O Brother, where art thou?

In Ethan and Joel Coen's film called O Brother, Where Art Thou? a band of three misfit prison escapees seek a treasure as told by their so called leader Ulysses Everett McGill, The journey for their treasure takes them from breaking loose from a prison chain gain, to writing and signing a top hit song to escaping from the clutches of the Klu Klux Klan. The opening credits of this film state it is based upon the epic poem by Homer called The Odyssey. As many of today’s films are filled with sex, drugs and violence this film has hardly any of those and for those reasons it makes it one of the best films of its time.

Some negative critics of the film don’t see the humor, or the historical importance of the film. According to an independent film critic named Christopher “This is a story of selfishness and stupidity signifying nothing. The characters live in a beautiful world and have zero appreciation for it.”(1) Christopher perhaps missed the entire point of Ulysses’ dimwitted sidekicks and the fact that there are people that live the way the characters do and that is in a selfish and stupid fashion. Who is Christopher to say that their world is beautiful? Would the world seem beautiful if you were a wanted fugitive during the depression era? I believe the Coen brothers did a brilliant job of telling the tale a three less than intelligent men setting a goal and sticking with it through thick and thin. 

The fact that O Brother, Where Art Thou does not have any sex, drugs and minimal violence in it sets it apart from nearly all other films.  There is humor throughout the film and sometimes it is missed in the first, second and even third viewing. One of the funnier lines is when the trio was approaching a rundown farmstead and a young boy approaches them with a guy and starts to name who he has shot at. When the boy said “I nicked the census man” Delmar O’Donnell responds “now there’s a good boy” What is historical about that is the census (or the Federal Government) was not very popular with the citizens of this country in that time period.

O Brother, Where Art Thou shall stand the test of time and may even become more popular as the years go on as it tells a simple tale during a dark time in our countries history. Although the main character may be selfish, and the three of them would probably be considered “stupid” by someone, they are truly unique characters that you will root for throughout the film and anyone that takes the time to watch this lighthearted film will have a smile on their face when it is over.

(1) http://www.metacritic.com/movie/o-brother-where-art-thou

Harry Potter's Girl Trouble

  In Schoefer's essay Harry Potter's Girl Trouble she is evaluating how woman or girls are just helpers or enablers and have do higher meaning. To begin with, she starts her argument with the positive qualities that the Harry Potter series has to offer. Such as its "impressive lead on the best selling list", how Harry has the ability to turn all types of kids into readers, and the colorful but impressive imagery that just hooks the reader. Schoefer also left out some positive features that most likely enriched her argument. Some of these include how Hermoine may be annoying to the boys, but they were both in love with her, it cause a love triangle that added some interesting detail to a few of the books. She also forgets to explain how Hermoine saved their butts countless times proving that she is the brains to the operation, her story was deep and well thought out and it seems like Schoefer just ignores it to persuade her view on the "sexism" that the Harry Potter series is cursed with.

Harry Potter's girl trouble

The positive qualities that Schoefer identifies in The Harry Potter books are how brave Harry and Ron are, although she states that Harry is the braver of the two. How Hermione is book smart, and how Minerva is stricked but in a good way. I agree that Hermione was pretty stuck-up in the beginning but near the end, she ended up becoming pretty cool and she stuck by Harry and Ron's side till the end, whereas in the beginning, I wouldn't have thought that she would be there by there side. I think she is unfairly slanting her evidence since they whole point of the story was to explain how the women in the books basically get in the way and don't help much. Hermione was a "goody goody" in the first few books but as she got older she began to calm down and actually help Harry and Ron without aggravating them. If it wasn't for her, they wouldn't be able to do half the things that they did towards the ending books.

Transformers: Dark of the moon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCVFRkPUFlM&list=FLh3iFBku8L0aEog1PyY1Wyg&index=1&feature=plpp_video

I believe all in all this movie was bad ass. Between the graphics and story line, I loved it. With this being a great movie, I found my favorite part on youtube.com, so here you go.

This clip is about a car chase between a few of the Decepticons and Autobots. They used traveling shots in this scene to give you a  feeling of being in the movie. They went from one side of the road, to the other. As doing so, the background music faded a little bit while the sound of the cars' engines got higher. You could here the strength of the car as they raced away from the decepticons. Going more towards my favorite part, they used a decelerated motion to anticipated whether or not Sam was going to fall to his death or saved by Bumble Bee. Of course, like in most movies, Bumble Bee came to the rescue and caught him in mid-air as he blocked any debris going towards Sam. They did a close up shot as Bumble Bee transformed from robot mode to his Camaro form. Sam was still screaming like a girl in the passenger seat.

Harry Potter's Girl Trouble

What positive qualities does Schoefer identity in the Harry Potter books? What other positive features does she ignore? Is she justified in not discussing these positive aspects of the books, or does her failure to do so mean she is unfairly slanting her evidence?

Several positive qualities that Schoefer describes I how it leads the best sellers list, how much parents like the fact that their children have become avid readers, how her daughter embellishes the Harry Potter character and the mile-long waiting lists at the public library. She was fascinated by the magical world, wizards, sorcerers, and Hogwart's School of witchcraft. There are several other positive factors that Schoefer ignores such as; the struggle between good and evil, the unhappiness Harry had to face growing up. Schoefer also ignores the value of the many mentors Hogwart’s students have that are not only important but help to teach many life’s lessons. Another important aspect that was overlooked was children can overcome being bullied. Schoefer down grades Hermoine’s self worth. Even though Harry was bullied by other students he never allowed the circumstances to make him bitter. These books are here to be enjoyed by all and I personally enjoyed reading them because they let one use their imaginations to take them beyond reality. Schoefer seems to be more focused on the sexist instead of the actual stories. Schoefer also ignores the value of the many mentors Hogwart’s students have that are not only important but help to teach many life’s lessons. Another important aspect that was overlooked was children can overcome being bullied. Harry Potter was bullied by other students, but he did not let these obstacles keep him down. Harry Potter persisted and succeeded through adversity. Schoefers’ failure to mention several positive aspects obviously means that she has an unfair slanting of her evidence. The focus of the portrayal of females in the Harry Potter trilogy would definitely persuade someone's opinion of these books. Leaving out the lessons learned by reading these books is not being objective.

Film Review

After careful consideration, I choose What Dreams May Come to be my all-time favorite movie. Starring Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Annabella Sciorra, it is a movie about soulmates, the afterlife and the emotions associated with the concept of heaven and hell. It is based on the novel written in 1978 by Richard Matheson of the same title as the film adaptation. Although this movie did not get great rating or reviews by film critics or websites like Rotten Tomatoes, I fell in love with not only the storyline itself by the vivid colors and visible depiction of heaven and hell. Even the author of the book made the statement " I will not comment on What Dreams May Come, except that a major producer in Hollywood said 'They should have shot your book.'Amen" It starts out with Robin Williams character, Chris, meeting Annabella Sciorra's character, Annie, in Italy in sailboats. I believe in fate in real life and was impressed that this was shown so nicely in this movie. They get married and have two kids, a son and a daughter. The kids get killed in an auto accident, which causes Annie to go mentally insane and to get put into a mental institution. Chris himself dies in an car related accident. He is a doctor in the movie and is trying to save victims of an accident that he had been stuck in traffic for. Chris finds himself in what he calls his part of heaven. It comes across as a beautiful oil painting that his wife, Annie, actually painted in real life. I enjoyed this part because I often wish I could disappear in my own paintings. Chris then meets his dog, a dalmation, that he had to put to sleep due to old age, in heaven and he thinks he is in doggie heaven. This a part of the movie that I could relate to, I own an dalmation. Annie ends up committing suicide because she is unable to deal with all the death that has occurred. Chris finds out that Annie committed suicide and that she will end up in hell because of that. He makes his mission to rescue her so that they can be together forever in afterlife. Another character is introduced as Albert, a medical mentor of Chris', played by Cuba Gooding Jr. Albert leads Chris on this mission to rescue Annie from hell. Along the way Chris discovers Albert is actually is Chris' son. His son choose to be shown to him as Albert because of the respect that his dad always had shown Albert. Chris also runs into an airline stewardess that he soon realizes is his daughter. His daughter had chosen the stewardess based on a statement that her dad said during a flight together of Asians are beautiful. Chris and his son journey to hell which is shown as the broken down house they all had lived in. Annie is trapped in that house. Chris goes in to save Annie but is warned first by his son that if he stays in there too long he too will be trapped. After the failed attempt to trigger Annie's memories, Chris decides that he will just stay in hell with her. This clearly demonstrates to me that true love means sacrifice. Annie comes to and they end up back in heaven with both kids and the dog too. The jump between the hell and heaven part wasn't thought thoroughly through and didn't make much sense to me. The film critics felt this way as well. In the end of the movie, Chris and Annie decide they want to be reborn again. The scene flashes to a lake and two kids, a boy and a girl, sailing toy boats that collide with each other, once again implying the soulmate theme. Even with all the negative reviews this film received, I would still recommend it to everybody. It has the makings of a great movie, a love story, drama and action. It is all in how you perceive heaven and hell and how you feel about soulmates and the afterlife.

The Greatest Speech Ever Made

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WibmcsEGLKo&feature=related

This video clip used many film aspects to convey a message. It begins with a close-up of Charlie Chaplin. The emotions are apparent in his face as he begins speaking and the viewers are focused on his face then his words. As the voice-over begins a cross-cutting scene begins playing to translate the meaning of his words to image that are in everyday life. Chaplin's voice modulates to emphasize the importance of his delivery. Emotions begins to stir as images roll across the screen. The intensity of the message increases as Chaplin's voice amplifies and the images of life and death are shown. As he speaks of the depravity of humans images of depravity are shown. As he speaks of humanity images of life and kindness are displayed. Utilizing montage to show historical accounts, Chaplin speaks of how technology has brought humans closer together and torn people apart. The clip ends by showing how beautiful life is and relating these images to words of hope to inspire the viewers to take a stand, make a change for the better, and leave a mark on this world.

Harry Potter's Girl Trouble

   The positive qualities that Schoefer identifies in the Harry Potter books are their impressive lead on the bestseller lists, parents' raves about Harry Potter's magical ability to turn kids into passionate readers, her daughters' clamoring and the mile-long waiting lists at the public library. Schoefer ignores the struggle between good and evil and how good triumphs over evil. Also, the value of mentors to students is important to not only teach academia but to teach important life lessons. Another important aspect that was overlooked was over children can overcome being bullied. Harry Potter was bullied by other students, but he did not let these obstacles keep him down. Harry Potter persisted and succeeded through adversity. Schoefer's failure to mention these positive aspects means she is slanting her evidence for the argument. The focus of the portrayal of females in the Harry Potter trilogy would definitely persuade someone's opinion of these books. Leaving out the lessons learned by reading these books is not being objective.

Harry Potter's Girl Trouble

Although I did not run out and buy the Harry Potter series in book form , I do proudly own them in Blu-Ray. I purchased them for pleasure, not to critically analyze them. They are intriguing due to the magical content itself. It gives you focus outside real life. There is and always will be one form or another of sexism. I do not completely agree with Christine Schoefer's article where she insists the the female characters are inferior to the male characters. The books are appropriately titled Harry Potter for a reason. If the series were focused primarily on the female roles, then it should be titled differently. The Harry Potter books follow Harry Potter himself and his journey to magical maturity and his endeavors along the way. There are indeed more influential male roles compared to female roles. However, the female roles are just as important. Dumbledor and Hagrid are two primary male roles who are Harry's mentors and father figures whereas Ron and Hermione are his friends who accompany him throughout his magical adventure. Hermione serves as the wisdom to this diverse group of three. She is studious to remain competent and current in wizardry which is historical dominated by males. Unlike Harry Potter who is recognized by the stories of his battle with Lord Voldemort as an infant and his famous lightning bolt scar, she has to earn her place. Her choice to focus on her studies is the reason she "has no girlfriends" and where Christine stated "she felt sorry for her", I do not. No matter what gender you are, in order to stay ahead of the game, you have to put in the effort. Once again proving herself as not the typical female who is conscious of their looks, Hermione comes across as almost a tomboy which helps her fit in even more with Harry and Ron. Girls will be girls, we are more emotional and showy of emotions then most males. We will blush in the presence of an attractive person. This example is shown in Christine's article where she points out Ginny, Ron's younger sister, does blush and stammer around Harry. J.K Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, is just trying to show that Harry is physically attractive as well as an aspiring wizard. Ginny does become Harry's love interest and ultimately marry and have kids. There are female characters scattered throughout the series but none individually that really influence Harry. J.K. Rowling wrote an incredible series of books even though they are based on males. If Christine Schoefer is truely perturbed by the stereotypical writing, then she should write her own series with the lead character being a female.

Cultural Studies/ Superbad

    In the movie Superbad, written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg the characters are driven by partying and sex. The movie is trying to portray how in teen culture boys only care about getting "laid". They write a story about three boys who are on a mission to lose their virginity. The writers try to express how these young men are willing to do pretty much anything for sex. That being; getting a fake ID, running from cops, and getting intoxicated. Throughout the movie the three high school student encounter many troubles that some other students may encounter everyday. For example, that daily visit from the bully, stopping at a gas station for red bull before class, and not having a lab partner. The reason behind the story is to make a general audience laugh at something that they may have experienced in high school, and show that high school students are always going to be looking to accomplish a similar goal. Superbad may be targeted for a younger audience around the ages of 16-30, but if you have a aberrant sense of humor than the film can be just enough to make you laugh aswell.

Film Review Movie "Big"

The movie"Big" was a movie that about a young boy who made a wish that he was big. Because he was not able to ride on the ride with his friends. After, the next day he was big, Tom Hanks, played the adult part, of the movie Big. He thought making this wish would be an effective way for him to do anything. He feels that adults are able to whatever they would like to do when they want to without any restrictions; for example, he wanted to stay up late to watch TV and he did. Because he was now an adult, he had to support himself. After learning that things were not all grand being big, he wanted to be a kid again. He found that he this was an ineffective wish because he had to responsible adult with no more free time. I am sure we all have said " I wish I was older or bigger", some point of time.  This is an example of do not rush to grow up. Enjoy life day by day and do not rush time.

Harry Potter's Girl Trouble

What positive qualities does Schoefer identify in the Harry Potter books? Schoefer describes the four factors that lead her to purchase that Harry Potter books: Leading on best sellers list, parent's raves about the books, and her daughter glamorizing over Harry Potter character. She was intrigued by the magical world, wizards, sorcerers, and Hogwart's School of witchcraft. There are other positive factors that should have been mentioned; for example, the troubles that Harry had to endure while growing up. His parents died when he was young, and his family treated him very badly. Because he was not their child, he was treated like an outcast. However, this did not influence Harry to be a hateful or negative person and influenced with positive attitude. I do not feel that she is not justified in discussing this positive aspect of the books. This is an important factor that no matter how bad things may seem a person can be a productive individual. He shows no bitter emotions to those who treat him very badly. Also, he is a positive role model for other young people that may have lost their parents due to a tragedy. I feel that Schoefer seems to be "sexist", by the way she down grades Hermione's self worth. I thought these were books to enjoy reading and take you away from everyday life. I feel that Schoefer is more focused on the sexist instead of the actual stories.

 





Do the Harry Potter books deserve their popularity?

Do the Harry Potter books deserve their popularity?

I have viewed the entire collection of Harry Potter adventures, as well as read the entire series and I would definitely have to say yes to the question. The Harry Potter books deserve all the popularity it has received.

Author J. K. Rowling was able to entwine make-believe with reality as well as linking action with adventure. She created a bewitching fantasy world littered with confrontation, prejudices, and determination to believe in something greater than the viewer. The Harry Potter books pull the reader into a childlike atmosphere that makes one want to believe in the possibilities. It also has many real life experiences that many people have gone through as children.

The Harry Potter series opens one up to the magnificent creativity of the author as the scenes develop before the eyes. These books travel through the life of a young boy as it watches him grow and mature into a young man of incredible values and morals, despite his unpleasant, unfortunate circumstances.

With each challenge that he faces Harry Potter must invent ways using intelligence, rationality and determination, sometimes without the use of his magic. Harry Potter’s determination is a very good influence for young readers because it allows them see that if they set there minds to a goal or task, they can achieve it.

Many reviews that have been written do not agree with J. K. Rowling’s books because of their use of supernatural aspects such as wizards, warlocks and witches. Believing this cannot be suitable subjects for young people to be immersed in.

Although everyone is entitled to their opinions, Rowling’s Harry Potter books are far from being unsuitable. There are many other famous novels that deal with witchcraft or the unfamiliar. Harry Potter books are very much deserving of the popularity. The use of imagination and creativity help to champion the underdog. It gives one the understanding that people should always fight for truth, justice and righting the wrongs as well as helps one to believe that you can concur obstacle.

Week 3 DQ #2

Idealogical Review of Forrest Gump

Tom Hanks is the main character in the award winning movie Forrest Gump. He plays an outstanding character who can be a role model for anybody. Forrest Gump was known as the town idiot who proved his intelligence without being aware of the epic decisions he was making during his life. The only things Forrest was truly familiar with was love, selflessness, the importance of family, and relationships that lasted forever. He would take advice from anyone and could call them a friend. Forrest had a mind that never gave up. He presented us with a difficult life but all it took was to be motivated. He showed the world that a human being is capable making any choice one desires. Forrest lived in a world where no judgments were ever made by one another. In every one there should be a Forrest Gump giving you the bright side.

The film is a complete set of values that should take place in every ones daily life. Watch it once, you feel the importance to love all things, watch it twice and you’ll want to call your long -lost, best friend. The way this movie inspires leaves a hero in all of us. He could make the sun shine on any day.

Week 3 discusion post #1

Recently, I fell in love with a corky, free-spirited, beauty who is named Sara(Charlize Theron). She is the main character in the romantic comedy Sweet November. Her happiness and passion for life really engaged my attention. She meets a stranger at the local DMV named Nelson (Keanu Reeves). Nelson is a workaholic who has no spare time if he’s not making money. During, a driving test he’s forced to take by his secretary, Nelson distracts Sara and the instructor calls her out for cheating. Sara leaves the exam room with no shame but with an idea up her sleeve to get revenge on Nelson…the sweetest revenge.

Sara and Nelson’s personalities are polar opposites, but after one month together they share memories that will last them forever.

This movie is a pleasure for me because it is truly inspiring. The reality in the story line can relate to many individuals who are thirsty for motivation in their own lives. No matter who you are or what you are going through, this film can make you appreciate anything. It will make you want love, it will make you want to cry. It will also give you an idea that with any amount of time you have at the moment, you can be happy in it.

Essay 1

The majority of you should have received Essay 1 by now.  I still have a handful that I am working through over here, but those of you still waiting will have them back well before the next essay is due.

This is a good time for my to make a note about revisions.  You have the option to revise any of your essays.  There are three things you must do in order to take this option.

• Let me know that you plan to revise the essay within 48 hours of receiving it back from me.
• Revise the essay and email it to me within one week of its return.  (In other words, if you got your essay back today, I would need your revision by next Thursday.)
• Return the original graded essay and rubric with your new copy.

As you revise, pay attention to both the original assignment sheet and the grading rubric returned to you with the essay.  Also note that I will not raise your grade if you perform only cosmetic, grammatical revisions.  That is proofreading, not revising.  Revising should indicate an overhaul of essay construction or content and should go beyond simply correcting the grammatical notes I have made on your paper.

Clip review: Rise of the Lycans

In the 2009 hit movie, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Michael Sheen reprises his role as Lucian, leader of the Lycan clan in their centuries-old war against the Vampire coven. This movie, however, is a "prequel", that shows the truth of how the war started. This particular scene features Lucian in a cell after defying Viktor's (leader of the vampires played by Bill Nighy) orders. This scene is the turning point in the movie, as Lucian realizes that things will never change for him or the other lycans unless they do something. Like revolting against the vampires.

The scene features cross-cutting camera shots going from Lucian to some of the other lycans, inculding his future second-in-command, Raze. It truly adds to Lucian's speech which, though short and simple, spoke deeply to the others who saw him as their leader; the oldest and strongest of their kind. The scene also features camera angles showing the extent of the Lycan quarters in Viktor's castle, so as to show the audience just how many werewolves are listening to Lucian's speech.

It also ends with a camera angle that puts the viewer at a slightly lower level from Lucian as he concludes his speech, arms held in the air with his memorable line "We can be slaves... or we can be Lycans!" While perhaps a bit chliched, this particular Hollywood trick is still used in films today and probably always will be due to it's ability to add drama to any scene it is used in.

Inherit the Wind

 

                                                         Discussion#2: Week 3

                                        Ideological Paper: INHERIT THE WINd

The 1960 film “Inherit the wind” is a fictionalized depict of an actual case on record, the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” trial, but it is in no way similar in events are character references. It is about a small town school teacher named Bertram Cates, who is arrested and brought to trial for his crime; being that of the teaching of his students about the theory of man’s descent from ape, derived from the Charles Darwin’s book on, “The Origin of Species”.

 Although the film, “Inherit the wind” places the school teacher, Bertram Cates up against the Town’s inhabitants who are followers of the religious leader Rev. Brown; who in actuality had Bertram Cates arrested for his teachings in violation of the Butler Act: An Act prohibiting the teaching of evolutionism and creationism, other than that which is within the Bible.

On the side of the prosecuting attorney set Matthew Brady the towns’ inhabitants favorite, who do not believe in the theories of Charles Darwin and considered himself as being a scholar of the Bible. Matthew Brady felt that there were no other answers to the existence of life then what was written in the Bible.

For the defendant set lawyer and also estrange friend of Matthew Brady; Henry Drummond, whose feelings were that it should be up to an individual to be able to decide what he or she wanted to believe in.

Lawyer and prosecutor argued their case, in the end Bertram Cates loses the case, but to the dismay of the prosecuting attorney Matthew Brady, Cates would only have to pay a meager fine of one hundred dollar.

 “Inherit the wind”, gives the view of an entire town and how one incident can pit side against side and in a court of law all the ugliness of pent up anger can over flow.

Bertram Cates wanted to give his student another point of view about the history of life’ in order for their minds to open up to possibilities other than a belief that was handed down to be truth’ and to seek out that truth for themselves and not to be afraid to ask why.

Harry Potter's Girl Trouble

First off, I would like to say that Christine Schoefer clearly has no understanding of people or apparently of the entire point of Harry Potter. Had she read the rest of the books past Prisoner of Azkaban, she would see her greivous misinterpretations, but unfortunately, the article "Harry Potter's Girl Trouble" seems to have been written by someone who was woefully uninformed and disconnected from the human condition.

Let's start with the "sexism", shall we? In said article, Schoefer claims that the Harry Potter world is completely dominated by men, putting girls and women completely into "supporting" or "unimportant" roles. This is not only untrue, but insulting to the hard work J.K. Rowling put into these characters. Schoefer says that Hermione Granger, Harry's close friend, is written as someone who only studies constantly and does not even have a real friendship with Harry and Ron, saying that the two boys "begrudgingly" accept her, when in fact, they relied on Hermione greatly. Yes, she was since the first book and through the final insallment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, a bookworm and a bit of a nerd. But since when is that a bad thing? It never once stopped her from helping her friends or, more often than not, allowing the team to pull off the plan or even saving the day with her own knowledge from her careful research. Why, however, is Hermione so "obsessed" with knowledge? Well, it could be the fact that her parents are both successful dentists, and she herself wants to succeed in life and especially at Hogwarts since she had no prior knowledge to the world of magic as her parents are Muggles. Or maybe it is the simple fact that she is a student at a prestigious school and yearns to do well and prove herself. Which she does on countless occassions.

Schoefer makes mention of the failed Polyjuice Potion in the second book, Chamber of Secrets, in which Hermione mistakes a hair from a girl's sweater with a hair from the girl's cat, thus resulting in a bad, probably painful transformation. But what did Hermione do? Turned the negative into a positive by using her recovery time to do more research and thusly discovering the fact that the creature petrifying people, and the voice Harry was hearing in the walls, was a basilisk. Schoefer also seems upset by the fact that in The Sorceror's Stone (number one), Hermione collapsed in terror at coming fact to face with a mountain troll. To which point I would like to point out that Hermione was upset already at that point and was, most importantly, only eleven years old! How many eleven year olds would be bold in front of such a beast? Very few.

She also mentions Ginny Weasley's blushing, stammering nature around Harry in Chamber of Secrets and still a bit in Prisoner of Azkaban. To which I would remind Schoefer that Ginny Weasley was, in those circumstances, a little girl with a crush. How else was she supposed to act? As little girls with crushes do: nervous and a bit awkward. Had Schoefer bothered to read past Prisoner of Azkaban, she would have discovered that as Ginny grew up, her confidence blossomed and she became a strong individual who could not only defend herself, but also her friends, including the boys. Schoefer seems to find the part where Tom Riddle tells Harry "You have no idea how annoying it is to have to listen to the inane problems of a stupid little girl", but seems to be forgetting that the person saying this to Harry is the young Lord Voldemort, and thusly PURE EVIL. Of course he is not going to care about a little girl's crush and self-confidence issues!

The article also says at one point that there are no women or girls on the side of evil. This was so wrong I literally yelled at the book. Had Schoefer bothered to read past Prisoner of Azkaban, even just into Goblet of Fire, she would have learned that there are, in fact, female Death Eaters, followers of Voldemort. Like Bellatrix Lestrange, Narcissa Malfoy, Alecto Carrow, and even Dolores Umbridge (though not technically a Death Eater, she is definitely evil). There are some VERY evil women in the Harry Potter series.

My point with all of this is that Christina Schoefer really should not be writing reviews or editiorials or what-have-you about characters in a book series when A)she has no idea what she is talking about or most importantly B) reading the whole series before trying to decide what the character development is.

Discussion Post: Harry Potter's Girl Trouble

Chase Fowler

Schoefer’s evaluation of the women of Harry Potter was well thought out but ultimately failed to understand why the characters are written in that way. She does acknowledge that Hermione is a book worm and is intelligent because of it but she also sees this as a drawback because she’s always studying. I find that intriguing that she views someone who would prefer studying as opposed to breaking every rule Harry and Ron do as a drawback. She then bring up Ginny who is always stammering and blushing around Harry. She then goes on to talk about how she made a mistake when she started writing in the cursed diary which led to her being under it’s influence. This is where I believe Mrs. Shoefer really loses touch with the story.
The series is a coming of age story. The story is about these kids growing up and learning lessons along the way. Hermione is a book worm because she is at the school to learn but her studying always comes in handy when they’re in a pinch. Ginny is a young girl with a crush, that’s how most young people act when they have a crush on someone. And yes she did make  a mistake when she started writing in the diary but that’s the point of growing up, you learn from your mistakes.
Her analysis of the teachers had me more annoyed than anything. How she was flustered with McGonagall because she didn’t act like Dumbledore was just mislead. McGonagall is not Dumbledore, she’s meant to be his opposite. Dumbledore lets the rules slide while she upholds them. The fact she was upset that she wasn’t more like Dumbledore in that respect was bewildering to me.

Discussion Post: Film review

Chase Fowler

One of the best films I have ever seen is The Social Network. The film is great for various reasons, notably that the acting is superb, the writing was excellent, and the story in of itself is relevant to my generation as it’s about the creation of Facebook.
The acting by all of the main characters in the film was excellent. The main characters, Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg and Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin, we acted in a way that kept me glued to their performances and actions throughout the entire film. Armie Hammer as both of the Winklevoss twins was also amazing to see, I thought they actually casted twins for the part at first. But all of this acting would of been for naught if the writing was not top notch.
The screenplay writer for the film was Aaron Sorkin, whose most notable work is The West Wing. Sorkin’s career is packed with shows and movies that are littered with high-class action that can make the most mundane thing seem exhilarating and have you on the edge of your seat. He had plenty of material to draw inspiration from as well because the historic rise of Facebook has received plenty of coverage.
Facebook has become one of the largest, if not the largest, website in a staggering amount of time. With over seven-hundred-and-fifty million members on the site it’s no wonder many are drawn to it wondering where it all started. The story of how Zuckerberg took an idea and with aggressive business tactics and a lot of programming know-how he made himself into the world’s youngest billionaire.
The Social Network was a movie I fell in love with the moment I saw it. No matter how many times I watch it I’m still amazed by it, it’s just so well put together. The acting is phenomenal, the writing is incredible, and the story itself is one that affects the current generation, the previous one, and more to come.

Harry Potter

                          

                                                    Discussion#1: Week 3 (14.8-Response)

                                          Do The Harry Potter Books Deserve Their Popularity? 

After having viewed most of the Harry Potter’s adventures, I would have to say yes. The Harry Potter books do deserve their popularity.

The author, “Joanne Rowling-aka J. K. Rowling”, not only is able to blend make-believe with reality, action with adventure into a magical world of fantasy, challenges, and expectation astoundingly. Joanne Rowling’s Harry Potter books captures the child within her readers; with real-to-life events in which readers may have had similar life experiences with or are going through similar experiences themselves.

The life in which Mrs. Rowing places her star character is not an easy one, nor, is the challenges in which he faces simple. To read the Harry Potter books, is like becoming a part of a spectacular event, as one watches the life of a child grow and blossom within each chapter and with each challenge, into a young adult.

The character Harry Potter is compared with real life issues, in which he must find solutions that deal with the use of his wit and determination and not just his magic. Harry Potter’s determination is a good influence on young readers; for they are able to view Harry as being a normal boy, unlike themselves, who must overcome unbeatable odds throughout his life to achieve his goal by not submitting to fear or giving in to ways that are wrong.

There are those who may be objective of Joanne Rowling’s Harry Potter books because they feel the “supernatural” content of wizards, warlocks, and witches are not suitable subjects for the young to immerse their delicate minds into.

Those that choose to criticize the writings of Joanne Rowling’s, Harry Potter books as unsuitable literature for the young, often forget about the other famous, award winning novels turned film, such as; “Bedknobs and Broomsticks “, which was based on the novel written by Mary Norton- The Magic Bed Knob & Bonfires and Broomsticks.- or the infamous, “Mary Poppins”, written by P. L. Travers. These are just two of many books that deal with witchcraft or the unexplained.

Harry Potter books’ are not just deserving of their popularity but because of the imagination that was put into each one of them may very well help our young, who feel weak and powerless against those who feel they must bully over the meek, stand up and believe in themselves that they too can overcome any odds.

DQ #2: Ideological Analysis on Avatar.

Avatar may seem like a purely entertaining movie, it however is promoting many ideas and underlying themes in its plot. For example, the humans begin to invade, colonize, and exploit the natural resources of the “Na'vi” or blue tiger-like people. A classic tale of what humans have done to each other, to animals, and to nature itself since the beginning of time. It is clear that the movie aligns itself with the side that this is wrong, because the Hero is the one who opposes it and fights with the Na'vi against the humans. In the movie, the humans only care about removing the one, expensive natural resource that the Na'vi possess and are willing to eradicate their population to get it. The movie also promotes the idea that beings are and should be ones with nature. The Na'vi are their entire planet get energy from the trees, and when the trees are cut down the Na'vi and the planet are no more. One can just switch the natural resource in the movie for oil in real life, and see the significant parallels. Humans will destroy natural environments and habitats, endangering animals in the process, to obtain and drill for oil. Or substitute it for diamonds: Humans will go into other countries or continents (Africa) and colonize, endanger, and steal all of the wealth of that country and its citizens by digging for diamonds, cashing in huge, and keeping all of the profits. These are all very similar to James Cameron's tale, Avatar.

DQ#1: Film Aspects on Step Brothers.

In the youtube clip of the 2008 movie Step Brothers titled “Watch the Shark Week Clip”, many film tactics are used to capture the scene. The scene is continuously cross cutting between Dale and Brennan, and their parents. First the parents talk, then Dale and Brennan, and back and forth. In each step of the cross cutting, a two-shot is involved with both actors, and when Dale and Brennan are being shown it even involves a medium-closeup and a two-shot. The most obvious reaction shot is when Dale's father decides to punish the boys and says “no television for a week!”, in which case it cuts back to Dale and Brennan slamming down their ice packs in anger screaming “WHAT?!?!”. The scene also begins with a more mild reaction shot when Dale's father turns off the television to get their attention and the camera cuts back to Dale saying “Dad, what are you doing? It's shark week!”. 

Film Review Examples

Prometheus review
Snow White and the Huntsman review

Agenda - Week Three: Evaluation Arguments

Practical Argument Readings:

• Chapter 14: “Evaluation Arguments” (385-415)
• Chapter 9: “Summarizing, Paraphrasing, Quoting and Synthesizing Sources” (249-262)
• Chapter 10: Documenting Sources: MLA (265-279)

Presentations:

• "Incorporating Sources: Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarizing, Citing" (UNC, Fayetteville)
• "MLA Formatting: The Basics" (Purdue OWL)
• In-Text Citations

Resources:

University of Chicago Lab:  How to Write a Movie Review
Dartmouth University Writing Program: "Writing About Film"

Discussion Questions:

• Using the "Structuring an Evaluation Argument" outline on pages 388-89 (PA), write an evaluation of your favorite (or least favorite) film.
• Find a movie clip on YouTube and analyze it using at least 3-5 filmic aspects listed in the Glossary section of the Dartmouth "Writing About Film" page linked above.  Include the clip in your post.
• Review the "Kinds of Film Papers" section on the Dartmouth "Writing About Film" site linked above.  Choose one of the kinds of papers, and use it to write a short analysis of one of your favorite (or least favorite) films.
• Read "Harry Potter's Girl Trouble" in PA (411-13) and answer question two on page 413.
• Write a response to Exercise 14.8 on page 414 of PA.

Assignment:

Essay 3, due Monday, June 4 at 11:59 pm.  I'm putting an extra day in for each essay so your responses and essays won't all be due on the same day.  It should make your lives a bit easier, I hope.  The assignment sheet will be posted to the Lessons page of Angel as Essay 3: Film Review.