3 Years Later "Hero" Makes It To the U.S.

Jeff Vice, from Deseret Morning News, talks about the release of Hero in the U.S. in his article: 'Hero' finally opening in U.S. after being held for 3 years. He mentions that Hero was originally released in 2001 under the name "Ying xiong" and was nominated for Best Foreign Feature by the Academy Awards. This marks the first martial arts film for director Zhang Yimou .Vice quotes Yimou saying "I am not a martial-arts filmmaker. So I had to convince people to take a chance on me and on the movie." Vice explains how "'Hero' has some things in common with 'Crouching Tiger.'" The both the fight choreographer, Yuen Wo-ping, and the soundtrack composer, Tan Dun, on worked on these two films. He also talks about the challenges Yimou faced when directing his first martial arts film. He admitted that "To make an action film was quite a challenge for [him]." He even got help from Quentin Tarantino.

Aftermath of Operation Desert Storm

Author Daniel Pipes wrote this article for the Jewish Exponent soon after the end of Operation Desert Storm in 1992. So what changed after four months of war in the Middle East? Not much according to Pipes: "much remains surprisingly as it was." His article explains that even though the war produced never before seen events such as the U.S. and Russia being on the same side for the first time in nearly fifty years, there were almost no political and economical developments in the middle east. It mentions that "Saddam Husayn [remained] in power, barbaric, truculent, and deceitful as ever" and the Syrian Government continued to rule Lebanon, dominate Palestine, and traffic drugs. So why did almost nothing change? Pipes goes on to explain how the fall of the soviet Union is partially responsible.

Racism and Sexism in Lord of the Rings Trilogy?

This PDF article was written by Christopher Knaus a professor of African American Studies in the University of California. At first, The Lord of the Rings seems like nothing more than a movie depicting the battles between good and evil. Are these films subliminally racist and biased towards women? Knaus points out several ideologies that appear throughout the film. According to Knaus, during the entire trilogy "there are only two significant roles played by women, and these are both, true to Hollywood form, highly sexualized." Some of the few non-Caucasian characters are portrayed as a "blend of stereotypes from India (Tamil? Hindu? Muslim?)", while the "Roma (although the stereotypes appear rooted in a derogatory Gypsy image... almost resemble ninjas." The article goes onto compare the film to American imperialism and how the war between "white people" and "evil non-human races... [coincides] with Western imperialism and American colonialism." Does Lord of the Rings really promote white supremacy and bigotry towards women?

"It dares to laugh in the face of the unthinkable"

Roberto Bengini's Life is Beautiful has been highly acclaimed; winning Oscars for best foreign film, best picture, and best soundtrack plus many awards all over the globe. Louise Katainen's article from National Forum brings to light some of the controversy behind the film's success. Katainen mentions some of the criticism about the film that 'dares to laugh in the face of the unthinkable.' She goes on to talk about Benigni's influences. He has had "a great deal of pleasure and fulfillment from making people laugh." But does his artistic talents justify his portrayal of the Holocaust?

Laughing at the Holocaust?

Author Yazmin Ghonaim describes how director Roberto Benigni is able to transform "a dramatic subject into comedy" in his film: Life is beautiful. One would not expect to laugh at a film about the most tragic times in human history, but Yazmin's review explains how this tragic comedy "re-creates the atmosphere of the Holocaust in a much 'romanticized' way." Life is beautiful has been criticized for its " lightness"on the Holocaust, but this film does not mock the Holocaust; it portrays the life a simple comical man who relies on humor to shield his son from the horrors of the Holocaust. This heartfelt tale with surrounded with debate and critique.