Children of Men Reflection

(My computer wasn't formatting my paragraphs right and I tried to fix it but it wouldn't change so sorry about the weird format this is in)

Everything about this movie I absolutely loved. To start off, the plot. A world where women aren’t able to get pregnant sounds bad, but when you think about it more, its just terrible! In class we discussed this and how it shows the end of the human race. The thought of that is just terrifying. Living in a world where there’s no new life in the world is such a strange concept. I’m not a big fan of kids, but living in a world like that I think I would miss kids and newness quality they have. Hearing the story from Miriam about how she was experiencing the first signs of infertility throughout all of the hospitals and all of the miscarriages the women were having was so intriguing. But, I had a feeling something was going to happen to her when Theo said she was there for the end of it and she was going to be there for the beginning because they kept killing off characters you would think would live, but no.

Another thing I enjoyed was how they killed characters left and right. Some of the characters you would think would live till the end, died. There aren’t many movie like this one where they do that and I think its a nice change of pace. It bothered me when Theo died in the end, but in a way it would have been weird if he didn’t die.

The scene that stuck out to me the most was when Kee, Theo, and the baby were walking through all of the soldiers and they all stopped fighting, made a path, and stood there in awe. The battle they were suppose to be fighting wasn’t important because they were all seeing something that was almost foreign to them. New life. What really surprised me the most was the second they heard a ruckus, they completely shut down their feelings and any emotion they had, turned to the building, and started shooting their weapons like nothing had happened. There had not been a baby in over eighteen years and they were looking at something that was barely a day old. Yet, they continued what they were trained for and started fighting.

This movie was a really intense one, that made you feel what the actors were feeling, but the thing I liked most about this movie was a lot of it was about hope. Theo was helping Kee, a complete stranger, because she was pregnant, and in a way I think he helped her because he was hoping she could save the planet. They were also going through all of the dangers throughout the entire movie, getting arrested, going to the immigrant place, almost dying multiple times to try and find something that might not even exist. The Human Project. Their whole journey was completely and utterly based on hope. There was no guarantee that The Human Project was real, or even any signs. They were relying solely on hope that it wasn’t a myth, and that they could find it so Kee could get there and they would help her with her child and what to do with it.      

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Reflection

The part I enjoyed most about this movie was how it was a modern love story. The reality of their relationship compared to movies like Nicolas Sparks movies or romantic comedies is a lot more realistic and practical. They started out with the initial attraction towards each other, got into a relationship, started fighting, broke up, realized they love each other, and even after they got their memories erased, they still wanted to be together. Thats what (realistic) true love is. Being able to push through the problems, work it out, and handle each other is what love is like now because in the world we live in today thats what you have to do. There are no fairy tales. There’s no princess who falls in love with the prince and they end up together because they have a magical kiss in the end. There’s real people, who develop feelings for another person, and if they’re lucky the feelings are reciprocated. Like in Moulin Rouge “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love, and be loved in return.”

Something that I thought was unnecessary was how Clementine’s hair was so outrageously colored. I understand that they were trying to make her different, but I felt like that was too over the edge. Her personality is strong enough, and so outspoken that they don’t need to make her physically appear different. She could have been an average looking woman and still come across the same way. Personality isn’t about the way you look, its about how you act. So, even in a movie, how a character appears does matter, the way she dressed and acted was so apparent and it demonstrated who her character was, so her colorful hair was unnecessary.

The movie at one point had me thinking “wtf” because it got kind of trippy. The scenes going back and forth in time really confused me; however, I understood the scenes and what was happening by the end. The way they showed him going through time when his memory was being erased was really interesting. I really liked how he would tell Clementine they needed to leave in the middle of a memory because he wanted to remember everything. My favorite line of the whole movie is when he’s laying on the ice with her and he tells her he doesn’t want to forget that particular memory. It really stood out to me because they had already gone through so many memories, and out of all of them thats the one he truly wants to remember. I think it shows how after we make a decision, in the middle of our mistakes is when we genuinely know we have messed up. Its funny how he tries to maintain his memories by going to his childhood memories to keep Clementine. When he acts like a child under the table, but looks like a fully grown man, was great because he was so caught up in his memory he was acting so childish and she was so confused and just wanted him to get out from under the table.

Animal Farm Reflection

Animal Farm was an interesting book, I enjoyed the idea and the plot of it, but something I didn’t like was how all of the animals believed everything Napolean told them. Even at the most ridiculous times when he would tell them outrageous things, they would end up agreeing with him. I can understand he was their leader and had authority over the farm, but there were times when he was truly in the wrong, but the animals figured out a way so it made sense of why he did what he did. When he would change the ten commandments so he wasn’t breaking any of the laws was just plain obnoxious. Throughout the entire book the animals would chant, “four legs good, two legs bad” and the second they saw all the pigs walking on their hind legs they changed their saying to, “four legs bad, two legs good” because Napolean was now walking on two legs, yet, all of the animals walked on four legs.

Napolean is a very clever character, in which he can manipulate almost anyone to do or believe what he says. I hate his character so much, I almost love him at the same time. To be able to mold the minds of so many to think just about anything you say is right is some real talent. His life is so easy because if he ever makes a mistake he has to develop a reason for why it wasn’t his fault, blame something or someone, and he’s in the clear. For example, when Snowball becomes a threat to Napolean because he challenges him for control of the farm and the popularity from the other animals, he obviously has to get rid of him.

Propaganda was heavily influenced by Squealer because he was Napolean’s right hand man. Because Squealer was so helpful with convincing the other animals what Napolean wanted he represents propaganda and how it can manipulate everything in one’s life. For example, one newspaper could show you a picture of something that makes you believe one thing. While another newspaper could show you the same picture but cropped differently, and you might believe the complete opposite from what you thought from the first newspaper just because of what they wanted you to see.

Something I thought was weird was how none of the animals ever questioned Napolean. There were times where he was obviously in the wrong and no one ever called him out. In reality, someone would have said something seemed weird or they noticed something was up. Even if one of the animals did say something, Napolean probably would have gotten rid of them, but there wasn’t an animal to say something seems slightly off. If one of the animals, like Boxer, would have said something I think they would have been able to revolt against Napolean and take the farm over, again, and possibly make it a better place for the to live. They might not ever live in the perfect place, but things might have run smoother, and better overall if someone who wasn’t power hungry was leading the farm.

Moulin Rouge Reflection

I first saw Moulin Rouge, I believe, around the time it was released and I thought it was great because of all the singing, dancing, and lavish costumes. Because I liked it so much I watched it every so often and its one of those movies that gets better every time you see it. Now, analyzing it in class, I love it so much more.

I can better understand the symbolism from the windmill. It show Satine’s life. In the beginning she’s full of life, and ambitious to become a real actress. She’s energetic and ready to do whatever Harold Zidler tells her to do. During all of this the windmill is vibrant, colorful, and spins fairly fast, but as the movie goes on it starts to dim and slow down to the point where its completely stopped and appears black and white in a color movie. When this is happening, Satine starts thinking for herself and doesn’t want to be the woman Zidler has transformed her into. Also, she starts dying and when she does die, thats when the windmill shuts down symbolising Satine is no longer living.

The entire movie is foreshadowed through the play. All of the conflicts, characters, and plot are played out by the people going through the struggles of the movie. I think its pretty clever and funny because the characters are so wrapped up in love they don’t see what’s right in front of them. For example, how the Duke believes all the lies Christian and Satine tell him why the need to spend so much time together. Its understandable for them to have to spend some time with each other because they are the writer and lead actress, but the Duke should have known something was up when they were spending every night “rehearsing” together.

One of the final scenes in the movie when all the actors and performers are behind the curtain devastated by Satine’s death and the camera moves to show the crowd on the other side of the curtain giving them a standing ovation and cheering for them, I believe captures what the whole movie is about. It shows that behind all of the glitz, glamour, lights, makeup, and costumes theres so much suffering that no one knows about or was even aware of. Satine didn’t even know she was dying until the night before she died, and Christian, I believe, knew she was sick but had no idea of the severity of it. He wanted to plan the rest of his life with her, but she died before they could even get out of the Moulin Rouge, and I think thats why this movie is so tragically wonderful. They didn’t end up together, but they learned to love and they were loved in return.   

Friday Night Dances

I run out onto the field to take my starting pose. At first, I gawkily sit there waiting for the music to start; once it does, I feel my body taking over, transforming me into a better version of myself. As the music continues I'm more relaxed, until I hear my friends start to cheer my name from the bleachers. Anxiousness begins to take over until I tell my mind to stop. The nerves that just entered my body have immediately vanished, and I now use them as fuel to push myself harder. More and more people start to cheer my name forcing me to dance that much more intensely because I know people are cheering for me for a reason and I want them to continue to watch me. The ultimate liveliness I fell at this moment is why I dance. Dancing is what keeps me together and being able to show my peers what I love is incredible because they are able to see my passion. As the routine begins to end I'm enervated; however, I use my weariness to work more to finish the routine. I strike my final posse, completely elated with my performance. As I run off the field, hearing the applause, I know this is what I love and the thing in my life I know will forever remain apart of who I am.

What Movie Changed Your Life?

     The movie that changed my life was the musical, "Chicago". Growing up, I always watched musicals and Chicago was one of the many that I saw that I constantly wanted to see again and again. As a kid watching it, I loved the dancing, singing, and sparkly costumes. This musical has made such a lasting impression on me, making it one of my top three all time favorite movies.
     Since I started dancing in second grade I would always end up watching the dancers in movies, music videos, concerts, etc. instead of the main focus because I found it much more entertaining. Singing was always appealing to me because I thought I was the best singer around, but as I grew up I realized I'm probably one of the worst singers around and now I only sing in the privacy of my car. Of course the sparkly costumes were entrancing to me when I was younger; they were gorgeous costumes and since the first time I watched Chicago I had dreamed of having a complexity rhinestone costume for a performance and still have that dream  today.

     Now that I'm older, I realized how amazing the movie truly is. After dancing for eleven years, I can better appreciate the dancing and understand how difficult their choreography is. Because I grew up watching musicals, I am now obsessed with them and every aspect of Broadway. All the theatrics, drama, and glamour of it has made me push myself in my own dancing career to aspire to be like the incredible dancers that get the opportunity to create these marvelous musicals. Not only is this just a musical that I found to be spectacular, so did many others. In 2003, it won six Academy Awards including Best Picture. I've seen it so many times I can recite almost all of the songs and about half of the dances from the movie. Also, I absolutely love the time period its taken place. I'll admit things were crazy, for example they hung someone in the movie for killing another person even though she was innocent. I can't explain it, but there is just something about they way people spoke, dressed, and acted that just fascinates me.
     I finally got the chance to see the actual musical (Off-Broadway) on Sunday at the Keller Auditorium, and it made me fall in love with it all over again. Seeing how different and similar the play is to the movie was utterly fascinating. Hearing the different voices sing the songs I'm so familiar with and seeing how more dramatic the actors were in the play it made me genuinely appreciate how the story of "Chicago" can be presented in two different media formats. No matter what, I can walk away from either work of art amazed with the all that goes into creating such a stunning story.