Blog Feed

La Clase de Bioquímica:

Tengo la clase de bioquímica los lunes-jueves todos los días menos miércoles. En la clase de bioquímica mi hacer experimentos, trabajar juntos de clase y aprender a trabajo una grupo. Para la clase mi necesito una computadora, un cuaderno, y seguridad gafas. Señor Sherif es muy inteligente y simpático. Sí Señor Sherif enseña bien porque su método de enseñanza es el mejor. Sí nosotros somos aprender mucho. Para la clase mi necesito una computadora y un lápiz, pero nosotros somos tienen que ser muy trabajar duro. Sí, bioquímica es mi favorito clase porque la clase de bioquímica es muy difícil y enseña tú para trabajar duro. ¿ Y a ti? ¿ Te gusta tu clase de bioquímica? ¿ Qué te gusta hacer experimentos?

   Tengo la clase de geometría los lunes-jueves todo los días menos miércoles. La clase de geometría es muy importante. En la clase de geometría mi hacer la solución de problemas de matemáticas y aprender ecuaciones. Para la clase mi necesito una computadora, una calculadora, y una carpeta. Señorita Thompson es muy simpático y seria de las matemáticas. Sí mi enseña bien, mi enseña mucho. Sí nosotros somos aprender mucho. Para la clase necesitan para tener éxito en la clase de geometría es su comprensión cérea de las matemática. Sí, geometría es mi segundo favorito clase porque la clase de matemáticas es muy difícil pero mas o menos fácil. ¿ Y a ti? ¿Te gusta tu clase de geometría?

Mi escuela SLA es divertida, extraño, y muy diverso. La escuela tener un café para comer y relajante. SLA tener muy estudiantes. SLA tener cuatrocientos- cincocientos estudiantes. La escuela escubicacíon en céntrico Filadelfia. Mi opción de SLA es muy diferente porque la escuela hacer actividades.

• Why did you choose this topic?'
  I wanted to make a song and a music video displaying my ability to exercise my 1st amendment right to freedom of speech. By doing so in the song, I said a lot of things that people would be able to make a discussion out of with their own set of ideas
  
  
• What did you like about this project? What was most challenging?
  I liked the challenge to go above and beyond the usual history project. it gave us a chance to be creative and effective, and have our own say on why we appreciate certain laws in the constitution 
• Describe the most interesting fact or event that you investigated.
  "The Freedom of the Press provides little, or no, additional protection than the Freedom of Speech itself, because the Court has worried that a "reporter's privilege" would be too difficult to define" I found this interesting, because I formally thought that reporters could talk about whatever they wanted in stories 
• Where did you run into trouble with the project?
  
  Getting the project onto the course blog -_-, that was the most challenging part, because we had internet problems, FLV converter problems, and all of that. Our process was spot on though.

• What went well with this project?
  When we got our ideas together, we flew off and finished the project easily. I finished the song, and Tariq & Jason and I filmed and edited the video. It was also successful for us to work with someone who's not even in our class. Jason was part of the D-Band AmGOV class
• If you had it to do over, what would you change about your decisions or your process?
  If I could do it over, I woud take more of an academic approach to the project, instead of trying so hard to be creative and to stand out among the other projects. We kind of made a music video surrounding the C-Sband footage
• What did you learn?
  I learned that I can be creative when it comes to history projects, and that not all history projects have to be boring, a lot of reading and hard to focus on. During this semester of AMGOV, Ive learned that I can make engaging projects in which people hold interest in, and in which people can really look at and have a lot to talk about with it.

The Island, written by Caspain Tredwell-Owen, directed by Michael Bay, and released in 2005, is a sci - fi thriller about two people who find out that they are clones,created only to be harvested for for their organs. In the beginning after the first initial scene of the main character having a vivd nightmare of drowning the movie proceeds to show the Mis- en- Scene. A modern futuristic environment with people whose daily lives are regulated according to the standards of others. Most of the shots beginning of the film are medium shots with lighting that dramatizes the shot. To me it seems like the lights are always positioned so that shines from directly under or above a characters faces.This gives their faces a sort of shadow about them. The shots in this film don't differentiate until the middle of the film when most of the thrill and action takes place.

The Dialogue in the film gives just enough information so that the viewer's curiosity is only furthered. Most of the dialogue in the film is not accompanied by music or the music is very very low. The music , just like the camera shots, doesn't start to become more prominent until the action and thrill starts. In some scenes it takes the place of dialogue. For instance, when the main characters leave the environment the movie opens in , the music is loud and gives off the character emotions. The characters themselves were well casted wonderfully, I felt each person was really into their role. They made it seem believable, well as believable as this story could be.

The editing of this film was particularly good during the most action packed part of the film when a lot of car crashes and building breaking was taking place. The point of view of the camera changed from close up to  to wide or panning.The actors the coloring and everything else, to me blended beautifully. I quite enjoyed this film. I cannot say that I was blown away by it buy did enjoy it. i could see myself watching this film again or suggestion it to someone I know. Over all i give this film a 7.5 out of 10.

Emma Hersh

Though the title might suggest some movement of characters throughout the film that makes them stronger, there isn't much of that in Closer. The lighting is generally dark or gloomy, there is never much light let in even in a well lit room. Each character is so set in his or her way that there is not much room for movement, room for love but not movement. The film begins with two main characters Dan (played by Jude Law) who is very ordinary looking and Alice (played by Natalie Portman) who has bright red hair, walking down a street in slow motion looking only at each other with a song playing saying basically over and over "I can't take my eyes off of you" (which is also the only piece of the score in the whole film with words). From the beginning there was no question that these two would be attracted to each other. 

Shot through a steady camera and a series of slow pans, medium, close, and over-the-shoulder shots this film is very slow moving and has no solid character trajectory. With that said, each character is very moved by every other in the film, particularly when they aren't yet acquainted and are merely strangers to each other. Very early on in the film we find that Dan is not only in love with Alice, but also with Anna (played by Julia Roberts) who is an emotionless photographer who hides behind her work to get closer to other people, but will never open up because she is too nervous about actually getting something (or someone) that she wants. Then she meets Larry (played by Clive Owen) who she supposedly loves but there is never evidence of their love except for them saying to each other "I love you." This makes for an interesting dynamic between characters who were supposedly moving closer towards each other. Instead it appears that each of them are moving closer to who they truly are. 

When asked the question "What do you do," Alice answers "I'm a stripper" and while the audience makes assumptions about her character to be sleazy or a failure, it turns out that when she is hiding underneath almost no clothes and a wig she is the most honest. Alice's natural hair is only seen when she already knows someone, something or some place, if she is somewhere familiar. When she sees Dan for the first time and when she is stripping she has altered the appearance of her hair in some way and she finds that confronting because she is already hiding, this is when she is most honest and vulnerable. She speaks very blatantly throughout the film because she wants to be more honest and open with people, but she is so tied to herself that there isn't much room for growth. 

Then there is Larry who is obviously horny most of the time because that influences where he goes and who he meets. He is the only character who is always himself and never lies. He is a dermatologist with an attitude and many opinions who seems so kind at first, but as the film progresses it becomes clear that he has a relatively short fuse. He is violent, aggressive, and crude in the way he talks to Dan, Alice and Anna, yet he is very sterile. In one of the last scenes he is descriptively telling Dan that he slept with Alice, much like Anna told him she was sleeping with Dan, and while there was a sense of his burning on the inside of his body, the room they were in was completely white and very sterile. Throughout the film, most colors followed a very basic color scheme, they were mostly whites and blues, only Alice was ever in more colors. Anna took photos through a black and white film camera which represented the way she viewed her life and the world, in a neutral and gray way. Throughout the whole film she was unhappy with her life and her relationships. 

The idea of who is a stranger plays out in many ways in this film because none of the relationships were established beforehand. The viewer makes discoveries along with each character about the others in the film. As each person begins as a stranger, they also end as a stranger. The film is almost entirely confrontation as each person cheats on their partner with another main character. They all want to be honest and good people so they tell their partners about it at some point and each character turns out to be basically images of the same person. In the end no one is completely happy because they all feel cheated and it is clear as a viewer that none of them will go back to normal. There was never a sense of normal in this film, though, because each relationship twists, turns, backtracks and mirrors the other relationships. One of the ending scenes is Dan and Alice fighting, she makes him so mad that he threatens to hit her, so she challenges that and he hits her. A slap across the face in slow motion with the song from the beginning playing. As they met in slow motion they also separated in slow motion. 

Where The Wild Things Are (2009)

Movie Review by Anwar Abdul-Qawi

1/26/2012

It is really easy for some to pass over this movie because of its childish cover, and title. But when you take time to sit down, and watch this film, you come to realize that it probably wasn’t want you were expecting, at least that’s how I felt about it. In this film directed by Spike Jonze, based off of the book, “Where The Wild Things Are,” it revolves an interesting, but at times scary character himself named Max. Within the first few minutes of the movie the viewer is hit with this character, and doesn’t waste anytime expressing how wild he is. We learn soon that Max is a very lonely character, and is becoming of age at which he starts understanding events that happen around him. Even though the movie may have pushed the character’s craziness a bit, you still can’t help but feel sorry for him, which is a very great start, if a movie can get you in that feeling within only a few minutes.

The character is given a wolf costume that stays with him throughout the film, and becomes almost apart of him. Without saying too much, because of a chain of events, Max is torn, and hurt, and runs away from home, resulting in the movies amazing change into a new world.

The transition into this new setting was surprisingly very smooth, and believable, and watching Max’s interaction with these mysterious “wild things” is very both amazing, and chilling to watch. There is a lot of content in this film, dealing with Max’s struggle for acceptance in the real world, his views and difficulty of being a leader, and the “wild thing’s” characters themselves. There is a certain feeling you get when you watch Max, a young boy trying to tame, and control beast, that have surprisingly not made in a childish fashion. It was really amazing watching the interaction between Max, and the beast. I am still shocked at how even though this film could be for young audiences, at times the film can get dark, and really depressing. So when Max first meets these monsters, their first reaction is to kill and eat him, which is pretty hard, and scary for a child’s movie. These monsters, even though friendly at times, are given sharp teeth, claws, and when they are first introduced they may even frighten young audiences. Since the plot revolves around Max trying to show this beast that he can be a good king, and keep them happy, you can already tell that there will be many flaws in his plan.

Being a movie that parents would take their children to, a lot of the time Max is shown making these creatures perform violent acts for fun. The movie does a great job of making his ruling believable, and then quickly bring us back to reality that he is just a boy, in a costume, whenever his plans fail. The only thing that is more interesting than watching these wild things on film is the interaction between Max, and the monsters. A lot of the shots, and visuals are once again very believable, and a lot of the times you will actually fear for Max’s safety throughout the film, because even though they are just having fun, this movie has done a great job of keeping you happy in this fantasy world, but at the same time on cringing that Max won’t get smashed, or killed.

Along the amazing visuals, there is a very beautiful soundtrack added to the film. I would give the music a 10/10. The music has a little kid hipster vibe to it, which really gets you in the mood. A lot of child films tend to abuse, or over use popular media songs just for a laugh, or just to put it in their because it is popular, without it matching the feel of the movie. I am glad to say that, “Where The Wild Things Are,” successfully was able to stay away from that. A lot of the music just contains children just screaming words, like “Yeah!” consecutively, but it is good that the music is just as wild as the movie itself. This was one of the first times I was actually able to take “monsters” in a kid’s movie seriously. These wild things were not dancing to pop songs, or making silly jokes, or references to the real world, they were believable in their own way. Also with making believable a lot of sounds really were done pretty well. Whether it’s the sound of a tree be smashed, or just the sound of footsteps, everything seemed natural, and it fit perfectly in the movie.

The movie’s dialogue was very well done. Each character had their own way of presenting themselves, and speaking to each other, but the real character that shines the most is Max, not because he is the main character, but because he is pretty much the only living person on set, most of the time. His acting was very well done, and believable, and it was interesting to see his character change throughout the movie.  

As I mentioned before this films visuals are on point. It is cool to point out that a lot of the beautiful different locations, such as deserts and forests were actually real locations. With that the lighting, and color aspect of the film are really enjoyable to look at, reasons being that a lot of shots, and angles mixed with the lighting look make Max, and the wild things seem real, and achieving that in a movie is a good thing. It is always a let down to watch a movie and to be like, “oh that monster is so fake, and cheesy.” Feelings like that ruin films, and detaches you from the experience, but in this film, you are made to believe that these creatures are just as real, just as real as they are to Max. One of my favorite scenes is when Max first gives out his first order, as being king, and he decides for everyone to run around, and yell. This scene was very well filmed because the angle was a nice wide shot, and it showed Max running downhill, and the minsters behind him running, and it all looked smooth and real. It was a really great shot.

So throughout the film, Max becomes leader, of these beasts, and gets caught up in the feeling, loved, accepted, and noticed. Since back in the real world, he is ignored by his single mom, who wants to be happy, and find someone new, and by his teenage sister, who of course finds a boyfriend, and leaves him. Here it is where Max develops, as he attempts to rule over these wild things. Not spoiling too much, but Max meets a special monster, who serves as one of the main characters, and some can say that this beast represents Max, or even surpasses Max in wildness. Of course Max finds himself, having to be the tamer in this world opposed to the one being tamed, and it is really chilling seeing Max’s character mature, and finally being able to see himself.

Again without saying so much, it is clear that Max will eventually have to go back home some point in the story. It would be odd, if he were to leave his real mother, and have his story end happily ever after with him in this new world. So knowing that he makes a return foreshadows the fact that Max fails at king. This is not a spoiler, this is clear. I won’t mention how he fails, but it is very sad to see his break down as king and his reconstruction as a boy.

“Where The Wild Things Are,” is a very spectacular film to watch if you are into films that will open your mind. This isn’t an average kid’s film, full of senseless jokes; this is a film that parents, adults, teens, and almost everyone can get something out of. Yes at times the really young audience may not be fully interested in the film, because it mainly focusses on the drama of Max. But it makes you look back at your childhood, and opens your mind to remember that all kids have to grow up at one point in their life. It teaches you that even though you may think the world is all about you when you are young; it shows you that it really isn’t. It shows a heart breaking real scenario of someone who just wants to feel loved, or have a purpose, and at the end of the day, you learn that life is just a lesson. “Happiness is not always the best way to be happy,” is a quote from one of the characters in the movie, meaning that even though you may feel as though that making someone happy is the best thing to do, in the long run, it may not be good for the person, or good for yourself, which opens questions, like, “is Max really needed for these wild things to live?”,” would they be better off her he left?, “or, “would he be better off leaving?” The only thing Max wants is to feel loved, and being king is his way of getting that. In order to be loved, he has to do things to keep the wild things happy, and even though it is a nice thing for him to try to do so it is clear that it is an impossible task to do so, meaning that it would only result in pain, than good. 

You will be taken back to the times when you were a child, and at the end you will have a feeling of happiness, and sadness. A feeling that will make you want to be a part of the fantasy world, and return to being a child again. A feeling that will make you look back when you let go of certain things, and realized that there was a point in time where you had to grow up, and never return to a land called childhood. I give “Where The Wild Things Are” a 4.5 out of 5 stars, this film will remind you that inside all us, at one point in time, was a wild thing, soon to be tamed, and left behind.

"The Debt" was a wonderful film. The movie kept me very interested the entire time. It is one of the better drama-thriller movies that I've seen throughout my movie ventures. Though a little lengthy, "The Debt" was a very well paced film and it made those 2 hours go by relatively fast. I thought that the movie's plot was a very interesting one. The main plot of "The Debt" was based on a screen play written Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman and Peter Straughan. It is also a remake of a 2007 Israeli film also named "The Debt" by Assaf Bernstein. The movie is set up so that events from the past are retold that are directly related to the characters present day situation.

The film is about three spies that went on a mission in 1965 in East Berlin. The three spies were Rachel Singer played by Jessica Chastain,  David Peretz  played by Sam Worthington and Stefan Gold played by Marton Csokas. Their mission was to capture the nazi surgeon known as "The Surgeon of Birkenau", for his horrific experiments done on Jews during WWII, and bring him back to Israel to be put on trial for his crimes against humanity. Rachel and David posed as a married couple that have been struggling for the past 2 years to conceive a child but have failed, in order to get close to the doctor who now works in a clinic. Once the "ok" is given by the Israeli government to proceed with the mission the team makes their move on him.

The doctor is kidnapped by the three spies and they attempt to flee the country with his body via train but Rachel's face is seen and they miss the train so they are forced to seek refuge back at their hideout with the doctor. From their the movie has come fantastic dialogue pieces given by the doctor and the rest of the spies. One day the doctor is being fed by David and the former says something to piss him off, David then proceeds to break a ceramic plate across the doctors face and to beat him. After david is restrained by his teammates, piece of the ceramic plate is left behind and the doctor cuts himself loose. The house that they stay in is very old, it was raining and Rachel was putting out pots to catch water from leaks in the room. When Rachel goes to get more pots to catch the water from the leaks, the doctors sneaks up on her and injures her face and then escapes. The spies then agree to tell the rest of the world that while the doctor was trying to escape Rachel crawled and shot him in the back. The movie it basically all of the ramifications from them lying about the mission to the world.

In the movie there is a piano that is played Stefan all the time and this plays a very good role in reflecting on everyone's current mood. When Rachel does not know what to do and is crying Stefan gets on the piano and he plays music that one would usually associate with the emotion "sadness". A book of the spies' mission was written by Rachel's daughter, excerpts of the book have gotten read by both Rachel and her daughter both times it would lead back to a flashback of the 1965 mission, which worked very well because that first time they did it, it showed Rachel successfully killing the doctor as it was written in the book. Later in the movie though a flashback is had from Rachel's own mind and the truth is revealed. This was an excellent plot twist. I think the organization of the film itself was a very good one, and by having that story told through two different mediums that allowed for even more room for them to do that.

The set up for the movie can be seen as the first couple of scenes where it is made known that there was a mission and what had happened during. The first scene is one of the three spies coming home after the mission and being greeted by their countries officials. The first plot point is when the character David his modern day older self was about to go meet someone but instead jumps in front of a moving truck killing himself. This immediately should raise many questions. Act 2 begins when Stefan informs Rachel that David has now killed himself. From there a flashback of how the mission actually happened begins, during that time plot point 2 happens which would be the spies failing to escape the country with the doctor. Act 3 begins back is actual time when Stefan tells Rachel that David he found the doctor and he couldn't live with this life long lie which is why he killed himself. David is in a wheelchair so he tells Rachel that she needs to deal with the problem, meaning kill the doctor. Reluctant to do so at first she then leaves to go find the doctor in a nursing home. He finds her while she's there and she is stabbed two times by him but she was able to inject him with something that kills him. The aftermath of the film from the characters is that Rachel and David eventually realize that they cannot continue to lie to the world and that right thing to be done, is to tell the truth. Stefan however still has his world views from 30 years ago and still believes that they should continue to lie.