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          Has there ever been a film that had scenes that were not thoroughly understandable which made the movie confusing? Director Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is a film that is full of imagery and metaphors. The author of the article goes in depth to the story of this movie. Since the beginning of mankind there was found a black monolith by apes which started the evolution process. After many years later another one was discovered on the surface of the moon and after studying it, that monolith is sending a signal to Jupiter. A spaceship is built and a crew is sent out to discover what is on the receiving end of the signal. One of the crew members is a robot named HAL who is in comparison a human being. Once realized about the true mission to Jupiter the robot is afraid and does not want to become obsolete and decides to eliminate the crew members. In the end, the last member Dave dismantles HAL’s computer circuitry and sets forth in a shuttle to see what is on the receiving end of the signal. The film is hard to understand, but with deep explanations of the metaphors gives 2001: A Space Odyssey a stronger impact on the minds of the viewers.

          With barely any verbal use in certain artistic scenes, Carrol Fry elaborates on certain scenes that would be hard to understand if only watching the film. Starting with the beginning with the apes looking at the monolith was meaning the start of evolution. Another with the conflict between HAL and the humans represented as the broken union between humanity and technology. At the finale with Dave traveling through the speed of light and him aging rapidly was another symbolism to evolution. As he is aging Dave is being reincarnated and at the end with the fetus over the Earth, that was meaning the return of Dave as a new species that is evolved with the assistance of the monolith. The author describes well with what the movie lacked to accomplish and had a great argument for the essay.

          Carrol Fry tries to elaborate where the movie failed to do so. She tries to assist the viewer to understand the film more. The argument raised is 2001: A Space Odyssey is confusing and hard to comprehend. After reading the article about the film and its artistic scenes people will be able to appreciate the movie more. This is highly agreeable if watching the movie alone, it is rather puzzling and many of the scenes will have the viewers asking why it was placed in the movie. The article “From Technology to Transcendence: Humanity’s evolutionary Journey in 2001: A Space Odyssey” that has helped understand the film and grow a better appreciation to it.

         Has there ever been a film that was well made and fit your genre of movies that is now considered a favorite? Terminator Two Judgment Day by academy award-winning director James Cameron is an example of that for many people including myself. This is a movie full of action and suspense that will have the audience wanting more. If the viewer is going to first see this film and has not watched the original there is a brief summary of the whole conflict for him or her to be up to date. With Terminator Two Judgment Day voted as one of the best science fiction films, it should inspire the viewer to watch the movie for the high quality of development it tries to present.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eajuMYNYtuY

          James Cameron who was also the writer was still able to take the action and drama from the first Terminator into this masterpiece. The film starts eleven years after the original Terminator took place. The protagonist Sarah Conner is contained in a mental hospital and her son John Conner is under foster care. The plot starts to get interesting with the machines run by a company named Skynet is losing a war with humans in the future and sends a terminator known as the T-1000 back in time to kill John Conner who will become the leader of the rebellion. Legendary Austrian actor Arnold Schwarzenegger is back and is sent to the past again as a terminator identical to the one that tried to eliminate Sarah Conner, but his new mission is to protect the son at all cost. After later freeing Sarah Conner from the hospital, both her and the terminator band together to help protect John and save the human race. The plot itself is well-developed and with the help of special effects director James Cameron made a film that will be remembered for a long time.

          Unlike some of the other films today, Terminator Two Judgment Day was able to stay consistent with the use of high quality effects while making it realistic. For example, the machines in the beginning were not moving too much like a human but in a slow jerking motion. The main antagonist called the T-1000 was creepy throughout the movie with it forming into different objects and people while trying to kill John Conner. Another quality is the use of destruction. In the scenes that had utilized fire and explosions really strengthened the movie rather than hinder it. Modern films over exaggerate this use while trying to cover up a terrible plotline. James Cameron is a genius with keeping the viewer’s attention while not overdoing the special effects. In combination with the acting, this movie is thoroughly made and was a major accomplishment in James Cameron’s career. The film Terminator Two Judgment Day is a masterpiece that I consider as one of my favorite movies to this day.

Has there ever been a time when gotten injured and thought how you were going to afford the medical bill? The 2007 documentary Sicko by acclaimed director Michael Moore is able to shed light onto the health care problems in America today. With the use of past history and other examples he is able to persuade the audience about how the American medical system is terrible and needs to be altered. Sicko is a great documentary that has the viewer wonder if America is still a great nation.

Michael Moore is able to make his films unique in comparison with other documentaries. The movie begins with examples of people who had accidents and have no medical insurance to others who do, but were denied any surgical needs. It continued with showing how prices of medical bills are extreme and even with health care insurance many Americans can still be denied of any medical assistance. Later he compares this country to others that have better medical care. For example, England, France, and Canada have a form of universal healthcare that is prosperous in comparison to America’s health insurance policies. If his film is made into an essay format however it would be slightly altered and not as appealing to the American population.

Sicko is a documentary full of serious events of people in America, but still being humorous with some of his antics. The argument he is trying to convey is quite simple, that people in America need better medical care. If remade for an essay much of his information would more be an overview of the problem then expressing stories. The documentary would lose much of its meaning of his adventures around America, Canada, Cuba and parts of Europe. As an essay all of his information would still be valid and persuasive, but not as many people in the United States of America would read it. Michael Moore knows how to reach out to the majority of Americans which is through movies. With all of his examples and persuasion the academy award nominated Sicko is a well developed documentary of our time.

Michael Moore is able to find hard problems with America and make a convincing point about it. Some of his other documentary films Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11 and the newly released Capitalism: A Love Story had controversial issues that were one sided, but made arguments why America is the way it is and how it can be altered. This documentary will have a person wonder if the United States of America is a great country for its people anymore.

“The elite groups that support the local historical societies use the past to legitimize their social power but deny the value of the past as a model for behavior in the present”

This is a quote that is best suited for this article. Historically all that modern Americans have of the past is through local historical museums and history books. Although this one explains that only certain aspects of the past is shown to the public.  

 

“The leaders of the corporate order tried to sell the ideals of the “gospel of wealth,” claiming that those who amassed great wealth were better suited to decide things, and that capital, not labor, was the source of productivity and the good life.”

Giant corporations believe it is their ideals that make a company great. The belief is the stronget the company is then they have the understanding in having the decisions over the working class Americans. This is a good point with wondering if a company is for the people or for their own pockets.

Has there ever been a time where you thought to yourself companies are going too far? The J. Michael Moore essay “Worked Over: the Corporate Sabotage of an American Community” is an example of a big corporation that turned a small flourishing company to a new conglomerate that was not for the employees which was based on a book by Dimitra Doukas. The Remington Arms company founded by Eliphalet Remington and his sons was made to benefit both the company and its workers. People in the towns of Frankfort, Mohawk, Ilion, and Herkimer were impacted largely by this growing company. Although after falling into bankruptcy in 1886, the corporation that took over had a new ideal that benefited the financial wealth of the company, but hindered the workers and their families. The company believed the higher the wealth and powers the better at making decisions for the capitol. It is suggested that this example is similar to others across the northeast during that era. There are only two types that came from these corporations were the low working class and the high wealthy elites of the company. With the working class it is easily noticeable how the person is characterized by their gender and race. This book is a great example of modern corporations today and its effect on other communities. Michael Moore gave a great point on how this book is historically correct and tries to persuade the reader about what happened during the eighteen hundreds can happen to modern day America. Michael Moore’s essay on “Worked Over: the Corporate Sabotage of an American Community” is a great on a conglomerate that went too far on American Communities.

Have you ever sat down and watched a movie that was so terribly made you could not help but laugh? The 1990 film “Troll 2” is a perfect example of just that. This pitifully conceived horror movie directed by Claudio Fragasso is actually a sequel to a better horror film, “Troll”. The viewer does not need to watch the original before seeing number two. Since the storyline is not continuous between the first and the second in the Troll series. Although the movie was named one of the worst films in American cinema, I challenge viewers to watch “Troll 2” for the serious intent it was trying to convey, yet fails miserably.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KCct4RwLNM

The story starts with the Waits family having a trip to the town of Nilbog. Joshua, one of the main characters is haunted by his deceased grandfather Seth, who tells actual stories about goblins eating people. He mysteriously warns Joshua that the family will have the same fate if they leave their home. As the viewer would anticipate, the family does not listen and drives to the town. Not soon after reaching their destination the older daughter Holly’s boyfriend Elliot Cooper and his friends start disappearing. Joshua with the help of deceased Grandpa Seth tries to save his family from being eaten. The movie’s plot line is sadly very predictable.

Perhaps the director was immature with low skill level actors. The acting did not seem very believable. Also for a horror film, the violence did not appear realistic or scary. Many of the creepy scenes with the use blood seemed to be more like goo or mush. Something a very juvenile film maker would produce. Yet perhaps viewers may still enjoy “Troll 2” for its seriously failing attempt at making a terrorizing horror movie. So if you are thinking about renting a horror movie, I do not recommend this movie. If you are wanting a good laugh with friends, you might want to consider it.

Have you ever watched an advertisement that reminded you of your high school English class book about dystopias and communism known as “1984”? The Ridley Scott commercial for Macintosh computers does just that. If you have not read the book “1984” you can not appreciate the year or even the commercial. With the dark gray coloring and the weak, pale drones, then having a vibrant, athletic and lively woman coming to change the conformists really opens your eyes. You would get the message that the Macintosh personal computer would change the world, and it did. It makes the person want to test or even switch from their current computers to an Apple.

1984 Apple Macintosh Personal Computer advertisement:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8

In the commercial, director Ridley Scott made the world be in a Big Brother type of dystopia. Every person walks in unison and believes the same thing. As the individuals are walking into an auditorium they are being spoken to by a middle aged man played by David Graham. He was speaking of the first anniversary called the “Information Purification Directives”. While the man was preaching to the audience, a nameless athletic blonde woman played by Anya Major comes running in with a sledgehammer and police in riot suits chasing after her. She then stops to swing the hammer into the screen and destroying it. The commercial ended with showing the conformist people awestruck and jaws opened with a person saying, “On January 24th Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh, and you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like 1984.” This was first aired during the Super Bowl twenty-eight. Compared to some of the other advertisements, this was revolutionary.

The Apple Corporation had a very powerful meaning to the commercial which spoke to me. The company wanted it to seem other computers are like the novel “1984” where the products were mainly for unifying and against individualism. With the Macintosh it was the opposite where the computer would empower the people and would be a tool to combat conformity. In the end, this Apple commercial is still being hailed today. After watching it, I feel like I want to buy an Apple computer.