Positive Impacts of Immigrants

Immigration in its purest form is the movement of a group of people into a country for assimilation. The inspiration for this movement could be based on many factors. Economic instability and lack of opportunity could attract immigrants into a country with the expectation or hope of better economic conditions. 


Societal pressures such as government oppression, religious persecution, or civil unrest are other sources of inspiration for immigrants to leave their native country in search of a better place elsewhere. All of these factors relate to the central theme of bettering the life and conditions of the immigrants. 


With the in-flux of a group of people, the internal environment of a country will change. The United States has experienced change and will continue to do so into the future. With immigrants pouring in through legal avenues or in unlawful ways, the change that takes place can improve the quality of life in the United States. 

Hamburger Hill: A response

The film, Hamburger Hill, raises several key questions about the nature of conflict and its overreaching effects into other the realm of politics, society, and personal opinion. While this film depicts the Vietnam war from the perspective of the G.I.s on the front lines, the film is an firm foundation for the discussion of war in a more general sense. 


There is a case that argues that war is an inevitable part of the system of politics and human struggle. As ideologies clash and the right to resources is contested, violent acts between groups can and do occur. Alignment to an  economical and political system was the cause of polarization during the Cold War. The Communist bloc held one belief, while the capitalist “free” market held another. The players revealed themselves during the Vietnam Conflict.


The United States set out on campaigns in south east Asia to prevent the spread of communist influence on non-aligned countries. The United States and other anti-communist forces in the area decided to wage an offensive on the communist forces in the area. The containment of communism was the key goal of the efforts of these countries in Southeast Asia. 

The Fog of War

Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara

Sympathy is the ability to understand the suffering or hardship that another person is experiencing. It can also be measured in the ability to act for the benefit of the suffering individual. Although reasoning and actions in wartime are difficult to define as sympathetic in the strictest sense,  there are elements of sympathy in the actions of national and military leaders. War is complex and paradoxical; sympathy, even more so.


When the Cuba was found holding hands with the Soviet Union, the United States was suddenly faced with the direct and local threat of nuclear war. Missiles were being stockpiled and armed ninety miles south of Florida. The United State was faced with the challenge of removing the threat of war, while looking simultaneously down the gun barrel. 

Progress: Beneficial or Destructive?

Illustrated by Heart of Darkness and The Gods must be Crazy

Social groups often perform imperialistic acts upon another country, ethnic group or, another demographic subdivision. There are distinct dynamics that are present in a system of imperialism that describe the behaviors of those involved and suggest outcomes that are commonly created and frequently developed. Often times, these frequently occurring results have negative impacts on all the members involved. 


  Any social group, ranging from a family to a  tribe to a country, or group of countries, possess a set of beliefs and regulations that relate to its behaviors. These beliefs are created by the group to sustain and propagate its societal values. Collectively these values are subjective; created and defined by the group and for the group. Now, subjectively defined behaviors and rules are effective within the groups' boundaries and less effective outside its boundaries. These boundaries are defined by the range of influence and knowledge that that group has with the objective, exterior world. When social groups interact, the effectiveness of communication and mutual understanding of societal values are related to the similarities between the interacting groups. 

Struggle and Freedom

Illustrated by Paradise Now and A Long Way Gone


The Palestinians and the Israelis are among the many groups that are involved in a long standing and destructive conflict. The dynamics of this conflict are complex are range from the international involvement of the United States and the the U.N. to a cultural rift that spans back thousands of years. Amidst the complex interactions between all the major forces in this conflict one conclusion can be made. When violence and aggression is used as a way to forward an idea or agenda resistance and counter-violence is created. This develops into a cycle of violence that will feed upon itself without end.

In the film, Paradise Now, the character Khaled says that there can be no freedom without struggle. Given Khaled's role in the violence of the region, it can be inferred that “struggle” may have been referencing violence, particularly through suicide-bombing. Through the influence of Suha, Khaled then develops awareness that violent tactics only create violent reactions. This is further shown when he abandons the second mission at the end of the film. The term “struggle” can be defined two ways; actions of violence and actions of peaceful resistance. The statement that Khaled made is true. There can be no freedom without struggle. Given the destructive cycle of violence,  however, non-violent struggling breaks free from the endless violence and provides a chance for freedom and peace to be obtained.

Ugestu Review: Symbolism of Japan

Ugestu (1953) is a film that portrays two protagonists as they are trying to scrape out a living in feudal Japan. Set when the leading powers of the land where the Samurais and the war-lords who contracted them out, two potters try and make ends meet by selling their wares in the nearby city. Inspired by the will to care for their families and buy expensive gifts for their wives, the two potters take on risky ventures in order to take advantage of the economic boom. The potters know that the impending war is good for business and set out to create as many pieces of pottery as they can. They eventually meet their demise by neglecting their families for the risky opportunities in the city. One of the potters looses his wife to prostitution after he leaves her to become a failure of a Samurai. The other potter abandons his family and marries a phantom enchantress after falling under her treacherous spell.



This film is full of Japanese culture and mythology and when placed in the context of Japan recovering from World War II, Ugestu offers a way to address the issues of defeat and loss that the Japanese people felt tremendously after the war. Using the characters, and their respective actions as a metaphor, the plot of Ugestu can be interpreted as a psychological response to the human and material loss and a way for the Japanese persona to face the future of modernization and increasing influences from other cultures.

To Sir, With love: Racist?

The progress of different types of people to achieve social and political equality is often marked by expressions of popular sentiment through the arts. In particular, the plight of people of African decent is a topic explored in 1960s film. The film To Sir, With love (1967), portrays an London school teacher who came from British Guinea to instruct a group of teenagers from the London ghetto. The story is about how the new teacher wins over a group of rascals and changes them for the better. 


This film is another example of subtle racism in the pulp of modern culture, with modern culture extending back to the late 1960s and spanning to the present day. African Americans, Hispanics, and people of Middle Eastern,i.e. non-white, descent are typically portrayed in movies as expressions of their stereotypical roles. To Sir, With love, is yet another example of films created by white people to process a feeling of guilt that they have for their race’s past actions against another race.

Millennial Cinema

Relationship of Cast Away to other films of the late 1990s and early 2000s

A  change was on the horizon and the face of that change was coming closer into focus with each passing day. The persistent ticking of the clock pointed to one inevitable conclusion. The world will be different when we wake up to face the new dawn. Questions rang out across popular media and opinions formed in public forums about what will happen. A nervous twitching picked at the edges of our minds. Some did not admit that they were susceptible to its effects, some quietly contemplated its meaning, while still others shouted out predictions and calls to action.

For one thousand years, civilization stood firmly on the calendar. The first digit in the year portion of the date had never changed in recent memory. Nations have risen and fallen, businesses grew and an entire sector of the economy matured in the shadow of the change. That first digit, which had up until this point, remained a solid '1', was now set to shift. Trivial when looked at from this perspective, but its impact on the culture was substantial. 

Pan's Labyrinth (El laberinto del fauno): A Reflection

Children are often central characters is many different myths and stories from around the world. Pan's Labyrinth can be interpreted as a dramatic interplay of chaos and order. The setting, characters, plot, and other devices are manifestations of many aspects of chaos and order. As the characters develop and the plot moves forward this dichotomy is explored.

As the world around Ofelia is collapsing into chaos as the rebels encroach on the farmhouse the established power figures in the film begin to be overrun and displaced from their position of control. The laws and rules that governed the land under the Spanish government dramatically become usurped as the spies within the farmhouse and the rebel fighters collaborate and chip away at Vidal and his men.  The reality of Ofelia's world is no longer a place of rules and chaos becomes the primary force in this realm. 

Which film has impacted you the most on a personal level?

There is little in life that is within the control of our will and abilities. This concept is easily overlooked in daily life. We move forward, ignorant of our vulnerability and sensitivity. We feel empowered by our tools and understanding but are efforts our eventually eclipsed by the overwhelming nature of reality. 

This perspective presents us with two choices. One is to submit to the irrational and omnipotent decay of effort and reason and simply give up. The alternative is to resist this powerful force with a silent persistence until our goals, however insignificant in the grand scheme of it all, are obtained to our humble satisfaction. 

Cast Away: An Existential Film

Existentialism is the area of philosophical thought that deals with the subjective challenges that face humanity. This area of thought seeks to resolve the questions that arise when dealing with concepts of subjectivity, freedom, authenticity, and absurdity. While the primary medium for existential conversation has been literature, modern films present a new audience with themes central to existentialism and attempt to illustrate the struggles and responses when faced with these problems.


The 2000 film, Cast Away, can be viewed in this light. Many existential concepts are presented throughout the film to the audience for contemplation. In place of the written word, story telling devices, such as emotion, archetypal characters, and conflict, coupled with the language of film, i.e. scenes, mise-en-scène, manipulation of time, etc, create a visual and emotional picture that inspires a conversation about existential concepts. 

Film Review: Repo! The Genetic Opera

There is a common phrase that is taught to children. It goes something like the following: "When you make a mistake, let go of the regret but don't forget the lesson". This adage gives children an opportunity to grow and mature. Unfortunately, the mistake of watching Repo! A genetic opera (2008) offers no such lesson and the regret is indelible. 

To summarize, Repo! A genetic opera is a musical set in a dystopian future where a world wide medical disaster has rendered humanity unable to live as they once could. Organs are failing and people are dying. Out of the filth of this mid-21st century world comes Genco; a company that will provide medical salvation, for a price. Organs are sold as high value items that are out of the financial range of many of the ailing population. The sick elect to be implanted with Genco organs, but if they default on their payments, they are repossessed by hired muscle. This is a blatant euphemism: the organs are ripped violently from conscious victims who writhe and squirm until they die in anguish, covered in their own blood and gore and are left to rot in the streets. Over the course of the movie, the politics involved in this world are explored and the resolution is the transfer of power from the terminally ill founder of Genco to his irresponsible and undeserving children. There also is the death of a obsessive father, who turns out to be the Repo-man, the continued entrapment of a teenage girl, and lots of time exploring the convoluted world of sex, blood, and bad music. 

Night and the City: Review

The Night and the City (1950) involves a club hustler who's plans always seems to fail just as they are on the verge of success. Many elements of Film Noir are clearly present in the film, from the use of high-contrast lighting to recurring story elements, and character types.  The Night and the City also offers a valuable exercise in learning how to read a film that doe not cater to the passive film viewer. 

One fundamental aspect of Film Noir is the exploration of the anti-hero, a main character who in spite of  his/her moral dubiousness, demands the sympathy of the audience. This is is direct contrast to the archetypal hero, who is moral right and justified in all that he/she does. Where a hero would do only good deeds to defeat the “bad guy” and resolve the conflict, the anti-hero does things that are not always considered “good” but are beneficial. 

The main anti-hero in The Night and the City is Harry Fabian, a small-time club promoter who works in London. Portrayed as a small and cunning character, many of the traits that Fabian possesses are reminiscent of a rat. A rat lives in the city and is highly adaptable and resourceful, using the city to his advantage. Although many of the traits are rat-like, Fabian's struggles are the main focus of the film. 

Come and See: Film Response

Come and See (1985) is a Soviet war film that is a social response to World War II. Commissioned by the Soviet Union on the 40th anniversary of the end of the war, Come and See attempts to forward Soviet social ideals, while honoring the struggle of those who fought against the Nazi forces. Directed by Elem Klimov, Come and See is a prime example of Soviet realism and explores it through the use of time and the careful construction and treatment of characters.

The complex story telling methods that are employed by the writers and directors of film often use advanced queues and devices that break the linear quality of time as is experienced in reality. The sequence of events is broken up into non-linear segments that are arranged to emphasize elements of the story or to increase an emotional response such as curiosity or anticipation. The use of time in this manner is common place amongst film produced by major studios, which consists of the vary majority of main stream films. Steeped in this film environment, the use of time in Come and See is initially difficult to handle but after some time, the value of this challenge is realized. 

Exploration of Early Film

Early Edison Films

The Edison films present the viewer with a brief look into a simple situation. The characters and figures are placed on an even plane with the camera and are centered in the middle of the frame. The situations that are presented are examples of ordinary, which include a barbershop, a cockfight, and a boxer. Additionally, there are features that show a more interesting entity or situation.