Movie Review

The Breakfast Club is a 1985 film about five high school students from completely different backgrounds, who meet in a Saturday detention. John Hughes impacted a whole generation of teenagers through his unique filming style to highlight certain issues. Hughes uses themes like stereotypes, identity and relationships to show his target audience that they are not alone in their trials and tribulations, and to show it’s something every teen must endure to enter into the ‘real world’ and find themselves in an adult society.

The Breakfast Club uses the stereotypical fictional characters to highlight that it doesn’t matter if one believes themselves to be upper or lower class, popular or unpopular; every teen experiences the difficulty of growing up, finding themselves, relationships and pressures. John Hughes’ auteur style captures the audience through the use of music, setting and technical convections.

The library is the main setting in The Breakfast Club. In the library everybody comes together on a Saturday morning to attend detention for their mistakes. It is in this setting where all of them become friends and open up to each other and the breakdown of stereotypes occur. Even though they have completely different personalities and different traits they end up liking each other. Mainly because they didn’t know how much they had in common but after smoking some marijuana in the library they start finding out more about each other and how all of them face similar problems in their lives. Each of the main characters in the film hold a different high school stereotype.

Claire is the stereotypical popular girl. She is rich, into fashion and is very spoiled. Her diamond earrings and her obsession of clothing shows the audience her higher social standing, and how she wants to be seen by others. Once they get to know each other, they come to realise that they are not all as different as they thought. They are all struggling with the same issues and try their best to appear a certain way to the rest of their classmates. Family problems and school pressures are two examples of things of what every teen experiences in their life. Having a certain image is so crucial to them.

They feel the pressure to keep up their images because they are afraid of rejection, whether it’s by their peers, friends, or parents and society. The characters’ stereotypes are conveyed by their actions, attitudes, and by the clothes they wear.The Library is an important setting because it is in the library where these five people begin their communication. And by doing this they became more aware of each other and the type of person each of them are. This is the reason why this is the main setting is because it is the time where they spend most of their time and where the breakdown of stereotypes, relationships and realisation of the same pressure and experiences occur.

John Hughes uses ‘current’ popular music of the time to engage, be relevant and highlight issues to the teenage audience. Hughes’ use of music conveys the themes of coming of age and finding your own identity. The Breakfast Club theme song “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds is use in the film to represent the fear of teens being over looked by society. Some important song lyrics are “Don’t you forget about me” and “Will you recognise me? Call my name or walk on by.”

These lyrics question the relationship formed by each character after dentation, because will everyone forget about each other the coming week. Is everyone going their own way once detention is over, not knowing what the future holds. Will their new friendship be broken by the social groups once they return back to school. The song is also addressed to the parents, saying can you spare a thought and accept these misfits.

In The Breakfast club, the main characters have to grow up while dealing with a world of clueless adults who don’t understand anything and are frequently hostile about their children. The teenage target audience get some closure from the theme song as it allows the sense of finding yourself and growing up being an experience that teen goes through. The use of music from John Hughes engages the audience in the issues and themes of coming of age and identity.

In the movie, camera angles and shots play a big role in helping the audience understand more about the characters. Camera angles and shots are technical codes used to show the way reality is. In the library, the shots are angled more downward, looking down at the students, especially when the principal is around to show his superiority and authority. When they’re all together, they are each pointed at equally to show that they are all the same despite their social standings.

The equally angled shots of everyone ties into the misrepresentation stereotypes give people when in reality all of the characters are equal. The angle helps the audience understand that they cannot put labels on their social standings and they are all on the same level as each other. Technical codes used by John Hughes enable the audience to engage in the themes of relationships and stereotypes.

The film wants to highlight that people from different social groups, family situations, financial statuses are all human beings that can bond and form friendships. Hughes has portrayed this by using setting, music and technical codes. The Breakfast Club is one of the most iconic movies still from the 80s because of its impact on the teenage audience which has been relatable to all teenage all different generations for the past 30 years.

“Gladiator” is a movie meant to be remembered for many years to come. It is an actionpacked; historical, tragic, emotional, vengeful, moral, amazing, exciting, breath-taking, and thrilling ride into the era of the Roman Empire. Maximus was the most honorable, respected, and skilled general Rome had ever has, and when everything is taken from him, he still manages to die as Rome’s most respected, honorable, and skilled gladiators. Maximus is the definition of Gladiator.

“Gladiator” tells the tale of the general (Maximus) who became a slave, the slave who became a gladiator, and the gladiator who defied an empire. Maximus was the most honorable and respected general Rome had ever had, and when everything is taken from him, he still manages to die as one of Rome’s most respected and honorable men.

Maximus’ journey starts when the dieing Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, asks him to be Rome’s new emperor when he passes. He does not feel that his son, Commodus is fit to rule. When Marcus tells the news to Commodus, Commodus is outraged and suffocates his father while hugging him. Since the Emperor had not announced his wishes for Maximus to take the throne publicly, the heir, Commodus, became the new emperor of Rome. Commodus then asks for Maximus’ allegiance to him and to be the general of his army, but Maximus would not have anything to do with this false emperor.

Commodus orders for Maximus to be executed away from the camp. He also orders for Maximus’ wife and eight year old son to be burned alive and crucified. So two executioners took Maximus out into the middle of some woods to kill him, but being the amazing soldier he was, he killed both of the men, but had been cut very deeply in his lefts arm. He took there horses in an effort to stop the soldiers from killing his family. When he reaches his farmland, he finds that his entire crop has been burnt, his cattle slaughtered, but worst of all, his wife and little son burnt to a crisp nailed to crosses above where his kitchen would have been. He passes out from grief and blood loss.

While unconscious, Maximus is picked up by slave merchants and sold to Proximo, who trains slaves to become gladiators, so that he can profit from either their deaths or their victories. He had won his own freedom by being one of the greatest gladiators. He has a special place in his heart for Maximus and feels that Maximus will bring him great fortune. Proximo tells Maximus, “If you can win the crowd by becoming their hero, you may, perhaps, win your freedom”. He even gives Maximus his old armor that he used when he was a gladiator. Proximo knows that Maximus is a great fighter, but he also knows that Maximus could be taken against any gladiator and kill him in seconds. Proximo teaches Maximus to take time while killing his opponent and to entertain the people, because that is the way to win the people over and to win his freedom.

Maximus easily wins his first few battles in small arenas, and is known throughout the people as the great gladiator, The Spaniard. He is victorious match after match. Finally, he battles at the great Coliseum. He leads the other gladiators and together, they become a mighty force and are victorious. The Emperor (Commodus), unaware that Maximus is still alive, wishes to meet the amazing Spaniard. He tells Maximus to remove his helmet and reveal his name to the people, but Maximus just turns his back on the emperor, which was punishable by death.

Commodus is furious and demands for Maximus to reveal his identity or he will be killed. Maximus turns, slowly lifts off his helmet and says, “My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius; commander of the Armies of the North, general of the Phelix Legions. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife, and I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next”. Commodus is petrified by the site of Maximus alive and could kill him with the simple flick of his wrist, so his thumb faces down. Luckily for Maximus, the crowd cheers for him to live and Commodus was forced not to have him killed.

Maximus had to win the crowd in order to stay alive. He took command of the gladiators when they fought and he killed all of his opponents valiantly. After winning The Battle of Carthage, he had to reveal himself to Commodus, which could have meant his life, but he had won the crowd by killing so brilliantly, so he was spared. Maximus was forced to fight the previous champion gladiator. Maximus

was ready to kill him, waiting for the raising or lowering of Commodus’ thumb. But when Commodus points his thumb down (that means death), Maximus lets him live, and the crowd loves him for being merciful and defying the emperor.

Maximus’ hardest challenge is his fight with Commodus in the Coliseum. Commodus, being the horrible person that he is, stabs Maximus near his left kidney before the battle, while Maximus was in cuffs. He orders to have Maximus’ armor cover the wound. At the beginning of the fight, Maximus’ blood loss makes him weak, but he still fights with all of his power. While fighting, Maximus begins to fade into delirium. In his illusions, he is at the gates of heaven, which is his farm with his wife, son, crop, and peace. He begins to walk into the door, but snaps back to reality as Commodus attacks. Maximus is brought to his knees, and Commodus swings his sword at his neck, but Maximus ducks in time and counters Commodus’ move.

Maximus knocks the emperor’s sword out of his hands and beats the hell out Commodus with his own fists. Maximus goes back into delirium. As Maximus starts fading and dieing, Commodus pulls a knife that had been hidden in his sleeve cuff. Maximus snaps back to reality again, remembering that his purpose to be alive was only so he could kill Commodus. Maximus grabs Commodus’ arm and bends it to make Commodus stab himself in the throat.

Maximus doesn’t really have a transformation, because he dies almost immediately after he kills Commodus. But since he kills Commodus, he becomes the new Emperor of Rome. He knows he is about to die, so with his power, he orders the freedom of his fellow gladiators, and he reinstates the senate to take control of Rome. Marcus Aurelius had said that Rome was to be a republic again, so Maximus fulfilled the wish of his slain ruler.

Maximus’ revelation occurs, when he defeats and kills Commodus. He realizes that he has fulfilled his vengeance against the emperor and is at one with himself. He feels that he may now die in peace.

In the beginning of the movie, after he wins the war against the Romanians, all he wanted was to go home to his family and the harvest. After killing Commodus and reinstating the senate to power, Maximus falls back once again into delirium. He collapses in the middle of the great Coliseum and sees himself walking back to his farm, where his beautiful wife and little son have been waiting for his time to join them in heaven. He has returned to his family and is at peace with himself and the world.

I feel that “Gladiator” is an absolutely amazing movie. The fall of a general, the rise of a gladiator, the defiance of an empire, a single man does in one lifetime. Although Maximus is not a true historical figure, but the story has great lessons and morals that are taught to its audience. The cinematography of the movie is just brilliant. You have to see the movie to really understand what goes on and it will amaze you. Maximus takes on an empire and comes out on top. Maximus was the best of the best. He is not just a mere man of honor and an amazing gladiator. No, Maximus is the Gladiator.

The entire “you can’t start a fire without a spark” moment in banking came with Lewis Ranieri unveiled his idea for revolutionizing the bond market, what’s portrayed in the movie as being “comatose”. He had created the mortgage-backed security for the housing market, which then through what you would expect, banking slowly became the largest industry in the United States. What I can only assume is that due to Greenp’s anti-regulatory measures it only added gas to the flame. We can treat the thesis of this film as an entire warping of what Lewis had in mind, what he believed to be a smart bond that would increase profits for banks and investors later became a time bomb The film centers on a small group of insiders, most notably Michael Burry, who was investigating he complexities of a what he viewed as a crumbling housing market, and signs that it will continue and increase. He’s largely an introvert, dedicated to heavy metal (my favorite of what he listens to is Leviathan by Mastadon). What’s important with Michael is that he was initially the one that bets on the “short” on mortgage bonds, essentially naming that if the bonds go belly-up, that his investment in the insurance would grant him the credit from the defaults. Michael runs Scion investment, he has no formal business education, as he is a former Neurologist.

The second of the insiders is Mark Baum, an incredibly abrasive man that believes that bullshit talks and bullshit walks, he just wades through it and forces his clients to prove their moral worth prior o deals he makes; which to the ire of his wife and therapy group make him very opinionated and again, brasive. Though it’s not essential to the plot, Mark lost his brother to suicide after offering his brother money when his brother called him saying he had “bad swaps”, causing Mark to close himself off emotionally and feeds off of a retribution principle The third, and perhaps the most important of the insiders is Jared Vennett, who receives early wind that an investor named Michael Burry has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into credit- default-swaps. Jared Vennett works for Deutsche Bank, and is eager to make a deal with Morgan Stanley but accidentally gets the wrong number and is instead directed to Mark Baum’s firm, and while some refer to it as being “just a wrong number”, Mark is incredibly interested in what Jared is pitching, and begins his investment with a small short of 50 million. This works to the benefit of Jared, as he is in a bit of a pinch with his higher-ups, as he believes he’s struck gold and can “smell money”. The last of the insiders are a small group of traders from Brownfield Investment out of Colorado. They began on a small equity of $110,000 which was turned into $30 million within a few years. The traders are Jamie Shipley and Charlie Geller, and the duo traveled to New York to seek an ISDA, allowing them seats at the big boys table to make bets on faults which had made them rich in the first place. Unfortunately, an ISDA requires well over a billion dollars so they’re forced to ask their friend Ben Rickert to validate them, which he does. The duo had also came into contact with Jared Vinnetts report, and the two invest in CDO’s, like the others.

What the duo did that the others didn’t, was invest in AA tranches, growing convinced during the American Securitization forum that bonds would fail all the way up to the top. Though it’s not clear in the movie just how much Jamie and Charles invest, they both have the same results as the others. It’s at this same convention where Mark tells the speaker that there is a 0% chance that subprime mortgage losses will stall, and walks out. It’s after this that Mark Baum increases is short to $550 million dollars, second only to Michael Burry, who’s short totaled 1.3 billion dollars. Though all parties where forced to pay premiums for almost 2 years due to the fact that the bonds they petted against where appreciating up until the final moments of the crisis in which Bear Sterns fails while Mark laments that they thought the industry was better than that. intense scrutiny and later threats from investors after they Prior to that however, Michael fa else face liquidity of the entire firm. lock them out of their accounts to pay the premiums they accr This pays off for all parties, because throughout the film the insiders are angered that the ratings agencies do not change their outlook on the bonds that are obviously going bad, and instead turn a blind eye. Michael nets a total of 2.69 Billion dollars off of a 1.3 billion dollar investment, while Jamie and Charles both receive a little under $50 million a piece for their individual payouts. Mark Baum is the last to sell, following the word that there’s a bail-out. He’s not happy that he’s made money that would be paid for by the American People, and the same realization comes to all other protagonists in the film, excluding Jared Vennett, as he was more profit-driven.

Mark clears $200 million personally, with 1 billion total following a $550 million dollar investment Fairness? To be completely honest, the way that the American society is described and portrayed is entirely fair. Minority women and women are portrayed positively, as are minority men, aside from the Asian ‘quantitative” that Jared makes a point that because he’s “Asian”, he’s right. The movie makes the point that we may not know what “Tranches” or “CBO’s” or “Synthetic-CDO’s” are, because they portray it is being a class based issue. Only those at the top, profiting, should truly have perfect information. But, According to Adam Smith, the “invisible hand” of economics is only efficient when perfect information is known to all parties, which in this case it wasn’t. The sad reality of the film is that these situations are shown to be largely negative. When you have a renter that’s paying their leaser who is late on their mortgage, and you see the man almost in tears as he fears for his child’s well- being and growing accustomed to school; it’s saddening But this was true of the crash, everyday people that were blind to the inner workings of the economic system that took advantage of them were the ones that paid the cost; literally twice over. The people that abuse the system are bad, but that’s not to say that the system isn’t either; no capitalist es from the origin frequently system is inherently bad, but, the ways in which vie, the Minsky cycle of credit, puts people on a profit-driven path. if one were to apply it to the crisis prior to the collapse may conclude that the system has become inherently bad. The Minsky cycle being, while simplified; a large displacement creating macro-econ opportunities (Mortgage backed securities), followed by an increase of credit from banks and an increase in the interest rates and velocity of money, all fed by speculation until you reach a point of over- trading, which then those at the top typically unload their stocks or bonds. The tragedy of the Minsky model illustrates that when all is said and done, the private market has no choice but to seek a lender of last resort, in this case, the American people. Toward the end when Jared Vennett goes on a monologue about the changes that America made (all while Neil Youngs “Rockin’ in the Free World is playing in the background) that made the system better; and then recants and says that none of the ideals happened.

These ideals were ones such as, breaking apart the large banks, auditing the Securities and Exchange commission, the imprisonment of op bank/ratings officials who profited off of the crisis, and the regulation of mortgage/derivative ndustries. Earlier in the film, Jamie, who is talking to his brothers ex-girlfriend who works at the SEC, inds out that she’s floating her resume to big banks, surprised that there is no law or statute that prevents an employee of a ratings agency to work for the banks of which they are supposed to be regulating. One of my favorite characters in the movie, and the one I found to be a moral compass for Jamie nd Charles, was Ben Rickert. He’d previously went out of the banking business because it destroyed the well being of working people , and it screwed too many people over while making too few rich. He helped make Jamie and Charles rich, but had also told them that the correlation between death and unemployment was very high; making it more of a melancholy reception for Jamie and Charles, I feel. hey wanted money, so they got money at the expense of all those who lost theirs. Ben I believe to be a e entire movie. Jared’s ideal is realist, and the o keeping his job by making money for his employer, Baum’s ideal is ripping off the big banks who take advantage of people, Jamie and Charles both want to get rich. The only character that could maintain an entirely neutral standpoint in regards to idealist vs. realist is Michael Burry. You could argue that he was convinced he was right, therefore making him an idealist, or through educated derivation found that what he was expecting was entirely true; thus making him a realist as well. You can even consider the ratings agencies to be realists, as if they do not give the ratings that the banks want the banks will switch agencies; which is not in the economic best interest of the company, therefore they will continue giving fraudulent ratings in exchange for money. In regards to what the film stands to demonstrate, I feel that it demonstrates the vastness of power that a non-government entity can hold, and if not properly controlled for, can lead to to disparage for all but those involved. The film begins with what looks to be the midwest american-dream.

A father with his daughter on his shoulders with a quote by Mark Twain: “It aint what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure, that just ain’t so”, this happens sporadically throughout the film, cataloging the progression of greed itself. Shortly after all protagonists of the film have a foothold in the Credit-default-swap fiasco, you’re given the quote “Truth is like poetry, and most people fucking hate poetry – Overheard at a Washington, DC Bar”. I feel that symbolizes, and foreshadows the realizations all parties have toward the end, and are beginning to have at that point in the movie, which is shortly after Charlie and Jamie pick Ben up from the airport when he agrees to help them get rich. This is also when Mark Baum goes to S&P directly to ask about potential fraud regarding credit ratings, only to come to the realization that they’re in the banks pocket So why’s it good? Plenty of reasons! Firstly, I loved almost how the director split the movie up into 3 seperate chapters” so to speak, each with a quote, one by Mark Twain, one by an Anonymous personality, and another being “Everyone deep in their hear is waiting for the end of the world to come” – Haruki Murakami. The last quote, tying in w paragraph, is what signals that the end of what they considered their ventures with CDO investment. This quote not only foreshadows, but does a good job at symbolically representing both Michael, whose firm is facing liquidity in mounting premium payments due to increased prices of the bonds hes shorting, and Jamie and Charlie.

Charlie rushes to call his mother to tell her everything’s going to be okay, and Jamie comes to terms with the fact that the double edged sword, their ISDA, has done far more damage than they’d hoped. For Baum, he’s forced to decide on when to sell his shorts, and the very idea that he’s simply taking bailout money gives him a revelation that his own pursuits at trying to outsmart those who outsmart the American people had only made things worse. To be fair, all of their speculation was damaging. Once Baum knew how large the insurance on bonds market was relative to the bonds market itself, he then should have realized that he was not on the right side of the fence; but neither was anyone else. I also enjoyed how often the fourth wall was broken, Jared was a permanent narrator, and the celebrity cameos really would have done a good job at teaching those who didn’t know what they were witnessing. It’s almost overblown in the manner they did it, but at the same time, what the finance market does is overblown and if not so horrifying, satirical. Another good move by the director was highlighting the victims of the crash as image stills, as well as demonstrating the blandness of 1970’s banking by using almost a vintage style filter. Pointing out those kind of things are kind of low brow for my analysis I believe. While earlier I mentioned that Ben Rickert was a moral-compass for Jamie and Charles, I’m going to be critical of his character in this paragraph. While a realist, he agrees to help Jamie and Charles get rich off of what he thinks is a good investment.

Down the road a bit, he informs Jamie and Charles that every time unemployment increases by 1%, 40000 people die. I find this to be somewhat crude in Bens character. Ben had gotten out of the entire business because he felt that it negatively impacted the everyday lives of everyday people, yet he almost ac ts as a father figure to Jamie and Charles, and in this sequence of scenes, it’s almost like a lesso earned first-hand. Maybe Ben would have hoped it would have drove them out of investment, but if it had have done that, then Ben wouldn’t have advocated their investment on AA tranches later on in the movie. I feel that his realist approach to investment, and his positioning with Charles and Jamie make him no better than Charles and Jamie. While he maintains his only reason for helping Jamie and Charles was to “make them rich”, this seems to me to be a farce; getting an ISDA and assisting two young investors who you’d befriended on accident make millions unconditionally makes little sense to me. I don’t see why Ben would do this other than personal reasons; therefore I can’t say Ben was a protagonist, and I can’t say the same about Jamie or Charles either as they were only in it for the same reason Jared was in it – profit-drive. So to me, Ben represents a morally jumbled character. But, let’s just have common sense regarding this; why would he help them only knowing that his help would result in more damage? He’s not free from blame, yet he carries himself as though he’s the alpha-male who can do no wrong. To be fair; he did teach them a lesson, as Jamie and Charles are standing in Bear HQ I believe they realized it fully, but he’s also the only reason why they had that enlightening and made any money at all on this. So to finalize this, I can’t say any of the characters were the good guys. Mark thought he was, me conclusion that his actions didn’t benefit but when he learned of the bailout he t anyone; his vendetta was in his own self-interest, profit driven or not. Michael Burry was a profit-driven character as well, though not through his own interests but rather through those of his investors. Finally, ared Vennett is kind of just an asshole. The “I told you so” asshole of the film, the typical Rand egoist, who at the end of the day was just that.

I do not see this film casting an overly negative pessimistic view of the world, nor do I see it being optimistic. It’s a pretty real representation of how the financial sector works. It’s ugly, it’s harsh, nd it shakes the fibers of the characters it involves. If anything, the movie casts a sullen view of the world; blaming of immigrants, poor people, and tea Is is a pretty disheartening way for special- Even though I have kind of zig-zagged around interests to cast blame that they, then the questions needed for the assignment, the final questions regarding whether or not this is a “Vehicle or social change” still stands to answer. The answer to this is yes, but it would require collective action. We have seen this through this past election cycle, the Sanders movement was incredible , the idea that the ideals established by Jared at the end of the movie coming true could have been a reality for future crises if that could have spread further. Unfortunately, this election is a clown car; and Sanders is no clown. He’s not finished, his movement is not finished, but it’s sad that this reality is the one we collectively chose for ourselves. It was a good vehicle for issues, Bernie incorporated many good vehicles, such as this, and launched a campaign centered around the fringes of the political realm; today he’s being booed by his own supporters for supporting the lesser of the great evils. She’s said she’d break up the big banks, among other things discussed at the end of the movie, but for someone who was paid by these entities for speaking at events; I find it to be a farce, we will see what lies ahead.

Memento is an extremely unique ‘film noir’ drama directed by Christopher Nolan, famous for his recent re-birth of the Batman series and currently at the helm of the long awaited ‘The Dark Knight’. Most of his films are difficult to put into a set genre, as they often contain elements of drama, horror, mysteries and action all at the same time. Since his directorial debut 11 years ago, Nolan has been heavily praised as a ‘true visionary’ and named ‘one of the greatest intelligent directors of all time’ by multiple critics, as well as being renowned for his efficiency and perfectionism both whilst filming, and in the editing room.

It is no surprise then, that the content and style of Memento is so different to any other mainstream movie you might see this year. The film follows Leonard Shelby (portrayed by Guy Pearce), a man whose wife died after being raped when two men broke into his home, violating her and leaving him with an injury that causes anterograde amnesia. However, only one of the assailants involved is caught and arrested, causing Leonard to become a vigilante and avenge his wife, using notes and tattoos to help him track down the villain who killed her.

This is where Nolan shows his ability to play with film in order to change the audience’s perception; because the main protagonist can only remember things that happened before the incident and about three or four minutes before the current time, the film is divided into many short scenes. These scenes are played in reverse order, so that the film begins with the ultimate act of revenge, and from then on back tracks through time to display every shocking detail about Leonard’s condition and story. As if this wasn’t complicated enough, not everything is as it seems, and small hints of this start to trickle through fractured memories from the very beginning.

The film opens with a close-up shot of a flapping Polaroid photograph in somebody’s hand of a body lying face down on a bloody floor, immediately grabbing the attention of the viewer and leaving us to watch in bewilderment as the image within the white frame slowly fades to blank. This intrigue is further developed when the photograph is pushed back into a camera which then flashes and we realize that this scene is being played to us in reverse. Then we finally see the face of the main character, appearing scarred and distressed behind the heavy camera before a quick cut to him returning the camera to his pocket.

What follows is another close-up, this time a shot taken with the camera laying on its side (something rarely done in cinematography) of blood running across the floor, retreating back into the body that lies there; which cuts again to the shell of a bullet rolling slowly across the ground and yet speeding up, and then a quick transition to a pair of glasses lying upside-down and flecked with blood. Again we see Leonard, this time holding his arm above the ground, where a gun jumps into his hand from the ground below and he begins to point it in front of him.

And then everything comes to life in a short burst, with the glasses bouncing and flying onto the face of the body, the shell of ammunition soaring back into the gun, spatters of blood diving from the walls into the back of the corpse’s head, and a sudden flash of light from the weapon before showing the open mouthed scream of the man who appears to have just sprung to life. The scene ends abruptly, fading to black, with us throughout the entire short sequence hearing only ambient noise, a gunshot and the reversed yell for help from the man about to die.

This is the only reversed scene in the film, although the scenes themselves run in reversed order with distinguishable grayscale scenes interweaved between them that explain Leonard’s story further, which eventually fade into colour and continue the main narrative. The fades and transitions are so subtle that you probably wouldn’t notice them unless you looked for them.

The casting for the movie is brilliant, with every character having their own unique traits and purposes. There are only three principal characters that we see on screen for long periods of time, and this helps in building convincingly realistic characters, as the director has not had to juggle with many actors and actresses. It may take us a while to relate to the main character, as we first see him commit murder before we even hear him speak, but it’s not long before we feel that we can be on his side. Leonard plays a complicated role, which is further complicated by both his condition and his actions that we don’t always know about, but Guy Pearce fits the role majestically, and pulls off the frequent loss of memory with great finesse.

Originally, Brad Pitt was considered for this role, but personally I’m glad he turned it down, as Pitt isn’t known for roles like the disabled Leonard, and is instead renowned for anarchistic or secret agent-type parts, and although I would only want to praise his acting ability after seeing him in David Fincher’s Fight Club, it may have been harder to take his character as seriously as Guy Pearce is able to bring the character to life. Joe Pantoliano stands out in his performance as Teddy, a police officer and seemingly the main character’s friend, though Leonard has to be reminded of who he is every time they meet, as the director’s first choice for this role he succeeds in showing his capabilities of feeling both pity and having to lie on screen at the same time, a great challenge for any actor.

The costumes reflect the gritty and dark atmosphere of the movie, as everyone in the film is of average wealth, there are no extravagant items of clothing that would distract from the essential points of the film, without all the character’s looking the same. Some costumes help for suspicion about the characters to accumulate, as is the purpose of Leonard’s expensive suit, of which we find out how he obtained very late into the film.

The setting of the film could be any American city, which helps to emphasize that it is the drama and characters that are important and not the locations. There is a typical cheap motel, an abandoned industrial park and a peaceful looking residential estate. These carefully selected locations and the places between them serve for the majority of the film’s scenes, and as our familiarity with these places increases, we further realize how Leonard can’t feel the same recognition.

The soundtrack consists entirely of an original score composed by David Julyan, and sounds quite emotive even without the film alongside it. As with many independent films such as Donnie Darko, the soundtrack is used sparingly and is normally inserted at times of great distress or peril. It can’t be denied that the background score suits the imagery of the film throughout and sympathizes with both upsetting and upbeat scenes at both ends of the movie.

As indicated in the description of the opening scene, the editing in this film is particularly clever, showing the audience everything in the scene that they need to see, and yet restricting them until the end what they really should have known throughout. Quick cuts are often used, as well as choppy editing for mundane sequences such as Leonard taking a shower, which as well as protecting the actor’s modesty speeds the sequence along tremendously well. The camera work for this same scene is also done very effectively. As we see through the eyes of the main character looking through the frosted glass of the shower, we see a dark shape approaching slowly as opposed to seeing an external view of the shower and the clear image of a man sneaking up, as would be done in most movies.

Watching this film for the first time is like seeing a Rubik’s cube assemble itself in front of your eyes, and it’s not likely that every piece will fall into place until a second viewing at the least. This may not appeal to many casual film-viewers, as well as those who may not be intelligent enough to comprehend the plot, and people without the patience to think while watching a film. This may also be the place to be critical about this movie. Although it remains gripping and enthralling throughout, by the end you may be tired and perhaps even confused by all the information fit into just less than two hours.

The pacing can also be a problem for people eager to find out what is really going on, with not much going on about three quarters of the way into the film except for scenes that set up what came before them. As the end of the story happens at the beginning of the movie, the end of the movie could be seen as anti-climatic, as it is only really the audience that really finds out what is going on, although it is likely that you’ll be in so much of a shock at the twist revealed at the end and thinking about what has already happened that what happens next seems unimportant in comparison anyway. The movie is full of loving nods to other independent movies and isn’t without its own dark, sometimes ironic sense of humour, which is injected at regular intervals and can help to push the film along.

The film made an astonishingly large profit in both cinema and DVD sales, and continues to baffle even the sharpest critics today. It won no less than 40 different awards and was nominated for more than 30 on top of those, and currently has a place at #29 on the Internet Movie Database’s top 250 films of all time, with over 180,000 voters from around the world. If you do get around to seeing this movie, it will be one that you want to see again, perhaps straight afterwards to fill in the clever blanks and notice the subtle allusions that the filmmakers have included to puzzle us the first time round. Whatever you make of it, and whether or not you understand it all at once, you’ll probably find it hard to stop watching, and it’s not a movie that you will soon forget.

Macaulay I had the honor of watching War Horse’ in my history class, this movie came out in December of 2011 This amazing film was directed by Steven Spielberg, the top three actors were Jeremy Irvine, Tom Hedonistic, and Benedict Cumberland.

Darkroom,1 914: Even against if wife’s Narrator who Is farmer, buys a thoroughbred horse rather than a work horse, when his teenaged son Albert trains the horse and calls him Joey, You couldn’t break them apart, when his crops falls, the farmer sell Joey for the way and he Is shipped to France where, after escapes he Is featured by the Germans and changed hands twice before he Is found.

When He runs he gets caught In the barbed wire In No Man’s Land a few years later and Is freed, He gets brought back behind British lines where Albert, WHO has enlisted In the war and Is now a private, has been temporarily blinded by gas, but still somehow recognized Joey. However, as the war has ended they declared Joey Is set to be auctioned off, after he is sought be auctioned off, The Grandfather of a little girl who had Joey in the beginning of the movie buys Joey, But when he realized That Joey truly longs to Albert, he kindly returns Joey to him stating that “It is of course what my Granddaughter would’ve wanted, she IS the boss. I would highly Horse is not for everyone. I would recommend it to those who can take hard truth, and are interested by wars. Even though this book is an historical fiction, it is filled with facts. I wouldn’t recommend this book to those who are easily upset and emotional. It shows some of most amazing stories of the life and death of the million horses who served in the Army between 1914- 1918. Over a million died, with fewer than 100,000 returning home.

There were rules to be followed, and a person should not act differently from others. But in the end, everything changed when Sam and Suez finally decided to run away and lives on their own. After the upbringing, the whole community started to find the love, between Sam and Suez, harmful. It caused the disruption within the stagnant plot of the story, in a way that they were different from what was usually considered correct by the norm. This disruption elevated the twists and turns of the events within the movie.

Also because of this, the members of the community started to suffer, and started to find a solution on how to solve this disruption within the community. From living normal, he members of the community started to form this consciousness to each other that resulted to their own involvement in the love between Sam and Suez. However, this did not mean that the community itself as a whole started to form a unity instantly; it was only a step-by-step process that eventually led to the involvement and solidarity of the characters.

The community as a whole created the status of each of the characters. It Implemented rules and regulations; from what Is right, to what Is wrong. These biases made by the society led to the corruption of each character that resulted in heir fixed role in the community. For example, the Khaki Scout Trainer was a Math Teacher but because of the community where he was in, he was forced to become a Trainer. Generally, by these biases made by the Community, the members within it started to view everything as normal, and began to be unconscious to others. In the division of the community.

This showed that the bias led by the community as a whole produced a bias to an individual, and caused dissever of its member. When the community started to act, due to the subject of love between Sam and Suez, each character started to be involved. From Cam’s side of the story, his foster parents started to ignore their own responsibilities to him, unlike the Khaki Scout Trainer and the Island Police Officer, who were treating him as a family. And from Guy’s side of the story, her parents started to pay attention to her maturity due to her issues of rampaging, and being introvert from the rest of her schoolmates.

These transformations made by each character showed the manifestation of the romantic convolutions of the two young characters. But as a whole community, this love between the two at first was not accepted because of their age. In the end, due to the early maturity of the young lovers little-by-little the community started to acknowledge their love, thus showed the transformation of the community from being stagnant to a community whose members were involved and united.

In addition, the involvement of each character to the love between Sam and Suez, made the portrayal of each scene focused from the island’s community to each individual that involved themselves within the issue. The portrayal of each scene from the start of the movie was all about the community and the island itself. It focused on the stagnant community that deals tit their own problems. The people in New Penance had been following the rules and biases done by the community itself.

It showed that the portrayal of the scene is on a slide manner that depicted one scene then shift to the other. It also described New Penance by showing the place, and by using a Journalist to give information. The way the Journalist’s report, at the start of the movie, is on a fixed manner. The journalist gave information, but the way his report portrayed was that his background was fixed and instantaneously shifting from one idea to the other.

This showed that the movie at the start was in a state of stationary ideas that had been made by the community that had been adapted by its members. After the upbringing of the love between Sam and Suez, there was a sudden changed in how the scene had been portrayed. First, it focused more on the two- young lovers. The portrayal of each scene about the lovers transformed the scene from being stationary to being alive. There was a beginning of a conversation and showing of each other’s actions. Second, it also focused on the involvement of each character.

By the time the upbringing happened; the community started to act, and by this action, the scene portrayal started to show the strengths and weaknesses of each character in the story. Lastly, it also dealt with the recovery of the way how it was presented at the start. At the end of the movie, on how the scene that had been being portrayed was the same on how the scene had been portrayed at the beginning. This showed that even though there was a transformation within the community as a whole, the depicting of the scene started and ended with the same portrayal.

In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements In English MOVIE REVIEW Of BEOWULF Merry Anjela M. MendozaSeptember 16, 2011 Ms. Maria Dolores Fiao-ag Introduction Beowulf is an epic from England. It is a story of a brave man who killed many monsters and died defending from a dragon. It is also a great story of adventure. From an old English poem, it became a 3D movie with the faces of real actors and actresses. Although there has a difference from the original poem, it still showed great and it attracted wide audiences.

Throughout the movie review, I gave my own opinions about the movie especially in the effects, how the characters played their role, and how they captured the eye of the audiences. Movie Review The Movie Beowulf is a three dimensional movie directed by Robert Zemeckis. It was inspired by an Ancient English poem and known as the epic of England. Unlike the other 3D movies, the characters here are based from the faces of real artists. The settings played on Denmark, A. D. 507. The movie was released on November 16, 2007.

My Opinion For me, the use of real faces of the artists is nice and the outfits matched the role of the characters especially for the role of Grendel who has a performance capture suit which represents a sad creature. His face and body was altered to fit his role. I also like the look of Grendel’s mother which was Angelina Jolie with her golden fitted outfit but I don’t understand why does she is wearing a high heels which was not yet popular during that times. The Expected Audiences

Beowulf was rated as PG-13 which means that all people are allowed to watch the movie but children below thirteen years old must be given a parental guidance due to some violences including disturbing scenes and sexual interruptions. The Outline Scene 1- Celebration at the mead hall Scene 2- Grendel attacked the hall Scene 3- Beowulf arrived in Denmark Scene 4- Beowulf fights Grendel Scene 5- Grendel died and his mother revenged by killing people. Scene 6- Grendel’s mother seduced Beowulf Scene 7- Celebration at the hall Scene 8- Hrothgar killed himself Scene 9- Beowulf become the king and married Wealtheow

Scene 10- The Dragon attacked the hall Scene 11- Beowulf entered the lair of the Dragon Scene 12- Battle between Beowulf and the Dragon Scene 13- The Dragon died together with Beowulf Scene 14- Funeral pyre for Beowulf Actors/Actresses Ray Winstone- Beowulf Crispin Glover- Grendel Angelina Jolie- Grendel’s mother Anthony Hopkins- King Hrothgar John Malkovich- Unferth Brendan Gleeson- Wiglaf Robin Wright Penn-  Queen Wealtheow Alison Lohman- Ursula Costas Mandylor –Hondshew The Structure Beowulf 3D movie is based from an Old English poem which was considered as epic of England.

Based on my research, it was written between the 8th and 11th centuries A. D. , and it is the oldest surviving piece of English literature. The general events of the poem were adapted into an animated action-adventure movie in 2007. But there are many changes in this movie from the real epic which is not good for me because they must show the real essence of this epic tale. For the scene transitions, for me nothing is wrong and everything was just made right. The Cinematography At the first time I saw the movie, I thought that the characters here are real but it was truly an animated movie.

The light and special effects are great especially when Grendel attacked the hall which brought a lot of intense. I also like how they covered Beowulf’s manhood in many scenes in this movie. Also, for me, the battle between Beowulf and the Dragon was a great scene especially when they fight in the mid air and the Dragon was shot by hundreds of arrows. The look of the past can be seen with the images but it lacks the essence of the vision, the ancient stones, and the sacral light which are essential part for a tragic tale.

But besides that, it still looks great and every scene was taken carefully that keeps their audiences attached to the movie. The Music Background For me, the soundtrack was not that good but the sound effects throughout the movie are really nice. I can’t even remember the soundtrack or the music played in this movie. So it is really a great factor that every director must consider so that the audiences will be keeping in touch with the movie. Conclusion I therefore conclude that Beowulf movie, as a whole, is a great animated epic tale with just some revisions from the original one is still a great movie and very fun to watch.

Mr. Robert Zemeckis and the other producers and casts had job well done. They were able to show the audiences the story of a brave man who fought and died in killing monsters. Vocabularies: 1. Mead- a fermented beverage made of water and honey, malt, and yeast 2. Heave- to move a ship in a specified direction or manner 3. Thane- one resembling a feudal baron by holding lands of and performing military service for the king 4. Reek- a strong or disagreeable fume or odor 5. Troll- to sing the parts of (as a round or catch) in succession 6. Gobble-  to swallow or eat greedily . Vexes-  to bring trouble, distress, or agitation 8. Whore-  a male who engages in sexual acts for money 9. Shrink- to contract or curl up the body or part of it 10. Gouger- to scoop out with or as if with a gouge 11. Vomit-  to disgorge the stomach contents 12. Fallible-  capable of making a mistake 13. Flawed- a defect in physical structure or form 14. Fierce-  violently hostile or aggressive in temperament 15. Teeming-  to become filled to overflowing 16. Hasty-  done or made in a hurry 17. Glamour-  an exciting and often illusory and romantic attractiveness 18.

Corpse-  a dead body especially of a human being 19. Hag- an ugly, slatternly, or evil-looking old woman 20. Heir- one who inherits or is entitled to inherit property 21. Slaughter-  the act of killing 22. Bard- a tribal poet-singer skilled in composing and reciting verses on heroes and their deeds 23. Feeble-  markedly lacking in strength 24. Bollocks-  make a mess of, destroy or ruin 25. Mock-  to treat with contempt or ridicule 26. Martyr-  a person who sacrifices something of great value and especially life itself for the sake of principle 27. Slip-  to pass quickly or easily away 28.

Talon-  the claw of an animal and especially of a bird of prey 29. Groat- a grain (as of oats) exclusive of the hull 30. Fornication- consensual sexual intercourse between two persons not married to each other Acknowledgement This Movie Review would not be possible without the Beowulf and Clash of the Titans cd which was borrowed from Ms. Hannah Alvendia and from my neighbor Thea Abella. I also want to acknowledge GOOGLE for the scripts of this film where I got the vocabularies and for giving some ideas on hot to make a movie review. And of course, I would also like to acknowledge our English teacher, Ms.

Maria Dolores Fiao- ag for giving us this opportunity to make this kind of movie review. Movie Review The Movie Clash of the Titans is a 2010 fantasy film which is a remake of the 1981 film of the same name. It is about the Greek myth of Perseus, a demigod and it was directed by Louis Leterrier. The film was originally set for standard release on March 26, 2010. It was later announced that the film would be converted to 3-D and expected release on April 2, 2010 My Opinion For me, the story was really great but actors did not portray their roles well. They can deliver the lines well but they lack of emotions.

Just like Beowulf, Clash of the Titans remake had also differences from the original and for me; it is not a big deal unlike the other comments that I had red that they always compare it to the original one and they say that it had no notable delivery. The Expected Audiences Clash of the Titans was rated as PG-13 which means that all people are allowed to watch the movie but children below thirteen years old must be given a parental guidance due to fantasy action violence, some frightening images and brief sensuality. The Outline Scene 1- Narration of the battle between the Olympians and the Titans

Scene 2- Spyros found Perseus and his dead mother Danae Scene 3- Soldiers destroying the statue of Zeus Scene 4- Hades killed the people and Perseus’ family Scene 5- Feast at the castle of Argos Scene 6- Hades entered and threatens them Scene 7- Perseus led a quest in killing the Kraken Scene 8- Perseus encountered Calibos and a scorpion Scene 9- Djinn helped in their battle against the big scorpions Scene 10- Arrived at Garden of Sygia Scene 11- Went to Medusa and cut her head. Scene 12- Calibos killed Io Scene 13- The Kraken was released Scene 14- Perseus arrived at Argos and killed the Kraken

Scene 15- Perseus banishes Hades back to the Underworld Scene 16- Perseus saved Andromeda under the sea Scene 17- Zeus and Perseus met again and Io was resurrected. Actors/Actresses Sam Worthington as Perseus Gemma Arterton as Io AlexaDavalos as Andromeda Jason Flemyng as Acrisius/Calibos Tine Stapelfeldt as Danae Nicholas Hoult as Eusebius Hans Matheson as Ixas Liam Cunningham as Solon Liam Neeson as Zeus Ralph Fiennes as Hades Ian Whyte as Sheikh Sulieman Pete Postlethwaite as Spyros Elizabeth McGovern as Marmara Polly Walker as Cassiopeia Vincent Regan as Kepheus Luke Treadaway as Prokopion Danny Huston as Poseidon

Natalia Vodianova as Medusa The Structure Clash of The Titans is a mythical Greek tale about a demigod named Perseus, son of Zeus and Danae. It was actually a 2D movie but it was later converted in 3D. Inmy research, Leterrier approached the studio early on about a 3D conversion but it was expensive and very new technology. After Avatar, the studio put pressure on Leterrier to convert the film. He was worried because of his previous concerns but was convinced after seeing the View-D conversion process. The transitions of scenes are good but sometimes it is boring to watch because some lacks emotion.

The Cinematography The cinematography by Peter Menzies Jr is nicely done, adding some gorgeous scenery to the mythological soap opera. Louis Leterrier handles the directing task equally well, proving up to the job of helming a big production. The one major sequence with Perseus riding Pegasus through Argos chasing down the flying henchbeasts is simply beautiful. But some scenes look very pale to me and lacks of suspense and intense. Despite its general failure, some scenes from Clash of the Titans remain memorable. Chief among them is the duel with Medusa, a scene that ripples with tension.

Sadly, the battle with the Kraken lacks a similar sense of danger. The Music Background The music background and the sound effects are good making it exciting, and adding atmosphere to the Greek mythological aspect of the film. The soundtracks are well suited to the scenes but I’m finding more suspense in some scenes especially in battles. Conclusion As a summary, Clash of contain a really great story, and has good visual and sound effects. I really like the action scenes which are really great. But the acting is mercurial, some are good, and some are bad.

The director brought nothing really new that will make us amaze, but aside from these, everything was perfect. Vocabularies: 1. Frail-  physically weak 2. Defiance- disposition to resist : willingness to contend or fight 3. Awe- an emotion variously combining dread, veneration, and wonder that is inspired by authority or by the sacred 4. Insolence-an instance of insolent conduct or treatment 5. Legion- a large military force 6. Demigod-  a mythological being with more power than a mortal but less than a god 7. Whirled-  to turn on or around an axis like a wheel  8. Plaint-  to express sorrow audibly . Tyranny- oppressive power 10. Colossal- of a bulk, extent, power, or effect approaching or suggesting the stupendous or incredible 11. Agony-  intense pain of mind or body 12. Torment-  the infliction of torture 13. Limbus- the marginal region of the cornea of the eye by which it is continuous with the sclera 14. Reek- a strong or disagreeable fume or odor 15. Conjurer- one that performs feats of sleight of hand and illusion 16. Clever- skillful or adroit in using the hands or body  17. Ferryman- a person who operates a ferry 18. Feat-  a deed notable especially for courage 19.

Mundane- of, relating to, or characteristic of the world 20. Sympathetic-  existing or operating through an affinity, interdependence, or mutual association 21. Spare-  to forbear to destroy, punish, or harm 22. Bounty-  something that is given generously 23. Filth-  moral corruption or defilement 24. Whip-  to take, pull, snatch, jerk, or otherwise move very quickly and forcefully 25. Kraken- a fabulous Scandinavian sea monster 26. Speck-  a very small amount 27. Siege- a persistent or serious attack 28. Affront-  to insult especially to the face by behavior or language 29. Lance-  to throw forward 0. Plague- a disastrous evil or affliction Introduction Clash of the Titans is a fantasy film based on the Greek myth of Perseus. This was just a remake of 1981 film of the same name. This movie also talks about the war between the man and the Greek Gods. Perseus embarks on a perilous journey to stop the underworld and its minions from spreading their evil to Earth as well as the heavens. Throughout this movie review, I had showed my opinions and my criticisms about this movie- the cinematography, structure, music background, and even the acting of the characters. MOVIE REVIEW Of CLASH OF THE TITANS