Sicko

The 2007 documentary Sick-o was directed and written by no other the then democratic and biased Michael Moore. In this film, he shows real people telling their horror stories about the health insurance that they have or people who plainly could not afford health insurance in the United States. But, who was Michael Moore really attacking in this movie? At first, you would say the health insurance companies for what they do to people. Then maybe the hospitals for denying people treatment. Neither of these are right, he is attacking the Republicans and the great country of the United States just because he can. In this blog, I will explain why what Mr. Moore did is wrong and why this movie is the worst documentary I have ever seen.

First, all this man did was go around the United States and find people with unfortunate situations and he filmed their pain and sadness. Did he do this to prove a point? No, he did it to make a documentary movie with enough controversy that everyone would want to watch it. Everyone knows to, that when demand is high, the people will pay and they did. They paid Mr. Moore millions of dollars to go around and make our country look like crap. He did not do this for the people or to bring people to realization of what is going on. He did it to make millions off a flawed system. Just look at what he did, he filmed these people telling him their sickness and pain. Then he left to find the next great story to make the country look bad. Why, because he does not care. He just wanted the money from this movie and he got it in the form of 24.5 Million dollars from theaters in the United States alone.

Then, he decided to go to Canada, Britain and France to see how they do things and why can’t we be like them. This was an act of pure disgrace. Running all over other countries trying to show how bad America is compared to them. You know what Mr. Moore, if you do not like America and what goes on here. What is keeping you here? The other benefits of being an American or is it that you can make millions off our systems. I am sure Canada would just love you as their citizen. Heck, France or Britain probably would too, so just leave.

One thing that I thought was really interesting about this movie is how he kissed Hilary Clinton’s and every democrat’s butt. He would not slander her name or say anything bad about her or her husband. He says nothing about their past White House scandals. Was this because Hilary would be running for president soon and he did not want to get on her bad side? Now that there is a Democrat in the white house, will there be another video criticizing our government and what it does or is he going to take some time off and spend his money on more McDonalds and Donuts?

In final, I like how through all this work and effort to make our country look bad, he still had the nerve to make himself look like the second coming of the Messiah. He showed some bad things that had happened to people in this country, than he goes and is Mr. Nice Guy and takes these people to Cuba to get them help. If he wanted to he could have bought that one couple a nice little home, and treatment for the others, but instead he takes them to Cuba where it is practically free to have them treated. If this kind of system works, then why don’t we all just pack up and head to Canada when we are sick or need treatment. Also, he sends a check to the man that hates him most a check but doesn’t say who it is from. Then he tells it on his video to make himself look better. All because, he wants us to love and believe in him and not our own government. Well, I think if we should follow Mr. Moore, he should support and protect us. He doesn’t need all the 24.5 million that this movie made. Once he figures out that it is harder to run a country then he thinks, maybe he will shut his fat mouth or shove another donut in it, and either enjoy his freedom as an American or leave.

The Matrix

The 1999 hit movie, The Matrix, redeifined all movies when it hit the big screen. The movie starred Keanu Reeves as Neo or “the one”. Neo was just a normal man until his eyes were opened by a man named Morpheus, played by Laurence Fishburne. He showed Neo that the world he was living in was not the real world. It was just a fake that humans were put into so the machines could use their bodies as power sources. As Neo began to believe in what he was seeing and himself, he began to become the one Morpheus was looking for. It was fate that made him “The one” that would be able to defeat the agents and bring the machines down. Even a backstabber and multiple gun shots to the chest would not be able to stop him on his way to his destiny.

This movie plays off the theme of machines taking over the world. It’s obvious that machines rule everything and humans were no longer the dominate intelligence in this world. They needed a hero, though, to come to the rescue of humanity and give people hope, that came in the form of Neo or as known as “The One”. All questions about why and how the machines came to power are answered when Morpheus tells Neo the real history of the human race. Then we find out why they picked Neo, but how did they decide to pick him. It says nothing about how they came to think that he was the one to help them. Did they just get this by instinct or what? They should have explained or went a little deeper on that so that a person could clearly answer all questions and figure out the relationship that separates Neo from everyone else. Even without that information, the movie was still able to succeed in trying to make us believe in Neo verse the computer. The movie does a really good job of setting up for the final show down and the transformation of Neo from a normal person to the rebel human to “The One”.

This movie looks like it was taken right from the Christian bible. Like the article, Journal of Religion and Film, says, everyone in the movie represents someone from the time of Christ. The ones that the article does not mention is the everyday ordinary people in the movie that were completely ignorant to what was going on. These are the people Neo is trying to save just like Jesus worked so hard to try to save everyone on earth. These people were used by the agents like puppets to switch from body to body doing whatever they liked and there was nothing they could do. This is just like people in past, present and future times. We want to be saved by Jesus, even if we do not know it or admit it. Like the agents used the people, the devil uses us humans to cause pain and dismay all over and then just disposes of us when we die like we are nothing, but there is one who cares. Neo, like Jesus, cares and wants to help all, but his hand is forced when it comes to facing off against the agents. I am also thinking that this movie did have a god like figure in it, contrast to what the article thinks. I believe that the Oracle is the god figure in this movie. She appears to be human, but has unexplainable future telling abilities. She knew what was going to happen before it happen and by giving her advice, she probably influenced the future. Who knows if Neo would have let Morpheus die, if the Oracle had not told him about his choice? She was the pushing force to the future and the deciding factor. She is not completely a god like figure, but she is the closest symbol to god.

The Dark Knight

The two Oscar winning “Dark Knight” is a genius movie that has everything including an ending that no one could have seen coming. This movie is a sequel to the really good movie “Batman Begins” and it lived up to all the expectations. The movie is about this billionaire Bruce Wyane, played by Christian Bale, is back to work protecting the troubled city of Gotham City as the Batman. He starts out fighting the mobs of the town, then a new player gets into the mix and he is not holding ordinary cards. The Joker, played by Heath Ledger, is the new deranged criminal in Gotham City. He is no ordinary criminal though, he is a sick and messed up man that had a terrible life growing up, but he is a mastermind when it comes to crime.
As an actor, your goal in the movie is to become the character and get into his or her mind. This is really important if the actor is to fully understand and know his or her character. In this movie though, Heath Ledger did such a great job of becoming his character, that he could not come back from it. Shortly after he finished with this movie, he overdosed on pills. It is believed that his role as Joker really screwed him up to the point of no return. He just did so well on getting into the mind of Joker, a mastermind and lunatic, that he could not escape it.
As Jeffery Jolson says in his article “Nothing succeeds like success, a crowning performance and tragedy”, Heath Ledger was the one who made “The Dark Knight” a huge success. It was his amazing performance as one of the best villains of all time that put the movie over the one billion mark worldwide. There was no doubt that he was going to win the Best Supporting Actor award, but it’s too bad that his role drove himself to overdose on pills.
Then as Claudia Puig said in her article, “Ledger’s talent lives on as The Joker in ‘Dark Knight’, Ledger did not just disappear in his role, but never was a better term for what happened to him. He fell way to deep into his character and was not able to get up or be helped up by anyone. I agree with Mrs. Puig when she says that he now holds the top spot for the two most memorable lines "What doesn't kill you makes you stranger." And the much-quoted "Why so serious?" Heath Ledger will always be remembered and missed. Movies now a days could use his perfect talent, but now we will never know.
Jolson, Jeffrey. Nothing succeeds like success, a crowning performance and tragedy. http://www.hollywoodtoday.net/2009/02/21/oscars-2009-heath-ledgers-performance-in-%e2%80%98dark-knight-passes-1-billion/. Retrieved at March 21, 2009

Puig, Claudia. Ledger's talent lives on as The Joker in 'Dark Knight'. http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2008-07-16-dark-knight-review_N.htm. Retrieved at March 21, 2009

Slumdog Millionaire

The 2009 Oscar favorite, Slumdog Millionaire, is a really compelling story about how someone can go from a nobody to a millionaire just from the hardships of his life. Jamal K. Malik, played by actor Dev Patel, is a younger man that had one of the roughest childhoods one could only imagine. He lost his mother at a very young age and lived mainly by his brother most of his youth. He had terrible things happen to him from being hunted for his faith to almost getting his eyes burnt out. With all these things bad things happening to him, he learned random facts that would later win him a million dollars.

Like what Mr. Claude Brodesser-Akner said in his article, this movie is almost too real. It shows the real life that kids have to face every day and it sad. When you think about it, how many kids do you think got their eyes burnt out just so they would make more begging for money? How many kids had their mothers slain right before their eyes? The number is larger than we all would think. We live in a society that does not see these kinds of acts, but this movie really showed people here what life is like in other countries like India.

Personal, I really liked this movie, but I think that is because I am a fan of the underdogs. No one thought this kid would ever even be smart enough to get on the show, but to be smart enough or even lucky enough to win one million dollars. I do not know whether to feel happy that he won the money or feel bad that he had to relive the worst parts of his life. It just seemed like karma was to help out Jamal after and he had been through. At the end of the movie, this was really portrayed by the last words saw on screen. It was Jamal’s destiny to play that game show, win one million dollars and also be reunited with the love of his life.

In conclusion, the article “Slumdog to top dog” says “can’t a slum boy hope for a miracle?” I feel that statement is all wrong. This kid lived in one of the toughest places on the face of the earth and has probably wished for a miracle all through his childhood. It was not a miracle that this kid needed. All he needed was a chance to be something great. After all he went through, he only needed one small chance and it came in the form of “Who wants to be a Millionaire”. This kid not only brought hope to people and kids like himself, but also to people all around the world that are going through tough times. I support the Oscars on every award they gave this movie and I believe that everyone should watch it. If not for entertainment, then just for the great education it gives its viewers on the real world.

Amelie

The 2001 French flick Amelie features Audrey Tautou as the main character Amelie. Amelie is a young girl that has had a very troubling life. She lost her mother as a child and her dad never showed affection to her. She goes through life day after day without any sense of meaning or direction. It’s like nothing really excites her and it seems she feels nothing. Then one day she decides to help all the people in her life. With every smile from their faces, she starts to feel again. Happiness starts to become the bright part of her every day. The more she helps others, the more she begins to help herself. It’s like karma looked at what she was doing and granted her the opportunity to become happy. It took a little convincing from her old friend, but she realized what she had to do before it was too late.

This movie has one main and very powerful program objective. It shows how happy we can become when we make others happy. Amelie was nothing at the beginning of the movie, but a weird girl that did things that many people get institutionalized for. Then she made the choice to help others with their problems and lives. Once she started, she just couldn’t stop. It was the best thing that could have ever happened to her and the people around her. That’s all we need to do in life. When we help others, we really help ourselves and what really could be better. As Amelie showed us, after we help others sooner or later, karma will help us to a little happiness.

From a personal point, the only part of this movie that I actually enjoyed was how it used really creative images and the surprise ending. I am not a fan of all the crazy sex scenes and stuff like that, but I love ending that I could not predict. Sure, it always is a happy ending in every movie, but how it gets there makes the movie good or bad. Then this movie shows us a kind of subjective point of view, by showing us Amelie’s view point and her emotional struggle. As bad as this movie’s acting is, the camera work to show Amelie’s life story was pretty impressive. I think that was the only reason that Amélie won best film at the European Film Awards, four César Awards (including Best Film and Best Director), two BAFTA Awards (including Best Original Screenplay), and was nominated for five Academy Awards.

Finally, when I started to watch this film, I honestly thought that this movie was going to be terrible and that’s not because of the subtitles. It just had a weird and awkward start, but then it really surprised me. I didn’t except it to be as good as it was. They really should have had better actors in it and less sex scenes, but other than that it was pretty good. I really enjoyed how well it was organized and how well the story line was followed. It is a movie that most can watch and then try to be more helpful to others like Amelie.

The bucket list

How important is the set or location to the overall effect of the film?
It was really important that most of this movie was filmed in a hospital. It showed how sick these two individuals really are and how friendships can start from the weirdest places, but just in time.

Why do you think this film is shot on this set or at this location? (many movies have one central set and other minor ones. Focus on the main set. If there are many locations, choose one or two of those locations and focus on them.)
I believe that this film is shot in a hospital to show how someplace so depressing can really become something so great to some people. Movie shows the hospital as a symbol where friends can meet even under bad circumstances instead of just where people lose their lives. If it weren’t for this hospital these two guys would have never become friends and would have never done the crazy things that they did.

What is the art director trying to tell you with the costumes chosen for the characters?
The costumes of the two friends really show how different they both are. One is an average man who works to live and the other one is a really rich man who lives to work. When they were in the hospital, both wore hospital gowns to show that they were equal in life.

Is the lighting for the film appropriate? Why/why not? Is it harsh and direct or is it soft and diffused (or somewhere in the middle)? Explain the lighting.
I feel that the lighting in this movie was done really well. It really brought out the good and happy moments. Then put a sad emphasis on the dark moments in which life was being lost. The movie had parts where the lighting was harsh and a little too much, but it was hardly noticeable. It also had its parts where the lighting could have been a little more. For example, I felt the lighting could have been more when they were in the lodge at the bottom of the mountain. I think it would have put more of an importance on that scene.

What is the director trying to tell you with the style of lighting chosen?
The director is trying to tell us about the mood of the movie. With darker moments of the movie, he is showing the hard times both men had to face. Then he would lighten the scene to show that no matter what problem there was, the two men would get through it and find the light when there is little left. The lighting was really well coordinated with the moods of the movie.

What colors are prominent? Why? What message is being sent?
At first, the colors were plain and boring, like the white of the hospital. It showed how dull the life was for the men in the hospital. Then once they started taking trips all around the world and doing crazy things, the colors started to brighten up and become more lively. When the men started to get sick and lose their lives, the colors went back to being depressing and sad, but finally ended with the bright colors and sights from the top of the mountain to show the brightness of the lives of both men to each other.

The Sixth Sense

How important is the set or location to the overall effect of the film?
For this movie, the set it uses gives the audience the creepy feel, which really brings out the dead people that the kids can see.

Why do you think this film is shot on this set or at this location? (many movies have one central set and other minor ones. Focus on the main set. If there are many locations, choose one or two of those locations and focus on them.)
One main set that I feel is really important is the church set. The reason why I believe this is because it is like the church is the kid’s safe zone and the only place that has seen as much death as he has. The film uses this set as a symbol of god’s work. The kid is doing god’s work by helping these ghosts find peace.

What is the art director trying to tell you with the costumes chosen for the characters?
The art director is trying to tell us about how serious the movie is. If you notice, the kid never really wears kid clothing about cartoons or anything. His clothes are very serious and so are Bruce Willis’s clothes. The clothes of the ghost are used to emphasize their age. For example, the little girl’s clothes shows how young she really is and the clothes of some of the older ghosts show how old they are and when they could have died.

Is the lighting for the film appropriate? Why/why not? Is it harsh and direct or is it soft and diffused (or somewhere in the middle)? Explain the lighting.
I think the lighting in this film was really good. The darkness really gave us a creepy and scary feeling, which is exactly why we watch horror movies. I believe that it is more somewhere is the middle of harsh and soft and direct and diffused. It wasn’t like the lighting was the center of attention, but it was just enough there to help set a good mood for ghosts and unexpected things.

What is the director trying to tell you with the style of lighting chosen?
The director is trying to tell us with the lighting that this movie is a scary movie. He wants us to feel the cold chill of the spirits of dead people. With this type of lighting, it gives a good look at what the kid sees. At points, all he sees is darkness and evil, and then he finds the light when he figures out that he can help these spirits.

What colors are prominent? Why? What message is being sent?
The main color in this movie is definitely black. There is a lot of black in every scene. This is because black is a pretty dead color. It is the symbol of death and darkness. All the black adds to the mood of the movie and makes the movie seem more dark and mysterious.