In the film “American Beauty” directed by Sam Mendes, he uses a lot of different themes but one in particular that comes across the strongest is the one about happiness, what it means and how it is seen by each character. Also how the small things in life make you the happiest Many examples of individual happiness are seen in the film.
The storyline is about Lester, a middle-aged man who feels “sedated” in his current lifestyle and routine. He decides to take control of his life once again and begins to go back to his happy teenage days, where he spent summers flipping burgers and smoking pot. This is something his uptight wife disagrees
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Caroline and Lester are too scared and worried about what might happen or what people might think. They never really consider a divorce, as they both feel its not worth it and they are past the point of caring. They see divorce as a very tricky thing and that it would take a lot of work and effort - both mentally and physically. Divorce rate statistics in New Zealand show that roughly one-third of couples who married in 1970 had divorced by their jade wedding anniversary (35 years). This suggests that two-thirds of marriages end in the death of one partner. This is exactly what happened in the film to Lester. In other places in the world, getting out of a marriage isn’t easy. For example recent statistics for average divorce rates for arranged marriages is 4.2%. This is where couples have no say in who they get to be with. In a country like India, recent statistics show an overall 1.2% divorce rate. It is frowned upon to leave a marriage in Indian society. The freedom and happiness to have a say in who you marry - found in New Zealand - is something that advantages us
Steel Magnolias is a movie about the lives of six southern women and the drama that unfolds during a difficult period in their lives. As you can probably guess, there are tears, laughter and drama galore. The move is set in Chinquapin Parish, a small southern town in rural Louisiana. During the opening credits it draws you into the peaceful small town charm: beautiful homes, lush landscapes, blooming trees, shrubs and people lounging on their front porch. A young woman walks across a town that appears to be pulled straight from a Norman Rockwell painting, then gunshots! It’s the wedding day and there can be no birds pooping on the reception. You just got on the roller coaster; hang on! This movie will bring about every emotion you have
poster typically has the white cowboy large, presented front and center, with the antagonists and co-stars all behind him. An iconic western, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, has a poster picturing the white cowboy alone. Clint Eastwood stands there tall, stoic, and singular. Typical of most other westerns, the white cowboy is the center of attention. Here, however, there are two non-white figures presented: Bart, the Black cowboy, and a large Native American chief. This movie poster has the same style as other westerns with the color and layout, but is unique in the fact that a black man is presented where a white man would normally be dominating. Once again, this makes a statement about racial improvements. Previously having a black man at
Everyone can look back on memories at school and remember the “problem kid”. This student may have been the one who got bad grades, was disrespectful to the teacher or the one who just never came to class. We see these students and automatically judge them not knowing the circumstances that surround their decision making. When we judge those students we don’t understand the backgrounds and the home life that some of these students have. Problems at home can drastically affect a student’s academic life and one option they are left with is an at-risk school such as Black Rock. In “Summer’s Choice” we are able to see one of these students who was written off even though she is tremendously talented in the art field. In “Summer’s Choice” we see
In America is a movie about an Irish family that immigrates to New York in order to find better work and improve their lives, but end up finding that it is very difficult to live in the U.S. This is due to the problems they face involving health, money, and the overall environment of the place they live. There are many aspects of cultural geography that are brought up throughout the movie. Some examples include the neighborhood they live in, class of people, and the health factors that impact the people that live there.
Sex, love, depression, guilt, trust, all are topics presented in this remarkably well written and performed drama. The Flick, a 2014 Pulitzer Prize winning drama by Annie Baker, serves to provide a social commentary which will leave the audience deep in thought well after the curtain closes. Emporia State Universities Production of this masterpiece was a masterpiece in itself, from the stunningly genuine portrayal of the characters of Avery and Rose, to the realism found within the set, every aspect of the production was superb.
Benjamin Braddock is at a crossroads in his life. He has just graduated college which means he has reached adulthood and must decide what to do with his life. The problem is Benjamin is too immature to handle it. He is passive and watches the world around him move on. Ben prefers to lie around in his parent's pool rather than consider graduate school or finding good quality job. He is beginning to realize that the path his parents have chosen for him isn't the one he wishes to follow. He is lost young man in search of high dreams, ...
The Bad and The Beautiful (1952) and State and Main (2000) are films within films that unmask Hollywood Cinema as a dream factory and expose the grotesque, veneer hidden by the luxury of stars. The Bad and the Beautiful, directed by Vincent Minnelli, is a black and white film narrated in flashback form. The films theatrical nature requires more close-ups than wide-screen shots to capture the character’s psychological turmoil. For example, Fred and Jonathan’s car ride is captured in a close-up to signify their friendship; however their relationship deteriorates after Jonathan’s deceit. While the camera zooms out, Fred stands alone motionless. Here, Fred is captured from a distance at eye-level and he becomes ostracized by the film industry and
A century ago, divorce was nearly non-existent due to the cultural and religious pressures placed upon married couples. Though over time Canadians have generally become more tolerate of what was once considered ‘mortal sin’, marital separation and divorce still remain very taboo topics in society. Political leaders are frowned upon when their marriages’ crumble, religions isolate and shun those who break their martial vows and people continue to look down on those who proceed to legally separate their households. With that being said, couples do not just decide to get a divorce for no particular reason. There must be something driving them towards marital dissatisfaction and further, driving them towards divorce.
Enough is a 2002 thriller directed by Michael Apted and written by Nicholas Kazan. This film is very similar to the Stephen King’s 1995 film adaptation of Dolores Claiborne directed by Taylor Hackford. The protagonists in both these films find themselves trapped in abusive relationships and turn to drastic means to protect themselves and their daughters. In the film Enough, Slim runs away with her daughter from her abusive husband to protect her life whereas, Dolores, in Dolores Claiborne is trapped in her little small town with her husband who is abusive to her and is now sexually abusing their daughter. These women find themselves in these abusive relationships and become empowered to take control of their lives. The writers skillfully use literary elements in these films to convey this message.
What does it mean to give yourself completely to your vocation or life? We find in a fictional story from Wes Anderson, his eighth feature presentation, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” What it means to be completely giving of oneself. Even though Wes’s movie is fictional, we find many deep and underlying themes, tones, and values. these are values are applications that anyone male or female that one can implicate in ones life to any situation. The main values we can find in the movie are simple, but can improve life ten-fold. Three easy steps to improving ones life are as stated: gratitude, positivity, and you must contribute yourself 100% of the time no matter how hard the road in front of you is going to
12 ANGRY MEN, is basically a story play written for broadcast on CBS in 1954 by an American playwright Reginald Rose. In 1957, Rose finished the screenplay for the movie version, which was co-produced by him and Henry Fonda (Juror#8). The movie was directed by Sydney Lumet. This movie was nominated for many awards like Academy awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best writing, Screenplay based on Material from another Medium, and an Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay from Mystery Writers of America.
Think about your favorite movie. When watching that movie, was there anything about the style of the movie that makes it your favorite? Have you ever thought about why that movie is just so darn good? The answer is because of the the Auteur. An Auteur is the artists behind the movie. They have and individual style and control over all elements of production, which make their movies exclusively unique. If you could put a finger on who the director of a movie is without even seeing the whole film, then the person that made the movie is most likely an auteur director. They have a unique stamp on each of their movies. This essay will be covering Martin Scorsese, you will soon find out that he is one of the best auteur directors in the film industry. This paper will include, but is not limited to two of his movies, Good Fellas, and The Wolf of Wall Street. We will also cover the details on what makes Martin Scorsese's movies unique, such as the common themes, recurring motifs, and filming practices found in their work. Then on
Sofia Coppola’s movie, The Virgin Suicides, 1999, brings to the forefront the reality of what life is like for five oppressed teenage girls living in suburbia in the mid-70’s. After examining numerous articles, a few of them made an impact on my perspective. The first of many articles is Todd Kennedy’s piece, Off with Hollywood’s Head: Sofia Coppola as Feminine Auteur. Kennedy discusses how Coppola has a tendency to lean toward directing films that cater toward females’ interest, either because of the visual imagery or women’s feelings of connectedness with the characters. The author reveals that The Virgin Suicides portrays women as becoming dominated by the environment surrounding them. The author gives an interesting point of view when he claims, “The film tells a story of the five Lisbon sisters whose identities exist only insofar as they are defined as the objects of the masculine desire” (44). Furthermore, the Kennedy asserts how the film serves as a prolonged exploration into the degree to which female characters are idealized, objectified, and defined by the image that the film- and their society- imposes upon them.
The vision Christopher Nolan had for The Prestige (2006) was to add to the outbreak of street magician film, whilst playing a large dramatic subplot equal in grandeur to the magical performances within the film. In the final sequence of the film, I will analyse how the cinematography and sound helps to resolve the plot so that it summarises the themes present in the film, whilst also invoking a response from the audience. Nolan uses close up shots, non-diegetic sound (music) and dialogue collaboratively to convey the dramatic, personal subplot of the characters and their relationships, whilst appealing to the audience bringing forth an emotional response from the audience. The heavy, slow, dramatic atmosphere of the ending sequence uses various
The Hollywood movie Pretty Woman (1990) is about a prostitute in Hollywood, marrying an extremely rich businessman, in spite of her mutual distrust and prejudice. The movie contains the basic narrative of the Cinderella tale: through the love and help of a man of a higher social position, a girl of a lower social status moves up to join the man at his level.