300

So there is a whole controversy about the movie 300 and the contry of Iran. My first thoughts are, why was Iran the only country to speak out? not Pakistan, Afghanistan or Beloochistan eh? Was this just a cry of "please pity us, so we can make your country sound bad?" or just stupid?



I can see where they could find that this movie was demeaning and degrading to their country and their ancestors. Mostly because they probably didnt know that this movie was based off of a COMIC BOOK!!!



In my opinion, all the filmdirector was doing was portraying the Spartans and Persians as the comic book portrayed them.

In your opinion, If we weren't at war with the middle east, do you think that they would have made such a big deal about it?

Also, Do you think it is fair for the Iranians to blame the united states for trying to show our superiority to them... even though it is the Greeks fighting the Persians, not Americans?

Guess Who's Who

Director:Martin Scorsese
Writers:William Monahan screenplay & Siu Fai Mak 2002 screenplay

Release Date:6 October 2006
Genre:Action, Crime, Thriller

Notable Stars:Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen

In the year 2006 The Departed came out as the War in Iraq exlacated and got more chaotic as it always hard to desypher who's the bad guy in war is. In 2006 we finally ended the training the Iraqie police and military as we started letting them out in the field. This made it even harder for us the figure who's on our side or against us. In The Departed a member of the mob is sneaked into a high ranked police pesonal, at the same time an undercover cop makes his way into the mob. No one has any idea who's who as cops don't trust cops and mobsters are all paranoid. I think the director Scorseses believes after all the confusion the strong will pervail, as do I the more organized and calm you stay just let things work out.

Is there any other movies that people can't trust the people they have to depend on? Why couldn't they trust them?

What other movies could be tied to Iraq that isn't a war movie? What issues did it touch?

Unbreakable

Year: 2000





Genre: Mystery/Thriller





Director: M. Night Shyamalan





Screenwriter: M. Night Shyamalan





Two Main Stars: Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson





Around this time, the election between Al Gore and George Bush was going on. In this movie, Bruce Willis became a superhero after he survived a train crash. Throughout the movie he couldn't be touched. After all Bruce stood on top. In the election between Gore and Bush, there was a big conflict. When it came down to the end, Bush was still standing and he won. I think the message between the movie and the election is the better man wins all the time.

I think the filmmaker believed that good guys dont always win at the end. I personaly believe that because in this movie the bad guy seemed to be alive and the good guy died. It made it a good movie in most movies the good guy always win. So what the filmmaker wanted to do is give it a twist to make the movie more excited and interesting for the audience.

In your opinion, give me one reason why you think this movie relates to the Gore and Bush election? Are there other events that Unbreakable relates to? if so, tell me why or why not?

Do the Right Thing

Year: 1989

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Social Drama

Director: Spike Lee

Screenwriter: Spike Lee

Starring: Spike Lee & Danny Aiello

*1 connection in a historical event: a connection between the released date of the movie was about the case of Rodney King. An unarmed african americna man was beated to death by the police.

*Film's maker perspective: I think he had a good perspective on what that era time was going through. He had a good point that could get accross the audience by making this movie.

*Open-end questions:

1) Why do you think that Spike Lee is in his own movies?

2) Do you think this movie was made because of the historical event of Rodney King? Why?

American Gangster

Year: November 2 2007


Genre: Crime Drama


Director: Ridley Scott


Screen Writer: Steven Zaillian


Stars: Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas and Russell Crowe as Det. Richie Roberts



American gangster came out in 2007 just about the same time we had the first African American president and also one of the first African American millionaires looked at as a role model by Americans everywhere.


Ridley Scott's view was that Frank wasn't a bad guy and not a complete good guy because he shows two sides of one of the most notorious drug dealers in American history. They let you see the bad side of Frank Lucas like his ruthlessness against people that he deals with and his good side like him giving to the community and his family. I agree with his perspective.

How can you relate Frank Lucus to the modern day gangsters?

How can you relate Frank Lucus's ties to the Italians to Obamas ties now?

Training Day

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Writer: David Ayer
Release Date:5 October 2001

Genre:Crime, Drama, Thriller

Staring: Denzel Washington and
Ethan Hawke

there has been many bad respones to this Oscar-winning movie. one was because it premiered a month after the 9-11 attack. the film was not mean to have relations with the attacks but it shows connections because its about good vs. bad. you can look at denzel as the iraq people which the u.s was mad at and ethan as the americans. but i film makers did mean for this to happen, they only wanted to show have good always over powers evil. and also show that who someone thinks is the bad guy may not necessarily bad, there may have been more people whom the showin bad guy is influenced by.

how is it that someones can be change from an all around good guy to a bad guy?

why do blame others for something might have nothing to do with it? Ex: America Vs. Iraq

neo

Year: 1996

Genre: Comedy

Director: Dennis Dugan

Screenwriter(s): Adam Sandler & Tim Herlihy

Stars: Adam Sandler & Christopher McDonald

This movie relates to Tiger Wood's amazing introduction to the PGA tour. He finished in the top-10 of 8 pro events his first year on the tour. In this movie Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler) wins the PGA tour against one of best golfers in the game, Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald).

I agree with the filmmaker's perspective on this movie because he was trying to show that good guys will finish first and bad guys will finish last. Happy is a good guy who is giving every dime he makes to his grandma, but Shooter is a bad guy who rubs his money in other peoples faces. Tiger Woods is also a good guy who gives his money to charity and helps other people and he is succeeding in golf.

Have you ever helped someon out? Did you enjoy doing it?

Historical blogging SLK

The Fast and the Furious

year: 2001

Genre: Action

Director: Rob Cohen

Screen writer: Ken Li & Gary Scott Thompson

Paul walker , Vin Diesel

This movie can be linked to drag racing. There are a lot of drag races that take place in the us, but like in the movie you have to know who to talk and of course you gotta have a sweet ride. when this movie was released in 2001 it was very popular due to the topic of drag racing. they just released a fast and furious 4, so that says that drag racing is still popular to day in the year 2009.

I think the director made this movie because they seem to like the hidden world of drag racing. The story line of the movie a cop goes undercover to try to capture some illegal racers but they are mostly trying to get the big guy who sets up these drag races. I agree with this movie because it is a good story line and kinda makes you think.

1.have you ever heard of or been to a real illeagal drag race? what did you think of it?

2.Drag racing could be conciderd a sport do u think it is? why do u think it is a sport?

Lord of War

Year: 2005
Genre: Crime / Thriller / Social Drama
Director/Screenwriter: Andrew Niccol
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Jared Leto

Released just a year after Greg Campbell's book Blood Diamonds made the public aware of the atrocities over guns and diamonds happening in Sierra Leone and other countries in West Africa, Lord of War was a smartly crafted explanation of how Americans were (and possibly still are) partly responsible for the violence there. Following the life of a Ukranian immigrant who becomes one of the leading arms dealers for war-torn countries, the film acts as a crime thriller, but really uncovers a lot of the terrible (and completely legal!) practices going on around the world to help keep guns in the arms of everyone that wants one.

With such obvious references to corrupt governments and how easy it is for people to obtain guns, it's clear that the filmmakers believe that the countries themselves are to blame for the violence that stems from these arms deals. If they didn't make it so simple for people like Nicolas Cage's character Yuri Orlov to sell, and similarly, if countries didn't have such a propensity to go to war with each other over things like diamonds and power, we wouldn't have so many deaths in already poverty-stricken countries everyday. I definitely agree with this assessment, but I also think that Niccol and co. spend too much time on the wealthy and positive lifestyle of their main character that we aren't able to feel the negative aspects of these arms deals. Until the end of the film, I almost feel like I like Orlov, which is interesting, but I think it would be more so if we could also see how terrible a person he is.

1) What films have you seen where the main character is clearly a bad guy? Were you able to sympathize with them?

2) What other movies have you seen Nicolas Cage in? Is he good at playing this kind of role, making us both laugh and get angry? How or how not?