Braveheart

After doing a project in my film class on the movie Braveheart, I though that it would make sense to blog about it. It stars Mel Gibson playing the role of a Scottish highlander named William Wallace. Mel Gibson does a wonderful acting job making his character very believable. He directed this movie as well, which is pretty amazing seeing as though he was the main role in the movie too. One thing that I really like about most of the films that Mel Gibson makes is that they tend to be related to something something that it very personal to him. In Braveheart's case, the movie relates to his own Scottish heritage. For this reason, the movie is somewhat based on true events from a historian standpoint. In this movie, William Wallace fights along side his army to keep Scotland's freedom from the neighboring imperialistic country of  England in the 1200’s. It was released in 1995 winning best picture and several other awards. This is actually one of my favorite movies, which I can take in some of my own Scottish pride. Although some may feel differently, I think that it deserves to be a well respected film. It has a great, inspiring storyline that will astonish you. Every time I watch this film, I am just amazed at how far people will go to fight for their country. In many ways, it has allowed me to appreciate my own freedoms in America, which is unfortunately something that a lot of people seem to take for granted. If this sound likes the movie for you, then I would definitely recommend that you consider it.

As always, here is a basic summary of the main plot of the movie Braveheart. The movie begins in the 1280 A.D. when King Edward "Longshanks" of England has taken over most of Southern Scotland. As a young child, both William Wallace's father and brother are killed in their village by the English during this terrible period. After being raised with his Uncle Argyle (played by Brian Cox), he eventually secretly marries the women of his dreams named Murron (played by Catherine McCormack) to avoid primae noctis. To prevent any further trouble, Wallace tries to live a discrete life with his wife as local farmers. Shortly after, two British soldiers in their town nearby, try to rape Murron. In turn, Wallace fights them off causing the men to run away. However, the british soldiers try to stop Wallace and Murron as they attempt to flee the village. As Wallace fights the men off, Murron is unfortunately captured, and she is sadly accused by the villages magistrate for assault and executed on the spot. When Wallace finds out he becomes enraged, wanting his revenge. Wallace and his men ride back into town and kill all the british soldiers, including the magistrate. However, Wallace soon realizes that it was not enough. Tired of the English's harsh rule, Wallace forms his own army of Scotts that are all willing to risk their lives for their countries freedom. William Wallace and his men do more damage in their revolution then the British ever imagined possible. I really recommend that see this movie, you will not regret it. Every time I watch it, I continue to become more and more inthralled by its amazing story. It is one of those movies that everyone should take the time to at least see it once in their life; however, once you see it I am sure that you will be wanting to see it again. Here is one of my favorite quotes in Braveheart, spoken by William Wallace in efforts to motivate his men before they go into battle:  “Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you'll live... at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!” This quote seems to give me the chills every time I hear it. In fact, it is so inspiring that it makes me want to join in and fight along with them if it were possible. Here is a preview for everyone to watch: "Braveheart". I hope that you guys decide to see this one. Take my word for it. As always, thanks for reading! 

Gone Baby Gone

After seeing "The Town" and really enjoying it, I thought that watching "Gone Baby Gone" would also be a good idea. This is mainly because both movies were directed by Ben Affleck, who for the most part seems to direct great movies."Gone Baby Gone" came out in 2007 and was based on the book written by Dennis Lehane. The screenplay was also written by Ben Affleck. Who knew he was so talented? I for one sure didn't.  And with no further surprise, I thought that "Gone Baby Gone" was great. Now I wouldn't go as far to say that it was better than "The Town", however, I am sure that it could be very arguable. It was really well-done, starring Ben Affleck's brother, Casey Affleck, playing Patrick Kenzie. His character plays a private kidnapping investigator, not associated with professional criminal investigators. One thing that I was able to admire outside the actual movie was that Ben Affleck could have easily played this role, however he instead passed it onto his brother for his own chance at some fame. I also think that it would be much easier to direct a film when you are not starring in it. The movie also stars Ed Harris, and the forever cherished Visa commercial guy, Morgan Freeman. Ed Harris plays the character Remy Bressant, a undercover investigator. Morgan Freeman plays Jack Doyle, head of the kidnapping division in the police department. As you can see, it has quite a good cast, making it an even better movie. "Gone Baby Gone" is a movie perfectly suited for any viewer looking for somewhat of a analytical movie to watch, that will require some thinking in order to properly understand it. If this sounds good to you, then I would definitely recommend it.

As always, here is a little summary to help you get more of a feeling for the storyline of the movie without ruining it for you.  The movie begins with the private investigator Patrick Kenzie and his partner and girlfriend Angie Gennaro. Both of them see a breaking news cast on TV reporting the possible kidnapping of Helene McCready missing daughter Amanda. Jack Doyle, along with Remy Bressant and many others, are put on the kidnapping case to try to find the girl and her kidnapper. Later on, Helene's parents hire both Angie and Patrick to take on the case, seeing as though they need all the help that they can get. After taking on the case, they are looked upon as outsider who have no experience, by the professional investigators. However, soon after, Angie and Patrick discover that Helene has been doing some drug deals on the side with her boyfriend Skinny Ray, who she had just stolen over $100,000 with from their head drug lord Cheese. Angie and Patrick suspect that it was Cheese who had kidnapped Amanda in order to get his money back. In turn, Captain Jack Doyle makes a supposed deal with Cheese that they would exchange the money in return for Amanda without the involvement of any other cops. Upon making the deal, Doyle's investigators Remy Bressant and his partner split up with Angie and Patrick. After hearing gunshots by the investigators, Angie and Patrick rush over to find out what happened. The investigators said that upon making the deal, there were gunshots fired and Amanda accidentally fell off the cliff into the Quarry, where she supposedly drowned. Of course this is not the full truth behind the storyline, so there is much more for you to find out, along with one of the most unexpected twists that I have ever seen in a movie. Here is a preview to help you decide if this movie is worth watching: "Gone Baby Gone". As always, thanks for reading! Hope you guys enjoy this one!

La Bamba

To continue my interest in the origins of rock and roll music, I decided to Netflix the movie "La Bamba". After enjoying the movie "The Buddy Holly Story", I knew that "La Bamba" could have just as much potential, seeing as though they shared similar stories. "La Bamba" is about the short, but illustrious life of the young Hispanic Rock N' Roll singer known as Ritchie Valens. Valens is played by the actor Lou Diamond Phillips, doing a great job on his role. The movie goes into detail about some of his teenage life, his rapid growth to fame, and of course his passing. If you read my previous post on "The Buddy Holly Story", then you would be aware that Ritchie Valens, as well as the Big Bopper and Buddy Holly, all died on a horrific plane crash in a blizzard. Unfortunately their influential efforts on Rock N' Roll came to an end, but their music will never be forgotten. Ritchie Valens brought his own special twist to Rock N' Roll, changing up the beats of several songs such as "La Bamba", which of course is where the name of the movie was derived from. His roll on Rock N' Roll will always be remembered and greatly appreciated forever.

The movie begins in southern California in the year 1957, where Valens works on a peach vineyard with his mother and brother. Ritchie is a very confident and determined young man when it comes to his love for music. He continues to promise his mother that he will get her the home of her dreams when he becomes rich and famous. Later on Valens Brother Bob, who is somewhat of a rebellious young man, ends up betraying Valens by sleeping with his girlfriend. However, in Valens good nature, he decides to forgive his brother, later moving to the west coast of California with him and his mother Connie. Valens and his brother continue to share a distraught relationship throughout the movie, mainly due to the fact that Bob felt that his mother had always appreciated Ritchie more. Soon Ritchie meets a girl that he falls in love with named Donna, who he later writes a song about. Further on in the movie, Ritchie Valens is discovered by a small time record producer at a dance. This is where Valens gets the extra boost he needed to help develop his music career, making him one of the most popular singers in 1958. The movie goes on to tell you more about his life as a musician, his unfortunate death, and the mourning of his family. There is definitely a lot more to this movie than I already told you so I would definitely recommend you see it. It is truly a great movie that I am sure any music lover will enjoy! Here is a short preview to help you decide: "La Bamba". I hope that everyone enjoys this one as much as I did!

Unstoppable

I just saw the movie "Unstoppable" in theaters this weekend and I thought that it was actually very good. I would probably say that it was fairly predictable, but I was still able to really enjoy it. Not only that, but ever since I was little and got to go on a passenger train ride with my Dad, through the Rocky Mountains from Vancouver to Calgary, I have grown a great passion for trains. So as you can see, this movie came to be quite enjoyable to me and as well as my dad. Train lovers or not, I'm sure that you'll still love this movie. It is a 2010 American Action-packed thriller with the occasional input of humor that for the most part would be appealing for the majority of movie-goers. "Unstoppable" was directed by Tony Scott and written by Mark Bomback. It is also based on true events, so in other words it is fairly dramatized. The movie stars Denzel Washington who plays the character Frank Barnes, and Chris Pine who plays the role of Will Colson. They both seem to do a great job with their parts in the movie. I'm sure that you will not be disappointed with this one.

Frank Barnes is a 28-year veteran train engineer who has just been given a 90-day forced retirement notice with half the benefits. On the other hand, Will Colson has just been given a job offer to work for the company in the same Fuller yard. On his way to work, Will tries to call his wife but she refuses to pick-up, purposely avoiding him for the past couple of weeks. Later on in the movie, you find out that this was because he was suspicious of her cheating on him when she refused to let him see who she was texting one day. After leaving her in anger, he later finds out that she was just texting her friend and not the man he threatened. Later on in the movie, Will is still learning how to be a train conductor so he is teamed up with Frank to help teach him the daily routine on how to properly operate a locomotive engine. While on their train schedule, Frank and Will are warned that there is an unstoppable, unmanned train close by, head-on in their direction, put into motion by human error. They soon find out that this train is also carrying several carts of highly toxic and explosive chemicals, dramatically increasing the danger of this problem. In turn, they are asked to stop at the next siding to let the train pass them without collision, but Frank was confident that they had too large of a load to fit. Instead, Frank and will decide to stay on the main track, just getting off in time on a cleared RIP track further down, allowing the unmanned train to safely pass. After seeing the train pass, Frank notices that the last carts coupling is still open realizing that they could stop it if they catch up to it in reverse, latch on to the cart, and pull it in the opposite direction. Will decides to stay with him to help out the most that he possibly can, feeling that it is a chance for him to win back his wife, and stop the reckless train. While this is going on, there also are several other failed attempts to stop the train, one of which included the death of Franks close friend. This is when the movie really starts to get good, becoming quite the rollercoaster ride (or I guess I should say train ride). It is also really interesting to see two very different characters (Frank and Will) open up to each other, both realizing that they could die in their attempt to stop the runaway train. I really recommend this one to anyone who is interested in the story line.  Here is a short preview to help you decide: "Unstoppable". I Hope you enjoy this one as much as I did!

Forrest Gump

"Forrest Gump" is probably one of the best movies of all-time. If you have not seen this movie before, than you are really missing out on a great cinematic adventure. It is by far one of my favorite movies. It was based on the book "Forrest Gump", written by Winston Groom. The novel was also very well-done with a couple aspects in it that were not included in the movie. However, I feel that "Forrest Gump" is one of the very few movie adaptation’s that was even better than the book. This is something that you rarely get to see in movies that were based on books; usually critics who have read the book beforehand tend to criticize the movie, but in this case it became an American classic. I think one of the strongest attributes of this movie is that it has such a wide-range appeal to all viewers. This is mainly because it covers nearly all major genres of movies in one film: this includes comedy, romance, drama, action, and even historical non-fiction. Also, Tom Hanks did a wonderful job playing the role of Forrest Gump, stating that it was the best roll that he has ever played. Forest Gump is considered to be borderline mentally challenge.  Like Forrest says, "Stupid is, as stupid does." However, he never let his limitations prevent him from accomplishing amazing things. It was truly miraculous to watch Forrest Gump’s simple character grow to have such a big heart. Through all his many adversities, he still was able to keep a positive outlook on life. To be honest with you, this is one thing that I have learned from Forrest Gump: you just need to have a little faith, and never give up on your dreams. Like Forrest's mom told him, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get."

I'll give you a short summary to help you decide if you would enjoy "Forrest Gump" as much as I did. And trust me, you will! The movie starts out in the year 1981, where Forrest Gump begins to tell an older lady (as well as many other people further on in the movie) the story of his life to help pass the time. He begins by talking about his childhood. This is when the movie flashes back, eventually leading up to him discussing his story at the bus stop. It then progresses onto more of his life, leading to the climax of the story, and the ultimate resolution. He talks about how his mother was able to convince his principle to get into his public school, even with his fairly low IQ. On his first day of school, none of the kids on the bus would let him sit down next to them except one girl name Jenny. She will become his best friend and protector throughout their close relationship as children and later on as friends. Soon Forrest will grow to love Jenny more than he himself could understand. As a child, the doctor gave him leg braces, thinking that it was the best way to help "straighten him out". One day while walking with Jenny, a group of bullies road up on their bikes and began to throw rocks at him. Forrest resists to movie until Jenny yells, "Run Forrest, run!" This is a reoccurring motif throughout the movie. Forrest takes off while being chased by the boys on their bikes. His leg braces ripped right off and he was able to run faster than ever. This is when Forrest discovers one of his first miraculous talents. The movie goes on and eventually Forrest graduates high school. After being chased in a truck by the same, but older bullies, Forrest ends up running accidentally across the University of Alabama’s football field during their practice. This is where the coach discovers his amazing speed, seeing that he could outrun a hail-marry. He was soon given a football scholarship to Alabama, where he becomes the star players of the team. After graduating, he ends up enlisting into the military during the Vietnam War, not really knowing any better. This is where he meets one of his best friend name Bubba who convinces him to get into the shrimping business with him after the war. This is also where he meets the character Lt. Dan. Later on, Forrest Gump ends up getting caught in a Vietnamese ambush with the rest of his platoon, where he listens to Jenny’s advice to just run when he gets into any trouble. After making it to the shoreline, he realizes that he had left Bubba, so he ends up running back into the dangerous ambush. On his way, he runs into several other injured American soldiers, rescuing them as well. Finally after finding Bubba, he takes him to wear it was safe with the other men, however it was too late. Forrest is given the Medal of Honor from President Nixon for his tremendous bravery. Forrest ends up keeping his promise to Bubba, by establishing the "Bubba-Gump Shrimp Company” with Lt. Dan. Forrest ends up making a fortune off their company and as well as his investment in "Apple", which he believes to be some sort of fruit company. Forrest continues to spread his generosity by giving Bubba’s Momma, Bubba’s share, and also donating a lot of the money to charities, as well as a new hospital in town and a gospel church. I think I have already ruined enough for you, and trust me there is much more. This includes Forrest Gump’s accomplishments, such as running all across the United States from coast to coast, being a world champion ping-pong player, and eventually marrying the love of his life, Jenny. Please do yourself a favor and watch this movie. There is so much more to it than I already discussed with you. It is full of beautiful screenshots, a great soundtrack, lots of symbolism, and even a great historical outline of this time period. Not only that but this movie also won several awards, including "Best Picture" at the Academy Awards. Here is a preview of the movie for you to see: "Forrest Gump". I cannot stress my point any stronger! You will love it!

In the Name of the Father

As I walked in on my Dad watching TV, the movie "In the Name of the Father" came on. My Dad strongly recommended that I watch it with him because he said it was very well done. So I thought "Why not? I still have to make a blog on a movie anyways". After watching the whole movie, I found it to be great!  "In the Name of the Father" is based on the true story about the Guildford Four and was directed by Jim Sheridan. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis (playing Gerry Conlon), Emma Thompson (playing Gareth Peirce), and Pete Postlethwaite (playing Giuseppe Conlon). The setting of the movie first takes place in Northern Ireland during the problems between an Irish terrorist group known as the IRA, and the British government. The IRA formed to try and reunite Northern Ireland, which is part of Britain, with the rest of the predominantly Catholic Republic of Ireland. During this time the IRA was an extremely violent group that tried to intimidate the British through violence. The main premise behind the story is the false conviction of four young Catholics and their family, who were wrongly convicted for supposedly being the IRA terrorists who bombed the Guildford Pub, killing five people. The conflict in the film is between the British police who try to cover up the fact that they arrested and convicted innocent people, and the victims fight to reveal the truth and free themselves from this injustice. It is a really well done movie that if you have not seen it yet, I would definitely recommend that you do so.

Now that you have heard my own comments on the movie, I will give you the main description of it so that you can decide if you would enjoy watching this yourself. The movie begins with the main character Gerry Conlon, a Catholic, who lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Of course during this time the IRA was stirring up a lot of chaos in this area, in efforts to unite Ireland. During this time, Garry Conlon was messing around with the British Military, getting involved in riots. His father, Giuseppe Conlon, feared for his safety, getting him to move to England to live with his Aunt Anne Maguire, for the time being, until things settle down back home. In his stay in England, he decides to live with a group of hippies instead of with his aunt. After getting in a fight with one of the hippies at this abandoned house, Gerry and his friend Paul Hill, who is also from Ireland, go out for the night to blow off some steam. They decide to spend the night on a bench with a homeless man named Charles Burke (a key character in the trial), who they were with while the incident of the Guildford Pub bombing happened. Later, they ended up bumping into a female prostitute who was inconsiderate towards Gerry. As she drives off in a car, she accidently drops her keys without noticing. In spite, Gerry robs her apartment, taking a large stash of her money. Coincidentally, Gerry and Paul ended up buying some extravagant clothes with their money. They were linked to the bombing through the supposed evidence of being falsely accused by the same hippie that they argued with the previous night, and also being some of the few Catholic's in that area. This was enough to get a warrant, so that they could try to force them to confess.  After visiting back home, Gerry and Paul were interrogated by the police, who took them back to Britain to be to be question about the bombing. The criminal investigators harassed and tortured them mentally and physically to try to get them to confess to a crime that they did not commit. In his son’s defense, Gerry's father Giuseppe Conlon came to try and negotiate with the police to see what the problem could be. However, he and the rest of his family were arrested instead for supposedly supplying the "Guildford Four" with homemade bombs. Eventually, Paul Hill is forced to confess to a crime he did not commit when the police shove a gun down his throat, forcing to do so or else they would kill him. Soon after, Gerry Conlon is also forced to admit to the same crime that he also did not commit, threatening to kill his father if he did not do so either. For the most part, the investigators just wanted any possible group to be labeled and put in jail for this horrible crime in order to keep the angered English public satisfied. The movie really picks up in pace after this, leading them to a court trial where they are accused for the bombing. Each of them are sentenced to prison for years, including Gerry's sentence for a lifetime. Eventually, a lawyer named Gareth Peirce puts her faith in their case, devoting years of her life to get an appeal with the proper supportive evidence to get them all out of jail. This is where the movie really begins to get good, so I won't ruin anymore for you, but you should definitely go watch it to find out. Here is a little preview that you are welcome to go watch: "In the Name of the Father". I hope everyone enjoys this one!

3:10 To Yuma

I have seen this movie a couple of times before and I just saw it the other day again in my film class. The amazing thing about "3:10 to Yuma" is that I can watch it over and over again and I don't seem to get any less intrigued. In fact, I think it gets more interesting because I continue to look harder for symbols, foreshadowing, and other meanings throughout the movie. And this is something that you don't get to see too often in movies. It stars two great and popular actors, Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. Christian Bale plays the character Dan Evans who would be considered the hero of the movie. On the other hand, Russell Crowe plays Ben Wade, who represents more so of a villainous character. Both their roles are played perfectly and to the tee, really allowing you to become intrigued by their character.  It is definitely one of my all-time favorite westerns, so if you like western movie, I would definitely recommend it!

Before you decide whether or not you would like to see "3:10 to Yuma", I'll just give you a short summary on the basics of the movie. A husband and father of two named Dan Evans is going through many problems. This includes a drought in which has caused his farm to be greatly hurt, and nearly completely dried out. Due to the drought he and his wife become broke, making it very hard to support their sons. His eldest son has lost all respect for his father, which really seems to take a huge toll on Dan. Later on in the movie Dan and his two sons bump into a posse of rebellious criminal cowboys, of which had just robbed an armored cart. Their gang leader Ben Wade is well-known for being a notorious killer and stealer. After making terms with each other, the gang goes off on their own to a nearby town. Later on the sheriffs arrive at the scene where Dan helps to lead them back to the town in which they came from where the gang had just left to. Dan walks into the local bar to sort out a couple of things that Wade owed him after killing some of his cattle, while at the same time letting the sheriffs surround  the bar to capture Wade. They burst in forcing him to surrender. The next step to the story was transporting their prisoner Wade to a train station way out of town, leaving to Yuma at 3:10. Dan quickly takes up the job for $200, along with a couple of other men. He knows that by completing this job he can win his families respect and get them enough money to provide a good environment to support them. This is where the story really gets good leading to quite the journey. Also, you get to see a strange relationship form between Ben Wade and Dan Evans. Even though these men are very different, they still seem to share great respect for each other. Through their respect, you get to see the thin line between good and evil. It is full of great action, symbolism, and the close relationship between good and evil. I really recommend that you go see this movie! Here is a short preview to help you decide: "3:10 to Yuma". Trust me, you won't be disappointed!"