Glory

Part One:

I found this movie to be extremely boring.  The movies that I end up loving and re-watching are the movies that keep me on the very edge of my seat- and this movie did quite the opposite for me.  It was just a very dull and bland movie in my opinion.  For a movie with such significant names like Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman- it was quite boring.  This is definitely the type of film that I would walk out of a movie theatre disappointed that I had just spent my money on it.  However, I did like that it took these forgotten African-American heroes and shined a light on them.  I thought it was a good film to watch during Black History Month.  Although I found this movie to be extremely boring I did however think the acting was pretty good.  Like- who knew Ferris Bueller could play such a powerful role?  Honestly though, this story did inspire me.  It's amazing to see such strong men and woman that go against the grain of normality and push hard for their country.  Adding on, I truly think that I learned a lot from this movie.  Through the history classes that I've taken so far in high school we have focused primarily on the World Wars and not so much on the Civil War.  So, although this film wasn't entirely historically accurate I still think that I learned a lot of new things that I hadn't had known prior to watching this film. I think that this movie really showed that bravery is not only extremely important- but can also change the world.  

Part Two:

I think that it takes a truly self-less person to be willing to die for their country.  Someone who views their life as something more than themselves- someone who views their life as the life of a member of something so much bigger than what's inside their head.  I think that people are willing to die for their country because they know that their death isn't going to mean nothing.  Their death is just going to be an added brick to the building that just gets stronger and stronger with time.  That one block makes the building stronger- just as that one death makes the country stronger.  

Part Three:

I believe that this story really changed America forever- and changed the way people viewed African-Americans.  I think that the 54th really rebelled against society which is why it made such a big impact.  In order for change to be made- someone has to rebel on what is currently happening.  These men had so much courage and so much bravery which in turn changed our country forever.  

War Horse

In all honestly, I was starting to feel really pessimistic about this class because I didn't really like any of the movies that we started the class off watching.  In a sense I dreaded coming to class because I didn't feel as though any of the films really captured my attention and I felt as though I didn't really understand any of the films or perhaps just couldn't keep up with them because they bored me so much.   However, this is the movie that changed my outlook on this class entirely.  I loved this movie from beginning to end.  Although still a movie about war, I feel like it is much different that the war movies we have watched in the past.  I say this because I feel as though our last few movies were just over dramatized battle scenes without a strong plot and story line.  I feel like they failed to keep me motivated to watch them because they focused more on the battle scenes than the story itself.  However, this movie really did the exact opposite.  I fell in love with how this movie was set up.  The character development was so strong and the story line wasn't rushed which I felt like the other films we have seen tended to lack.   It was a movie in which I felt like I connected with the characters- which I think is why I was so intrigued by it.  I always find the battle and war scenes boring but I think this film did a great job with that particular part.  It wasn't just a bunch of hired people running on a field- I felt as though the war scenes were much more authentic and realistic.  I liked that it didn't show just a bunch of people shooting at each other- I liked that it was sort of a "behind the scenes", if you will, look at what goes on in the war.  The movie honestly didn't make me cry once- which might make me sound awful because one is expected to cry during a movie like this but honestly this movie didn't make me sad at all.  When the movie ended I was quite shocked because I spent the whole movie waiting for the moment where I was supposed to cry.  I didn't think this movie was "depressing" at all I thought it was an amazing film with an amazing story line and an amazing ending.

Part One:

I feel as though even if I had the bravest heart I still would be incapable of tolerating this film.  Seems a little harsh- I'm aware- but hey, it's better to be honest right? This 13th-century scottish epic, staring Mel Gibson failed to hook my attention during most parts of the film.  Many critics categorize this film as a "romantic adventure" but I however disagree with this categorization.  The romance was sped up and too overdone in such a small period of time that you can barely look at this entire extremely lengthy film and categorize it as any sort of a romance film- in my opinion.  Honestly, I think my favorite part of the film was Mel Gibson.  That is a very vague thing to say considering Mel Gibson plays the main character and is in almost every single scene; and I already previously mentioned disliking the movie- however, Mel Gibson just did it for me. I felt his acting wasn't cheesy or fake at all which probably could have easily been done by an American playing a Scottish character.  Personally, I think that despite his personal life- Mel Gibson is a talented genius and honestly I doubt I would physically be able to tolerate this movie if he wasn't the main character.  I think Mel Gibson made his character powerful and strong yet witty and quirky.  William Wallace carried the entire story line and made you want to root for him. William Wallace mattered to everyone and he was such an important role and I think that this film actually did a great job in capturing that. I liked that he was so absorbed with wanting freedom that he didn't really care about his personal prestige.  I'm not sure why I disliked this movie so much- I wish I had a straight forward answer- but I think overall it just wasn't my type of movie and was definitely a movie that I would never want to re-watch.  I left the class every day excited to not have to be watching the movie anymore and entered the class dreading completing it-- which sounds awful but that's just how the movie made me feel.  As much as I disliked the movie- I really do think that it has strong content applications to today.  I look at the world around us and although it seems like we have complete freedom- the sad truth is that we don't.  I think that this movie highlights the importance of fighting for freedom and never giving up until you have complete freedom, whatever freedom may mean to you.

Part Two:

"Every man dies. Not every man really lives."  You know, I have seen several variations of this quote all over social media- which shows that it has some resonance with all eras.  However, this quote applied to the Scottish quest for freedom from English Tyranny doesn't exactly match up to what teenage girls are trying to imply when they put it as the caption on their instagram pictures.  In this film, I think the quote means that even if they die- they die knowing that they died fighting for their freedom.  You can exist but not truly live if you are not free.  To "live" means so much more than to just being a breathing creature on earth.  It means that you have purpose and meaning in this world and to the Scottish, they did not have purpose or meaning if they were not free.  To live is to not feel trapped- because if you feel trapped, what's the point of living?  To me, I think I feel trapped by the norms that society sets and I feel that for one to "live" in this day and age, one has to break from the norm and do what they truly want to do from the bottom of their hearts instead of following the path that society has set.

The Gladiator

Part One:

"The Gladiator" is a classic film that takes a complex yet simple story line and transforms it into a movie with beautiful scenery, filming, direction and score.  There were parts of the film that I adored and parts that I could definitely do without.  Personally, I loved the battle scenes.  I could tell that there was so much effort that went into the production of those scenes and I honestly felt that it was real.  However, there were parts of the movie that I disliked- like the opening scene.  I felt as though the opening scene was quite boring and confusing.  The movie didn't make me feel any type of way.  I didn't walk out of class thinking "wow that film changed me."  I felt as though the film was purely for entertainment value and didn't really have any deep imbedded meaning.  However, I did really enjoy the film and it is a film that I would definitely want to watch again- perhaps I would enjoy it a bit more now that I understand the story line.  I think Commodus was the most interesting character in the film.  He brought a sense of evilness into the film while stirring up the entire story line and making the film worth watching.  Honestly, although it was a great movie, I don't think any of it can really be applied to today.  Again, I feel as though this film was purely for entertainment value and I can't imagine this movie being applicable in any sense to the modern day world.

Part Two:

I think that the theme of this film is to finding your inner strength.  Maximus was put at the lowest of the low, and not only that but he also had his family taken away from him and his power was taken away from him.  However, he didn't give up- he found his inner strength and became powerful.  Overall, that's what I took out of this film.  We all have inner strength and even when it doesn't seem like there is any hope for us to find it- we can.