Final thoughts on Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde #alethiamoore

I realized this film was very old-fashioned due to the way they met, cars, guns, etc. During the movie I was surprised about the way Bonnie and Clyde interacted with each other!

Clyde's perspective on love contrasts with Bonnie's; this  proves that they were two different people coming from two different sides of the planet. The diversity in their personalities helped me to realize the clashes and reasons they worked so hard together.

Clyde was the type of person who cares about what people think and how they portray him in the media; I feel that Bonnie was trying to fit the image of a female mastermind due to the fact that Clyde was the male mastermind, and she wanted to be his lover.

One thing I was wondering is what happens to CW after the killing of Bonnie and Clyde [Malcolm, his father, cut a deal with Texas Ranger Frank Hamer to get CW a reduced sentence]? I ask this because he was well a [took an active role] part of the robberies like Bonnie and Clyde, and I just feel like he did deserve some kind of punishment.

Overall I enjoyed the film and found it very interesting. I would love to see the modern [more recent/contemporary] version to compare the two movies soon, so keep that in mind lol !!!!

The Tables Have Turned

Throughout the beginning of Bonnie and Clyde, the duo travels throughout small Missouri towns, robbing banks for petty cash. Along with the infamous couple is Clyde's brother, his reluctant and annoyingly shrill wife [nice observation; by the way actress Estelle Parsons won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Blanche], and a mechanic named C.W. Moss. At first, it is clear that they all are in positions of power, to some extent. Despite the fact that the police are after all of them, they manage to elude them for quite awhile. There were several times when Bonnie and Clyde encountered law enforcement, but the cops didn't stand a chance against them. They even went to the extent to hold one officer captive and pose for pictures with him. At this point, I realized something; everything that Bonnie and Clyde did was mostly for publicity [good]. They didn't go around robbing banks just because they wanted money, but because they wanted fame. That's why they were always posing for photographs so often [always followed by so often is redundant], and that's also why they announced who they were to each bank that they ransacked. If they were truly evil, they could've easily killed that officer that they captured, but instead they let him go. This would end up being detrimental to their career [not just their career but seems to have an adverse effect on their lifespan as well], however.

The police began to "get serious" as the movie progressed, shooting Clyde's brother to death, and severely injuring the couple. To me, it was remarkable to see these two in such a vulnerable position, because usually that's how they made everyone else feel. Clearly, the tables have turned.

Things only got worse for the dismantled gang when Blanche, Clyde's brother's wife, had snitched on C.W. Moss when she was in police custody. She had revealed this to that same officer who was held captive by Bonnie and Clyde, and you can bet that he was happy to hear this information. At this time, Bonnie and Clyde were staying at C.W. Moss's father's house. There's no doubt that his father was pissed off at the couple for corrupting his son, especially when he saw his new tattoo, which explains why he was quick to work with law enforcement when they had found that he was hiding Bonnie and Clyde. He didn't want to be involved in their crime spree at all. So, he helped the police kill them, and that's how the movie ended. Now if your partner ever says, "I hope one day we'll be like Bonnie and Clyde," kindly remind them that Bonnie and Clyde were shot to death. I don't think you want that [nice conclusion Malik].

Bonnie and clyde

I always heard Bonnie [Parker] and Clyde [Barrow] was a ride or die couple. People admire their relationship because they are one (nice observation).  I actually enjoyed watching this movie because it's one of my favorite genres, action. I enjoy watching these two rob banks together to make money. I like  how they stick together through hard times. What shocks me is that they rob banks and think it's funny. They tell people they rob banks like its a career.

They pick up a few more people to help them rob a couple, Blanch and Buck [Clyde's older brother], and an auto-mechanic CW Moss. They picked CW up at a gas station, and they peer pressured him into joining up by telling him "he don't got what it takes to rob banks." Buck and Blanch joined because they are on bonnies [sic] family line. I think they all make a good team because they have different skills. Bonnie and Clyde are the ring leaders, Blanch is the nervous wreck, Buck is the one back up Clyde and CW is the all american guy fixing cars stealing cars and driving cars.

Bonnie & Clyde by Dean

So far, this is probably my favorite movie that we have watched in film studies so far. I really enjoy the style of the movie and how the couple does illegal things. For some reason I feel like in the movie people will idolize the team of criminals because they dont hurt the people for the most part. For example in the movie when they were robbing a bank, Clyde let a man keep his money that he took out because it wasn't the banks money, so this might make their reputation not as bad. But than again they do steal a lot of peoples cars in the movie. Something else I noticed was Bonnie's fear of death, in the movie they had a couple they picked up in their car, and the man said he worked as an undertaker and so Bonnie kicked them out of the car. But yes so far this movie is excellent and I'm looking forward to finishing it.

Life on the Run

Today was my first viewing of Bonnie and Clyde. I had heard about this movie before, including references in several songs (Jay Z and Beyonce's duet "Bonnie & Clyde". It's a well-known tale in the United States, and this 1967 movie is just one of the many versions of the story. But being the curious person that I am, I couldn't help but wonder about the real story. Who were Bonnie and Clyde? I decided to do a quick Google search, and I found a Wikipedia article all about them. In the 1930s, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow travelled throughout the South, especially in Missouri. They robbed several small country stores and gas stations, and often posed for pictures of themselves to spread the word of their robberies in the newspapers around the country. They definitely wanted people to know who they were.

Many of these details were beautifully replicated in the film. Of course, as with all urban folklore, there are always a few ambiguous details, but the key points are clear. It started out with Bonnie in her bedroom, undressed. From her second floor room, she looked out of the window and saw Clyde attempting to steal her mother's car. Even though this was literally the first five minutes of the film, it was easy to tell that Bonnie had a strong attraction to Clyde. It's truly amazing what love can make you do if you let it: at first, Bonnie was definitely no criminal, but that all changed quickly when Clyde walked into her life. I remember that she didn't even know how to use the gun, but he taught her well. 

In the blink of an eye, Bonnie and Clyde were driving around Joplin, Missouri, holding up banks. It was great that we took advantage of nearly the entire period to watch this movie today (besides the technical difficulties) as we watched Bonnie and Clyde narrowly escape from law enforcement. One of my favorite moments was when C.W., a freshly-recruited mechanic, had been put in charge of driving the car. He made one of the worst mistakes of a thief: he parallel parked the escape vehicle, leaving him stuck between two cars. Who does that? 

When it comes to visual effects, the rustic cars, old-fashioned clothing, and antiquated buildings all contributed to the atmosphere of this movie. This was definitely not 2014. Despite the fact that this movie itself is ancient, it is very well-done, and I can't wait to see how these two lovebirds end up. 

Final thoughts on Chicago

    Chicago is a very interesting movie, it focuses on woman which a lot of Movie don't do because males always play the protagonist or main character. One thing that I found very surprising about this play was the fact that majority of the woman in the prison committed a crime involving killing the males in their lives, some for good reasons and some for not good reading. For example Velma killed her husband for having an affair with her sister and another lady in the prison killed her boyfriend for popping chewing gum. You don't find it often where the woman is committing harmful acts to the man but in this play that seem to be a norm taken place at the time. Another thing that I found interesting is how woman killed the dominate gender and still managed to cheat the system to get out of the situation. One thing that I loved about the play was how it kept switching to theater and then reality in the characters loves and point of views. This surprised me because each scene was related to the reality of people's live. These are my final thoughts Chicago! See you soon 👋

The Dark Side of Fame

Fame has a short attention span. One day, almost everyone around the world is talking about you, and the next day you are left in the shadows of the next shining star. In Chicago, this is highlighted in an exaggerated manner. In the last viewing of the film today, it started out with Roxie's trial. Her lawyer, Billy Flynn, only cared about money, but he also said that his clients never lose their court cases. This held true when Roxie was proclaimed innocent. Normally, being given an innocent verdict is pretty exciting, but this was no so for Roxie. She wasn't directly upset that she had won the case, but she was upset that now, everything was over, and this included her fame. Chicago was "done" with her, readjusting its focus on another woman, who had walked out of the courtroom with a gun in her hand, shooting several people. I immediately had a flashback to when Roxie had shot her husband, and when the imprisoned women told their stories of why they murdered their husbands as well. I thought "these women are crazy", because who in the right mind walks down the steps of the courtroom shooting people in broad daylight?

Now that this next woman was under the spotlight, Roxie's fan base had flocked away yet again. How would she get it back this time? Velma Kelly was the answer to her dilemma. But at first, Roxie was so hesitant to work with her, saying "I hate you", while giving her a sassy facial gesture. If that were me, I would've felt the same way, because Velma was rude to Roxie earlier on in the film when she had still been famous. At that time, Roxie was struggling to become famous, and Velma didn't even attempt to help her. But now she expects Roxie's help? That's ridiculous, and I'm glad Roxie didn't continue to let Velma use and abuse her. But here's the thing: despite the hostility between them, they both needed each other. Neither of them were famous anymore, and it would be very hard for Velma or Roxie to become solo performers. So, why not perform a duet?

In an exciting finish, Roxie and Velma brought a beautifully balanced amount of energy to the stage. As I was watching it, I couldn't help but notice their amazing dance moves, and I thought to myself that it must have taken some serious choreography and practice to pull this off. Both of them danced nearly identically; it was great.

Regardless of the well-executed performances throughout this film, I couldn't help but frown upon the way fame works. While Chicago may be a movie, many aspects of it are strikingly realistic. In real life, there are countless cases when celebrities (Justin Bieber anyone??) commit a crime or, in simple terms, do something stupid in order to regain their former glory. That's how the system works: people tend to prefer the negatives over the positives, especially the Media. Chicago brings up the fact that this cycle of fame is nothing new, it has existed for nearly a century, if not longer. To me it's ridiculous, but it's not going to stop any time soon.

CHICAGO

This movie Chicago was very different from other movies that I watch because it had many different perspectives such as: when their talking to one another but their really singing and dancing about the situation. I didn't enjoy the movie because I couldn't get a connection from the point of view of the movie. I felt I was just watching a play that talks about women killing men then getting sent to jail and saying a number of lies saying it wasn't their fault or they didn't do it. Maybe I would probably liked the movie if there wasn't any dancing and singing.

The Ruthless World of Celebrity

In our last class, we finished watching Rob Marshall's Chicago (2002). To be completely honest, I had higher expectations for the ending and felt that it seriously lacked depth. As I stated in my previous blog post, a major theme of this screenplay is the power of the media and how it manipulates the public's perception. We left off at Roxie's solo number, as she basked in her new-found celebrity. With her new popularity, Roxie became extremely arrogant and pompous, even going as far as to question the judgment of Billy, who made her  a star in the first place. Roxie received a stern reality check when Kitty Baxter was introduced. Violent and remorseless, Baxter shot both her boyfriend and his paramours in cold blood. She immediately captures the attention of the media, leaving Roxie angry and horrified. Roxie received her second reality check when the Hungarian inmate, Hunyak, was hanged. Ironically, Hunyak was the only inmate who asserted her innocence until the end.

Subsequently, Roxie faked a pregnancy to get back into the media's sympathies. During her trial, Billy skillfully tore down the prosecution, discredited witnesses, planted evidence, and even staged a fake reunion between Roxie and Amos. When Velma came forward during the trial with Roxie's incriminating journal entries, Billy discredited the evidence, claiming that the prosecuting attorney was the one who planted the evidence. Flynn was able to get both Roxie and Velma acquitted.

Roxie is excited by the new prospect of her new fame until a woman shoots her husband right outside the courthouse, leaving her in the dust. Following the trial, Roxie struggles to become famous, getting turned down time after time. Eventually, Roxie meets back up with an equally struggling Velma. Through substantial convincing, Velma and Roxie join together to form their own act. At the end of the movie, Roxie and Velma perform "Nowawdays /Hot-Honey Rag" and receive a standing ovation from the media and crowd.

In all honesty, I didn't care for the ending because I felt like there was no character growth. Roxie was still weak, shallow, and attention-starved at the end. She manipulated her husband, Amos, who stood by her loyally. Why should she get what she wanted at the end? I guess that's how the world works. But I can't pretend that I think it is okay.

Birds by Walatsebi Kofi-Mensah Lomotey

I absolutely hate birds. I despise them and this movie made my fear even worse. When I see birds gathering, I start running!!

If the film's protagonist Melanie Daniels (as portrayed by former super-model Tippi Hedron) would of just stayed in San Francisco none of this nonsense would have ever happened. Melanie just wanted to play a prank on Mitch because he played one on her. So she decided to drive all the way out to a small town of Bodega Bay in northern California.

Once she got there, the birds started acting up. It all started at a little girl's party [Melanie was actually attacked by a gull crossing the bay after trespassing and planting the love birds in Mitch's mother's house]. Birds started flying around every where and attacking the children but that wasn't it. The first first big attack happened in town. Cars started blowing up, birds flying around everywhere and killing people.

It all came down to the final scene. Mitch, his mother, his younger sister, and Melanie were boarded up in the house and just when they got comfortable and felt like everything was okay, the birds came. Thousands of them. They started pecking at the windows and even trying to get through the boarded up doors. Melanie almost got killed cause her dumb self wanted to go into a room where the birds got into. She almost got pecked alive. I wish she died, but unfortunately that didn't happen. Then Mitch walked outside and got the car so they could get out of town and the birds, thousands of them were just sitting outside watching and stopped attacking.

Somehow Mitch was able to get the car and leave with them and that was the end.
This movie was most definitely not the best movie Alfred Hitchcock made. Psycho was ten times better. I hate how there was no suspense at all. No suspense sounds or music just silence. I also hate how from the beginning of the movie you can't tell its even a Horror film.

Psycho by Walatsebi Kofi-Mensah Lomotey

I have always wondered where that shower killing scene and the killing scene on the stairs came from, and now I know its [they are] from Psycho. I saw a remake of these two murder scenes in the show "Psych."

Anyways, this movie is about a lady that stole 40,000 dollars and ran away. This part of the movie was a little deceiving because I thought the main idea of the movie was going to be whoever gets the money, but the money was nothing. When she stole the money she ran off to the Bates hotel that was owned by a man and his mother that was practically abandoned. This lady got killed in the famous shower scene by the man's Mother. The Mother also kills the detective on the famous killing on the top of the stairs. Throughout the movie there was always something strange about this man and his mother.

It turns out that the man's mother has died... a long time ago!!! The man thinks he is both his mother and himself. This multi-personalty man killed three people because he thought that his mother told him to but it was really all just himself. This is CRAZY!!!

This movie wasn't that scary, but it was really unpredictable which I liked a lot. In the movie I was completely convinced that Norman's mother was actually alive, and he was doing all this just to please his mother. Well I was completely fooled.

Alien by Walatsebi Kofimensah-Mensah Lomotey

I NEVER watch horror movies for the simple fact that I get scared easily. If I am not companied by someone else I will not even think about watching it. Alien is about a space crew that is gets attacked by an alien... typical right. The alien attacked the crew member and latched on to his face. HE IS STILL ALIVE BUT IS BEING SUFFOCATED BY IT!! The alien got away and they couldn't find it. What they didn't know is that it grew. The crew members started searching for it so they could kill it. The Alien started killing every member from the crew except for 1.
Even though it was a scary movie I liked it. I like how I was always at the edge of my seat never knowing exactly what was going to happen. This movie always had you wondering whats going to happen next.

Manipulating Her Way Into the Public's Heart

The screenplay, Chicago, directed by Rob Marshall is by far one my favorite films we have watched in class. From the vibrant, flashing lights to the powerful musical numbers to the strong female characters, I am extremely impressed by this film! The film takes place in a bustling 1920s Chicago full of jazz music, flapper hair-cuts, and a vibrant sense of social freedom.

In the beginning musical number, we meet the two main female characters: Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart. Prior to her performance, we see a frazzled Velma lock herself into her dressing room and frantically wash blood off her hands. We are introduced to Roxie as she watches Velma's  sultry burlesque performance in a reverential trance.  During Velma's performance, the police arrive, but the viewer doesn't see what happens next. The plot picks up pace when Roxie goes home with her secret lover, Fred Casely. In the aftermath of their coupling after Roxie inquires about his promise to help her become a star, Fred coldly rejects her. Furious at his betrayal, Roxie shoots Fred in cold blood.

Following Fred's murder, Roxie is sent to a women's prison, where she is unprepared for meager meals and a cold jail cell. In my favorite musical number so far, The Cell Block Tango, the female inmates, dressed in scanty black leotards, all tell their stories. Each story involves the woman killing their significant other, all of whom are men. We meet Velma again, who reveals that she shot both her husband and sister after catching them in a compromising position

In this film, Roxie and Velma have an interesting relationship. Roxie idolizes Velma and longs to be a famous performer like her. Velma rejects Roxie's attention and views her as sort of a weakling. Plus, Velma's too preoccupied by the media attention she is gathering, as she is being represented by Defense Attorney,  Billy Flynn (Richard Gere). Out of all of the women he has represented in court, Flynn has never lost a case. Due to the extremely violent nature of the crime, Roxie is set to do the maximum sentence. With the help of her blindly loyal husband, Amos (John C Reilly),  Roxie is able to get Billy Flynn to represent her.

This film is not just about jazz music, burlesque dancing, or even murder. It highlights the power of creating an image and using it to influence the way people think. The first thing that Billy does with Roxie is formulate a fake background story. Roxie Hart is transformed into a simple, mild-tempered country girl who had to defend herself against a violent lover. She puts her hair into little blond curls. Places light blush on cheeks. She stands with a smile and nods her head as Billy speaks in front of the flashing lights and moving pens of journalists. The musical number in which Billy was a ventriloquist and Roxie was his puppet, complemented the nature of their relationship.

Overnight Roxie becomes a media sensation, as shown through her jail cell filled with flowers, gifts, love notes, and various newspaper articles praising her. You can sense Velma's jealously as the attention that she once received has been shifted towards Roxie. I am curious about how this film will progress. Will the public continue to be swayed by Roxie's good-girl image? Or, will they see the truth?

The Rising Star

In my latest viewing of Chicago, some pivotal moments in the film took place. Roxie rose to fame, and it was at this point that I saw the negative, dark, twisted side of fame. Roxie had to alter her story behind shooting her husband in order to not seem, well, crazy. There were several iterations of this account of her assassination, including the performance of "We Both Reached for the Gun" where the lawyer, Billy, acted as a ventriloquist. Towards the end of the day's viewing, she ended up firing him, hating the fact that she had to be so dishonest with everyone, and how he was so controlling. On top of that, all he cared about was his money.

Her fame took a turn for the worse once the attention was on a new murderess: Kitty Baxter. She had just been convicted for murder. Velma had already fallen to an all-time low, to the point of asking Roxie to do an act with her - a desperate "I Can't Do It Alone", to which she refused. It was clear at this moment that tables had turned. Before, Velma was the start of the show, who treated everyone the way she wanted. She couldn't stand Roxie, especially when she touched her laundry. Roxie was innocent and vulnerable, but this all changed when she became a star. It is ironic that Velma had come asking for help, especially to someone like Roxie. But once Kitty came along, she absorbed all of Roxie's energy like a magnet. But being the clever girl that she was, Roxie quickly drew media attention when she faked being pregnant, and you can bet that Velma was pissed.

In the back of my mind, I was still thinking about how crazy all of these trigger-happy women were. 

Chicago

When we started the film Chicago, at first it reminded me of the movie Burlesque because the main character, Roxie Hart, fantasized about being a star on the stage just like the main character in Burlesque wanted to also perform on stage. The stage in general with the dancers really seemed similar to Burlesque so I assumed the plot would be similar. However, I was wrong. Out of no where Roxie suddenly shoots the man she was having an affair with, Fred Casely. Then she is taken to prison. I wasn't really expecting it to turn out this way. I had heard of the musical, Chicago, before however, I never really knew what it was about. This beginning intrigued me to want to watch more. 

The theme that sticks out to me the most in this film is corruption. One example would be the character, Matron "Mama" Morton, played by Queen Latifah. As we heard from her song "When Your Good To Mama", she'll do favors for the women in the prison as long as she gets something in return such as money. 

Something else I noticed is that most of the women are crazy. They murdered people without having good reasons. One that really surprised me was the one woman who shot her husband for popping his gum. It was pretty funny but insane. I'm also enjoying the music so far in this film. Chicago is pretty different from the musicals I have seen, but it's keeping me entertained. 

I'm shocked that the media actually believed the story from what Roxie and her new lawyer Billy Flynn said about what happened when she shot Fred Casely. Then it was bizarre how she became an overnight sensation. She is also gaining more attention then Velma and I can tell there is a rivalry brewing between them. 

    

I'm curious to see what is going to happened next with Roxie and Velma and there rivalry between each other. I can't wait to watch more!

The Birds- Nyasia B. Langley

 

Watching this movie [The Birds, director Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 follow up to his hit Psycho] was funny; I remember when I was younger my mom used to tell me about this movie. She was scared of this movie as a child, and after watching it I couldn't understand why [how old was your mother when she saw it for the first time? Could your difference in age possibly account for this discrepancy?].

The ending left you [should read me, not you] with a lot of questions. This was true of earlier parts as well. as throughout the movie. This was a cliffhanger [what do you mean by this? Please explain], and I absolutely hate cliffhangers to stories and movies, especially when I already had [had or have?] so many questions I thought will be answered at the end of the movie.

It wasn't scary at all and the attacking killer birds part didn't quite make sense either.

Chicago...Fire?; Julianna Migliaro

The movie, Chicago (2002), directed by Rob Marshall, is by far one of the more interesting movies I've ever watched, especially in Metro's Film Studies class. I say this because it's really a game-changer for me as far as musicals go. Typically I find musicals to be irritating, but something about the way they come into play in this movie really makes it entertaining. I have heard both this point of view and the opposite around the classroom.

One observation I've made thus far is that the musical numbers begin usually to introduce specific characters. I've also found that the main character really imagines important, potentially life changing, events as these musical show-like numbers. It's almost as though her passion for performance clouds her judgement. This is also shown when she murders the furniture salesman for lying to her about her career.

Symbolism in this movie is very important, as well as the use of lighting. For example, every time the main character is living in her realm of fantasy, she has an audience, but only an audience of mannequin-like figures. I believe this shows very well that it is not in fact real. Often, as well, the lighting only shows her in almost an infinity of darkness around her as she performs. Maybe this could represent the depths of her mind.

I look forward to viewing the rest of this movie and finding out just what it is that happens to the main character as she lives through her stay at "Murderers' Row." I wonder if her husband comes back into her life, and I wonder if there's any interaction between her and the man she killed's family.

Chicago By: Joel Martinez

Chicago:

I truly do not like musical, you can say i HATE THEM. They are not my cup of tea, but this movie seems to have a good story behind it. The woman kills husband and goes to jail really got me interested and it would of been nice if they made a movie with that story. The musical aspect of the movie really doesn't interest me but i have to live with it. The part i did find interesting is that "Mama" played by Queen Latifah gives the girls that she gets along with and gets payed from a lot of freedom. That really got me thinking if female prisons are really like that in real life. 

Alien

This movie was really interesting to me because I liked the suspense and the mystery of how they never knew where the aloe was and they didn't know what it was going to do next. The part that really surprised me was when the group of people found out that the guy was actually a robot because it was like a twist in the story. It took the attention off of the alien for a while. This movie was also interesting because all the people were working together to kill the alien and at the end there was only one survivor. After they set off the power to self destruct it was pretty cool how they had to rush and go into the emergency shuttle. 

The only part of the movie that was annoying is how the last survivor was already in the shuttle and she left it to go find her cat so it won't die when the place self destructs. I knew that once she left she was going to give the alien a chance to get into the space shuttle and that's what happened. Even though the alien still got in the ship I thought it was going to kill her until I saw that she went into the closet and put the space suit on. Her idea of throwing the alien back into space and kill him with the fire that makes the spaceship move was pretty smart because honestly if that was me I wouldn't have thought of that. 

Man On Wire

I don't really like documentaries and this one was pretty boring but interesting at the same time. I thought that it was pretty cool how Phillipe tied the wire at really hight places and walked and did tricks on them. At first I didn't really like the movie but once he said he wanted to tie the wire to both the twin towers and walk across it I was interested. I though that it was impossible for someone to do that because they were the tallest towers. Once they started setting up the wire I was thinking how was he going to do that, that he was going to fall. While they were setting up the wire they had some problems because the wire had slipped, Phillipe and the others helping him set up had to pull over 100 feet in wire back up. I thought that it was it, that they weren't going to have it set up in time but they did. Once Phillipe started walking on the wire across I thought that he was going to fall but when he made it across and when he kept walking back and forth to avoid the cops I thought that what he did was pretty amazing. 

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

The movie Plane, Trains, and Automobiles was really funny movie. It's about a man named Niel who is trying to make it home to his family for thanksgiving dinner. On his way home he runs into a shower curtain ring seller named Del. They both end up having a tough time getting home because they bump into some trouble. 

They first start off trying to get a cab to the airport. When Niel finally gets a cab Del takes it from him and Niel has to find a way to get to the airport in order not to miss his flight. Once he gets to the airport he runs into Del again when he notices they're on the same plane and are sitting next to eachother. This is just one of the things that happen to them. 

They have a lot of ups and downs throughout the movie but in the end they become good friends and Niel makes it home just in time for thanksgiving dinne, but when he gets there he brings Del with him because Del didn't have a home and Neil took him in. 

Planes, Trains, and Hurricanes...I Mean Automobiles...Sorry

"You wanna hurt me? Go right ahead if it makes you feel any better. I'm an easy target. Yeah, you're right, I talk too much. I also listen too much. I could be a cold-hearted cynic like you... but I don't like to hurt people's feelings. Well, you think what you want about me; I'm not changing. I like... I like me. My wife likes me. My customers like me. 'Cause I'm the real article. What you see is what you get"

Looking for a light hearted comedy to watch with your family or best friend on a late night? This is definitely the movie to pick up. Full of comedy and moments that are sure to make you wonder whats going to happen next, this movie proves itself to be a holiday classic. When it comes to monologues such as the one given by John Candy, the delivery is so rich and believable that you truly begin to develop feelings for the characters on a deeper level. Not to mention the unpredictable plot that our protagonists must go through which leaves the audience on the edge of their seats.

Throughout the movie the characters struggle to achieve their destination of Chicago to enjoy a thanksgiving dinner with their family. This goal is of course halted by constant mistakes and unforeseen events that happen to occur to them constantly. Some of these events include, having their car burst into flames, loosing all their money in said fire, etc... Ultimately, they reach their destination and in a twist they end up enjoying a wonderful thanksgiving dinner together. 

    

Man on wire by Walatsebi Kofi-Mensah Lomotey

Phillipe is crazy!!!!! What kind of hobby is this! I would never do this even if you gave me a million dollars. Phillipe Petit is THE Man on Wire and also THE craziest sane (I think) person I have ever seen.His hobby, actually his lifestyle is walking on a wire really high up in the air, like hundreds of feet. The first building he walked across is the Notre Dame. Norte Dame is 315 feet tall!!! I'm afraid of heights. Just watching this would have man my stomach turn. Then he wants to go on and walk across the twin towers!!!! Phillipe es muy loco! THATS 1,362 FEET!!!! Thats 1/4 of a mile high into the air! Im scared when I go on downtime at lake compounds, imagine how I would react when I'm that high in the air.
This was a pretty good movie. I don't usually enjoy documentaries but this one was really interesting.

Sugar by Walatsebi Kofi-Mensah Lomotey

Sugar is a dominican baseball player that had the chance to play in america. He was a pitcher with a nasty curve. American baseball is very competitive. Sugar competed as much as he can. Being a pitcher is one of the hardest position in baseball. If you mess up your form, its easy to get injured. Sugar was good, at first. He was on a roll and made a pretty good name for himself where he was. Then he downgraded until the point that he started using drugs to make him play better and focus. He was so desperate and performing badly that he was replaceable and before his team got the chance to send him back to the dominican republic, he snuck off the bus and went to New York to go find his friend that was once in the same situation. I think Sugar made the right choice because he wants to be... free. I would have done the same thing.
So when he got to New York he found a "job." He had the chance that most people in south America wish for and that is a chance to work had in the US and send money back to his family.
I think the moral of this movie was that you don't have to "Make it in the big times" to be successful. There is always some good in what you do as long as your trying.

The Seductive Sensations

Far different from any other film we have watched so far in Intro to Film Studies, Chicago is a musical centered around two aspiring performers: Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly. But there's one big obstacle that stands in their way: they both are murders. Roxie slayed her spouse, and Velma slaughtered her sister (say that three times fast) along with her husband as well. At first, I wasn't too sure if I would like this film, but as it progressed, I began to catch onto it. The movie is set up in a way in which reality and the womens' dreams of becoming actresses go hand in hand. It's a mix of real life and a stage show, which can get confusing at times until you realize what the director's intention is.

One common theme that I noticed in this film is that the women have the power. This was extremely evident when all of them were singing in jail, while on death row. They put on a huge production, called "Cell Block Tango". Each of them told their story about why and how they killed their husbands, and I found it hilarious that one of them got so aggravated when her husband was chewing (no not chewing, POPPING) his gum. I mean, who kills someone over gum? At least the rest of the women had more valid reasons, such as finding out that their husband was cheating, or being accused of cheating themselves. But either way, it was clear that the men weren't very powerful in their relationships. In another one of the songs, the lawyer (Billy) was the star of the show, yet his voice wasn't very powerful. I could barely hear him, yet the women were loud and clear. No character summarized this better than Queen Latifah, or should I say, Mama, as she commandingly strutted across the stage singing: "when you're good to Mama, Mama's good to you".

There's just one thing that threw me off a little bit with this film - it is set in the 1920s, yet the video looks so high-quality since it was filmed in 2002. It felt a little weird to me, especially since I've gotten accustomed to watching older movies in Film Studies, but undeniably, it isn't set in modern times. There are no smartphones, no HD televisions, no computers, and none of the other modern commodities that most of us live by. But there are cameras and newspapers (what are newspapers? People actually used to read those?) as well speaker systems and microphones.

I am looking forward to seeing what happens next in Chicago, and how Roxie and Velma end up. Will they rise to fame? Or will they fall to the death row...? 

Psycho

I really enjoyed how suspensful this movie was. It really kept me hooked on it because it was a mystery who the killer was. Honestly I thought it was the guy from the beginning but the part of when the "mom" comes out the room and kills the detective really threw me off and also when the owner of the hotel was carrying his mothers body downstairs made me think it was really her. 

I liked the part where the lady entered the house looking for the mother because I really thought she was alive. After she saw her and noticed it was a dead body I knew her son was going to try and kill the lady. 

It was pretty cool how he was him and his mother at the same time because when he talked in her voice it makes it seem like it's two people having a conversation. 

OOOOOOO WE HEADING DOWN TO CHICAGO TONIGHT!

"oh wow i just noticed the women had guns" - Shawn Luzzi, as he does this blog post during some free time.

I have to be the one to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of musicals, especially ones that have musical scores right after one another. However, this film is definitely shifting my mind set, if by just a little bit. The premise of this film seems to be that two specific women, Roxie (left) seems especially desperate to hit the big stage, and ends up getting thrown into prison after a mishaps with a random stranger, Freddy, who promised her to help her get to the big show in turn for some LOVELY INTERCOURSE.

What caught me the moment I watched this film is that the music scores are always films seperate from the story in the film. Like, the singing and such will happen on a random stage while sometimes the shot may go back to the story for some other shots and such. Though it kinda seems out of place, and may through some off of the movie, what pulls me back in is how creative these musical numbers are, especially "We both reached for the gun", as the reporters and Roxie are visualized as puppets with Billy (middle) controlling her as the rest of the reporters. This could introduce an interesting theme of control, especially as he bends the real story of how Roxie got arrested into a fantasy to help her become famous.

Either way, this film has interested me, and I'm curious to see what the rest of this musical has in store. 

Rocky by Walatsebi Kofi-Mensah Lomotey

Rocky is a movie of the american view of an under dog. American is known as the ultimate underdog when the 13 colonies took down big bad Great Britain. Rocky is a small town "south paw" fighter that fights because he can't sing or dance. He got heavy feet but a strong punch and nicked named The Italian stallion. This low time fighter has the chance to fight the undisputed heavy weight champion of the world, APOLLO CREED!!!!! I love Apollo Creed, thats my boy!
One thing I found interesting about Rocky is that he gets hit in the face like crazy. He doesn't block punches yet he has never broken his nose. Thats ridiculous!!!
For those of you that don't know, this movie is based on the fight Chuck Wepner vs Muhammad Ali. Chuck Wepner, the real rocky, went fifteen rounds with the "The Greatest".



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9zdQzoUCY0
Heres a clip of the real rocky.