...[Your Name] [Teacher’s Name] [Class Name/Period] [Date (January 1, 2012)] The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring Film Review The Lord of the Rings film series are a trilogy and one of the best epic fantasy mythological films. The Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring, directed by Peter Jackson, is a movie based on the novel written by J.R.R.Tolkien. My goal in this paper is to review the heroics of the fictional protagonist Frodo Baggins, describe how his experiences are universal to the humankind, and how Frodo is considered a model by which people can comprehend their experience and cope with enormous and often mysterious task of being human. Hobbits are usually not considered humans; however they are known to be relatives of the human race of men. They are very timid creatures, and never considered to have great courage to perform amazing achievements under any appropriate situations; however, the heroics demonstrated by the good- hearted Frodo Baggins, the hobbit is remarkable, who ventures out of the Shire for the first time in his life along with his friend Sam, and takes up the responsibility to carry the mystical ring to the fire pits of Mordor and destroy it and its magical powers, on his perilous quest to save the middle earth from Sauron, the Dark Lord. Though, Frodo being a hobbit, and without any mystic powers, he is gifted to withstand the power of the ring better than others. Frodo takes up the initiative and volunteers for the quest...
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...Movie review Border town Directed by Gregory Nava Celebrities Jennifer Lopez Antonio Banderas Martin Sheen Maya Zapata Zaide Silbia Presented by Geli, Rosemarie Ann M. Presented to Ms. Samson Summary A powerful story of life on the border between the United States and Mexico, Bordertown is based on the hundreds of women working in American-owned factories who have been brutally raped and murdered in Juarez, a city gripped by fear. The attacks have been covered up by the local authorities, and still continue today. When editor of the Chicago George Morgan (Sheen) sends ambitious reporter, Lauren Adrian (Lopez), to Juarez, Mexico to investigate the murders, what she finds is the story of a lifetime. Eva, a young woman who was raped and left for dead in the desert, is the only woman to survive an attack. Unable to go to the police for help, she turns to a local newspaper run by Diaz Alfonso (Bandera), former friend. Hiding Eva is incredibly dangerous, but Lauren knows that publishing her story is the only way to expose the truth behind the murders. She is determined to find Eva's attackers but soon finds herself immersed in a dangerous web of corruption that extends to both sides of the border. Characters Jennifer Lopez as Lauren Adrian: reporter for the Chicago Sentinel, daughter of Mexican immigrants Antonio Banderas as Alfonso Diaz: founder of the Mexican newspaper El Sol Maya Zapata...
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...more courage than Buster. I define courage as Hemingway did: "Grace under pressure." In films that combined comedy with extraordinary physical risks, Buster Keaton played a brave spirit who took the universe on its own terms, and gave no quarter. I'm immersed in his career right now, viewing all of the silent features and many of the shorts with students at the University of Chicago. Having already written about Keaton's "The General" (1927) in this series, I thought to choose another title. "The Navigator," perhaps, or "Steamboat Bill, Jr.," or "Our Hospitality." But they are all of a piece; in an extraordinary period from 1920 to 1929, he worked without interruption on a series of films that make him, arguably, the greatest actor-director in the history of the movies. Most of these movies were long thought to be lost. "The General," with Buster as a train engineer in the Civil War, was always available, hailed as one of the supreme masterpieces of silent filmmaking. But other features and shorts existed in shabby, incomplete prints, if at all, and it was only in the 1960s that film historians began to assemble and restore Keaton's lifework. Now almost everything has been recovered, restored, and is available on DVDs and tapes that range from watchable to sparkling. It's said that Chaplin wanted you to like him, but Keaton didn't care. I think he cared, but was too proud to ask. His films avoid the pathos and sentiment of the Chaplin pictures, and usually feature a jaunty young...
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...the good news of salvation through the Christian faith amidst paganism, doubt and disbelief. Despite the longing for his father and the threats to their lives, even at the peril of death, Pedro and Fr. Diego continued their missionary work. They roamed the dangerous islands and baptized many more natives and continued to enlighten them about Christianity. Guam is now a devoutly Catholic state and this is the story of how the young Filipino saint, between wars and persecutions, played his part in this divine mission. II. Personal Reaction A short introduction to the movie, A movie on the life of Filipino saint Pedro Calungsod, Church groups said the film is "an effective tool of new evangelization." Although there were no figures given, organizers of the Metro Manila Film Festival said “Pedro Calungsod The Child Martyr” trailed in earnings compared to the other movies on the opening day. Early reviews have varied between lukewarm and scathing, with one critic dismissing it as "a sermon best saved for church." The good points of the movie, I’ll give high points to this Calungsod film, and the...
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...The Ice storm: Review Ang Lee has directed the film “The Ice Storm,” which is based on a novel by Rick Moody. Ang Lee is a Taiwanese-born producer and movie director working in America. He has previously directed Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” and Yann Martel’s “Life of Pi” which became very famous. The film is starring quite a few talented actors including Kevin Kline, “Avatar” and “Alien”-star Sigourney Weaver, Tobey Maguire, who later starred in “Spiderman”, and “Lord of the Rings”-star Elijah Wood. The Movie takes place during Thanksgiving in 1973, in the suburbs of Connecticut, where a dangerous ice storm hits. The movie presents two dysfunctional New Canaan families, who are trying to deal with the consequences of the social revolution of the 1960s: The middleclass had grown, and every family wanted the perfect suburban life: a father, who worked in the city, a stay-at-home mom, two to three children and a large house in the suburbs. This does unfortunately not, give the films main characters, the happiness they are looking for: The Hood family is only held together by desperation. The father, Ben Hood, is having an affair with his neighbour, Janey Carver, and his wife is a shoplifter who is desperately trying to feel young again. Their son, Paul, is home for the holidays but is more interested in going to the city to pursue his rich-girl crush from prep school. Their daughter, Wendy, is dating the Carver family’s son Mikey, but might be more interested in his...
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...ideas are bulletproof.” With these words, the film, “V for Vendetta” dramatically demonstrates the power of ideas to challenge and overcome the evil of oppression. In film critic Robert Ebert’s review of “V for Vendetta,” he notes the power of ideas, especially the belief that people should not be afraid of their governments, but rather that governments should be afraid of their people. Although Ebert questions the necessity of fear, and believes that governments and people should be able to happily co-exist, I think he trivializes the significance of the film’s message. Although it is an in-depth, well written look at the story, it is one-sided. He gives credit to a novel written by Allen Moore in 1983, on which the film is based, and compares “V for Vendetta” to other movies and stories. The main character, V, is described in detail, and Ebert explains his purpose in the story. The other characters, however, are not mentioned very much, leaving the reader a bit blank. I appreciate that he mentions the main idea of the film, and is generous with quotations. I do fin d his criticism a bit excessive, as he puts down the mask that V wears because the lips don’t move and his vision would be obstructed. Ebert seems biased on behalf of London’s architecture, as he expresses his disappointment over its destruction. He does admit to not reading the original work, so he cannot compare notes. In all, he gives the film a positive review, explaining its controversial nature: “To attempt...
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...Analysis: X-Men (2000) The comic book genre is something that is all too common nowadays. It seems that every other film being released is on based off of a superhero character. Many of the story lines in these epics are inspired by and reflect real life events and issues. The first X-Men film is no exception to this. X-Men was directed by Bryan Singer and released in 2000. In the movie, a world is depicted in which a small portion of people are mutants. These mutants each possess different superhuman powers which in turn makes them feared and distrusted by normal humans. This film is about the struggle between two groups of mutants, trying to bring about acceptance for their community. The main villain, Magneto, wants to bring about acceptance through violence, while the protagonist of this film wants to do it through a more peaceful route. X-Men is an accurate, smart comic-book adaptation that follows its source material for real relevance and deeper meaning, for example its tie to actual life history, while still delivering all the action a comic book fan could want. Marvel Comics initially released Stan Lee’s first X-Men series in 1963, meaning the cherished characters were around a great time before the film adaptation was made and the effects that were used to make this movie made the stories come alive. As a result, the majority of this movie’s audience grew up reading the comic books that this movie was based off of. This lead to fans having high expectations for this...
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...I featured an interview with the director, Justin Zimmerman, and I am finally getting around to reviewing this fine documentary. I had the privilege of screening this film last year at the Artemis Film Festival, and I was quite moved by what I saw. Just as a word of warning in relation to the content, there are some very disturbing scenes of animals (not that any rescues go awry, but this also deals with the issue of animal shelters, so just be warned). Also, there is some occasional strong language in the film. This is a documentary, and this is real life. Therefore, it is essentially raw and unfiltered when it comes to the life of Armando and his team. You may want to screen this first before showing it to your children. Before seeing this film, I had no idea at all that groups like this existed. As I settled down to watch the first few frames, I was reminded of the time that our cat was stuck in a tree for a couple days and how hard it was to wait with the realization that she may not come down. She was so frightened, and there was no group nearby that we could call. I breathed a sigh of relief when my mom called with the news that our cat had finally jumped down. So I know from experience that animals can get caught in...
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...Ryan Fahrenkopf English 201 Fremio Sepulveda Research Paper “Every empire, however, tells itself and the world that it is unlike all other empires, that its mission is not to plunder and control but to educate and liberate." – Edward W. Said “Life and Debt” is a documentary directed by Stephanie Black with the screen play and voice over done by Jamaica Kincaid about how the IMF, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organizations destroyed Jamaica economically. This movie is based specifically on what happened in Jamaica but it is a model for how the IMF and first world countries have impacted the rest of the world. The film is about globalization and exposing first world countries, mainly the United States, for destroying third world countries. The Oxford English dictionary defines a documentary as a factual, realistic, applied esp. to a film or literary work, etc., based on real events or circumstance, and intended primarily for instruction purposes. “Life and Debt” mostly follows this definition because it does present real factual information, although it varies a little from the definition of a documentary because it is a little biased on the side of Jamaica. Another critical concept from the film is the term globalization. The Oxford English Dictionary defines globalization as the action, process, or fact of making global; esp. (in later use) the process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international...
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...Review of ‘’The Kite Runner’’ The Kite Runner is a touching movie about guilt, family, true friendship and cultural differences. Title: The Kite Runner Instructed by: Marc Fosters Year of production: 2007 Based on a book called ‘’The Kite Runner’’ witch is written by Khaled Hosseinis In the city of Kabul lives a young boy called Amir together with his father Baba, his father’s servant Ali and Ali’s son Hassan, who is Amir’s best friend. The two boys Amir and Hassan are always together, but an incident, where Amir fails to support his friend, at the yearly kite competition, makes the two friends fall apart. Because of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, Amir and his father are being forced to flee from their home country and move to USA. After living twenty years in USA, where he gets his own family, Amir returns to his home city in Afghanistan, to confront the past, and to clean his conscience. Unfortunately Taliban rules his country; witch makes it difficult to complete his dangerous task. The movie is very special and intense, and will without doubt shock you in more than one-way. I think The Kite Runner is a good movie, and worth watching, for the persons who like these types of movies. The film gives you a better insight of how it was in Afghanistan before and after Taliban started ruling. Though I think the way the film turns out in the end, where Amir tries to rescue the son of Hassan, in some way is too much like an action film, and therefore doesn’t...
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...Cinema Review: Director Tim Burton Tim Burton is one of the most unique visionary directors in Hollywood, defining a new genre of film with his twisted imagination. Besides the similarity of having been made by the same director, there are also many other similarities between his films. For example, his film style is able to be seen clearly throughout the films, Edward Scissorhands (1991), Corpse Bride (2005) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007). All three of these movies showing Burton’s easily identifiable film style. The characteristics that are similar across these films are the flashbacks, the actors and actresses, the characters, the use of costume, makeup and lighting. Similarities can also be seen through the themes and genres including, German Expression and fantasy. Burton incorporates characters in his films that no one would encounter in real life, such as you would never find a ghost who wants to marry a human in real life or someone who is able to chop hedges with his scissorhands. His films are characteristically quirky and unusual, however somehow making it relatable and identifiable which make them so popular with the audience. One style that Tim Burton’s films are strongly influenced is the German Expressionism codes and conventions. This foreign film style is an artistic genre that originated in Europe in the 1920s and is broadly defined as the rejection of Western conventions (Darsa, 2013). The artist’s impression of reality...
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...have a famous leading lady, but the previews were so intense and so realistic that it pulled me in. “The Blind Side” and “Precious” are movies about over-weight, illiterate, poverty stricken African-American teenagers and their struggles to overcome adversity. Have we seen movies like these before? What makes either one of these movies so alike yet so different? Both movies were accused of stereotyping and racism. One movie can be compared to a rag to riches (The Blind Side”) story as the other a phoenix rising (‘Precious”). Unlike “The Blind Side”, “Precious” isn’t afraid of presenting a valuable message to society. Director Lee Daniels has been heavily criticized for his style and script to the extent of being called an “Uncle Tom”. This film was classified by many as a stereotype of all African-Americans. There are those who argued that this movie will only bring the African-American culture two steps backwards in their efforts to overcome cultural barriers. I totally disagree. “Precious” is bold look at reality. This movie forces you to take a good hard look at what was, what is and what could be around you. After seeing each movie more than once I can sincerely say that “Precious” is a better movie. The acting, all the visual elements and the message were over...
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...Film Theory and Approaches to Criticism, or, What did that movie mean? by Christopher P. Jacobs Movies are entertainment. Movies are documents of their time and place. Movies are artistic forms of self-expression. Movies we see at theatres, on television, or home video are typically narrative films. They tell stories about characters going through experiences. But what are they really about? What is the content of a film? DIGGING DEEPER: FOUR LEVELS OF MEANING Recounting the plot of a movie, telling what happens, is the simplest way to explain it to someone else. But this is neither a film review nor a film analysis. It’s merely a synopsis that anyone else who sees or has seen the movie will likely agree with. This level of content may be called the referential content, since it refers directly to things that happen in the plot and possibly to some aspects of the story that are merely implied by the plot. In John Boorman’s Deliverance (1972), four men from the city go on a weekend canoe trip that unexpectedly becomes a life or death struggle for survival of man against man and man against nature. Some characters survive, others don’t. Most films can be analyzed more thoroughly to reveal deeper levels of meaning. A review (perhaps 400-1200 words) typically includes personal impressions and evaluations of a movie’s content and techniques. A good review may be subjective, yet still touch superficially on topics that might be explored in more detail in a longer...
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...Name Professor Course Date Film project contrast paper Introduction Captain Phillips movie, examines the 2009 hijacking of a U.S container ship, by the name Maerks Alabama. The movie stars Tom Hanks as Richard Phillip (IMDb). It is a hard pounding thriller that exhibits the creativity of its director Paul Green Grass. According to Ryan McNeil (2013) the movie reflects on the primary effects of globalization, by showing the relationship between the ship's commanding officer and the Somali captain who forcefully held him (McNeil). Richard Phillips meets with Muse; the Somali captain, when Phillips ship goes on a wrong course (IMDb). Both captains find themselves at the mercy of forces, which are beyond their control. The movie is recommended for audience above the age of thirteen years. It contains an intense sequence of menace, and violence associated with bloody images (IMDb). The script The script of the movie was primarily based on a book called A Captains Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy Seals and Dangerous Days at Sea, which was written by Richard Phillips (IMDb). The script narrates a very compelling story, which keeps the audience on the seat's edge. It moves the audience in the world of the ship’s crew, leaving the audience with a close experience of the dangers associated with cargo ships (McNeil). Acting Tom Hanks is considered as the highest box office star currently (Whitfield). According to IMDb, he was “outstanding as always” in this movie. However critics have argued...
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...Are modern-day cartoons getting degraded? Chapter 2: Literature review Nobody will deny the fact that modern-day cartoons make big influence on children all over the world. It is a grave issue which affects all the members of the society. Basically, this problem starts from parents, who don’t spend their free time with children and don’t pay attention on children’s growing stage. Parents should follow their children; a child needs to feel love of parents, their attention and presence. Amy and Cantor (2000) maintain that if parents do not attract attention to their children, later children will not very fun to love historically and began to beat, pinching other people, imitating the heroes in the cartoons. Parents, teachers, psychologists ask themselves whether it is dangerous for the emerging modern cartoons for child's psyche or not? What is the best choice for child: foreign or domestic cartoons? Is it necessary to let the kids watch cartoon, whether they are useful or not? Cartoons are loved by kids of all ages not by chance. On the one hand cartoons are bright, spectacular, and imaginative and on the other hand are simple, unobtrusive, and similar in their developmental, educational opportunities tale game, live human communication. Characters of animated films exhibit a variety how to interact with the outside world for child. They form the baby primary notions of good and evil, the standards of good and bad behavior. By comparing themselves with their...
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