Final Blog Review
In the class History v Hollywood, we viewed a wide variety of movies. There were many I liked such as Zero Dark Thirty, Forrest Gump, and Platoon. But there were also a few movies I didn't like such as The Help and Top Gun. No matter the genre of the movie we watched, all movies had something in common: influence from the media. The media and Hollywood play huge roles in determining our history and our opinion on many different. These influences trickle down into our everyday lives too.
One of the best examples of this is the movie Platoon. Prior to the Vietnam War, America had never lost a war. America got their butts kicked in the Vietnam war, and while the fighting was going on over there, there was fighting at home too. There was a huge divide between those who supported the war and who was against it. This dispute was demonstrated in the movie between the two famous characters Sgt. Elias and Sgt. Barnes. Everyone flocked to the theaters when Platoon was released because it was the first war movie to be released after the tough loss in Vietnam. Everyone wanted to know what Vietnam was like, and Platoon portrayed it as extremely bad. The consensus today is that Vietnam was an awful war. The Pentagon did not endorse this movie for a number of reasons. Believe it or no, the Pentagon plays a big role in many of the war movies released today.
A movie that was endorsed by the Pentagon was Top Gun. In this movie, state of the art technology and true American bravery are in full display. I personally did not enjoy the movie, but it did leave me with a sense of Patriotism, and that is exactly what the Pentagon wants. The reason so many movies ask the Pentagon for help is too drive up the profit. If the Pentagon is going to spend all of this money for a movie, they had to have power over the script. They often make many changes so the movie is to their liking. The Navy took advantage of the favorable publicity that Top Gun garnered. Outside the theater, there were tables to sign up for the Navy. I do not have a problem with the Pentagon making the army look good, but I do have a problem of them taking advantage of it. Think of all of the people that signed up to fight based on a movie.
The media affects every corner of our lives, and even Hollywood too. We are constantly watching movies such as Saving Private Ryan, or even Platoon that "rewrite" history. The media has much more influence compared to Hollywood. Majority of the population believed that we were one plane ride from Ebola affecting the entire nation. That was not the case. Every week there is a new story that the media uses to get good reviews, and this is not entirely helpful. History is written by those in Hollywood and those in charge of improving ratings for CNN.
Friday, June 12, 2015
The Help
The Help is a movie about black maids in the heart of Mississippi prior to the civil rights movement. The movie also has a very interesting premise. It is a movie based on a book, about a book being written. The antagonist is very clear from the beginning. Hilly Holbrook, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, is a borderline racist from Jackson, Mississippi. She is extremely manipulative and controlling. Everything has to go her way, and it is quite funny when things don't. Howard does an excellent job of making the audience hate Hilly Holbrook. She starts initiatives such as making maids use their own bathroom. When things in the movie don't go her way, everyone gets a nice laugh. For example, she asks Skeeter, played by Emma Stone, to put her bathroom initiative in the newspaper. In return, Skeeter places toilets from the junkyard all over her property.
It is very moving hearing what the maids have to say about their lives. During that time period, no one ever asked or even cared for that matter. African Americans were not viewed as equals in the south, even though legally, they were. One of the maids, Aibileen (Viola Davis), was brought to tears when Skeeter Published the book about her. She said it felt so good for someone to ask and care about her.
I did not really enjoy the help. I found it very confusing, but it was still entertaining, especially the ending. Everything works out perfectly, and Holly Davis even "eats shit" which is one of the best parts of the movie. I would rate this movie 5 out of 10.
The Help is a movie about black maids in the heart of Mississippi prior to the civil rights movement. The movie also has a very interesting premise. It is a movie based on a book, about a book being written. The antagonist is very clear from the beginning. Hilly Holbrook, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, is a borderline racist from Jackson, Mississippi. She is extremely manipulative and controlling. Everything has to go her way, and it is quite funny when things don't. Howard does an excellent job of making the audience hate Hilly Holbrook. She starts initiatives such as making maids use their own bathroom. When things in the movie don't go her way, everyone gets a nice laugh. For example, she asks Skeeter, played by Emma Stone, to put her bathroom initiative in the newspaper. In return, Skeeter places toilets from the junkyard all over her property.
It is very moving hearing what the maids have to say about their lives. During that time period, no one ever asked or even cared for that matter. African Americans were not viewed as equals in the south, even though legally, they were. One of the maids, Aibileen (Viola Davis), was brought to tears when Skeeter Published the book about her. She said it felt so good for someone to ask and care about her.
I did not really enjoy the help. I found it very confusing, but it was still entertaining, especially the ending. Everything works out perfectly, and Holly Davis even "eats shit" which is one of the best parts of the movie. I would rate this movie 5 out of 10.
Friday, June 5, 2015
Apollo 13 film review
Apollo 13
"Apollo 13" is a movie documenting the extraordinary event of the Apollo 13 moon mission during the spring of 1970. The director of this movie took so major liberties when creating this movie. Going to space is not that exciting, and neither is sitting in a small room for a few days waiting to return home. The director had to make this movie exciting, so it was necessary to take some liberties.
In the movie, the astronauts begin to but heads. This never happened during the actual event. In reality, the astronauts remained positive throughout the entire ordeal. In the film, pilot Jack Swaggart and "Fredo" begin to argue. Astronaut Jim Lovell has to be the peacemaker throughout their extraordinary journey through space. This conflict, combined with many exhilarating experiences such as creating a makeshift CO2 filter (which actually happened) ended up making the movie extremely exciting and a huge success. Not only that, but a few famous quotes or phrases were coined because of this movie. After the explosion on board, astronaut Jim Lovell played by Tom Hanks says, "Houston, we have a problem". Ed Harris who plays Gene Kranz the flight control also has a famous quote. He says to one of his employees during the ordeal that "Failure is not an option." These two quotes are phrases we've used ever since.
"Apollo 13" is a movie documenting the extraordinary event of the Apollo 13 moon mission during the spring of 1970. The director of this movie took so major liberties when creating this movie. Going to space is not that exciting, and neither is sitting in a small room for a few days waiting to return home. The director had to make this movie exciting, so it was necessary to take some liberties.
In the movie, the astronauts begin to but heads. This never happened during the actual event. In reality, the astronauts remained positive throughout the entire ordeal. In the film, pilot Jack Swaggart and "Fredo" begin to argue. Astronaut Jim Lovell has to be the peacemaker throughout their extraordinary journey through space. This conflict, combined with many exhilarating experiences such as creating a makeshift CO2 filter (which actually happened) ended up making the movie extremely exciting and a huge success. Not only that, but a few famous quotes or phrases were coined because of this movie. After the explosion on board, astronaut Jim Lovell played by Tom Hanks says, "Houston, we have a problem". Ed Harris who plays Gene Kranz the flight control also has a famous quote. He says to one of his employees during the ordeal that "Failure is not an option." These two quotes are phrases we've used ever since.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Top gun film review
Top Gun
No did not have the best time viewing this movie. I found it very confusing. Everything happened extremely fast and I did not take interest in either of the plot lines in the movie. Even the best scene in the movie was confusing. When Maverick is fighting the Russian Pilots, planes are constantly zipping around and I had no idea what was going, but it was still exciting.
In this movie, the Navy is portrayed In a very favorable fashion. They are the cutting edge of teachmology and the superpower of the world. They square off against the USSR and emerge victorious, despite the challenges prior to that. This is a very feel good movie. Even though Gooses ends up dying, everything worlds out in the end. Still, I did not enjoy this movie.
No did not have the best time viewing this movie. I found it very confusing. Everything happened extremely fast and I did not take interest in either of the plot lines in the movie. Even the best scene in the movie was confusing. When Maverick is fighting the Russian Pilots, planes are constantly zipping around and I had no idea what was going, but it was still exciting.
In this movie, the Navy is portrayed In a very favorable fashion. They are the cutting edge of teachmology and the superpower of the world. They square off against the USSR and emerge victorious, despite the challenges prior to that. This is a very feel good movie. Even though Gooses ends up dying, everything worlds out in the end. Still, I did not enjoy this movie.
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