Monday, November 2, 2009
"All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury
In "All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury, the force of mob mentality forces one young girl to miss the event of her life. Margot is a nine-year-old girl who lives on Venus, where it rains constantly for seven years at a time, until for one hour the sun comes out. She looks forward to this day for every day of her life, and finally, it comes. However, there is a problem. Margot is an outcast in her class at school. She is very quiet and the other kids do not like her. When they are all excited about the sun coming out, she tells them about how she remembers the sun from when she used to live on earth, and the other children become angry in their excitement. All of the children lock Margot in the closet and forget about her when the sun does come out. At the end, they all feel guilty that they made her miss the sun. Mob mentality is a concept that when there is a large group of people they will all do the same thing. This is demonstrated by the class of children who lock Margot in the closet. The story specifically mentions a heap of reasons that the kids "hated" Margot. After the reasons Bradbury writes, "And so, the children hated her for all these reasons of big and little consequence." This shows that although the reasons the children had for hating her weren't really of much consequence, when all of the kids banded together, their hate was multiplied. After one of the boys shoves her around some more, the children rally around him and push her into the closet. This is demonstrated in this quote, "They surged about her, caught her up and bore her, protesting, and then pleading, and then crying, back into a tunnel, a room, a closet, where they slammed and locked the door." When the kids have bundled their hate together, it seems to them like they aren't doing anything wrong. However, at the end of the story they realize their mistake as they let Margot our of the closet. The children are naive enough to be able to do this, but at the same time, they eventually realize what they have done. Ray Bradbury uses these examples of mob mentality to show that we should try to resist mob mentality so no one ends up getting hurt. This is a powerful message that shines through in the story and definitely makes an impact on the reader.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Compare and Contrast #2
At the beginning of ninth grade, I had no idea what to expect. After it sunk in that I was finally in high school, I noticed the work was getting harder and more vigorous. I also noticed that my writing was really improving. The techniques I was learning in Essay Writing were helping my organization and making open response paragraphs and essays much easier. At the beginning of the school year my writing was far from where it is now.
The first thing I was taught to do through elementary and middle school was write a sentence or two to "hook" the reader. To write some sort of visual imagery to interest the person reading your essay. However, the first thing I learned here was not to do that. The very first thing I was taught in Essay Writing was that an essay is a person's thoughts or opinions about a subject. Therefore, the first sentence you write should be an opinionated statement about your topic, not visual imagery, or questions, or anything like that.
The next thing I learned about writing this year was a whole new set of introductions and conclusions. In our text book "Write to the Point!" there was an entire chapter on each. It mentioned a few different ways of writing introductions, and few different ways of writing conclusions. My teacher was quick to point out which ones he wanted us to use and which ones weren't actually very good. For example, the summary conclusion--my former go-to format. I also used to have a lot trouble coming up with introductions that didn't sound completely disjointed from my thesis. However, I find myself getting better and better with every essay I write. I think my writing has improved alot in that respect.
Another part of my writing that I'm proud to say has improved is the structure and orginazation. Last year the whole CM, CD thing was a little fuzzy. I didn't really understand why it mattered, or how to use it properly. With someone new explaining it, and showing me how to use it properly, it became very easy to use. I like the way it sturctures my open response paragraphs and body paragraphs in essays. Having a clear format to follow makes writing essays much, much easier. However, there are also other formats that I've learned about. For example, compare and contrast essays. Learning an esay way to write these has been a blessing. Speaking form my past experience, compare and contrast essays are the hardest to write. When we started to talk about them in class I thought it would be a real drag. However, it turned out that learning two different ways to write them and about how the thesis differs from other theses cleared the whole thing up. Looking at the example outlines in the textbook made the whole thing way easier.
Which leads me to perhaps the most important part of an essay--the thesis. The compare and contrast thesis was very interesting to look at. I'm really glad we had time to talk about it in class, because at first it's really confusing. It is a two part thesis--first you state the two things being compared, and then you make a statement about what you are going to concentrate on. For example, "Although both "Wall-E" and "By the Waters of Babylon" are both stories about the future of makind, By the Waters of Babylon gives a more realistic look at our future." Learning about how to write these has made my life so much easier. My theses in general have gotten better and much easier to write.
I am so glad that I was able to improve my writing this year. I think I've really improved from my days of bad topic sentences and disjointed introductions. I can't wait to learn more!
Word Count: 645
The first thing I was taught to do through elementary and middle school was write a sentence or two to "hook" the reader. To write some sort of visual imagery to interest the person reading your essay. However, the first thing I learned here was not to do that. The very first thing I was taught in Essay Writing was that an essay is a person's thoughts or opinions about a subject. Therefore, the first sentence you write should be an opinionated statement about your topic, not visual imagery, or questions, or anything like that.
The next thing I learned about writing this year was a whole new set of introductions and conclusions. In our text book "Write to the Point!" there was an entire chapter on each. It mentioned a few different ways of writing introductions, and few different ways of writing conclusions. My teacher was quick to point out which ones he wanted us to use and which ones weren't actually very good. For example, the summary conclusion--my former go-to format. I also used to have a lot trouble coming up with introductions that didn't sound completely disjointed from my thesis. However, I find myself getting better and better with every essay I write. I think my writing has improved alot in that respect.
Another part of my writing that I'm proud to say has improved is the structure and orginazation. Last year the whole CM, CD thing was a little fuzzy. I didn't really understand why it mattered, or how to use it properly. With someone new explaining it, and showing me how to use it properly, it became very easy to use. I like the way it sturctures my open response paragraphs and body paragraphs in essays. Having a clear format to follow makes writing essays much, much easier. However, there are also other formats that I've learned about. For example, compare and contrast essays. Learning an esay way to write these has been a blessing. Speaking form my past experience, compare and contrast essays are the hardest to write. When we started to talk about them in class I thought it would be a real drag. However, it turned out that learning two different ways to write them and about how the thesis differs from other theses cleared the whole thing up. Looking at the example outlines in the textbook made the whole thing way easier.
Which leads me to perhaps the most important part of an essay--the thesis. The compare and contrast thesis was very interesting to look at. I'm really glad we had time to talk about it in class, because at first it's really confusing. It is a two part thesis--first you state the two things being compared, and then you make a statement about what you are going to concentrate on. For example, "Although both "Wall-E" and "By the Waters of Babylon" are both stories about the future of makind, By the Waters of Babylon gives a more realistic look at our future." Learning about how to write these has made my life so much easier. My theses in general have gotten better and much easier to write.
I am so glad that I was able to improve my writing this year. I think I've really improved from my days of bad topic sentences and disjointed introductions. I can't wait to learn more!
Word Count: 645
Monday, October 19, 2009
Compare and Contrast
For this entry, I decided to compare and contrast traveling by car and traveling by plane. I have done both numerous times, mostly to Michigan, where I have a lot of family, and back. While both an airplane and a car will get you there somewhat on time, the traveling processes are extremely different. For example, when you leave. When you are flying, there's a plane to catch. If you show up less than an hour early, you won't catch your plane because of the insane security measures. You have to leave your house about three hours before the time your plane departs. This allows an hour and a half to get to the airport, an hour to get through customs, and then half an hour to go to the bathroom, eat, and get organized before boarding the plane. However, it never works out that nicely. Usually, we get to the airport about a half an hour late, because a) we don't leave the house on time, b) traffic, and c) we couldn't find a parking space. Therefore, security still takes an hour, and we're running to our gate to get there in time so we can get on the plane before it leaves.
On the other hand, driving allows for a slightly more relaxed schedule. Sometimes. Of course, there's still a set time that we have to leave by or else the hotel won't hold our room because we'll get there too late. But we leave late anyway. Then it's a mad dash out to the car and packing up the last of your stuff and trying to pack it in tight enough so that there's still room for you fit into you seat and shove a grocery bag full of junk food next to you so you're set until the first bathroom stop. But of course driving takes forever. The drive to Michigan is about sixteen hours. We do it over two days, spending the night somewhere in New York. I think last time it was Utica. By the time we actually get to Detroit, all of my electrical appliances are dead, my brother is asleep, and will most likely throw-up as soon as he wakes up, and we've been listening to the same two CD's over and over for the past day and a half.
The plane ride takes only two-and-a-half hours at the longest. While my brother will still throw-up as soon as we land, it won't stink up the car, and I won't hear it from across the aisle, and there will be no possibility of it getting on me. Also, the battery won't die on my ipod or my laptop in only two hours. The flight attendants also give you free soda, even though those little bags of pretzels now cost five bucks or something ridiculous. However, flying definitely has it's downsides. When I took my first flight I was under a year old. There were no problems until we got to my grandparents' house. I woke up in the middle of the night screaming my head off for no reason that my parents could see. They called a doctor, and finally figured it out; my ears were popping. The other annoying thing about flying is the danger of flying. Even though I've been on tons of planes, there's always that moment at takeoff when I think, "What if the plane crashes??!!!" The fact that your fate is basically in someone else's hands until you land is always scary to me. And another thing about going on airplanes: what is up with the bathrooms? Really, do they have to be that small? It's just a little weird with the sliding door and everything. I guess bathrooms on car rides aren't so great either.
Bathrooms on the road really are disgusting. First of all, how does a floor even get that wet? Are the toilets leaking, or something? We stopped at a Burger King once where the women's room was like a giant puddle. That's just gross. Also, how does toilet paper get all over a toilet? I look in the stalls at some of these places, and they look like the trees in one of those old teen movies where the kids TP a house on Halloween. Why would anybody do that? The most disgusting thing though, is when a bathroom smells. Last weekend, we drove to New Jersey, and stopped at a bathroom that smelled. It's gross. I don't understand why the janitor can't just spray some Febreeze or something. And another thing? Those hand dryer things are supposed to blow hot air on to your hands right? Well, this one didn't. It blew cold air, and it was freezing that day. The only place on the road that seems to have decent bathrooms is oddly enough, Dunkin Donuts. Weird, huh? One positive thing though--the bathrooms at airports are usually pretty clean.
So, although flying and driving get you to the same place, there are many benefits and drawbacks of each. I guess it's up to you, but either way, fasten your seatbelts--it's going to be a bumpy night!
Word Count: 858
On the other hand, driving allows for a slightly more relaxed schedule. Sometimes. Of course, there's still a set time that we have to leave by or else the hotel won't hold our room because we'll get there too late. But we leave late anyway. Then it's a mad dash out to the car and packing up the last of your stuff and trying to pack it in tight enough so that there's still room for you fit into you seat and shove a grocery bag full of junk food next to you so you're set until the first bathroom stop. But of course driving takes forever. The drive to Michigan is about sixteen hours. We do it over two days, spending the night somewhere in New York. I think last time it was Utica. By the time we actually get to Detroit, all of my electrical appliances are dead, my brother is asleep, and will most likely throw-up as soon as he wakes up, and we've been listening to the same two CD's over and over for the past day and a half.
The plane ride takes only two-and-a-half hours at the longest. While my brother will still throw-up as soon as we land, it won't stink up the car, and I won't hear it from across the aisle, and there will be no possibility of it getting on me. Also, the battery won't die on my ipod or my laptop in only two hours. The flight attendants also give you free soda, even though those little bags of pretzels now cost five bucks or something ridiculous. However, flying definitely has it's downsides. When I took my first flight I was under a year old. There were no problems until we got to my grandparents' house. I woke up in the middle of the night screaming my head off for no reason that my parents could see. They called a doctor, and finally figured it out; my ears were popping. The other annoying thing about flying is the danger of flying. Even though I've been on tons of planes, there's always that moment at takeoff when I think, "What if the plane crashes??!!!" The fact that your fate is basically in someone else's hands until you land is always scary to me. And another thing about going on airplanes: what is up with the bathrooms? Really, do they have to be that small? It's just a little weird with the sliding door and everything. I guess bathrooms on car rides aren't so great either.
Bathrooms on the road really are disgusting. First of all, how does a floor even get that wet? Are the toilets leaking, or something? We stopped at a Burger King once where the women's room was like a giant puddle. That's just gross. Also, how does toilet paper get all over a toilet? I look in the stalls at some of these places, and they look like the trees in one of those old teen movies where the kids TP a house on Halloween. Why would anybody do that? The most disgusting thing though, is when a bathroom smells. Last weekend, we drove to New Jersey, and stopped at a bathroom that smelled. It's gross. I don't understand why the janitor can't just spray some Febreeze or something. And another thing? Those hand dryer things are supposed to blow hot air on to your hands right? Well, this one didn't. It blew cold air, and it was freezing that day. The only place on the road that seems to have decent bathrooms is oddly enough, Dunkin Donuts. Weird, huh? One positive thing though--the bathrooms at airports are usually pretty clean.
So, although flying and driving get you to the same place, there are many benefits and drawbacks of each. I guess it's up to you, but either way, fasten your seatbelts--it's going to be a bumpy night!
Word Count: 858
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Hopes and Dreams
Ahh, hopes and dreams. Everybody has them. Some discover them quickly, and some slowly. But how many of those dreams do you actually achieve? How many of those things that you hope to get do you actually get? If your answer is not many, then you are probably one of the millions of people who roam this earth. I wonder, how much work do we have to do to achieve our dreams, and how much of it is pure luck? As far as pure luck goes, most people leave it up to that. I think taking some big risks is a good thing if they get you closer to the person you want to be. The passion to achieve your dreams has to be there for you to be able to take those risks in the beginning, however. The inspiration and the dream are the beginning, but if there's no motivation, then all you have is a dream, not a success story. When you have that motivation, that drive; anything is possible. Luck and inspiration can only get you so far--the rest is all you, baby.
Some people let go of their dreams and settle for an average life. Personally, I hope I never do that. But I suppose happiness is the ultimate goal, so if you're happy living in the boonies, and having a normal , everyday lifestyle, go for it. As for me, I've always wanted something more exciting out of life. When I was little, I wanted to be an actress. The whole nine yards--a big time Hollywood movie star. The possibility of being able to transform into tons of different people that were so unlike me every time a camera was rolling was intoxicating. I wanted to be that little orphan girl, that woman living in a pent house, Cinderella, Peter Pan. I loved playing dress up. There are pictures of me draped in strands upon strands of beads, little ballgowns and feathered hats. Halloween is like sacred ground in my family. Every year my uncle comes in on the train from Boston, we hang the strands of pumpkin-shaped lights around the windows and finally head out into the night to get mounds of candy, later dumped and sorted into categories on the living room floor. Picking a costume has always been hard for me. But whatever I choose, I always go all out. Except last year when I thought I wasn't going to go trick-or-treating and wound up being a vampire at the last minute.
Hopes and reams start in all sorts of places. Just hearing a song or watching a movie can make all the difference in a person's life. Anything can make someone look up and say, "I want to do that!" Even if it's a little girl wishing she was Sleeping Beauty, or a boy wishing he was Indiana Jones. The strangest, tiniest things can completely change the course of some one's life. You just have to have faith that all things happen for a reason. Even not achieving your biggest hopes and dreams.
Word Count: 512
Some people let go of their dreams and settle for an average life. Personally, I hope I never do that. But I suppose happiness is the ultimate goal, so if you're happy living in the boonies, and having a normal , everyday lifestyle, go for it. As for me, I've always wanted something more exciting out of life. When I was little, I wanted to be an actress. The whole nine yards--a big time Hollywood movie star. The possibility of being able to transform into tons of different people that were so unlike me every time a camera was rolling was intoxicating. I wanted to be that little orphan girl, that woman living in a pent house, Cinderella, Peter Pan. I loved playing dress up. There are pictures of me draped in strands upon strands of beads, little ballgowns and feathered hats. Halloween is like sacred ground in my family. Every year my uncle comes in on the train from Boston, we hang the strands of pumpkin-shaped lights around the windows and finally head out into the night to get mounds of candy, later dumped and sorted into categories on the living room floor. Picking a costume has always been hard for me. But whatever I choose, I always go all out. Except last year when I thought I wasn't going to go trick-or-treating and wound up being a vampire at the last minute.
Hopes and reams start in all sorts of places. Just hearing a song or watching a movie can make all the difference in a person's life. Anything can make someone look up and say, "I want to do that!" Even if it's a little girl wishing she was Sleeping Beauty, or a boy wishing he was Indiana Jones. The strangest, tiniest things can completely change the course of some one's life. You just have to have faith that all things happen for a reason. Even not achieving your biggest hopes and dreams.
Word Count: 512
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Top Ten Most Romantic Songs
So...I decided to do a list of my top ten favorite romantic songs. I love when a song captures a feeling really well, and that's what I love about all these!
1. Check Yes Juliet-We The Kings: I remember watching the video for this song and feeling like my heart was melting. The story is so sweet, and the emotion comes through so well in the song. The guitar at the beginning just pulls you in, and you can’t stop listening to this song for days after.
2. Stolen-Dashboard Confessional: How can I even start to tell you how much I love this song? I can’t think of a more heartfelt, romantic, sweet song than this one. The lyrics just describe the feeling to perfection, and the music just makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
3. I Want You-Kelly Clarkson: When I first heard this song, it stood out from the rest of her album as interesting, creative, and incredibly cute. I love how as she is describing this person, the tone of her voice is so loving, and it really sounds like she adores him. I also love how if you listen to the lyrics the guy she is describing is far from what most people would consider “perfect” but she loves all the imperfect things more than the perfect things.
4. In The End-Green Day: If you’ve heard this song, you’re probably going “What?!” However, if you really listen to the lyrics (or read them out of the booklet in the cover of the CD like I did,) then you will discover that this is actually I really sweet song. And as always, their emotion comes through more than clearly.
5. Kiss Me-Sixpence None The Richer: Oh My God, I obsessed over this song for so long! How can you not? How can you resist the sound of the guitar and the gorgeous lyrics? The tone of her voice is so dreamy and romantic, and the tune is just incredible. I have never heard a song where an emotion is so well brought out.
6. Love Story-Taylor Swift: Ok, it’s not my fault that all her songs are so overplayed! If you listen to the original version of this song without the weird techno beat in the background, this song is so sweet and the lyrics tell a real story. One that isn’t just all fluff about a perfect love story, but one that seems much more real.
7. Beautiful-Akon, Colby O’Donis and Kardinal Offishal: This is an odd choice, I know. But I genuinely think this is a beautiful song! And I know, the video was all skanks and technically it’s about skanks, but I think it’s still a great song. It makes me feel good every time I listen to it. And that’s hard to do.
8. Come On Get Higher-Matt Nathanson: It’s hard to believe that I actually didn’t like this song at first. But, it grew on me. In fact, it soon became one of my favorite songs. It just pulled me in with its sweet but suggestive lyrics and pretty tune. Even though it seems dull and boring at first, this one is a winner.
9. Can’t Find The Words-Karina: It’s funny that I actually got this as Itunes’ free “Single of the Week.” It soon earned its place in my heart with the beautiful melody and cute lyrics. I listened to this song all the time about a year ago when I got it. I have to say, this one is worth much more than nothing.
10. She Will Be Loved-Maroon 5: How can it get more romantic than this? The soft voice and the sweetest lyrics of all time! The soft cymbals in the background and just the very soft instruments playing lend to the overall feeling of the song. It’s just brilliant. Even though it’s technically a sad song, it just gives you that dreamy feeling when you listen to it. There’s something about it that makes it a classic.
Word Count: 671
1. Check Yes Juliet-We The Kings: I remember watching the video for this song and feeling like my heart was melting. The story is so sweet, and the emotion comes through so well in the song. The guitar at the beginning just pulls you in, and you can’t stop listening to this song for days after.
2. Stolen-Dashboard Confessional: How can I even start to tell you how much I love this song? I can’t think of a more heartfelt, romantic, sweet song than this one. The lyrics just describe the feeling to perfection, and the music just makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
3. I Want You-Kelly Clarkson: When I first heard this song, it stood out from the rest of her album as interesting, creative, and incredibly cute. I love how as she is describing this person, the tone of her voice is so loving, and it really sounds like she adores him. I also love how if you listen to the lyrics the guy she is describing is far from what most people would consider “perfect” but she loves all the imperfect things more than the perfect things.
4. In The End-Green Day: If you’ve heard this song, you’re probably going “What?!” However, if you really listen to the lyrics (or read them out of the booklet in the cover of the CD like I did,) then you will discover that this is actually I really sweet song. And as always, their emotion comes through more than clearly.
5. Kiss Me-Sixpence None The Richer: Oh My God, I obsessed over this song for so long! How can you not? How can you resist the sound of the guitar and the gorgeous lyrics? The tone of her voice is so dreamy and romantic, and the tune is just incredible. I have never heard a song where an emotion is so well brought out.
6. Love Story-Taylor Swift: Ok, it’s not my fault that all her songs are so overplayed! If you listen to the original version of this song without the weird techno beat in the background, this song is so sweet and the lyrics tell a real story. One that isn’t just all fluff about a perfect love story, but one that seems much more real.
7. Beautiful-Akon, Colby O’Donis and Kardinal Offishal: This is an odd choice, I know. But I genuinely think this is a beautiful song! And I know, the video was all skanks and technically it’s about skanks, but I think it’s still a great song. It makes me feel good every time I listen to it. And that’s hard to do.
8. Come On Get Higher-Matt Nathanson: It’s hard to believe that I actually didn’t like this song at first. But, it grew on me. In fact, it soon became one of my favorite songs. It just pulled me in with its sweet but suggestive lyrics and pretty tune. Even though it seems dull and boring at first, this one is a winner.
9. Can’t Find The Words-Karina: It’s funny that I actually got this as Itunes’ free “Single of the Week.” It soon earned its place in my heart with the beautiful melody and cute lyrics. I listened to this song all the time about a year ago when I got it. I have to say, this one is worth much more than nothing.
10. She Will Be Loved-Maroon 5: How can it get more romantic than this? The soft voice and the sweetest lyrics of all time! The soft cymbals in the background and just the very soft instruments playing lend to the overall feeling of the song. It’s just brilliant. Even though it’s technically a sad song, it just gives you that dreamy feeling when you listen to it. There’s something about it that makes it a classic.
Word Count: 671
Monday, September 14, 2009
Top 10 Worst Movies I Have Ever Seen
Alright! Here is the other half of my entry for this week. A bunch of these movies are either bad horror movies from the 50's or popular movies that people will hate me for hating. Oh, and if you haven't read my list of favorite movies yet, you should probably do that first. Anyway, can't wait to hear comments!!
Top 10 Worst Movies I Have Ever Seen
1. The Brain From Planet Arous (1957)
Ok, so my dad got this movie from Netflix for Halloween because he remembered seeing it on TV when he was a kid. Why he bothered watching it, I have no idea. This is one of those movies that obviously had a really low budget, so instead of animating the giant floating brains, they just made transparent puppets and dangled them from strings. I don’t really know what it was actually supposed to be about, but seriously, only watch this if you are willing to make jokes about it. Seriously, it’s not even very good for that.
2. The Crawling Hand (1963)
Yes, another cheesy horror movie. Well. My dad used to watch this television show called “Mystery Science Theatre 3000,” where three guys would watch a terrible movie and make fun of it while you were watching it. So, one day my dad found a bunch of old “Mystery Science Theatres” on DVD in a cheap video store and bought a few. “The Crawling Hand” was one of them. This movie is so bad that the guys in the TV show couldn’t even make fun of it. It was that bad. It was incredibly boring, and honestly I don’t really think we knew what was going on most of the time except that this guy’s girlfriend found this random hand on the beach and now it was terrorizing the guy’s mom because he brought it home. I guess intelligence runs in his family.
3. The Ten Commandments (1956) Charlton Heston, Yul Brenner
Not that I don’t enjoy the first half hour of laughing at the terrible acting, but seriously, 4 hours? How long does it take to tell a bible story? I could probably read the entire Torah in the time it takes you to watch this whole movie. I could also probably make a fortune if you paid me a dollar every time Nefretiri says, “Moses, Moses.” And, as mentioned before, some parts of this movie are very enjoyable, like the “Ethiopia” scene, but honestly, it’s just bad. Well, really bad.
4. The Pink Panther (2006) Steve Martin, Kevin Kline
I have nothing good to say about this one. My parents convinced my brother and I to watch one of the original ones, and let me tell you, that one was so much better than this disaster. Naturally, when we saw it on the “On Demand” list, we thought it would be like the other one. We were so wrong. I’m sorry, but this movie just stunk like a skunk.
5. Twilight (2008) Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson
I know I’m going against every girl in America, and possibly the world by saying this, but this movie was bad. It was really bad. The acting was just not the best, to put it nicely. And honestly, what was up with that Transylvanian accent that Edward sported for half the film? The special effects were ok, except in that one scene when he’s supposed to sparkle, or something? Yeah, he just looked sweaty. People in the theatre I saw it in laughed at parts that weren’t supposed to be funny. Sorry guys.
1. The Brain From Planet Arous (1957)
Ok, so my dad got this movie from Netflix for Halloween because he remembered seeing it on TV when he was a kid. Why he bothered watching it, I have no idea. This is one of those movies that obviously had a really low budget, so instead of animating the giant floating brains, they just made transparent puppets and dangled them from strings. I don’t really know what it was actually supposed to be about, but seriously, only watch this if you are willing to make jokes about it. Seriously, it’s not even very good for that.
2. The Crawling Hand (1963)
Yes, another cheesy horror movie. Well. My dad used to watch this television show called “Mystery Science Theatre 3000,” where three guys would watch a terrible movie and make fun of it while you were watching it. So, one day my dad found a bunch of old “Mystery Science Theatres” on DVD in a cheap video store and bought a few. “The Crawling Hand” was one of them. This movie is so bad that the guys in the TV show couldn’t even make fun of it. It was that bad. It was incredibly boring, and honestly I don’t really think we knew what was going on most of the time except that this guy’s girlfriend found this random hand on the beach and now it was terrorizing the guy’s mom because he brought it home. I guess intelligence runs in his family.
3. The Ten Commandments (1956) Charlton Heston, Yul Brenner
Not that I don’t enjoy the first half hour of laughing at the terrible acting, but seriously, 4 hours? How long does it take to tell a bible story? I could probably read the entire Torah in the time it takes you to watch this whole movie. I could also probably make a fortune if you paid me a dollar every time Nefretiri says, “Moses, Moses.” And, as mentioned before, some parts of this movie are very enjoyable, like the “Ethiopia” scene, but honestly, it’s just bad. Well, really bad.
4. The Pink Panther (2006) Steve Martin, Kevin Kline
I have nothing good to say about this one. My parents convinced my brother and I to watch one of the original ones, and let me tell you, that one was so much better than this disaster. Naturally, when we saw it on the “On Demand” list, we thought it would be like the other one. We were so wrong. I’m sorry, but this movie just stunk like a skunk.
5. Twilight (2008) Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson
I know I’m going against every girl in America, and possibly the world by saying this, but this movie was bad. It was really bad. The acting was just not the best, to put it nicely. And honestly, what was up with that Transylvanian accent that Edward sported for half the film? The special effects were ok, except in that one scene when he’s supposed to sparkle, or something? Yeah, he just looked sweaty. People in the theatre I saw it in laughed at parts that weren’t supposed to be funny. Sorry guys.
6. Pride and Prejudice (1940) Greer Garson, Laurence Olivier
Surprised? Well, this one is the bad, old version. It’s in black-and-white and it should definitely stay that way. Whoever made this movie clearly did not grasp the whole idea of Pride and Prejudice. Not at all. Yeah, whose idea was it to make Mary, of all people, find love in the end? I think we all got a good laugh out of this one, and it isn’t good for much else.
7. Pride and Prejudice (2005) Kiera Knightly, Talulah Riley
That was the bad, old one; this one is the bad, new version. I have a feeling it was bad directing, because I’ve seen a bunch of people in this in other movies where they’ve been really good. The main thing that bothered me about this movie was Mr. Darcy. Hello, he’s not supposed to like Lizzie at the beginning! He is also not supposed to walk around like a lovesick puppy for the entire movie. The weird thing is that a ton of people love this movie, and I just can’t stand it.
8. Bells of St. Mary’s (1945) Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman
We found this on VHS lying around one day, and decided to watch it. That was a mistake. This was a weird one. It’s sweet, I guess if you like this kind of thing, but really, what I remember from this movie is Bing Crosby singing to a bunch of kids in a Catholic school and Ingrid Bergman walking around dressed like a nun. Snore.
9. Pinocchio (1940)
This movie scared the living daylights out of me when I was little. And why wouldn’t it? It’s about a puppet that goes to a creepy circus or something and ends up in a whale’s belly. I mean, Jonah and the Whale I can handle, but why do you have to throw a puppet and some sad music into the mix? Why?
10. Spy Kids (2001)
This movie…I mean, what the heck were they thinking? Why would you make a kids movie with creepy clown-like things in it? Why would you make this exceedingly creepy and odd movie? Why? I just don’t get this one. The people who have been turned into odd things and the weird robotic kids are totally creepy, and then it turns the whole thing around into this little kid family thing about kids and their parents being a spy team. It’s just a weird, bad movie.
Surprised? Well, this one is the bad, old version. It’s in black-and-white and it should definitely stay that way. Whoever made this movie clearly did not grasp the whole idea of Pride and Prejudice. Not at all. Yeah, whose idea was it to make Mary, of all people, find love in the end? I think we all got a good laugh out of this one, and it isn’t good for much else.
7. Pride and Prejudice (2005) Kiera Knightly, Talulah Riley
That was the bad, old one; this one is the bad, new version. I have a feeling it was bad directing, because I’ve seen a bunch of people in this in other movies where they’ve been really good. The main thing that bothered me about this movie was Mr. Darcy. Hello, he’s not supposed to like Lizzie at the beginning! He is also not supposed to walk around like a lovesick puppy for the entire movie. The weird thing is that a ton of people love this movie, and I just can’t stand it.
8. Bells of St. Mary’s (1945) Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman
We found this on VHS lying around one day, and decided to watch it. That was a mistake. This was a weird one. It’s sweet, I guess if you like this kind of thing, but really, what I remember from this movie is Bing Crosby singing to a bunch of kids in a Catholic school and Ingrid Bergman walking around dressed like a nun. Snore.
9. Pinocchio (1940)
This movie scared the living daylights out of me when I was little. And why wouldn’t it? It’s about a puppet that goes to a creepy circus or something and ends up in a whale’s belly. I mean, Jonah and the Whale I can handle, but why do you have to throw a puppet and some sad music into the mix? Why?
10. Spy Kids (2001)
This movie…I mean, what the heck were they thinking? Why would you make a kids movie with creepy clown-like things in it? Why would you make this exceedingly creepy and odd movie? Why? I just don’t get this one. The people who have been turned into odd things and the weird robotic kids are totally creepy, and then it turns the whole thing around into this little kid family thing about kids and their parents being a spy team. It’s just a weird, bad movie.
I'm not sure about the next topic yet...maybe some sort of musical thing?
Words: 1,022
Friday, September 11, 2009
Top Dozen Movies
So, funny thing happened to me this week. My teacher gave us an assignment to write a list of our top twelve favorite thing in one catagory of our choice. So, guess what I did? Yes, I wrote a list of my favorite movies. Small world, huh? Anyway, here they are. The dirty dozen.
Top 12 Movies (In no Particular Order)
1. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) Nia Vardalos, Michael Constantine
A Greek woman tries to go against her family and marry a non-Greek man. This movie is so funny. It’s funny without being offensive, and without being incredibly crude. I love the way this movie manages to be sweet, romantic, and hilarious at the same time. It’s the perfect balance of all three, and you are seriously missing out if you’ve never seen this movie.
2. School of Rock (2003) Jack Black, Joan Cusack
A man needs money when his friends kick him out of their band, so he takes a teaching job at a prep school. When I first heard about this movie, I thought it was going to be stupid. But I was totally wrong. I mean, seriously, who would’ve thought that watching school kids write rock songs would be so entertaining? But, anyway, I like this movie for a lot of reasons. First, it’s hilarious. Second, everyone in the movie learns a lesson. There’s some substance to the movie, it’s not just fluff. And third, the music. I don’t know why, but there is something so satisfying about watching the main characters get up on stage at the end of a movie, and have a bunch of people cheer for them.
3. The Great Escape (1963) Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough
Men at a prisoner of war camp in World War II plan a huge escape from the camp. This is an odd choice, I know. But this movie is so good. It’s got heavy stuff in it, and intense parts, but it is such a fun movie to watch. I love watching their heads pop out of that hole in the ground one by one, and when they’re moving through the tunnel, it’s just so intense that you want it to go on forever. I love watching the characters develop throughout the movie, and watching them build the tunnels, and it is so satisfying when one of them finally reaches up through the hole and rips a clump of grass out of the ground, and passes it down the line. Something about this movie makes you love it, no matter who you are.
4. Cinderella (1950) Disney Animations and (1997) Brandy Norwood, Bernadette Peters
A woman is tormented by her evil stepmother and stepsisters. Ha ha, I know. But I love Cinderella! I always have, and always will. The question is, which version? Well, I decided that I would tie all of them, since choosing my favorite would be too hard. I mean, how can the animated fairy godmother compare to Whitney Houston? But at the same time, the Roger’s and Hammerstein’s songs get a little more tiresome than the Disney ones. And why do I love this movie so much? Mostly, because it always turns out the same. Cinderella always wins, she always wears the pretty dress, she always leaves the slipper behind. I mean, how can any other heroine compete with that?
5. Pride and Prejudice (1995) Jennifer Ehle, Colin Firth
How do you describe this one? The plot has so many twists it ties itself into knots! Pride and Prejudice is a great book, but when you see the characters up on the screen, it just brings the characters and all their vibrant personalities to life. Watching Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy and Mr. Collins play their parts never gets old. I love this movie because you never quite know how it’s going to end. I always can’t quite figure out what’s going to happen in the middle. You laugh, you cry, and you can’t wait to see the ending, but at the same time you don’t want it to end.
6. Catch Me If You Can (2002) Leonardo DeCaprio, Tom Hanks
A boy runs away from home and becomes the world’s best con man. This movie is intense, but extremely enjoyable. The acting is amazing. That’s really what makes this movie so good. Leonardo DeCaprio is excellent as the lead, and Tom Hanks is entertaining as the detective trying to catch him. I love watching Frank William Abignale Jr. become a con man, as well as an airplane pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer, over and over again.
7. Back To The Future (1985) Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd
A boy accidently time travels and messes up his parents’ relationship. I love this movie to death! Watching that scene where the lightning strikes the clock tower gets me every time. What I love about this movie is that it combines everything I like in a movie into one. There are intense parts, and funny parts, which is hard to come by, and a lot of hectic running around. The acting is great, the story is good, and this movie definitely has magic.
8. Guys And Dolls (1955) Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons
A man who runs an illegal craps game bets a high-stakes gambler that he can’t take a woman who runs a mission to go out with him. Where can I even start with this one? I can’t even explain how much I love this movie. I’ve been watching it since I was about 5 years old and didn’t understand anything about it except that they sang songs. My favorite was Adelaide’s song about getting a cold. I still love watching her sing about post-nasal-drip. This is a timeless movie about romance and has people doing illegal things in it so it scores a 10.0 for me.
9. Casablanca (1942) Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman
Classic romance/drama about a man and woman torn apart by World War II. This is just an incredible film. I love the romance, the drama, the acting is amazing, and the directing is flawless. The story is so passionate and beautiful, and feels so real when you watch it play out on screen. As you see it, you can feel everything that the characters are feeling, it’s like they are just going to jump out of the screen.
10. Moonstruck (1987) Cher, Nicholas Cage
Romantic comedy about an Italian family who is dealing with all the different problems in marriage. This movie is very insightful. I loved the interesting look it gave at all different sides of romance. When I saw this film, I was able to grasp all of the character’s dilemmas, and I got to know all the characters through the course of the film. I was struck by the way the story felt so real and the way everything was presented very plainly and truthfully.
11. Mean Girls (2004) Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams
A girl goes to high school for the first time after a life of being home schooled, and is taken in by the most popular girls in school. This movie is incredibly funny. It seems like a teen drama at first, but after you see it for the first time, you realize it is actually hilarious. I love the way this movie was written and acted. The jokes really drive the movie, but without Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams, this movie probably would’ve bombed.
12. Strictly Ballroom (1992) Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice
A man who comes from a long line of ballroom dancers decides to make up his own dance moves and compete with a poor Spanish girl. There are so many things to love about this movie. The dancing is gorgeous, the costumes are glittery, and the characters are crazy. The basis of a young person going against family tradition is old, but the dancing and multiple twists in the plot line make it new and interesting. The dance numbers are flashy, but fun for everyone to watch!
Words: 1,340
Top 12 Movies (In no Particular Order)
1. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) Nia Vardalos, Michael Constantine
A Greek woman tries to go against her family and marry a non-Greek man. This movie is so funny. It’s funny without being offensive, and without being incredibly crude. I love the way this movie manages to be sweet, romantic, and hilarious at the same time. It’s the perfect balance of all three, and you are seriously missing out if you’ve never seen this movie.
2. School of Rock (2003) Jack Black, Joan Cusack
A man needs money when his friends kick him out of their band, so he takes a teaching job at a prep school. When I first heard about this movie, I thought it was going to be stupid. But I was totally wrong. I mean, seriously, who would’ve thought that watching school kids write rock songs would be so entertaining? But, anyway, I like this movie for a lot of reasons. First, it’s hilarious. Second, everyone in the movie learns a lesson. There’s some substance to the movie, it’s not just fluff. And third, the music. I don’t know why, but there is something so satisfying about watching the main characters get up on stage at the end of a movie, and have a bunch of people cheer for them.
3. The Great Escape (1963) Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough
Men at a prisoner of war camp in World War II plan a huge escape from the camp. This is an odd choice, I know. But this movie is so good. It’s got heavy stuff in it, and intense parts, but it is such a fun movie to watch. I love watching their heads pop out of that hole in the ground one by one, and when they’re moving through the tunnel, it’s just so intense that you want it to go on forever. I love watching the characters develop throughout the movie, and watching them build the tunnels, and it is so satisfying when one of them finally reaches up through the hole and rips a clump of grass out of the ground, and passes it down the line. Something about this movie makes you love it, no matter who you are.
4. Cinderella (1950) Disney Animations and (1997) Brandy Norwood, Bernadette Peters
A woman is tormented by her evil stepmother and stepsisters. Ha ha, I know. But I love Cinderella! I always have, and always will. The question is, which version? Well, I decided that I would tie all of them, since choosing my favorite would be too hard. I mean, how can the animated fairy godmother compare to Whitney Houston? But at the same time, the Roger’s and Hammerstein’s songs get a little more tiresome than the Disney ones. And why do I love this movie so much? Mostly, because it always turns out the same. Cinderella always wins, she always wears the pretty dress, she always leaves the slipper behind. I mean, how can any other heroine compete with that?
5. Pride and Prejudice (1995) Jennifer Ehle, Colin Firth
How do you describe this one? The plot has so many twists it ties itself into knots! Pride and Prejudice is a great book, but when you see the characters up on the screen, it just brings the characters and all their vibrant personalities to life. Watching Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy and Mr. Collins play their parts never gets old. I love this movie because you never quite know how it’s going to end. I always can’t quite figure out what’s going to happen in the middle. You laugh, you cry, and you can’t wait to see the ending, but at the same time you don’t want it to end.
6. Catch Me If You Can (2002) Leonardo DeCaprio, Tom Hanks
A boy runs away from home and becomes the world’s best con man. This movie is intense, but extremely enjoyable. The acting is amazing. That’s really what makes this movie so good. Leonardo DeCaprio is excellent as the lead, and Tom Hanks is entertaining as the detective trying to catch him. I love watching Frank William Abignale Jr. become a con man, as well as an airplane pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer, over and over again.
7. Back To The Future (1985) Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd
A boy accidently time travels and messes up his parents’ relationship. I love this movie to death! Watching that scene where the lightning strikes the clock tower gets me every time. What I love about this movie is that it combines everything I like in a movie into one. There are intense parts, and funny parts, which is hard to come by, and a lot of hectic running around. The acting is great, the story is good, and this movie definitely has magic.
8. Guys And Dolls (1955) Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons
A man who runs an illegal craps game bets a high-stakes gambler that he can’t take a woman who runs a mission to go out with him. Where can I even start with this one? I can’t even explain how much I love this movie. I’ve been watching it since I was about 5 years old and didn’t understand anything about it except that they sang songs. My favorite was Adelaide’s song about getting a cold. I still love watching her sing about post-nasal-drip. This is a timeless movie about romance and has people doing illegal things in it so it scores a 10.0 for me.
9. Casablanca (1942) Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman
Classic romance/drama about a man and woman torn apart by World War II. This is just an incredible film. I love the romance, the drama, the acting is amazing, and the directing is flawless. The story is so passionate and beautiful, and feels so real when you watch it play out on screen. As you see it, you can feel everything that the characters are feeling, it’s like they are just going to jump out of the screen.
10. Moonstruck (1987) Cher, Nicholas Cage
Romantic comedy about an Italian family who is dealing with all the different problems in marriage. This movie is very insightful. I loved the interesting look it gave at all different sides of romance. When I saw this film, I was able to grasp all of the character’s dilemmas, and I got to know all the characters through the course of the film. I was struck by the way the story felt so real and the way everything was presented very plainly and truthfully.
11. Mean Girls (2004) Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams
A girl goes to high school for the first time after a life of being home schooled, and is taken in by the most popular girls in school. This movie is incredibly funny. It seems like a teen drama at first, but after you see it for the first time, you realize it is actually hilarious. I love the way this movie was written and acted. The jokes really drive the movie, but without Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams, this movie probably would’ve bombed.
12. Strictly Ballroom (1992) Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice
A man who comes from a long line of ballroom dancers decides to make up his own dance moves and compete with a poor Spanish girl. There are so many things to love about this movie. The dancing is gorgeous, the costumes are glittery, and the characters are crazy. The basis of a young person going against family tradition is old, but the dancing and multiple twists in the plot line make it new and interesting. The dance numbers are flashy, but fun for everyone to watch!
Words: 1,340
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