Study Like a Boss
Themes are prominent statements in both film and novels that help to add substance to characters and plot; language or film techniques are used to express these themes. American Beauty, directed by Sam Mendes, was released in 1999 and is a satirical insight into the lives of American families during the 1990’s. Golden Boys, by … Read more
In the film ‘The Hurricane’ directed by Normal Jewison an important message that the character Rubin helps us understand is that of Racism. Jewison shows the viewer that the victims of racism have their lives destroyed and become aggressive because of the inequality served to them. We are also shown how unprotected victims of racism … Read more
Big Fish is a visually appeasing film that will capture its audiences with its witty and fun-loving characters, fairytaleesque plotline, and relatable conflict that will have everyone reaching for the phone and dialling their father’s numbers. The film is brought to life by director Tim Burton, who is known for Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before … Read more
Biographically themed movie productions continue to envelop the Hollywood landscape – serving as a means to reenact and interpret a majority of history’s most memorable moments (for better or worse). In the last month alone, depictions of Bobby Fisher (Pawn Sacrifice) and Whitey Bulger (Black Mass) are just two examples of cinematic incarnations that have … Read more
In the film, Glory, the director made specific choices in editing the scenes in how we are meant to see it. He wanted for us to understand and capture what he was trying to accomplish in said scenes. Music and sound is used to capture our attention and focus on the scene that is currently … Read more
Grapes of Wrath Introduction Many organizational theories have been formulated, particularly touching on economic and social development. Sustainability is a vital element for all organizations that intend on having continuity in their core business activities. For organizations, sustainability efforts involve establishing mechanisms needed for carrying on and continuously enhancing the organizations activities while trying to … Read more
Gattaca (1997) is a film directed by Andrew Niccol that is based on the Science of Genetic discrimination. A world in which scientific proof becomes the complete basis for discrimination. While society holds it as a truth, genes are a primary factor that determine the success of an individual. The film revolves around the Protagonist … Read more
The ingenuity of Kreuzpaintner in Krabat (Question 1) The movie Krabat, directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner, addresses the adventure of a young orphan named Krabat who learns black magic from an evil sorcerer in a satanic mill. Krabat goes through several struggles that help him develop into this heroic character and ends up fighting for his … Read more
The power of music can connect and represent the words that cannot be spoken. Music unites people, nature, or even beliefs. Don’t you desire to reach people using the universal language – music? Film music is without a doubt about touching audience’s minds and evoke people in a certain way. It certainly isn’t around the … Read more
In the movie “ Cool Runnings”, the director mixes all different emotions with a storyline proving you can do anything that you put your mind to. The movie begins with Olympic hopeful Derice, running across Jamaica. He is doing this because he is training for the 1988 Olympic Games, and hopes to be a gold-medal … Read more
A Close-up on Burton’s Style Tim Burton is a well renowned director, who has been contributing to the movie-making world since the 1980s. As a director, Tim Burton uses his twisted and creative mind to create these fantastical worlds with unique, larger-than-life characters that in a way reflect reality. Throughout his films, Tim Burton uses … Read more
Throughout the history, in times of crisis, collapse of an empire, people tend to see only from one prospective. People read about history of Scotland, about how people suffered British imperialism and civil war that took place in XIII century, but a person cannot feel, or truly see what was really happening from Scottish prospective. … Read more
Road to Perdition is a crime drama released in July 2002 following the life of a father and son during the winter of 1931. The movie begins with Michael Sullivan Jr. witnessing his father, Michael Sullivan, commit murder as an enforcer while working under the mob boss John Rooney. Connor Rooney, son of John Rooney, … Read more
As the author Dr. Robert C. Thomas writes, Fear Eats the Soul “is a film of stairs and stares. Stares, because the entire film is made up of a series of looks: gazes that objectify, and trap, both the-one-being-looked-at and the one looking. These gazes are of such duration that they disturb and implicate the … Read more
When a different rendition of a story or play is made many times the characters and plot are slightly changed because of the directors take on the story. In the movie She’s The Man the director, Andy Fickman, creates a modern version of the Shakespearean play 12th Night. The main character is Viola who takes … Read more
Everyone has an origins that has impacted them in either a positive or negative way or sometimes even both. The 2009 film Amreeka is directed by Cherien Dabis, and tells us about a remarkable journey between a mother and son in order to find a better life. The film begins with the mother Muna (Nisreen … Read more
The debut film of Francois Truffaut, The 400 Blows is worldrenowned for being the epitome of the French New Wave movement. Following the award for best director at the 1959 Cannes festival, Truffaut’s The 400 Blows entered theatres of all nations ranging from its domestic French theatres to the foreign theatres such as in the … Read more
In one of the rare instances that Sean Penn directs a film, he sets out to deliver a view-changing experience and does just that. The philosophical views and the conflict of moral fibres between the protagonist and his family and friends, are the basis of Into the Wild – a recount of the true story … Read more
At the beginning of the allegory, the “theory of forms” is also introduced. This theory states that the “existence of a level of reality inhabited by ideal “forms of all things and concepts”(Plato pg1) indicating that there is a form to any object, Adding as well that all forms will be eternal and unchanging but … Read more
If someone asked a stranger on the street to name their all-time favorite Christmas movie, there are many that would come to mind. The list would possibly include “Frosty the Snowman”, “The Grinch”, “Rudolph”, and more than likely “White Christmas”. Although it is actually considered a musical because of the songs and dance that help … Read more
“What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” is a heartwarming film that uniquely explores the struggles of children in unfortunate circumstances, offering a deeper explanation as to why so many young adults struggle to achieve a higher education, or to even graduate from high school. After the death of his father seven years prior, Gilbert became the sole … Read more
The film “There Will Be Blood: is a movie about Daniel Plainview and his struggle to become a self-proclaimed oilman. In the film, Daniel is at war with mother earth in the fight for black gold. Throughout the movie, his ongoing battle alters his life in countless ways. It changes his family, friends and his … Read more
The Breakfast Club is a simple but beautiful 1980’s movie about a group of teenagers that end up realizing they are all going through some tough situations. While The Breakfast Club was made for entertainment purposes, it can be a great learning tool. Just from studying the movie, a student can realize they should not … Read more
The film, The Truman Show, outlines the encounters associated with morality, immorality and amorality that is highlighted in today’s society. The theme of immorality is portrayed throughout the lives of the two main characters; Truman’s wife, Meryl and the show’s director and God-like character, Christof. Meryl, Christof, Sylvia and the viewers of the television show … Read more
The Shawshank Redemption is a feature film concerned with the repression of individuals within an institution- a prison in this case. It is concerned with routine, forced conformity, power abuse and the struggle of hope to exist in such a lifeless world. Characteristic of this “feel good” genre film, the “good guys”, Andy Dufrense, and … Read more
Will racism ever come to an end or will its path go on infinitely? For the most part, the majority of people respect those who are different either in color, race, and/or heritage; however, there are those few that hold bigoted views towards people who are different than they are. The movie American History X … Read more
The film “The Boys From Brazil” shows the genetic experiment performed by a highly decorated Nazi doctor, and the effort made by a Jewish investigator to stop him. The doctor cloned the genes of famous Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, and genetically implanted them into the egg of a woman in order to create another Hitler. … Read more
Tony Montana has taken just so much shit his whole life. He’s been oppressed and repressed and mocked and called a spic and turned on by his own country (Cuba) that he’s just not going to take any shit anymore. He’ll shoot someone just for pissing him off, which is almost admirable, or at the … Read more
Jane Austin is ranked among the top 10 entertainers by Entertainment Weekly. She is seen as ‘the posthumous queen of genteel cinema’. Recent film versions of Emma invite speculation about the novel’s appeal in the 1990s. Written in 1816, Emma traces a classic comic arc: a misguided matchmaker, overconfident in her abilities, learns the error … Read more
Jack Black is very funny. He steals movies where he has supporting parts like High Fidelity, and his performance with Will Ferrell at the Oscars was the highlight of a very predictable awards show. Black’s persona is a fascinating paradox; I like the oxymoron that Entertainment Weekly recently created for him: the frenetic slacker. Black’s … Read more
The film Sunset Boulevard directed by Billy Wilder and staring the main characters of Norma Desmond, Joe Gillis, and Max Von Mayerling is ideal example of how important film making techniques help depict a movie’s core theme intentions with vivid clarity. Classic Hollywood is the first thing that comes to mind when one speaks about … Read more
Robert Gould Shaw was a son of wealthy Boston abolitionists. At 23 he enlisted to fight in the war between the states. The movie opens by Robert reading one of many letters he writes home. He is captain of 100 Union soldiers most of whom are older than himself. He speaks of the spirit of … Read more
Have you ever had a dream that you thought was so real? Well, what if you never woke up? How would you determine the difference between the real world and the dream world (Matrix,1999)? Some people in this world live their lives knowing that something is wrong. They can feel it in everything they do. … Read more
The film “The Atomic Cafe” brilliantly portrays the habitual life in U. S. society during the Cold War. The Cold War was a period of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, the two main superpowers at the time. During the war both parties developed nuclear weapons and therefore assured each other mutual … Read more
The Castle, directed by Rob Sitch, is an Australian comedy, which delves into the lives of a stereotypical Australian family, the Kerrigans. The film touchs on issues close to home in a humourous way. The audience is introduced to the classic Aussie family, narrated in the viewpoint of the youngest of the Kerrigans, Dale. The … Read more
Movie critic, Roger Ebert, has called him a “directing god”. He has been called the “most influential and best director of their time” by fellow director, George Lucas. Director Martin Scorsese has been an influential director for the past twenty years. In the 60’s class of directors that included, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Brian … Read more
The early 20th century produced countless numbers of famous novels, dramas, and films which are still critically studied in many different classrooms around the world today. I will be critically focusing on the two films that were presented in our class this term; Metropolis and Pandoras Box. In addition to these films I will use … Read more
Preston Sturges film The Lady Eve presents a love story in terms of recurrence and resolution. The first scene begins with a medium shot of the lovers usual meeting place on deck, where a cheerful and whistling Charles (Hopsie) paces up and down waiting for Jean to appear. The camera focuses on Charles pacing and … Read more
In a time when so few motion pictures leave an impact, Fight Club refuses to be ignored or dismissed. The experience lingers, demanding to be pondered and considered, and, unlike most of the modern-day thrillers, there is a great deal here to think about and argue over. Fight Club presents an overload of thought-provoking material … Read more
Tommy Boy is a hysterical comedy starring Chris Farley and David Spade. It takes place in the industrial town of Sandusky Ohio. Tommy Boy (farley) has to run his father’s auto business after he suddenly dies at his own wedding. He was getting married to Bo Derek and from that marriage Tommy Boy got a … Read more
What attracts us to the movie theatre on Friday nights? Is it the commercials we see? Or is it all the gossip we hear from friends and TV talk shows? Well for many, it is the critiques we read and hear almost every day. One who specializes in the professional evaluation and appreciation of literary … Read more
Exactly five seconds after he came into the world, Vincent Freeman was already considered to be a looser. His first genetic test revealed high probabilities of hyperactivity, sight troubles and serious heart diseases, a life expectancy of 30 years and 2 months and quite low intellectual faculties. At that time, the artificial insemination of test … Read more
Thus far, most discussions of cinema in the digital age have focused on the possibilities of interactive narrative. It is not hard to understand why: since the majority of viewers and critics equate cinema with storytelling, digital media is understood as something which will let cinema tell its stories in a new way. Yet as … Read more
The film industry would have never taken the direction it did without the incorporation of certain worker management techniques and capitalist vertical integration pioneered by the founders of Hollywood. The methods of operation that Hollywood established in the realms of production, manufacturing, exhibition and distribution of film has shaped the face of the industry to … Read more
Now as we are rapidly approaching the Millenium many people are getting the blues. This seems absurd because this offers all of us a perfect chance to start again. NASA is embracing this chance to grow and expand their departments. The phrase, “Space, the final frontier,” expresses the world’s obsession with space travel, that started … Read more
Michelle hears some noises in the house, after a while see finds out that its a missing girl, the girl is trying to get revenge for her death. First off, I would like to say that Michelle Phieffer is great in this movie; she carries her character strongly from start to finish. And unfortunately The … Read more
The film Since You Went Away was released in 1944. This epic film attempted to relate to the American audience that was dealing with the war foreclosing and he flux of soldiers coming home at the time. The Hollywood studios were constantly trying to do their part for the war buy making films about the … Read more
Hollywood has gone digital, and the old ways of doing things are dying. Animation and special effects created with computers have been embraced by television networks, advertisers, and movie studios alike. Film editors, who for decades worked by painstakingly cutting and gluing film segments together, are now sitting in front of computer screens. There, they … Read more
The song lyrics above are from the soundtrack of the film Menace II Society and correspond directly to the hardships that people are given when growing up in the ghetto and when surrounded by a life of violence. Because they know nothing other than this aggressive and brutal way of life, they continue this violent … Read more
We live in a society, which relies on fairy tales and mythology to entertain and take us off to a far away place where we can identify with our imagination. The Star Wars trilogy is a classic example of the hero cycle. A young man is brought up believing the light side of the force … Read more