Rebel Without a Cause

Gabby Jeannette
4/25/17

          Rebel Without a Cause was a wonderful movie to bring out the theme that you can only depend on yourself [nice opening statement]. James Dean played Jim Stark, an emotionally confused teen which causes him to land in situations that make it [things?] worse for him. In the movie on many occasions Jim had to choose the right choose since nobody else was there for in [him]. (I think what you are trying to say is that 'on many occasions Jim must make tough choices independently because his cries for help, mostly to his father, fall on deaf ears.)  At one point when he has to choose between staying home or going out at night and racing the "cool kids." With the poor advice from his dad, he made the consensus choice [conscious choice] to stand up for himself. Towards the end of the movie his rebel ways were no longer to make his life better but to make the lives of people around him better [good]. He broke into the castle place to be able to talk to the girl [Judy played by Natalie Wood, who also played Maria in West Side Story] he liked and take the stress from the death away and also he put his life on the line by walking out in front of the police for his friend [Plato nee John played by Sal Mineo] that [who] was getting surrounded for his crimes [wounding one of the gang members and firing upon police].

          Besides for the storyline itself Rebel Without a Cause was a pretty decent teen drama [it is by most accounts also the original teen drama] that was put together well. The fact that it is older [1955] and the standards were different brings down my rating of it [ageism?]. Besides for that factor the movie as a whole was fairly good, and I liked how it wasn't predictable. Throughout the whole movie, I had no idea what was going to happen next; SPOILER ALERT!!! I didn't expect either of those characters [Buzz or Plato] to die. Finally at the end I believe that his character progressed greatly; more responsible and caring.  Also, I liked how the suspense factor was very intense and drags you in. When the bully was driving during the race, when his jacket got caught the super zoom on the handle got viewers attentions. The music as well, stuck out and let the viewers knew the tone of the scene greatly. The movie, despite its age wasn't terrible.          

Creed

Adonis Johnson  the son of the famous boxing champion Apollo Creed, who died in a boxing match in Rocky IV Adonis wasn't born until after his father's death and wants to follow his fathers footsteps in boxing. He seeks a person who is the former heavyweight boxing champion and former friend of Apollo Creed, the retired Rocky Balboa. Rocky eventually agrees to mentor Adonis. With Rocky's help they hope to get a title job to face even deadlier opponents than his father. But whether he is a true fighter remains to be seen.

Rocky decides to take Donnie under his wing. Donnie stays at Rocky's house as they train bright and early, while gaining a  close bond.
Later in the movie before Donnie big fight with Conlan ,he starts having doubts about not being about to take after his father foot steps /not fulfill his father legacy. The fans were not thrilled t see Donnie and started booing and jeer at him. The end of the movie sadly Donnie didn't win the fight against Conlan but Conlan recognized his hard work with respect

Creed: The Stand-Alone Son #PIReviews

Creed: The Stand-Alone Son

By: Cameron Smith

Directed by: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylica Rashad, Tony Bellew

As a successor to the Rocky series, this film was genius! It not only took the best traits of the 1976 Rocky to another level, but also adds creative variations and elements of our real world to the universe -- providing a strong sense of realism. This could have easily been a cliche and cheesy nod to the former films, but it turned out to be anything but; instead, it gave new, modern life to what seemed as a dying series with it's past two films. It has excellent character development of Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) and chemistry between the aforementioned, his girlfriend Bianca (Tessa Thompson), and the champ Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). It is clear that Stallone is excellent in the film, but it is also apparent that Michael B. Jordan killed it! I have come across fans of the original who only praise Stallone and didn't (so to speak) dig this one. Again, rather than taking away from the original feel of the series, it added to the appeal and told the same story from a different perspective -- of an African-American. In short, I believe that a good bulk of the complaints against this film are from those who relate more to an Italian-American and don't see the other perspective.

I would like to reiterate that this film was a great revival to the Rocky series/extension of the universe -- and a successful one at that. Not only did the franchise gain a new generation of fans, but also fans who now see the same story from another perspective. The allusions made to the former installments made sense, struck the right chord, and all-in-all done in a way that wasn't forced or overly played out. The training scenes (sometimes) played off the original -- as in with the punching bags -- but also included up-to-date music (my favorite being Nas' "Bridging the Gap"), lines, and settings which gave the film yet another stroke of genius. Thematically, it follows the notion of being a stand-alone, and not only a continuation of your predecessor very well; Adonis "Johnson," despite having an "overnight success" has been through his own struggle as a juvenile delinquent and being disconnected from his father. In short, I cannot wait to see where the series goes from here!

Creed

Gabby Jeannette
3/27/17

Creed

     
          So far this year I think this will most likely be my favorite movie, besides for my all time favorite Warriors. Creed is an amazing movie that is full of inspiration and life lessons for any person, not only a boxer, can/should learn. For instance, one major theme that I came to terms with is the fact that you don't grow to beat others you should strive to surpass yourself and grow internally. Donnie learned that when he was in the last match of the movie, Rocky told him that Conlan wasn't his opponent; he was his own greatest opponent. Another theme that came up throughout the movie was that although the past might not have gone as you planned, you have to embrace who you are and use it to your benefit. Yes, Adonis had a goal set to not let others know he was Apollo Creed's son, but Bianca let him know he was brought to earth from Apollo, and he has a skill just a great as his father's, so he has to learn to embrace it. Before the last match Adonis learns that lesson but also combines it with the fact that he knows he has to remember his roots. We as viewers realize he has learned that when he puts on his fathers old boxing shorts with his name "Creed"on them but on the back it says "Johnson." Lastly, the largest lesson was devotion. Adonis learned that hiding his goals from the world wasn't the way to go, so he quit his job and moved to Philly to learn from the best, Rocky. From that point on his was devoted to the game and devoted to his goals of success in the field of boxing.

          The movie itself was very well put together and the tone matched the message great. While he was in California all the colors were bright and calm to represent the success he was feeling in his career. Once he got to Philly, the color palette got dark and serious due to the fact that he was very focused and in tune with himself. The movie had a lot of culture. The boxing gyms that Rocky brought Adonis to gave a a sense of culture from the past Rocky movies. Also, when Adonis was running though the streets with ATV's and dirt bikes chasing him that gave a hint of Philadelphia street culture, since riding on the streets and doing tricks is a big part of Philly. Lastly, in the final fight there was a nice montage of flashbacks that Adonis had to enhance his anger and importantly used to wake up and pick himself off the mat before being counted out, to beat Conlan. That quick flash of pictures/scenes helped show the viewers how his brain was functioning as Rocky was yelling to him and as he was on the ground during the fight.

          All and all, Creed, in my eyes and possibly to my other peers is more than just a boxing movie; it is more than just that. I recommend it for anybody to watch, it will make you feel emotion across the charts like you wanna fight someone, wanna experience life, and even the feeling of family, etc.

Caitlin Willis - Creed

Caitlin Willis

Intro to Film Studies

Mr. Monahan

Creed

          This 2015 action film, directed by Ryan Coogler, portrays hard work, dedication, and the act of coming from the shadows. In this film, a very overlooked African American man, Adonis Jackson, discovers his ability to box. His father, Apollo Creed, a very famous fighter who had long past, had left him when he was young [in actuality Apollo was killed in the ring while Adonis/Donnie was in utero].  In search for answers, he sets out to find his father's old friend, another famous boxer who was the star [technically Sylvester Stallone is the star; Rocky Balboa is the character/protagonist] of the film Rocky, named Rocky Balboa. It follows him [what follows him exactly?] during his journey of hard work, dedication, and making a name for himself rather than reclaiming the one his father left behind.

          This is by far one of my favorite films. I watched Creed long before I even saw Rocky, but now that I've seen both, I like watching how the two movies tie into each other. My favorite actor, Michael B. Jordan is the star of this film, as he was with Fruitvale Station, and he portrays Adonis. SPOILER ALERT!!! Even though he didn't win the fight against heavy weight-champ and 'pound for pound greatest living boxer' "Pretty" Ricky Conlan, he still managed to put up a fight better than anyone expected. He went for all 12 rounds when people were expected him to get knocked out during the second or third. His drive was extremely evident during the long fight scene, and it had my and all of my other classmates' adrenaline running. The music added into the excitement, with the fast paced, energetic, non-diegetic songs [excellent point; bahm bahm puh bahm puh.... 'Feelin' strong now... Gonna fly now'].
       
This film still proves to be one of my favorites, more so than ever now that I'm aware of the special elements this film has [Noooo! Good post Caitlin, but I would really like it more if you could expand this final paragraph.

Bonnie & Clyde

Bonnie and Clyde is a story that takes place during the Great Depression. A young couple who are in love and decide to rob stores and banks.  As the film progresses, Bonnie and Clyde form the Barrow Gang  a mechanic, Clyde's brother Buck and his wife Blanche.  They were portrayed as heroes in the film because they were normal people who fought for a cause of the people. They robbed banks because the banks were stealing peoples' homes and other properties. I can prove this because while Clyde is gathering the money, he sees a farmer man and asks him if the money on the table is his.  The man says yes and Clyde lets him keep the money.  I think the theme of this film was rebellion and fighting the system. Bonnie and Clyde acted upon a cause that was created by the average person.I think t the movie was interesting, because you sometimes forget this actually happened, and this was a real story. Of course, the movie changed a bit of the real story, but a lot of movies do this.

Fruitvale Station

        

    

       The first thing I think of when I see the movie title Fruitvale Station I automatically thought it had something to do with a train or something. But as the movie goes on and you see the true meaning of what point the movie is trying to prove. It's about main character Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan) a recovering addict [drug dealer, 'selling trees'] who is trying his hardest to live a clean life and turn himself around for his daughter Tatiana and his baby's mother Sophina. You know what they say when you're in the wrong place at the wrong time?  But everyone likes to think that everything happens for a reason. On a simple night going to see fireworks with his family [more precisely with his girlfriend and their friends] he ends up in a situation that he shouldn't have been in [explain]. 

     The day he lost his life will never be forgotten because of the fact that a police officer killed another unarmed black man, which falls back into the stereotypes [sic]. A whole movie based on the last moments of this innocent man's life. On top of it, his girlfriend got to watch her boyfriend die right in front of her for something that happened while he was serving time in jail. 

       I think the life lesson taught from this movie is that you shouldn't give people a reaction when you know you have more than them to lose. It makes you think about how you act towards people around you whether it's from past beef or not. If you have a beautiful daughter and a beautiful girlfriend to live for you start to think about more than just yourself. I would've liked for the movie to be a little longer, maybe explain a little more about Oscar's life and not just the mistakes that he's made. As the movie starts the movie basically ends because it's so self explanatory.