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The Dark Knight Review

Personal Rating 10/10

This film is so amazing in many ways, from Christophers Nolans crazy directing skills to Heath Ledger's amazing acting skills as the joker, I believe this is one of the best if not the best film we have watched in History Through Film. The movie is about Batman who is the hero of Gotham City which is where he lives, the true identity of Batman is Bruce Wayne but he doesn't tell anyone. This makes me think of Batman as a humble hero that does not want to be revealed. I appreciate the characters in this film a lot, the Joker, Batman, and Harvey Dent really drew me on to them as people. The movie starts with a bank robbery scene and these are 5 men in clown masks. The Joker is behind it and ends up killing his whole team of robbers and doing it himself just to show that he truly is insane. The thing about the Joker is he doesn't care about the money he just wants to rule the city with evil and show that no one can stop him. In this film Batman is the hero and he puts his life at risk many times due to the Joker putting thousands of people at risk for no reason. The scene I believe the Joker was truly introduced was a Mob meeting where he just walks in by himself and instantly says “wanna see a trick” and he sticks a pencil through the head of a thug. This shows the power and fear people display to the Joker, of 15 people in 1 room the Joker is able to kill one for a joke and walk away. The reason the Joker plays a role as important as Batman role for a couple reasons, first Batman has Gotham under pretty good control with the mobs and crime so an enemy with power is something he needs to try hard to overcome. The second reason is the Jokers so significant in the movie is because of his motivation for power and destruction. He blows up hospitals and plants bombs on a ferry boat with hundreds of people just to try and get Batman worried and come in. Joker wants Batman dead because of his status in Gotham and how much people like him, but he also wants Batman to kill him so that he can break his rule and destroy Batman/Bruce Wayne internally. Bruce Wayne never kills his enemies he simply makes them not want to continue with the crimes because they are scared. Harvey Dent is a politician that talks about the news of Gotham and new laws, with all the tragedy going on people look up to him to make the decisions for the city. Bruce Wayne is rich and knows Harvey. The Joker realizes that turning Harvey bad may leave Batman in the dust with no one on his side in the city with a voice. So the Joker plants 2 bombs, 1 on Harvey and 1 on Harvey's girlfriends and Batman must decide which one to get. The Joker knows he will go for Harvey which leaves Harvey furious of the fact that his girlfriend is dead instead of him. He then turns on Batman with the Joker.

Overall this movie is exciting in so many ways with a deep storyline and amazing cinematography. Christopher Nolan made this film what it is but the acting throughout it was the icing on the cake. I recommend this movie to those who don't only enjoy action movies but those who like a deep story as well. This is one of those movies where you need to pay attention to really learn the story and appreciate it, but also a movie to watch for its insane and satisfying action.

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Crash Review

Personal Rating: 7/10

The film Crash was a very deep movie when it comes to racism and discrimination, due to the fact the whole movie is based on different points of view of random people coming from Los Angeles and how they went through racism in different ways. The movie starts when two African Americans who are a couple are getting pulled over by police for the wife making out with the driver but he was still safely driving. When the officer asks for the license and registration he pretty much immediately asks the couple to get out, he then searches the female in a sexual way leaving “Cameron” the husband to feel awkward. The officers let them go and the couple feels very harassed sexually and awkward. I like how this movie focuses on about 5-6 different people and their families and how these lives all get connected. In another scene a Persian shop owner is buying a gun because he has been broken into in the past and feels he should be safe in his store, he has a Latino man fix the locks on the doors but says they are not fixed correctly. He then goes onto screaming at the man calling him a cheater and a snake for trying to rip him off. Even though the locksmith was not trying to rip him off, the Persian man then goes to his home with the gun and threatens him with it, the Latino mans young daughter goes outside to see what the commotion is about and she goes running into her dad for a hug and accidentally gets into the crossfire. Luckily the gun wasn't loaded with bullets but blank bullets. It just shows you how the man thought because he was Mexican he wasn't trying to work hard and take the easy way out for whatever reason. My last scene in the film I would like to talk about is when Peter, an African American who is trying to leave his thug friends and is hitchhiking for a ride. An off duty police officer picks him up and Peter tries to make conversation and starts talking to the officer about hockey and country music, the white officer doesn't believe him and thinks he is just mocking white people, when Peter goes into his pocket to show him a hockey medal and the officer immediately thinks he is going for a gun and shoots him.

Overall this movie shows many different kinds of discrimination and shows how little actions can turn a situation over for the worse, I felt many different emotions while watching this film, I felt sad and angry at times because of how the officers treated civilians and took advantage of them. Other times I felt happy because there were some funny scenes as well which balanced out the harsher dramatic scenes. I believe this movie is great for those who like realistic movies on world issues, as well as those who enjoy dramatic movies.

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Lord of War Response

Personal Rating: 9/10

Lord of war is a movie about the illegal international gunning trade. Yuri Orlov and his brother lived in little Odessa which is a neighborhood that is poor and filled with gangsters that are Jewish and Russian. As a young man in his neighborhood, he witnesses things normal boys do not, killings, shootings, and dead bodies happen almost daily and to him, it is not much. He figures why to live in poverty with violence happening all around me already when I can make money selling the things that are so frequently “needed” around the world like guns. He thinks of it as guns don't kill people, people do, which is true but guns make it a lot easier. When he makes his first gun sale, he feels a rush of excitement and wants to do it again, not to mention his pretty profit. So he and his brother Vitaly leave New York city and stop living above his parent's restaurant and start selling firearms. The Lebanon war was Yuri's first large sale where he sold guns to both different sides of the army. Yuri's personality in the film was very addictive but not to anything else than money and guns. He thought selling guns was the key to everything and didn't even notice his downfall coming to him. His brother Vitaly became addicted to cocaine due to a gun trade in Columbia after a drug lord pays Vitaly in Coke rather than money. Yuri checked his brother into rehab but constantly remained to sell guns to more countries in Africa and the middle east. In Africa, a deal goes wrong before the deal is made wich makes Yuri kill the Dictator and in return pays with his brother's life. I believe Yuri moved way too quickly not knowing what he was really getting himself into. Near the end of the film he tries to cover up his brother's murder with a fake death certificate, doctors find the bullet inside Vitaly still which sends Yuri to jail.

Overall this film reminded me of Goodfellas, and kind of Scarface how the shots were and the action with the great story of how business can kill you when the business isn't legal. It did cause me to be on the edge of my toes at some scenes like when Vitaly is shot. I noticed the director used different camera angles for different moods of Yuri. When he was comfortable like on the ocean on the cruiser or when we see Central Park from above, or when he is making a gun sale the camera always tends to give out a nice view. Its to show these comfortable places for Yuri. When things are going normal for Yuri the camera goes back up close to normal. Another thing I've noticed about the film is how every character has motivation, something that makes their character someone, like his brother's cocaine addiction or his wife's love for painting. You never really see what motivated Yuri in the long run, what he is working towards, this makes his character more interesting because it's like he does it just for the thrill and I like that the most and it intrigues me to watch his character change throughout the film. In my opinion, it's a great Drama/thriller and I would watch its sequel.  

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Godzilla (1954) Review

7/10

Though Godzilla is kind of an old film (1954) and is in Japanese with English subtitles it is still an amusing movie. It was one of the first monsters in movies and became a famous and significant monster in films since the release. Although the monster to us doesn't look very frightening and kind of cute back then it was very scary to the viewers, probably because this was a time before special effects evolved into what it is now. In the film, Godzilla attacks a cargo ship and they don't really know what happened later in the film people find a footprint near the beach and later see him rise from beyond the valley. They all run and this is the first time a large group of people encounter the monster. I think the story for a classic older film is quite cool and unique for its time, the monster they created looks like no other in a movie back then and I find that cool about this film. The Japanese government then attacks Godzilla and pronounces it dead, until a ship of civilians sees it at Tokyo Bay again alive. It is unexpected but at the same expected due to the fact that he was killed in such a small amount of time. The cool thing about the film is that they made Godzilla intelligent as he storms through the city and destroys the military base, and then goes back into the water.

The theme of this movie is that everyone is in the same boat, everyone is out ruled by this monster who appears to be unkillable. I like the theme because everyone must literally work together for their own safety. When a scientist discovers a substance that can destroy Godzilla is when the movie takes a turn for the brighter future of Japan. The movies ends with hope as the scientist kills Godzilla for good.

This film is a classic monster film that is not scary but amusing, I like the story line and how early this movie was made because it adds to the film in a cool way. The black and white with the Japanese setting made it like no other horror/monster movie I have ever seen. There have been remakes to Godzilla which I have seen and they are obviously more realistic, but this one feels more original and classic to watch because it is.

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Children of Men Review

Personal Rating 6.5/10

In the movie, as it takes place in 2027 and 18 years prior (2009) humans can not make any babies. Britain is one of the last functioning governments where it is somewhat possible to live a safe life which is causing many people to try and come here. The movie opens when the youngest man on earth (Diego) gets beaten to death on the news for spitting in someone's face asking for an autograph. This is crazy news to the world and especially to Britain. “The world has collapsed Britain soldiers on!” is played on the T.V. in the train as Theo Faron is taking the train home from work. Outside the train you can see skids, and “slum thugs” rebelling and throwing rocks at the train and at propaganda. This movie reminds of the novel 1984 by George Orwell and how the government basically rules the city. There are bombings, kidnappings, and wild gunfire and a feel of a proletariat environment.

Among all the different outcasts is a young girl from West Africa named Kee. She's hoping to get travel papers that will be able to get her securely out of England. The reason is that she's eight months pregnant. She has the last and youngest child on earth. She is at risk a lot and she is a target so she must stay concealed, Theo and Julian are tempted to see Kee safe. They help her try and escape the chaos and almost dying several times doing so. Near the end of the film there is a scene where  Kee and Theo are on a boat escaping and Theo is wounded and dies Kee sees a boat and gets safety but what next? What is life when you have the last child, you are still a target. Beyond the action and craziness that this film portrays it really makes you wonder what life would be like with no children, no future… Would everyone just give up because what is there to give to the next generation? What is there to build off of what we accomplished in our lifetime?

Overall it was a pretty good film with many different scenes of action where you are at the edge of your seat engaged deeply, there are many emotional scenes as well, and gave off a pretty insane storyline as well. I just wish that the film's storyline made a little more sense, I just think that some parts of the storyline were kind of extra and not needed. However, I am pleased with the film and would recommend it to those who love action movies. 

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Dunkirk Review

personal Rating 9/10

The Movie takes place in 1940 when Germany is trapping and attacking the French and British, the 330 000 troops were evacuated slowly and methodically. The film was directed by Christopher Nolan who made me more excited to watch the film, even more, the movie featured real locations, as well as exact vehicles from 1940. The movie starts in the battle where you see the planes in action and Farrier (Tom Hardy) is an Air Force Pilot in it. He never really talks but it makes him an even more suspenseful character. I love how the movie starts of in the battle and then the rest of the film all leads up to it. These are not any scenes of characters talking about their past around a “campfire” it's all suspense and action-packed. This can not work for some films as you may get bored or uninterested, in this film I was interested but I didn't get a sense of connection through one character due to fact that the main characters Alex and Tommy barely spoke for half the film. However, the director and writer did it this way because this film is about the events that occur throughout it. It's about the evacuation of all of these men, it's about being in the middle of this horrific situation and feeling like you are there. The characters can't talk and say “hey how are your kids doing?”, or “I'm going to get me some cake when I get home” because there are bombs dropping everywhere and in the situation, the film covers you wouldn't be having conversations about things that were not important in the instant. This movie is in the moment, everything on the screen looks authentic event though characters are not talking for several minutes you do not feel bored and your time does not feel wasted for one minute. You can feel the fear in every character when Farrier is getting shot at or when Tommy was dodging bullets literally, there were so many scenes where you were clenching your feet in fear for the characters. Nolan uses 3 perspectives and weaves them together throughout the film, it shows you how every role and every perspective are equally brave and how they sacrificed themselves while almost dying several times.

The first perspective was Tommy Hardy (Ferrier) from the air as he was an Airforce Pilot, or The second perspective the Mole as Alex left the film on the train, and the third the sea, as many soldiers died and sacrificed their lives on boats. At the end of the film, Ferrier saves thousands of soldiers and when he lands his plane he lights it on fire and you see a shot that reminds you this is a Christopher Nolan film. He lights his plane up because he has to surrender to the German and he will be a prisoner for the rest of his life which is sad bus victorious at the same time in a sense of what he did for his country. Nolan uses his insane skills to really bring this movie to life and this film really stuck with me after for a few days for sure.

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V for Vendetta Review

Personal Rating 7/10

V for Vendetta was a dystopian futuristic film about going against the government and the high powered, it portrays standing up for what you believe is right. That is what V did, V is an anarchist freedom fighter who rebels against the Chancellor and the government. I like V doesn't kill or harm people with good intentions but only those in charge which put citizens at risk for disease (like when the norsefire party was going to release a Virus into the U.K which would affect 100 000 citizens including a school and a water plant). This movie acted as a superhero movie would like batman or spiderman with lots of action but V did not portray himself as a superhero but someone who fought for justice just as a superhero would. He is different in that he stands up for gays, he wore a dress and apron to cook for Evey to show that he didn't care. At the beginning of the movie, Evey worked for the news network, a network which would only show fear and negative topics the government was trying to show. V takes her from the Job and saves her from corrupt guards who caught her walking home after curfew. As the film ends when V destroys the parliament for the justice of the U.K citizens it shows how he rebelled by himself against a whole government and creates an entertaining feeling throughout the entire film.

"V for Vendetta" sends a solid message to its watchers. It shows them how lack of concern can cause a society stripped from their rights and opportunities to the extreme.  if the general population stands up and considers the rights they should really have, nothing will be done to stop the taking of their freedom. V's main goals are to rebel against the government who the whole society is forced to abide by and he wants to make them realize that they will not win.  He doesn't sit around hoping someone else will deal with all these issues, he instead decides that it is up to him to stand up to the government. I like that, and I think in life to stand up for what is right is very important, to put yourself at risk (not in harm) to stand up for those you love or what you love is worth it because if you don't you may regret it for the rest of your life.

Overall V for Vendetta was a good film but was kind of confusing at times in my opinion. However, the message got across about standing up for what's right and it was realistic in the sense that life could potentially become that way in the future generations.

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Hotel Rwanda Review

Personal Rating 8/10

The Hotel Rwanda is a film based on the Rwandan genocide of 1994. More than 800,000 Rwandan citizens were massacred by running battles between the Hutus and Tutsis. The war between Hutus and Tutsis is fuelled by corruption and bribery that marks the country's political scene. It traces back to Rwanda's colonizing Belgians. Hotel Rwanda isn't the story of that massacre. It is the story of a hotel manager who saved the lives of over 1,200 people by being, essentially, a very good hotel manager. He was caring and selfless, his name is Paul Rusesabagina, who is played by Don Cheadle as a man of calmness, and hopefulness in a period of confusion. This is not the kind of man the audience is supposed to understand at the beginning but throughout the film, it shows how he can work things work in reality, who uses his aptitudes of pay off, sweet talk, and smarts to get out of some situations while saving lives.

He is a Hutu but his wife Tatiana is a Tutsi. His children are a mix. The Hutus are the majority of the Rwandan population, they blamed the Tutsis (the minority) for the murder of their president and began to murder all Tutsi citizens. When the genocide started lots of neighbors especially Tutsis hid out in his hotel for the safety of their families, but when the neighborhood became destroyed by the Hutu rebels Paul had to bribe the head Hutu officer to safely escort him to his family and friends in his hotel. Since the hotel was guarded by United Nations Peacekeepers, lots of other Tutsi citizens began to take cover in it, bringing the hotel much over the normal capacity. When the violence began to increase the United Nations peacekeepers left the country out of fear only leaving back around 300 men to serve in the genocide. This film shows many acts of courage and sacrifice as Paul risks his life several times for his Tutsi friends and family as well as his on Hutu friends. I love this film because it relates to the genocide but it also gives a sense of how positivity and love are the main two mindsets you must have to go throughout the hard times. It is an emotional film how so many innocent men and women were killed for no reason but Paul really pushes through the hard times with positivity and it makes you kind of forgot the horrible history the film is really about. People don't necessarily realize the impacts fighting and genocides have on innocent people. It tears apart families, ruins the environment and homes that people once felt safe in, it emotionally scars people and leaves them with nightmares. This movie was amazing because it visually explains exactly what happened during the Rwandan genocide. It shows the perspectives of the victims of the horrible event and how they sacrificed many things in their lives to protect themselves or the people they loved. Overall this movie is amazing and despite the sad and horrific history that is shown throughout the film there is positivity and love spread throughout the hotel where Paul manages and it shows you how one person can make a big difference.

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Forest Gump Review

Personal Rating 10/10

My personal opinion on the film Forrest Gump was that it really took a walk through history while maintaining a great story. I liked how even though he had a crippled back as a  young boy he really never made that prevent him to do what he wanted.  He grew up with a girl named Jenny, he always had a crush on her, one day she left to college and he promised he would see her. I think a big lesson in the movie is that even though you may not think you are capable of doing things in life there are always way around it. When forest went to college he was on the Alabama State football because of his incredible speed, he did what most couldn't even without a disability.  This film also portrays passion and loyalty. After college Forest joined the army, he met a black man named Bubba and they became brothers. Bubba said he wanted to sail a shrimp boat and sell shrimp for a living after they win the war,  he wanted Forest to be his 1st mate. Unfortunately, in Vietnam, they got ambushed and Bubba didn't make it alive. Years later Forest bought a boat and shrimp fished for Bubba, it shows how much he loved Bubba and how passionate he was. He named the boat after the girl from his childhood jenny and they later had a child.

I think this movie's message is to follow what you love no matter what and to never let boundaries get in your way. If we start seeing the life from Forrest Gump’s point of view it would be so beautiful. He is so pure in every aspect. The best thing is he is not at all judgemental about anybody around him. He loves everybody as they are. He always sees the positive side of the people. He may be a mentally challenged man, but he knows what love is. He loves Jenny with his whole heart. Gump's life is filled with one disaster after another, but in-between each of these disasters, is always something that is so fantastic, the audience is left to question if it actually happened. For example, his close friend Bubba died fighting in Vietnam, but due to Gump's need to run the shrimp fishing business they always talked about together, he found great amounts of success. Or when he was discharged from Vietnam, he developed a newfound love for table tennis, which led to him become one of the best players in the world. He always makes something great out of a bad situation he is always keeping positive to get through situations where he should have maybe not gotten through. This film motivates me to get through hard times and always keep my head up because if Forest can get through the thick and thin then we all can. Positivity is key. In my opinion, overall it was a great movie for life lessons and great movie overall to watch.