One of the long awaited movies that premiered this holiday season was the inspiring true tale of the late louis zamperini. Without giving too much away, the story is about louis, a us airman during wwii, who survived a plane crash, being stuck out at sea, and then a brutal experience at a prisoner of war camp. Surprisingly, louis was also an olympic runner who set many records in both the 1936 olympics in germany and back home in high schools across the united states. When he was little, louis always seemed to have a run in with the law, often having to literally run from the cops. He was bullied in school and had nothing better to do but get into trouble. He thought he was not going to amount to much, and therefore often put himself down. Though, his brother, peter, always had faith in him. Peter saw that Louis was a great runner, and encouraged him to join the school track team. Peter trained Louis and made sure he devoted his time to his new hobby, instead of getting into trouble or fighting bullies. In addition, through his struggle to survive both at sea and in the pow camp, louis recollected the wise words/teachings of his brother. This allowed louis to preserve through all his suffering and keep his will to live. It is evident that peter had a large influence in louis’s life. Without peter’s support and faith in him, louis’s life might have gone differently. Since this movie was 1) adopted from the marvelous book and 2) one of the first films directed by angelina jolie, there has been much critical analysis of unbroken. Personally, i agree with many of the critics that state that the film “had good intentions,” but there was an underlying feeling that something was missing. Jolie’s vision of this man’s life and experience in the war was bold and eye opening, and it is evident that she really put much effort into making this the best it could be. But, i heard from those who read the book that the movie’s ending was not satisfying and i felt it was, in a way, rushed. After seeing this movie, i really felt how important it is to have determination and will to keep persevering, even when there seems to be no hope. By: Maya Abraham
0 Comments
This movie was phenomenal and everyone should see it. It was based on a true story. Chris Kyle finds his true calling to be fighting for America. He became passionate about it after living through 9/11, and went through training to become a Navy Seal. He was then sent to fight in Iraq. He was the top sniper in America and was highly celebrated. He went on a total of 4 tours to Iraq, and had seen many of his friends die on the job. Once he returned back to America it was very hard for him to mentally be there. The war distanced him from his wife and kids. He went to counseling and started helping war veterans, so he could still be saving/helping the American hero’s. Chris Kyle did not die in Iraq, but sadly, once he was finally getting back to normal he was killed while helping a veteran. This movie raises awareness for the trauma that many soldiers have to live with. It was a great tribute and celebration of this hero’s dedication to his country. By: Katie Revie Godzilla by far, was one of the most anticipated films this year. It’s easy to see why. Bryan Cranston is in it, it’s a very dramatic story, and lots of action. And of course, Godzilla’s in it. That’s right. Back for his 60th Birthday. Welcome back, Godzilla. This Reboot, by Gareth Edwards, is a very spectacular film. But before I tell you why, let’s get started on the story. Ishiro Serizawa (Ken Wantanabe) inspects an enormous skeleton of an ancient beast is found in a Philippine mine with two perfectly preserved parasitic spores in them. One intact, the other hatched… meanwhile, in the fictional city of Janjira, Japan, tremors has been traced to a nuclear power plant. This plant, run by Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston), is being shaken to the worry of Joe. He notices that these tremors form a sort of pattern, which is very unusual. His wife Sandra, (Juliette Binoche), dies in the nuclear meltdown, and the collapse of the plant. 15 years later, their son Ford (Aaron Taylor Johnson), an EOD officer in the military, comes back from the line of duty. His wife, Elle (Elizabeth Olsen), receives a phone call saying that Ford’s father has been arrested for trespassing the site of the accident. So ford leaves for Japan just as he got home for his wife and toddler son. Upon arrival, he sees his father has been cracking down on the accident in the past 15 years, believing what happened wasn’t a so-called “natural disaster” They trek to the site, and a bunch of craziness ensues. Now I won’t spoil much more, but here is what I think. The first act is very interesting, the second act good, but not as interesting, and a great third act. Though people say Godzilla isn’t in this for much of the movie, and instead more of the other monsters, Godzilla is actually in it more than you think. It’s just that he’s hidden in smoke, water, or darkness some of the time. Or it’s the long period of time when we see him. But not seeing him makes you want to see him more. It’s buildup to the excitement. And by excitement, I mean the destruction and action scenes. You don’t see them up until the third act. When you do, it’s a spectacle. It’s well executed and shows great fight choreography. And yes, there are two other monsters that Godzilla fights. The Monsters I this film demonstrate man’s tampering with nuclear energy, as well as our tampering with nature. Godzilla is also a force of nature, restoring the balance of that force. But let’s talk about the human story. A lot of the acting is good, Cranston being the best. Sadly, he isn’t in the film very long. But just like Godzilla, when you see him, he’s awesome as always. Elizabeth Olsen is great as well. Aaron Taylor Johnson, our lead, is somewhat hollow though. His expressions are somewhat bland, and emotionless. But he’s not totally dull. In terms of writing and storytelling, this film is very well written. Certain scenes are played out very well. The writing is very clever, like in the scene where Godzilla and another monster meet at a Hawaii airport, as soon as the fighting begins, it cuts away, and we see glimpses of it on the news. You expect to see the fight like In so many big budget Hollywood movies today, but give you the unexpected. Another great thing about this film are the visual effects. They are very hyper realistic, and give an insane amount of detail to the monsters. Overall, this is a very well made film, very fun and interesting, and definitely a must-see. Though it could work on developing characters a little further, this is still a great film. I definitely recommend watching this.
By: Luke Rowe Back in the 80’s, there were many influential movies that still have am impact on our generation today. In 1980, The Empire Strikes Back was released and was even said to have been better than to first Star Wars movie and even grossed $290 million. Also, this film was starring Harrison Ford as Han Solo and this was the start to his epic career during the 80’s, including films like Blade Runner and The Indiana Jones Series. In 1982, E.T was released and became the highest grossing movie of the 1980’s bringing in $435 million and was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. Also in 1982, we were introduced to Eddie Murphy in the action comedy, 48 hours, alongside Nick Nolte. This movie was well received by critics and audiences and he became extremely famous. In 1984, the movie Beverly Hills Cop (1984) starred Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a police officer and people finally got to see Murphy in a film where he was the main role and those people were not disappointed. The film grossed $234 million. When people think of the 80’s they definitely think back to Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop. Also in 1984, we saw Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator, an evil cyborg sent from the future to kill the mother of Kyle Reese, the man who would in the future start a rebellion and defeat the terminators.This film was extremely well liked by critics and audiences and is still a hug hit today. In 1985, Back to the Future starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd was released. This movie practically screamed 80’s and even our generation loves this film and the two sequels that followed it. Even though Michael J. Fox had already been famous during that time from starring in the hit show Family Ties (1982-1989), Back to the Future really cemented his status as an actor and the film grossed $210 million. In 1985, the Breakfast Club starring Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, and Emilio Estevez was released. It’s the story of five teenagers in Saturday detention who cause crazy antics while trying not to be seen by the principal and it makes for a great movie. Fast forward to 1986, Aliens the sequel to the 1979, Alien, was released. The film took place 57 years after the original alien attacks. This film was starring Sigourney Weaver, and it became the 7th highest grossing film of 1986, grossing in $86 million. Another film released in 1986, was none other than Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, starring Matthew Broderick. It was the story of high-schooler, Ferris Bueller cutting class for the day with some friends and it made a for a cult classic. In 1987, Good Morning Vietnam, starring Robin Williams was released. He starred as an airman second class in the Vietnam War who was also a DJ for Armed Forces Radio Service. This movie was a huge box office success and even got Robin Williams an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Also in 1987, the highest grossing film of the year was Three Men and a Baby, starring Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson. The film is about three bachelors who enjoy their single lives but then their lives completely change when a baby shows up on their doorstep and the film was well liked by critics. In 1988, Die Hard with Bruce Willis was released and it was a massive success. It tells the story of cop, John McClane and he is faced with twelve terrorist and he must do anything he can to stop them. Also in 1988, Big starring Tom Hanks was released and was a huge critical success and a big success with audiences as well. It’s about a young boy named Josh who wishes to be big and by surprise he wakes up the next day as a thirty year old man and he to go through many obstacles to get back to his normal self. In 1989, to end the decade, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, was released and became the highest-grossing film of the year starring Harrison Ford. Also, the same year Dead Poets Society, starring Robin Williams was released and told the story of an English teacher. It was so well received by critics and was even nominated for Best Picture. Although, I just mentioned a few amazing and influential films, the 80’s definitely had many more great ones to offer. By: Veronica Carbonell |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
February 2015
Categories |