Agree with your imagination!

I would like to recommend to everyone the film "Big Fish". This film was directed by Tim Burton in 2003, it was originally a book.
Will is one of the main characters. He goes to visit his father, who is dying and with whom he hasn't spoken with for several years. One the reasons for not speaking to him is because Will is easily irritated by the stories his father tells, which sound fictitious. During his visit home, Will sits with his father as urged by his mother and wife. During this time, he listens to the same stories he has heard all his life. However, during this visit, he begins to open up his mind to imagination and open up his heart to his father. Through flashbacks and memories we are able to piece together the wonderful life that Will's father has lived. There is a terrific sense of love and loyalty to family as the film progresses.
This film in entertaining and it leaves the audience in wonder. Many times I was not sure if what I was seeing was real or a structure of imagination. I enjoy watching this film over, it is humorous and emotional every time. Tim Burton really displays his creativity in the making of this film; the settings of the memories are all different and the lighting and filming techniques accentuate these facts.
This film is a great one to watch with your family because it rings true with young and old. It reminds us to appreciate those we love and not to take life too seriously.

Moving at the speed of life, we are bound to collide with each other.

"Crash", a film directed by Paul Haggis was chosen as the movie of the year and recieved 3 Oscars. This is a movie worth seeing, not only because it recieved Oscar recognition, but because it tackels issues of race and discrimination in a way that is very real to our world today. "Crash" is a flilm that anyone can watch, it worked especially well in our class because we had discussion. Even when the film is not presented in a classroom setting I feel that it will still promote discussion. I have watched this with my parents and friends and on both occasions discussion arose. Watching "Crash" could be the first time some individuals think about race relations and really start to talk about them.

The biggest and most obvious theme of the intertwined stories is that of race. There is hatred and racism alive in movie and we see that displayed in many of the characters. The movie begins with many snippits of stories, and as we watch we discover how everyone connects to one another. To be introduced to these characters, watch this trailer! It gives me goosebumps when the connections are made, it is an "Ah-ha" moment. This theme can be stated by this annoyomous scholar:

All of us are one. When you inflict suffering on others, you are
bringing suffering on yourself. When you weaken others, you are
weakening yourself, weakening the whole nation.

This is so obvious in "Crash" when an individual tries to mentally or physically hurt another. They really do not make themselves feel better, in fact they feel worse and negatively affect their neighbor. This happens until the individual crashes - literally or figuratively. This crash can be a revelation for them to turn around or start acting differently. This same theme can also be stated differently;

What goes around, comes back around.

This is a truism that we have all heard for years and recently it has been recieving more attention because of Justin Timberlake's poetic musicianship.

This movie attacks social issues head-on, which is one reason to watch it. There are other reasons as well, though. The soundtrack is amazing. The entire atmosphere of the film is dramatized and sobered through instrumental music which was composed specifically for "Crash". The only songs with vocals come at the end when the stories of the characters with whom we now identify are being concluded. To me, this adds a lot of power and emotion to the end of the film; we are listening to the vocals and left to think on our own about the truth we have just seen presented on film. "Crash" stars many big names actors and actresses, and it is worth it, because the acting is fantastic. The actors take on their roles and you often forget that you have seen these individuals in other films or in Hollywood.

To rate this film, I will use a crash-test rating, to go along with the title, "Crash". In Consumer Reports, cars are rated using circles. A red circle is highly recommended, a half-red circle is acceptable, a half-back circle is okay, and a black circle is not recommended. I would give "Crash" a red circle because I would suggest to anyone that they watch this movie. Especially when viewed with others, this film can increase our understanding of the world. It also gets a red circle because of how well Paul Haggis directed the film, the cast and the soundtrack - as a package, just like the Toyota Camry (one of the highest ranked cars in Consumer Reports) it rates high in every aspect!

Nothing is Impossible, it Just Takes Longer

Philo T. Farnsworth is a name that hardly any of us associate with genius. It is a name that should be printed in history books and talked about with the names of other fantastic inventors. Philo is the man who invented one of the devices that impacts most Americans daily – the electronic television. For an invention so great and legendary, why is his name not recognized for his success? During the time of his discoveries, others kept him out of power.

Philo was born a Mormon in rural farm country. He was a hard worker, but always fascinated by technology, which he saw little of. As he become more involved in his work, he moved to a city to further his electronic television research. Along with moving into the city came competition and rivalry. His competition, Vladimir, had the funds to spy on Philo through radio signals. He also had the funds to fight Philo’s patent decision and stall his success. Philo’s invention of electronic television was debuted in Philadelphia, but no one really acknowledged it until the same device was presented later in New York. New York welcomed all those with prestige and power – the media was also there. So this was the event that received attention and press. Because Philo wasn’t a celebrity, his achievements were sold short.

This is an example of how money can get some people the attention they are seeking. This was unfair to Philo. He was from a small, rural town and did not know how to handle himself in a competitive, cutthroat ordeal. It was not right to ignore Philo because of his gentle and peaceful disposition. Also, because he was not rich to begin with, he received less media attention. This is still so true today. The people who we see making a difference in this world are the stars. Angelina Jolie is doing great things across the world, and she is given much attention because of it. The fact we need to realize is that there are others who are doing the same exact thing; they are just not rich like Angelina.

Now that we know that there are inventors in the world who are not given credit for their genius, it is up to us to seek out this history that can be pushed aside by those who are perceived to be powerful. It will not be impossible to discover individuals who have gone unrecognized, it will just take us a little bit longer.