Armani Maldonado: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

According to "eventful.com," the second of the Lucas/Spielberg Indiana Jones epics is set a year or so before the events in Raiders of the Lost Ark, classifying it as a prequel. Indy (Harrison Ford) needs to retrieve a precious gem and several kidnapped young boys on behalf of a remote East Indian village. This time he teams up with a night club singer (Kate Capshaw) and a 12-year old boy (Jonathan Ke Quan).

I am still confused on why we jumped immediately to the prequel of the Indiana Jones films instead of beginning from the first, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Monahan explained that this film would be seem very "dark," but I did not catch the feeling. It seemed like what I would expect the typical Indiana Jones film to be like, goofy and action packed. Overall, I thought the film was pretty good, though I did miss much of the second half. I would probably find myself rewatching this movie and possibly even the others. 

"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." Eventful. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015.

Armani Maldonado: Jaws

When a young woman is killed by a shark while skinny-dipping near Amity Island, a New England tourist town, police officer Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) wants to close the beaches, but mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) overrules him, fearing that the loss of tourist revenue will cripple the town. Ichthyologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and grizzled ship captain Quint (Robert Shaw) offer to help Brody capture the killer beast, and the trio engages in an epic battle of man vs. nature.
(http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/rochester/jaws/Film?oid=2230046)

When I heard that we would be watching Jaws in our film studies class, I was kind of excited. I had never seen the movie prior to our viewing in class and I was curious to see what all the popular enjoyment was about. I ended up being fairy impressed with the overall plot and cinematography of Jaws [can you elaborate on this? Spielberg's use of point of view shots, non-diegetic sound etc.] , the shark model was very convincing and even at times frightening, and there was enough blood and gore to allow the film to just meet the qualifications of a horror film. I did enjoy this film, but not being much of a fan of horrors, I probably will not watch it again. 

Armani Maldonado: Crooklyn

As her teacher mother, Carolyn (Alfre Woodard), and her jazz musician father, Woody (Delroy Lindo), worry over monthly bills, grade-schooler student Troy Carmichael (Zelda Harris) banters and bonds with her four brothers. Against her will, Troy is sent to her aunt's southern home for a summer visit, but when she returns to her bustling Brooklyn neighborhood, she learns that a family member is gravely ill. Already mature, Troy is forced to face to some very grown-up facts about life and loss.
(http://www.zap2it.com/movie/crooklyn/MV000393050000)

I actually did find myself enjoying this 1994 film we watched in class a while ago. The film portrays a consistent film of family, and sticking together as one. I really admired the whole Brooklyn feel of the movie and I found myself constantly captivated into the plot. By the end of the movie I felt as if I was a part of the family, finding myself mourning the death of the mother, Carolyn. I would most likely watch this film again in the future. 

Winter's Bone: A Movie without Dinosaurs - Jamie Pisacane

This movie had a big lack of dinosaurs. There were none, so this makes the review go down. If a movie has no dinosaurs, its automatically not my favorite.

The movie was about a girl named Ree Dolly, and she has a lot of problems with her family, specifically her dad. Her dad left them in-debt and not able to pay for the house. They have no food, no good clothes. They freeze, and they appear to be dying a slow painful death. They don't have the greatest life. The sister takes charge of everyone. She hunts, cooks, cleans, keeps them warm and so on.

She is a good role model for the other two, showing them how to be independent and how to be responsible. Even their neighbors are mean to them, they help, but you can tell they hate them. Ree hasn't done anything wrong, yet gets blamed for everything.

I didn't see the end of this movie, but I bet it was great. I hope to see it one day esp. because Academy Award-nominee Jennifer Lawrence is fantastic despite the fact she is not a dinosaur.

Crooklyn - Jamie Pisacane

I remember when we watched this movie, I found it very funny. I loved the way the siblings acted around each other; it's almost like it wasn't acting. I also loved how the mom acted. She was straight to the point, and didn't take "no" for an answer. She was a good mom and taught her kids well. She taught them how to be independent and how to survive on their own. It's like she was foreshadowing [nice touch] her death to them.

I enjoyed the character Troy Carmichael. She had a great personality. She made me laugh and made me relate to her. My brother NEVER cleans up after himself, to the point where I refuse to use the same shower as him. I always had to clean up after him, the laundry, the dishes, and the bathroom. So, when the mom was yelling at them to clean up after themselves, I was happy. Now Troy won't have to do it on her own.

I like how different the culture was in the South and how director Spike Lee chose to shoot these scenes with an anamorphic lens, creating distortion and symbolizing Troy's POV as fish out of water. I was entertained by Aunt Song and how she wouldn't even let her daughter get her ears pierced or have beads in her hair.

I didn't like how the dog died, SO SAD!!! The dog should of lived and been happy forever, even though Queeney was not a dinosaur .

In the end, I liked this movie, I hope to see it again.

JURASSIC PARK - Jamie Pisacane

The movie I have been begging for since the beginning of the year. The movie from my childhood and we finally watched it, sadly not in the lecture hall.

I love dinosaurs, they have always interested me, ever since I was a child. I remember my brother would have all the dinosaur figures, and he still has them (but they are in my room, oops). My brother helped me pick up my interest in dinosaurs, and it went on from there.

I loved how this movie portrayed them, since we don't even know much about them. With all the new science on dinosaurs, how they have feathers and so on, you can tell this movie is outdated. We also don't know how they sounded, we just thought they'd sound like scary beasts because it makes sense. BUT they could of sounded like a cat, or pig, we don't know! So, the way the movie shows the dinos interests me.

I also knew some facts before watching it in class, which helped me view the movie even better. The Raptors were actually men in costumes, animated over to give them the finishing look. It must of takes awhile to master the moves of a dinosaur, giving this movie a lot of thought.

I love this movie and can't wait to see Jurassic World.

Breakfast Club - Jamie Pisacane

I watched this movie freshman year, on my own. I remember my friends loved it and begged me to watch it, so I did. I admit, its a good movie, very funny and a lot of rememberable moments. But, one thing I don't understand is what makes it so great.

I never got detention, so this could be one way I can't relate to it. I've only heard how detention is through media and friends. Is detention the same as how it was represented in the movie? Another thing is, I can't relate to the characters. I know people who are like these characters, but I can't relate to them. All their quirks make them different, make make them the stereotypical "American High schooler"

One kid is a rebel, smoking and drinking, we all have that kid in school. Another kid is a mega-nerd, in the math and chess club and gets straight A's. And another is kid is a popular girl, always worried about her looks and so on.

The kids tried breaking the stereotype, and some couldn't. I feel like this movie could of been better if they all broke the stereotype and worked together.

Well, I guess I expected more from the movie.

Armani Maldonado: Winter's Bone

Starring the beautiful and talented Jennifer Lawrence as Ree Dolly, Winter's Bone portrays an Ozark teenage girl faced with an unresponsive mother and a criminal father who does what she can to manage her household while simultaneously caring for her two younger siblings, Sonny (Isaiah Stone) and Ashlee Dolly (Ashlee Thompson). Informed by the sheriff (Garret Dillahunt) that their father put their home up for bond and then vanished, Ree sets out on a dangerous quest to find him; Soon to find out he is not even alive. 

As much as I love the acting of the captivating Jennifer Lawrence. I did not enjoy this film of her's. I felt like the movie was extremely boring and dull. I did not understand the overall plot of the film until I read a synopsis on google, then it all clicked. I honestly do not have much to say about this film, the acting seemed pretty average, but once again, while watching the film I was never able to grasp the overall plot, and that itself is a disappointment. 

Crooklyn - Dean A

Crooklyn was a movie that was released in 1994 but took place in the summer of 1973. I really enjoyed this movie because it was pretty funny and i like how the movie's main character was actually Troy instead of her brothers. Troy was so different compared to her brothers, she was expected to do certain things because she was a female.
I think the conflict that the boys had with their neighbor was funny, it was actually the boys that were antagonizing the neighbor but he always acted back at the worst time, making him look like the bad guy. The father in this movie was really chill, he wasn't strict and doesn't like to yell at his kids, he doesn't enforce rules as strongly as their mother. The mother was very strict and isn't afraid to tell her kids her mind.
When Troy was sent to her auntie's house it was complete culture shock, she wasn't used to having a yard, having to be clean and organized and not being as rowdy. She hasn't even heard crickets before. There were certain things that her aunt would say to her that unknowingly made troy mad, and at one point troy stuffed her aunts dog into the couch (lol)
But this movie i would give an 8/10 and i would definitely watch this again the budget was $14 million which was a lot more than i thought they needed and in box office it made $13 million which isn't a good ratio.

Jaws - Dean A

Jaws, was known as one of the scariest movies of its time. I'm sure this movie kept people nervous while they were on vacation or by the beach. The movie started with just some teenagers hanging out at the beach, not causing trouble, but then a girl goes for a swim and doesn't come back, once the sherrif heard about this he immediately told the mayor, but the mayor insisted it was nothing, and when more attacks started to happen the mayor still remained quiet, even when a shark was killed and it was unlikely it was the killer the mayor still kept the beaches open because that is a big tourist attraction and keeps the towns small economy healthy. But now with the shark attacks the town was getting a lot more attention than they intended.
A good chunk of the movie was with the police officer, the aqua marine biologist (i think that's what he does) and the fisherman were all on a fishing boat in hopes of capturing and killing this deadly shark. The three men had a few very close encounters with the shark but unfortunately their attacks weren't to effective against the shark. All three men ended up gaining each others trust and started to work together.  Another failed attempt was when they sent the marine biologist into the water in a cage with a needle with poison in it in hopes of injecting it into the shark, but this didn't work and the shark completely destroyed the cage but he escaped unharmed.The shark began to destroy the boat and the fisherman ended up falling and being eaten, one of the men threw an oxygen tank into the sharks mouth and the officer put a bullet through it and the shark was blown into pieces.
The film had a $9 million dollar budget which was a little lower than i thought it would be, and the film made $470.7 million in box office, and to my surprise the movie was rated PG! which is crazy because the movie is all about violence and killing, its cool to notice how ratings have changed in recent years. Also i would give this movie a 9/10 and i would definitely watch this movie again if i had the opportunity to do so.

The Breakfast Club - Dean A

The Breakfast Club was a movie released in 1985 about 5 teenagers who were on Saturday detention. This movie i'm assuming is called "The Breakfast Club" because their detentions took place on Saturday mornings. The movie was pretty funny especially Bender, he is the typical kind of trash athlete looking kid in high school, he did make everybody laugh but sometimes he would push it too far. He normally antagonized the principal and bothered him to an insane extent. The Principal had to come into the room on multiple occasions to threaten Bender, he kept giving him more detentions.
At one point bender locked the principal out of the room, bender also snuck out of the room to get pot from his locker to bring back to the detention room for his friends. Speaking of friends, they all generally hated each other in the beginning because they were so different but in the end they were much friendlier after they all opened up to each other.
The budget for this movie was $1 million dollars which i think is even a little high for this movie, and that's because the entirety of the movie took place in a school with minimal destruction. The movie did pretty good in the box office grossing $51.5 million dollars. its crazy to compare it to the Indiana Jones movie that came out just one year earlier which grossed $333.1 million. i would give this movie a 7/10 just because i do prefer something that has more action in it, but this movie was still pretty funny and i really liked all the characters sense of humor.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - Dean A

The movie Indiana Jones is surely a classic, it has a number of sequels and even had a new movie come out just come out in 2008 (Crystal Skull), while Temple of Doom came out in 1984, twenty four years later the series is still making movies.
So i thought this movie was fantastic for a adventure action type film, to my surprise it is rated as a PG movie and this is surprising because there was a lot of fighting and violence in the movie, in fact there was some blood, i'm referring to the scene where Indiana Jones put one of his opponents under the stone crusher, you could see blood on it after it rolls the man over. I would think that the movie would at least be PG-14!
This movie had some comedy in it which was great, one scene that was particularly funny was when Short Round went onto the wooden bridge and was jumping saying it was okay but then the board supporting him broke. But right after this was my favorite part of the movie, when Indiana Jones was in the middle of the bridge with enemies on both sides of him than he cut the bridge and held on for his life, it was also great when after this scene everybody assumed he was dead but then you see his hand grip the dirt right at the end of the bridge which showed he was very alive.
The movie had a pretty big budget of $28.17 million dollars and it did fantastic in the movie theater by making 333.1 million dollars (box office)  I would rate this movie an 8/10 and i would definitely watch it again.

Crooklyn by Walatsebi Kofi-Mensah Lomotey

Crooklyn

The movie Crooklyn by Spike Lee was sort of a typical New York family that goes through financial problems and a death by a loved one. This movie actually kind of reminded me of Chris Rock's "Everybody Hates Chris". In this show their family was always in a financial state like the one in Crooklyn and they both on food stamps so I connected them.
 In the beginning of the movie I felt like their was no purpose of the movie. It jus seamed like another day in Brooklyn, New York. It didn't feel like their was a conflict or going to be one. Other than that I found a few things interesting. One thing I found interesting was Troy. She was a very unique little girl. Her character changed drastically through out the movie. She changed from being a nice girl to shop lifting and then back to being a nice girl again. She is the only girl of 5 kids in her family so she plays a big roll. Troy was a tomboy but its kind of ideal because she is growing up with 4 brothers. She was really bad in the beginning of the movie then she got sent to her auntie's house. Her aunt straighten her up. While she was there, her mother sent her a letter. It described all that she missed and how the family is doing. But when she got back she was surprised by the fact that her mother is sick. This part surprised me because i didn't see it coming. When this happened then I realized the point of the movie and the importance of Troy. Mother was sick so someone had to step up and it was Troy. Thats the significance of this movie, what Spike Lee intentions was to show us.

Aj Consiglio 

Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones Temple Of Doom is a 1984 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the second installment in the Indiana Jones franchise and a prequel to the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark. After arriving in North India, Indiana Jones is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone. He agrees, stumbling upon aThuggee cult practicing child slavery, black magic, and ritual human sacrifice in honor of their goddess Kali.

Producer and co-writer George Lucas decided to make the film a prequel as he did not want the Nazis to be the villains again. After three rejected plot devices, Lucas wrote a film treatment that resembled the film's final storyline. Lawrence Kasdan, Lucas's collaborator on Raiders of the Lost Ark, turned down the offer to write the script, and Willard Huyckand Gloria Katz were hired as his replacement, with the resultant screenplay partly based upon the 1939 film Gunga Din.^[2]

The film was released to financial success but mixed reviews, which criticized its violence, later contributing to the creation of the PG-13 rating.^[3] However, critical opinion has improved since 1984, citing the film's intensity and imagination. Some of the film's cast and crew, including Spielberg, retrospectively view the film in a negative light, partly due to the film being the most overtly violent Indiana Jones film.^[1] The film has also been the subject of controversy due to its negative portrayal of India and Hinduism.^[4][5][6]

JAWS OM NOM NOM NOM (Spoiler Warning)

Firstly, I was happy to hear that we'd be finally watching Jaws in film class, especially as it's such a classic film. Honestly, I was expecting this film to be more of a "horror" film, and though there is suspense and tense moments, there's nothing really much in this film that makes me classify it as a horror movie (At least in comparison to Alien) and classify this more as a "Thriller" movie due to most of the movie moments.

I'll say this right off the bat: I'm surprised that a child was part of the Jaw's menu, I'm usually used to seeing children usually threatened, but never off'd. But hey, the moment up't the ante on this shark, especially with it's large size shown as the shark goes in for another kill.

After watching this film, I can see how this would be considered a classic, good shots, good story, great cast of characters, thriller moments to really get you interested, especially with the shark not usually being seen at all times due to it being underwater, etc,etc. I'd recommend this film right off the bat due to all of its content and then some!

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

One of my favorite movies of all time is Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Watching it in film studies gave me flashbacks to my earliest childhood, when I would go over my grandmother's house and watch movies all day. My grandmother was a fan of the Indiana Jones movies because of her huge crush on Harrison Ford. I vividly remember seeing for the first time the part where the cult leader rips out the sacrificial man's heart. Astounded, I immediately jumped on top of my dad and tried tearing his heart out, but to no avail. He then body slammed me and motioned to do me like Mola Ram did his human sacrifice. I then murked and wasn't seen for a good half hour until my neighbor pulled me out of the bushes behind his back yard and returned me to my parents. Nonetheless, I have remained a huge fan of all the Indiana Jones movies to this day.      

Jaws!

Wrong Jaws, but you tried.

Jaws is a fantastic classic about some dudes trying to catch a shark in a small boat. Yadda yadda, we're going to need a bigger boat, oh dear god sharks.

I've never actually seen Jaws before but it turned out to be as good as people said it was. I didn't get to see the intro, but from what I can understand, everyone knows there's a big shark out there and they want to get rid of it.

Some stuff happens, there's a police investigation but meanwhile this big tycoon who owns the beach deems it safe to swim in after the investigation. So the beach party continues, everyone's having a good time.

Then wham, shark! Everyone evacuates, the coast guard shows up, they aim guns at the shark but turns out it's just a little kid with a shark fin on his back. Fun.

Great distraction though, because turns out there's an actual shark nearby and it's headed right near where three kids are going small-boat sailing. Yikes, suddenly the shark shows up and tips the boat over! The kids got saved but the adult accompanying them wasn't so lucky.

Soon after, we see the chief of police (Brody) team up with Quint (a hardcore seaman, caught many sharks) and Hooper (an oceanographer) to go out to sea to catch this beast. They had several encounters with the beast and the boat suffered a ton of damage.

I didn't get to see the end, but from what I recall, the boat gets demolished, the team catches the shark but Quint loses his life to said shark.

Beast of The Southern Wild- Michelle Ford

Beast of the Southern Wild was a good movie and expresses how they had to struggle to live in a place that they called home. The Bathtub is a Southern Delta community at the edge of the world. Hushpuppy was the main character that lives with her father Wink and other roommates. Wink wants the best for Hushpuppy because he knows it's going to be hard out in the real world. He taught her all the right things that'll make her tougher, especially where they lived at. Also, did a good job for raising her as a single father. I think she's the real definition of a strong young lady and fights for what she wants. They noticed all the animals were dying and the ice melting. Wink and his friends wanted to find out what was getting them sick and causing death. Maybe because of the water? Wink took a dive in the water, couple of days later he became ill. He looked weaken and Hushpuppy knew something was wrong because he wasn't acting normal. I think he was trying to hide how he was feeling when Hushpuppy came around because he knew she wasn't going to be happy. He always told her not to cry, but she couldn't help it.

After she noticed her father illness and maybe the border of dying, she began searching for her mother. I knew her search wasn't going to be valid because her mother might of been dead or might not of been in that town. Hushpuppy went to a nightclub where she met this lady in the kitchen, who she talks to and dances with. The lady made her some food, where she brings it back to father for his last meal with them two together. Before Wink passes, they ate and had another father to daughter talk. They both started to cry and Hushpuppy cried a little but stayed strong throughout the talk. They made Hushpuppy put her father to rest by burning him and sending him off out to the water.

This was my first time watching this movie and I liked it because it reminds me of the movie Crooklyn. Troy was also the main character and stayed strong while her mother passed and Hushpuppy was the same way.    

The Breakfast Club: Armani Maldonado

The Breakfast Club was probably the first classic well-known movie in class that I actually have seen. Directed by John Hughes, this 1985 American film depicts five different high school students, Brian (Anthony Michael Hall), Andy (Emilio Estevez), Bender (Judd Nelson), Claire (Molly Ringwald), and Allsion (Ally Sheedy) who all found their way into detention for completely different reasons. As the film continues, the teens begin to bond in ways like messing with Shermer High School's very own assistant principal who is also responsible for detention supervising, Mr. Vernon (Paul Gleason). By the end of the movie two potential relationships have already began developing, and its not at all what'd you typically expect; Ally & Andy as one relationship and Bender & Claire as the other. This leaves Brian to write all of the 1,000-word self-reflection essays, as requested of him by the other students.

I actually did enjoy watching the Breakfast Club in class, even if it was about my third time watching it. I find myself very aesthetically pleased with the film if that makes sense. I really enjoy most the outfits of the students, they truly do a great job at expressing the personalities of the characters. I do find myself feeling like the film was actually rushed, I feel like there are scenes like the Allison makeover that could have used more details; it just felt so fast! But that being said, The Breakfast Club still is one of my favorite movies due to its cinematography as a whole. Its no surprise that it is still a very well-known film even three decades after its release. 

We're not sinking, we're crashing!!

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is an all-time classic, with many shows parodying it to this day. Notably, the scene in India where Jones rolls under a closing door and reaches back under to pick up his fedora. One specific mention of this is from Family Guy's, "Road to Germany", a sequence in which Brian and Stewie Griffin, and Mort Goldman exit their crashing plane, which mimics the same situation from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom complete with raft, "We're not sinking, we're crashing!" quote and Slalom on Mt. Humol from the movie's score.

Despite all these pop culture references, I never actually got around to watching Indiana Jones. (The same goes for James Bond and most of Star Wars, for that matter...) I finally got to see it in Intro to Film Studies, and I can see why the movie is a classic. I can admit that half the time I check my phone during movies, but I had to fully sit down and watch this one. I felt a few emotions as I watched it, ranging from laughing to suspense to disgust. Those bugs in India were righteously creepy, ech... There were some, "what the hell" moments like the life raft and the Kali sacrifice where the victim's heart is ripped out right in front of him with little to no effort. KALI MA!

One part that sticks out in my mind is the scene where Short Round picks up Indy and Willie Scott in the car. I just think it's funny how they have a little kid driving their car, but I suppose it makes a little bit of sense because it's not like Jones can shoot from behind and drive.

All in all this is a silly but also amazing movie and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get into watching classic cinema.

Armani Maldonado: Beasts of the Southern Wild

Beasts of the Southern Wild is a 2012 fantasy/drama film featuring the Annie star Quvenzshané Wallis. The film opens in the home of Quvenzshané's character, six-year old Hushpuppy, trying to set a chick onto a mud throne, a rather interesting activity. The film goes on to reveal to us the environment that Hushpuppy is living in, a very poor secret society away from civilization.

Hushpuppy seems to have a tendency to try to listen to animals. She could be seen at the beginning of the film holding the chick to her ear trying to listen, to what exactly I am not sure; it could be its heart beat, its thoughts, its speech?
I also found it hard to understand the mind state of the father of Hushpuppy, Wink, played by Dwight Henry. It seemed like he would just leave his five-year old daughter to fend for herself voluntarily. Does he not understand the safety issues of this decision or does he just not care? If he doesn't care why doesn't he just allow someone else to care for Hushpuppy instead of letting her fend for herself in the dangerous world that they live in that is The Bathtub.

Jaws- Michelle Ford

Jaws was a 1975 film that was mainly on capturing "Jaws". It all started by young teenagers having fun, partying outside near the ocean. When a young woman and her friend were intoxicated wondering around near the water, when she decided to swim deep into the ocean. Suddenly, something started to pull her down and she never got back to land. Once when they found her remains, Chief Martin wanted to close the beach but the Mayor thought that was a bad idea because they really didn't now how to died. And also, he didn't want to scare the town.

After, they found out something had killed an innocent young lady, they gathered up and had a meeting with Chief Martin, Mayor Larry and others. They decided to talk about the situation and bring in an Ichthyologist
to determine whether the young lady was killed by a shark or got into an accident with a boat. Chief Martin knew there was a bigger problem then they expected. He knew all along that there was a killer shark but he kept quiet and that got him into a lot of trouble. Parents and others was made at him because he knew, but in my opinion, they should of been mad at the mayor because he;s the one who told him not tell anybody.

When the ichthyologist Matt finally came, he revealed the remain of the young lady arm and immediately knew that was a shark bite. But it wasn't just a shark, it was Jaws. They had closed the beach and captured a shark but it wasn't the one they expected. Chief Martin,Matt and the ship captain Quint, all went together to find the shark that's been scaring and killing people. They didn't know what boat to use because there were prediction on what and how big the shark was. They took a little boat and once they seen the shark for the first time, they had to get another boat. I think the knew boat they had got was still to small to capture Jaws. 

Going deep in the ocean, they had noticed Jaws was circling their boat, they put barriers on him to locate when he's near. They was attacking the shark and the shark was attacking them, damaging their boat and killing one of them. Captain Quint. Their first try of capturing the shark had failed because Matt went under water and dropped the interjection that was for the shark. They had to try another plan and that just him more mad. He sink their boat and killed Quint. Finally, Chief Martin and Matt had destroyed Jaws. It was a relief and they accomplished the biggest goal.   

Breakfast Club - Rigo

The film, Breakfast Club, is an amazing movie to watch. The actors really brought their characters to life by making them seem realistic. This film was a great comedy drama for teens to watch and relate to. There were characters from all type of social groups, jocks, nerds, goth, bad boy, and the pretty rich white girl. Who would have thought that these group of kids would become friends through an SAT detention session!  My favorite part was when the students smoked and they all started to act up. Especially the jock who managed to break a glass door by yelling. 

Jaws. Alethia Moore

This film was the first summer blockbuster in 1975. From the opening scene I felt like this movie would be very incomprehensible. Due to the fact that equipment from 1975 is not as graphic as equipment in the 20th century. From looking at the front cover my adrenaline began to rush about what would happen in the movie. 

Beast Of The Southern Wild. Alethia Moore

This movie describes the life of a low income town called the bath tub. This movie also had a magical sense that expressed the beast of the southern wild. Tradition and nature was the base of the bath tub lifestyle. 

People that lived in the bathtub build houses out of metal, old trucks and trailers. They relide on recycling a lot to get and build new things. They also managed to use nature as a Heath care method by making medicine out of trees and plants . 

One thing that I found to be very important throughout the whole movie was gender role. The protagonist who was a female often played a more rough and dominate role. Her father raised her to be strong so that one day she will be able to survive in the bathtub by the end of the movie she was alone and surviving to make a life for herself in the bathtub. 

The Rumble in The Jungle: By Darious Cooper

The Rumble in the Jungle was a very interesting movie. This was a time long before I was born, but for some reason why we watched this movie, I felt some type of nostalgia. It's so energetic that you feel like your the one in the ring boxing. With that kind of match up, the hype surrounding the fight could probably on be rivaled by today's PPV fights such as Mayweather v. Pacquiao. Between Ali's constant slander of Foreman, and Foreman being the favorite in the fight, even tho you know the outcome, while watching this film you would think the fight could go either way. In conclusion I think this movie was good but it wasn't the best film I'd ever watched.

Malcolm X: By Darious Cooper

Malcolm X was the film that made me like taking film studies. It tested what I thought I knew about black history in those segregated time periods. Malcolm X opened my eyes to the actually struggles of black American men women and children that, because of him, I don't have to experience anymore. It also opened my eyes to the spirit of hungry men. Hungry for power, and willing to do unjust acts just to prove a point. The scene in this movie that stuck with me the longest was his assassination. It was the level of animosity that caught my eyes. Instead of ending it with the one shot, they filled his entire body with bullets and even reloading and switched guns. The fact that they were other black men, people Malcolm had spent his whole life trying to help, really showed me that you can't really completely trust anyone. The conspiracy that the nation of Islam was behind his murder is a fascination that leaves you thinking after the film. All in all tho, this film was really a must watch, it grabbed my attention the whole time.

Crooklyn: By Darious Cooper

Crooklyn was by far my favorite movie out of all of the ones we viewed in film studies. Crooklyn portrayed the life and hardships of how I grew up myself. Never before has a film been so relatable to me. Between the in and out father, the strong mother figure and being a house full of kids with a strong bond, I could look at the movie and be like "I remember doing things like that as a child." The thing that really hit me the most was when the mother died. I have experienced the constant and repeated hospitalization of my mom, which isn't exactly what happened in the movie,  but I definitely felt and understood the emotions that the young girl in the film went through. All in all,  crooklyn was my favorite movie in film studies.

Jaws: By Darious Cooper

In my opinion, Jaws was a movie with a lot of experimentation. For the time, the ways in which they convey the shark attacking is honestly convincing. The movie also struck me because it was the first time I'd ever actually seen it. Coming in and not knowing the plot of the movie but understanding it sort of shows the stereotype of shark attacks. You get your people on a boat in the ocean, a huge shark and that all spells disaster.

Crooklyn Deana Tavares

This film honestly kept my attention at all times. It wasn't my favorite but I liked it. Its about a 9 year old girl named Troy who lives in Brooklyn with her family. Troy went through a bunch of hardships with her family as a young girl. Her parents were having relationship problems and problems with money but eventually things were resolved a little later in the film. In the movie Troy is also facing problems other than watching her parents go through bumps in the road like getting caught stealing and constantly arguing with her brothers. She even ends up having to live with her aunt, uncle and cousin during her summer. After receiving reading a letter from her mother she ends up going back home to live with her family, come to find out her mother was diagnosed with a severe form of cancer.Unfortunately she ends up passing away which was really sad to me. I really like the after effect it had on Troy though because she got some thicker skin and matured from her tragedy with her mother. She almost took on the role of her mother. It was a very bittersweet ending. 

Winter's Bone

Jennifer Lawrence AKA 17 year-old Ree, takes care of her sick mother and brother and sister that are younger than her. Her father is a drug dealer that has been missing for a while. A cop shows up one day looking for the dad saying that the he put up the house/property for his bail. This meant that if he didn't show up for the trial date they would lose all of it. She immediately started looking for his whereabouts and asks around for help to find him. Each one of them warned her that shed get hurt looking for him and did end up being beat up quite a lot. Eventually with all her determination she ends up finding his dead body.

This was also another one of my favorite movies this quarter.  Ree had to help cut off her father's hands which kind of freaked me out. But it was really interesting how willing she was to do whatever it took. She played her character so well you couldn't tell that it was even a movie really. I could re watch this movie a million times and not get bored. 

Beasts of the Southern Wild

The main character, Hushpuppy was a six year-old girl who lives with her dad in the Bathtub. The Bathtub is a southern Delta neighborhood that I think was at the edge of the world (can't remember). Her father had a serious illness so he's really hard on her and teaches her how to take care of herself because he knows he isn't going to live much longer. I assume something happened to her mom because she used to talk to her but she never appeared in the movie or anything. Once a frozen ice cap melted it went downhill from there. When Hushpuppy finds out her father is dying she went to go look for her which was really upsetting to watch.  A man takes her to a nightclub where she meets a woman in a kitchen who she talks to and dances with. Then Hushpuppy goes to see her dad before he dies and eats her last meal with her father that she'll ever have. This was really one of my favorite movies of this quarter because you could really see how strong she was after losing her parents and being so young. It reminded me a little of Crooklyn because Hushpuppy was able to accept her dad's death and stay strong like Troy with her mother's death in Crooklyn.

The Breakfast Club Deana Tavares

the breakfast club was about a group of teens that were sent to a Saturday detention for doing something out of the box at school. In the beginning of the movie everyone disliked each other because they were from different group types in the high school, popular, jock, awkward, bad boy, and of course a nerd.  None of their cliques associated with each other of course. They were all pretty stereo  typical characters. By the end of the movie they all ended up realizing they aren't that different from each other no matter who they hanged out with.  They all realized that they all had problems that they had to deal with which brought them closer but once the detention was over it was all agreed that nobody would talk or hang with each other. 

I really liked the movie but at the same time to me it was pretty predictable. I think because of the movie Mean Girls I was just like oh here we go again another high school popular kids and geeks movie. But its an older movie so its basically like the original high school movie. 

Jaws

Jaws (1975) is actually the only other movie, other than The Breakfast Club, that I have seen a few times before watching it in class. I love movies where people are being attacked by sea creatures. I also love the classic Jaws theme. I wouldn't consider Jaws as a scary movie, I actually thought some parts of it were pretty funny. I've never seen any of the sequels to Jaws but I am considering watching them if I get the chance.

The movie starts out with the death of the first victim of the shark attack. A teen girl who is partying with friends. Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) is called in about the missing girl and investigates finding her mangled body on the beach. He believes  it was a shark attack, however, the idiot mayor (Murray Hamilton) tries to convince him otherwise so they don't have to close the beaches. Eventually another attack does occur proving that it was a shark attack. People then start hunting for the shark. One group who thinks they are successful, did not find the right shark. They decide to take up Quint (Robert Shaw) a local fisherman's offer to kill the shark.

The real action of the movie starts when Brody, Quint and Hooper go out to capture the Great White shark. However, I was upset with how Quint ended getting killed by the shark in the end. That was probably the only person I wouldn't have expected to be devoured by the shark. He was the best character. At least they were able to destroy the shark in the end. I enjoy watching this movie and would definitely watch it again.

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) was a very interesting movie. The main character, Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) is a six year-old girl who lives with her hot-tempered father (Dwight Henry) in the Bathtub. The Bathtub is a southern Delta community at the edge of the world. Hushpuppy receives tough love from her father who is trying to prepare her for the outside world when he is not there to protect her. He seems to have some mysterious illness. Then a storm and melting ice caps creates trouble for the Bathtub and it becomes flooded.

When Hushpuppy finds out her father is dying she goes searching for her mother, who I just assumed the whole time was dead, and she is picked up in the water by a random boatman. He takes her to a nightclub where she meets a woman in a kitchen who she talks to and dances with. Then Hushpuppy realizes she should go back to see her father before he dies. She has a last meal with her father and stays strong even when he passes.

Although I liked this movie, the ending was sad having her parent die when she was so young. It reminded me a little of Crooklyn. Hushpuppy was able to accept her father's death and stay strong like Troy with her mother's death in Crooklyn.

Overall I thought the movie good. The acting was great and most scenes were beautifully shot in my opinion. I would probably watch it again if I got the chance.

Winter's Bone

Winter's Bone (2010) stars Jennifer Lawrence as the main character, 17 year-old Ree, who takes care of her sick mother and two siblings. Her father is involved in drug dealing and hasn't been around for a while. A local sheriff shows up one day telling her that her father put up their house and property for his bail and must show up for a trial date or they lose everything. She is determined to find her father, dead or alive and asks people associated with her father about his whereabouts. They warn her to mind her own business or risk getting hurt. She doesn't listen and ends up getting hurt by three women from the clan but they eventually take her to see her dead father's body.

The start of the film seemed a little dull and slow but I was still interested in what was going to happen. When they brought her to find her father's body is when the film became a little gruesome. Ree had to help cut off her father's hands. I think Jennifer Lawrence's performance was great in this scene. It was disturbing to watch. I felt bad for how many hardships her character had to go through at such a young age. However, her traumatizing experience saved the house which meant she didn't have to separate from her siblings. I'm glad it was at least a good ending and I wasn't disappointed with it. Overall, I liked the movie but I'm not sure if I would re watch it.

Crooklyn

Crooklyn (1994) was a very fast-paced, entertaining, and interesting movie. There was never really a dull moment in the film. There was always something happening which made it entertaining. It kept my attention throughout the film.

The film stars Troy (Zelda Harris) a nine year-old living in Brooklyn with her parents and four brothers. It takes place around the early 1970's. Throughout the movie, Troy's family struggles with different problems such as money issues and even her parents struggle with relationship issues. However, her parents issue is quickly resolved later on in the film. Troy is also facing her own problems like getting caught stealing, bickering with her brothers, and ending up having to live with her aunt, uncle and cousin in the summer. She ends up getting along well with her cousin but ends up going home after receiving and reading a letter from her mother. When she arrives back we find out that Troy's mother is very sick with cancer.

The ending of the film was very surprising to me. I wasn't expecting for Troy's mother to pass away. However, I noticed that it caused a change in Troy. I saw she started to grow up and mature by taking over her mother's role by helping her brother by combing his hair. It was sad but Troy was able to accept her mother's death and be able to live on with more responsibilities. The film may have ended sad but I think it was a good film to view in class.

The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club (1985) is the only movie that I have watched before seeing it in class, so far. It's one of my favorite movies and I'm glad we watched it in class.

In The Breakfast Club five very different teens are forced to spend a whole Saturday together for detention. At the beginning everybody mostly hated each other. Everyone was from a different click which meant that it was taboo to associate with anyone other than their friends. Each character is presented as a certain stereotype: Claire (the princess), Bender (the criminal), Brian (the brain), Andrew (the athlete) and Allison (the basket-case). They may have all seemed different at first however, throughout the movie they realized how similar they really are. They all had problems they were facing at home that others, such as Mr. Vernon, didn't really understand. They were able to open up to each other by the end of the film and understand each other and even become friends.

One of the reasons I love this movie is because it could be hilarious in some scenes and dramatic in others. During some scenes I would be laughing so hard and while other scenes could make me cry. An example of this would be having the scene where they were smoking pot which was pretty hilarious turn dramatic and sad when Brian and Andrew started talking about why the got detention in the first place. Andrew revealed that was tired of the pressure from his father to be the best at wrestling. Brian revealed that he was going to commit suicide because he had gotten an F in shop which would ruin his A average and is pressured by his parents to get good grades.

Overall, it's a great movie and I'll probably watch it again.

Dejah Tinney: Jaws

Jaws, a 1975 Thriller/ Drama film directed by Steven Spielberg. This film is about a large great white shark beginning to raise havoc in the small island community of Amity. It first began when a young woman named Chrissie Watkins (Susan Backlinie) leaves a beach party to go skinny dipping, only to be pulled under water by an unseen force. When Amity's police chief, Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), is notified that Chrissie is missing, and Deputy Hendricks (Jeffrey Kramer) found her remains on the beach, the medical examiner informs Brody that she was killed by a shark. Then Brody plans to close the beaches but is overruled by Mayor Larry Vaughan (Murray Hamilton), who fears that reports of a shark attack will ruin the summer tourist season. A short time later, a boy named Alex Kintner (Jeffrey Voorhees) is killed by a shark at the beach as well.

Although, I've heard about the movie Jaws, my first time watching it was in this class. Overral the movie was okay, if it was remade with the new technology today I believe it would be way better. This is kind've random but while I was in Disney years ago they had a Jaws ride where you got in a little boat and you had to try to kill "Jaws" every time he jumped out of the water. I thought I'd just make that connection since I didn't have any other connections to this film.

Dejah Tinney: Winter's Bone

Winter's Bone, a 2010 Thriller/ Indie film directed by Debra Granik. The film is about a seventeen year old named Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) who looks after her mentally ill mother, twelve year old brother Sonny (Isaiah Stone), and six year old sister Ashlee (Ashlee Thompson) in the rural Ozarks of the central United States. Ree takes care of her siblings and makes sure they eat everyday while teaching them basic survival skills like hunting and cooking. The family is very poor. Ree's father and the family's main provider, Jessup, has not been home for a long time. 

This movie reminded me a lot of Beasts of the Southern Wild. I say that not because in both movies the leading roles are female but because the families are poor and live in remote areas and also in both movies they are taught or teach survival skills. They are both independent movies that have significant meanings.

Dejah Tinney: Beasts of the Southern Wild

Beasts of the Southern Wild, a 2012 Fantasy/ Drama film directed by Benh Zeitlin. The film is about a father, Wink (Dwight Henry) and his six year old daughter Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) living in a Delta community. Wink, Hushpuppy's father is very stern & strict but he is preparing his daughter for the end of the world, teaching her survival skills and how to be independent and do things on her own. One day, Hushpuppy wished her father died and when Wink falls ill, nature falls ill with him. The rising waters threaten to flood their community, sending Hushpuppy to search for her mother.

At first I did not understand this movie, I was confused. I didn't know what was going on or why it was going on. Beasts of the Southern Wild is the kind of movie that you would have to watch a second time to understand it. But overall, it was an okay movie.

Crooklyn- Michelle Ford

Crookyln was established in 1994, a film directed by Spike Lee. Troy had four brothers that she really didn't get along with to good because they used to always exclude her from things that they did. I think Lee made this movie because it shows how people used to live/ still live in Crooklyn,Brooklyn and the struggle people have to do just to pay bills or get something to eat.I can relate to Troy because I'm the only girl and my brothers thinks just because I'm a girl, I can't do certain things. Troy hold her own and didn't let nobody run over her just because she was the only girl and little. They struggled with bills and once got their UI got turned off.
Troy and her friend decided to go to the store but they didn't have no money. They went into the store while the clerk was talking. Troy friend stole a Popsicle while try was trying to steal some chips but she got caught and got kicked out the store. Another time Troy got sent to the store, she got her mother's EBT card stole and blamed it on her mother because she didn't want go to to the grocery store by herself and she knew something was going to happen.
There was this annoying neighbor that didn't want to be bothered by Troy brothers and their friends. They used to always throw their trash in his yard or mess with his cats and when they got caught, they'll argue back. The neighbor brought it to their parents attention but they didn't believe him. I would of been mad too because I wouldn't want people putting trash in my yard either, especially if their doing it on purpose and getting away with it.
Troy parents sent her to her aunt's southern home to visit during the summer. When Troy arrived, she immediately wanted to leave because it didn't feel like home to her. I didn't like the aunt because she was talking about Troy's hair and her ear piercing. The cousin seem like she didn't like the aunt either. Troy and her cousin started playing very well with each other until it was time to leave. They didn't want to be apart. When Troy arrived back at home, she heard her mother was sick and in the hospital. She went to see her mother and knew by her looks that she wasn't feeling well. Her mother passed.

The Breakfast Club - Michelle Ford

The Breakfast Club was estblished John Hughes in 1985. This was my first time watching this movie, I enjoyed it because it was different personalities and they all had to get to know each other. Five high school students was being watched over by their principal. One thing I dislike about the movie was the ending because it didn't show what was going to happen that Monday. Was they going to speak to one another or not? Claire pretty much told the honest truth about what she thinks was going to happen if they all see each other Monday. 
For a day in detention, it looks like they were having the best time of their lives and didn't obey any rules besides writing the paper. Well, they didn't even follow that rule because they all had to write a paper about who they were but instead, Claire gave them a good decision to just write one paper because they all can relate to what happened that day. I liked that idea but they were there for several hours just playing around but couldn't write one paper about themselves. Allison knew everything about there is to know about Brian because she stole his wallet while they were cruising the hallways. Allison blackmailed Claire of making her say things about herself that others didn't know. I thought that was dishonest of her because they were all saying things that other people didn't know and were told to not judge them, but Allison went against that. 
Each member was in detention because...
- Andrew: taped Carry butt cheeks together because he wanted the boy to see him as "cool". He told Brian, Claire, Allison and Bender he did it because he was jealous of Carry and also that he regrets it because he having to go home and explaining to his parents what happened. After Andrew finished telling them what he did, he started to break down. 
- Brian: got caught with a gun in his locker when it went off and because he got an F in wood shop. 
- Allison: went to detention because she didn't have nothing better to do
Towards the end of the movie, Claire gave Allison a makeover. She actually looked better and it was kinda of weird that Andrew started to like her just because she looked different and gave her his football jacket. Bender and Claire started to "talk" which I also thought was strange because both of them didn't like each other and was going head-to-head. Claire gave him one of her pearl earrings. Maybe because he told her other people can't afford or have stuff like her. Both, Andrew and Allison, Bender and Claire kissed before they went off. 
On Monday, I think each of them aren't going to speak to one another because they don't want their friends to know they were all talking, especially Claire talking to Brian and Allison. Claire was honest to tell them if the situation ever happened, she wouldn't speak to none of them because on what might her friends might say.  

Crooklyn
Aj Consiglio
5-7-15

Crooklyn was a movie directed by spike lee and it was about a little girl that has to grow up really really fast. She had 4 brothers 3 where older and 1 was younger then her. She grep up only knowing about stealing and finding ways to get the boys back on her block. She was a leader and a strong little girl.

Jaws by Rigo Escalera

Jaws was a pretty good movie in my opinion. I really enjoyed the directing and the acting in this movie. The opening scene was a girl swimming in the ocean. In the background you hear a non diegetic sound. As the song increased in speed it gave a sense of suspense. You knew something was about to happen. Then all of a sudden, Jaws comes out and eats her alive. During the movie there has been attempts to capture the great beast. However no one was successful. Towards the end, the protagonist of the movie was able to capture Jaws and claim the prize.  

Jaws - Jamie Pisacane

Jaws was an interesting movie. Who would of thought of a movie about sharks? And more importantly, make it interesting and funny! Not me! But Steven Spielberg did! What made me sad was that they made sharks seem like a dangerous creature. Yes, you shouldn't go near sharks. But, they aren't out to kill us.

Sharks don't like the taste of us. Usually a shark will bite us due to curiosity. They don't know what is splashing around in the water, so they mistake us for a seal. Usually, a shark will take one bite, and that's it. They don't like the taste, so they won't take anymore than a single bite. 100 million sharks are killed every year, while sharks kill about 37 humans a year.

So, in the end, this movie give sharks a bad name. People will start fearing sharks more and hunting them. We shouldn't do that, sharks don't care about humans.

Hopefully, more movies will come out with sharks, and it won't give them a bad name, but actually teach kids about sharks!!

Impossible...?

In my previous blog post about Jaws, I had talked about Amity Island's mayor, who was a complete and utter jerk. As the movie progressed and tensions rose, he still refused to close the beaches despite the fact that a vicious shark was on the loose. It was the Fourth of July weekend; the mayor was focused more on raking in the cash from the tourist crowds than anything else. This aspect of the film struck me the most, because it truly represents how the world of business works. Often, people's' safety is compromised for the sake of a business's income - in this case, the town's. Once again, Stephen Spielberg did a fantastic job of making me feel like I was in the film itself, making me feel frustrated that the mayor was endangering so many people. I could tell that Brody was nervous about this as well, especially on Independence Day when there were hundreds of visitors on the beach.

The mayor even went to the extreme of begging an old couple that was trying to sunbathe to go in the water. Since the news about the recent shark attack had been heard all over New England at this point, he was vainly attempting to cover all of the bad press up, as if nothing had ever happened. As a result, it wasn't long before tons and tons of people were carelessly playing in the water. I distinctly remember, having never seen this film before, becoming anxious at this point. The underwater POV shots certainly didn't help my cause either. This cinematography was actually a trick, because although it seemed like there was a shark nearby all of the vacationers, it was in a much different spot where no one expected. There was an area called "The Pond," where Brody had told a bunch of kids to go with their boats instead of the main ocean. He was only looking out for them, but instead he had unintentionally put them in danger. Away from the rest of the crowd, the shark attacked the boys after a false alarm had been set off at the main beach. The boys were able to survive, but the adult they were with did not. Jaws is one heck of a shark!

Fortunately for Amity Island, Hooper and Brody were able to capture the beastly shark after a tumultuous fight, at the expense of Quint's life. Quint was a hardcore seaman, however the shark's power was just too much for the boat, causing it to fall apart. The sailor couldn't manage to hold on, and before he knew it he was dead. Brody made the intelligent move of grabbing two extra oxygen tanks that Hooper had brought on the boat, throwing them into the shark's mouth. After a few tries, he successfully shot at one of the tanks, causing it to explode. Jaws was dead. Brody and Hooper, still alive, immediately started heading back to shore. Amity Island was saved.

One of the most compelling aspects of this film is its realistic feel. Since it was created in the 1970s, there was no CGI (computer generated images) back then. Any images depicted in the film were real. Obviously the shark was animatronic, but this is still more real than a virtual rendering. Everything else was real as well, from the water to the town, to the beaches. Completely authentic. I think this is one of the primary reasons why it truly felt like I, the viewer, was a part of the film. Well done, Spielberg.

Beasts of the Southern Wild

How does this film relate to the previous two films, Crooklyn and Winter's Bone?

Describe the community known as the Bathtub. How do the inhabitants feel about their environment?

How does the character of Hushpuppy grow over time?

What are your thoughts regarding the relationships between reality and fantasy i.e. the Aurochs, the girls' trip to Elysian Fields etc.?

Writing a blog in the bathtub! -Shawn Luzzi

In our lessons about a Utopian society, what better movie to show off this subject than this film. Off the bat, I was a bit confused by this film's idea, what was the point of it? What's the premise or the plot? Is the main character this rowdy young girl or the black man [her father Wink] dying of an illness? However, as the movie went on, I found that this film was more of a "slice of life" film, with just the misadventures of the townsfolk in this society dubbed "The Bathtub."

However, there were some aspects of this film I didn't understand. Firstly, what was up with the random beasts? First, they melt out of the arctic, then all of a sudden they're bashing their way through a village, then all of a sudden they just walk away from the main character near the end of the film. Seriously, what's the point of it? 

While I do think this film shines bright in most aspects, especially with showing the Utopian society, and how the residents of the Bath Tub interact with this environment (as well as their hate towards the society we all know and love. Though, in some other aspects, especially those beasts, it just leaves you a bit confused.