Movie Analysis : Mr. Happy

Dr. Strangelove is one of the many masterpieces made by the great Stanley Kubrick. The movie was made in 1964 at the Shepperton Studios in London, UK. The time the movie was made is of great importance, in fact, it was made only two years after the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kubrick pictures, in an extremely comical yet somewhat serious way, what the world would look like after one of the two forces (U.S vs. USSR) was triggered in initializing nuclear warfare.

This paper explores the Movie “It’s Complicated” a 2009 romantic comedy film, based of the novel written by Nancy Meyers. In this movie Jane and Jake Adler are a divorced couple of ten years. They start a secret love affair in New York, at their son’s graduation. While Jake is trying to have a family with his much younger wife, Agnes. I will be looking at if this is a possible mid-life crisis, genetics, or if it a developmental issue of Jake for wanting to be with his first wife, Jane.

The movie Grown-Ups (2010) is about a group of high school friends who reunite after their beloved high school basketball coach passes away during the summer. The main characters that make up this particular group of friends include Lenny Fedder (Adam Sandler), Eric Lamonsoff (Kevin James), Kurt Mckenzie (Chris Rock), Marcus Higgins (David Spade), and Rob Hillard (Rob Shneider). The childhood buddies come together at a funeral and decide to take their families on a getaway trip. They believe it would be a good idea to rent a rundown cabin on the lakeside and have their families enjoy the great outdoors while spending time with each other over the Fourth of July week. However, this particular group of adults now have kids and wives who are very

Released in the summer of 1994, the movie “When a Man Loves a Women” produced by Touchstone Pictures’ producer Jon Avnet created a film that touches on a female alcoholic. This film included stars like Meg Ryan, Andy Garcia, and Lauren Tom. An airline pilot played by Garcia as Michael and his wife Alice portrayed by Ryan are forced to deal with her alcoholism. Within this family it includes that of her two children and the nanny (Lauren Tom). The film offers several hinting scenes to Alice’s addiction. Alcoholism is a disease of denial, the movie focuses on not only the alcoholic but those around her that deny and have even grown accustomed to her drinking.

The 1971 Mel Stewart film, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, is about a little boy named Charlie Bucket, who is very poor and wants to do something to help his family. The movie starts by showing that there is a contest going on for people to win a special tour through the factory of Wonka Chocolate Company and a lifetime supply of chocolate. There are only five special golden tickets hidden inside products from the Wonka Company. When the five people have found the tickets, there is a big gathering on the day of the tour with big crowds of people and news people too to see Mr wonka come out from his factory to greet the winners. When the children and their parents are inside the factory the children sign a thing saying they will not steal or take information or do bad things and they all go on their way for the tour. Right away, it all seems very strange with coat hooks that move and weird size doors and rooms. Inside of the factory is very much a different world. The workers are small orange men who sing songs telling about the behaviors people should not have.

The movie, “The Pursuit of Happyness” is a film based on a true story of Chris Gardner, where Will Smith shines a tale of rags-to-riches filled with love, family, and outcome of the American dream. Chris Gardner is an American businessman, investor, stockbroker, motivational speaker, author, and philanthropist. Based on this real-life story of Chris Gardner, Will Smith takes the role of Christopher Gardner, who was a salesman struggling to satisfy the needs of his wife, Thandie Newton, and their son, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith. With the financial problems, his wife gives up the struggles, abandoning him and their son. Things get worse as Gardner and his son are evicted from their residence leaving them with no option but to try surviving on the streets of San Francisco. They are forced to move from one place to another in the bid to get a shelter wherever they are lucky to get one. The movie demonstrates us how vigorously he is eager to chase his happiness in many burdensome ways. It exhibits how Chris Gardner becomes homeless in the beginning of the movie, but later he becomes a successful dream achiever after putting all his hard work.

Glory is the story of Robert Gould Shaw and his command over the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, which was one of the first all-black active duty regiments in the Union Army in November of 1862. The movie speaks of Colonel (Col) Shaw’s bravery, his pride, his empathy and love for his Soldiers. Col Shaw himself was from a wealthy Boston family with parents who were influential abolitionists. At 23 years old, Robert Shaw dropped out of Harvard to be commissioned in the Union Army to fight in the Civil War of the States. This movie is based on a true story and the letters that Robert Shaw wrote home and in his personal journal are currently located in the Houghton Library of Harvard University. The movie is based on the factual accounts of these letters. The manner in which Robert Shaw led the 54th Infantry was a direct result of his first experience in combat; it was the Battle of Antietam (Maryland).

To my understanding, the movie Home for the Holidays not only reveals a lot of potential family conflicts, but also reflects a lot of different communication approaches of the various family members. As a foreigner, I have never experienced Thanksgiving homecoming dinner before, so I may cannot understand some of the holiday customs in the movie, but I found out that their family interactions are interesting indeed.

Accepting relationships have the ability to allow individuals in society to deal with their inner conflicts. This establishes the beginning of transformation a feeling of belonging. The film Glory, directed by Edward Zwick, allows the audience to discover the significant American Civil War that raged through America for four years. In 1860 black people were treated unfairly and inhumanely. This film explores this along with the long lasting effects of racism and bigotry on relationships with others and society. Black slaves are freed in america and join the army. In the confrontation scene, Trip and rawlins, two black men from the army, confront each other. Zwick utilises the alternating close ups of the two men to allow the audience to experience the tension between them that enables Trip, the protagonist, to finally deal with his inner conflicts. This tough relationship seen in the colloquial language “But you ain’t gonna be anything to him but a ugly-ass chimp in a blue suit.” elucidates the derogatory reference of a chimp. This allows Trip to realise he is not the only black person treated unfairly, therefore he shouldn't take his inner conflicts out on others. Having relationships like Trips and Rawlins often gives individuals the ability to reflect upon themselves. In the next lake scene, a mid shot of Trip and Robert, the colonel, is utilised by Zwick to display the characters and also the water behind Trip that represents tranquility and the cleansing of his internal

In the years leading up to the Civil War there was an abolitionist movement in the United States. This was primarily a northern state movement; the southern states relied heavily on slave labor to work their fields. As the war raged on, the Union government decided it would confiscate the property of Confederate sympathizers, this included slaves. As the slaves were confiscated they were sent behind Union lines and were then declared free. The film Glory tells the story of the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry; the first all-black unit in the Union Army…made up of free black men and freed slaves.

Describe at least one important character in the text(s). Explain how the character changes throughout the text(s), supporting your points with visual and / or oral language features.

The movie, Glory, tells a story of the 54th regiment of Massachusetts journey in the Civil War. The 54th regiment was the first group of freed African Americans who volunteered to fight in the Union army. The film describes the journey of these brave men as they face prejudice to fight in the Union army and how they sacrificed their lives to fight for the cause of freedom. The film captures the heroic acts of the 54th regiment of black soldiers and their leader Colonel Robert Shaw.

The brilliant director Thomas Carter, best known for the movie "Whose Life is it Anyway?" directed the emotional movie "Swing Kids". Swing kids were a group of people in Germany who defied the Nazis by listening to American swing music even though it was banned. Thomas Carter portrays tone and mood that matches Nazi Germany in the 1940s when the swing kids were popular with the usage of camera angles, lighting, and sound.

“Little Miss Sunshine” is a comedy-drama film about a 7 year old girl named Olive Hoover, whose dream is to be entered into the finals of a pageant called Little Miss Sunshine and her journey to achieving her dream with the help of her dysfunctional family. Moreover, when she discovers that she’s been qualified for the “Little Miss Sunshine” Pageant that is being held in Redondo Beach, California in 2 days her family face many difficulties. However, even through the various difficulties that arise as they still want to support Olive in accomplishing her dream. Thus, they go on on an adventurous 800-mile road trip in their old yellow Volkswagen Type 2. Despite the many bumps, and setbacks along the road despite they still work together into finally reaching to the pageant almost on time.

If “seeing is believing”, then how youth is represented in popular films is all true, right? Partying hard, drugs, promiscuity and sour attitude – wrong! The problem is not the unacceptable and risky behaviour, because it only applies to a minority. The real issue is that the way teens are represented on movie screens is unrealistic and over-dramatized which benefits film makers, not the reputation of teens. Right now all we’re seeing are the fictional teens and the false realities that seem to be attached to our popular films.