Gran Torino is a powerful film that incorporates many different themes. One of the main themes in this movie is racism. Walt Kowalski, played by Clint Eastwood, is a Korean War veteran living in a small, quiet town. The town is booming with new immigrants from different ethnic backgrounds. Walt is not used to the idea of the new people or change, and is racist towards his neighbors, who are Hmong. He disrespects them and other community members who are not white. He portrays people of an older generation that are not as accepting as younger, more modern generations. Walt fought against these people instead of learning to live peacefully near them. He doesn’t realize times have changed. In the article, “The one drop rule & the one hate rule,” it talks about the troubles immigrants have had in the past and today in the United States. They come to our country to have a better life but some people do not accept them. Most immigrants struggle to fit into our culture and society. Many Americans have made this transition even more difficult by treating immigrants and people of other cultures poorly. The author points out different struggles ethnic groups have and how there struggles have changed over the years. I agree with the author’s points, that people struggle in new environments and the people of the United States need to help them with this transition. This essay does not raise any new questions I have on this topic, I know there are major problems that need to be fixed. There are many different kinds of racism in the world today. From religious beliefs, to what people look like, how they talk, and even where they came from. It is extremely sad to think people are still judged and treated with disrespect. The movie, Gran Torino, ends with Walt becoming close to the Hmong neighbors and accepting them. He grows to like them and protects their family against a local gang. These events show that first impressions are often wrong and all people should be treated with respect. We need to warm up to the fact that people are different, and find the positive aspects of diversity. I think there is definitely racism today in the United States, but I do not think it is as bad or as widespread as it was decades ago. We now have an African American president and we are accepting differences more easily. There is still a lot to work for our country, including women’s rights and equality amongst all ethnic groups. Hopefully this will continue to progress over time. We need to learn to adapt to changes and respect people for their interesting backgrounds, even if it is different from what we are used to. This can bring out the good in everyone. I love the movie Gran Torino, it is a perfect example of the fact that opposites can learn to understand one another and live side by side, I recommend this movie to everyone.

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Clint Eastwood is one of my all time favorite actors. He does an unbelievably great job in his movies. Eastwood always plays a tough guy that intimidates other characters in his movies. Gran Torino is a perfect example of this. Clint Eastwood plays an old, grumpy man named Walt Kowalski, who is a Korean War veteran living in Michigan. To his family and neighbors, he is a lonely man who keeps to himself and doesn’t seem to like anyone. Through the years, his nice quiet neighborhood has turned into an undesirable one, filled with new immigrants and gangs. His new neighbors, ironically, happen to be of Asian decent, which his character despises. The neighbor’s son, Thao, is persuaded by his cousin, a local gang member, to try and steal Kowalski’s prize possession, a Gran Torino. While attempting to steal the car from the garage, Walt catches Thao in the act and holds a gun to his face. Thao’s family is very embarrassed, so they make him work for Walt. Another scene has Walt saving Thao’s sister, Sue, from some men harassing her. Slowly, Walt becomes close to the family next door. He protects himself and neighbors from the gangs that have been threatening them. They work together and become friends to fend off the gangs. This movie conveys so many different messages. From Walt being racist, and then learning to get along with people, to Thao learning to stay away from gangs, and living a good life. This is a great movie, which will keep the viewer at the edge of their seat. It will make you think about the way people are treated and how you want to help others. I recommend this movie to anyone that wants to see a good action film with great messages and meanings.

 

Sicko by Michael Moore is a documentary about health care in the United States. The goal of this film by Moore is to give the citizens of our country a look at our health care system compared to other countries, and an inside look at our corrupt insurance companies. Michael Moore makes his argument by interviewing different people around the United States that have been let down by the health care system. His main participants in the film were three 9/11 volunteers. Those three people did not receive any care for the work they did on 9/11, so he took them to Cuba to receive care. Oddly enough, all he wanted for those three people, was the same care the prisoners were getting in Guantanamo Bay, which was better than the average American. Moore also talked to former employees of insurance companies that admitted the companies just wanted to make money, and not help people. Those insurance companies would try to find ways to deny patients the care they needed in order to save money. This film used many techniques to get the point across by showing clips from 9/11. They interviewed family members of people who were denied care and then died because of this. Also, his trip to Cuba was very interesting. If this were written in an essay, a person would not get the same effect as video evidence shows. Moore’s argument would have still been the same, but he could not explain how the people looked or felt, as well as the viewer watching the sadness and realness of the situation. Michael Moore did a great job at getting his point across that the United States needs to fix the health care system.

The movie Fahrenheit 9/11 by Michael Moore was a very controversial movie. Our nation was divided on this film whether his accusations were all true or not. The media and government usually do not support Michael Moore. His films are documentaries that show the American public what they might not know that is going on behind closed doors, usually with the government or media. Antoinette Winstead wrote a review of the book by Robert Brent Toplin, Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11: How One Film Divided a Nation. Winstead stated that Toplin’ s book proposed four questions, “Did Michael Moore interpret recent American History effectively and with sophistication? Did he violate unwritten but generally acknowledged rules concerning responsible communication through documentary cinema? Were the accusations true or false? Did his political cinema have an impact on public opinion?” She believed that if the public viewing the film would have used these ideas then their perception of the movie would have been much different. Antoinette thinks that maybe the Americans should analyze movies they watch in a different way, have a more open mind. The media tends to have the power and say whether a movie is good or not, and give the public the opinion. Michael Moore’s films usually tell people what different companies or the government doesn’t want the public to know. She also states that Michael Moore’s movie may have a bigger impact than people believe, such as the Presidential election. Antoinette agrees with Toplin’s book saying that people need to look at both the positives and negatives to Michael Moore’s movies.

My girlfriend always makes me watch movies I have never heard of or have no interest in watching. Slumdog Millionaire is a perfect example of one of these movies. I had heard it was about an Indian man’s life shown through the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire show in India. I wasn’t very excited going into the theater but when the movie started everything changed.  The first scene had loud, but very entertaining, up-beat music showing various scenes throughout India, which kept me on the edge of my seat. I was really excited about the movie because it showed me a part of the world I had never seen before or known much about.  It made me take a step back and realize how great we have it here in the United States and we should be grateful for everything we have and own. Slumdog Millionaire is unlike any movie I have seen. Usually I enjoy action movies or comedies that do not have much of a plot but rather entertainment value. This movie takes a famous game show and connects it to the contestant’s life through each question. Each correct answer he gives are related to specific events and learning experiences in his life. Slumdog Millionaire is a journey through the eyes of a boy in India, it is amazing to me to see how he lived and yet he was still a happy person. The best part about the movie to me is the host of the show and the police think he is cheating because they do not think someone from the slums can know all the answers. He does in fact know because of everything he has been through as a child and a young adult. I would recommend this movie to everyone because it is not the typical Hollywood movie. It will get you to think about life and what is really important. Slumdog Millionaire is now one of my favorite movies of all time.  Trying something new and branching out from your normal movie interests can sometimes lead to finding an all-time favorite.

The Castaway commercial by FedEx uses comedy to capture the viewer’s attention. This commercial lets the customer know that no matter what FedEx will deliver their package. Castaway, a famous movie, was about a FedEx plane that crashed and the lone survivor was stranded on an island. The survivor, played by Tom Hanks, used the packages from the plane to survive. The man in the commercial portrayed Hanks who had long hair and a beard. He delivered a package to a woman living in a nice quiet suburban neighborhood. As a FedEx deliveryman, he promised to deliver the package no matter what. He did not open it because it was his duty to follow through and successfully deliver the package. This shows the viewer they can trust FedEx and their employees to keep their package safe and deliver it at all costs. The man had one last request after delivering the package and that was to know the contents inside. The lady who made it seem as if it were no big deal opened and showed him a satellite phone, a global positioning system, a water purifier, and other necessary needs to survive on an island. This added humor to the commercial because he could have been off the island much sooner if he opened the package. The dramatic music set the tone for the commercial viewer to understand how hard the deliveryman worked to get that package to its rightful owner. This simple commercial idea gave the viewer a good laugh but also got the point across that you can trust your packages with the FedEx family.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alSQpinagp0