Going the Distance

In my final viewing of The Bad News Bears, I noticed that one of the most predominant themes in this movie is perseverance. I noticed this last class, however it became more prevalent towards the end of the film. The Bad News Bears had lived up to their name initially - as many classmates said, they had sucked as a team. Many of them didn't improve as time went on, but the addition of Amanda and Kelly gave the Bears some hope. Buttermaker's progressive increase in passion throughout the film also helped the team substantially.

With each baseball game, the pressure kept rising, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for the championship! Throughout this game, the level of competition kept getting steeper. There were several moments when I thought to myself, "it's just a game". The two coaches were nearly at each others' throats, and both teams took part in petty tactics in order to increase their chances of winning, such as one of the Bears getting hit on purpose by the pitcher. The adults and the kids from both teams were extremely determined to succeed, and towards the end, the Yankees had narrowly defeated the Bears, 7 to 6. The Yankees tried to act like they were kind and friendly, and gave the Bears a tiny second place trophy while they proudly displayed their gargantuan cup. One of the Bears ended up throwing it on the ground at the Yankees, and then the team proceeded to throw a party. Now you may ask, why would the team celebrate if they didn't even win? Shouldn't the Yankees be the ones celebrating?

The reason why the Bears celebrated brings us back to the bigger picture: how far the team has come since it formed. They went from being a chaotic, hostile mess to a force to be reckoned with. Afterall, the Yankees had only one by a single point. In this case, it's not necessarily about winning, instead, it's about "going the distance". From this point, I can make a comparison to several of the movies we watched earlier in the year, especially Rocky. Rocky Balboa didn't defeat Apollo Creed in the end, much like how the Bears didn't defeat the Yankees. However, Rocky went from a small-town wrestling "bum" to a national star. He definitely "went the distance." That in itself is a significant accomplishment, instead of focusing on winning. He still gave it his all and put up a good fight.

I can also draw a connection between The Bad News Bears and my Peer Leadership class, which I happened to have during the next period today. A Yale student came in to talk to us about acceptance. Previously, she had visited to talk about mindfulness and meditation, both of which coincide with acceptance. Today she taught us the importance of acceptance in life, because it can help to deal with stress and failures. The main concept is that if you fail, or something doesn't go as planned, the worst thing you can do is let it stop you from succeeding. It's important to overcome these hurdles, and make the best out of them. No one's life is perfect, and there is never a time when absolutely all of your desires are fulfilled. Therefore, you shouldn't focus on your losses all the time, because they will eat you alive.

The Bears clearly accepted the fact that they won second place in the end of the film. They could have walked away and sulked, and Buttermaker could've scolded them about why they should have performed better. But guess what? They didn't. It was over and done with, time to move on. No use crying about it. And even better, why not celebrate the progress they've made? So much for bad news.

#DeanaTavares Badlands End

The ending of Badlands actually had kind of a twisted ending; it was weird. I couldn't understand whether Holly (Sissy Spacek) didn't go with Kit (Martin Sheen) in the helicopter because she wanted to get caught [Holly surrendered to the helicopter pilot; Kit fled in the Cadillac] or because she thought that this was her only chance of getting away from Kit.


Kit wasn't even holding her hostage; she could've already left if she wanted. So why stay and get caught when she could've just gotten in the helicopter and got dropped off somewhere else [see comment above]? Or even leave earlier than that?
 It seems to me like she liked this danger, but once she realized how much trouble she was in for running with this "hell-bent type," she felt like she had no other choice but to let herself get caught. This shows how naive Holly was. Even though I really didn't like this movie, I guess it was an okay plot. I think it just needed better acting [interestingly (or not) the actors were following the director's, well, direction. Malick "was fascinated with the sort of character for whom morals didn't even enter the picture. Long before he conceived of making a movie of Charlie Starkweather, he would talk in this voice. In the voice that he taught Marty [Sheen] to talk in." I think he wanted the performances to be flat to express the type of boredom and lack of emotional connection that some American youth were experiencing at the time.] I think maybe it was made to be like Bonnie and Clyde with it's own distinction but didn't turn out that way in reality.
Penn, Nathaniel. "Badlands: An Oral History." N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2015.

Deana Tavares Badlands Beginning

I really don't like this movie at all. I find it very boring to the point where I started to fall asleep. I'm guessing that by the end of the movie the couple (Holly and Martin) will get caught. I feel like the actors in general just don't show enough emotion. Holly literally watches people get shot right in front of her eyes and barely reacts (I've seen this movie before). And as far as Martin, was he already a killer or something? Because he seems like killing off human beings isn't anything new to him and he does it for no real good reasons. It's like a bootleg Bonnie and Clyde to me.

Deana Tavares Chicago Middle

I still haven't lost interest in this movie/musical, which surprises me because I thought the musical thing would really end up pushing me away from liking it. It's weird because even though Roxy and Velma both committed a crime, you still feel bad in a sense and hope that they are able to get out of jail sooner than later. I noticed how once Roxy got the attention on herself and away from Velma, Velma was ready to almost beg to team up with each other. Offering chocolates, complimenting her, talking about doing a duo performance together like she used to with her sister, etc. That gave Roxy the upperhand and she rejected her, leaving Velma in the dust and desperate. I really like how when the actors aren't singing they look like they're in a regular movie and when they do sing and dance, it changes to a stage scene, giving it that musical effect.

Deana Tavares Chicago Beginning

Once I head that we were watching a musical, I was thinking; "really Mr. Monahan?" But once the movie started I was already drawn in. One, because it was about women murdering men. Two, because they weren't bursting into song every two minutes. And three, because it didn't always look like they were on stage. I find that Roxy just wants fame and that she's basically the main character of the movie/ musical. I love how each woman in jail explains how and why they killed their lovers. I mean I wouldn't recommend this movie/musical to someone under the age of sixteen but it is an outstanding movie/musical. It kind of shows the kind of strength that women have, and it's the type of strength a man in particular shouldn't try to mess with.

Bonnie and Clyde: ON THE RUN. ♥

As our class came to a close on the Bonnie and Clyde film, I can honestly say that Author Penn did an outstanding job. Bonnie and Clyde are known as one of the most powerful, seemingly unstoppable couples in history and Penn took that and gave the world an detailed inspect on the couple's lives.

The story of Bonnie and Clyde has a storyline of "boy meets girl, girl perfect woman" Clyde meets this woman who he feels is the perfect woman for him, and he knew together, they could not be stopped. Together, they were both savages in love, and love can make you do crazy things, especially if it's for the  one you love. 

The rebellious couple did anything for one another. If one killed, the other killed. If one ran, the other ran. Bonnie, for example, was madly in love with what seemed to be her soulmate, she did whatever it took to stand by the side of her man, and she knew she wouldn't let a single soul get in the way of that.  

This couple reminds me another successful couple, the extraordinary Beyoncé and Jay Z. Over the summer, they created a tour called "On The Run". The tour was based off Bonnie and Clyde's relationship, with scenes of Beyoncé and Jay robbing banks, shooting people, and well, mainly on the run. This just reveals how both relationships dealt with people trying to take them down, but they would not let that happen, they wouldn't let the public separate them from their love. When you finally meet that one person who you would kill for, you'd do anything and everything to keep them by your side. 

Both the movie and tour reveal overall theme(s) of love & loyalty, which today is what any couple can ask for, and that's what makes Bonnie and Clyde known as a powerful couple. They had the main keys to a successful relationship, no matter how demented and dangerous they seemed, and that's what made them unstoppable.

Patience, Faith, and Time

Today was my first viewing of The Bad News Bears. Originally, from hearing its name, I thought this movie would be about actual bears, but instead it is about a baseball team called the Bears. They are a little league group, named after the Chicago Bears (although that is a football team). The film starts out with a guy named Buttermaker, who is almost always pictured drinking beer and/or smoking a cigar, similar to Quinlan from Touch of Evil, minus the "evil" part. When it comes to the team, let's just say that the struggle was real at first. The boys not only argued or fought with each other constantly, but they sucked at playing baseball, living up to the movie's title. On top of that, Buttermaker was often too busy smoking and drinking to coach his team, so naturally they failed miserably during their first game.

Shortly after this humiliating display, the team voted to quit. It had only been their first game ever, therefore all hope was not lost. With the commanding, compassionate power of Buttermaker, this plan never went through. He admitted that he was coaching them poorly, but that was then. This is now. They still all had a chance to redeem themselves, and they did. At the next game, the Bears performed much better, and things only improved as time went on. Amanda and Kelly, who were so reluctant to play for the team, ended up being its best assets.

Along the way, I picked up a lot of symbolism with this film. For one thing, it's important to have patience. When you are starting something new, you probably won't do so well. You can't become Derek Jeter overnight. Also, this movie stresses the importance of confidence. Amanda wasn't so proud of her baseball abilities; she even acted as though she had given up on the sport. Turns out, she was an excellent pitcher. GIRL POWER!

There were also some other interesting aspects to this film, such as the fact that the kids had acted like adults, and vice versa. Amanda wasn't even 13 yet, but she acted like she was 30. Kelly, on the other hand, smoked cigarettes (good luck with your lung cancer), and rode a Harley Davidson. He was the troublemaker in the town, and there was this one woman who really hated him. But, underneath his tough exterior was a great baseball player, who helped the team shed their awful reputation. I'm eager to see how this movie progresses, and what happens to all of the boys.

The makeup of the Bears team was quite interesting as well. There was an overweight kid who was humorously rude, a skinny shy kid who was always picked on, a black boy who dreamt of becoming like Hank Aaron, some other kid who has a cocky personality, two Hispanic boys who don't know any English at all, and some other mismatched players. In the colossally competitive world of little league baseball, will they conquer their enemies, or will they be conquered?

Michelle Ford - Bonnie and Clyde

I enjoyed watching Bonnie and Clyde because this was my first time watching this movie and I also like action movies. I knew Bonnie and Clyde was a strong couple, but I didn't know their background. Clyde changed Bonnie whole life around and in my opinion, without Clyde, she wouldn't have a meaning to her name. In the movie, Clyde was shocked by the butcher because of his reaction but Clyde just wanted something to eat. CW Moss is a mechanic, he's recruited to the gang because he was down and also fixed cars. So, if something went wrong with their car while they would try to get away from a scene, CW is the person to turn too. During one of their robberies, CW failed his first mission. He was the reason why they had to hide out and also made Clyde kill a man. If CW drove the car/ park the right way, then the killing wouldn't happened and maybe people wouldn't seen the car that they drove. Bonnie was a different kind of lady  compared to Blanche and they have know communication towards each other when they first met. Bonnie is more self centered and wanted to just be around Clyde, while Blanche wanted more attention and outgoing. From being in the same room, Bonnie thinks Blanche is dumb and stupid.

The gang antagonize Texas Ranger Frank Hamer by talking him down about his job. Bonnie wanted to take a picture to let everyone thinks he's with the gang. They evaded the police by going over the train tracks, having one of their cars flipped over and the other policeman didn't want to enter Oklahoma.Velma and Eugene are the people that the gang stolen their car from. Their trying to fit in with the gang in order to not get hurt or killed. Bonnie didn't like Eugene profession so she kicked them out the car. Mrs. Parker told Clyde she heard things about him in the paper and she gets scared when she see's him. Clyde makes up things about him, trying to make him look better. Bonnie, Clyde and CW had on all black to meet Bonnie family. On the way to the chicken shack, CW and Blanche discussed things that happened in her life on how she's a preacher daughter. CW told her she's starting to smoke a lot.  The guy at the store told the cops where Bonnie and Clyde stayed. The Okees reacted weird and thought the gang was famous.At first, CW's father wasn't trying to show no hard attentions on the fact that CW is an unidentified suspect. From his face expressions, I would of thought he was happy his son was doing something like this. His father questioned him by saying, do the police knows his last name. 

When Bonnie and Clyde was distance from CW and his father, CW father started to yell and got physical by punching CW in the chest for getting a tattoo on his chest and also for this whole situation he got his self him.His father told CW, he don't want him hanging with the Bonnie and Clyde no more. Clyde offered CW father $40 to stay there just for few days. One day, thee gang and CW took a ride to the store and CW went to a different store while Bonnie was in the store and Clyde waiting in the car. Until, he noticed a police car parked on the side of him. He rushed Bonnie to hurry back in the car and they noticed CW didn't come out of the store yet. So, they left without him. All along, CW knew what was going to happen because his father told him avoid being around them the next time. Bonnie and Clyde seen CW's father on the side of the road trying to fix his car. Clyde offered help and seen CW's father drop to the ground and out of know where, bullets came from all directions shooting Bonnie and Clyde until they couldn't stand no more and destroying their car. 

I thought the ending was sad because CW's set the up and could of handled it a different way instead of killing them. This is a real definition of a ride or die couple because of them snitched or felt uncomfortable towards each other and they had a good time together. But mostly they had was  Trust. 

WHY?

If there's one thing sure about Badlands, it's that it has a recurring theme: gunfire. You know, BANG BANG BANG, more BANG, and even more BANG. To Kit, shooting numerous people to death comes naturally, it seems. It's almost like an addiction. He and Holly travel around the upper midwestern United States, meeting a lot of new people (and shooting a lot of new people as well). In my previous blog post, I talked about this film's differences and similarities to Bonnie and Clyde, and there's this one particular discrepancy that sticks out to me the most: there's no Bonnie. Sure, Holly accompanied Kit like Bonnie accompanied Clyde, however the two womens' personalities couldn't be more different from each other. He was doing all of the dirty work and Holly was basically just sitting there. Why? Instead of being a partner in crime, she was just a partner. Did she really love him that much? Did it ever cross her mind that something is seriously wrong with him? Yet, in the wake of each and every killing, she just quietly watched, barely uttering a word.

Throughout the duration of her journey, Holly consistently had a look of boredom, of disappointment on her face. Every time her (as she said herself) "trigger-happy" boyfriend shot somebody, I couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable she looked in the process. It's as if she wasn't meant to be there. Towards the end of the film, she decided to separate herself from Kit when the helicopter was coming after them. Personally, I don't blame her for making that decision, because she was an innocent little girl who hooked up with a troublesome guy, to say the least. Logic says that she should've never hooked up with him, and heeded her father's warnings. But my friends, this has nothing to do with logic. It's about love. Uneven love.

While Holly was somewhat attracted to Kit, he was head over heels for her. As I said in my last blog post, he seemed very pedophile-ish. She was just a young girl, and he was in his mid to late twenties. The two seemed more like father and daughter rather than girlfriend and boyfriend. AWKWARD!

Even though he got upset that she had chosen not to go with him, he still told her where the two could meet back up on New Years' Eve. Being so trigger-happy, he could've easily shot her along the way, but he had too much respect and admiration for her. When he was captured by law enforcement, they asked him if he would like to see Holly. He gladly said "yes", and bonded with her like nothing had happened. 

Perhaps even more confusingly, Kit had a calm demeanor when he dealt with law enforcement. He seemed strangely casual and nonchalant about it, as if the cops were his good ol' buddies. I was dumbfounded when I watched this. But then I thought back to all of the times he shot someone. He never got crazily loud or obnoxious, but was eerily relaxed about it. I kept asking "Why? Why? Why?" Why did he go around playing a real-life shoot em' up game? Why was he so calm when he was arrested, considering the fact that just a few minutes before, he had been on a high-space chase with the police? I don't get it. He basically turned himself in by stopping the Cadillac, and shooting one of the tires so that it couldn't move anymore even if he wanted it to. But why? 

To be honest, I'm not a big fan of this movie at all because of its lack of a real storyline, compared to
Bonnie and Clyde especially. Things happen, people go places and do things, say things, but I can't help but wonder what the point of it all is. 

Chicago Reflection ♥

Chicago Reflection. ♥

While our class was watching the movie Chicago: Diamond Edition directed by Rob Marshall, I've come to realized that this is actually a great piece of work. The acting alone was much dramatic, and not really believable, but when it came to the theatrical moments, I could tell that the actors were really into it, for example, the 'Cell Block Tango' was so realistic to me, it was performed with some much emotion, and rage with kept me intrigued.

As for the film's dialogue, I couldn't help noticing that everytime someone spoke, it senses as if they spoke with a dramatic tone or their voices would sound theatre like, which kept me interested for a moment.

The overall theme of this movie is something that I found to be somewhat different, it's something that's not too cliché but at the same time it separates itself from your typical average musical movie, it's no High School Musicsl, or Cats, it's more than that. It's a movie with emotion that the audience can feel, and it speaks through music which is most important.

Bonnie and Clyde, BANG BANG BOOM BOOM BANK ROBBER

"OH NO DON'T SHO- oh wait it's only a poster nevermind :D"

Leaping headwards towards the crime movies this year, we start out with 1967's Bonnie and Clyde, a movie based off the duo (and group) of a couple of robin-hood-like bank robbers during the Great Depression. Obviously, from looking up at the picture above, this weapon definitely had some guns in this film, and with guns, come firefights!

This fire fights between the robbers and the police force were pretty entertaining, especially as Bonnie and Clyde always seemed to barely evade the bullets and drive away in the getaway car. Though, obviously, as the rest of the movie goes on, that doesn't keep happening as successfully as the robbers would had hoped as wounds happen galore. In the end, they got so far, but in the end it doesn't even matter when you get lit up from police at the end of the movie :U

C H I C A G O

 As we came to a close on the movie Rob Marshall's Chicago, I can proudly say that I highly enjoyed the film. The film takes place on the 1920's streets of Chicago. From the strong female roles to the the intense musical numbers I couldn't take my eyes off the screen.

However I did expect higher expectations [this reads somewhat redundant; you might simply state that you had high expectations for the ending that were not met] for the ending of the film. I feel as though it left me with a few unanswered questions such as: what Velma was doing prior to meeting up with Roxie? Was Roxie the only one whose trial was successfully carried out [Velma brokered a deal where she got off for providing damaging testimony against Roxie in the form of Roxie's "diary"]? Other than these unanswered questions I really enjoyed the movie.

The opening scene introduces the two main characters Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart. Prior to her performance of "All That Jazz" by John Kander [nice touch], we become acquainted with Mrs.Velma Kelly   finding herself locked in a bathroom washing someone's fresh blood of her hands. Not a second later we're introduced to Roxie Hart positioning her self to watch Velma's tacky but breathtaking performance. Suddenly , the police arrived and took Velma away. 

Over all I can strongly say that I did enjoy the film as well as the catchy musical numbers. I look forward to watching other films in which the women play the leading roles. 

Dejah Tinney: Bonnie & Clyde

I've always been interested in Bonnie & Clyde [ Dejah, the ampersand "&" is used in the more recent made for television title] so watching it in class for the first time was cool [I am glad to hear this; would love for you to elaborate on what was cool about it]. 

Well, I've been to musems where they say they had the actual Bonnie & Clyde car on display like the Crime Museum in Washington. I've always been fascinated with Bonnie & Clyde's story and how they became the way that they were. 

I also watched the newer one and compared it to the one we watched in class and I like the newer one much better. They told different stories though which got me confused... was Clyde killed outside or the car or inside?

Anyways, Bonnie Parker & Clyde Barrow were both different people when they first met, but Bonnie always wanted something new; she was bored with her life. That's how [how or why?] she fell in love with Clyde Barrow, a bank robber who was dangerous, adventurous, and also very charming [was Clyde already robbing banks when they met?]. 

I believe that he just got out of jail before they met or he started the first day they met.

I enjoyed both movies because I think it's interesting to actually see the things these two went through, robbing banks and hiding out from the cops everywhere they went. I also thought it was kind of weird how Clyde convinced so many people to join him and Bonnie [this is an interesting idea. What do you think made Clyde so charismatic? What types of people did he attract? Is there anything ironic about his older brother joining the gang and Clyde retaining his position of power/leadership?]. 

I think Clyde was very persuasive at the time & maybe his looks could've played a role in it. Clyde attracted weak people, people who were unhappy in the situation that they were living in at the time. He made them believe that joining him could actually make them have a better and much happier life. 

Dejah Tinney: Chicago

I usually don't like musicals. but I honestly enjoyed watching director Rob Marshall's Oscar-winning Chicago [he is also responsible for last year's Into the Woods (currently in theaters)] and wouldn't mind watching it again.

Roxie Hart (played by Renée Zellweger) is the main character [protagonist] and also my favorite character. She was so determined to go into show business that she would do anything to be in the spotlight, even kill a man! My favorite act had to be the part when all of the girls in the jail were telling their stories and why they were arrested, "The Cell Block Tango."

I could not keep my eyes off of the screen, even the music was catchy. It was very entertaining never a dull moment. I loved the whole story it was very different unlike any musical I've ever saw [could you elaborate by providing examples of your prior experiences with musicals?].

Well, the only other experience that I have seen is High School Musical on Disney Chanel. I'm sure you've heard of it. At the time when it came out I was much younger so it was intersting but now, it's annoying. Chicago tells a story, a very attention grabbing story. Although High School Musical is for kids, it tells no story..

Chicago- Joel Martinez

Chicago-

I hate musicals; this movie didn't really change my viewing on musicals. I liked the story behind the movie though, the whole thing were the wife cheats on her husband and ends up shooting the guy she was cheating on her husband with. It kept me interested because even after Roxie cheated on her husband Amos played by veteran character actor John C. Reilly still attempted to get her out of prison. I honestly think she deserved it for being a H** (an adulterer?), but that's none of my business though 🐸☕️ [?].

 I think it was cool how the director Rob Marshall implemented the woman who's the story is actually about Belva Gaertner in the actual movie. That was a really nice touch! Joel, this is an interesting idea, but it one that is neither clearly nor fully articulated. Are you trying to say that you appreciate how artists, and Rob Marshall in particular, create dramatic narratives drawn from actual events? You start to make a reference to an article we read in class, which I like, but your connection/argument needs further development.

MM

Bonnie and Clyde (But Different)

Today was my first viewing of Badlands, a romance film. Right away, I noticed how similar it was to Bonnie and Clyde. It starts off with Kit working as a garbage man. He is a young, rebellious man, who takes a liking to Holly, a 15 year-old schoolgirl. It seemed really awkward, especially at first, since they were so far apart in age, but the two acclimated in no time. In Bonnie and Cylde, the plot was very similar. At first, Bonnie was very innocent, much like Holly. They were both dainty dolls, but soon they became gunslinging, cigarette-smoking criminals.

On the other hand, there are some key differences here. Bonnie had no trouble hopping in Clyde's car to "go for a ride". She was older, and more independent. Holly was under the oppression of her father, whom she didn't get along with very well. Her father, a sign painter, did not want her to be around Kit at all. He said he was from "the wrong side of the tracks", and that he was too old to be with his daughter. He was an adult, she was a minor (pedophile anyone??). Creepy...

Despite how concerned Holly's father was, Kit wasn't going down without a fight. He wanted her, and he would do anything to get what he wanted. I could tell that he's been like that all of his life. Just when the timing was right, he killed her father. Obviously she was upset at first, but to my surprise, she didn't turn her lover away. She even said how, when she was at the school gathering her belongings, she could have ran out the back door, never to see him again. But something pulled her towards the front door. That, my friends, is love. Love can make you do just about anything, no matter how crazy it seems.

Because of love, Kit and Holly had left their previous life behind. Kit recorded a record that would play over and over again, containing his suicide note. He drenched her house (and her father's body) with fuel, to clear up all of the evidence. Basically, he was trying to make it seem like he and Holly didn't exist anymore. But there was one problem: they still did. Unfortunately for the two of them, the authorities were on their tail, following them all the way into the woods, where they now lived.

This is another key contrast between Bonnie and Clyde and Badlands. Bonnie and Clyde were constantly on the run, never staying put. But Kit and Holly were set in stone, or at least they wanted to be. But in both movies, the couples were being seeked out by law enforcement, and if the ending of this movie is anything like that of Bonnie and Clyde, Kit and Holly's lives won't turn out so well. Let's see what happens.

Armani Maldonado's Thoughts on Bonnie and Clyde(1967)

As much as I do not condone robbery, I actually did enjoy watching the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde. I very much found the romance blended with action theme of the film [would it be more precise to say "genre" rather than "theme"] to be very intriguing! I also find it interesting that this film is based on the true story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.

I do also feel as if Bonnie got a better back story than Clyde. I know neither of them got much, but I feel like I could understand why Bonnie would want to be involved in armed robbery more than Clyde. Bonnie seemed to crave some sort of rush in her life. But Clyde? I did not see as much of a strive [strive or drive?] in Clyde than I saw in Bonnie [somewhat awkward construction].

Now, about this ENDING [why are you yelling?]. Why did they need to shoot Bonnie and Clyde dead? Couldn't they just be taken into custody? Did they ever kill anyone [yes, they did. Most likely several law enforcement officers were killed during gun battles with the Barrow Gang. Also, shortly after CW joins the gang there is a parking mishap that results in Clyde shooting a bank employee in the face]? I mean I know they sent that sheriff [more precisely Texas Ranger Frank Hamer] into the lake but did he even die [no, he did not; actually it is the same Frank Hamer who has an ax to grind after being made a public laughingstock by the gang that arranges the deal with Malcolm, CW's father, that ultimately results in what you accurately describe as their grizzly execution] ?

Why couldn't they put as much effort into killing them into just arresting them [although filmmakers often stray from the truth in order to create dramatic tension etc. by all accounts the deaths of Bonnie and Clyde do appear to be historically accurate. Additionally, I and others before me have theorized that director Arthur Penn was making a statement about violence in the media during the Vietnam War era]? Other than these things, I did again find the film to be very interesting.

Armani Maldonado's Thoughts on Chicago (2002)

Out of all of the movies we have watched in Film Studies. I would have to say that the film Chicago, produced in 2002, is my favorite.

There is something about the film that can just captivate me. Perhaps it is the plot? Roxie Hart's passion for performance arts turns almost all of the important events in the film into musical numbers. I think its amazing.

(Roxie Hart "Funny Honey")

Personally, my favorite number would have to be "We Both Reached For The Gun", I think this number is very interesting. I also think that the actress Renée Zellweger did a very great job at portraying her character. I think that I would definitely watch another movie with her in it again.