The Hurt Locker

I overall enjoyed watching this movie, although I don't know if it's the kind of movie I would watch for a second time. This is sort of like a war movie, only there aren't battles and they are trying to keep people from dying by disposing the bombs. Also, you never know what is going to happen next, like if someone is going to explode in the next few seconds. The saddest part of the movie was towards the end when the main character was trying to get a bomb with a timer off of a man. Unfortunately, he had to leave the man to explode because there wasn't enough time to get the bomb off of him. I don't know what I would have done if the person helping the man were me. I could definitely see how that could scar someone for life. I have a feeling that the hurt locker has to do with the position the person was in, whether they were physically or emotionally hurt from the things going on around them. So the camp (or locker) is a place that causes good/normal people to feel hurt on the inside and outside.

Captain Phillips Review

Like some of the past movies we watched in this class, I had seen "Captain Phillips" prior to viewing it in class. This is a very well done movie and deserved the awards and nominations it received, especially Tom Hanks, who did an amazing job portraying Captain Phillips. I liked this movie just as much the second time because of the great acting and the suspense. What I thought was interesting was when I was told that Captain Phillips was not the same as he was in the movie, a hero. Apparently the people from Sony were sued by some crewmen, while those that kept their mouths shut received at  least $5,000. This, however did not ruin my take on the movie.

Argo Review

This was my second time watching this movie and it was just as good as my first time watching. The movie was so suspenseful, which is one of my favorite parts of any good movie, and there was a lot of action, something good or interesting was always happening on screen. I never really knew a lot about the subject of the movie, the American hostage crisis, but the movie did a great job in the beginning explaining the background of the movie, for those who don't know what it is to better understand it. Overall, I loved the movie and would recommend it to anyone who likes action and suspense.

Apollo 13 Review

This was my second time watching this movie. The first time I was in eighth grade and thought that it was really boring. I don't remember even staying to finish the ending. This time, however, I really liked it. The time that they were in space was a little too long, I would say still. But, it is still a fascinating story. The main character played by Tom Hanks is my favorite character because he seems like such a good guy and great husband and father. If I were his wife or child I would be so scared for his life because space is such a scary place to be, especially when something goes wrong.
I would recommend this movie to anyone older than at least fourteen and able to understand and follow movies well. It is one of those movies that you can either love or hate.
In my opinion, NASA budget is one hundred percent to much. I understand that the technology and machinery costs a lot of money, but there are other important things that should be funded for besides the fact that we want a couple of people to have the experience of going into space.
We are not funding the shuttle program for a reason. I think that as a nation, we have cared less about being better than every other nation in the world, which is good and bad. Good because we don't have to pay so much money to get ahead and that money can go to other uses. It's bad because we may not stay the most advanced and strongest nation in the world anymore.

Parkland Review

I thought this movie was very well made and good. The most interesting part of the movie and it's production was the fact that this production company is not a very widely known production company, but they were able to create a good movie that was as true as possible, and an A-list cast. Also, I learned a lot about the Kennedy assassination. I had no idea that the first person to get their hands on the president of the United States was a very young intern who seemed to have no idea what he was doing. The other important story to Kennedy's assassination was the man and his camera that video taped the shooting. There was so much drama to that story because when the FBI needed the tape, they were worried that when developed it, it might get ruined, or something bad would happen in the process. Overall I liked the movie. Parts of it did get a little boring and long, but otherwise, the movie got their point across, the importance of telling the whole true story.

The Pianist Review

This second of the Holocaust movies we watched was excellent. Although I thought the movie a great description of a man's struggle to survive, there were a couple of things that I did not love about it. The first thing was that the movie was so depressing. This poor man and his family are sent to the ghettos, but then someone technically forces him to escape from his family. Despite the fact that they were on their way to the concentration camps, they were altogether, but the police officer lets him alone escape and leave his family to die. Then he finds out the girl that it appeared he loved was married. When he goes into hiding, he gets very ill, starves, and breaks his leg. The whole movie from there was very sad. Second thing that I didn't like about the movie was the length of time he played the piano for. I understand the movie is called "The Pianist," but the amount of time he plays for the Nazi soldier was just too long. He played for what seemed to be five minutes which should have been maybe a minute and a half at most. Otherwise, I loved everything else about the movie. The actors were amazing and the man the actor was portraying was fascinating to watch and learn about.
I think that Hosenfield did not shout out to other Nazis when he found Szpilman because, I'm going to guess, that he saw something in him that was different than all other Jews he had seen before. Maybe he noticed that Szpillman was special. Also, Hosenfield could have been starting to resent that he was a Nazi before he met Szpillman, so he decided to do something nice for a Jew for a change in order to feel less guilty about what he was doing.

Defiance Review

So far, this movie is one of my favorites that we have watched all year. It is a thrilling, educational, and dramatic film that causes me to want to learn more about the subject it teaches. To me, the Holocaust is a fascinating topic to learn about and was crazy to me how people actually had to live like this, in the woods, in order to survive. I could not imagine leaving my home and living in the wilderness, where it is cold and dark, for the next couple of years. I enjoyed learning about the Bielski brothers because they  were good people who would bring anyone in and help them in time of need. 

"Our revenge is to live" is the Jew's way of rebellion during the Holocaust. They are doing exactly opposite of what the Nazis want to happen, have the Jews dead. So the Jew's revenge against the Nazis is to live instead of die. 

Can humanity and revenge ever exist? Maybe. As children, we are always told that if we are bullied we should't fight back, but stand up for ourselves. I think that standing up for ourselves is like revenge only better because it shows the opposing team that we are not going to take anything from them. In this movie, however, the fighting back kind of revenge is what is happening, and honestly, I think that they sort of go too far. By killing Nazis they are sinking to their level. I do understand that the Nazis are killing Jews at the same time, but they aren't going to show how much better they are to just kill them.

Godfather Review

I overall liked the Godfather. It was an interesting movie to watch, but I still do not understand what all the fuss over the movie is about and why it is such a classic. I thought of it as just another "mob and crime" movie. I liked how close the family was, despite them being a criminal family. They seemed just like any other family out there, loving and caring for each other. One of the most interesting parts of the movie was in the end when Michael Corleone's wife looks over to him and sees that Michael has become exactly like his father. It was ironic because in the beginning of the movie, Michael told his then girlfriend that he would never become anything like his father, but he ends up doing exactly the opposite. That moment had a lasting impression on me.
Vito Corleone is the moral character, despite chopping off the head of a director's horse, because he was the one who brought together all of the heads of the crime families and worked out a "treaty" to help end their war against each other. I think it was sad when Vito died in the tomato plant near his grandson. It shows sort of a softer side to him and truly cared about his family. If he had died in his office, I think I may have thought differently.
This movie is, I guess, a little different from every other crime movie, because it takes you into the minds of the people involved in the crime. You sort of have sympathy for Vito Corleone when he dies because you get to so more of his side, rather than his victims' side. I guess that that could be the reason for this being a classic.

Miracle Review

I really enjoyed watching the movie "Miracle" because I like learning about sports teams and their rise to greatness. It was definitely another one of those "feel good" movies, mainly because of the the ending. The United States hockey team ended up winning against the undefeated Soviet Union hockey team. Watching this made me feel proud of my nation's history. Despite their very slim chances, they pulled through successfully. I enjoyed learning about Herb Brooks and how he brought a bunch of amateur hockey players from all other parts of the United States together. With his leadership, he turned them into the best hockey team in the world. From this movie, I learned to never give up on a dream no matter how hard it is to reach. Also, much like the movie "42," this movie is centered on the idea of teamwork. One of the main reasons the US hockey team won the gold medal in the olympics was because they worked together and treated each other like family.  I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes a movie with a happy ending. It is the kind of movie that would make anyone happy. 

"Miracle on Ice" is a major event in history because a group of men who had never played ice hockey together, and didn't have a shot at winning gold in the olympics against the Soviet Union, worked hard and won, with the help of their new coach, Herb Brooks. It took a lot of effort and teamwork to reach their goal. This was also in the time of the Cold War so the Soviet Union was already a huge opponent. The US was able to show what they could do through their Hockey Team. 

There aren't any events that have happened quite like this one. There are, however, some events in history that have brought the American people closer together, like several school shootings, 9/11, and hurricane Sandy and Katrina. These events teach people that despite our vast differences, we can all come together and help those in need when they need it the most.  

42 Review

I had seen the film "42" while it was still in theaters and I loved it! Before I saw it the second time, I forgot how great it was. I did not know that it was even possible, but I liked it even more the second time. I think that the movie was a fun loving baseball movie with both like-able and hate-able characters. Jackie Robinson and his wife were obviously like-able characters, as well as Mr. Rickey.
In my opinion, Jackie Robinson has greatly helped this country when there was a lot of racism in the 40s. During a time when there were separate bathrooms for blacks and whites, there was also a separation in baseball between blacks and whites. When Mr. Rickey decided to bring in an African American baseball player to play in the Major Leagues, this was a huge change and many people were opposed to it happening. Robinson was able to show how great he was and eventually he proved himself to be among one of the best baseball players who ever lived. He broke the line that separated black and white baseball players. From people like Jackie Robinson, we learn that just by working hard and staying focused, one can accomplish anything.
Some of his values are important to me to face my own barriers. I plan to work hard to get far in life and if I ever get angry or frustrated, I will want to try and avoid lashing out at others because it only makes the situation worse.
Jackie Robinson said "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." This means that  the most important thing is not to be selfish, but to be selfless. The way to be selfless is to help others and impact their lives. I agree with Jackie Robinson because a life is not important if it does not leave a lasting impact on someone. It could be someone like a mom, dad, brother, sister, friend, etc. They will remember you and pass down the knowledge that you have given them.

Cinderella Man Review

"Cinderella Man" is the amazing story of James Braddock who is a professional boxer trying to make a living during the Great Depression for the sake of his family. I think Braddock is considered a Cinderella Man because his story is similar to Cinderella. Like her, he had a hard life and had a lot to deal with. In the end of "Cinderella," she gets her happy ending by winning the heart of the prince, and in the end of "Cinderella Man," James gets his happy ending by winning the national boxing title. This is a great "feel good" movie and I really enjoyed learning about his story. I felt like the movie was able to get to my emotional side mainly because the acting was excellent. When the characters were sad, I was sad for them. when they were happy and thrilled, I was happy and thrilled for them. I liked James Braddock's character because he was brave enough to go against the tough "bad guy" in the end, despite the many warnings he was given. He wanted to go against him so that he could earn more money for his family. He did not do anything for himself. He usually thought about his family first. There are people our there who are still dealing with financial issues like the Braddock family today. There are people who must deal with the fear of losing a family member, only in the case for today, for people who are in the military. 
The scene where Braddock's son explains why he stole is so powerful because this was most likely very common to steal during the Depression because there were so many people left to starve. Honestly, I would probably have stolen food for my family back in those days. It's a matter of life and death, and I would do anything to help my family survive. 
Also, the way the movie portrayed the opponent, Max Baer is absolutely unethical. The fact that the producers and director didn't even have the decency to tell his family in the first place about how he would be the bad guy in the new movie is just wrong. He seems like the kind of man who would have nightmares because of the way the movie portrayed him. I don't think, however, that it takes away from the story of Max Baer not being the bad guy in real life. He was, I'm sure, a very great and strong opponent to go against. Also, James Braddock still had to struggle with money and would still be considered the Cinderella Man.
When Braddock goes to Madison Square Garden to beg for money, I think it is sad that a strong and honorable man would have to sink so low and beg for money from his former boss and coworkers. This, however, would be something that I would do to help protect my family. So I think his action was very admirable. This particular moment in the film helps define Braddock as a "Cinderella Man" because this is similar to the scene in "Cinderella" where she gets help from her fairy godmother to go to the ball. Only in Braddock's case, the "fairy godmother" are his former coworkers and former bosses, and the "ball" is his family's survival. 

Tombstone Review

I do not usually enjoy watching movies about the Wild West. I can't even sit through a whole entire Cowboy movie without getting bored. This movie, however, I watched the whole thing without getting completely disinterested. When I first started watching the beginning, I was not too thrilled. There were a lot of gun shootings which were entertaining, but the next scenes when everyone is in Tombstone, I got a little lost. There were a lot of different characters with mustaches that I couldn't tell some of them apart. As the movie got more into detail and the stories unfolded, it caught my attention a little bit more. Overall, I would rate this movie as a 5.5 out of 10 because the action scenes were very fun to watch and I liked some of the characters, like Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. I liked how, despite the hardships they had to face, they remained good friends. I do not think that this movie changed my mind enough to want to learn more about the wild west, but it was interesting enough to watch and I would recommend this to people who like cowboy movies.

What makes an event legendary are the people who continue to remember the event that took place and tell others of this event. What makes a person legendary are their actions. Wyatt Earp is someone that I consider legendary because he helped to "tame the cowboys." Without him, cowboys, like the ones in the movie could still be around today. The cowboys in the movie were trouble makers who never liked to follow the rules, so I could only imagine how terrible it would be if they existed in today's world. I think that the most interesting part of learning about the Wild West are the trips they took to get to the Western towns. The people faced a lot of hardships to get to towns like Tombstone, so it is appealing to me to learn about their journey.

Glory Review

Glory, in my opinion, was a good representation of the hardships African Americans had to face to gain equality in America. It had an emotional and thrilling plot which is what a great movie should have. I am not very interested in the Civil War and the battles that took place, but this movie definitely got me more interested in learning more about what happened during that time. The movie did a very good job at keeping me interested to know what happens next. The main character, Colonel Shaw was the most fascinating to watch develop as a character on the screen because he was already accepting of African Americans to an extent, but became even more accepting and even walked side by side the other soldiers in the last battle of the movie.  The only thing that I didn't like about the movie was how overly dramatic Shaw's death was during the last battle. They made it seem like it was some sort of overly tragic moment in history. There were many people who died during the Civil War and he was one of many who died. In real life his death would have been a thousand times less dramatic. In Hollywood, they make moments like this that can last for hours. 

People are willing to die for their country because they are proud of their country and have a lot of patriotism. They also are willing because they want to bring pride to their families. I consider the men of the 54th to be heroes to an extent because of their bravery, strength, and will to fight. They never give up and continue to want to fight in battle no matter what the consequences. By fighting, thy are helping many others get a chance to live their lives normally. Shaw is just like the 54th men. He has a lot of will power and I consider him to be a hero. 

The significance of the story, specifically the leadership at Fort Wagner is that they showed to other people that African Americans are similar to white people. They have a chance to be treated equally if they were just given the opportunity to be able to do so.

My Introduction

Hi everyone, my name is Emma. People describe me as friendly, caring, responsible, and fun-loving because I love helping others when they are in need. Some things that interest are swimming for fun, volunteering at an animal shelter, playing the saxophone and clarinet, traveling, watching TV, sleeping, and eating; the usual. My goal in life is to get into veterinary school and become a successful veterinarian for, preferably, domestic animals, such as dogs, cats, rodents, etc. I like school because it gives me a chance to see my friends and learn more about important things that I will need to know later in life. I also dislike school because it begins early in the morning and is a lot of work, which I must get through in order to become successful. The qualities I believe create a good teacher are, helpful, nice, humorous, easy to talk to, has a flexible schedule, and knows what they are talking about. On a scale of 1 to 10 of how much I like history, (10 being I love history) it would probably be a 5. History is very important and everyone should learn about what happened in the past, but it is not something that I particularly love to learn about.


Am I proud of humanity?
There are some events in the past that I am proud of humanity for and some events that I am not so proud of humanity for. One event that makes me disappointed in humanity is the Holocaust. This was one of the worst events that happened in history of the world. Over 10 million innocent people were killed during this tragedy. The Germans blamed all of their problems on the minorities, Jews. They created concentration camps (murder camps) that helped to kill Jews faster and more efficiently. This event has made people question whether Germany and the rest of the world will ever recover.
There are many events that makes me constantly question humanity, like when there is a school shooting, or a bombing. After the fact, however, the community it happened in comes together to help these individual victims and their families who were impacted by these occurences. This coming together of people is what brings back the faith in humanity.