Abstract This paper provides an overview of the film "KIDS" and looks at the issues that the film brings up such as AIDS, drugs, violence and teenage sex. The paper shows that the film's intention is not to encourage the behavioral problems that the teens in this movie portrayed, but to emphasize the importance of the role of a parent in a teenager's life.
From the Paper "In the summer of 1995 Larry Clark, an established stills photographer, shocked society with his first directed movie known as KIDS. Over the course of one humid Manhattan day this film follows the lives of a handful of teens in the streets of New York. So much controversy has arisen due to the plethora of profanity, drugs, violence, and sex that take place in the brief hour and a half movie. Within this day there are three sex scenes, occurrences of trespassing, stealing, urinating in public, and a disturbing scene where a mob of teens beat up an African American. The director used such extreme measures to force people to think twice about teenagers? activities and actions that are undoubtedly shaping our youth. Since kids are not getting enough attention from their parents they look for it in another place, with their friends. Teenagers find it fundamental to fit in with a group of friends because friendships appear to be the only way to cure loneliness. Friendships allow teens to fit in, but at the same time they can be easily influenced to do things that they would not normally do. Larry Clark portrays teenagers as violent drug abusers, who are being ignorant towards societal rules and end up living unruly lives. Obviously, not all teenagers live this type of fractious life, which is most prevalent in the inner city population. Every teenager does not do drugs and routinely walk down the streets of their neighborhood with forty's of Old English in the mid day. But the movie KIDS portrays what can happen to any teen. While parents are too involved with their jobs, inner city New York teens get lost in the hustle and bustle environment and are forced to experience reality on their own. Lacking love from their family some teenagers take it upon themselves to start doing what they want, when they want. This often results in the teen losing respect for all authority and they become inconsiderate for other beings. As they become their own parents they may get increasingly vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases, like AIDS. All of these possible results stem in part from the absence of an authority figure in a teenager's life."
From the Paper "Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was the last of the great Roman Stoics and the so-called Five Good Emperors. His death brought an end to the Pax Romana, a period in ancient Roman history with relative peace and prosperity. In many ways, the Roman Empire reached its climax with the reign of Marcus Aurelius; he was perhaps the closest thing to a true "philosopher king" ever to rule a great nation. His reign from 161-180 C.E. was viewed by later generations as the very ideal of a sovereign head of state (Farquharson 25). His philosophy of life is well depicted in the movie "Gladiator", but his interests in naming an heir do not share the same historical accuracy."
Abstract This paper looks at 1950s history from the perspective of the movie "The Manchurian Candidate". It establishes the underlying themes of the movie: the Cold War, psychological warfare and 'momism' and correlates it to the conditions during those times.
From the Paper ""The Manchurian Candidate" unfolds in the Korean War, 1952. The troop of Major Bennett Marco, including the rigid and unloved Sergeant Raymond Shaw, is betrayed by a Korean guide. Instead of being led to the right direction, they are whisked away over the border into Manchuria and are subjected to three days of brainwashing by communists. Raymond Shaw, the elected Manchurian puppet, becomes "a normally-conditioned American, who has been trained to kill and then to have no memory of having killed. Without memory of his deed, he cannot possibly feel guilt.... now Raymond will remain an outwardly normal, productive, sober, and respected member of the community.... His brain has not only been washed, as they say, it's been dry cleaned" (Filmsite)."
Tags: analysis, brainwashing, candidate, cold, historical, manchurian, monism, movie, war
Abstract A review of the movie "Grapes of Wrath". The author analyzes the characters and their experiences throughout the novel and provides a personal account of the book.
From the Paper "The Grapes of Wrath is one of the most classic movies in movie history. It was directed in 1940 by John Ford, and was based on the book written by John Steinbeck. During the Great Depression, many farmers worked on the Southern Great Plains of the United States planting wheat. Parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and the Dakotas, had a severe drought, which killed their wheat plants. Vicious dust storms turned the sky black, which came to be called the Sandstorms. These conditions, caused farmers unable to make their mortgage payments and the banks took their land."
Abstract This paper examines the formation and recent development of reality television: the type of television that reflects personal lives and encounters. The author attempts to tackle why reality television exists, the types of reality television that is offered and the future of reality television and society. Included is a review of different television shows that fall under this category.
From the Paper "In the past few years? society and the entertainment industry has been more and more obsessed with the idea of reality-based television. This desire to find the real amongst society is a reflection on a society, which is based on lies, fraud and war. Television shows such as Real World, Cops, and Hard Copy introduced television viewers to the world of the unscripted and spontaneous. We often put aside these television programs calling them trash TV, or game shows, when really it is society, which has made these shows popular and allowed for the major networks, to demand for our attention in their scheduling. This essay will introduce many different types of reality television and begin to guide us to understanding why it exists and where it is expected to go. Society has been waiting for television to reflect our personal lives and the real world in which we live, and now it does."
Abstract This paper uses the movie "Rain Man" to illustrate the concepts of three thinking processes. The writer underscores the mechanics of deductive reasoning, creative thinking or reasoning and problem solving while citing examples from the movie as well as discussions on cognitive psychology.
From the Paper "The human thinking process is extremely complex. We have many ways of problem solving that we are not aware of but simply use. The movie Rain Man is an excellent illustration of what can happen if the processes are not complete or they are confused in our brains. Deductive reasoning, creative reasoning and problem solving are all intertwined and the movie about an autistic man provides a clear picture of the differences."
Abstract This paper is a historical film review of the John Irvin movie, ?Hamburger Hill.? It examines the movie for content, historical accuracy and context.
From the Paper "John Irvin's film, ?Hamburger Hill,? details the events of the battle in the A Shau Valley to gain control of Dong Ap Bia (a small mountain) during the Vietnam War. It was a ten-day battle, fought up hill, from May 10, 1969 though May 20. Most of the film takes place on Dong Ap Bia (Hill 937), nicknamed "Hamburger Hill" by the soldiers who fought there because of the high amount of casualties. The casualty rate of this battle was 70%, (Larson 1). It consisted of several battalions attacking and retreating for ten days up the hill. Scenes in the movie that show the men scrambling up and sliding down the hill in rain and mud being bombarded by grenades and machine gun fire are horrifically graphic and, unfortunately, accurate, (Larson 1)."
Abstract The writer of this paper argues that news shows such as 20/20 and Dateline cannot be objective because they must fit an idea or emotion into the story to make viewers want to watch it.
From the paper:
"In recent years it has become a national pastime to downgrade and insult the profession of journalism and those who work in the field. If we don"t like the election results we blame the media, if a serial killer kills again the media caused it and let's remember they made the sun come up in the morning too. Sarcasm aside, the media is often accused of being biased in its delivery of the current events in the world.?
Abstract This paper focuses on the similarities and differences that occured within the film noir genre from the classical age to the post-modern age. Some differences include changes or variations to the genre's conventions and iconography, and similarities include the basic plot structure.
From the Paper "Simply stated, a genre film involves familiar, essentially one-dimensional characters acting out a predictable story pattern within a familiar setting" (Schatz 6). The traditional conventions of film noir include a suspenseful, mysterious plot, usually including a murder, that resolves itself with the protagonist making sure justice prevails over crime. Filmmakers have recently begun to play with such conventions to introduce new elements into the genre. The basic plot structure, and iconography of film noir movies have remained relatively intact, though present day directors use variations in temporal order, narrative depth and narrative range to modernize the genre."
Abstract This paper provides a complete plot summary of the movie "The Other Sister". The story is told of a young girl returning home after being in a home for special education children for many years. The mother wishes to make up for lost time but the daughter has already matured without the mother realizing it. This paper describes the power struggle and feelings of guilt on both sides.
From the Paper "With ?The Other Sister,? director Garry Marshall brings moviegoers the touching story of a mentally disabled young woman who wants to find her own way in the world. The film begins with the mildly retarded character of Carla Tate (Juliette Lewis) returning to her family's wealthy San Francisco home after spending several years in a special school. Determined to lead an independent life and be just like everyone else, Carla announces that she wants to be a veterinarian's assistant one day and go to the local Polytechnic school, even though it's primarily for people without a mental disability."
Abstract Many examples of claims made by various individuals and groups about subliminal sexual and racist messages scattered throughout many Disney movies are examined in this paper. These include the "Lion King", "Aladdin" and "Snow White".
From the Paper "When the Disney animated movie The Little Mermaid was released on home video, viewers saw inappropriate "sexual messages". (www.snopes2.com). After this incident Disney released two more movies with subliminal messages, The Lion King and Aladdin. Disney has long been known as an icon for wholesome family viewing. Allegations of subliminal messages have tarnished this image. One homemaker said she, "felt as if I had entrusted my kids to pedophiles"(The Wall Street Journal), and threw these videos in the trash. America was founded on morals that parents thought Disney upheld. Parents now feel betrayed by Disney. The case at hand is not whether or not children are affected by these subliminal messages, but that Disney is not so "Snow White"!"
Abstract The paper draws comparisons between two movies, "Gladiator" (directed by Ridley Scott) and "Braveheart" (directed by Mel Gibson). The paper discusses how, in both Braveheart and Gladiator, the tragic and unassuming hero ultimately suffers a horrible and dramatic death, as a result of his struggle for freedom and justice. Themes, scenes and protagonists of the films are also discussed.
From the Paper "Interestingly, both the movies Braveheart and Gladiator have become popular with both critics and audiences alike. Braveheart won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, both awarded to Mel Gibson. Both Spartacus and Gladiators were epics about romance, patriotism, battle, war, revenge, honor, intrigue, friendship, betrayal, and vain and dishonorable villains.
"Like Gladiator, the movie Braveheart showcases the horror, and futility of war and violence. Interestingly, these movies also honor those heroes, Wallace and Maximus, who stand up and fight against oppression and dishonor.
"In both Gladiator and Braveheart the horrors of the battlefield are clearly depicted and bloody and brutal hand-to-hand combat is clearly portrayed. In both movies both trusted friends and comrades die tragically in battle, and bloodshed and death are unflinchingly shown."
Abstract This paper examines the story of Spartacus in light of the popular movie "Gladiator". It explores his career as a soldier, statesman and warrior and the effect he had on the Roman Empire. It shows how his life as a gladiator was similar to that depicted in the movie and presents us with an understanding of Roman history.
From the Paper "The success last year of the movie Gladiator made a number of people turn their attention to what might be called the Ur Roman History Movie ? Spartacus. But while most of us know the film for Charlton Heston's lean, pre-NRA president look or for the fact that it enjoys a cult standing among gay men of a certain age, very few of us have probably thought much about the real history that lies behind the movie. Indeed many people may well not even know that there was a real person named Spartacus who did in fact lead the Gladiatorial War against Rome in the years 73 to 71 BCE."
Abstract This paper helps to explain how Film Noir - stories which symbolize our nightmares and fears - was created by the fears during McCarthyism and the House Committee on Un-American Activities. It also tells of the "Hollywood Ten" who refused to answer questions from the HUAC and how "black-listing" of actors, directors and producers hurt the production industry.
From the Paper "Hollywood is no stranger to scandals and betrayals. Pick up any tabloid or watch the late-night news and you?ll see great announcements about who has done what and what that might mean for his/her career. But nothing was as controversial or damaging as the conviction of the Hollywood Ten during the "McCarthyism" era, which helped to propel movie-making into a new genre that would reflect the history and emotions of those who participated in one way or another."
Tags: Congressional, Great, Depression, Motion, Picture, Alliance, for, the, Preservation, of, American, Ideals, SAG
Abstract The paper describes a scene in the film "Psycho" where the leading female character is brutally murdered while showering. It discusses the cinematography and shows how the portrayal of the scene evokes emotions in the audience. The paper analyzes how Alfred Hitchcock uses techniques in order to achieve viewer participation.
From the Paper "The shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" is one of the most famous in the history of the cinema. Even those who haven?t seen the picture, there is no doubt that they are familiar with this scene. This scene has set the standard to all the subsequent horror movies and duplicated rather badly in most of the horror pictures. The scene sets the theme of the whole picture and is one of the most violent scenes of the picture."
