Unit 5 Civil Rights Movement

To see a very moving speech from Martin Luther King Please follow this link! http://youtube.com/watch?v=gZLvSnr6s50
LET FREEDOM RING!

Remember the Titans
“Remember the Titans” was released September 29, 2000. This film was written by Gregory Allen Howard of the WGA and directed by Boaz Yakin. Remember the Titans won eight awards and received fifteen nominations. This film focuses on the racism that took place during the 1970’s when schools were segregated and many jobs were open to only white citizens.

Plot
This film takes place in 1971 at Alexandria, Virginia. Racial tension is high as segregation is taken away from T.C. Williams High School. Coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) is given the opportunity to take the job of a successful white coach named Yoast (Will Patton) which he unwillingly takes. Throughout the film these two coaches feud while trying to get their newly anti-segregated football team to learn to respect and support each other.

Actors
Denzel Washington plays the role of Coach Herman Boone, a promising African American head coach. Denzel Washington plays the voice of reason in this movie; he always keeps a level head and doesn’t take any shortcuts. His acting is incredibly believable and never dull, from his Gettysburg address to simply talking to his family; Denzel Washington’s acting was flawless.
Will Patton plays the role of Coach Bill Yoast, who has been replaced as head coach by Herman Boone. Patton’s acting was fair but it seems like he tried too hard to compete with Denzel Washington. Throughout the film Patton acting seems to try to jerk tears rather than make sense. As Yoast, Patton is forced into a position where he must choose between what is best for his team and what is best for him, the choice is painfully obvious early into the film.


Presentation
The film was presented quite nicely. The camera work was great and so was the lighting. The only problem I had with the presentation was the vast amount of clichés. A couple of examples of this would be the long haired guy from California who kissed one of his teammates, or the overweight kid on the team who thinks he will never amount to anything but ends up being successful in life.

What happened during this time period?
During this time period, African Americans were not given the same rights as others. The Civil Rights movement exploded. The changes felt in this time period helped evolve the world into what it is today. Martin Luther King gave his “I have a dream” speech which helped open the eyes of all Americans to the potential world of equality. His well thought out speeches and peaceful ways won him the Nobel Peace Prize. On December 1st 1955, Rosa Parks defied the segregation laws and refused to give up her seat on a bus. She was arrested for breaking the segregation law which led to a huge amount of support towards the Civil Rights Movement.

Comparison
The movie stays true to history by displaying the lack of tolerance found in this time period. It was difficult for an African American to get a well paying job, if they were qualified enough to get this job it was just as difficult to keep it as companies often preferred to have an all white staff. There was a short mention of the battle at Gettysburg, as well. Unfortunately, however, that is all this film offered historically. Disney took out a lot of the historical relevance in order to make a movie that could possibly make the audience shed a tear.

What have I learned?
To be honest I didn’t learn much from the movie I chose, but I did learn a fair amount from the links on the course pages. Martin Luther king was a great man who changed history for the better. Although it may be a little presumptuous to say that racism is gone, I can honestly say it has been minimized. For example, this November there is not only a black candidate running for president but a woman as well. This is all possible thanks to the events in this time period, especially the Civil Rights Movement.


*****I give this movie 7 out of 10 stars.*****

Unit 3 Film Review: Back to the Future

Setting of Back to the Future
Written and Directed by Robert Zemeckis, Back to the Future was released on July 3rd 1985. This film won an Oscar 12 other awards, and 22 nominations. Back to the Future mainly takes place in 1955 in a small town. This film is considered a comedy/action/adventure/sci-fi film; almost anyone can find something they like about it.

Plot
The year is 1985 and Doc Brown creates a time machine, one thing leads to another and Marty McFly is sent thirty years into the past. Marty accidentally stops his parents from meeting and has to convince his mother who is infatuated with him to like his father. Will Marty make it back to the future unharmed or will history be forever changed?

Actors
Michael J. Fox plays the role of Marty McFly, a teenager who is just getting his life figured out. Michael J. Fox truly brings his character to life with his rebellious and witty comebacks. Watch his acting close enough and you may even find some adult humor hidden throughout the film.

Christopher Lloyd plays the role of Dr. Emmett Brown, the scientist that sends Marty back in time. Lloyd’s acting was great in my opinion; he came off as an eccentric, perhaps slightly delusional scientist with impossible ideas who always seems to come through when it counts.

Presentation
The special effects in this movie were impressive considering how old this film was. They were nice enough to appreciate, but not so over-the-top that it distracts from the film. The town in this film seemed to mirror the easy-going feel that you would likely find watching leave it to beaver.

What happened during this time period?
In the 1950’s it the television became popular and it was possible for a family to afford a single set. The Civil Rights Movement ignited thanks to the actions taken by Rosa Parks who refused to give up her seat on the bus just because of the color of her skin. Eisenhower was President for two terms after helping to win World War II. Eisenhower was president from 1953 until 1961.


Comparison
This movie has quite a few obvious differences seeing as it is a science fiction film. One of which was the involvement of time machines; as cool as it would have been, I doubt anyone has traveled to the 1950’s in a DeLorean. There was very little historical information to speak of throughout the film besides the occasional mention of Presidents. One thing that could be taken from this film as historical was the care-free attitude of the people. The television was just becoming affordable for households and the changes in social groups helped lead to the rebellious youths of the 1960’s.

What have I learned?
A lot of this information I already knew from previous history courses, but I didn’t realize how television was taking over in this time period. Programs like the Howdy Doody show were used to get kids to convince their parents to buy them products from sponsors. Eisenhower was the first president to utilize the television for his campaign. This, and the fact that he helped win WWII likely helped him hold his two terms as president.

****I give this film 4/5 star review****

Unit 10 Road to Perdition film review.

Setting of the Road to Perdition
Road to Perdition was released on July 12, 2002. It received a single Oscar, as well as twelve other wins. Written by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner of the Writers Guild Association, Road to Perdition was Directed by Sam Mendez. This film takes place during the winter of 1931 in Chicago.

Plot
Road to Perdition is about a twelve year old boy named Michael who finds out how his father has been putting food on the table; murdering people as a hit man. When Michael’s father, Mike, realizes that his son is in danger he rushes home to protect him only to find his wife and other son are dead. Mike takes Michael out of the house and tries to protect him, while at the same time getting revenge on those who have wronged his family.

Actors
Tom Hanks plays the role of Mike Sullivan, a man who is hired as a hit man for a crime boss named John Rooney. Mike see’s Rooney as a father figure and remains loyal to him for many years. Throughout the movie you Mike’s character becomes less aggressive and more of a father to his son Michael.

Tyler Hoechlin plays the role of Michael Sullivan, a twelve year old boy who sees his father kill a man. This action leads to the eventual death of his mother and brother, throughout the movie you can see Michael’s guilt grow. Although Tyler doesn’t get very many lines playing the role of Michael, he does a good job of showing his characters progression.

Presentation
I wasn’t very fond of the presentation of this film; I feel the lines were forced and that it took too long to get into the main story. The film is two hours long and could have done without the first forty minutes. The scenery was bland and the camera angles actually gave me a migraine. All in all the presentation was very disappointing.

What happened during this time period?
In the booming 1920’s women were finally allowed to vote thanks to the ratification of the 19th amendment. By 1923, out economy was stronger than ever before thanks to Harding. The 1920’s were a great year for most Americans; many purchased their first vehicles, owned household appliances, and went out for entertainment often. This streak ended in 1929 when the booming stock market crashed, leading to the great depression. During the great depression, our economy was in horrible shape and people were becoming miserable. One in every five people was left without a job, and businesses were shutting down.

Comparison
This film takes place in the great depression, and because of that many people are left without jobs. It is this fact that leads to Mike Sullivan taking his job as a hit man. He often thanks John Rooney for allowing him to work under him, claiming that if it weren’t for him his family would have nothing. The only other thing this film has in common with the timeframe it was based upon was the sense of corruption and desperation. Police officers taking bribes to look the other way while families do despicable acts just to survive, all in all not a very happy time for Americans.

What have I learned?
I have learned from the reading material and my movie that the people in this time period went through some serious highs and lows. Women finally gained the right to vote, African Americans began to join our culture in places like Detroit and Chicago, and job security was a given. Only ten years later when the stock market crashed one in every five people were unemployed and people were generally miserable.

*****I give this film a 6/10*****

Unit 9 Film Review: The Lost Battalion.

Setting of the Lost Battalion

The lost battalion is a made for T.V. movie that was released on December 2, 2001. Directed by Russell Mulcahy, It was written by James Carabatsos of the Writers Guild Association, and was made to be seen on A&E. This film was nominated for three prime time Emmys, along with three other nominations and two wins.

Plot

This movie tells the true story of how former New York lawyer, Major Charles White Whittlesey is sent on a suicide mission to take the French territory that was held by German forces in the Argonne Forest. The Major takes 500 men in with him and is promised support from the French and other allied nations but receives nothing. Major Whittlesey holds his position against all odds, hoping that what he and his men are doing will help end World War I.

Actors

Rick Schroder takes the lead role as Major Charles White Whittlesey; a man who used to be a lawyer in New York who agreed with Woodrow’s anti-war campaign. Schroder portrays the Major as a very serious person who is looking out for the safety of his men. Whittlesey tries to keep his battalion looking sharp even after suffering many casualties in order to show no sign of weakness.

Jay Rodan plays the role of Lt. Leak, an “apple Knocker” from Texas who just can’t seem to understand them City folk. Most of the movie the gangsters from New York pick on Leak because he’s from a small town and often can’t understand what they are saying. Throughout the movie the soldiers bond with one another and try to help keep each other’s morale up. Jar Rodan did a fair job at portraying Leak as a naïve boy from a small town.

Presentation

The presentation in this film was excellent; to be honest most war movies bore me to tears, sometimes taking me four or five sessions just to finish it. This film was different, however; the characters were diverse and intriguing and there was no shortage of action. Whether it is the German forces firing upon the 308 or the allies accidentally bombing the American encampment there was always something going on. The acting was superb and the battles were realistic.

What happened during this time period?

Tension was building between America and Germany on May 7, 1915, as a German submarine sunk a British liner which held 1,198 people, 128 of whom were Americans. Wilson Woodrow ordered an immediate halt to attacks on liners and Merchant ships. The German’s agreed to this but attacked two more vessels over the next two years; Wilson demanded that Germany abandoned submarine warfare, or he would break their diplomatic relations. Again, Germany agreed, and again, Germany attacked. On January 31, 1917, Germany began attacking U.S. Vessels, and after five were sunk Wilson Woodrow asked congress for a declaration of war; it was quickly approved on April 2, 1917. America was now part of the First World War.

During World War I many battles were fought to gain control of strategic territories, including the Meuse-Argonne, which cracked Germany’s vaunted Hindenburg Line. Nearly two million Americans were set out to fight in this war, with help from the French and British. Women in America began doing the jobs that the soldiers used to do, many even joining the military to help build weapons or heal the wounded. On November 11, 1918 in the 11th hour, Germany agreed to an Armistice and the war was over. Although many Americans died in World War I, even more were infected by the Flu which took many lives. Later, Woodrow established the League of Nations which contained the leader of each nation; the purpose of this group was to resolve conflicts without going to war.

Comparison

This film was quite accurate on a number of levels; the movie is based on a real battalion which was sent on a suicide mission in order to advance into the Argonne Forest. These were considered to be acceptable losses by high ranking Generals who likely had little remorse for what they were doing. This movie also showed that battalions were sometimes composed of a very diverse set of people; French, Americans, British, and people from Poland. Also, there was always a chance that Americans could bomb their own encampments on mistake while trying to strike the enemy.

What have I learned?

In this unit, I have learned how World War I began and ended. I also learned how the groundwork was laid for World War II from our unreasonable requests of Germany. We claimed that Germany was solely responsible for the war and that they should cover the multi-billion dollar cost in reparations, even though there were many other nations involved in the conflict. Also, before this unit I had no idea that women helped prepare the weapons and vehicles that our soldiers used.

*****I give this film an 8/10*****

Unit 8 Project: Unforgiven film review

Setting of Unforgiven

Unforgiven was released on August 7th 1992. It received four Oscars and 30 other wins. The film was written by David Webb Peoples of the Writers Guild Association, Clint Eastwood directed the film and also took the lead role as William ‘Bill’ Munny. The film is based in the Wild West time period in the latter half of the 19th century.

Plot

The story of Unforgiven begins when two cowboys come to the quiet town of Big Whisky. The cowboys stop by a whore house and when the entertainer mutters something unfavorable about the cowboy, he, with the help of his partner, cut the prostitute all over her body. The Sheriff, Little Bill gives the two cowboys a slap on the wrist, taking a few horses from each man with no whippings or jail time. The women of the whore house put their money together and seek the aid of willing bounty hunters to punish the cowboys properly. Word reaches a young would be killer who enlists the aid of a formerly renown killer to claim the reward.

Actors

Clint Eastwood played the role of William ‘Bill’ Munny, a man who was once revered as a ruthless bounty hunter. Munny had taken the life of men, women, and children; pretty much anything that moved at some point in his life. He stopped killing and started raising a family and a farm, a decade later however, Munny’s wife has passed on and his pigs are dying rapidly; money is short and in order to provide for his children Munny returns to his former occupation as a bounty hunter for one final kill, but has he lost his touch?

Morgan Freeman plays the role of Ned Logan, a long time friend of Munny who had been through many fights with him. Ned plays as the voice of reason throughout the movie that doubts the usefulness of “The Schofield Kid,” and often tests him. Towards the end of the movie Ned decides to go back home, turning his back on the money when he realizes the risk is too great. Ned gets caught and is brutally beaten to death as the Sheriff tries to get information on his two partners.

Presentation

I have never been too fond of Western films in general, but this film was bearable. Clint Eastwood performed exceptionally well with the exception of some of his dialogue which went on for a bit too long. Most of the dialogue was him talking about how he didn’t feel right doing what he was doing; this allowed viewers to see that although he was far from being a hero in this film, he wasn’t a true villain either. The backdrops were repetitive, but that is to be expected from this time period.

What happened during this time period?

The Wild West time period began and ended in the 19th Century. A key theme in this time period was conquest. Americans were trying to take over any land they could find including the land of Indians, in order to pave the way for more towns and railroads. It wasn’t only the white man attacking Indians, however; the Ute’s helped the white man conquer the Navajo Indians. When people weren’t trying to take over land they were trying to make a living; perhaps you would pay for food with the money you earned at the local tavern? Perhaps you made your living as a bounty hunter, killing wrongdoers with the promise of a cash reward.

Comparison

This movie displays how small towns functioned back in this time period very well. The sheriff in a town held the majority of the power and if he were corrupt enough to take bribes from would-be prisoners it would be easy for him to let them go. Another important aspect of history seen in this film would be how people could take the law into their own hands; if the price was right you could hire a bounty hunter to take out anyone you wanted.

What have I learned?

I have learned that in this time period courts weren’t used as often as they could have been. In smaller towns people could be executed just on suspicion of a crime. One important fact I had never known was that Indians worked with the White Man in order to get rid of rival factions of Indians. In these Indian wars many Indians had their land and their livestock stolen from them.

Unit 3 review of the Scarlet letter

This post is over 1,000 words long, so be prepared to read for a few minutes. =)

Setting of the scarlet letter
I am doing my film review on “The Scarlet Letter.” This film was directed by Roland Joffe and based a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Released on October 13, 1995, the scarlet Letter received 9 nominations and won the Razzie Award for the worst remake/sequel in 1996. This film takes place in 1966 inside of a Massachusetts Bay colony where the Puritans are settling in order to escape persecution from the Church of England.

Plot
The story revolves around Hester Prynne who has a child with someone besides her husband. In the puritan colony she is looked down upon for being a feminist, and as punishment for this act she is forced to wear an emblem with a large scarlet A (A stands for adulteress). She chooses to not release the father’s name, as he would be hung. The father (you find out who he is early in the film) is disgusted with himself for not taking the blame alongside Hester. Throughout the story Hester tries to live with herself, even though most people despise her. Eventually Hester’s husband returns from the grave, which puts her and her secret lover in a very dangerous situation.

Actors
Demi Moore did a horrible job at portraying Hester Prynne. All of her lines seemed to be forced throughout this film. An hour and fifteen minutes into the movie, Hester is on the scaffold and the reverend pleads her to share her fellow sinner’s name, this is meant to be one of the most dramatic scenes in the movie, but Demi Moore showed no emotion what so ever. If it weren’t for the fake tears I wouldn’t have been able to tell her character was supposed to be upset. Her character didn’t seem to go through any transformation throughout the film, if I saw a scene from the beginning where she was supposed to be defiant and a scene from the end where she was submissive, I would find it difficult to tell which was which.

Gary Oldman plays his part as Reverend Dimmesdale well. He seems to connect with his role as a reverend that has lost his way. An hour into the movie he shows a great amount of emotion knowing that Hester is suffering alone for the travesty against god they both committed. Gary’s character goes through a transformation when he finds out Hester is pregnant; he goes from love struck messenger of god to a sorrowful sinner who is struggling to live with himself.

Presentation
This film was bland as far as presentation goes. There were only two different areas that are worth mentioning, the settlement in Massachusetts Bay where the English lived, and the forest filled with Indians. The latter of the two was actually quite beautiful; it had a nice waterfall in the background, trees as far as the eye could see, and even a few animals running around. The town where the puritans lived however was poorly chosen. It looked as if a Wal-Mart could have occupied that land a few weeks ago. There were few stunts to be seen until the end of the movie, unless you count riding horses or catching sticks as stunts. All in all the film was not presented well at all.

What happened during this time period?
In the 16th century, the London Company made the first permanent English settlement in America. The settlement was named Jamestown, after their king, King James I. There were many difficulties for this first establishment, many died from Indian attacks and diseases. Between 1628 and 1629 Massachusetts Bay was being colonized. Hundreds of English puritans who wished to escape from the persecution of the Church of England fled to Massachusetts. Also, in the 16th century; men and women were persuaded to come to the new world as servants. These people served whoever bought them until they paid off their debt, once it was paid off they were free citizens who were able to maintain their own land.

Throughout the 18th century, France and Britain fought in a succession of wars. Although Britain was at an advantage because of its sugar rich islands of the Caribbean, the battles were generally indecisive. France had control of the Mississippi River, which prevented Britain from continuing their Westward expansion. Once Britain had finally taken care of the French, the British decided to try and enforce a government. While trying to agree on certain aspects of the governing system, there were many disagreements which lead to the end of the colonial period sometime between the end of the French-Indian war, and 1776.

Comparison
The movie did a good job at capturing the tension between the Puritans and Algonquian, but I don’t recall reading about the Algonquians attacking the Massachusetts Bay settlement because a woman with a love child was about to be hung. In other words, its background was fairly legitimate but there was a fake story inside of it. There was no mention of important settlers in the movie, but the film did show how indentured servants as well as slaves were used to work on farms and were generally the bottom of the barrel in this timeframe.

What have I learned?
Between the film and the notes I have read for this unit I have learned a few thing. First off, before reading the recommended information on the colonial period I had no idea that Jamestown was the first Permanent settlement that the English had made in America. From the film I learned the difference between slaves and indentured servants, before this I thought there was no difference between the two. Slaves had no rights and didn’t have a date that they would be set free. Indentured servants on the other hand would eventually acquire their own land once they had served their masters for a set amount of time. Finally, I learned that The British and the Indians were on somewhat friendly terms for awhile, even trading on several occasions.

All in all I would give this film two out of five Stars.

Unit 2 Project Revision

I have never been much of a blogger, I have always preferred creating websites: See http://www.odysseyk12.net/handelman for examples. Anyways, I messed up when I turned my first assignment in and in an attempt to correct my error I give you: "Unit 2 project Revision 1!"

Part 1: Google Help
My Google email address is taimer2u@yahoo.com With Google docs. I am able to not only work one on one with my peers, but my teachers as well. In this way I am able to seek live guidance from people who know more about the subject than I do, or help a friend who is struggling a bit.

Part 2: Turnitin.com
The purpose of using Turnitin.com is to prove that I am not plagiarizing any of my work. Turnitin.com cross checks my work with many sources from the Internet. If anything I submitted is close enough to something online it will flag my assignment.

Part 3: Syllabus
The honor code policy in your American History through Film course goes as follows. If I get caught cheating once..... the instructor "will take away points for that part of the project. If the whole project included honor code violations throughout, I will lose all the points." My first quarter grade is based on units 1-5, second quarter is based on 6-10 and the Semesters grade is based on all units between 1-10. My semester grade is based on my total points, not my percentage from each quarter.

Part 4: Gathering Movie Information
What movie did you watch or reflect on for Part 1 of this lesson? I watched Pans Labyrinth How well did the sets, costumes, and props enhance the story of the film you watched/reflected on, explain? The background seemed to fit the movie, it took place within three mane scenery's; dungeons, strongholds, and forests. Each major piece of scenery added it's own emotions to the movie. The dark dungeons forces the audience to feel unsure of the surroundings, the stronghold helped give the impression that Ofelia, the main character was trapped, and the forest was the only place she could truly be free. The costumes also worked fairly well, all of the hired help at the stronghold were wearing popper's clothing, the high ranking officers in a magnificent blue uniform with medals lining it from one side to another. The props weren't too outstanding, but that just made everything look more realistic. Which film review website did you like best from Part 2 of this lesson? I used the reviews from IMDB.com, I have been using this site long before I came to Odyssey. Did you bookmark the film review site so that you can use it later? I already had IMDB.com in web favorites list, but I plan on using it often this year.

Part 5: My Film Review
Today I am going to review a movie called "Pans Labyrinth", or "Laberinto del fauno". It was released October 11, 2006, and was first released in Spain.Pan's Labyrinth was given a lot of praise last year and even received a large number of awards. The film takes place in fascist Spain in mid 1940's.

Pans Labyrinth revolves around a Teenage girl named Ofelia who is obsessed with fairy tales. One day Ofelia's pregnant mother is riding with her to Spain in order to live with Captain Vidal, the father of Ofelia's soon to be half-brother, and a fascist officer. As the once content family nears the outpost, Ofelia's mother feels ill and Ofelia leaves the car and runs across a fairy who eventually leads her to a faun. The Faun claims Ofelia is the daughter of the moon and must complete three tasks to take her place as a Princess.

The two characters that made this movie worth watching were Pan and Ofelia. Ivana Baquero's portrayal of Ofelia was perfect, she showed emotions such as fear and distrust better than many full fledged actors could. She won the Goya Award at only 12 years-old. Doug Jones was 46 when he acted the role of Pan. Throughout the entire movie Pan seemed so confident you would be insane not to believe him, at the same time he seemed so sinister that you couldn't help but suspect him to be evil. Thanks to Doug Jones it was incredibly difficult to tell what would happen next.

Most of the special effects were fairly small, with a large bang here and there. The camera angles always showed what needed to be shown, but the lighting effects in some places were a little less than I would have hoped for. I have never been much for Whimsical movies, but I give Pans Labyrinth a 4 out of 5.