Midterm #Damianhenderson

Damian V. Henderson Jr

1-19-17

A3

Midterm Comparison Rocky vs. Sugar

Rocky and Sugar are very similar movies. They both have main characters who are trying to live the "American Dream." Rocky is just a average boxer who is trying to come up in the game. He is old so it is hard for him to bring his career up. But with a little luck he is able to be fighting the best boxer in the world and he held his own. Sugar is a baseball player with a dream of playing in the United States. He was on his way to stardom at one point but it had all fallen. But he also found a new way of life. He found out that life isn't just about baseball. There is more to life. He had a good job, family, friends, and happiness. 

I picked these movies to compare because I feel that they are very similar. They both are sports movies. They both also have a huge turn around in the main characters life. One started out poor and with no career and became famous and on top of the world. The other started out being on his way to becoming a great baseball player but then found other meanings in life. 

I feel that Sugar and rocky both have a similar meaning. Never give up. If one thing doesn't work out then life isn't over. The American Dream is not just to be rich and famous. But it is to find happiness in life. That is the American Dream.

Midterm Rocky and sugar

Victor Nieves

1/19/17

A3 Midterm

              Both the film Rocky directed by John G. Avildsen and Sugar [Santos] directed by Anna Bowen and Ryan Fleck both present what it is to achieve the American Dream. For those who don't know what the American Dream is, it's the idea where all U.S. citizens have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, initiative, and determination. Both films are actually very similar and both do a great job showcasing the American Dream by showing where both main characters [protagonists] of the story

(Miguel Santos and Rocky Balboa AKA the Italian Stallion) came from, and for those who are very familiar with the films, both characters didn't really have much initially and both had financial problems.

Even if both films are very similar, they still have their differences in presenting the American Dream. While Rocky who had an unexpected and random opportunity to fight Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), who at the time was the Heavyweight Champion of the world, Miguel always had the chance but never pursued his passion which was baseball [???]. Another thing to mention about their differences, Miguel had to sacrifice a lot of things getting into the Minor Leagues while Rocky had nothing to lose. Miguel had to move to the United States in order to pursue his dream to play baseball, while for Rocky it came to him.

Both characters had different struggles while trying to achieve their dreams, Miguel's struggle was to be able to handle not being home, yet supporting his family and adapt to living in a new country and learning a new language [and eating too much French toast]. Although Rocky had to train his body to be at a pro boxing level and move from amateur to pro and move away from his old life which was braking body parts as a loan shark. Although both characters had different careers and different struggles, they were both still very similar in terms of showing the American Dream, and even if both characters had different endings, they both still went through a lot of struggle to get where they are now. 

In the end of the movie Sugar, the idea was a man who had an opportunity to become something great but what he really wanted was what he had at home; The movie Rocky was about a man who had a random opportunity sent to him which he had nothing to lose and a chance to move out from his old life which was being in poverty and having to break legs in order to make his money. Both movies showcase characters having a chance to be at the top which makes them very similar yet both their backgrounds and situations make them totally different. 

Deus Ex Machina Across Texts: From August Wilson's Seven Guitars, Spike Lee's Crooklyn and Deborah Granik's Winter's Bone

Deus ex machina (DEM) is a contrivance, an unexpected event, that brings a narrative plot to its conclusion; the question is, are the murder of Floyd Barton, the terminal cancer of Carolyn Carmichael, and the revelation of Jessup Dolly's demise all examples of this device? It may be necessary to examine each of these dramatic works with laser-like precision to determine the appropriate answer to this query.

First, let us consider the murder of blues man Floyd Barton, the arguable protagonist of August Wilson's ensemble piece Seven Guitars. Seven Guitars is one of ten installments in Wilson's Century Cycle, each work representing the Black experience in a particular decade of the twentieth century. Barton is a dreamer and a victim of the predatory music industry. He will do anything to get back on top and relive his past glory of having a hit record. The thing is, just when things are looking up, Floyd has a meeting scheduled with his 'manager' who is going to get his guitar out of hock, "The same one Muddy Waters play," and stake his passage/train fare from Pittsburgh to Chicago, the manager gets pinched for selling phony insurance. Desperate to win back the affection of his former lover Vera and get back on the path to stardom, Floyd participates in a daylight robbery that ends in the death of his accomplice and leaves Floyd with a tidy sum. Floyd's bandmate/harmonica player Canewell stumbles onto Floyd's ill-gotten gains and tensions flare. Tragedy is temporarily averted when Canewell backs down while in the sights of Floyd's .38 caliber pistol; however, this reprieve is both fleeting and momentary as a the TB ravaged Haitian Hedley who has been drinking 'moonshine' no less finds both his courage and his machete. The question is, is Barton's murder unexpected or a foregone conclusion as the play opens with the chorus of characters reflecting on his funeral? I would argue that although Hedley being the character to carry out the murder may be unexpected, Barton's death is no mere contrivance and therefore not an example of DEM.

By way of contrast, the untimely demise of Carolyn Carmichael (Alfre Woodard), the matriarch in Spike Lee's bildungsroman Crooklyn from 1994, is both necessary and unexpected. Troy, expertly played by the young Zelda Harris, needs to suffer the loss of her mother in order to complete her maturation and grow wise beyond her ten years. One of the reasons Carolyn's illness may blindside audiences is the way it runs contrary to the overall sunny mood and lighthearted tone of the film. If one were to divide the film into three or four acts, the natural segmentation of this episodic narrative would be the ensemble feel of the introduction, act two beginning with Troy's visit with relatives 'down South,' act three Carolyn's sickness and death, and the resolution of Troy hesitatingly attending her mother's funeral, reconciling with her older brother/former nemesis Clinton and taking care of her youngest brother Richard by running off Snuffy (Spike Lee) and 'Right Hand', combing out his hair, and looking after the house and home. I would argue that the seeming abruptness of Carolyn's illness and passing make this turn of events an example of DEM.

Finally, the conclusion and

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Gabby Jeannette
1/3/17

In the past few films we have watched, Winter's Bone, Alien, and Crooklyn have all had a strong female protagonist character. The same goes for Beast of the Southern Wild, the story was about a 6 year old girl, named Hush Puppy, living in "The Bath Tub" (outside of Louisiana) with her father. After living there day to day life: going to school, feeling the animals, and spending time with the community at parties. Everything started to turn south as Hurricane Katrina was coming. As the storm comes people and animals start to die, houses get ripped apart, and slightly prior to that we find out that the father has some mysterious but serious health problems going on. The film ends up being a drama what covers the struggles of recovering a life threatening storm and also, leaving with an unorthodox way of love/parenting.
These ideas shown in the movie dramatically bring out the independent, strong female protagonist that Hush Puppy is meant to portray. When all of the adults were drinking and having a good time and all they children were interacting among themselves, expect Hush Puppy who was with the adults learning to deconstruct a crab, showed her willingness to be mature and grow up faster than the others. Also, the multiple times that Hush Puppy stood up to her dad was a who representation that she is willing to speak her voice to him and tell him some stuff ins't okay. Even the little things that Hush Puppy would do would bright out her independence that much more. Her ability to make herself dinner, live in her own house, learning to fish, and while her father is gone take care of the animals and herself to the best of her ability. Hush Puppy was an amazingly strong character and gives a heart warming and intense feeling to the movie.
I thought that the filming style had it's ups and downs. I thought that at some points the story line picked up a little faster than I'd like it to, and some moments could have been elaborated on. But on the other hand, I thought some moments in the movie were completely brilliant and creative. For instance, the cutting shots to the icebergs, boars, etc. Each cut away shot helped to enhance the tone of that scene of the movie. For example, when they iceberg was shattering, it representing the fact that everything was going downhill and collapsing. They was a hidden message between all of them, like when  I liked how the boar one actually encountered Hush Puppy at the end of the movie, it gave closure in a way to the views.
Beasts of Southern Wild was a great representation that no matter the age you can be independent and strong, it only depends on how you are raises and your willingness. The movie was great but the filming style was only enjoyable if you pay attention to the story line.

Winter's Bone - Michelle Negron

This movie is very different to the type of movie I would watch on my own. I would not have imagined to see Jennifer Lawrence play a role that is different to the Hunger Games and other popular films she has appeared in.  Winter's Bone, I actually never heard about this movie.  I feel like the film was all about having to find her father that way the house would not be taken away from her family.  It was also a harsh way to have Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) find out her father was dead. Her father's side of the family were pretty rude to her, especially her uncle, he did not cooperate with her at all. He was sort of not trying to break her the news that her father was dead.  The movie was like a race to find the dad because if Ree did not find him before the court date then the house would  be taken away.  
I am use to Jennifer Lawrence having a very strong independent role. I am not saying that she was not strong nor independent its more of that she had to still be a care giver for the kids. One thing I did not like was when the neighbors said they would take the boy into their home but not the sister due to age. To me, that was terrible because splitting siblings up is hard especially in cases where they are close to age. 

Crooklyn

Crooklyn by Spike Lee xX

The 1994 semi-autobiographical film crooklyn is a coming of age story for one little girl in a large family. The story starts off in a lively neighborhood in Brooklyn, New york, where we meet the family of the main character, Troy (played by Zelda Harris). Through-out the beginning, we see troy getting into multiple disputes with her older brother, start to become aware of her underdeveloped body, and following behind her mother. Troy gets an invitation from her relatives down south, and is very apprehensive. During her time down in the south with her adopted cousin, Viola (played by Patriece Nelson), Troy begins to do things in a routine that she was not used to, being the only girl amongst her siblings. when she returns home, we see just how much she has matured over the summer when she feels the need to step up and help her mother (played by Alfre Woodward), who has fallen ill with cancer. she helps with the cleaning, cooking, and with her brothers before, and long after her mothers passing. 

I found this movie to be very enjoyable in most aspects, but few I did not care for too much. The entire plot overall stirred up mixed feelings, and the end was very touching. My favorite scene was the summer troy spent with Viola. I can relate to not being able to do many things growing up with a brother 5 years my senior, and was glad that she was finally able to form a close bond with another girl. I did not like, however, the scenes whee she was seen in the bathroom examining her body and feeling bad about it. Being that she was only 9, turning 10 in the film, she probably had not reached puberty, and was far too young to be worrying about that sort of thing. All flaws aside, I thought that Crooklyn was a great film.

Winter's Bone; Kaysha Carrasquillo

Kaysha Carrasquillo

1.7.2017

Intro to Film Studies

Winter's Bone

This film has to be my all time favorite; it is a strong drama that holds a female as the lead character. The starring actress is Jennifer Lawrence, a very well-known actress. She plays the role of a strong daughter who is left in charge of the household after her father disappeared and her mother went nuts!

She has two younger siblings and a large amount of land that she had charge of as well. She had to find all types of ways to keep her household and family safe after her father disappeared. The whole understanding of her father was very confusing, but I know he had a rough past when it came to selling drugs and had a lot of enemies that wanted him dead, so I believe that's why he went into hiding. Also the cops were looking for him with a warrant for his arrest. The enemies that he had didn't have the chance to take out their anger on him, so they took it out on her as being the eldest child.

Surprisingly her sketchy uncle 'Tear Drop' (Academy Award-nominee John Hawkes), that everyone was afraid of, was the one to help her out, and the only one that seemed to actually care for. He was a very serious, mysterious person but somehow showed care and protection for her and her two little siblings. For example, when she got jumped by the mob that dislikes her father, and they wanted to teach her a lesson, he went to the garage that they kept her in after beating her and took her with him to his home. I didn't get why he didn't do that in the first place, and just have her live with him? I later realized that he was only a angry and mean person because of the trouble and death of his brother.

Once the death of his brother/their father turned out to be true, everything seemed to calm down, because that was the plot, and solution that everyone wanted was for him to be dead. Now at the end when that came out the mob left her alone, and the uncle gave her siblings and her a chicken which to me was a symbol. But after he gave them that, she tried to give him the money [her father's banjo] that was given to her, but he said hold it, which to me meant he wasn't going to come [back] because he figured out who was his brother's killer.

Yes this film was all over the place, but every scene had a meaning to show bits and parts of her life and struggles, but I honestly loved it.