Amistad, directed by Steven Spielberg, displays the fierce determination of 53 African abductees and their compelling desire to return home. Led by Cinqué (or Sengbe), a man longing to see his wife and son in Sierra Leone again, the men aboard the ship La Amistad rebelled against the Spanish slave traders who guarded them from escape. Using sugar cane knives stolen from cargo aboard the ship, the Africans defeated the gun-wielding Spaniards. With ambitions of returning to West Africa, they eventually ended up off the coast of Long Island instead of the initial destination, a Cuban port. Even as the native Africans adjusted to an entirely different life in America, their African identity still remained apparent throughout the film.…
The film opens with a close up shot of Alex dressed in white with gray suspenders showcasing his false eyelashes on his right eye and with the brim of his pork pie hat tilted slightly downward. His ominous blue eyes peering right through you as if you did not even exist. Slowly the camera pulls back as Alex takes a sip of drug laced milk revealing the type of company he keeps. His “droogs” as Alex called them were seated next to him on a bench in the Korova Milk Bar. The Korova Milk Bar was decorated with nude figures of women posed as if they had fallen backwards and they attempted to catch themselves by putting their arms behind them. The flats of their stomachs doubled as a table where glasses of milk could be placed. Other nude statues…
A widely-renowned contemporary movie containing multiple themes of apocalyptic literature is “WALL-E”. In this movie, a futuristic dystopian society is presented in which there are no longer any humans present on Earth due to it no longer being sustainable for life. The humans have now been long-removed from Earth and now live on an enlarged spaceship named the “Axiom”, which is funded by the monopolistic company “Buy ‘n’ Large”. Over time, the passengers of the “Axiom” have become morbidly obese, as they have now spent many years having to rely on hove automated systems in order to maneuver and communicate with one another. Therefore, there are many underlying components within this movie that would qualify it as apocalyptic literature. For one, the plot of the movie is “cosmic in scope”, as it depicts the monotonous livelihoods of humans in outer space after having over-polluted the Earth to the point where it is no longer inhabitable. Its “cosmic scope” is also suggested by how manipulative of an effect mass-consumerism will have on the human population, as “Buy ‘n’ Large” holds total ownership over every product that is told to the humans, even in space. Another apocalyptic theme is the user of “satire to shape perception of reality”. In this case, the satire employed in this movie proposes a strong critique of society today by focusing on a multitude of issues such as pollution, consumerism, obesity, and technology. This can be interpreted as the director alluding to the potential “point of no return” that will transpire for humanity if we choose to not address the negative impacts society is having on our environment and well-being. Additionally, there is also a “fellowship of friends against the forces of evil” presented in this film due to the developing relationship between the two robots “WALL-E” and “EVE”. In the end, their fellowship allows the humans to return back to Earth when they present a living plant from Earth to the Axiom’s captain, indicating Earth’s…
Field of Dreams, a film production directed by Phil Alden Robinson, is an enduring classic of its time that delves into the idyllic nature of baseball. The director’s subtle inclusion of diegetic sounds, depth cues, and the Kuleshov’s effect brings together a polished masterpiece that keeps the audience at the edge of their seats. In the film, the spirit of Doctor Archibald Graham refuses to return to Iowa with Ray despite his dreams of playing professional baseball. “Sixty-five years [before], for five minutes, [he] had come [so] close, it would kill [most] men to get so close to their dream and never touch it.” Graham chooses his present over his past and adamantly insists that “batting in the major league” is not written in his destiny. He will not leave Chisholm for it is his “most special place in the world.” His duty as a physician feels more fulfilling for “if [he’d] gotten to be a doctor for [only] five minutes… [that] would have been a tragedy.” In fact, Graham willingly accepts his fate and concedes that his sacrifice for the greater good has not been in vain.…
Ronald Joffe, the director the The Killing Fields, including various scenes of children in the film to create compassion in the viewer for the struggles Cambodians had to endure.…
Throughout the entire movie, violence and action are depicted in some shape or form. This is also intensified with the use of camera angle, setting, and special effects. There are also many themes that surround the film, which propel the plot further, such as betrayal and trust. Moreover, the story consists of a group of criminals who are on a job to rob diamonds, however when cops arrive at the location, this causes accusations to run rampant.…
The 1986 film "Sixteen Candles" tells a timeless tale of growing up in suburban America. The film's star, Sam, played by Molly Ringwald, wakes up with big expectations on her sweet sixteenth birthday only to be completely disappointed. Not only does she find that she looks exactly the same as when she was fifteen, but her family is so preoccupied with her older sister's wedding that they forget her birthday altogether.…
Fight Club “Its only after we’ve lost everything are we free to do anything”, Tyler Durden as (Brad Pitt) states, among many other lines of contemplation. In Fight Club, a nameless narrator, a typical “everyman,” played as (Edward Norton) is trapped in the world of large corporations, condominium living, and all the money he needs to spend on all the useless stuff he doesn’t need. As Tyler Durden says “The things you own end up owning you.” Fight Club is an edgy film that takes on such topics as consumerism, the feminization of society, manipulation, cultism, Marxist ideology, social norms, dominant culture, and the psychiatric approach of the human id, ego, and super ego. “It is a film that surrealistically describes the status of the American…
Everyone has a story. As we learned in the movie Amistad, everyone goes through something different that changes their lives and shapes them into the person that they are today. This event or happening that takes place can have many emotions: sad, joyful, mournful, happy or even none. It all depends on how we react and let it affect your life. A major part of my story, and what has shaped me into the person I am today, is my parents’ divorce.…
“A Lesson Before Dying” is based on a real story in 1948-1949. The main role is Grant and Jefferson. Jefferson is a black man who treated unjustly will going die. Grant, as a teacher in the small town, will help Jefferson to be a dignified man before Jefferson dying. In the process, they built a strength friendship. Without doubt, Grant is a hero in “A Lesson Before Dying”. He does many works for change Jefferson better. Finally,…
Story and Plot differ from one another. The total world of the story is made out of “diegetic elements”. These elements (such as characters, events, surroundings, sounds and objects) create the world in which the story takes place. In a television series as Baantjer, there are a lot of diegetic elements which the audience can relate to, whereas in the world of Disney’s Wall-E, there are diegetic elements which the audience can’t relate to because it is a whole other world than we know. A story consists of two types of diegetic elements. Firstly, there are elements that are presented on the screen. Secondly, there are elements which are not presented on the screen, but where the viewer (audience) refers to as something that has happened (presumed and inferred elements).…
The film Gattaca presents a world in the “not too distant future,” where human beings are judged and defined solely by their genetic make-up, a world in which the scientific determination of one’s existence is placed over faith, religion, and free-will. Parents have the ability to choose their children’s genes and can essentially create the “perfect” child through ensuring that their best hereditary traits are passed on. Those who are conceived naturally are referred to as “God-children”, children of “faith” or “invalids”, and are viewed as inferiors, doomed to second class society. Vincent Freeman and Jerome Morrow, Gattaca’s two main characters, defy this scientifically predestined world, and through one another are able to triumph over the limitations that society sets forth for them.…
It was about his last hours on earth before he was shot by Officer Johannes Mehserle on January 1st, 2009. He had been in a fight on the subway that night. The responding officers pulled Oscar and his associates off the train and had them sit against the wall. Things began to escalate when the officer would not tell Grant why they were holding him. They laid him down face first then shot him in the back. The officer was charged with Second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, and gun enhancement. He went to trial and was only convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Grant’s father attempted to sue the police department but was denied. Grant's mother and daughter were settled for $2.8 million. The officer was released on probation not long after. This is a fine example of what is happening to our innocent…
The movie is divided into five parts. The first part (How we got here): the movie explains how the economy used to be after the great depression. At first the financial industry was highly regulated. Banks were prohibited from speculating in depositors’ savings and investment banks were small and private partnerships hence, this structure reduced the risky activities. However, the Reagan administration started a 30 years period of financial deregulations which created the savings and loan crisis. In the 1990s the financial system had consolidated into few gigantic firms each of them is so large that their failure can threaten the whole system. In 1999 Citicorp and Travellers merged…
Every Child Is Special is a Hindi film released in 2007 and directed by Aamir Khan. This drama film focused on how to understand the dreams and special needs of a child. Friends and family support, tolerance and love are the central themes in this movie. It also focuses on painting and art. This film review will discuss such aspects as music/sound, cinematography and animation/special effects.…