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Blade runner directors cut analysis
Blade runner directors cut analysis
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I came into the screening of Peaceful Warrior, director Victor Salva's adaptation of former gymnast/self-help writer Dan Millman's 1980 autobiography Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives (using a screenplay written by Kevin Bernhardt), with mixed feelings. I had seen clips of the movie on "Ebert & Roeper," and they seemed a little boring. When I finally saw the movie, I wasn't bored
but I did have a different negative reaction ultimately.
Dan Millman (Scott Mechlowicz) is a UC Berkeley gymnast who has everything going for him. He doesn't have any money worries, he is good looking, he has talent, he has good grades, and the women flock all around him. He even has a chance at the Olympic qualifiers in men's gymnastics. According to him though, he feels like he won't make it if he doesn't do the triple on the rings. This keeps him up at night with nightmares. One night at three in the morning, while sleeping with Dory (Beatrice Rosen), the ex-girlfriend of fellow gymnast Tommy Warner (Ashton Holmes), Dan has one of those nightmares, so he goes out for a run. While running through the foggy dark, Dan ends up at a well-lit Texaco service station with an old man (Nick Nolte) behind the counter. Dan buys some snacks and milk, and the man sits on a chair in front of the station door. When Dan looks back, he is surprised to see the man on the roof. The next night, he goes back to find the man to ask him how he did it, and the man starts giving Dan several philosophies (but he never gets around to telling Dan how he got up there.) Dan starts calling him Socrates and he thinks that this old service station owner might be the key to finding a way to win the Olympic Gold. The next night, Dan meets Joy (Amy Smart), a woman who brings Socrates his food, and has the same tendency to give out self-help tips herself. Meanwhile, Socrates agrees to train Dan, but not before putting him through a regime that includes cutting out things like junk food, drinking, and sex. He also has him do Karate Kid wax on/wax off things like cleaning the station's toilets. This new lifestyle change starts to alienate his friends/team members, like Tommy, Trevor Scott (Paul Wesley), Kyle (B.
The novel, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles describes the life highschool life of Gene Forrester through the flashbacks he experienced 15 years after his graduation. Throughout the novel Knowles takes us on a journey that revolves around Gene and his friend Finny as they go through their years in a private high school. While reading the novel one can see that Gene takes his hero journey during his highschool time as he makes the choices that will dictate not only his hero journey but his entire life.
My reception of this film was so positive because of my knowledge, experiences and values. I have always enjoyed learning about the 1960’s and admired the political activism and change that occurred in that time period. I grew up in a very liberal home, where we were freely able to discuss controversial topics and form our own opinions.
Warriors of God by James Reston Jr. is a non-fictional view of the third crusade. This particular crusade spanned from 1187-1192, containing many gruesome battles and a lot of intense moments between Islam and Christianity. Reston supplies the reader with a little background to the third Crusade when he talks about the first Crusades happening since 1095. Reston gives a fairly impartial view of this holy war. He discusses the battles, politics, and emotions of the Crusade as an outside party and if he takes any side at all it is with the Muslims. He often speaks badly of King Richard and he speaks well of Saladin, the sultan. He portrays Richard as a greedy, anti-Semite, who is intolerable of other religions, while he shows Saladin as tolerant to the Jews, reasonable, and an overall good leader. Reston wrote this book mostly to inform readers about the third Crusade but also to add some of his own insights. His thesis was a little unclear but he stated that the Crusades were the most violent event in history all the way up to Hitler’s rein. Reston did a good job in proving this when he told of battles and then analyzed them. He told of a time when King Richard had twenty thousand Muslims executed and when Saladin had Reginald of Chatillon beheaded along with many other Christian prisoners.
The Warrior Ethos, by Steven Pressfield depicts the warrior’s mentality from ancient times to the present through a variety of different aspects and stories. In The Warrior Ethos, Pressfield states that men are not born with the certain qualities that make a good warrior, but instead are inculcated through years of training and indoctrination, stating at an early age. He shows how different societies have been able to instill the same or very similar ideals throughout history while maintaining their own unique characteristics. Things have changed from ancient Sparta, where parents would be enthusiastic about their children going to war, and even more elated upon learning they died valorous in battle. These days, most parents are a lot
Prideaux, T. "Take Aim, Fire at the Agonies of War." Life 20 Dec. 1963: 115-118. Rabe, David. "Admiring the Unpredictable Mr. Kubrick." New York Times 21 June 1987: H34+
For this free choice final paper, I decided to analyze Oliver Stone and his two films Platoon and JFK. Oliver Stone, a three-time Academy Award winner and known as one of the best filmmakers in his generation, ignores Hollywood convention warning against making films with a message. Among some of his great films, he made the two films Platoon and JFK. In Platoon, he presents a gritty and emotional examination of American soldiers during the Vietnam War through the lens of Chris Taylor, a biographical representation of himself and so...
Although there were many concepts that were present within the movie, I choose to focus on two that I thought to be most important. The first is the realistic conflict theory. Our textbook defines this as, “the view that prejudice...
Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line (1998) is a film that examines the Guadalcanal Battle of World War II, looking past the physical results of the violence, in order to uncover the deeper truths and ramifications of war. The film conveys themes and ideologies that are somewhat uncommon to war films, especially WW II films. In this dark, surreal, journey, Malick takes us inside the minds of soldiers experiencing this battle to capture a remote pacific island from the Japanese. We do not hear or see gruff, hardened soldiers, anxious to die for their country. In fact, there are no heroes in The Thin Red Line. There are only regular men, scared of fighting and scared of dying, who have been thrown into a situation that will forever change their lives. The fighting is not suspenseful or glorious just brutal. Using an ideological approach to the study of film, this paper will examine The Thin Red Line’s messages about the truths of war, and how it challenges our society’s stereotypical view of war as a valiant undertaking where brave men fighting for good battle the evil of the enemy. Consequently, the ideologies that are uncovered will then be used to look at The Thin Red Line as a war film, and how it fits and does not fit into the genre.
Next, we should look at the brilliantly and elaborately detailed armor of Ares. The shield’s handle, the rivets along its edge and the circular decoration around the inside of the shield are meticulously done. Additionally, the shadow created with the change in hue, saturation, and value on the inside of the shield help create the depth and curvature of the shield. The body armor also implements a well-crafted mixture of shadows and smooth curved lines as well as color change to create depth. Had this not been so craftily accomplished, the shield would have taken on a flat and dull appearance. This is true for the lion head on the shoulder of Ares , which is able to convey the concept of layered gold on top of iron without using the layering of paint to create the three dimensional character. The more time I spent viewing the particular parts of the armor, the more admiration I had for Batoni as an artist. The helmet, with the golden dragon atop and ram around the lower front are also finely detailed.
Joining the military is not just a job or a path to a career, but a life style that requires dedication. The life style of a service member is not easy and is made up of many different characteristics which is known as the warrior society. Authoritarian structure, isolation and alienation, class system, parent absence, importance of mission, and preparation for disaster: war make up the culture aspects of the warrior society and will be discussed in further detail (Hall, 2008).
“Raging Bull” (1980) is not a so much a film about boxing but more of a story about a psychotically jealous, sexually insecure borderline homosexual, caged animal of a man, who encourages pain and suffering in his life as almost a form of reparation. Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece of a film drags you down into the seedy filth stenched world of former middleweight boxing champion Jake “The Bronx Bull” LaMotta. Masterfully he paints the picture of a beast whose sole drive is not boxing but an insatiable obsessive jealously over his wife and his fear of his own underling sexuality. The movie broke new ground with its brutal unadulterated no-holds-bard look at the vicious sport of boxing by bringing the camera into the ring, giving the viewer the most realistic, primal, and brutal boxing scenes ever filmed. With blood and sweat spraying, flashbulbs’ bursting at every blow Scorsese gives the common man an invitation into the square circle where only the hardest trained gladiators dare to venture.
SCHECHTER, Danny (2001). "Covering Violence: How Should Media Handle Conflict?" mediachannel.org. Online at: http://www.mediachannel.org/views/dissector/coveringviolence.shtml, consulted on March 27, 2004.
When one hears the word violence one typically thinks of sordid images. This is because violence has developed a negative connotation. When one thinks of violent acts or cruel methods like coercion it is frequently correlated with evil. But there are instances in which there is a need to commit brutalities in order to put an end to catastrophes and help the good prevail. Many posit the notion that nothing good will ever come from violence while neglecting the positive things that have emerged from it. It may seem illogical but since kindness is often abused one needs to resort to violent means to demand justice and peace. Violence is gradually converting into a virtue as it becomes an imperative component in making progressive reforms. In order for one to triumph one must be dauntingly assertive even if it means turning to violence. Using forceful tactics should not necessarily make one malicious if the reasons behind them are benevolent. Violent acts are justified as long as they’re done for the greater good, solve disputes, and serve justice. And what better way to prove this than with legit historical facts.
The movie Courageous discusses important issues we face in society today. This movie shows the importance of family, the danger of drugs, and the major importance of Christian values. Courageous causes me to consider how I treat others around me and how I can become a better Christian. I learned that living a life looking out only for myself and pursuing worldly pleasures not only consists of superficial and temporary happiness, but also consists of pain, suffering, emptiness and a longing for something more than what we have.
...ion allows the film to exist unto itself with its totality defined by distinctive (independent) subjectivity. Like in many of his other movies, Kubrick litters Full Metal Jacket with symbolism and metaphor, but these directorial techniques need not be examined to enjoy or understand the plot of the movie. Although the split nature of the film expounds upon both the ability of the viewer to concentrate and be distracted by representations (logic vs. overriding emotion), it is also an exhibit for the dualist nature of man, i.e., the final marching chant. The use of a Disney song in any respect implies an association to innocence and good-will; applying it as a closing scene in a sequence that is dominated by a tirade of destruction is a more obvious symbolic gesture on Kubrick’s part. Can man be both malicious & peaceful? Or is man both? Through making both explicit distinctions and connections between mercy and vengeance in the human condition as evidenced in Full Metal Jacket as the preparation for (1st half) and execution of technique (2nd half) when existing in a war-state, Kubrick illustrates the disjunctive corollary (1st half & 2nd half) that war is organized chaos.