Man on Wire

This documentary is a bore. It doesn't grab my attention at all. It's about a man named Phillip narrating his story. At 17 years old he's in a dentist office and he's reading the paper and that's where his dream is aspired. In the paper is an advertisement or some type of informative about two towers that are going to be built and will be the biggest towers. He has a dream and goal now. He has a liking to walking on wire. He set up a tight rope in the garden in his backyard. His mother was aware of his love for it. Annie walks behind him on tight rope and she seems to be his encouragement because he described her little characteristics. Like her eye color, and facial features. He's a young self taught wire walker. He seems to like it because most people think of it as impossible. It's also a life or death situation so it makes it that much more something to do w/ importance and patience.

Rocky 2

Rocky is a great example of a movie that shows both romance in some cases and mostly reality, action and sports. It shows that anything can happen in life and when your opportunity comes you have to make sure you make the best of it and that's what Rocky did. He had the opportunity to be on live television and was fighting the best fighter at that time and he made it worth while and made himself known. Yet again he didn't win but his goal was just to last 12 rounds with Apollo Creed and that's exactly what he did. After that he made a name for himself he was a well known fighter and had the chance to work his way up to being even more well known. 

Rocky 1st post

My opinion on Rocky the first time we watched it was I've always thought Rocky was a great movie and I enjoy the way they make it very much like how it would've went back in the day [Anthony, I am confused by this first word-string, not only is it a run-on, but its meaning is unclear; Rocky's setting was contemporary, meaning it depicts the time period in which it was made, the mid 1970s, November 24, 1975 to January 1, 1976 specifically]. The way a regular rags guy fights a well known fighter just for the fun of it because they all think the well known fighter is going to win. Also the way it shows how poor he really was in the house he lived in and the way it was he had it hard but on the other hand Apollo was a wealthy star in the boxing league and Rocky was just some bum they picked because they wanted something different they didn't want to keep fighting the same people over and over again.

Sugar

Sugar is an... interesting film, especially with regards to the American dream. It follows the tale of Miguel Santos, a Dominican baseball pitcher with dreams of the American major leagues in his strike-zone as well as a sweet knuckle curveball in his glove. On that premise, it sounds simple enough, but Santos' (nicknamed Sugar for his curveball) journey into the United States is some with many a bump and turn along the way.

As mentioned previously, Santos' journey to the majors is not an easy one, as there are a number of obstacles that he must face; these are mostly due to his language and culture being drastically different than that of typical American culture, especially considering his AA team is located in Iowa. Santos is forced to assimilate into American culture practically on the fly, and co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck do a tremendous job of bringing the viewer into the uncomfortable struggle that Santos must endure. This is demonstrated multiple times through the film, as Santos is placed in awkward situation after awkward situation, such as not knowing what scrambled eggs were or his interactions with his host family's granddaughter, Ann. The directors made great use of non-diagetic and diagetic sound as well as close, intimate shots in order to make these situations even more empathetic for the viewer.

Unfortunately, Santos' struggles don't just end socially; he must also face the challenge of being a highly rated pitching prospect. He starts out well enough, but as his personal life begins to get worse -coupled with the fact that his friend left for New York - so does his performance on the diamond. This eventually leads to Santos' taking performance enhancing drugs, and the directors pulled no punches in really drawing the viewer in as Santos' performance deteriorates. This scene is shot in a way so that while the camera is focused toward Santos, the rest of the shot is blurry and shaky.

Eventually, Santos quits the team and moves to New York in order to find his cousin Jorge; this is when things begin to improve for him. He finds steady work at a diner where Jorge once worked, and finds a new family in a Puerto Rican carpenter, who allows Santos to stay with him; and, of course, he begins playing recreational baseball, where he seems to enjoy himself more without the pressures of obnoxious fans. This is where Boden and Fleck's vision of the American dream is personified, and where it's subjectivity gains a true testament. Sugar makes the argument that the American dream doesn't have to involve making millions upon millions of dollars, nor does it require mansions or fame or any of the sort. Success can simply be a steady job and a happy life around you; nothing more, nothing less.

Vinny's Magnificent Analysis of Director John G. Avildsen's 1976 Feature Rocky

Rocky was a southpaw menace that was not known to be a "highly respected man." He was considered a bum, and nobody would have thought that he was going to be fighting against the great Apallo Creed. He -

Vinny, I second what Lazslo says. Don't stop now, you are off to a promising start. MM

Rocky

Corey Rogers,

We all know how Rocky ended, Rocky and Creed go toe to toe until the 15th round and in the end Apollo wins by decision by a couple of points then the movies ends making the viewers believe that that was a happy ending. Which I do believe that it is. Most viewers would want the protagonist to come out on top with the "W", in other words they want the Hollywood ending. Sometimes the Hollywood ending is the worst kind of ending because you expect that that's whats going to happen. In my eyes,  I believe that Rocky did win something. It might not have been the match, but a lot of respect. The average viewer would say the Rocky lost the match and that's all that matters, but what they don't see or tend to forget the many great accomplishments that he has done; he went toe to toe 15 rounds with the World Champ, he knocked Apollo down for 8 seconds in the first round and he also didn't get knocked out. But his greatest accomplishment was that he did was he did all of this being a prized club fighter. That's a win in my eyes.

Badria on The Hunger Games

The 2012 screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins wildly popular YA novel The Hunger Games is one of my favorite movies. It caught my eye from start to finish. It's plot revolves around an annual televised event where the ruthless Capitol randomly selects one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each of the twelve districts pitting them against each other. 

     The story's protagonist Katniss Everdeen, portrayed by Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence, volunteers to stand in for her younger sister. Katniss must fight to the death with her peers for whoever is left alive, the last "man" standing if you will, wins the game. It's something I wouldn't want to be in it or feel it just because of what  is happening it and the killing that goes it. 

Sugar

Sugar soon realized that the minors were a lot more competitive than training camp. When he noticed the new pitcher started fazing him out while he is in a slump. He then resorts to drugs. When they don't get the desired results then he runs away because he was ashamed. I feel this happened because he didn't want to admit he couldn't make it and go home to train more.

 Rocky has caught my eyes from the star to the end. There was time where I wasn't in some of the part of the movie because of the blood and hitting. But going back to the movie it was nice. Rocky is trying to work hard so he can become a good boxer and play in champion. The only way he earns money for his living is by collecting debts for a loan shark named Gazzo, but as I remember Gazzo doesn't think Rocky

has the viciousness it takes to beat up deadbeats. Rocky worked hard to make it.

where is, he fight hard. He didn't win but that was what he chooses to have. I

better person. Where when she was always quit and hid to a person where

love how rocky was able to help Adrian to overcome her shall of shyness and

she will not wear her glasses. I don’t like where they are had to cut his eyes

because he couldn’t see after Apollo kept hitting him it. I don’t like hitting,

blood and all those kind of things that’s why sometime I would always miss and

part of the movie or not be able to watch it.

Kani on Friday

My favorite movie is Friday because it's  funny. I mean it is laugh out loud FUNNY HA! HA! My favorite character in the movie is Smokey (Chris Tucker) because he's hyper like me, and we both do funny things . My favorite part is when they was smoking and the pastor came and was telling them to stop smoking, then smokey started taking like a pastor

Give me more Kani. Ironically I can see the Kani/Chris Tucker connection; I have enjoyed his antics in numerous films esp. the Rush Hour series and Jackie Brown.

MM

Kassandra C- The Maze Runner

The movie maze runner was an interesting and unique film because of the way the story was developed where every month a new member had joined the others that have been brought by a mysterious elevator that only brought them up not down the new members was broughy with a few more materials and food for the member already at the forest top and the main character Dylan o' Brien has entered the forest corner for the maze like a week after the only female in the group came with a note attached to her saying this is the last one all of the members had there job but it was dedicated on a few that decided what they was qualified for as there was the runners the ones who built and cookers the hunters and the watchers everyday around 7 or 8 the maze opened up so the runners as their  job ran Into the maze to try and figure it out by the end of 10 o'clock where the maze shut close again till the next morning but there was a trick for everyday of the week the maze when it was closed moved around to make a new pattern that's what made it harder for the runners to figure it out. A day when the runners went out to the maze but didn't come back in time because one of the members got bit by one of the venomous bugs they had there So when the gates was closing Dylan o' Brien went out to help it the maze had shut on them so they thought they was dead already because as the maze says nobody who stays over night Is a surviver but luckily enough they did survive the night and they killed the robotic spider thing that tried killing them to not make it through the night.
This movie really caught my attention because it was really intriguing and made the watcher wanna  watch more about what was going To happen what was coming next

Favorite movie

My favorite movie is Straight Outta Compton. I like it because it seemed so real [it is a docudrama/biopic of sorts]. The way the gangs were, the concerts, and the police violence/racism. I like movies that look realistic and can make me relate to real life. That movie was also really funny e.g. (examples given). The actors looked just like the people the movie were based on [O'Shea Jackson Jr. does play his father Ice Cube] so that made it even better.

Jay,

You are not alone in liking this film (I have not seen it yet); it has a 90% critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is often said to be the gold standard of internet based movie ratings. Give me more! Tell me why I should spend my hard earned money and give up two hours and twenty seven minutes of my life to see it. I look forward to reading more; be sure to include SPOILER ALERTS! if you decide to give away key plot points. RIP Easy E.

MM

Prior Viewing Experience - Harley Davidson & The Marlboro Man (1991)

I chose to write about this film because it is one of my favorite movies to watch and re-watch whenever I have nothing to do and get bored. Harley Davidson & The Marlboro Man is a movie about to old friends who get together to help someone who helped them a long time ago and is now going through a tough time, but their methods aren't exactly legal. The movie starts off with Harley standing in front of and looking out the window of a small apartment - looking room with a girl in his bed and himself lighting up a cigarette. This implies that he smokes fairly often and he can be seen smoking throughout the movie in a majority of lax scenes. There is a radio playing that gives information to the year and other big news for the supposed year they live in, which is five years after the movie comes out. I think this is to imply problems that were foreseen to occur at the time relatively soon,such as the smog alert, high gas prices, and a new and dangerous street drug called "crystal dream."
At the end of the radio broadcast which ends in "Happy birthday America!" Harley walks out on his partner of the night with no words - just a long look before he walks out the door. This is later revealed to be slightly ironic, when Harley and Marlboro are talking in a bar and Harley tells Marlboro about  a girl who broke his heart by leaving in the middle of the night with no words or a note; just an empty bed. The scene following the walk out is a montage of different locations across the United States, but headed west, which is supposed to imply to the viewer that he is headed towards the Pacific coast. After the montage, Harley is walking into a gas station to pump more fuel into his bike and despite it being in the middle of a stand - up. This scene reveals quit bit of his past and character with the attacker telling Harley to get on the ground and him saying "If I had a nickel for every time some piece of shit pointed a gun at me, I'd be a very rich man." and then proceeding to beat down both attackers.
Marlboro is introduced with his classic line of "My father used to say before he left this shitty world"... and that's really the only bit of a character introduction we get from him, except throughout the rest of the movie. Harley then appears in the same bar as Marlboro and catches him off guard right before a fight. The movie shows a patriotic favor when Marlboro's Kawasaki is shown to be burning oil and throwing clouds of smoke from his muffler and his reference when he gets to the home bar of putting the rice grinding horse out of it's misery. After shooting the bike several times, it symbolically falls on its side as if it were an actual horse being put down and dying. A form of foreshadowing is presented when the bar owner and apparent mentor for both of them is thrilled to see Harley but becomes serious for a moment when he says that he'll regret seeing him because he always does. Overall, I love this film because of it's action - based genre but strong brotherly theme. Harley and Marlboro seem to have this incredible brotherly bond even in their worst situations and with that bond comes their sense of humor that never ends, like when Harley shoots Marlboro accidentally and Marlboro just slaps him with his hat and says "You dickhead, you fuc*in shot me!" I love the subtle breaks in the movie that lead into each other, like Marlboro's right hand shooting towards the end because of his shot left arm or when his old man told him before he left this shitty world to never shoot an unarmed man which prevents the easy death of the bank CEO. An interesting note that I have not yet figured out is the mention of God and Heaven from Harley subtly throughout the movie. I also wonder why Marlboro was given an actual name in the movie at the end, but Harley always kept his alias.

Sugar Note 2

Before getting on the bus his replacement offers to take his bag while he takes a bathroom break but there's an odd vibe when he tells him no and snatches back his back before he reaches for it. The boy watches him carefully as he goes to the bathroom while watching behind him. He goes on a train to Manhattan. There's a moment when he's on the benches watching children play baseball. He gets a room at a hotel and he doesn't know at the moment how long he's going to be there. It seems that he abandoned his baseball team or he's no longer playing at the moment. He has a conversation w/ his mom in DR after purchasing a out of country card and she tells him to go back to the team. But he doesn't want to return and he seems to want to start fresh. He gets a job at the diner because of a trick a girl who works there told him to tell the manager. He told him he liked his shirt and now he's in the back washing dishes. He gets a second job as a carpenter w/ a manager named Osvaldo. He doesn't pay the rent back at the hotel so he has to split and Osvaldo offers him his place to stay. Jorge and him reunite when Jorge sees him in the street. Him and the girl that helped him get the job dance at the club and have a vibeful moment. Jorge brings him back into baseball for a team called "Bandidos"  and most of them played for some major leagues teams.

Sugar

The 2008 feature film Sugar from directors Anna Bowen and Ryan Fleck has caught my eye from the start. I can relate to his story because I know many who have came from their home countries to the United States for baseball and opportunities in general. I enjoy the story plot, but it is frustrating based on the fact the protagonist Miguel "Sugar" Santos left the team because he was jealous and wasn't doing that good.  Miguel always loved baseball since he was a little boy. He signed up with the Kansas City baseball organization in DR when he was a sophomore in high school to be in a league. Miguel gets chosen to leave Dominican Republic and come to the United States to play. He gets sent to a league in Iowa on a team called Swing. Everything goes well in the beginning, getting known around well. Then, Miguel gets injured and I suppose him being sat down for a while made him rusty.

This movie touches upon the theme of a fish out of a bowl meaning Miguel is taken out of his home and is placed in a new place which is the States. I can connect the film Sugar to the short stories of Junot Diaz, especially "Ysrael" and "Fiesta, 1980." These stories follow their narrator, a boy referred to as Yunior, from the DR to New Jersey. The movie Sugar and the story "Ysrael" have many things in common because one day they are comfortable and the next completely not used to anything. In Sugar Miguel thinks all American food is sweet compared to back home, but it is only because he only knows how to order French toast. Meanwhile, Yunior in the story is in an uncomfortable situation with his father due to him cheating. Many themes are exchanged between the two. I recommend the short stories written by Junot Diaz, he is a good writer.  

Age of Adaline

The film Age of Adaline featuring Blake Lively of Gossip Girl fame and Harrison Ford (that's right, Han Solo/Indiana Jones) is one of my favorite movies. I don't care what the critics at Rotten Tomatoes say (54% approval); It had me hooked from the start. The movie is about Adaline, who is a beautiful smart girl. She gets into a car accident during a storm and makes her car fall into a pond. Lightning strikes her car making her immune to the changes of time. She will never grow old.

The craziest thing in the movie, and the thing that broke my heart was that Adaline had a child. Her daughter is about 60, almost 70ish, and she gets introduced as Adaline's mom. Then on New Year's Adaline goes to a party to celebrate and meets a man with whom she falls in love. Adaline is faced with a brick wall when she has to tell Ellis about her secret about never getting older. But in those moments she meets Ellis parents; his father when adaline was young in her normal time she had almost married his father. The movie ends in a very happy way, but how it gets there plays with your mind.  It makes you think one thing and then the opposite thing happens.

One quote I love is " What is the point of falling in love when you can't grow old with them?"  It was a very heartwarming moment, it gets you to think what would that really be like. I recommend the movie for those who enjoy romance.

Fast and Furious 7

This movie is probably my favorite movie ever. Now before I saw Furious 7 I never saw any of the previous movies before it other then little parts and pieces. But surprisingly I caught on very quickly with who was who and what was going on. This movie was a great action packed movie along with a little bit of drama. The way they played everything out was very well done and some of the things they shot were amazing. My favorite scene of the movie was when Paul Walker was stuck on a trailer on a mountain and somehow he jumped out ran up the trailer and grabbed who I think was Vin Diesel's hand to pull him back up from the mountain. Probably one of the best things about the movie was that they let Paul Walker stay alive considering he had died in real life but they let him live in the movie so that his legacy would carry on. This movie was definitely a must see and if you haven't seen it yet please try to go see it as soon as possible because you won't regret it.

Mission Impossible

In my opinion, I think that Mission Impossible 2 was an overall good movie. Even though my intentions at first weren't to even go see the movie but the movie we wanted to see was sold out so we figured it looked good so why not. Some parts were a little boring but that was because I had intentions on every part of the movie to be action packed. Honestly I think it was one of the better movies I've seen recently it was a comedy with a lot of action. But on my behalf I never saw the first Mission Impossible so I couldn't tell you if there were parts that ties together or that would only make sense if you watched the first one because it did take me a little while to understand exactly what was going on. But if you ever get the chance I do recommend seeing it. 

Sugar

The film Sugar, so far has been an entertaining film to watch. The character Miguel "Sugar" Santos, is a baseball player from the Dominican Republic. He lived in a small village and came from poverty. He is called Sugar because of his wicked "sweet" curveball, although others at the baseball academy claim it's because he likes dessert. Miguel was in the baseball academy before finally being invited to the U.S. for spring training with the Kansas City Knights. He is then assigned to a Single A affiliate in Iowa, known as the Swing. While in the U.S., he has some trouble with miscommunication and the cultural differences but he starts to adjust somewhat. For example, when he first arrived all he would eat was french toast because that's all he knew how to order, now he knows how to order eggs, thanks to a kind waitress who helped him out. Sugar is also learning a bit more English, it's a slow but gradual process. Sugar is doing really well playing for his team and things seem to be going great for him in the U.S., only his friend, who is also a fellow Dominican, isn't playing too well.
So far, I've thoroughly enjoyed this film. It has a great hook that keeps pulling me in. The character Sugar is the hook, it's easy to relate to him and the emotional components of the film alone are enough to pull me in but the artistic ones as well make it a must see.

Rocky: The End, sort of

After finishing watching Rocky, I could not believe what I had seen. Rocky's determination and endurance was unbelievable. In the fight against Apollo Creed, even though he lost, I believe he also won something that day. Rocky proved himself with his incredible endurance and determination in the fight and he earned the love of the girl he loves. I think that even though he lost, he'd look back on that day as a good one. Apollo Creed definitely didn't expect the fight to last as long as it did, I don't think anyone did, so Rocky really proved himself as a fighter. I myself was confused as to who even won, until the announcer said Apollo Creed. It seemed like such a close fight. I really thought Rocky was going to win, but I feel like that was the point, that he didn't. We know that there was a second, third, fourth and fifth Rocky as well as Rocky Balboa the movie. There were multiple Rocky film installments and I think it was set up that way on purpose, that he'd lose in the first film to come back in the second and redeem himself. Or at least it seems that way.
To me Rocky, was a very interesting film. It had so many ranges of moods, tones, and settings, that really made it stand out as it's own. There were intense fights and yelling matches all throughout, Rocky's training scenes and his famous montage that was just really upbeat and had a "go get it" attitude, as well as the love scenes between Rocky and Adrian. This movie had so much going on. It was a whirlwind, from one scene to the next. I never knew if I was going to see a fight, sweet scene between Rocky and Adrian, or Rocky training.
The scene that had the most impact on me had to be when Rocky left Adrian at his apartment sleeping, and he went to the arena where the match would be held, and he looked at the two posters hanging, his and Apollo Creed's. The way the scene was shot, made it seem that it was just Rocky and that version of Apollo Creed, Rocky was feeling down and had low self-esteem and that huge blown up hanging poster of Creed made Rocky look so small, probably how the character was feeling. That scene just really stood out to me because of Rocky's inner turmoil, the low lighting really helped to give off a dampened, saddened mood.
Overall I really enjoyed this film for it's ingenuity and I simply loved Sylvester Stallone's performance as Rocky Balboa.

Rocky: An American Icon

What defines an American hero? Are their traits objective or subjective? It is certainly a question can field many different answers; are grandiose characters whose impact can reach far and wide, or they someone as local as a parent or a teacher? In Rocky, director John G. Avildsen attempts to answer his question through the titular character, Rocky Balboa - also known as the "Italian Stallion." Portrayed by now critically acclaimed actor Sylvester Stallone, Rocky is initially shown to the viewer as a small time fighter who is also a less-than spectacular loan shark living in the city of brotherly love, trying to make end's meet. As the film goes through its 119 minute run-time, however, the viewer quickly learn exactly what Avildsen's vision of an American hero really embodies.

As stated before, Rocky is a very simple man; he boxes low end fighters and is a second-rate loan shark. He also has an affinity for Adrian, the introverted sister of his friend Paulie, who - no matter what Rocky says to her - never utters a single word. At first glance, he doesn't really carry a lot of the traits that one would expect an American hero to embody; however, things quickly begin to change for Rocky. With the bicentennial of the United States on the way, world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed takes notice in Rocky, and selects him for a fight to celebrate America's 200-year anniversary; much unbeknownst to Rocky being the fact that Apollo chooses him simply to put on a show, and expects the fight to go no longer than the 3rd round, labeling him an "underdog."

As the date grows closer to the big fight, support for Rocky appears to be on an incline. The public - and Apollo - begin to take notice of Rocky's belief that the fight is for real, and not a pure spectacle as Apollo intends. Despite his growing support and coverage in the media, however, feelings of doubt begin to creep in as Rocky admits to Adrian - his now girlfriend - that he believes that just cannot beat Apollo, and that fighting him is futile; however, Adrian convinces Rocky to go through with the fight with a new goal: to "go the distance," and survive through all 15 rounds.

As the fight goes through its motions, Apollo's corner quickly begins to take notice of Rocky's determination and drive to keep the fight going. Because of this, Apollo goes full force on Rocky, eventually beating him so badly that Rocky can barely get up; however, the crowd erupts in loud ovation to Rocky, and he manages to reach his goal of going the distance against the heavyweight champion. Rocky immediately calls out for Adrian, and the two embrace each other, with the camera fading out on Rocky.

Now, what does all of this contribute to Director John Avildsen's vision of an American hero? From the events of Rocky, one can clearly see that his idea of the American hero is not one who achieves everything and is invincible; rather, it is one who does not give up or give in, regardless of the situation or consequence. Throughout the entire film, Rocky is always portrayed as an underdog, whether it be his pursuit of Adrian as a love interest, his quest to become a world famous boxer, or his grit and determination to show the world his worth in the ring against the heavyweight champion on the nation's bicentennial - but he perseveres. He always perseveres.

Sugar

Coming off of our critical viewing of the Best Picture of 1976, director John G. Avildsen's Rocky, we continue our exploration of the American Dream with the 2008 feature film Sugar. The titular character Miguel "Sugar" Santos is an aspiring baseball player from the Dominican Republic [here we could make comparisons to the short stories of Junot Diaz that also grapple with the themes of the American Dream and identity formation].

     After playing with his peers and striking out 3 [write out numbers less than ten] times [batters] the following day the lists were posted up he was separated from his friends because he was put on the Straight-A list in Iowa Bridgetown. He seemed a bit sad. While trying to adjust in the new house he was put in they try to communicate to him in Spanish he easily replied to them in English. Now it was his first professional game and he threw 4 outings out the box, he's nervous. Until his friend Jorge tells him, "It's just like back home, just relax." He gets back into the swing of things and easily gets three strikes.

     He goes to the clubs gerund game to have fun an dance. A girl dances w/ him but she had a boyfriend and him and Jorge end up getting into a fight and leave the club.

Tati, 

I am encouraged by your enthusiasm and attention to detail; however, I would like more context and analysis. Your post as it stands has an over-reliance on recall/retell. I look forward to reading more of your work.

MM

Rocky

     The ending to Rocky was not really at all what I expected. Even though I'd never watched Rocky, I always thought that it was just a classic example of an American Dream film, where Rocky goes from being a nobody fighter to a real champion. As we got further into the movie, I realized that it was pretty much everything I expected it to be from the beginning fight with a random other boxer to the training montages and of course the Rocky theme song but then we got to the end when Rocky fights Apollo Creed in the "fight of the century" and all my correct predictions came to a dead stop as the winner was announced to still be Apollo Creed. I was kinda thrown off by this victory because not only was it not expected, but the win was so close on Rocky's side and it just tipped to Apollo Creed. If Rocky'd gone another three rounds against Apollo then Rocky would've been the clear winner. There were really just a lot of things wrong with that final fight in my opinion.
     I'm not too big on boxing but I did it for a little while and the first thing I learned was to always keep my fists up, just under my eyes to cover my face and to keep my elbows tucked in. These kept me covered from blows to the face and ribs. When the fight started, I didn't see either Rocky or Apollo keeping their defenses up. I suppose I could understand keeping your guard low before there are any actual punches being thrown and in between bursts because you save a little energy but even when Apollo started taking the easy swings at Rocky, no one had their guards up. I also understand that Rocky doesn't have good footwork, seeing as he admits that, but it's a little bit bothersome how easily Apollo just continued to corner Rocky.
     It seems that Rocky should have won the fight in the end also because of how much of a show Apollo was really putting on. And that's really what just pisses me off. Rocky put so much effort into training and the only thing Apollo really cared about was the show aspect of it. Rocky had every right to win!

Rocky: American Hero

Something I noticed in the movie Rocky was that Rocky tries to push him self to be the best that he can possibly be to win this big fight and prove to his girl that he is good. I think that this means that he actually has a chance at winning and becoming the best. This is important because it shows to him self and others even people watching the movie that if you put your mind to it that you can get anything in life it is that you want.

Rocky the first movie of the year.

Something I noticed about the movie Rocky was Rocky feels like no one was there for him to help with fighting. But all of a sudden he falls in love with Puallie's little sister. I think that this means that Rocky is going to have to figure out how to juggle his life with his girlfriend and life as a fighter. When he thinks that things are turning around from him. It is important that Rocky figures it out because if he doesn't then he could lose fighting and get seriously hurt or he could lose the love of his life.

Rocky, first film of the year

The film, Rocky deals with many themes, such as love, boxing and the American Dream. The American Dream would be considered as like freedom and the opportunity to succeed in life. Rocky faces a time in his boxing career in which he is seen as not a challenge. An example of that would be when Rocky goes to the boxing place and finds out that someone else has his locker. He finds his stuff all in a big bag on a rack in the locker room. Rocky also confronts the theme of love with Adrian. I love the part when Rocky tells Adrian's Brother that She has gaps and he has gaps, so therefore they fill gaps. I like the quote because that is how a should be like they complete the "gaps" and love should be like you complete one another.
 Rocky, I enjoyed watching the movie. But for me watching it in pieces was confusing to keep up. I liked how Rocky fought to stay within the boxing place. The American Dream is all about pursuing your passion, your dream and that is exactly what Rocky did.
Adrian didn't watch the fight because she wouldn't understand, like if I was watching football I wouldn't understand until someone told me the team scored. The ending to me was very Ironic because Rocky seemed hyped and prepared to take the win and the girl. But, Rocky ended up losing the fight by decision and keeping the girl. 

The Perfect Guy

This film is full of excitement and romance right from the start to the end. I love movies in which things are unpredictable. The main character Leah ( Sanna Lathan) experiences some relationship problems with Dave ( Morris Chestnut ). Then appears what is " a perfect guy" Carter (Micheal Ealy), She wants to think it is true love. But little did she know his true side. The movie from the beginning will have you thinking until the end. One part that I did like because it was funny was when Leah sees Carter with another girl after their break up. Leah walks up to them at their table and tells the girl what he has been doing to her. Then she says a slick comment to the girl saying run while you can before it is too late.  During the movie it is a funny moment based on what Carter has done to Leah. The movie sort of resembles The Boy Next Door in the sense of the plot. I won't spoil it anymore so go watch the movie.

How Rocky and Sugar connect

   I'm going to tie Rocky (1976) and Sugar (2008) because they both have a connection with Sports and they both deal with the theme of the " American Dream".

       Sugar was about a 19 year old boy names Miguel "Sugar" Santos who threw the sweetest curve when it came to playing baseball. He was able to go on a single A team in Iowa and live with a family who also shares an interest in baseball. He ends up being the star on his team but it ends up kicking his cousin off the team. Sugar's friend comes in and takes his spot has the outstanding star which leaves Sugar to be the one who may have to leave the team. 

     In Rocky, Director John G. Avildsen answers this questions showing how someone like Rocky can make a difference it doesn't have to be big. As this film went by quick we all really understood what Director John G. Avildsen thought an American Hero was. Rocky " The Italian Stallion" Balboa is a hard living, but failing prize fighter from an Italian neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In this move Rocky is portrayed as a small time fighter who is not exactly fancy.  He gets an amazing opportunity to fight against the famous Apollo Creed on January 1, 1976. 


     This connect and tie with the theme " American Dream" because the American Dream is the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.These movies show what is the so called " American Dream" and how anyone could achieve it. 

Brittney's Prior Film Experience

I've had prior film experience. I prefer to watch horror and comedy movies. I like to watch these types of movies because I get more engaged in those movies. I like be kept on the edge of my seat while watching horror films. I love the suspenseful music, it warns me when something scary is about to happen. I can feel the emotion that the character feels in the movie. I enjoy being scared while watching horror films. I watch comedy film to be entertained and so I can get a good laugh. Watching comedy films can be relaxing. I watch comedy's when I'm in a bad mood, and I know that whatever comedy film I'm watching I know I'll have a goods laugh.

Rocky "American Hero"

Rocky "American Hero"


Rocky Balboa who is not a well known boxer fights in a local boxing pace in his town. He gets a star moment when he is invited by no other than Apollo Creed himself. Apollo Creed is a heavyweight champion who has won most of his fights and has a few K.O. He believes since Rocky is Italian that he wont do as well in the fight compared to African American men. I do consider Rocky as an "American Hero" because he has a determine goal to show he can beat Apollo, he has goals and wants to accomplish them just as anyone else. We can relate to him as well in an emotion aspect because he has feeling towards Adrian the girl he loves so much.

Furious 7

Fast and the Furious 7

 This has to be one of my favorite movies from all adrenaline and action packed stunts. I love movies that have to do with racing and buildings exploding . The beginning of the movie caught my attention right away when Shawn goes into the hospital and does his hacking and starts making people pass out and die right there and then. Another scene is were Dom (Vin Diesel) Brain (Paul Walker) and the crew have to go out into the city and they racing against time to beat the people in the helicopters to get the connection they need. The part that I love the most of this movie is the ending when they do the tribute to Paul Walker and they show Dom driving next to him and says "One last ride" and they both smile at one another and race until they both go there separate ways. 

Sinister

Sinister 

Ellison Oswald stared in this movie as Ethan Hawk (back in 2012) as a true non-fiction crime writer who moves around from town to town. Ethan investigates horrifying murder cases that have never been unsolved. He has a book called Kentucky Blood which was based on a family who was hung from a tree with sacks over there heads, both the mother and father and there two young children. That is the only book that had a great hit. Now he wants to solve this case and find out why and how was this family murdered. He speaks to a sheriff named Fred about it and how he wants to move into the house and actually do a through investigation. The sheriff tells him he is out of his mind and his only putting himself and family at fatal risk. Tracy (Juliet Rylance) playing as Ethan's wife in the thrill chilling movie asked her husband if this will be there last move because even the kids are tired of moving. Little did she know that the house they have moved into is the actual house were the murder happened.  So as they settle into the house Ethan walk's into his daughters room were he finds her painting her walls. She tells her dad she didn't want to leave their old town. He told her if his research goes well they will move into their old home. Now the only two rules we have in the house is one, no one goes into daddy's study room and two, you are not allowed to paint on any walls but the ones in your room. In the new house Ethan decides to go into the attic and there he stumbles upon a box filled with tapes and titles written on them. Such as Hanging out, BBQ, Sleepy time etc. and they have only two different dates on them. It had the projector to go with it and everything. 
                                                 ***
He started watching the videos and became aware of the white masked person in each video and saw this "masked person" would use children to kill their own families. After a few days he started to feel things getting kinda funny around the house so did his wife. What ever the white masked thing is wants his kids and won't stop until he gets the daughter Ashley. What happens next is to be seen in the 2nd part.

Rocky- More Than Meets the Eye

Rocky Balboa, upon first inspection is just a lowly fighter and a second rate loan shark. Well, there may be some truth to those words, but that's not all folks! There is definitely more to this man than initially meets the eye. To an untrained eye, that's how he may be perceived but sometimes, you have to dig a little deeper. Truth be told, Rocky's depth goes deeper than anyone knew, maybe even himself. Rocky is actually a caring person with a soft spot for animals, and with one look at this guy who'd of guessed it? Most importantly, he has a lot of potential. He's a fighter, but a fighter with heart. Although, Rocky initially comes off as, not so smart the more time that passes and as the movies progresses you can see that is clearly not the case.

Rocky Balboa is more than meets the eye, and I say this with complete sincerity because it's the gosh-darn-truth. In the beginning of the film, Rocky was kicked out of his locker by Mickey, a coach, the reason being his profession. Mickey called him out and told him he had potential and Rocky goes on to prove him right. Rocky gets the chance to face off against famous fighter Apollo Creed. Creed's representatives promote, "America's the land of opportunity", and they just gave Rocky his. Although, Rocky is hesitant to say yes at first due to Creed's title and prominence in the fighting community. Throughout the film Rocky surprised me by always doing something unexpected. Rocky doesn't always defend himself when people call him "bum" or "loser" or question his masculinity but he defends his girlfriend Adrian, who I was surprised to learn he liked in the first place as they are so different. 

Throughout the film, the character of Rocky has surprised me on many occasions. His kind acts make him heroic and in a way I guess he is an American Hero. I don't really think there is one specific way to define an American Hero, but Rocky is definitely heroic whether an American Hero or not, that remains to be determined. I personally believe so because he accomplished what so many people set out to, he had the American dream, he had potential, he had opportunities, it was his to achieve and he did. People love to root for the underdog. Rocky with all of his rough edges, was the underdog to Apollo Creed's reigning champion title. 

Rocky "American Hero"

Rocky Balboa is a not to well known boxer who fights people in a local club in the boxing place. He gets the rare yet his shot to being a big shot chance when Apollo Creed invites Rocky for a chance to fight. Apollo Creed is a heavyweight champion and feels as this can be a nice fight because he is African American and Rocky is Italian. As he refers himself to the "Italian Stallion". I consider Rocky an "American Hero" because he is young and he is determined yet sentimental, and caring. In which we all can relate. He won't give up on his love for boxing over the fight he is now challenged to and also for Adrian his romantic interest.

Black or White

This is a film written and directed by Mike Binder. A drama about a recently widowed lawyer Elliott Anderson who now has to face for battle of the custody of his bi-racial granddaughter who he has been helping take care of all her life Eloise Anderson, with Eloise's paternal grandmother as she fights back. Being that Eloise's grandfather and grandmother were the white side of her and her paternal grandmother was the African American side these two worlds collide with the two different traditions, norms, down to the color differentiation. Rowena, Eloise's grandmother tired of Elliot's racist ways brings it to her brother Jeremiah who's in high power as a senior partner at a new form. She brings it to the attention of the court in this matter which is a threatening family hearing matter. Now being that Jeremiah is on board he wants to re-ensure the winning of the case so he makes sure to present it as a case that "he (Elliott) has a problem w/ black people". Being that two sides both have bad apples such as Elliott having a drinking problem due to issues he has hard times dealing with such as the death of his daughter (mother of Eloise) due to Reggie Jr (son of Rowena) who impregnanted his daughter at the age of 17 and Reggie 23. After the birth of eloise it led to Elliott's daughter death in a case of indirect maternal death that could've been preventable if Reginald's side of his family made them aware of what Reginald did to Carol (Elliot's daughter). Both the paternal grandmother and grandfather have no problem getting down and dirty to prove and win their argument of the case. This is a movie that brings out the ugly truth in this world. It makes you wonder we have mostly conquered slavery & separating the children in school by the color of their skin. Martin Luther King Jr. giving his famous "I Have A Dream" speech in 1963, he preached, and fought till he couldn't anymore. but yet here we are in 2014 (the year this movie was published) and we still aren't over the color line? At the end of the movie they realize that Elliott would have full custody. He was just an angry father for the death of his daughter so he drank and when his wifedied it came back even worse. In the end he lets her go over to her other Rowena's house to spend some time while he works on his drinking issue. so he can "relearn to breath again".

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming of age story written by Stephen Chbosky. It was published in 1999. The film adaptation was released in 2012 and was written and directed by the author Stephen Chbosky. The film stars Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Paul Rudd, Nina Dobrev, and Mae Whitman.

The story follows Charlie Kelmeckis, an introverted teen, throughout his freshman year in high school in the early 1990s.
The book follows Charlie writing a multitude of letters to an unidentified friend and the film starts off narrated by Charlie (Lerman).
In the film, Charlie starts high school a recluse but not of his own choice, he's dealing with two traumatic events: the suicide of his friend Michael the year before and the death of his favorite Aunt Helen  when he was seven. Charlie is in advanced English and easily connects with his English teacher Mr. Anderson (Rudd) but has trouble to do so with anyone else. Charlie still has trouble fitting in, until he meets Patrick (Miller) and his stepsister Sam (Watson). Charlie bonds with Patrick and Sam and soon joins their group of friends or as Sam refers to them as "misfit toys". On their way home after the party, the trio hear a song on the radio they are unfamiliar with and Sam tells Patrick to turn it up and drive through the tunnel, while she stands in the back of the pickup while the music blasts, and Charlie says,"I feel infinite." Things go swimmingly for a while, the group have several other social activities a couple where Charlie is introduced to the world of drugs. Charlie helps Sam study for the SAT's and as a result at a Secret Santa Christmas party she gets him a typewriter as he wants to be a writer and she has typed "Write about us" which is the first thing she and Patrick told him when he said he wanted to be a writer but he didn't know what to write about, and he typed back "I will." Charlie shares his first kiss with Sam who is already involved with someone else but wants Charlie to have his first kiss be with someone who loves him, as her's wasn't, she was taken advantage of. Sam, Patrick and their friends work as performers for the Rocky Horror Picture Show Performance, and Charlie has to fill in for Sam's boyfriend Craig who is a no show, this leads to Mary Elizabeth (Whitman) asking Charlie to the Sadie Hawkins Dance and later leads to a relationship between the two even though Charlie is still very much in love with Sam. Charlie soon grows irritated and moody by the situation and is only in the relationship to avoid hurting Mary Elizabeth's feelings. Charlie is dared to kiss the most beautiful girl in the room and instead of kissing his girlfriend Mary Elizabeth, he kisses Sam which upsets both girls. This makes for an even bigger mess, Patrick tells Charlie he should stay away for awhile, this causes Charlie's depression to return and he experiences flashbacks of his Aunt Helen. Charlie becomes friends with Patrick and Sam again when he defends Patrick from his closeted boyfriend and his friends by blacking out and disabling them, then warning them, "Touch my friends again, and I'll blind you."
Sam is accepted to Penn State, and breaks up with her boyfriend Craig after she learns he's been cheating on her. The night before she's set to leave she asks Charlie, "Why do I  and everyone I love pick people who treat us like we're nothing?" and Charlie responds, "We accept the love we think we deserve." the advice he received from Mr. Anderson as he had asked him why as well in the beginning of the film. They even kiss again but when Sam touches his thigh Charlie experiences a flashback of his Aunt Helen which he ignores. After Sam leaves though, Charlie's mental health and state deteriorate and he has more flashbacks. Charlie even goes as far as calling his sister (Dobrev) and blaming himself for their aunt's death because he wished for it to happen. His sister realizes he is unstable and calls the police. Charlie passes out when they burst through the door and he wakes up in the hospital. It is revealed that he repressed memories of his aunt sexually abusing him. With much therapy, Charlie recovers and returns home. He is visited by Sam and Patrick. Sam tells him about college life and reveals she has identified the song from the tunnel. They go for a ride, this time Charlie standing in the back of the pickup. Charlie kisses Sam and admits he feels alive and declares, "We are infinite."

I found the characters to be very complex. There was just so much going on, on paper and on the screen. It was a whirlwind. This film felt like a montage, it was condensed down to the major parts and most books that become major pictures are, but this one was done in a way that didn't feel like it missed anything too important. I think the fact that the author of the book wrote the screenplay and directed it as well may have something to do with it.
I always prefer the book over the movie, but in this particular case I don't prefer one over the other. The movie feels like an added extension of the book and I think it's because the author had that same vision of which he wrote the book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this film. It was easy to get caught up in and feel what the characters were feeling and really think about the inner turmoil of the main protagonist, in this case, Charlie. This film was just so nicely done, a beautiful addition to the book.

Without a Paddle

Without a Paddle is a 2004 comedy directed by Steven Brill and written by Jay Leggett and Mitch Rouse. The film stars Seth Green, Matthew Lillard, and Dax Shepard.

In the film three reunited friends, Dan (Green), Jerry (Lillard), and Tom (Shepard) go on a treasure hunt for D.B. Cooper's treasure as one last hurrah after the death of one of their good childhood friends. On their adventure they come across many obstacles including a bear who mistakes Dan as it's cub, rapid waters and a waterfall, crazy pot-growing fish-killing weapon wielding hillbillies, two friendly earth-loving hippies, a rainstorm, and a lone man with a gun who happened to know D.B. Cooper, and a crooked cop.
In the film each of the friends have their own problems:
Dan is a doctor with many phobias which he lets control his life and in result he lives his life in fear and can't get a date.
Jerry loves his job and surfing and his girlfriend, but he's bored of responsibility and he doesn't know if he's ready for a life of commitment.
Tom has too many problems, he lies and gambles and is really struggling although he doesn't let this be known until later on.
Throughout the film you see the friends fight due to their individual problems and about them and use them against each other, but towards the end they really do love each other and love messing with each other.
This journey they go on really solidifies their relationship but also has an impact on their personal lives. From where they were in the beginning of the film to the end, they've made significant changes in their lives.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. It was laugh out loud funny, but also very realistic in the way the relationships were portrayed. It had a sense of a throwback or flashback that was really moving, you could see how they grew up together and bonded and it strengthened the story.

The Wolf of Wall Street

The Wolf of Wall Street in my opinion is a favored film by Martin Scorsese's. Also one of Leonardo DiCaprio's best starred films he plays the role of Jordan Belfort who is a stock broker from Wall Street in New York. At the age of 22 he finds a job on Wall Street at a firm and meets a man that is a senior broker at the firm named Hanna that teaches him the way of the stockbroker game, this was by talking to clients and getting their money into your own pocket for your own advantages. In 6 months Jordan already was familiar of the crooks and crannies in the firm and how to play the game. Now Jordan lost his job and he found a job in Long Island at a shitty company and shitty workplace called Investor Center and he quickly becomes the apple of Investor Center's eye. He is making them money and fast. At a diner he bumps into his apartment building neighbor named Donnie Azoff who's played by Jonah Hill. He quits his job and works for Jordan they start their own company in a garage w/ a few brokers. He created a company called Stratton Oakmont, Inc. He teaches them how to sell not only to poor people but rich people to start getting real money. They're scamming salesmen who manipulate to get the clients money for themselves. It's a hit and they're off. Money coming out the ass. They get crazy and reckless w/ their money and eventually it all catches up to Jordan and he ends up in federal prison. But that doesn't stop him from doing it in there too. This movie is an example of business. Business can be very clean but its sleazy everyone wants to be rich and rich quickly. Supply, demand, urgency, becomes a necessity and you made a sale. I really love this movie because it's real, it's exactly what happens without being sugar coated.