him to help protect his rights. It killed me to think just because someone has an illness people don't understand that they can

True Romance

2000-06-03T14:00:00-04:00

Once again, Quentin Tarantino outdoes himself. The movie True Romance was excellent. It presented real issues that some people are forced to deal with in their lives. The title of the movie is misleading. You would think this was going to be a love story. Actually it is, but unlike any love story I've ever seen. It's filled with violence, action, blood, guts and gore. Like most other Tarantino movies it revolves around the violence we rarely see or experience in our lives. He also incorporates drugs and racism, hate and love and his usual corny way of portraying them. In Tarantino films, violence is presented in a totally different approach than movies like Rambo or Die Hard. Although you have the same amount of people dying, Tarantino seems to have this perverted and gruesome way of presenting it to his audiences. He always takes violence to the extreme. In the scene with the pimp he doesn't just shoot the pimp in the back or chest. He goes right for the gusto...his balls! Another example of this is when Dennis Hopper was killed. We all knew what happened to him, but Tarantino makes sure he shows us the oozing bullet wound to his head. Some people think this is taking violence too far; however, acts of this nature happen in the real world every day. I guess this is his way of giving us a "reality check." Shit like this happens to people. We are so sheltered in our comfortable little worlds we don't even realize this kind of stuff goes on. Variety. Isn't it supposed to be the "spice of life?" Well, Tarantino gets so damn spicy it can make you sweat bullets. What is it about violence that is so attractive to the general public? There are so many people who would rather see a violent movie than a movie filled with romance or adventure. If you were to compare the revenues from box office earnings I'm almost positive the movies filled with blood and guts earn much more than other movies. Naturally, if a person in the movie industry knows this will make them mega bucks , they will continue to make movies like this to make more money. Tarantino tends to slide in a little racism in his flicks. It's pretty obvious it's not the main topic, but it is apparent. Hopper was unique when he told the Sicilian guy

Resrvoir Dogs: Music

2000-06-03T14:00:00-04:00

Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty were a duo known as Stealers Wheel when they recorded a Dylanesque pop hit, "Stuck in the Middle With You", in April of 1974. The single reached number five on the charts - little did they know that eighteen years later it would become a cult favorite. In 1992 Quentin Tarantino, a little known writer/director, took the Cannes film festival and the world by surprise with his motion picture Reservoir Dogs. The movie is about the difficulties that occur when five "master" criminals are hired by a crime king pin named Joe to pull off the biggest diamond heist of the century. Stuck right in the middle of the movie, the Egan/Rafferty hit is played as a introduction to one of the best or worst torture seens ever in the history of movies. It depends on how you look at it. I'll set-up the scene in the movie where it is being played, try and follow me... The five criminals hired go by color-coded names . During the heist the cops show and things got out of control. Two of the robbers were shot and killed after Mr. Blonde, the "on the edge" gangster started shooting up the place when an employee triggered the alarm. Mr. White and Mr. Orange (an undercover cop) escaped the scene and headed for the hideout where all the men were supposed to meet. On the way to the hideout Mr. Orange was shot, he was bleeding severely but the injury was not life threatening. Shortly after their arrival, Mr. Pink met with them and they all anxiousley waited for Mr. Blonde. Mr. Blonde, acting cool and unaffected by the mornings events, made his entrance. After being questioned by Mr. White about why he went psycho in the store, Mr. Blonde called them out to see a "surprise" he had in his trunk. Mr. Blonde in an effort to find out how the police heard about the robbery in advance had kidnapped a police officer. They carried the man into the warehouse and after tying him to a chair Mr. White and Mr. Pink commenced beating the hell out of him. They Asked him to tell how the police knew of the heist, he said he knew nothing and after beating on him some more, Nice Guy Eddie came in. He was Joe's son and told Mr. White and Mr. Pink that

Star Trek: A Chronicle

2000-06-03T14:00:00-04:00

Space... the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship "Enterprise." Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds... to seek out new life and new civilizations... to boldly go where no one has gone before... The above blurb has been used to introduce the television show Star Trek: The Next Generation. The show's run has elapsed that of it's predecessor, the original Star Trek. The original spawned six movies and endless conventions, and both have given way to action figures for children, national clubs, and other various paraphernalia. This is the chronicle to end all chronicles: the full analysis and timeline of one of the most popular television programs in contemporary American history. Americans are fascinated with the possibility of intelligent life somewhere else in the universe; this has been displayed in books and plays and movies too numerous to mention, not to mention the accounts of "everyday people" who say that they have encountered aliens and unidentified flying objects (UFOs). This fascination became so great that in the late 1970s, President Carter decided to launch an investigation within NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to uncover the mystery of UFOs and intelligent life in the universe. Science fiction plays upon this obsession. The great science fiction writers have sent our imaginations into overload with scores of stories to tell. The two most popular futuristic science fiction stories, Star Trek and Star Wars, both have similar characteristics. Both involve many different species of life (our nearest equivalent would be "races"). The Ferengi, Vulcans, humans, Betazoids, Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians, androids, and Bjorans are in the Star Trek series (which includes the original television series, the six movies, the NextGeneration television series, and the television series Deep Space Nine), while the Star Wars movie trilogy includes humans, Wookies, Jawas, Ewoks, droids, Tusken Raiders, and a host of various other strange and exotic looking lifeforms. Each species has its own heritage, customs, beliefs, and socioeconomic status. I am sure that each science fiction storyline has it's own unusual breed of lifeform, but this paper will examine only a particular science fiction storyline which has mushroomed into a cultural obsession. I choose not to focus on the works of Ray Bradbury and the like; I'm sure that they are superb writers. (A fantastic example is Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder," which is the probable predecessor to all of today's hype surrounding the film Jurassic

The Satirical Essence of Monty Python Imbibed into Cotemporary Theatre

2000-04-17T14:00:00-04:00

The very essence of Contemporary Theatre is that is such a diverse realm of performance art. Many different playwrights have contributed to this post World War Two theatre that instead of keeping to just one narrow genre it was able to branch out to cover all aspects and views of an ever transitional modern society. Theatrical pieces from this time period have ranged from Existentialism, pioneered by Jean Paul Sartre, to the Theatre of the Absurd, which was precedented by Samuel Beckett, and all along the way a myriad of performance genres sprung up to support this new post-war society. Most plays of the contemporary theatre tended to focus up on one single aspect of theatre, though a group of men formed a performance troupe that would ever change such a notion. Monty Python’s Flying Circus revolutionized the stage performance, incorporating many aspects of modern day theatre; such as realism, surrealism, futurism, existentialism and of course Theatre of the Absurd, for no Python sketch was sans an eccentric dash of absurdity. The very roots of Monty Python lay in the humble beginnings of six men, five British and one American, who took to the stage in college and never looked back. The six Pythons; Graham Chapman, Eric Idel, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, John Cleese, and Terry Gilliam, began their acting drudgeries before the footlights but not without a struggle. Much of their work was initially considered too risqué for college theatre, though eventually, but a few years down the road, after several stints with other performance acts one of the greatest comedic troupes to ever be born of the British Theatre were gathered for their first show on October 5, 1969 to a mediocre crowd at best. Michael Palin said it best when he claimed that “their first viewers were insomniacs, intellectuals, and burglars” (Howard xxiv). Though many failed to realize it, it was that initial audience that was attracted, the combination of such extremes that would come to make up many of the Troupe’s future fans. It is theorized that it might have been their middle class upbringing, either in the States or in England, which lead to form a structure up on which to base their comic stylings, societal attitudes leading them to become exposed to society and in turn gave them something to rebel against. From such humble beginnings, and a rather slow start ratings wise, Monty Python’s

Grapes of Wrath

2000-04-16T14:00:00-04:00

In the epic movie Grapes of Wrath, director John Ford depicted a saga of one family trying to survive the 1930’s. In watching this film, it helped me to understand the hardships of the American migrants. The characters showed unique traits and dealt with problems each in a different way. The Dust Bowl was an ecological and human disaster that took place in the southwestern Great Plains region, including Oklahoma. Misuse of land and years of sustained drought caused it. Millions of acres of farmland became useless, and hundreds of thousands of people were forced to leave their homes --many migrated to California. As the land dried up, great clouds of dust and sand, carried by the wind, covered everything and the word "Dust Bowl" was dubbed. This movie describes a family's journey from Oklahoma to California in search of a better way of life. The family revolves around Tom Joad, an ex-convict who is now on parole. The Joad family was evicted from their farm in Oklahoma because they could not afford to pay their bank loan. As they move across the great western states, they suffer much discrimination. The Joad family believes that once they are in California, they will find jobs and settle down. They do not realize, however, that hundreds of thousands of other families are going to California in search of jobs also. When they arrive, the Joads are forced to accept horrible wages and live in terrible conditions. Ma was a strong-willed woman who was the leader of the family. The major decision that ma made, was when the family was passing the Arizona border patrol. She lied to the inspectors so she could pass through without having the police to search the car. Ma pretended Grandma was alive so they would be allowed to rush through the border patrol to get to a doctor. This plan worked and the Joad family arrived in California safely. She was an ambitious woman who was determined to have a successful family in California. Tom Joad was the main character. He was an irascible, yet considerate man who respected his family. His respect for his family forced him to leave on account of being a fugitive. He was defending preacher Casey, but failed to do so when the police killed Casey. Tom got revenge by killing the deputee. Preacher Casey was the most influential character in the movie. He lived

Transcendentalism in Movies

2000-04-11T14:00:00-04:00

Perhaps one of the most meaningful maxims Emerson wrote would have to be "Insist on yourself, never imitate." This statement captures the total essence of transcendentalism; deny the will and aspirations of others, and follow your own heart. The movie Dead Poets Society begins by introducing the viewers to Todd Anderson, a very subdued and quiet young man. Todd has the average inferiority complex. He is a very bright young man with exceptional abilities. Todd is unwilling to speak his mind for fear of non-acceptance. Charles Dalton is a seemingly average student with a rebellious attitude. He has already realized that the students are being "brainwashed" into living a preordained life. Neil Perry is another young man who realizes that his life is being planned out in front of him. He feels that he has no voice in his life. Their English professor, Mr. Keating, radically changes the lives of all of these students. Mr. Keating encourages Todd to speak up and voice his opinions. He makes Todd realize that the world will accept him because his thoughts and feelings are so deep and heartfelt. Charles Dalton receives just the spark he needs for action from Mr. Keating. He reforms a group called the Dead Poets Society. Nothing really happens at the meetings other than the reading of poetry for inspiration in life. Neil, perhaps the most perplexing character in the movie, discovers his dream in life is to be an actor. His father, for a reason none other than love, strongly opposes this career move. He feels that acting is not financially rewarding enough for his son to survive. He wants Neil to be doctor. In an emotionally charged scene, Neil finds that he doesn't want to cope with a life that doesn't involve acting, and he takes his own life. In the movie Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams plays a psychiatrist giving therapy to a character played by Matt Damon. Damon's character, Will, is a math genius who has severe social problems stemming from a traumatic childhood. Will knows his gift, but is afraid to use it. He has finally found a peaceful life with his friends. He has a steady job, and life isn't great, but it is livable. Will is afraid of risking security and chancing failure. Will's friend, played by real life friend Ben Affleck, helps him choose between risking his security and stepping out of his

Nightmare on Elm Street

2000-03-19T13:00:00-04:00

At a time when the stalker movie had been exploited to all ends and the image of mute, staggering, vicious killers had been etched into society’s consciousness to the point of exhaustion, a new kid entered the block. The year was 1984 and it was time for a new villain to enter into the horror genre. A villain that was agile, intelligent, almost inviolable yet viscous, and by all means deadly. A Nightmare on Elm Street introduced the distinctive presence of Fred Krueger to the horror industry and to the audience. Freddy Krueger took the center stage and with him a new era of horror films began. This horribly scarred man who wore a ragged slouch hat, dirty red-and-green striped sweater, and a glove outfitted with knives at the fingers reinvented the stalker genre like no other film had. Fred Krueger breathed new life into the dying horror genre of the early 1980’s. Horror films are designed to frighten the audience and engage them in their worst fears, while captivating and entertaining at the same time. Horror films often center on the darker side of life, on what is forbidden and strange. These films play with society’s fears, its nightmare’s and vulnerability, the terror of the unknown, the fear of death, the loss of identity, and the fear of sexuality. Horror films are generally set in spooky old mansions, fog-ridden areas, or dark locales with unknown human, supernatural or grotesque creatures lurking about. These creatures can range from vampires, madmen, devils, unfriendly ghosts, monsters, mad scientists, demons, zombies, evil spirits, satanic villains, the possessed, werewolves and freaks to the unseen and even the mere presence of evil. Within the genre of horror films falls the sub-genre of teen slasher/stalker films. These teen slasher/stalker films take the horror genre film characteristics into account, however they add more to the formula. More violence, sadism, brutality, and graphic blood and gore are used to increase the terror factor. Sexuality and gratuitous nudity are also key characteristic of many of these films. Imitations and numerous sequels are also a common characteristic of teen slasher/stalker films as well. A Nightmare on Elm Street and all of the following six sequels fall into its own sub-genre of the teen slasher/stalker sub-genre as well, know as the Nightmare on Elm Street Series. This series of films adds a new dimension to the typical teen slasher/stalker film, depth of character

Penny Marshall

2000-03-19T13:00:00-04:00

Penny Marshall has directed six films in her career: "The Preachers Wife"(1996), "Renaissance Man"(1994), "A League of Their Own"(1992), "Awakenings"(1990), "Big"(1998), and "Jumpin' Jack Flash"(1986). We know Penny best from her stint in Laverne and Shirley (1976-1983) as the hilarious Laverne De Fazio. After the series was cancelled Laverne appeared in some pictures until her directorial debut in "Jumpin' Jack Flash". This film was pretty much a bomb and Penny gained credibility as a director in "Big". Tom Hanks received a nomination for Best Actor in this picture. Marshall's best directorial accomplishment had to be in "Awakenings" starring Robert DeNiro and Robin Williams. This film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor (Robert DeNiro), and for Best Adapted Screenplay. Penny Marshall's style is classical. "Awakenings" and "Big" in particular are based upon a three-act structure. "A League of their Own" and "Big" are tall tales, strongly centered on plot. There exists good and bad people, and characters that are changed by their experiences (Dr. Malcolm Sayer, Josh Baskin). Character actors are prominent in her films and certainly used to reflect the persona of the star as well as to draw people to the movie. In films such as "Big" Penny places a high emphasis on setting which are highly selective in detail. Penny Marshall's typical choice of genre is comedy probably because of her comedic background, but she did direct "Awakenings" which is a drama. Her films tend to deal with contemporary issues in society such as coming of age ("Big"), oppression of the mentally handicapped ("Awakenings"), and women's accomplishment ("A League of their Own"). Penny Marshall's films are not multi million dollar movies which are filled with special effects and fancy camera action rather they are simple pictures which let the actors convey the messages. Penny does not attempt to use film as an art form; rather she uses film to tell a story. Penny Marshall's story sources consist of original and adapted screenplays. "Big" was written by Gary Ross who is best known for writing and producing "Pleasantville", and Anne Spielberg who wrote "Toy Story". "Awakenings" was adapted from a book of the same title by Oliver Sacks and written for the screen by Steven Zaillian who wrote "Schindler's List" and "A Civil Action" to name but a few. From these two films it is presumed that Penny uses a variety of sources. In "Awakenings" and "Big" Penny's style is

Beauty and The Beast: Feminism and Chauvinism

2000-03-14T13:00:00-04:00

Beauty and the Beast is a wonderful children’s movie, its directed by: Gary Trousdale, and Kirk Wise, and produced by: Don Hahn. Disney is the main sponsor and gives the movie the best cast of artist and musicians. Who would except anything else from Disney, they are the best at children’s films. At the same time, Disney succeeds in teaching our children a very vital lesson in life, how good looks and fame is not the key to true love. Which is created throughout the movie of Beauty and the Beast released in 1991 with the most sincere reviews and touching style. Consequently, the movie exploits a great deal of feminism and chauvinistic ways unexcitable to this day and ages of the nineties. Marian Belle is the main character, she lives with her father who is considered by the town a loony man therefore, Belle is also looked upon the town as being a little out of the ordinary. Even so, she is the most beautiful girl in the town, her name means beauty and it is shown with her wonderful appearance throughout the duration of the movie. Gaston a very courageous and dignified worrier, who is in love with Belle and wishes to marry her. Moreover every women and man in the town look up to him and would do anything for him. Nonetheless, Belle sees right through his beauty and recognizes him as a mean and conceded fool who does not know how to love. Meanwhile there is a prince in a near by castle who wakes up to a widow knocking on his door. When he answers she offers him a rose for shelter out of the cold. When he consistently said no the widow turned into a prices. He tried to apologize but it was too late. The curse of the flower turned him into a beast. Consequently, the curse can not be broken until he finds a woman to love him from within instead of just his outside appearance. Little does the audience know that feminism is displayed throughout the entire movie, for example Belle is walking through town one day and I noticed vital parts of the film displaying old traditional methods of living with the man working for a living while the wife stays home and takes care of the house and the children. When I reiterated the part over and over I

Violence in Films

2000-03-01T13:00:00-05:00

What place does violence have in the movies? Well, I believe that violence has a place in movies depending on the particular film and what the director of the film is trying to portray. If the director uses violence in his/her film and there isn't any reason behind it, then I would disagree and say that violence shouldn't be in THAT particular film. But in a movie like "Saving Private Ryan", Steven Spielburg replicates the actual events of D-Day on to the big screen by creating a violent-like scene to get the viewer of an understanding of what U.S. troops had to go through. In other films, we see violence used to test the human soul and to see if he/she/they could overcome trials and tribulations. In the film "Independence Day", Earth was attacked "violently" by aliens; therefore, leaving behind a planet that was almost completely destroyed. The humans, after surviving the attack, joined forces with others around the world and destroyed the alien invasion to regain Earth. In those two cases, I would agree and say that violence should be in the movies. The role of violence in films has been a big one. In some of today's movies, its seems like the films portrays violence, but don't back it up with some reasoning or explanation as to why the character is doing what he/she is doing. "Shootfighter" is movie that comes to mind when I talk about movies with violence without reasoning or explanation. The movie is about two karate instructors and their master going down to Mexico to fight in an illegal shootfighting tournament. During the course of the movie, you witness people getting sliced up and their heads cut off with ninja swords, a fighter raping a girl because she wouldn't do what she was told by the rapist, and other fighters getting set on fire. I can see what the director was trying to do. He probably wanted the audience to get the feeling of being in that environment. But at the same time I have to say that the director neglected to point out the reason as to why some of the fighters were defeating their opponents cleanly, while others were defeating them with gruesome ways. In some films, violence has been used to portray who we are. The film "Natural Born Killers" is a basically a commentary on how, as a society, we

The World is Not Enough

2000-03-01T13:00:00-05:00

"The World Is Not Enough" is a great action-adventure movie with exciting stunt scenes, exotic locations, beautiful women and traditional Bond one-liners. Pierce Brosnan carries on the role of the world’s most famous secret agent, James Bond in which was established by Sean Connery in 1962’s "Doctor No". Since it is also the 19th installment to the longest running film series in history, comparing this one to the older movies is like comparing one athlete to another. But hey, I guess that’s the fun of it all. To get more in depth of the film, let’s see if the traditional Bond trademarks live up to their roles. 1. Bond…James Bond. Pierce Brosnan, in his third appearance as agent 007, has become comfortable in his role and plays it with confidence. He’s now more understanding and has added a more sensitive side, but also a harder side to the role that Sean Connery had as Bond and what Timothy Dalton attempted to achieve. For example, in the scene between Bond and "M", "M" tells Bond the story behind the kidnapping of King’s daughter, Elektra and the reasons for why MI6 was involved. The example of the harder side is near the end when Bond confronts Elektra for the last time and orders her to call off Renard from carrying out his plans. She doesn’t do so; therefore, Bond shoots her in the chest and killing her. Some may argue that this is something that James Bond shouldn’t do since Elektra was unarmed, but I beg to differ because that is part of the mission. In 1971’s "Diamonds Are Forever" Connery’s Bond slapped Tiffany Case (played by Jill St. John) across the face to get her to tell him information. 2. Who would ever thought that "Q", the inventor of all of James Bond’s gadgets is retiring. Desmond Llewelyn has played the character in all the Bond films for the exception of "Doctor No" in 1962 and "Live and Let Die" in 1973. After demonstrating his lasted invention to 007, Llewelyn drops out of sight by a sinking platform. I guess that was his way of saying goodbye. 3. Well, who could replace "Q"? John Cleese makes his debut to the series as "R", the replacement for "Q". Although "R" is very precise, he doesn’t use the correct terms for his inventions like "Q" did. 4. Judi Dench is also back as Bond’s boss and head of

The Partridge Family

2000-02-29T13:00:00-05:00

If you were alive 30 years ago you probably can recall those Friday nights when you were sitting in front of the television set during prime time watching a widowed mother and her five children who charmed America and broke a generation gap with their groovy, bubble gum sounding tunes. You probably would also know that "The Partridge Family," with its something for everyone cast and groovy tunes, took over America as an instant success in the fall of 1970. The Partridge Family was the 70s successor to the Monkees who were a mid 60s hit. Both the Monkees and the Partridge Family were fictional rock/pop bands produced by a television branch of Columbia Pictures called Screen Gems, but unlike the Monkees, the Partridge Family strictly was about wholesome and traditional family values. (UBL.com) The famous cast included screen and stage veteran Shirley Jones who played the mother, Shirley Partridge. Shirley Jones had been in numerous plays and movies including Rodgers and Hammerstien’s "Oklahoma!", "The Music Man", "The Big Slide", and the 1960 film version of Elmer Gantry which won her an Academy Award for her role as a prostitute. In 1956, Shirley Jones married actor Jack Cassidy who was the father of her future co-star David Cassidy. Born April 12, 1950 in New York City, David Cassidy grew up in the show business atmosphere with both his father and mother being avid performers. After he graduated from Rexford, a private school in Beverly Hills, he worked with the Los Angeles Theater Group and was featured in the Los Angeles theater production of "And so to Bed" (members.tripod.com). After that he moved to New York and back to Los Angeles while starring in several plays and TV shows including "Mod Squad" and "Bonanza", but David Cassidy didn’t get his big break until he returned to his first love, music, when he was cast as Keith Partridge. Other cast members who played Partridge siblings included Susan Dey, a popular New York fashion model who played Laurie Partridge, and the red headed and freckled Danny Bonaduce who played Danny Partridge and to many people’s surprise actually came from an 100 percent Italian background (The Partridge Family Deluxe Souvenir Album). The youngest partridges as you may know were Chris and Tracy. Chris was first played by Jeremy Gelbwaks during the first season, but his parents soon became uncomfortable about his acting with the mania that

John Smith and Pocahontas: A Disney Romance

2000-02-28T13:00:00-05:00

It can be easily assumed that almost everyone has heard the tale of the American Indian princess, Pocahontas – the narrative of a mysterious young girl who rescues an English explorer from death only to fall in love and win his affections in return. It is one that is quite popular and has even been developed into an animated movie by Walt Disney Pictures. Regardless of which version they may have heard, most people are familiar with the legend now thanks in part to Disney. However, what they are not familiar with, are the facts. All too often, we accept what is presented in films as history without any thought into the matter. Did Pocahontas and explorer John Smith ever actually meet? If so, how did they, and was there ever the feeling of love between them? There are similarities, but more differences between historical fact and what is presented in the Walt Disney motion picture. Aside from obvious deviations of the film, such as the language , there are others including how Pocahontas and Smith meet, which they did in fact do. In the movie from the beginning, Pocahontas is an independent, curious woman who stumbles upon the English settlement. As a result, Captain Smith notices her and assures her that he will do her no harm. The two instantly warm to one another. While this makes a wonderful opening for a movie – we view a great scene of the English working hard to establish a settlement – it is not how they met at all. In his book Pocahontas and Her World, Philip L. Barbour offers a more accurate account of the two’s first meeting. He explains that John Smith was the one who was adventuring, not Pocahontas (as Disney depicts). He says that "on or about December 29, 1607" , Smith was led into the chief’s hut as a "prisoner" by Indian braves. Inside, he witnessed chief Powhatan – Pocahontas’ father – lying in comfort, surrounded by women he thought to be the chief’s wives . According to Barbour, Smith was treated well and given food and drink. What happened next was more exciting than a modern day film could depict, but also very complicated to explain in a film geared toward younger audiences. After some dicussion among the elders, "two big stones were brought in, and Smith was forcibly stretched out on them. What appeared to

Star Wars

2000-02-01T13:00:00-05:00

People are always looking for a good way to escape the pangs of work. Since work is so important in society today that it is almost impossible to avoid doing work without having to pay the price in the future. The perfect escape would be one that alleviates the strain of work yet does not incur any future expenses. Many people have found science fiction novels and movies to be great escape mechanisms. Science fiction is such a perfect escape for many people because it allows its audience to vicariously experience the joy of future technology – technology that promises less work and much more play, at no cost. An escape must have three things in order to be considered a true escape. First, an escape must permanently or at least temporarily eliminate one’s responsibilities. As long as one has responsibilities looming overhead, one cannot really feel free. It will also work if the escape produces the illusion that one’s responsibilities are gone. Secondly, an escape must enhance leisure. If the escape does not enhance leisure then boredom will most likely be the result. Also, due to the fact that most escapes are the temporary kind, leisure time is generally very precious. Therefore, it is not enough that an escape simply do away with work and responsibility. An escape must also take full advantage of one’s leisure time. Third, an escape must not have any undesirable consequences. This is the condition that justifies the escape itself. Suppose for example that a person became tired of his or her job and simply stopped working. That person would soon be fired, and although he did avoid doing work, his method of escape cannot be justified because of the undesirable consequences that followed. This is perhaps the most important condition an escape must satisfy. Science fiction literature and films are very good escape mechanisms. While a person is absorbed in the goings on within a particular novel, movie, etc., that person can experience what the characters are experiencing, and it is common for the characters to have lifestyles that meet the three conditions above. The reason for this is that in science fiction it is very common for the characters to have a very technologically advanced way of living. The futuristic technology allows the characters to do less work and have more fun with no consequences. Take for example the movie star wars. Due to the advanced

Feminism in the Crime Film Genre

1999-12-15T13:00:00-05:00

Throughout motion picture history, women have experienced more transition in their roles, as a result of changing societal norms, than any other class. At first, both society and the movie industry preached that women should be dependent on men and remain in the home, in order to guarantee stability in the community and the family. As time passed and attitudes changed, women were beginning to be depicted as strong willed, independent minded characters, who were eager to break away from convention. The genre of the crime film represents such a change in the roles handed to women. Two films that can be contrasted, in order to support this view, are: The Public Enemy by William Wellman (1931) and Bonnie &Clyde by Arthur Penn (1967). In The Public Enemy, women are portrayed as naive and/or objects of carnal pleasure by men. In this period, women were often categorized as mothers, mistresses, sisters, or ladies. Ma Powers (played by Beryl Mercer), the lead character Tom Powers’(played by James Cagney) mother, is easily fooled by Tom’s fake stories about where he get his money and doesn’t believe that her "baby boy" could be a vile gangster. At one point during prohibition, when Tom brings home a barrel of beer, she doesn’t even question where he obtained it, but rather takes a drink for herself. Ma Powers is the prototypical mother of the 1930’s. She is blind to the ways of the world and doesn’t see the danger of things, even in regard to her own children. She is a widow who does not work, but is supported by her sons. She is even blind to the fact that her sons hate one another. Even though, her Tom was sadistic killer and gangster, she always welcomes him back lovingly with open arms. At the end of the movie, she gets a phone call saying that Tom will be coming home from the hospital, where he had been treated for a gunshot. She rushes upstairs to make his bed and get his room ready, when the doorbell rings and the rival gang drops of Tom’s gun riddled body. The other women who appear in the movie are portrayed as fast women who are sexual object to be enjoyed by Tom, until he gets tired of them and then throws them away. In one famous movie seen, Tom doesn’t appreciate what his mistress moll Kitty (played by

Historical Accuracy in Films

1999-12-13T13:00:00-05:00

Historically accurate movies that are also captivating have an immense burden to meet. To capture the essence of the time through a personal story that captivates movie executives who regularly make movies with Steven Seagall and Bruce Willis seems an almost insurmountable task. But difficulties in sales aside, there are two crucial elements for movies about history to be the most effective they can be. These elements are historical accuracy in a personal story, and a sense of hope. Historical accuracy does not mean trying to encompass everything that happened in a particular time period. Rather, it requires a story that highlights key elements of the period involved while containing nothing that could never have happened in the time. For example, for slavery, the key elements certainly include slave family life, slave work, master-slave relations, the master's family life, and the financial situation in which slavery exists. Each of these general categories can be broken down further; for example, slave family life would include living quarters, families being separated, families coming together, and the essential problem of creating a personal identity in an inhuman institution. But again, the historical veracity of an historical film does not mean the film must represent everyone throughout that time period. Such a film would be pretty boring. Also, an attempt to represent the "average" slave life would probably result in a banal story. So the answer for historical accuracy in movies must lie in finding an original story that hits on the key points of the era while not disabusing realities of the period in question. Historical accuracy is not the only requirement for a fantastic historical work. The key in illustrating history through a personal story is to have it contain a strong sense of hope, even in the most devastating circumstances. The reason for this is that, for a story to be the most powerful it can be, it must be understood with the brain as well as the heart. It must have an intellectual question as well as an emotional feeling. If a film is based mainly on emotion, then any ideological feelings about the practices of humanity in the past may be lost with the sickening of the heart. Titanic is a good example of this effect. It is only secondarily a story about the Titanic. Primarily, it is a fictional love story; Romeo and Juliet on the sea. Yes, it

The Last Of the Mohicans

1999-12-08T13:00:00-05:00

The film is set in 1757, the third year of war between England and France for the possession of the continent. The center of the story is the most notorious event of the French and Indian War; the s0-called 'massacre' of British troops, women and children by General Montcalm's Indian allies after the British surrender of Fort William Henry to the French on 9th August 1757. The Struggle between the French and English for control of North America became apparent in the late 1600s. The buffer between the two imperial powers was the presence of the five Nations of Iroquois who controlled almost all of what is now New York State. From West to East the tribes were the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and the Mohawk; these five were joined by the Tuscarora to form six Nations in 1711. The film correctly portrays the Iroquois as ferocious warriors who practiced torture and covered their skins with bear grease and red ochre. The gathering of Indians in the temporary military camps of 1757 leads to a misrepresentation of the daily lives of northeastern Indian tribes. Neither the Iroquois, the Delaware, nor the Huron were nomadic hunter-warriors who only lived for battle. Iroquois tribes were fundamentally agricultural, and due to being inland people were less dependent upon British and French fur traders than were the Algonquin tribes. English settlement West and North from Albany and French from the West and South from Montreal made it hard for the Iroquois to preserve both their independence from White nations and the league among themselves. The Mohawks were allied to the British, the Northern tribe called the Hurons, not allied to the Iroquois Nation, became undeclared supporters of the French. For all Iroquois, the danger of white incursion upon Iroquois lands and culture had to be balanced against the immediate benefits of acquiring the white mans' goods, the iron axe, the iron plough, iron guns as much as alcohol and trinkets. Chingachgook and Uncas are descendants of Delaware as well as Mohican tribes, who are scouts and warriors who serve the British. Here historical allegiances have been altered through character association, the Delaware Indians were of Pro -French sympathies. Many nations had split allegiances to the French and British. Distinctions between tribes in the film are rather blurred and differences between Mohican and Delaware are erased. Chingachgook and Uncas are clearly idealized portraits, men of nearly every virtue, few

Sound vs. Silence

1999-12-01T13:00:00-05:00

The most apparent difference between Dracula and Nosferatu is that one was made while film was still without sound-at least dialogue-and the other was not. This difference, though not a revelation in itself, leads to a great number of much more in-depth contrasts that deserve discussion. In making a silent film, a director must rely on sight-and a certain amount of text-to portray to the audience his intended emotional, and intellectual reaction. As a result of this, the director is not able to go into in-depth character development with the same kind of resources as a director of film that is not silent. In the case of Nosferatu, this leads to a very limited number of characters have any kind of depth whatsoever. This is not to say that every character does not have about him or herself a certain image, or that every character does not extract a certain emotion from the audience. It is simply to say that a great number of characters in Nosferatu use only image to achieve their desired effect. For example, in Dracula, if one were to see Dracula walking down the street, an adverse reaction would be somewhat illfounded. Outside of his clothes, Dracula is a normal looking person. In Nosferatu, however, Dracula is more or less a freak. The end result of this is the audience having the same image of Dracula in both movies, one achieved this through extensive dialogue, and one simply through the appearance of a character. Another example, in Dracula, the first character that is given any kind of development whatsoever is Renfield, and throughout the movie, Renfield is transformed first to a blood sucking savage, and then slowly returned to a character with a heart, and a little bit of compassion. However, in Nosferatu, Renfield is already the blood sucking savage, cooped up in the loony bin, eating bugs when the movie starts, and the extent of his role seems to be nothing more than to provide more insight into the nature of Dracula. Perhaps the most interesting contrast between the two movies is that although they are based on the same novel, their story lines do not coincide. This is apparent in the beginning when in Dracula, Renfield is the one who travels to Transylvania, whereas in Nosferatu, John Harker is the one who travels

The X Files: Summary

1999-11-27T13:00:00-05:00

Scully and Mulder are two FBI agents that were sent to investigate murders that took place in a New Mexico town, just out side of an Indian reservation. The murders were first discovered when a lady, Annie Hatch, found two tourist’s bodies while she was ridding her horse. The bodies were laying next to a van. When Annie went closer to the bodies, she could see that there was hundreds of flies on them. When she looked closer she could see that they had been skinned. The following day a teenager, Paulie was out side behind his families trailer with his little sister, Patty. It was dark, so dark that they could not see in front of them. Suddenly they both heard footsteps from somewhere , then they heard whispering, the whispering became hissing. His flesh was thrown everywhere. At this point the FBI was called in to investigate. Before Mulder and Scully got to New Mexico, they both went over the case and studied the autopsy reports that were sent to them. The autopsy report said that the bodies were flayed. The pictures they were sent along with the report made both Scully and Mulder sick to their stomachs. When they arrived in New Mexico Agent Garson was waiting to show them around and warn them to take it easy because of the heat. Scully and Mulder interviewed Patty, but did not get any more information on the case then what they already had from the report. She saw nothing because she had got hit in the face with a branch that knocked her out. After the interview, they went to get some dinner, where they met the doctor who wrote the autopsy report. She told them that the report she wrote was wrong. She was told to write the wrong details because the sheriff did not want the press to get a hold of it, because New Mexico has been trying to upgrade its image for years. The real Truth was that the people have been scoured, like being held up against a high-speed spinning drum covered with coarse sandpaper. As they left the restaurant a man stared at them across the road, as mulder drove past him, he still stared. Mulder than made a U-turn and then another, so that the car was pulled up next to the man. He introduced him self and told them he

Xander Harris Speech

1999-11-10T13:00:00-05:00

He's a lanky fellow, dark-haired and self-effacing. He uses sarcastic humor to hide his insecurity (no one's told him it doesn't work). Even when he's being chased by a 100 feet serpent, he still manages to find the humor in the situation. He's been in a complicated love triangle and lives to tell about it. A friend, lover and slayerette......He's Xander Harris. Good afternoon/morning Ms. Rosteing and fellow students. As you can see, my speech is on Xander Harris. If you don't watch "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", which you should because it's the best show on TV, you're probably thinking, "who the hell is Xander Harris?". Well for the next 3-4 minutes sit back, relax and get ready for a "goofy" good time (as Xander would say). His full name is Alexander LaVelle Harris. He's 17 and hails from Sunnydale with its renown Hellmouth. Mishap after mishap, Xander is always there with a witty remark or funny joke. Xander is not exactly popular -- with the guys or the girls. He's the class clown and has much more important things to do than study homework -- namely study girls. He hangs out with Buffy Summers (this generation's slayer), Willow Rosenburg and Oz; otherwise known as the "Scooby Gang". He's been friends with Willow as long as they can remember. Before Buffy came along, it was just him, Willow and Jesse, his best friend. When Buffy showed up in Sunnydale, Jesse was turned into a vampire and he fell for everyone's favorite slayer. Buffy joined their group, and with her, they started hanging out in the library with Giles, Buffy's watcher. In terms of relationships, this is where it gets a little complicated. At the beginning of the show, Xander fell instantly in love with Buffy. But at the time, Xander and Willow were best friends, and Willow had a sizable crush on the X-man. So there was this love triangle deal going, and the fact that Buffy had no interest in Xander made it one big unrequited love angst-fest. Cordelia was one of the 'popular' girls, and treated Buffy, Willow, and Xander like little bugs that you want to squash as soon as you see them. Needless to say, there was some serious animosity between Cordelia and the others, but through bad luck and circumstance, she discovered Buffy's secret. This became a major source of frustration for everybody, especially when

The Birth of a Nation and Greed

1999-11-06T13:00:00-04:00

The progress of the film industry was remarkably fast in the first quarter of this century. I have chosen two films namely The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Greed (1924) for comparison and contrast to show how much the industry had evolved within the short span of nine years. These two films are chosen for the short time span between them. This short time span will enable us to evaluate the development of the film industry in terms of the psychological build-up of the plot and the characters, cinematic qualities and the gradual acceptance of ironies in the films on the part of the American audience. D.W Griffith's The Birth of a Nation and Erich Von Stroheim's Greed are both films adapted from novels written by Thomas Dixon and Frank Norris respectively. However one of the differences between these two films lies in the human characters portrayed. In The Birth of a Nation, the characters are portrayed as either wholly good or evil. One could easily distinguish between the heroes and villains in the film. For example, the hero in the film, Ben Stoneman is portrayed as courageous, loving and righteous as opposed to the villains Lynch (the false reformer) and Gus (the black soldier), who are portrayed as scheming and lustful. This lopsided depiction of human nature is not realistic, as humans cannot be either wholly good or wholly evil. This is an example of idealism with clear influences from Pollyanna stories, which was well accepted by the audience then. Thus a realistic depiction of humans should be that of portraying their strengths and weaknesses. The characters in Von Stroheim's Greed, on the other hand, possess this practical depiction of humans. In this film the characters are a real portrayal of real human beings with imperfections and weaknesses. McTeague for instance, is portrayed as kind and gentle towards animals yet violent by nature. Marcus, McTeague's friend and later his foe, is portrayed as a humorous, witty but at the same time scheming and harbors grudges against McTeague. Comparing these characters to the ones in The Birth of a Nation, clearly the characters in Greed are much more realistic, painting a true picture of the complexity of human nature. It is also a break from the then prevailing norm in Hollywood's films of showing only one-sided nature of the characters, which is either wholly good or wholly bad. In addition to

Toulmin's Theory Model

1999-10-25T14:00:00-04:00

This movie talks about the crusades to gain Jerusalem back from the Moslem army that was lead by the great sultan Saladin. At the beginning of the movie the Moslems hear about the misfortunate Moslems that are treated badly in Jerusalem, consequently, Saladin takes over Jerusalem in a battle with the Christian leader Rhene who was in charge of these actions of killing the Moslems. Rhene's widow goes to Europe seeking help from all the Christian kings, claiming that Moslems kicked the Christians out of Jerusalem and killed there women and children. The European kings prepare a crusade, lead by Richard the lion heart, king of England. Most of the kings didn't think only of having revenge for their fellow Christians. But they think of keeping the treasures of the orient from being lost to Saladin. The crusaders won many battles on their way to Jerusalem, killing many Moslems, by the use of an invincible towers that resists flamed arrows. Consequently, the Moslem leader Saladin thinks of a way to trick the enemy army, by leading them to a trap. The Moslem leader succeeds in his mission, winning the battle and killing many of the Christian's army. The scene begins as the Richard watches the dead bodies of his army at night, then he enters the tent where the meeting among the kings, and then tries to oppose the decision of having a truce with Saladin. The Christian kings are gathered in a tent where they are discussing their status after the last battle, which they were defeated. Richard asks the European kings in their meeting the importance of having a truce with the Muslims. Saying that Saladin is not an easy enemy to defeat, and that we underestimated his cleverness in the issues of war. A French Nobel knight says "we still have time to teach Saladin a lesson". Richard mumbles saying "too many dead Christian bodies every where I look". The king of France, (king Feelebe), says "that a truce is just wasting time, so we have to continue moving towards Jerusalem". The Nobel French knight says "our forces are winning and we should continue moving towards Jerusalem, Richard says in sorrow, that time belongs to the tortured people who values life because they face death every day not like the kings. Who are safe from harm. Christina, Rhene's widow, replies, "our forces are winning and our prove is

Braveheart

1999-10-25T14:00:00-04:00

This movie is about war between the English and the scotch rebellion people. A scotch brave knight (William Wallace) comes to lead his people of Scotland to victory in a few battles with the English, which makes a threat to the king of England. The English king sends his French daughter in law to negotiate peace with the savage warier. The scene begins as the warier approaches the beautiful princess with worn out clothes. The princess, have a look of anxiety in her eyes as she recognizes Wallace as a savage person. The princess invites Wallace to her tent to discuss the king's proposals of peace. In the tent she describes Wallace's actions of killing her husband's cousin of being savage. Consequently he defends his actions by revealing the crimes that the noble man committed to the poor women and innocent children of Scotland. The princess seems surprised, as she knew nothing about it. Wallace adds to her information that the king has done things worst than just hanging women and children on the walls of the city, when it comes to killing innocent people. The princess's bodyguard interfers by telling her that Wallace is a lier in some other language so Wallace will not understand, which lead Wallace to reply at the bodyguard in the same language that he spoke. Also demonstrating to the princess that he is capable of speaking other languages as well. The princess looks more surprised and dismisses her bodyguard. The two talk about the peace and the king's bribe to Wallace, which would make him one of the wealthy nobles. Wallace refuses the offer and tells the princess about the king's false word of peace by exposing the past of the king when he hung the villagers after giving them his word of peace. Wallace also shares with the princess his secret of his marriage to his beloved, and how the English murdered her. The princess shows affection. In conclusion, the princess has nothing more to say, because she now knows the truth about the situation. Consequently she returns persuaded of what Wallace told her about the king's wrongful doings. The Yale theory deals with the learning approach of the message, hence, the more person learns about the message, the more he becomes persuaded by it. From the text, Carl Covland at Yale University conducted the first systematic, comprehensive research projects that dealt with attitude change. (Page

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

1999-10-25T14:00:00-04:00

The story begins abruptly, as we find our mock heroes out in the desert en route to the savvy resort of Las Vegas. The author uses a tense hitchhiker as a mode, or an excuse, for a flashback that exposes the plot. An uncertain character picked up in the middle of the desert who Raoul Duke, the main character, feels the need to explain things to, to help him rest easy. They had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half-full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multicolored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers....Also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw either, and two dozen amyls. They were on assignment from a fashionable sporting magazine in New York, to cover the 4th Annual "Mint 400" dirt bike and dune buggy race. A savage journey to the heart of the American dream. Before one can review the motion picture "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", he must first research the full length novel of the same name. The book first appeared in 1971 in issues 95 and 96 of Rolling Stone magazine, published November 11th and 25th respectively. Although the two part series stated its author was someone called Raoul Duke, the story was copyrighted in 1971 by Hunter S. Thompson. Raoul Duke is actually the false name under which Hunter Thompson portrays himself as main character and narrator. The film was produced in the early goings of summer in 1998 almost as a tribute to the re-release of the novel in June. Directed by Monty Python's Flying Circus animator Terry Gilliam [12 Monkeys], the film was received quite poorly in the box office and even by the counterculture which was its target audience. Not even an impressive list of cameo appearances could salvage box office respect. This list featured Cameron Diaz, Cristina Ricci, Gary Busey, Lyle Lovett, Verne Troyer ["Minime" from Austin Powers], Penn Jillette [of Penn and Teller], Michael Jeter, and Flea [Red Hot Chilli Peppers]. Contrary to other book-to-screen translations such as Jurassic Park, where the entire plot line was compromised, the film of Fear and Loathing does the book justice and, occasionally, reads straight from the novel itself. Starring Johnny Depp [as Duke] and Benico Del Toro [Dr. Gonzo, Duke's attorney and confidant], the film has to be the best account

America in the Popular Imagination

1999-10-25T14:00:00-04:00

Twenty-one years ago, a spectacular film was made by an incredible director of the highly acclaimed film, "Badlands". The movie, "Days of Heaven" directed by Terrence Malick is a movie that shows the confusion of one woman, trying to figure out whom she loves. The movie stars Richard Gere as Bill and Sam Shepard as a rich, handsome, Texan farmer, the two men Brooke Adams as Abby falls in love with. Linda Manz plays Linda, Bill's sister and the narrator, in the story. Terrence Malick was born in Waco, Texas, which probably influenced him to make his first two films, "Badlands" and "Days of Heaven". Both share a theme of pariahs in the mid American wilderness, who are on the run from the law. The late seventies and early eighties were about getting ahead, however you could, no matter whom you had to step on, never worrying that you could get caught. This is reflected when Bill wants Abby to pretend that she is in love with the farmer. When Abby marries the farmer, Bill and Linda move in with them. Linda says "The rich got it all figured out". She means that when she was poor, she was considered replaceable and unimportant. When working in the fields, she says "If you don't work, they'll ship you right out of there; they don't need you; they can always find someone else." As a rich person, and a part of the upper class, she has fun with her life, and doesn't worry about what is going on. "Days of Heaven" is about getting into a higher class. It starts when Bill punches his boss and needs to get a new job. He, his younger sister, Linda, and his lover, Abby, become sharecroppers on a farm in Texas, owned by a handsome young man. Bill and Abby pretend to be brother and sister, because they don't want people to know. Linda says "They told everyone they were brother and sister... You know how people are... you tell them something, they start talking". Bill is accused by a fellow sharecropper of being to close with his "sister" and they got into a fight because Bill was very defensive about that. Linda makes a friend with an older woman on the farm and they play in the fields. Bill overhears a doctor diagnose the handsome young farmer with a disease and one year to live. Bill, Abby,

Dead Poets Society

1999-10-16T14:00:00-04:00

When I first saw Dead Poets Society, it was nothing I expected. The film is quite serious and it is without question the best movie I've ever seen. It takes place in 1959 at Welton Academy, a private collage prep school for boys where discipline is the most important goal and any demonstration of a free thought is strictly prohibited . One voice stands out among narrow-minded administration-John Keatings, eccentric and inspiring teacher. He wants his students to "suck the bone of life to the marrow", "to seize the day", and to make their lives "extraordinary". Keatings teaches poetry, but his students get a lot more than that- they learn passion, courage, and romance. Group of his students dare to form Dead Poets Society, a secret organization. One of the boys, Neil, who wants to be an actor but whose overbearing father forbids him to , commits a suicide and dies . His roommate , Todd, is trying to live up to expectations after his brother becomes the school's valedictorian. At the end, Mr. Keatings is fired after being accused of having a negative impact on his students. Self-esteem becomes one of the centers of the movie. Neil's low self-esteem reveals itself only in the relationship with Neil's father, but leads Neil to his tragic end. On the other hand, Todd, with the help of Professor Keatings, was able to build up his self-esteem . John Keatings wasn't a regular professor: his teaching methods were very different from those of others in Welton Academy. The relationship between Todd and professor Keatings is quite interesting because we can see the transformation that Todd went through from being afraid to answer teacher's question to being the first one to show his appreciation for Mr. Keatings when doing so could lead to expelling from the school. It is very interesting to see how John Keatings establishes the relationship with his students. He is quite open with his students about his attitude towards the world and his ideas about the purposes of life, and other general things, however, at the same time he doesn't reveal his personal life. This is very understandable due to the fact that he is a teacher, and his role as a teacher prevents him from getting too personal with his students. Moreover, in my opinion, it was very important to keep this barrier between the professor and his students because

The Birds

1999-10-03T14:00:00-04:00

The short story "The Birds" was written by Daphne du Maurrier and was filmed and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It has a very interesting and suspenseful plot. The short story was well written and the film was well played, both are very similar. Although, they have a few differences the film and short story have the same mood and theme. Would the differences in the film and the short story affect the suspenseful and frightening plot? Alfred Hitchcock did an outstanding job filming the movie matching it with the short story. In both the short story and film flocks and flocks of gulls, robins, and sparrows join each other. This is a very uncommon, because different species of birds never work mutually. Also, the story and the film are both in the identical climate. It is cold and chilly; "The ground is frozen and it will be a black winter." The climate gives both versions of the story an eerie or creepy feeling. Each version has the main character boarding up the windows to protect themselves from the suicidal birds that try to break the barriers in front of the windows. Anyone who thought the birds would not attack are usually found dead with their eyes pecked away. The film and the story both have pathetic endings. Although they are dissimilar endings they are much alike in crudeness and should has been revised with an improved and more conventional ending. Readers would like to know what happens to the characters and how or even if the conflict is resolved. The short story and film have differences, but none of these differences have really affected the plot, characters, or much of anything. The short story's setting is just south of London, England, and is set during the period right after World War II. The film setting is located in Bodega Bay just sixty miles north of San Francisco, and it is set in the time frame of the 1960s. In the film, a mad woman accused Melanie of bringing "evil" and causing the catastrophe of the attacking birds. In the story the birds attacked when the tide came in and in the film the birds attack in brief intervals, over and over. The characters are definitely different in the two versions. The short story's main characters are a family: a husband, wife, and two children. The film's characters are a woman and a

Cool Hand Luke

1999-09-14T14:00:00-04:00

In Cool Hand Luke, the movie begins with the word, VIOLATION, across the screen. The word is from a parking meter and sets the tone for the entire movie. Luke Jackson, the title character, is arrested for cutting off the heads of the town's parking meters while drunk, or in legal terms, for destroying municipal property while under the influence of alcohol. When asked why he cut the heads off the parking meters, Luke answers, "You could say I was settling an old score." While it leaves the viewers believing that he probably received a parking ticket at some time in the past, no clues are given to what the old score may have been. He is sentenced to two years in a road prison, in a chain gang. His punishment did not fit the crime, and today, such an act would probably result in time spent in community service rather than a hard labor prison gang. To further accentuate that his sentence is worse than his crime, Luke Jackson dies at the end of his story. Luke is a decorated veteran, yet left the military service just as he went in, as a Private. This indicates that he had authority problems while there. He received the Silver Star, Bronze Star and a couple of Purple Hearts and that indicates that he is brave and probably humanitarian, because the Silver Star is usually given in recognition of a life-saving deed of valor. That he was never promoted, or else promoted and consequently demoted, (the story does not elaborate on the details) indicates that his superiors, those who had the authority to promote him, did not react well to his achievements. For Luke, death represents ultimate freedom. There is no doubt that he believes in God, in that he talks to God several times throughout the movie, yet his conversations are always more like arguments than prayers. In one of the final scenes, the empty shell of a church represents Luke's relationship with God, and even the emptiness in himself. Luke feels that God has never been there for him. He tells God just before the end of the story that God hasn't ever dealt him a good hand. That military authorities considered him a hero, decorating him with medals, doesn't make him a hero in his own eyes. Luke is a tortured soul, in that he tells God that he doesn't

Breakfast at Tiffany's

1999-09-13T14:00:00-04:00

Holly Golightly is one of the most interesting and complicating characters that can ever be written about. She doesn't even know her own self. Holly thinks that she is independent and self reliant. "I've taken care of myself for a long time."(p.27) Even OJ Berman (her agent) knew that she was full of her self. "She isn't a phony, she's a real phony. She believes all this crap she believes." (p.30) Holly also used to steal things, which she thought was a way of being independent and survival. No matter what she thinks or does, shoplifting is not a healthy lifestyle, but a dependable life style. "I used to steal, I mean I had to." (p.55) She is not independent, but dependent. She is very promiscuous and shallow because she only uses men for their money, like Rusty Trawler. She used Rusty Trawler for his money because he was supposedly the 6th richest man in America. Holly later finds out that he is broke and is buried in debt, and because of that she doesn't want anything to do with him anymore. Even though she believes that she is independent, she unknowingly admitted that she wanted to use Rusty Trawler. "You can make yourself love anybody." (p.41) She also even puts down women, even though she says "I've got him on my hands he's harmless, he thinks girls are dolls literally." (p.43) She would do anything for money, even visit criminals in jail (Sally Tomato) just for money. A modern woman or a woman of today would not be caught dead acting like Holly. A 90's women is only dependent on herself, because women now get equal opportunities and rights for everything. Even in the workplace now too. Another thing that differs in a modern woman, is the rate of single women who got divorced. A divorce was almost unheard of in the 1960's unless there was truly a good reason. Today, women work for themselves, make their own money and raise a child all by them selves. This lifestyle would never happen to Holly Golightly. She is just way to dependent on other men for that. There are so many divorces today because woman are more independent then they ever were before. Holly and women of her generation were heavily dependent on men. It's okay that it is very easy to file a divorce most of the time, but sometimes

Henry V - Film

1999-08-06T14:00:00-04:00

The film uses various techniques to present a particular view of the war against France. What is that interpretation and how does the film convey it? Although the Branagh version of Shakespeare's Henry V remains very close to the text, with only a few lines left out of the film, the movie portrays a very clear and distinct message about war and Branagh's opinion on the matter. Henry V is fundamentally a play about war, and it would have been very easy for Branagh to make his version of the play into a film that glorified war. Instead, Branagh took the opportunity to make a statement about what he felt was the true essence of wars - both medieval and modern. It is clear through Henry V that Branagh thinks that wars are a waste of precious human life, and in the end are fruitless, causing more loss than gain. From the very first battle at Harfleur Branagh's low opinion of war is shown. When we first see the fighting, it is dusk and the sky is further darkened by smoke, instantly creating a morbid feeling. Combined with the muddy and wet terrain, the cheerless soldiers and the overbearing size of the castle which they hope to achieve, it is clear not only that the English army must fight against all the odds to win, but that even the conditions are detrimental to the English cause. The scene where Bardolph, Nym and Pistol are backing away from the battle to save themselves is an important inclusion to the film. Had Branagh intended the film to be a glorification of war, this small scene could have easily been removed. However, he chose to keep it in his film because it actually assists the message which he attempts to convey. This scene, although still clearly comical, as Shakespeare intended it to be, it implies that not all soldiers are valiant and brave and that war is so terrible that soldiers are willing to desert their friends and fellow countrymen because of the hideous nature of war. After the battle of Harfluer is won by the English and they begin to make their way towards Agincourt, Branagh seizes the opportunity to show the viewer the 'victorious' army. Although he could have shown them to be joyful with their win, Branagh instead shows the war-weary, bloody, wet and muddy soldiers. It is raining and so the already miserable

Reservoir Dogs

1999-08-06T14:00:00-04:00

Reservoir Dogs is a gangster movie with a difference. Instead of the gangsters being portrayed as slick professionals who always stay calm and collected, they are portrayed realistically. Reservoir Dogs is about a group of 5 professional thieves who attempt to rob a jewellery store. However, one of the team, Mr Orange (played by Tim Roth) is an undercover police officer. After the group enter the jewellery store and employee turns on an alarm and one of the men, Mr Blonde starts shooting the staff and customers, before the police get there, and the team escapes by stealing cars and shooting police officers dead. When the surviving members of the team rendezvous at a warehouse, debate begins regarding who the 'rat' is. In the movie, the story as outlined above is not presented in such a linear way. The movie begins with the team members dining with the boss, Joe at a restaurant, a comical scene where they are light-heartedly discussing the meaning of the song "Like a Virgin" and why society demands that people tip waitresses. However, the mood of this film dramatically changes after the introductory credits when the scene is changed to a stolen car, where Mr Orange is in the back seat screaming "I'm gonna fucking die!", clutching at his bloody wound is his belly. This sets the scene for the rest of the movie that occurs after the robbery, as most of what happens is arguments between various people as to who the 'rat' is, often leading to threats, and more than once, the 'teammates' draw their guns on each other, and in the end, Joe (the boss), Big Eddie (Joe's son) are killed in a triangular shooting over whether or not Orange is the 'rat'. The non-lineal sequence of events is not at all confusing, and adds to the interest and intrigue as the movie progresses. This movie would not have been so acclaimed, had it followed the traditional sequence, where we follow firs the preparation of the cop, the preparation of the robbery, the robbery and then the rendezvous. If Reservoir Dogs had been set out in such a manner, one could easily see what would happen well before it did. For the most part, this film is about 'honour among thieves", and the aspect of professionalism in crime. There is much discussion about Mr Blonde's action when the alarm went off, and Mr White emphatically

Dead Poets Society

1999-07-05T14:00:00-04:00

"It was Mr Keating's blatant abuse of position as teacher that led directly to Neil's death." We are asked to discuss the

Critique of 'Confronting Child Sexual Abuse'

1999-05-18T14:00:00-04:00

I believe the film "Confronting Child Sexual Abuse" enlightened myself on the service of CPS. To be a social worker you need to be able to deal with stress and to be able to leave the job at work when you go home. The case manager is responsible to assure that all the medical and educational needs of the child is meet. The case worker spends 40-50% of their time out in the field. The top priority of the social worker is to keep the parent and child together as

Friday

1999-05-09T14:00:00-04:00

The movie Friday was one of the best comedies I have ever seen. It had a great director, a talented cast, a good plot, a spectacular soundtrack, and is filled with funny gags and jokes. It was by far the most hilarious movie of the decade. I have never laughed so hard in all of my life. I loved this movie. The cast of the movie was sensational. Playing the main character was famous musician and actor, Ice Cube. He is such a serious person that at first I was skeptical of his performance in a comedy. He has played in such movies as Dangerous Ground, Higher Learning, and Boyz 'N Tha Hood. Playing opposite of him was Chris Tucker who is one of the most gifted performers that I've have seen. He has stared in hits such as Rush Hour, The Fifth Element, and Money Talks. These two along with other big comics like Bernie Mac, John Whitherspoon, and Fazion Love bring big laughs to the big screen. Tiny "Zeus" Lester, Nia Long and Regina King do there part as well, to serve up laughs. It is so important to have a good cast that can play their parts well, and get along. If I watch a movie and it is evident that the actors are acting, then I lose interest very quickly. These actors and actresses did a very good job of making every character believable. Cast is important, but a good plot is crucial in the success of a film. So many movies have had great marketing and bombed because the plot was not good. I hate when I go to see a movie and the plot is not interesting. If I pay money for a movie, I want it to be worth it. In a comedy, I look for, a lot of, laughs. That is exactly what this movie gave me, it had it all. They had midgets, catching wives in bed with preachers and anything else you could look for to make you laugh. To fulfill this requirement on my movie list is very important. This movie did just that and exceeded the expectations I had for it. As with any successful movie you must have a good Quentin Terintino, Mel Brooks, or Stephen Spilburg working behind the scenes. This film had a gifted director by the name of F. Gary Gray. I personally think that he is

Field of Dreams

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

Was Ray Kinsella a triumphant hero who dared to live his dreams, or merely an insane lunatic who blindly followed voices that could only be heard within the confines of his mind? Although either of these theories could be argued successfully, the idea that this intrepid man was indeed a hero is supported by a list of characteristics that generally indicate a classical hero. In the movie, Field of Dreams, Ray Kinsella was introduced to the viewers as an ordinary man, living an ordinary life, in an ordinary town. Conversely, he was given the extraordinary supernatural ability to revive a number of celebrities from both the world of baseball and literature who had been dead for many years. Kinsella related to common people, but possessed powers that are not only uncommon, but ultimately inhuman. Although not a fool, Ray Kinsella was also not invincible. For example, he was forced to deal with defeat and hopelessness throughout his travels. Once, he misunderstood a message given to him and journeyed to a place that he was not called to go to. But, being the bright and resourceful person he was, he was not discouraged and continued to persevere. Ray Kinsella was called upon by forces left unknown to the viewers and himself to go on both a physical journey as well as a journey of the heart. After hearing voices proclaiming, "If you build it, they will come," Ray risked the economic and emotional stability of the family he loved dearly to build a baseball field. At first, Ray Kinsella was highly skeptical, but eventually he realized the significance of his obscure calling. Upon the completion of the baseball field, "Shoeless Joe Jackson", the baseball player who had been his father's hero before he passed away, suddenly appeared in the field to talk with Ray and to play baseball. As the plot progressed, Ray continued to receive messages. After each new message, Ray was called upon to further his journey. This journey involved traveling to various cities around the United States, as well as facing issues within himself that he has successfully hidden from for years. The reason for his journey, and the path to follow were never clearly manifested to Ray Kinsella. Blind faith and perhaps a bit mythically guided of insanity were all that drove him to continue on his journey. Throughout his journey, Ray never once knew where the next piece to