Final blog post

Final Blog Post
Hollywood's interpretation of history has changed others views about the past. When making a movie, the directors and writers of any given film normally focus on the plot and how appealing the movie will be to a wide range of audiences to bring in income. Sometimes the history aspect of the films are inaccurate.
A lot of people think whatever Hollywood produces and the information provided must be true even if it is false. However, there are movies where the history is accurate. In viewing multiple films throughout the quarter, I have seen both accuracies and inaccuracies.
The film "The Patriot" starring Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger exemplifies the inaccuracy that Hollywood tries to portray as history. A lot of the characters in that movie did not represent one persons personality. Hollywood combined characteristics of real life generals and people of high authority into one character such as Benjamin Martin. Another representation of more than one person wrapped up in one character would be the only African American in the militia. He represents the life of most slaves. He had to enlist in the militia for 12 months in order to receive his freedom. In history there were many slaves fighting in the Revolutionary War. Most of which were enlisted by their owners because they either couldn't or did not want to fight. There were also a few inaccuracies on the battles that occurred. There is a scene where they burned a church with the villagers inside. That never occurred during the Revolutionary War. Another inaccuracy was when Aunt Charlotte owned multiple properties without having a husband or father around. In that time period, women did not have the right to own property. The movie did have some accuracies. For example, the character Tavington. He was a real person in history who was known for his brutality and harsh tactics. He was correctly represented in the film. "The Patriot" seemed to create more of a story out of the Revolutionary War, which is what Hollywood meant to do.
A movie that we viewed that had a lot of accuracies was "Forrest Gump". Set around the mid 1900's many historical events occurred and Hollywood accurately represented those events in the film. In the beginning, young Forrest has problems with his legs. They were fixed with leg braces. In the film many questioned why he was different. In that time new solutions in medicine were emerging. The situation was accurately written. The movie shows the  rise of Elvis Presley's fame. The film includes actual clips from one of Elvis's performances. In the timeline of the movie, the Vietnam War was occurring. It was common for people to enlist, like Forrest did. In the short time the film focused on the War, it showed the struggles of living in fear and fighting in a platoon. The movie showed the weather conditions and attacks and encounters. The All American Ping Pong team was also in the movie. The writers put Forrest in the story to be a professional Ping Pong star who met the president. The directors included real footage from the team meeting the President.  The film also included footage from the JFK and RFK assassination. Throughout the film you could see the different time periods. The movie showed the hippie time period. This movie took real and famous events in history, incorporated it into the story, and accurately represented those events. This is an example where Hollywood did not change the way people think about history.
Movies are created so the viewers will be entertained with the story. In most movies, history plays a big role. Some manipulate the story to incorporate history, and others change the history to fit the story.  Both are shown in movies still made today. It's all up to knowledge and interpretation on what they should and shouldn't believe.

Apollo 13

Apollo 13
 Even after watching Apollo 13 for a second time, the movie still continues to intrigue me. Although it is completely terrifying I have always been fascinated with the idea of space. It amazes me to this day how one can exit our planet and be able to look upon the everyday life we once knew from hundreds of thousands of miles away.
The movie "Apollo 13",directed by Ron Howard, represents the true events and complications of the mission of Apollo 13. Tom Hanks stars as Jim Lovell, one out of three astronauts on the mission, who hopes to go to the moon. After an explosion, both the people in mission control and the astronauts face a life or death situation. They must abort the mission and fight for their lives. With resources slowly running out, the crew faces harsh temperatures, power outages, and oxygen loss. The action filled film keeps you on the edge of your seats from beginning to end.
This movie is rated pg-13 and is recommended to anyone who enjoys space and sciences. I enjoyed the movie and give it a 4 out of 5 stars.  
    

Top Gun

"Top Gun"
Grace Fogel
By not having much exposure to the world of planes and jets, the movie "Top Gun" introduced me to a new art from of flying. My interest level of the film increased as it continued. In the beginning I was not intrigued; however, the last flight scene caught my attention. For being one of Tom Cruise's first movies, he did an acceptional job at playing his role. Tom played the main character, Maverick, as one of the best pilots in his class at the elite school, Top Gun. Throughout the film, Maverick encounters predicaments, while meeting a new love interest.
A few years ago I went to Ocean City, NJ to see the air show, where many great piolets showed off their skills in enormous jets. I felt this small experience gave me a slight connection to the movie.
I would give this movie 2.5 stars out of 5. I would rate this movie pg-13 due to the fact that most younger children would probably not have a strong interest in jet planes in the navy. I wouldn't have chosen to watch his film on my own, but with watching it I wasn't completely unentertained.

Forrest Gump

"Forrest Gump"
Grace Fogel
The movie "Forrest Gump" is a must see entertaining drama. It accurately depicts historical events that are intertwined in the story. The story takes place over several years and follows Forrest, played by Tom Hanks, throughout his life. The movie includes references to the assassination of JFK and RFK. The All American Ping Pong Team, the Apple company, and the Vietnam war are all included in the story and in Forrest's life. Throughout Forrest's life he meets influential people like Jenny, Lieutenant Dan, and Bubba.
This movie was very enjoyable to watch. I enjoyed the meaning and theme of the movie. I would recommend it to ages 13 and up. I would give this movie 4 out of 5 stars. This movie should be rated PG-13 due to some harsh language. Overall this is a movie everyone should see in their lifetime.

Forrest Gump activity 1

Forrest Gump activity 1
Elvis Presley: The film depicts him as an average guy who stayed in Forrests house. He would play the guitar while Forrest would dance. His dance was unique because of the issues with his legs. Later Forrest sees Elvis on TV doing his dance (which is the dance he was known for). The film depicts Elvis correctly as "the king" and a music legend.
Desegregation of University of Alabama: The movie accurately represents this time in history where the universities desegregated.  There were guards who would escort the African American students in the building to shield them from the protesters. It also shows JFK signing the document saying to mix the schools.
JFK assassination: In the movie they show the actual footage of the JFK assassination. Forrest plays for the Alabama and meets JFK at an event.

Platoon

"Platoon"
Grace Fogel
Platoon, directed by Oliver Stone, is based off of the true events of the Vienam War. The movie accurately depicts the violence and attacks that occurred. There were scenes that were shown that involved the people of Viatnam (civilians) that were abused and that was a historical accuracy. The attacks were also correct in how they were operated and carried out. The film follows two different characters within different platoons, hence the movie's title. Both of which show two different perspectives of war.
All characters did a good job at playing their roles. The sound quality was acceptional and the picture quality was adequate. The movie contains a lot of harsh language and violence. I mean it is a war movie. Due to harsh references and harder concepts to grasp I would not recommend this film for children. It is rated R and I would give this movie 1.5 out of 5 stars. I was not particularly fond of the film mostly because I don't enjoy that many war movies.

Against the Wall

"Against the Wall"
Grace Fogel
In New York, 1971, the inmates of Attica prison took over the prison. After many years of living in horrible and unfair living conditions, the inmates had enough. The movie "Against the Wall", released in 1994, accurately represents what really happened with the taking back of the prison. The movie follows a prison guard, Michael Smith, who is based off of a guard who actually experienced the event. The inmates held hostages in order to negotiate their demands. The movie is an informational tv film.
All of the main character roles did a good job at playing their part. I thought the movie was average. I would give this movie a 3 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this movie to mature teenagers to adults. There are many violent scenes with harsh language and a few scenes that include male nudity. I would rate the movie R. If you are interested in action and drama movies, then this is the movie for you.