Sugar

I liked the movie sugar. What I really liked about the movie sugar the most was when he was making the table his mom for not even knowing how he was going to send it back to his country. Through this whole movie Sugar was really changed going from just playing ball with his friends to playing it in the major league. Learning a new languge and getting to know people. This is what really reached me in this movie.

Psycho / Courtney Bell

In the beginning of the movie Psycho, a 1960 thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Marion Crane, the protagonist, and her boyfriend Sam are talking about there future together. They are unable to get married due to Sam’s debts. This causes Marion to steal $40,000 from her job. Instead of depositing the money in the bank as her boss had asked her she steals it and leaves work early saying she has a headache. Marion leaves Arizona to go see Sam in California.

At first the movie was kind of rocky and I didn't understand it, but as I paid attention the movie started to get interesting. It took a while for it to actually get into the main point of the movie but when it did it was shocking because I didn't expect Marion to die. This movie was really a mystery because the Sheriff said that Norman mother is dead so when I heard that I was thinking that Norman mom killed someone and said it was his mom that died. That was the first thing that came to my mind. But towards the end when Marion sister went into the house and found the skeleton if Norman mom I was confused until Norman came out dressed as his mom and tried to kill her.
 The movie was more of a suspense and mystery movie. You never knew what was going to happen. I didn't know that Norman was acting as his mother and was killing everybody. It was really a shocker to me.

Psycho (SPOILERS) Jason Prates

The movie was great. There wasn't much to say I didn't like. Alfred Hitchcock outdid himself in this film. Alfred Hitchcock lived up to his name "the Master of Suspense." Psycho is a movie about a runaway girl named Marion Crane from Phoenix, Arizona who stole  $40,000 (which equals to about $300,000 in today's money) or at least it appears to be at first. Marion is portrayed as a psycho since you hear voices as she's driving, and her interactions with the police and a used car salesman are strange and unusual; she is rushed and, quite frankly, seems a little paranoid. 

She drives to a motel named "Bates Motel" and is murdered that same night.  Why would you kill off the "protagonist" nearly 45 minutes into the film? 

In Marion's room, there is a picture of a crane so it's symbolism on Marion's last name. As another point of symbolism, Norman Bates [what more can we say about Bates? Also your conclusion can restate some of your intro and connect elements from your body to the main idea.]  like to stuff birds (his next film is called birds.) A private investigator is called to check on Marion since she was never heard from again. 

Her sister, Lila Crane [who resembles Marion physically; one more layer of Hitchcock's obsession with "doubling" in this film] Marion's lover, Sam Loomis, go out to the same motel to investigate Since they haven't heard from the investigator that was hired to check on Marion. They find that Norman Bates murdered his mother, Norma Bates (Norman, Norma similar name) and he put her in the fruit cellar of the house. (Symbolism on fruity - not all there, both oars aren't in the water etc.). As Lila investigates, Sam is distracting Norman, after a brief conversation, it gets out of hand and Norman finds out that Lila was snooping through the house. After a terrifying scream, Norman pulls out a knife, the thing about this is he's wearing his mother's clothes as he is about to kill Lila. Luckily, Sam was behind him and held him off. I actually think Norman was the protagonist since you see Norman in a cell in the end with the mother's voice over saying "I'd never hurt that girl" and other things like that.

Like I said before, this was a great film. Hitchcock lived up to his name, and there was tons of symbolism in the film. If you haven't seen the film, I suggest you give it a watch. It will be worth it.

  Edit 1-21-16: I feel like I rushed this post. I quickly googled an image of Psycho and gave a  (very) brief description of the film. I feel as if I could've put more time into this post. Even though it's brief, I feel like it was straight to the point. no unnecessary details. Jason, this may be true; however, as it stands it is mostly recall/retell. What is your thesis or main point? Once you have established this you may use your plot points in support. What happens if you flip your conclusion and make it part of your intro. Why is this movie great? Does Hitchcock live up to his moniker "the Master of Suspense"? 

Psycho, a movie about a runaway girl named Marion Crane from Phoenix, Arizona who got [got or stole? "Everybody goes a little mad sometimes."] $40,000 and ran away with it. Who [why who? This makes it sound like a dependent clause rather than a complete sentence] ends up a motel called "Bates Motel" and is murdered that same night.  In Marion's room, there is a picture of a crane so it's symbolism on Marion's last name [Good! I like this analysis. You could extend your analysis by including info on Norman's hobby and what he likes to stuff in particular (hint: it would also be the title of Hitchcock's next film)]. 

A private investigator is called to check on Marion since she was never heard from again. Her sister, Lila Crane and the protagonist's lover [here you imply that Marion Crane is the protagonist; does this hold true for the entire film? If not, what "rule(s)" does Hitchcock break?] , Sam Loomis go out to the same motel to investigate since the private investigator was murdered in the house behind the motel [Is this particular spoiler necessary to your post?]. They find that Norman Bates murdered his mother, Norma Bates and he [who is he? The fruit cellar specifically; fruit or fruity is sometimes a pejorative for a person who is mentally unstable] put her in the basement of the house. As Lila investigates, Sam is distracting Norman, after a brief conversation, it gets out of hand and Norman finds out that Lila was snooping through the house. After a terrifying scream, Norman pulls out a knife, the thing about this is he's wearing his mothers clothes and he is about to kill Lila. Luckily, Sam was behind him and held him off. 

The movie was great. There wasn't much to say I didn't like. Alfred Hitchcock outdid himself in this film. I hope to see more of his films soon!

Psycho (Spoilers! (a lot of them))

 Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho was shot as a B-movie, meaning it had a low budget. He ended up creating a classic thriller full of iconic shots. The infamous shower scene and musical score is easily recognizable by many. Even though I hadn't seen this movie before these components were still familiar to me.

Psycho was a very unconventional film riddled with plot twists. We follow Marion Crane, who steals $40,000 and attempts to run away. Her white bra in the beginning symbolizes her purity and innocence, but in a later scene we see her wearing a black bra, showing she's been tainted after taking the money. We follow Marion on her journey where she trades in her car and pulls into a secluded motel, Bates Motel. She acts suspicious and her guilt is obvious through out all of this. Bates Motel is where she meets Norman, an awkward mama's boy whose passion is taxidermy and birds. She lies to him about all her information and goes by an alias when checking in. Then, Norman invites her to have dinner with him where they get to talking. Norman obviously develops a crush on Marion and compares her to a bird. Shortly after being introduced to his character, I had a sense that something was a little weird about Norman. Norman is the first person Marion has had a casual conversation with since running off with the money, which I believe helped her come to her senses that what she was doing was crazy. While talking to Norman, Marion subconsciously reveals her information and says to him that she's going to return to Phoenix. This is when the audience is mislead because you are set up to think Marion will go back and do what's, but before she even gets the chance to Hitchcock kills off his protagonist in the iconic shower scene.
 
Marion is stabbed numerous times in the shower by who seems to be Norman's mother, although we never see the attacker's face. The non diegetic violins play loudly along side the character's screams and the shots of blood flowing down the drain make for a pretty gruesome scene. This is a huge twist because we're left wondering how the film will go on without it's main character. Norman meticulously gets rid of the body and any evidence as if he's done it all before. Alfred Hitchcock does an excellent job at revolving the rest of the film around Marion's story without her. As the movie goes on we learn that the man who Marion stole from is looking for her and his 40 grand, so he has hired a private investigator. After discovering that Marion was not with her boyfriend, he looks for her in motels in that area. The private investigator eventually gets to Bates Motel, where he questions Norman. Norman tries his best to lie to him, but is unsuccessful due to the inconsistencies of his story and nerves. He lets Marion's sister and boyfriend know that Marion has been at Bates Motel. The investigator makes the conclusion that Norman killed her for the money she had. Just when we think, he has a lead on figuring the whole thing out, the screech of the violins play again and he's stabbed to death by "Norman's mother". At this point the audience is lead to believe that the mother is the psycho and Norman loves her so much that he covers for her. That, however isn't the case.

Once Norman realizes that people are going to be looking for Marion there, he hides his mother in the cellar. There's a scene of him carrying her down the stairs from a birds eye view, yet we never really do see her face. This scene threw me off from my prediction of the mother not existing and instead Norman having a split personality and actually being the killer. I had made that claim to Luz prior to this scene and believed I had it all figured out because Norman and his mother had never shared a scene before this one. I think it was clever for Hitchcock to include this because it supports the idea that Norman's mother is crazy and has been the one killing all these people. However, I learned that my original prediction was right, when Marion's sister and boyfriend go to Bates Motel to investigate. They check into the motel as a couple and snoop around. When the sister goes into the Bates' house looking for the mother to question, we all kind of have the same thought of "Don't go in there, she's going to kill you!" She goes into the cellar where we were lead to believe the mother was hiding. When she approaches Mrs. Bates, we're all anticipating the mother to stab Marion's sister. But, instead the body turns and reveals a corpse. The shrill screaming all scary movies have, comes from Marion's sister now, and then the door bursts open. There's Norman with a knife in his hand dressed like an elderly lady and not far behind him is Marion's boyfriend stopping him. Never having seen this film before I was genuinely shocked and also slightly upset with myself that I didn't stick with my prediction. I love to guess what happens in thrillers like this one, but all the twists in Psycho made it kind of difficult. Alfred Hitchcock does an amazing job creating and timing all his plot twists to keep you guessing. I think he saw making a B-movie as a challenge to direct an unexpectedly great film.

Luz Avila - Prior Film Experience - Coraline

Coraline
Year: 2009
Director: Henry Selick
Main Protagonist: Coraline (Dakota Fanning)

This stop motion animated movie is a masterpiece - and it happens to be one of my favorite films. Coraline is about an only child who moves into a new house with her mother and father who constantly work on their garden catalog. After bring ignored and kept inside of the house Coraline finds a door that leads to another world. A young child + a new area to explore = a thrilling adventure and experience!

It took 20 months to complete this film. Stop motion isn't easy to work with but the outcome is amazing. This type of film is when the camera is in a pattern of starting and stopping to bring the movie to life. Characters are moved in very small increments to provide motion but the stopping and playing of the camera is what helps to give the illusions of the movements.In the movie you can see how the characters seem so realistic based off movements. They aren't robotic and lifeless but relateable and realistic. Selick also used computers and effects to make characters such as the ghost girls pop out.




Henry Selick followed an outline of a young,outgoing girl who enters an alternate reality, loves it, and then wishes to leave similar to the movie such Alice In Wonderland. Coraline is more than just a creepy childrens' movie, it's a work of art.

American Dream: More Common than You Think #luzavila

I am going to attempt to tie Rocky (1976), Sugar (2008), and Man On Wire (2008) all together as best as I can) to the theme of being an American Hero and following the American Dream.

To quickly summarize Rocky, the movie was about a man named Rocky Balboa who was a boxer in Philadelphia. He gets an amazing opportunity to fight against the famous Apollo Creed on January 1, 1976. Rocky goes the distance and amazes those watching the fight.

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 the end, he does what will make him content and and less stressed.

Man On Wire was about Phillpe Petit, a man from France with a large passion for tight rope walking. He learned of his passion at a young age and kept his dream close to his heart. With the help of his friends and acquaintances he is able to accomplish his largest dream and amaze the world.

With each film there is this pattern: the protagonist who prepares/has a goal, has a situation to overcome, and they give it their all. The average American Dream is similar to this, people have a goal that they want to achieve but there is (almost always) an obstacle that stands in their way.

The American Dream in Rocky is how Apollo Creed wants to fight Rocky Balboa during the bicentennial (1976 for those who don't know). It follows with a patriotic themed fight where Creed dresses as George Washington and Uncle Sam. Rocky, the underdog, fights 15 full rounds pushing himself and proving he is an equal to Creed. He was able to open this opportunity to others showing that you can rise from the bottom and make your way up.

The American Dream in Sugar is how Miguel rose up from a poor family in a poor country. He was given an opportunity and took the chance. It didn't work out as planned but he did still took the chance and had another plan that included a successful and happy life.

Man on wire is what I consider to be the closest to the American Dream. A French man following his passion and does whatever he can to achieve the dream. He broke laws and friendships to do what he could. In reality it was like a sad love story. 

These films all included an underdog that rose up (even a little) and was able to make their lives better and change their character for the better. 

Man on Wire - J.Lopez

I'm not a big fan of documentary. I didn't even see the whole movie, but i do know what it was about. Your passion for doing what you love is what this movie was really trying to say. Even if you get killed or arrested for it for doing it. An example of that would be this crazy guy walking on a rope starting from one building to the other. Thats all i know about the documentary.

Sugar - J.Lopez

I love the movie from begining to end. I just thought that he was gonna start to push himself way harder than before. So he can make it back to the major league, but thats not how it happen. Instead sugar was just looking for the fun of the game the whole time and he did.

I also think the movie shows a very powerful impact on how people in the Dominican Republican live. So leaving DR to the United States will be a little bit more for suger since he isnt really used to it. 

Elaine N. - Man on Wire Before

Man on Wire, is an interesting, humorous movie. The way Phillips story is told it is funny because actions and how he describes his experience. His talent is so rare that, you are instantly engaged in the film. A wire walker is so rare now a days and no one ever really wakes up saying "today I am going to walk on thin wire." It is amazing  to see his actually pursue his dream. It is inspire very different in the way he walks the wire he would literally just lay down and everyone watching him would panic.The strangest thing out of all the film was his dedication to walk across the twin towers out of all the buildings in the  world. He traveled the world just to accomplish his dream.

The ending was really harsh, Phillip wouldnt see his friends again because they were now banned from the United States sijce they assisted phillip on his journey. Its sad also how phillip and his girlfriend broke up. But it was expected because he would get exposed to many other girls, like the one he was with after he got out of jail. 

I enjoyed the movie from the beginning to the end. I recommend this movie to those who enjoy documentaries.

Touch of Evil: Evil Exposed

In the finality of Touch of Evil, the corrupt cop is exposed. It is revealed Quinlan, played by the director Orson Welles, was not only planting evidence to arrest suspects but he was the one who killed Joe Grande. His once trusted sidekick, Pete Menzies, is the one to find Quinlan's cane at the scene of the crime where Grande's body was found along with a drugged Susie. Quinlan framed Susie for being an addict and killing Joe Grande. He had her drugged and left with Joe Grande's strangled corpse hanging above her. Mike knows Susie was framed and is a mess. For him it's personal. Pete finally tells Mike he'll help him after he discovered Quinlan's cane left at the scene of the crime and has discovered that Hank has been drinking again. Pete and Vargas come up with a plan to get a taped confession from Quinlan to clear Susie. Pete wears a wire and chats a drunk Quinlan up about everything, all the cases where he planted evidence and then his cane being left by the body of Joe Grande. Quinlan admits he planted evidence but only on the suspects he knew were guilty. While telling Pete this, Quinlan hears an echo and learns of Menzies betrayal. He calls out for Vargas to come out and face him. Quinlan then shoots Menzies with Mike's gun and once Vargas comes out prepares to shoot him as well. He says he can claim Vargas was resisting arrest but it shot by Menzies before his death. Schwartz arrives on the scene with Susie. Mike Tells Schwartz everything has been recorded it was Quinlan. Schwartz tells Vargas that it turns out the planted dynamite was unnecessary as Sanchez confessed to the crime. Then Quinlan stumbled back into filthy waste-water and died.
The true evil in this film was exposed to be Quinlan, the corrupt cop. Although, I have to wonder if Joe Grande had not pushed him to drinking and thinking that Vargas was a problem that he would've done what he did. I feel that he did what he did not only due to his addiction but also due to his paranoia. Quinlan was corrupt, there's no doubt about it, but I feel the actions he committed were not of his sane mind. Quinlan was evil but he wasn't always, something had to make him tick, snap, lose it. I honestly feel that Quinlan is a poster character for a lot of stereotypes we see today. Sure there's the stereotype about policemen and donuts but there's other stereotypes that his character possesses that really seem to be related to stereotypes we see today, such as corrupt cops and a person in power letting that power get to their head, as well as addictions and losing touch with reality. In this film the evil is truly exposed and taken for what it is at face value, Quinlan is the stereotypical bad guy.

Vincent O : Another Past Film Experience

One movie that I've loved since I've first saw it, was Bruce Almighty [underline or italicize titles of longer works such as feature films]. This movie casts Morgan Freeman as God and Jim Carrey as a troublesome newscaster that one day finds himself in God's shoes for some time. He struggles to find out what powers he could use for free will, without causing too much disaster. This comedy romance [what makes it a romance]  film has a great plot with a lot of subtle jokes [can you provide examples?].

Vincent O : A Past Film Experience.

     A movie that I have watched numerous times, is Big Daddy with Adam Sandler. I love this movie, as it shows the Adam Sandler we love, along with a romance plot twist. This movie specifically to me has a wide dynamic range of genres, such as comedy, romance, drama, action, and that's just to name a few. I enjoy Adam Sandler's films. And although some people may say his comedy is childish, I think we all can agree that Big Daddy truly shows this, as his companion is an 6 year old boy.

Touch of Evil

Touch of Evil

This movie was confusing for me at first because I didn't understand what the whole beginning had to do with the girl talking to the Spanish men and what they wanted with her husband. But then after I started understanding the concept. A Mexican officer named Mike Vargas, who is in a border town on a honeymoon with his wife who happens to be American. But little did she know he had to go testify against Grandi a drug lord who sons and brother were tracking down his every move. There intentions are to scare his wife and make her husband back off and away from the case. During all of this a car bomb kills a rich U.S developer. Her husband Mike gets right onto the investigation, little does he know that by doing this he is putting his wife in real big danger. Vargas then catches there local legendary U.S cop Hank Quinlan who is basically implying evidence on Vargas ti make him guilty for the car bombing. Now Quinlan finds an opportunity and joins hands with Grandi's family to mess up Vargas character. During all of this his wife goes on a getaway to some motel but she keeps getting followed by that Spanish guy named macho. When she arrived at the motel some strange looking guy comes to her room because he had his music loud and she asked him to turn it down but then he kept stopping by frequently.  One day shes in her room about to get dressed when a group of men approach her door and of course its macho with a whole crew and they restrain her again her will on the bed a basically you can say raped her.
 I personally didn't like the movie it felt like a drag but I mean it ties in to our world today because there is drug dealers who are so big its hard to stop then and they try to hurt those you love the most and nothing can get in the way of their money or drugs.

Psycho Pt.2

Part 2.

 Now in the second half of the movie we see Marion at the Bates Motel which is right off the old highway. There she meets Norman Bates a shy, withdrawn  young man who seems to be dominated by his own mother. Marion speaks with him briefly trying to make small talk to see how this young man actually is. Marion starts feeling all types of emotion and decides to go back home to Phoenix but it was already to late so she decides to spend the night and leave bright and early tomorrow morning to bring back the money she had stolen.  Having such a long and exhausting day she decides to well take a shower before heading to bed. She had heard about Norman's mother and how shes a bit psycho and lives right in the house behind the motel but she didn't put no mind to it. As shes taking a shower she gets the sense of somebody watching her but she shook it off and got in the shower a few mins later someone creeps in on her opens the curtain and its Norman's mother brutally stabbing her while taking a shower. Shes dead at the moment the incident occurred. Probably like 20 mins later Norman comes running from his house to the motel into room number 1 where she was staying and found her lying in the tube dead so his freaking out and the first thing that comes to his mind is clean up he put her in the shower curtain and cleaned up the bathroom he put her and all her belonging into his trunk and drove to a near by tart pond, he watch as his car sunk but he seemed some what happy about because when his car finally sunk in he had smirk. He walked back to the motel and closed the room and acted like nothing happen. Marion's mom is in town and looking for her daughter she goes into a store looking for her and out of no one where some detective comes and talking about how he can help her out and find out what actually happen to her. So he starts getting some information and he made it to the motel were she was residing at and beings to question Norman who is acting really suspicious and by the way he keeps stuttering he already knew he was lying and how he kept denying the fact he didn't know who was in the photo shows he did know things about what happen couples nights before. The detective then asked to speak with his mom and he was very hostile about it and got mad which seemed odd but the detective left and came back a couple minutes later after talking to Marion's mom and the unexpected happened he came in contact with Norman's mom.....

Psycho

Psycho pt.1

  What would you do if you found yourself in this mess, would you run off with the $40,000 or try and come up with it yourself? I know me for sure I would get myself a good job and collect the money myself because why go through the struggle of stealing money when its only going to get you in trouble with the police or worse you could end up dead. You can tell she really didn't think her decision through because if Sam and her really love one another he would wait for her or even yet help her get a better job to save money for a wedding like they would like to have. You would want to be smart and not get caught with the money.
  
   It all started off with a lady named Marion Crane who lives in Phoenix, Arizona Fed up with her lifestyle of having to sneak away during lunch breaks just to be able to spend some time with her lover Sam Loomis. In which as much he would like to can not get married with her because most of his money goes to alimony. But Marion had to do a lot of sneaking around to not get caught with the load of money. For example when she first took the money she went and changed the car she was in to a new one, she then resides in a hotel off of the high way one a lot of people aren't familiar with. She then plans to move far away from everyone and get a "fresh start" where no one knows who she is or what is her background like.
 
   One Friday afternoon Marion after seeing Sam goes to work in an office as a secretary, and that day her boss walks in with another older guy who was going to give him a hefty amount of money for a house he was going to purchase for his daughter. He started making small talk, with Marion which she felt uncomfortable cause she felt he was trying to come onto her. He pulls out two stacks which was $40,000. Her boss sends her to deposit the money to a local bank since she was going home for the day anyway. My Impression on Mr.Cassidey is more on the iffy side because he seemed kind of fishy about the whole thing. I feel as his attitude towards the situation at that moment made her decision more sympathetic only because he had a kind of what ever attitude so Marion just went right ahead with her plan.
 
   So normally you would think well now she's going to follow her boss order, wrong she goes home packs a suitcase and runs off with the money. She then goes off and starts to drive to her lover, but she gets pulled over by a cop and beings to act suspicious. The police took notice so he keeps asking her questions.  He eventually let her go but he follows her and she beings to get nervous, thinking she is slick she goes to a car dealer to trade in her car for a different one, the guy that assist her see how shes acting kinda funny, the cop is across the street and he see that Marion keeps looking back at him. But he goes on does all the paper work and she off in another car. Half way to her lover she gets caught in a rain storm, and she gets off on an old high way to a motel near by were barley no one stays at.
     

Universal Monster: 

The universal monster that I am going to choose is Frankenstein. This is a horror film that came out in 1931 directed by James Whale.  The plot of the movie is there is a young scientist who lives in a European village named Henry Frankenstein who with help of his two assistant's put together a human body from pieces they have found. His dream is to create a human by electrical devices on which he also works on. His fiancee is worried about him doing this because he always secludes himself in his tower which is his laboratory where he conducts his experiment but he never wants to see anyone or have time for people. So one day his fiancee walks to come see him and tell him something and then she finds him bringing his experiment to life. If I were to be in her position I would be so frightened and wouldn't know what to do because who wants to walk in and find a monster being brought to life right before your eyes and lighting all over it seems horrifying. If that was me I would not want my husband to bring his monster Frankenstein any were near me due to the fact I don't know how his reaction would be towards humans or if he has any type of emotions.  It  would take me a few weeks to get used to that monster being around my family because who knows what maunfunction can happen. But I would also talk to my husband about being carefull on where he brings him and who he gets exposed to like children for example they might think his a huge remote toy and who knows what can happen. In conclucio if that were to actually happen I probably would pass out from the fright.  

Man On Wire

Director: James Marsh
Cast: Philippe Petit
Jean François
Heckel
Jean-Louis Blondeau

This film was very odd and very interesting. The whole time I wondered why anyone would want to risk their life so bad just to walk on a rope. Then I kept thinking about Philippe's saying, Life should be lived on edge. The adrenaline and adventure of risking and planning out an almost death is intriguing. The man had big balls to do this kind of act. Philippe had so much determination to walk the wire in between The World Trade Center, nothing was going to stop him, not even death. I'd definitely recommend this movie because it is a real life thrill and a once in a lifetime type of thing. I think more people should have his type of attitude bout enjoying every second of life, or just doing what you want to do.

Kassandra C -Touch Of Evil

Touch of evil was beggining to be quite an interesting but confusing film at that too well for me anyways. I didn't fully understand why they wanted to grab and take the police officers wife and why  all that chasing,framing and lies was about with the scene of the bomb and trying to figure who it was out if they were only going to frame an innocent soul but long story short im not liking this film because im awkwardly confused by it. But I still come to understand that even though one of the officers lied and tried to frame others because he was hiding what he was planning and once he was probably doing.

Universal Monsters: The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, was the first installment in a long line of Universal Studios monster movies. It was released in 1923, it starred Lon Chaney as Quasimodo and was directed by Wallace Worsley. It was Universal's "Super Jewel" of 1923, being their most successful silent film that year grossing more than $3 million. The story is set in 1482, Paris, France. Quasimodo a deaf, half-blind, hunchback is the bell-ringer for the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral. His master Jehan, the evil brother of the archdeacon Don Claudio conspires for Quasimodo to kidnap Esmeralda, a dancing gypsy girl. Esmeralda is the adopted daughter of Clopin, the leader of the oppressed beggars of Paris' underworld. Captain Phoebus comes to her rescue while Jehan abandons Quasimodo and flees. Phoebus is entranced by Esmeralda and at first seeks a casual romance but that quickly changes and he intends on marrying her even though he is engaged to another. For committing his crime Quasimodo was sentenced to be lashed in the public square. He begs for water and Esmeralda takes pity on him and gives him some. Esmeralda accompanies Phoebus to a ball and realizes she doesn't fit in his world, she sends him a note to meet her so they can say goodbye. Phoebus is stabbed by Jehan in the back on his way to meet her. Esmeralda is falsely sentenced to death for the crime. She is rescued by Quasimodo and brought to the cathedral where she is granted sanctuary. Jehan attempts to take Esmeralda first by deceit and then by force. Meanwhile, Clopin leads his people to storm the cathedral. Quasimodo holds them off with rocks and molten lead. Phoebus, now healed, is alerted and leads his men against the riot.When Quasimodo comes across his master attacking Esmeralda her throws him off the Notre-Dame cathedral. However not before being fatally stabbed in the back. Phoebus finds Esmeralda and embraces her and after witnessing this, Quasimodo rings his own death toll.
This film does not have a happy ending. Almost all the main characters meet their death before the final curtain call. Was Quasimodo in fact a monster though? The real monsters of the film weren't obvious upon first inspection. Sometimes you have to dig a little deeper and see that there is more to a person than what meets the eye. Quasimodo looked different, he looked like a monster but he wasn't one. He was misunderstood. The real villain of the movie, the real protagonist of the film was his master who orchestrated Quasimodo to do his bidding. Jehan was the real monster. He may not have looked the part, but he certainly acted the part. He was a disgusting character using Quasimodo like a pawn in a game of chess, then he did the same to Esmeralda when he stabbed Phoebus, he let her take the blame. He didn't take responsibility for his actions, he always had someone else take the fall, or do his bidding. He was a villain in his own right, a true monster: human.

Universal Monster- Mark Clinton

The Universal Monster I chose is Frankenstein's monster. The movie character was adapted from Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein.  Frankenstein's monster was created by inventor Dr. Victor Frankenstein out of a collection of limbs he and his assistant had personally stolen from a graveyard. He had made his monster and brought him to life using electricity.  Although looking extremely scary, Frankenstein's monster was gentle but knowing not of his own strength. This caused society to treat him as an outcast and an angry mob of villagers to attempt to kill him.  

Man on Wire- Mark Clinton

This movie was inspiring in an unconventional way for me. The feats that the protagonist had talked about doing were amazing and almost unbelievable. But, in a way they still felt underwhelming. I couldn't figure out why at first, but I realized the feats had sounded so boring because right after a spectator had talked about how amazing it was, the protagonist would say that he wished he could have went higher or done something better. This showed me that no matter what someone does, in their eyes it will never be perfect and this causes them to constantly improve and adapt.       

Rocky- Mark Clinton

As for now, Rocky is my favorite movie that we've seen in Film studies. I feel that there was a great sense of personal connection between the protagonist and me. In life, everyone loses and or feels like an underdog. This is important because it makes the surprise ending of Rocky not winning the fight even more shocking. I believe the ending is so shocking due to the fact that the audience saw how hard he trained to prepare for this fight and the common knowledge of the underdog always winning in every movie. Use of the new steady-cam show the long treacherous process of Rocky running up the steps of Philadelphia Museum of Art. As he repeated this, the task became easier and easier. This gives you a sense of growth in Rocky's physical ability. This made me question if Rocky's goal was to win the fight. I feel like his real goal was to gain enough courage to fight Apollo in the first place.

Sugar - Alyssa Beckam

I thought sugar was a very interesting movie but the ending of it was a little shocking because of the decision he made I thought it was going to have a fairy tail ending just like any other movie out there as watching this movie Miguel was going to go to the major leagues because he played professionally at Kansas City baseball academy and he also breaks at 19 and advances minor league system but he didn't go for the American dream he moved to New York to find his cousin and got a steady job working at diner.and plays for a local baseball team. 

Rocky - Alyssa Beckam

                                    

Rocky was one of my favorite movies so far in film studies as you watch the movie it makes you feel like your actually there with him while he was running the streets of Philadelphia training for the fight I never saw somebody so determine to win anything just as determine as he was to win his fight .The ending of the movie is not what I expected at all .I felt like it could've been better I feel like this because he worked really hard training to win this fight but then he ends of losing .  I recommend a lot of people to watch rocky because it was motivating and I feel like people could learn a lot just by watching this movie .   

   I agree with the text that states that all blogs should present the idea and opinions of the student. A blog should show the readers feelings and emotions of the writer. You should be able to see the text from the writers point of view. I understand that each blog should have a specific word limit. 

What I had found interesting about Sugar is that it displays a great athlete reaching his downfall during his prime. It shows how Sugar's real life situations had an effect on the expectations that were set for him. Sugar came from the Dominican Republic as a good baseball player attempting to pursue the American dream and make a better life for his family. During the film Sugar had a great opportunity to follow his baseball fantasy and become successful and bring his family to America, but he had realized that maybe that wasn't the lifestyle that he had preferred. The end of the movie resulted in Sugar moving to New York and becoming a dishwasher at a local diner while also building a table at a local carpentry to send home to his mother.

man on wire

I am afraid of heights. Now you know. That is one reason I was so engage in   "Man on Wire," the story of how Philippe Petit crossed eight times on a tight-wire between the two towers of the World Trade Center on Aug. 7, 1974. Another reason is that the documentary, a hybrid of actual and restaged footage, is constructed like a first-rate thriller.

Rocky

Rocky was my favortie movie soo far , it was exciting . Myfavortie part of the movie was the ending of the movie when he was fighting and he held his ground . This is my favorte part of the movie because people didnt belive he could do it . I learned that you really have to work hard if you want somethihg because its not giving to . Rocky its a overall good movie and i would watch it again

A Guide to Evaluating Blog Posts

From this point forward Introduction to Film at Metro will adopt the language of the 21st Century Skills Rubric for evaluating written work i.e. blog posts: Exemplary, Competent, Emerging, and Novice. In crafting blog posts students primarily engage in three types of writing: narrative (tells a story e.g. Prior Film Experience One and Two), expository (analysis; the American Dream in Rocky and Sugar; suspense and genre conventions in Man On Wire and Touch of Evil), and argument (critique; evaluating all films critically viewed; contemporary appeal of one or more Universal Monsters).

What does an exemplary or competent blog post look like? A competent blog post must meet the following requirements:

1. The post is not simply summary, recall, and retell. The post presents the ideas and opinions of the student based on critical observations and in class discussions; a polished blog post will have a clear thesis statement e.g. 1. In their Academy Award-winning feature Rocky, director John G. Avildsen and screenwriter/actor Sylvester Stallone explore the state of the American Dream in 1976. 2. The independent sleeper Sugar (2008) is an appropriate choice for Hispanic Heritage Month; it is an example of social realism that examines both our obsession with and treatment of professional athletes, as well as, the plight of Spanish speaking migrants in the twenty-first century.

2. The post cites text evidence in support of its ideas e.g. In addition to giving its viewers an insider view of life in the Minor Leagues, Sugar is a coming of age tale. We see its protagonist grow over time, when first asked by a teammate who his favorite player is, Miguel responds, "Robinson Cano," a contemporary Dominican success story. Later, near the film's conclusion Miguel adopts Roberto Clemente as his favorite player, citing his humanitarian works off the field in additional to his accomplishments on the diamond. He goes as far as to quote Clemente saying, "Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't, then you are wasting your time on Earth."

In addition to citing examples from the text, it does so with specificity referring to characters, actors, filmmakers, and other film elements by name.

3. The post meets the minimum length requirements (250 words or more), flows logically, and follows the rules of Standard Written English.

4. The post includes a relevant image that reflects its author's ideas and properly cites sources e.g.



Rocky. Dir. John G. Avildsen. Perf. Sylvester Stallone (Rocky), Talia Shire (Adrian), Carl Weathers (Apollo      Creed), Burgess Meredith (Mickey), and Burt Young (Paulie). United Artists, 1976.

Although regular blog posts will determine one's homework grade, the Exit Portfolio for Introduction to Film will consist of six published process pieces (posts that have gone through all five steps of our writing process: pre-writing/collecting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing), two per trimester, with accompanying 21st Century Reflections. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments here in the comment section.

Rocky

The beauty of this movie is its clarity.To me its like a love story. But it is not a complicated plot or love story. Boy meets girl, boy gets girl. Boy has a complication (the boxing match with Apollo Creed) and boy has people help him to train and get prepare for his complication. In some cases it mostly showed reality. It teaches people that you can achieve anything that you want to do in your life. You have to make sure you take every opportunity that comes to you and make it worth your while. Rocky took the opportunity to fight Apollo Creed , who is the World Heavyweight champion, and went 12 rounds without giving up. I couldn't believe how determined Rocky was to win the fight. That showed that he is not quitter. Rocky lost the fight to Apollo but he won the girl he wanted heart. So that is how you could tell Rocky is a fighter because he fights for whatever he wants and don't give up.

  

     To me Rocky was a very good movie. The movie had interesting moods and tones. There was intense arguments and people yelling loudly. This movie made you feel how they felt in the movie , it was just so intense that some of the scenes really hit me. Like at the end of the movie when Adrian came out to find Rocky and ran up to him and gave him a hug. that scene showed that he won something and that something was Adrian. It also showed that Adrian would always be by his side. The scenes that showed Rocky training to box was very upbeat. You would think that Rocky was going to win because of the fact that he was working very hard. Rocky wasn't really seen as a challenge to Apollo but at the end when they was fighting Apollo and his trainers realize how much of a challenge Rocky really is. 

Sugar [capitalize titles/proper nouns] (Nasher W.) [good practice putting your name in the title; makes it easier to search etc.]

                                                                            SUGAR

In the movie sugar [capitalize titles; longer works such as feature length films also get either underlined or italicized] it plays two [write out numbers ten or less] genres [Nugget, I think if you tease this out with a definition for genre you will have a  thesis to build the rest of your post on; I also like how you follow up your statement of fact with your opinion i.e. "I like this...." one is sports and the other one is immigration (Action). I like this movie a lot because it connected with real life [remember how we discussed that Sugar is an example of social realism. It is not a documentary, but it explores social issues, professional sports and immigration, in a believable way].
     For example, sugar [here you will capitalize Sugar but not use italics; you may also consider explaining that you are now discussing the main character/protagonist and not the film's title] had a anger problem [does Miguel AKA Sugar always have an anger problem, or is it a result of his "poor performance on the mound"? Other than experimenting with performance enhancing drugs, what evidence is there that Sugar, the character, is having difficulty dealing with stress and anxiety? The water cooler?] and was taking drugs to for fill his performance, he taking these drugs to make him better and a lot of people in this world does that now. People think drugs is the way out and that's not the case especially not for sugar because he was a great baseball player.
     The end of the movie he realized that he is better than that and he changed his attitude. in addition to this sugar wanted to follow the american dream he did to a certain extent he was a great player and he didn't need to take any drugs to make him better he could of made him self better naturally by practicing.

Nasher,

What you have here represents a good start. I would like you to revise your post with a primary focus on your conclusion. As it stands, your conclusion consists almost entirely of recall/retell. What I would like to see, is for you to return to your initial idea, "Sugar is a successful work of realistic fiction that crosses the genres of sports and drama (immigration)." Also, be sure to reiterate why or why not you think others should consider watching the film. I look forward to seeing you develop your ideas.

Remember, both Rocky and Man On Wire are available on Netflix. 

MM

PS Consider including an image from the film that connects to or represents your ideas about it.

Sugar

I liked the movie Sugar [titles of longer works such as feature length films should be underlined or italicized] I think it was a good film and I liked how it really showed how things were back then [Anthony, I like how you start your post offering your opinion of the film; however, your opening statement(s) are in the form of a run-on and ultimately confusing. What do you mean by "back then"? The film takes place during the same time it was released 2008.]. How some people had to work harder then most people just to even be noticed. They worked hard back in their country just to even be noticed in leagues such as the minors [Do you mean to use past tense here? Are there not many people, if Sugar is to be believed, from Central and Latin America and the Caribbean that struggle to make it in the MLB (Major League Baseball) to this day?].
     Some of them had a better chance then others because of their position like sugar he was a pitcher and it's not like there aren't a lot of pitchers in the league but there's definitely more positional players in the league [This is an interesting idea. You clearly have some expertise when it comes to the subject of baseball; I would like to see you exploit your baseball knowledge when you revise this post. You may want to consider examining the references the film makes to real life players such as Robinson Cano, Roberto Clemente, Vic Power et al. What do these players all have in common?]. Having a talented arm and being able to use it to the best of your ability [fragment]. [this sounds like a new idea; consider starting a new paragraph] Some people don't have the brains to go all the way to college or they can't afford it or get a scholarship because of their grades [how did Sugar compare to his friend Brad Johnson? Would their relationship support your ideas here? What was Sugar's educational background/experience?]. Unlike most people Sugar was lucky enough to get a job at that restaurant because he ended up being dropped by one of the teams [Was Sugar actually dropped, or did he dip off before being cut? I believe he lost his regular spot in the rotation and was being moved to a relief spot when he sneaked away to New York. At this point in the film, he in fact becomes an illegal immigrant.]. Most of the people who get dropped by the Triple A or Double A or whatever league the team is they got dropped from they get sent back to where they came from. He was also lucky he knew somebody who was in the United States already instead of some people not knowing how to speak any type of English they know absolutely nobody and no English having to bring a translator with them everywhere. Sugar overall was a very lucky guy.

Anthony,

Once again I am impressed by your knowledge of and love of the game. I think you should really capitalize on your baseball knowledge in this post. Additionally, I think you are making certain assumptions about your reader and your post in its current form suffers as a result. I think you should re-read your post and isolate your main idea(s). Develop your introduction and be sure to include a strong thesis statement that includes baseball and the American Dream. Once you have a clear intro, your body paragraphs should be easier to develop. I look forward to reading your revised post.

MM

Suger

I didnt like suger  because it was a basic movie . It was a movie i could of made at metro . The movie was boring from the start to the end ,  also the  ending was really whack it wasnt how i expect it to be , i would've wanted the movie be about how he went to the mlb toaccomplishh his goals

Man On Wire #jayatterberryfilmcritic

The award-winning documentary Man On Wire kept me into the movie, like when they where playing hide and seek from the guards I thought they were going to get caught. The man who was walking the wire, Phillipe Petit, was scaring his fellow crew because when he first step on the wire he was a little shaky and scared looking, but then his face changed. So did everyone else's. When his face changed they knew he was going to be fine. He started laughing, smiling, doing tricks such as laying down on the wire, giving people a show. The police came and threatened to pluck him off the wire. When he got off they handcuffed him. The took him for psychiatric examination. I love the suspense level in this movie kept the audience focused [Jay, keep going; explain to me how the filmmakers kept you on the edge of your seat; what techniques did they use to build suspense? MM]

Rocky

Rocky Balboa is a struggling boxer trying to make the big time, working as a debt collector. When heavyweight champion Apollo Creed visits Philadelphia, his managers want to set up an exhibition match between Creed and Rocky, touting the fight as a chance for a "nobody" to become a "somebody". The match is supposed to be easily won by Creed, but someone forgot to tell Rocky, who sees this as his only shot at the big time. I dislike the ending thought, Rocky Should have won. He worked too hard to take that L.

Touch of Evil #lisaboothfilmcriticextraordinare

In the film, Touch of Evil, the main characters are a newlywed couple Susie and Mike Vargas, Joe Grande, and the Captain Hank Quinlan played by the film's director Orson Welles. The film opens up to Susie and Mike on their honeymoon when a car passes the U.S. border and then a bomb detonates killing the people inside it is later revealed that they were a prominent local businessman and his stripper girlfriend. The case is taken over by the U.S. jurisdiction. Mike takes an interest in the case, realizing the implications of a Mexican bomb exploding on U.S. soil. Mike becomes a part of the investigation, even though Quinlan is initially hesitant and distrustful of Vargas. Quinlan keeps reminding Vargas that it's his case even though Vargas isn't trying to impose, only trying to help find out what really happened.

Meanwhile, Susie was threatened by Joe Grande and his nephew who she calls Poncho, they are vengeful against her husband, Mike, for arresting his brother and is set to testify against him, which could mean life in prison for Joe's brother. Susie feels threatened and decides for the time being to stay close but on American soil. She is unaware that she was followed by Grande's family and they are waiting to strike on Grande's command.

During this time Joe Grande had followed Mike's car that was being driven by a police officer. Grande gets caught and brought to the hotel room where the daughter of the deceased man in the car is living. In that room a Mexican man, Sanchez, she secretly married to is being accused of killing her father and his girlfriend using dynamite. Mike returns to the hotel room to find the man has been framed by Quinlan and he sets out to prove it. Joe Grande tries to take the opportunity to strike up a deal with Quinlan to get rid of their common problem: Mike Vargas.

This film so far has been full of suspense and widely entertaining, certainly different than what I'm used to. I have a feeling Captain Hank Quinlan is the reason for the stereotype about policemen and donuts. This film is unique in its characterization; it's really easy to believe that Charlton Heston, the actor playing Mike Vargas is Hispanic, when in fact he's not. The black and white of the film makes it easy to focus on the character rather than the skin color or nationality of the person playing that character. This film really fits into the "Film Noir" category not only for the black and white of the picture but the suspense and mystery that are so intertwined with the story.

Touch of Evil

After watching this movie I believe that since this film was developed, and directed back then it adds to the reasoning of my thoughts of seeing it as "cheesy", yet simultaneously interested in it. When I say cheesy I am referring to parts such as the "action" which I found at times unrealistic. Yet interesting because the pervertive, murdering, corrupt police that was located in a Mexican Border town is very realistic and more than likely to happen. Now a days corruption is a very popular shadow that some of these corporations, businesses, networks, industries, etc lurk in. I won't bash this movie because there was a problem, solution and a twist. Overall I don't think this movie didn't suck badly like Man on Wire but it also wasn't exciting like Sugar.

The universal  monster I chose was Frankenstein. Frankenstein is a novel written by the English author Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley about the young science student Victor Frankenstein, who creates a grotesque but sentient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. The author Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty. The books first edition was published as anonymous in London in 1818. Shelley's name appears on the second edition, published in France in 1823. Frankenstein is infused with elements of the Gothic novel and the romantic movement, and is also considered to be on of the earliest examples of science fiction. Brian Aldiss has argued it should be considered the first true science fiction story because, in contrast to previous stories with fantastical elements resembling those of later science fiction, the central character ''makes a deliberate decision'' and turns to modern experiments in the laboratory'' to achieve fantastic results. It has had a considerable influence in literature and popular culture and spawned a complete genre of horror stories, films, and plays.

Qunicy on Touch of Evil

Touch of Evil is a textbook example of film noir (a French term meaning "black" film). This movie had many surprises to it, The famous detective Vargas was put through a new type of situation in work and this dangerous situation involved his wife. Vargas and his wife trying to enjoy a nice honeymoon but with him being a big shot in the police world he was interrupted and needed to do some work while on his honeymoon. This movie goes to show how serious and dangerous being a detective can be. Vargas's wife was raped and then kidnapped while she was at her motel. They took their time, they didn't  rush it, they needed to take her at the perfect time or else they would have been caught out. This movie also goes to show how racist they law can be too. Police  Captin Quinlin framed an innocent mexican man for a murder he was responsible for.

Touch of Evil

Touch of Evil was about a man named Vargas who was a detective in a case. This movie was famous for it opening scene that featured a long shot. I did not care for this movie so the details of it are fuzzy and confusing. To be honest if I watched this film again I may have a better appreciation for it however I was not able to follow the story line at all. I don't know if I'd even be able to sit through this movie again, I don't think I would enjoy it if i sat through it again. The only reason I would watch this movie again would simply be to understand the plot, but for all I know I might just fall asleep half way through. Watching this movie was the first time in school that I thought I might actually fall asleep. I have never fallen asleep in class. Not even in kindergarten when you're suppose to. So I know for a fact that this movie was not for me.

I have no idea what to say about it because the plot was confusing and I don't even remember who was who. There were a lot of minor things that confused me, however the just of the plot line got across. Still this is one of the few movies we have watched that I did not enjoy. I feel this movie was built up to be more classic and extravagant than the actual film was. So in the end this movie did not draw me in or catch my attention. I didn't like it at all.  

Man on Wire 2

Man on Wire was a rather interesting film. While I'm usually not one for documentaries, this 94 minute feature carries a certain charm to it that managed to keep my interest all the way through. What's interesting to me about this documentary is - for one - the topic. The very idea of walking across a cable from WTC tower to WTC tower is frankly intimidating, which makes the film all the more interesting. Perhaps my interest for the film stems from the same mindset as to why Phillippe performed the stunt; the sheer thrill of such an unthinkable feat is too strong to resist, so we are naturally pulled towards it?

Additionally, I enjoyed Phillippe as a person too. He was genuinely excited about the documentary, and his detailed and enthusiastic recollection - almost as if he were a book- of what happened during the planning and execution of the stunt brought vivid images of staring down at the Manhattan roads, as if I were in his shoes while walking the gap between the towers; and given my immense fear of heights, I felt sheer terror, in contrast to Phillippe's fearless attitude.

I'm usually drawn away from documentaries and works of non-fiction (both literary and film) due to their inability to draw me in and make me feel as if I'm part of the action, but this film captures the inclusive spirit that so many others lack, which is why I enjoyed it so much.

Kassandra C- Man On Wire

The Finale of Man On Wire was disappointing but yet again interesting to watch. I found this film an attention grabber because of all the tension there was before you walked the wire. Even though he accomplished his dreams and never back down on what his goal was he made A huge mistake. He was the one committing  the crime and walking the wire across the twin towers to get to one another he didn't receive any type of charges or warnings. Yes he did receive a ticket but it was dropped if you promise to do a little show for the kids. But on the other hand all his friends and family that help him help him accomplish where he was that day got deported and kicked out of America with no chance of coming back. Fame got to Felipe's  (the man walking the wire) Head, He forgot about the people that were there for him on his worst when stuff got tough. Even though they never quit on him and took so many risks just to help Felipe accomplish his dream. After Everything he didn't really care, He let being famous take away The most important thing. (The friends and family) who never gave up when he was nothing. Besides everything  he did I respect the man he is doing impossible missions just to say, I made it. To be proud of his dreams. To never say nothing is impossible. This film/ life novel should be valued and looked as an idea to never give up. Never stop following what is for you just because of a no.

Man on Wire: Decisions

In the final moments of Man on Wire, a documentary about the real life story of Philippe Petit's high wire walk between the famous Twin Towers, I noticed that there was one theme... one message that really stood out to me and that was decisions. Philippe had a decision to make. It was a risk to high wire walk, it could very well have led to his death, but it was a risk he just had to take. That's the only way Petit can describe it. He described death as being close that stepping onto the wire could've very well been the end of his life. He had to make the decision to no longer anchor himself to the building but to take that step and get on the wire. Once he was on the wire, walking, he was performing. At first he was tense but then he shifted, he relaxed. Philippe was in his element, he knew what he was doing. His performance was astounding and just beautiful, there were so many spectators that gathered to watch. Then the police arrived and tried to arrest Philippe who was still on the wire and he was teasing and almost provoking the policemen. When Philippe got off the wire he was arrested and brought in for psychiatric evaluation. What everyone wanted to know was, why? It became a big thing, why, but there was no why according to him. Philippe was charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct but the district attorney made a deal with him that if he performed for some children on TV, did a show, they'd drop the charges and he agreed. His friends however, weren't so lucky they were deported back to France. This event changed Philippe. He betrayed his friends, he cheated on his girlfriend, he was changing. The fame was changing him. Jean-Louis said, "There was something broken in this friendship." and he started crying. The relationship dynamics seem to have changed after Philippe achieved his dream of high-wire walking the Twin Towers.
I can certainly understand why this film won best documentary, it was creatively put together in a way that showcased everyone's perspective and what they had to lose or gain from this experience.
I feel that the overall message of this film was that dreams come at a price, and the price of this dream was Philippe's life before, his friends, his girlfriend, those relationships changed as a result of his fame. The bigger picture I think is fame comes at a price, he let it change him. He betrayed his friends and girlfriend so easily and then his friends were deported while he got off with a "slap on the wrist" in comparison.
This film was intense, the relationships, the stakes, everything... it made it all the more entertaining to watch even though it's a documentary.

                                               
                                                         
                                     
                                                  Man on Wire 

Man on wire is move about a man oh has a dream to walk on wire between the two twin towers.And he did to do his dream and danced for an 45 minutes. He did what he had in his dream and it hard took time but all he wanted was to get where he wanted. and his friends never left him and believe him on what is doing. then he was  taken for a psychological evaluation, and brought to jail before he it released but in order for him to get released he had to put a show for children. 

The movie wasn't completely  boring, thought i liked how he always believing in what he want. and i love how was walking the wire and still smiling and his friend were with him. it connect to what i believe and i hope i make it come true one day. but i didn't like how crazy he was and how was just carrying about is dream. it made me felt like it was weeks and just three classes.  

Quincy Rivera
Movie: Man on wire

This movie goes to show that anything is possible. A man who had a dream to walk from one world trade center tower to the next on a wire from the top. He pushed through so much to get what he wanted, it wasn't something that could happen over night. This man took his time and did what ever it took do reach his dream. Faking their identity and sneaking in the towers in the middle of the night, all that and he still got it done just the way he planned.

Quincy Rivera
Movie: Sugar
  This was my favorite movie because i liked the fact that they were Spanish and i can relate to the way they live. All the salsa music and Spanish dishes. I like when sugar decides to go on his own and get his own room. He was all on his own so he needed to get a job to pay for the room. He was soon hired at a Dominican restaurant near where his was staying. He left his family but he still had care for them, he was making tables and then sending them to his mom and his poor family in the Dominican Republic.

Sugar pt2

I think he [Jay, you could tease this out by adding more information/specificity] gave up on baseball too quick because everyone has a bad couple of games he should've never gave up [run-on sentence] and started over though. That part made me upset because pitching is his talent and he threw it away just because a few bad pitching games. Im glad he found a new life though and made his mom a table and found his friend.

Sugar

This movie Sugar is very interesting and kind of funny. Much of the humor comes from the main character's struggles to learn American customs, often the result of his language barrier because he doesn't really know English [English is always capitalized]. I like the part when he asked for eggs but didn't know the difference between scrambled and sunny side up. So he just went back to french toast which is his reason for believing that all American food is "muy dulce" (very sweet). He was signed to baseball [which team] in the 10th grade. He has a girlfriend back home, but he still mess with other girls.

Sugar

After finally watching the end of Sugar on my own I can say that I was not exactly disappointed by the ending, but it caught me off guard. I didn't think it would end like that. I think many movies or books portray the protagonist as the underdog who always comes through in the end, They become this invincible character. I thought this movie would end the same and be like any other movie I've seen. However I did rather like this ending as it wasn't cliche and it gives a more realistic sense to the movie. Don't get me wrong it was sad to see that he wasn't able to keep going and live his dream, but that just life. Sometimes you don't make sometimes no matter how hard you try or whatever things you do in order to achieve your goal, sometimes you don't make it. So I guess the point of this film was that Sugar didn't achieve the American Dream. So that kind of sucks. However not everyone can make it and sometimes you just have to know when to bail. So that's my thoughts, but you know other people were probably really mad that he join some basic team instead of achieving his goal, but I don't really care. You can't win all of them.