kill or not kill

 I am getting relatively deep into the book. So far I can see that Valdek is a  genuinely resourceful man that will try to stay alive at all costs no matter what he has to do. He has many tools that help him survive the Holocaust but one trait that helps him stand out in this book is, his ability to "fake it until he makes it". for instance, Valdek, in his shining moment, when he stumbles upon a shoe repairmen job but he is not able to repair a certain tare in an SS mans boot, he privately sneaks off to a someone who can mend the tare and in turn he offers a days ration in bread as reparation for the mans hard work.

 Also being that this comic novel is written from the prospective of mostly Vladek,he has just really become the center piece of the Holocaust in my eyes. Vladek is looked to for wisdom, he has counseled young couples, and he ultimately is in charge of people's lives. whenever he is in a large group he automatically is looked upon for knowledge or is often a safe haven for others. He is the designated bread winner, not self appointed but by natural selection through the skills he was given.

There is a very particular scene in the comic where Vladek shows off his inner character or who he is when no one is looking. And I found this scene to be very intriguing simply because I found out the measure of Vladek all in this one little scene so early in the book. Literally speaking these three little panles summed up his character. So, Vladek his wife and a couple other friends are staying in an abandon house trying to hold on to the little bit of hope they still have by staying in this houses attic. Foraging for any measly scrap of food they can find in this rundown timeworn camp. Until one day a random Jew like themselves came roaming around and accidentally discovered them. Immediately the two other men that were with Vladek grabbed him up. Reason being is he could be an informant for the Germans, so you could never be to sure as to who you could trust. There fore the dilemma presented now was to let him live or kill him. naturally as Vladek being the leader of the group they asked what to do with him. He thought about his decision very thoroughly but in the end gave him the benefit of the doubt. Vladek even gave some of their food that they painstakingly had to search for.

The content of Vldeck's character is immeasurable and unquestionable. The ramifications of this whole situation is that the informant can go back to the Germans and inform them of there where-abouts. So the risks of this decition were massive but Vladeck decides to help out sumone who he feels is in need. And as a bonus he gives him food that everyone else need to survive even tho the others oppose his decisions very strongly. I'm am glad to see that Vladek can not be shaken or persuaded and is strong in all that he dose. eventually these are the very essential tools that helped him survive the Holocaust and come out on the winning side of life.      

  


  

If I can't Madea Will

 Just because ABC is pulling the plug on “All My Children’’ and “One Life to Live,’’ that doesn’t mean we can’t still get 20 laundromats worth of soap. Especially if no one’s pulling the plug on Tyler Perry. “Madea’s Big Happy Family’’ is more than just an industrial-strength soap opera. It’s the entire daytime-television industrial complex.When mad-old Madea crashes her car into a fast-food chain (it’s called Smax!) because the funky window manager says she’s out of ham, the movie is simultaneously the local Atlanta news-at-noon, which the characters watch, and the news itself. When that same window manager wants to embarrass her baby-daddy, she pops up on the very Maury Povich talk show that Madea watches with her armchair-bound brother, Joe.

 “Madea’s Big Happy Family’’ nonsensically knots the spiritual and the salacious, asking gossipy questions then giving pulpit answers so that the movie is wonderfully, woefully absurd. Who’s dying? Amen! Who’s verging on divorce? Praise the Lord! Who’s drug-dealing? Get back now, Satan! Who’s dieting (or should be)? Can I get a witness! For the record, the correct answers, in order, are: “Shirley’’; “her two squabbling daughters’’; “her son’’; and “how much time do you have?’’

 Yes, everyone, Miss Shirley (Loretta Devine) has cancer, and all she wants is to get her kids together to tell her terrible news. It’s not worth asking how she masks from them the depleting effects of chemotherapy or how come the sparkling actress suddenly seems so droopy. In any case, every time she tries to share her drama, her children’s drama beats her to it. If it’s not Byron’s baby-mama (Teyana Taylor) — the one who made Madea commit her literal drive-through, the one who took her one-woman show to “Maury’’ — it’s bougie Kimberly (Shannon Kane) berating her husband (Isaiah Mustafa, the Old Spice guy) or miserable Tammy (Natalie Desselle Reid) berating hers. Once, it’s even the police coming to re-arrest poor Byron (Shad “Bow Wow’’ Moss, who’s pretty good). Obviously, it’s Madea to the rescue.

 Most of us still have the all-female post-traumatic stress disorder Perry gave us in “For Colored Girls.’’ We may be stuck in last November, but he’s moved on. And by “on’’ I mean “backward.’’ “Madea’s Big Happy Family’’ is full of men who suffer the wrath of vicious, selfish, shallow, stupid, abusive women, as though he’d begun thinking about “For Colored Boys.’’ Most of the sexy, upstanding, too-good-to-be-real black males who show up in the movies now do so in Perry’s (“For Colored Girls,’’ aside). But here their addiction to goodness is almost as pathological as the ladies’ pleasure in badness: It’s emotional S&M.

 The men don’t know why their women are so mean. And because Perry’s screenwriting has never been sure how much, if any, psychology to use, the women and their families also don’t know why — until, in some shock plot twist, they do. Perry’s strategy as a dramatist is to create excessively wretched and lowly characters, then use tragedy, comeuppance, or the biblical rod that keeps a child spoil-free, to make them behave. It’s rarely fair. These people don’t come to Jesus. Perry drags them.

The Five could have been Faster

 You know you’re not in for a reinvention of the wheel with this, the fifth The Fast And The Furious 5 film, but surprisingly it turns out to be more entertaining than its recent predecessors. Much of this is attributable to the onscreen street racing being dialed down in favour of Ocean's Eleven-style heist plotting and favela gunplay straight out of Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It’s telling of how far the franchise has moved from its origins that we’re not even shown a mid-film street showdown, Fast and Furious 5 moving from macho posturing to race outcome in the blink of an eye and zero carbon footprint.

 Don’t think for a second that cars aren’t pivotal to the film, however. They are the items that set up the film’s epic battle between heroes and villains and take up the last fifteen minutes in an embrace of crashes and sheer physical impossibility. Returning stars Paul Walker, Vin Diesel and Jordana Brewster are joined by Dwayne Johnson and Gal Gadot as pieces of machinery for the camera to drool over. They act like machines too, but chops aren’t really required or expected with a director who’s getting pretty good at moving the pieces around. Justin Lim has made three of these films now (as well as several episodes of Community) and with the wider scope of this latest installment and time to move on to better things.

 Unfortunatley,this gallery of supporting roles have really never been anything more than set dressing for me. Like I stated earlier a spin off of the movie Ocean's Eleven. Like the other films in the franchise, Fast Five is loaded with fast cars, women dressed in skimpy attire, and high octane street racing events. Is it a great film that will leave a mark on my mental? No. Is it a fun film? Yes. But Fast Five will excite the fans and kick start the summer movie season. In comparison, like the Twilight movies, this will be as front loaded as a nos- charged hot rod engine... and it will burn out relatively quick.  

Thor could have been a bore

 Thor brings enough thunder to satisfy my summer blockbuster appetite. The movie is like an evolutionary Superman 2 in which he has to loses his powers to in turn find out what it realy means to struggle and who he truly is.  The director  Kenneth Branagh, ingenously incorperated his shakesperean backround into this film by making all of the Gods/superheroes speak in a shakesperean tounge. It is very much so fitting because the Gods are put on a mental petistol so it was only right to seperate the Gods/superheros with another tounge than the regular humans. Branagh focuses on Thor in the human realm, it is no worse, or crazy, than its many comic counterparts. But when it ventures into murky other-worlds, it looks surprisingly new.

Thor splits its time almost equally between its heavenly origins and its earthly wanderings. In the former environs, Bo Welch’s (product designer) production designs look plucked from the earlier serials of the original comics. And the spacioul special effects, credited to several people, look as if they would have been outdated a decade ago. Eventho, they take an excert from Kirk Cameron's visualy high-tech Avatar as far as the rainbow bridge is concerned. But it’s hard to blame Branagh for such timeworn visuals since thoes elements usually fall out of the director’s reach to control.

Thor begins in the dreamlike Asgard, where everyone speaks in stiff, unnatural dialogue-shakesperean tounge(Branagh's wit). There, the king, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), warns his sons Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) not to face off against a tribe of warriors who look like giant Jack Frost's on steroids. They do fight, of course, but in a choppy, confused battle that shows Branagh’s limitations as an action director. Later, contray to popular belief, Thor finds himself exiled and thrown into a random shotgun city with a desert surrounding it where he is found by a trio of scientists (Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard and Kat Dennings). From there, Thor proudly inherits his "new kid"  mantle — saying weird things, not knowing where he is and generally providing material for everyone to talk about.

While Thor is weak and has no God like powers he is suseptable to any plans his villans from the other world might have in store for him. thruogh a stroke of predestdined luck he gets a tip on the where about of his hammer-which he recives all of his much envyed strength. But, in his rigiorus, painstaking, and tiresome efforts in trying to obtain his much sought after hammer he gets caught. Luckily, Thor hangs around long enough to retrieve the magic hammer, which gives him extraordinary powers that come in handy when his villainous brother arrives for a showdown in the middle of a small town.

Now,I personaly hate 3D movies and the amazing thing here is, I’ve written all of this without complaining about it being in 3D. 3D is completely pointless for this movie, but it wasn’t a horrible post conversion tactic, it just did not add anything spectacular to the movie. But there was something plain about it. The Costume and Set Design was, for the most part, terrible. Loki’s full Costume looked like something you’d see in a low budget SyFy production. Another thing Natalie Portman, her role in this movie was almost as important as Kat Dennings and she was onli there for comedic relief. Why have a big named star in a film and have her do almost nothing? all together, the movie was a box office hit. But how can anyone really give these marvel comic movies a real review if there just based off of what has already been written in our minds, thus giving us a premeditated thought of what the movie should be like.

should the head have remained in the jar?

  Trying to fill enormous shoes is a difficult task to accomplish. I have stated before, when new films are released to the public, normally it is not an original idea. In most cases it is based off of an older film that sparked an idea in Sam Mendez's(director)' mind that gave him inspiration to do his version of that film-full metal jacket to jarhead. These films were meant to tell you the stories behind the military and the hardships our brave troops, who serve and protect us, go through. Each of these films are unique in their own way but each have the same message.

  This film is riddled with stars: Jamie Fox (stgt Sikes), Jake Gyllenhaal (Swafford), Lucas Black (Kris Kruger)....but still lacks the ability to become an epic war film like Saving Private Ryan or Pearl Harbor. The film's carbon copy twin Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) displays how marine life is, through the eyes of Mathew Modine (Gomer Pyle), very relentless, have to do constant rigorous training, and a hard nose stone jaw drill instructor yelling at the central character constantly to try and break down his mental. Sounds familiar? If it dose not I can tell you what that oh so conventional story line sounds like. It is the horribly mediocre and unoriginal Jarhead.

 Now I acknowledge the fact that this is a war/love story but, that should not take away the wartime/eire feeling that this film lacks. It was more of a story that was fast forwarded through most of Swafford's life. Also the whole movie unfolded in the course of several months which makes the plot even more unbelievable. the movie tried to capture the real events and situations that go on in our fine military but failed to do so. Reason being is that the events that transpire throughout the whole film seem to "Hollywood". Granted it is a Hollywood production but, Sam Mendez failed to capture all the bloody Gorey scenes that occur during war-as a Saving Private Ryan film would have.

 Even tho the film was not unique in any peculiar way I can still resurrect some admiral traits out of this movie. The pros of the movie are the acting, realistic scenery, and the character progression. The acting job done by Jake Gyllenhaal is phenomenal because he totally embodies the whole character of Anthony Swafford (who the movies is about). Another merit that this film receives from me is the fact that Mendez actually traveled all the way to the middle east to shoot some of the scenes. This is proving that in his attempt in trying to step out of his comfort zone and produce a war movie he tried to make the movie as authentic as possible. the last of the few things Mendez dose right is show a brilliant character progression through Swaff. We got to see Swaff come into the marines perfectly sane an a little disgruntled as to why he had to join then throughout the film we get to see him turn into a well trained killing machine with discipline who salivates at the thought of "pink mist"(a clean shot to the head).
 
In closing, Jarhead was utterly predictable (fresh recruits endure tough training; fresh recruits encounter a new culture and are dumbfounded),studded with Oscar winning performances and actors. But eventually the great cast was just a cover up for the weak timeworn script. It seems as though Mendez's attempt to venture into unfamiliar territory with war a films was unsuccessful. Making the quote "every war is different; every war is the same" seem remedial seeing as not one of the well trained snipers fired a shot. Filling big shoes is an enormous responsibility so if you can not beat the standard do not even attempt.



   

THE Adjustment Bureau surprised me in quite a wonderful way.I had only a vague idea what it was about when I went in and everything I saw impressed me.Based on the short story by Philip K. Dick, the movie is part romance and part thriller.David Norris (Matt Damon) is a rising star of American politics, the youngest person ever elected to Congress and on a path that could lead him to the White House. But a chance encounter in a bathroom with the beautiful Elise (Emily Blunt), David focuses all his efforts on trying to find her again.David's determination brings him to the"Adjustment Bureau", a group of hat-wearing stalkers who kidnap David and tell him he needs to stop trying to find Elise.They tell him everyone has a predetermined fate - it is their job to make the necessary interventions and adjustments to ensure people get there. david is so driven to get the girl of his dreams that he pays no heed to the bureau's warning. Also the chemistry and the bond the cast has is truly amazing.

The supporting casting is very good. Ironically, “Mad Men” series regular John Slattery plays one of the mysterious hat men having great fun with the role. “Hurt Locker’s” Anthony Mackie carves out an angst filled place for himself in the film as a troubled and affected member of the Adjustment Bureau who offers Norris some assistance. But the most delicious of the supporting team is Terence Stamp who plays the cold and calculating Thompson. As is common with a Stamp performance, when he is on screen it is tough to take your eyes off him. Here his menacing Thompson is intimidating without any display of violent tendencies. It is as if Stamp’s Thompson has an aura about him that screams “do what I say or else.” Going toe-to-toe with Thompson is not a good idea.

The work of the late Philip K. Dick has made great movies like “Blade Runner” and even “Minority Report” and not so great films like “Paycheck” and “Imposter.” The bad movies are just an attempt to use his ideas as a startinging off point which is to drop huge action set-pieces. The main reason that writer/director George Nolfi’s take on Dick’s short story works so well is that it avoids falling into redundant sci-fi films that go for action over intelligence. “The Adjustment Bureau” is literate and sophisticated going into the concept of true love as good as any movie of recent style. Reminding of “I am number four” or “The titanic” the, “Bureau” is a movie that descriptivly tells a story that unfolds clasically and understands the importance and power of finding that special someone in your life.

This movie truly superseeds the regular friday night entertainment because it will have you thinking at the end, because philip gave us such a diverse comcept to think about- free will vs fate. Overall i think thjis movie was good even tho compraed to inception it still was a good solid movie that Ienjoyed watching. the actors were great and showed good chemistry. I think that Nolfi did a good job in portraying Dick's dream and making it come to life on the big screen.   

Limitless

 This slick thriller offers a diverting Friday night’s entertainment, but nothing more or less. That’s a shame given the potential of its plot. The one thing it does very well, though, is showcases many screen talents of main actor Bradley Cooper. The Hangover star is the perfect choice to play Eddie Mora (Bradley Cooper), a scruffy writer who transforms from an unmotivated layabout into an extremly domesticated businessman with a razor-sharp mind after he takes a mysterious ‘clear pill’. It’s the kind of show stoping performance that used to be Tom Cruise’s speciality; Cooper displays effortless confidence in front of the camera, but also possesses a particular intense dramatic ability that brings an audience immediately into his character’s moment.

 

 But while Cooper shines, the story he’s in the middle of moves from promising beginnings to settle into almost a sci fi film thriller. The idea of a pill that can open up unlocked doors in the human mind is a fascinating one, and director Neil Burger initially seems interested in exploring it: the way the pill throws open Eddie’s mind recalls Tyler Durden’s system-subversion in Fight Club, and Burger’s Fincher-aping camera techniques encourage the comparison. But this main point is not particularly explored by Leslie Dixon’s script, adapted from Alan Glynn’s 2001 novel The Dark Fields. Instead, once the film establishes how much power and status Eddie can acquire through the pill, it quickly shifts attention to the external threats to his predicament. People who want to stop him, the problem of maintaining a supply, and how to keep it a secret. The meaning that the pill effectively becomes what Hitchcock called a "MacGuffin"; an object that the plot hinges on but is not important in itself. Once this happens, anything that was uniquely interesting or compelling about the story is overlooked by simple ‘survive-at-all-costs’ thriller concept.

 

 The movie is very vague and lacks strong support of its central point-the magic clear pill will give you the ability to open up unused space in the mind. To an untrained eye all of the great action would distract one away from all of the random senecs in the movie and divertoins from the main topic. The author was attempting to make a film that would make you think as well as give you some action but all he managed to do is make another action film. In conclution, the movies central idea needs to be stronger and more direct and stick with that idea the whole time and not stray from it.   

No strings attached

 In my eyes, the movie No strings attached was a good movie that was acted out well, had a good cast, and appealed to it's audience. This movie was directed by an older gentlemen named Ivan Reitman. He is a directer that is known for corny funny movies but, to be more specific he is known for his comedic genius. One of his most successful movies is Gohstbusters. In this movie tho his comedic genius was portrayed well plus some more because he put a romantic twist at the end.

 This cast features two main stream actors that the movie bases it's whole plot off of. Adam (Aston Kutcher) is a person who lacks self confidence and is timid to go for what he wants. He works as a co-producer for some teenage musical TV show. On the other hand, Emma (Natalie Portman) is a very focused goal oriented individual that prides herself in the same redundant routine everyday. Then one day through total coincidence Adam stays the night at Emma's house and end up having sex. After that one time they devise a plan to use each other for sex only at all times of the night.

 As the movie progresses they start developing feelings for each other and not only use each other for sex but companionship. Mind you this is kept a secret by them the whole time. So, one day they are at a picnic and a guy is trying to hit on Emma and Adam gets jealous and texts Emma about it. But as you know Emma hides emotion and thinks nothing of it. That starts a big argument and they stop contacting each other. Then one day they get back together through Adams father and share how they feel about each other and stay together. In conclusion the movie is a comedy with a great romantic twist because the norm is not portrayed in this movie. the girl is the one who shows no affection and love while the man is the one who is trying to be in a relationship. that is why I say it has a great romantic twist at the end.

I am number four

 When I watch movies I try to figure out comparisons in movies that relate to the one I am currently watching. Only one stuck out to me in my mind and that was Twilight. In this movie, I am number four it has strong similarities to the hit movie series Twilight but that seems only fitting. The reason why I say it is only fitting is because the film industry is searching for the next big thing among young teens across the world. They want to see weather the "zero to hero" role is played out or not.

 Much like its' twin Twilight, I am number four, although, has the same high school atmosphere is a softer version of it. They replace a vampire with an extraterrestrial being that is the last of an extinct space race. Alex Pettyfer, is a teenage boy heart throb that is very nomadic in his living situation. His powers have not yet manifested or someone is close to destroying him. In the movie, the director does a good job of showing Alex's great vexation and bereavement every time they have to move. But, Alex gets his powers finally and when he dose not know how to control them he refuses to to flee this time because he has fallen in love with a girl so he lays low for about a week to learn how to hone his powers and defeat his enemies.

 The movie plot is turning out to be a good one because he found another just like himself. But, it still is a bit unclear because this movie is meant to have a sequel. He finds number 6 and thought the middle and end of this movie she helps him out immensely in his quest to destroy the villains. The  climax is one of the best parts of the movie because he finally taps into more of his abilities and in an awesome display of power he blows half of the town up and defeats his foes. In conclusion, this movie is a good solid action/scifi film that also has a sappy love twist in it but I can not wait for the second one to come out.

  

movies are an escape

I have a deep interest in the film industry. I absolutely love every aspect of a well thought out movie because it at times may take you to a whole other vast world. a good thought out movie can literally paint in your mind and allow you to escape into another state of mind and get lost into another. To me that is the brilliance behind movies and their ability to cultivate your mind and give you the illusion that you are somewhere else similar to theater. for example, if I have had a strenuous day at work and all I want to do is take my mind off of the job. All I would simply do is put in a good movie and it would cause me to forget about my problems because I am so engulfed with the movie.

  Now, just so you will not think I am just some random student trying to force my opinions on you i want you to know that my senior year of high school I took a class where i studied film for a year.  a well thought out cinema production should include a good plot, climax, and conclusion. In addition to the conclusion part of the previous sentence there can be other types of conclusions; such as an ending where the director leaves you wondering or the traditional ending where the whole movie is summed up at the end. A plot is the main point. in the movie like the main point in the movie boys in the hood was to inspire young black males to strive for more in life than to just have kids at a young age, live off welfare,or go to jail. Climax is my personal favorite because it is the events leading up to. in other words, if there was a bomb in the room  and it blew up the climax is not the bomb blowing up but, everything leading up to it

 The movie seven pounds directed by Will Smith was a great movie because he had a great plot, climax, and conclusion. His plot was that no matter what you can always give a little more weather it be inch by inch or foot by foot. The climax is how the movie went through all the people lives and showed what they did to deserve the gifts he was giving them. The ending of the whole movie that he gave out certain body parts from his own body to people who needed them most. With all of those things put together it makes a great movie. In conclusion, the art of film is a vast world in which you can get lost in or escape the pressures of everyday life and that is the simplicity of it.