Fast And Furious Argumentative Themes

Pop culture, what does this term even mean? It seems to be a word that contains subjects of media, social structure, and society as a whole. According to the dictionary, pop culture is defined as “cultural activities or commercial products reflecting, suited to, or aimed at the tastes of the general masses of people”. In the society we live in today, we are constantly surrounded by pop culture, either that is with television, magazines, different sources of social media and/or exposure to others. Due to pop culture being such a dominant contribution into our world today, it has effected many parts of society. The domination of social media has created idealistic views that are stressed upon female adolescents in particular. Upon media’s influence, traditional tactics and work have been modified in order to keep up with our technology oriented society. This alters the schools and education systems. Through the use of television, social media and other means of pop culture, serious study is necessary due to the negative effects it has on the younger generation and the effects it has for their futures.

In the chapter “What is Popular Culture and Why Study It?” from the novel The Rhetorical Power of Popular Culture, author Deanna Sellnow deliberates on the influential supremacy of popular culture in our current society. Sellnow wrote this passage to inform those affected by pop culture on a daily basis. Everyday individuals in first world countries are somehow impacted by pop culture. Pop culture’s influential power can often times mold our outlook on the world around us. It is important to realize when pop culture is trying to reevaluate your ethical beliefs so you can have a say in whether or not you want your morals to be altered.

Movies have the ability to transport people to different times and places and distract them from ordinary everyday reality. They allow for a range of emotions to be experienced. At their core, movies examine the human condition. There are plenty of deeper truths woven into screenplays and plenty of lessons to be learned, even when an individual is solely seeking entertainment.

The film “Goodfellas” represents a clear in depth view of achieved deviant statuses within a large counter culture. The film details the lives of organized criminals, and their roles as gang members. The film is set in Brooklyn New York during the mid-nineteen fifties through the late eighties. This film expresses socialization, ethnocentrism, social sanctions, and three sociological perspectives.

The critically acclaimed film, Goodfellas, is a gangster crime drama that features an incredible amount of talent. Household names such as: Robert De Niro (Jimmy Conway), Joe Pesci (Tommy DeVito), Paul Sorvino (Paul Cicero), and promising stars like Ray Liotta (Henry Hill) and Lorraine Bracco (Karen Hill), attracted numerous Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. That type of cast power, linked with the signature talent of Martin Scorsese as a director, made for cinematic gold. Unquestionably, the actors and actresses did an excellent job augmenting the verisimilitude of this film and compelling audiences to empathize with their characters. But the cinematography in this film plays just as large a role in having audiences feel what the characters are feeling at a specific moment. Through the use of freeze frames, we learn of significant moments that shape Henry into the man that he is. By means of first-person narration we are able to know exactly what is going through a particular character’s mind. Finally, wonderful editing made great use of point of view and multiple jump cuts, which added to the sensation that we are undergoing the same experiences as the characters on screen. I will go into further detail and specify scenes that convey these elements as the essay progresses. Altogether, Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas effectively depicts paramount scenes and allows the audience to empathize with the characters by virtue of stylistic editing and cinematography.

For this assignment, I decided to reflect on the film ‘Shottas’. The film begins in the streets of Kingston, Jamaica home of Biggs and Wayne, the two main characters. They lived within a very dangerous and violent town, which drove them into their own violent lifestyle. As young men, how the movie starts off, they rob the local drug dealers of a gun for a premeditated robbery. The money allowed for them to purchase visas to come to Miami, Florida. While in the United States, as adults, the two continue their criminal activities leading them to be deported back to their home in Jamaica. Mad Max and Wayne, who was deported years before Biggs made his return, had already formed a striving extortion business. Wayne made it mandatory for all businesses in the Kingston area to pay money to operate there, or they will be killed. The Jamaica Police did not like Wayne or his ‘Shoota’ crew, after the gruesome public murder the police then killed Wayne’s brother. Later, the Congressmen offered to renew Wayne, Biggs, and Mad Max’s visa to get them out of the country. Happily back in Miami, the three men aim to becoming the top drug dealers of the city, by extorting the new top drug dealer, Teddy. As they raise to power in Miami, they commit several forms of extortion, murder, and assaults. The film ends in extreme violence leading to the murders of Wayne and Mad Max, in a shootout with Teddy’s crew. Biggs then murders Teddy and his girlfriend, while getting away with all his money and escapes.

Films have been around for a very long time starting from the silent era leading to the classical phase up until today, and with time comes change and adapt to what’s current and popular. However, one thing that has stayed constant are the upcoming of film genre. One of the primary ways to identify and differentiate films are by their genres and styles. This lays out the foundation of the film using many factors like iconography, language, conflicts, lighting and story plot. One of the most iconic styles in the cinematic world would have to be the typical gangster films. Two of the most recognizable gangster films of their time were the Public Enemy (1931), along with the film Scarface (1983). Although these two films were shot in completely different eras of the U.S. we see both encounter the same stages in life despite the time change. This goes to show that these two films strongly symbolizes and demonstrates just what the gangster genre is all about in terms of social context, themes, conflict and iconography.

When talking about a true American crime story, one can start and end the discussion with one of the most powerful and influential true stories ever told: GoodFellas. Based on the incredible true story, the film follows the rise and fall of Lucchese crime family associates Henry Hill and his friends throughout the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 1980s. Originally written as the non-fiction novel “Wise Guys” by Nicholas Pileggi, the story takes you deep into the world of arguably the most notorious crime posse America has ever known: the Italian Mafia. It is viewed by scores of critics and moviegoers alike as one of the greatest crime/drama movies ever filmed – so needless to say, with such a

Goodfellas is one of the most significant crime movies. As such, this picture addresses the motives and rationale behind wrongful activities perpetrated by gangsters in a convincing manner. It also examines practical implications of their moral choices.

Everyone is surrounded by popular culture in our society today. It is everywhere. From watching TV, to reading magazines, being on social media, and just browsing the internet. Popular culture is the entirety of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, images, and other phenomena that are within the mainstream of a given culture. The question is popular culture good or bad?

Films and movies hold much than we can guess, they reveal a lot of vices and rots that are happening in society. Others give a history of a particular society, its beliefs, culture and their standard of living in the society. Films are used to disclose the social responsibilities in a given season and customs, moral values, societal worries and other cultural practices.

“Bad Boys” is a hilarious action filled movie that distracts the viewer from things like logic and coherence. Detectives stared by the famous Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are on a deadline to find $100 million worth of heroin from distraught drug-dealers in Miami. Witness, Julie Mott has seen the crazed drug-dealer shoot and kill her best friend.

According to Thomas Schatz, in most gangster films, the genre dictates that the gangster always gets killed or goes to jail. There is nothing different that will, or should happen, and Scarface closely follows Schatz’s model of Hollywood’s genres. Schatz’s model is concerned with the movie’s alignment with classical Hollywood setting and narrative.

Films do and have always reflected society because they show what's important to people. Films demonstrate fads and hot button issues. Film is not only a piece of art but also a tool of social reform as it expresses the feelings of humans and their idea of contemporary society. Films are the mirror that reflect the society. They are controlled by powerful forces that filter information to the public as well as reflect their fears. This has been held true in the film industry for many decades. For example, when society had a fear of widespread crime then there were many films that reflected the police catching the criminals. When society felt that the schools were not educating the children then there were films reflecting inspirational

Throughout the world, popular culture has made an impact, especially on especially to people living throughout the world. The impact of popular culture has several benefits on both individuals and society. Several of the benefits that popular culture has on society are entertaining, informing, and interactions.