thompson trainspotting

Life as we know it is done of our own choices and decisions. These decision and choices reflect how we live the rest of our life, but we have to power to change our future. We have the power to become and strive for the things that we truly want and want to become in life.

In the movie Trainspotting we meet four boys who are addicted to heroin. These boys proclaim and accept that they have chosen a drug over life. A life that could have been filled with goals and aspirations. The drugs gives them a temporary and artificial fulfillment. This fulfillment replaces the realities of life. This drug is also an excuse for them not to deal with society and things such as work and family. At the house where the boys would get high, there was a girl who lived there. We see her transition as she becomes more involved with heroin. We see as time continues on in the drug house, there is always a baby present. The girl ,who is the mother of the child, becomes an addict. The boys are awaken by her scream as she finds her abandoned baby dead in the crib. Personally, I thought that this was going to be the scene where everyone gives up heroin or the movie then goes into another direction. Not only did the movie not change directions, but Renton and the mother both take another hit of heroin to "take away the pain". The political message in this film is that we all have the same opportunities as the next person and sitting around blaming things like the government will get us nowhere. Renton and his friends all had their own justification about clean life and/or their life paired with heroin. The catch is, no one ever tried to change their own destiny.

In this scene, Renton is justifying again. Diane is a person who would be truly genuine to Renton. On their first night, she proclaimed to him how he truly was (in a manner of a plan to be with him) and he absolutely feel for it. In this scene, Renton looks uncomfortable but with still passion in his eyes. Renton truly likes Diane, but justifies his reasonings for why they can not be together. This shows how in Renton's world he wants things, he wants life but like everything else, he pushes them away giving his reasons for why things can not happen, and not once did he blame it on himself.

Thompson Traffic

The war on drugs will never be won on any individual or political level. In Traffic, the Wakefield family is one of the million families that are suffering from the effects of drugs in the world. Caroline Wakefield is the daughter of Robert Wakefield. Robert Wakefield is the head the President's Office of National Drug Control. Unfortunately, his own daughter is a drug addict. Caroline is far gone with drugs. She has been caught using drugs at home and has to go through the death of her friend by overdosing. She then starts stealing money from her parents and runs away. Caroline becomes lost. She is living the life of a drug addict out in the real world. She no longer has the comfort of being able to come to a house or her parents. She is by herself in the worst part of town. Caroline becomes caught up in the drug and street life and begins to prostitute. Her mother,Barbara Wakefield, even admits that she knew of her daughter's drug addiction. Could she have saved her own daughter? Barbara believed that her daughter had to learn her own lesson about drugs. She came up with this theory because she too has had her experience with drugs. When this was reviled to her husband, he was raged. The Wakefield story shows the drug cycle. The war on drugs in a war will never be won as soon as it is shown to the veiwer that the wife and daughter of the drug czar, Carlos Ayala, are involved with the opposition.

In the Mexico story, we learn about the obstacles that drug users will go through to obtain the drugs. In Caroline's case, prostituting is one of the many way that drug addicts retrieve drugs. The drug trade has more money then our unmatchable government has. Traffic shows the how the rulers over drugs will go through hell and high water to acquire money. Killing, stealing, breaking fmailes and lives, the drug lords could care less of the after affects of when the drugs are handed out into the streets. This trend of illegal substances has been going on for decades and will continue. And whom ever gets in their way will be murdered.

Thompson State of Play

In the movie State of Play, the corporations were basically resembling that of an individual. In in the scene where Della Frye and Cal McAffrey takes Dominic Foy to a motel to question him. Dominic works for a company called Medal of Freedom. This company is a subsidiary company of Point Corps. Point Corps is a military that is being investigated. Sonia Baker is a spy that works in Congress at Point Corps. She is undercover to investigate Point Corps with the suspicion of illegal activities. This information is given to McAffery by Foy. Baker is hired by Stephen Collins. Collins was recommended Baker by another Congressman who is from West Virginia who also works for Point Corps. Surprisingly, Baker and Collins had an affair. With Collins being unaware of Baker being a spy, Baker falls in love with Collins and makes the decision to stop spying on him. As the interview was continuing, McAffrey calls Collins to come to the motel and to view the recording of the interview. Through the recording, McAfferey reveals to Collins that Baker was a spying on Point Corps and she was also pregnant with Collin's child.

The motel scene shows that Point Corps was undermining the investigation into the conversial actions by hiring Baker that can be semi in charge of the investigation. If Baker and Collin's affair had not occured, Point Corps could have got around Congress' plans to stop them from their illegal activites. At the end, it is shown that Baker was murdered by a solider that Collins had hired to spy on and follow her. The onky confusion is whether she was murdered because of Point Corps, or if it was for Collin's being.

Thompson American History X

American History X is a movie on how changes in society can shape a community of young people. White youth of L.A come together to be apart of the white supremacist neo-Nazi movement. Danny Vineyard states; “frustrated kids, the ones who were sick of getting their asses kicked by the black and Mexican gangs. don’t just be some punk, be a part of something.” Alone, scared, and frustrated youth, all experiencing the same problems with the minority of America; African-Americans, Koreans, Latinos, and Arabs.These youth are afraid of walking in their own neighborhood, even going to their school in fear of getting jumped by African-Americans. Being apart of something gives the children a sense of belonging and acceptance to their feelings of the minority and immigrants. The scene that can support my statement is where Derek is preaching to the young neo-Nazis. He gives manipulative reason as to why immigrants and anyone who is not white should be prosecuted and kept out of the United States. Desperate, ignorant and weak-minded white youth believe and do anything that Derek says.

The scene is in black and white. This eliminates all color and individuality. All we can see is their shaven head all looking at Derek. By only seeing their head, we can only see neo-Nazis because all of the children look just like Derek. This shows Derek as the leader and the influence of the group. But never mind the children playing the part of the follower, being alone is more scary than having no identity and being invisible.

The staging placement of Derek is profile. Derek being that of profile shows him being lost in his own thoughts. This makes the viewer question who is Derek really trying to persuade in the group; is it him or the youth? Talking and babbling on about the neo-Nazi movement and their beliefs maybe a way of reiterating the thoughts into his mind as while as others.

One section in the article speaks of how in American History X, Derek is seen more as pro-white and patriotic and less of the stereotypical redneck racist and anti-back white. With Derek articulate explanations of the reason why America is like it is, he is seen in a more modern stereotype of a redneck racist.

thompson GNGL

2) Good Luck and Good night was released in the United States at a time when Americans could relate to the fear of another human being views and beliefs. In 2005, the war in Iraq was still in full effect. This war seemed to have no real value and to be going nowhere in the search for the "weapons of mass destruction". The Weapons of Mass Destruction was broadcast throughout the media. It was made into a big deal and given major attention. Americans were frighten of the Iraq people and the fatal possibilities of the Weapons of Mass Destructions. These are similar actions that took place in the movie Good Luck and Good Night when McCarthy exposed his beliefs of communist in the government and America experienced the Red Scare in 1950s.

The similarites between both 1953 and 2005 was the government mislead the United States. The media played a huge part in bringing out the truth behind all of the mischief of the lies and scandals. Thanks to shows and different news programs, like The New Republic and See it Now, journalists worked hard to uncover the truth in both 1953 and 2005 for all Americans.

In 2005, when Good Luck and Good Night was shown in the United States I am pretty sure that people was well aware of the vivd comparison it had with the related issues at that particular time. Hopefully this movie was a guiding force for the people of America to understand that everything that you hear is not true and as much as we hate to think it; our government may not always give us complete honesty and serenity. I say this because so many our troops have died in Iraq and so many people have been accused and persecuted for being communist. All of this pain and tears was uncalled for. This movie allowed for Americans to look at the whole big picture and learn how not to let fear overwhelm them and to think past what is being shown.

Thompson Inglorious Basterds

The movie Inglorious Basterds is a fairy tale for all Jews. Killing off the Nazi's and getting revenge on the German citizens is what this movie is about. There is no main character in the movie. All the roles are very important. Regardless of this, my favorite character is Shoshanna Dreyfus. Shoshanna Dreyfus is a strong and powerful woman. With hatred and vengeance in her heart from the murderer of her family, Shoshanna is out for Nazi blood. Despite this, she moves forward and escapes to Paris where she inherits a movie theater. She never really hides, but knows that she must keep a low profile and even though its challenging, must start a new life. This is a great trait because it shows how strong she truly is and I admire this trait. I also admire how she turns down the German soldier Zoller. Still not giving up, Zoller persuaded Goebbels to move the premier of his movie to her theatre in hoping to have a chance with Shoshanna. Little did Zoller know and Goebbels know, this was Shoshanna's perfect chance to get revenge on all Nazis.

The scene that represents the major theme of the movie is when Shoshanna shoots Zoller. In this scene, Shoshanna is shown as a sensitive person, her emotions are shown which has not happened in the whole movie. In the beginning, the camera is looking up at her which portrays her as a powerful, strong and an assurance appeal. But after she shoots him, he emotions change from confident to unsure and sad. As the whole mood in the movie changes, she empathizes and second guess her action and bends down to help him. As she does this, he turn around and shoots her. The scene ends with both of them dying. Even though she is dead, her goal is still accomplished.

Thompson GOOD

The film Good takes place in the 1930s Germany. When a professor becomes swept up in the Nazi movement and gets in to far over his head his morals are put to the test. In this movie, the Nazi's aryan movement is placed in the background, and the real war, man versus himself, dominants the plot of the movie.

John Hadler, which is played by Viggo Mortens, is considered a "good" man. He lives with his mother, and his wife. In the movie, it shows him taking care of his family by working to support the household, and also keeping the house hold together by maintaing it and the people that live there. Balancing his personal and his professional life, Hadler has his work cut out for him when he has to place his morals on hold for fear of losing his job when a book burning occurs. Little did he know, that that was the first but not the last time that he would react this action. When Hadler comes face to face with joining the Nazi party, he once again has to put his morals behind him to succeed, be accepted, and escape from his old life to get a new and improved one because "GOOD" guys finish last. The movie is entitled GOOD because we as humans always want to do the right thing and be good people and stand up for whats right, but when the cards are dealt against us and everyone is not on your side, you are willing and will join the majority regardless of their cause and purpose in order to succeed and get ahead of the game.

GOOD was not shown in the United States because it would have made Americans question our society and the German history that was taught to us in school. We would have question the German people, and would see how easy it is to influence a whole nation, which has already happened. Technology, money, movies, all influence, what out governments wants us to believe and see, they allow. Like the internet is no longer the world wide web. The governments runs everything and influences us, just like the Nazi party influenced the German people.

The picture that is shown show Hadler and his mistress Annie. Annie is dressed in all white while Hadler is dressed in black. Hadler is in front showing his dominance and power. Annie, following Hadler's eyes in the background, shows her soaking up his power and following his every move. The people behind them are blurred out, but are still recognizable as people. This shows that Hadler follows them but is not so sure who they are, and perhaps not even himself.

Thompson W

The movie "W" is a movie based on the united states 43rd president, George W. Bush Jr.. George Bush was played by actor, Josh Brolin. In the movie Brolin played a man that greatest desire in life is to be accepted in the things that will make others, practically his father, proud and see him more as a leader. The scene that reveals the most about Bush Jr, character; is the scene were he was joining the fraternity, Delta Kappa. In the scene, Bush was asked to name all of the upperclassmen names. Not only did he name their birth names, but also their nick names. Obviously Bush worked hard and did his homework to be accepted into this group. The viewer then sees that his father, George Bush Sr, also joined the fraternity. So this act of Bush Jr, trying to fit in is a way of also following in his fathers footstep via trying to be like him which he hopes in return will make his father proud and more acceptable to him. It is also revealed that Bush Jr, really has relied on his father for almost everything, even to get him into school. By having to relied on his father, Bush Jr, is not well respected by his father. Matters only get worst when Bush gets thrown in jail and his father once again has to bail him out. Relying on his father is what Bush has done his whole life. As he gets into polecats he remains relying in his father but also two other candidates. When Bush jr. becomes president his two advisors are Dick Cheney and Karl Rove. These two people end up making most, if not all of his descions. In the movie it is told that Bush Jr, actually tries to "bush" his father. Trying to be a better man, preseident, and everything else that his father wasnt, bush jr fails and falls face face. A moment when this was shown was when he declared the Iraq war.

Misc-en-scene is true art. It has symbols and sign that helps tell the story better to the audience. A part of the movie where this was shown was during the hazing in the fraternity scemce. All of the fraternity brothers were shown in darkness, indicating that the director portrayed them as bad or evil company.

Thompson The West Wing

Politics, lust, and drama; what more could you ask for in a television series. In the West Wing, the president has his back against the wall with an employee, or does he? In the episode "Pilot" the president is faced with a pressing political issue. Josh ,one of the president's employees, goes on national television and debates with a host about religion and politics. Not only does he insults the host, he insult Christians and puts the president and the government in an award position. This is the most pressing political issue that the president has to deal with because it was a public offense to the host and millions of Christian Americans. Even though politics and religion are not supposed to go hand and hand, it plays a big part in our government. Almost all of our presidents have been Christians and proud of it as it was widely accepted. So to bring up religion and make that comment in a tense situation was a downfall for Josh regardless if he was just being honesty. Josh also represents the president as well as the government. After the show was over, it was expected of the president to fire Josh. Tension and rumors circulated the white house as Josh's judgement was coming closer. The president was pressured by the host as she tried to get an abundant amount of money as an apology. But luckily the president saw through the incompetence group and sent them on their way with Josh still employed.