Qin Dynasty

The movie Hero takes place during the time period of the Qin Dynasty. This Wikipedia page about the Qin Dynasty talks about this time period and the emperors that ruled. In the movie, Qin Shi Huang was the emperor shown. Qin Shi Huang was the first ruler during the Qin Dynasty, and the unification of China under Huang "marked the beginning of imperial China." An accomplishment the Qin achieved was when they built The Great Wall of China to fend of intruders and barbarians. After the downfall of the Qin Dynasty, and new dynasty came about, the Han Dynasty.

The Three Kings movie review

This review was found on a movie review website (ericdsnider.com) which I found through Rotten Tomatoes. Eric Snider wrote the review and he had given the film a grade of a B-. In the review he discusses how "a film about the Persian Gulf War would be about '90s values like media coverage and greed." Snider mentions how the film seemed to imitate Spielberg's movie by "using that jittery cinematography, and even nearly copying the point-of-view audio effect used to show what a man's hearing is like after he's been shot." But Snider also mentions how David O Russell uses a good technique in which he stages a scene where bullets are fired and the bullets are followed to their destination. Snider continues by saying the film had not true point to it, and the characters did not learn anything in the end. He states that the characters are static, except for the one who dies, which in a sense is "cynical."

Iraq After Desert Storm (March 1991)

This link provides a timeline of the Gulf War and Desert Storm, including March 1991. It shows that in March Iraqi leaders formally accept the cease fire terms, Ten Allied POWs are freed, 35 POWs are released, and First US combat forces return home.

David O. Russell's films

This Wikipedia site is a link to information about David O. Russell and his life, and his other films that he directed and wrote. He has wrote and directed movies such as, I Love Huckabee's (2004), Three Kings (1999), Flirting with Disaster (1996), and Spanking the Monkey (1994). In his movies Three Kings and I Love Huckabee's, Russell nearly got into fistfights with his actors, which caused controversy, but ultimately filming continued as planned. David Russell graduated from Amherst College in 1981, majoring in political science and English.

Francis Ford Coppola

This link on Wikipedia provides a filmography of Francis Ford Coppola, who is a five-time Academy Award winning director, producer, and screenwriter, and also a vintner, magazine publisher, and a hotelier. His most famous films that he is known for is his Godfather trilogy, The Conversation, and Apocalypse Now. This site explains his life and film career from 1960 to the present. He had received his MFA in film directing from the UCLA Film School and started making movies such as Dementia 13, and later became a renowned director by his movies Patton and The Godfather. He directed and produced many movies. His most recent movie that he directed was The Rainmaker in 1997. Coppola was in the process of creating a script for the fourth Godfather with Mario Puzo, but then abandoned the project due to the death of Puzo in July 1999, stating that "he couldn't do it without his friend."

"The Godfather was a very under-appreciated movie when we were making it. I almost got fired." - Coppola

The Mafia Genre

The Mafia genre can be seen in many movies today, but one of the greatest movies in this genre is The Godfather. In this article written by Murray N. Rothbard, he discusses this genre and the difference between The Godfather and Goodfellas. The success of the Mafia genre can be seen by the "realization and dramatic portrayal of the fact that the Mafia, although leading a life outside the law, is, at its best, simply entrepreneurs and businessmen supplying the consumers with goods and services." Rothbard states that the violence depicted in The Godfather should not be taken the wrong way because it is "productive and non-aggressive," while unorganized crime is "punkish and viciously aggressive against the innocent." He also talks about the difference between The Godfather and Goodfellas. Rothbard mentions that The Godfather stays true to its genre because Goodfellas has many contrasting aspects, such as the punkish crime and random violence, which is not true to the ideals of a Mafia. The Godfather depicts its genre of family and Mafia excellently, but still many people fail to realize the true meaning and portrayal of the film.

Formalism in Film

This article in the Wikipedia encyclopedia discusses formalist film theory, which is "a theory of film study that is focused on the formal, or technical, elements of a film: i.e., the lighting, scoring, sound and set design, use of colour, shot composition, and editing. It is a major theory of film study today." This page talks about formalism in general, formalism in an ideological sense, and formalism in auteur theory, and also discussing the difference between ideological formalism and auteur theory.

A Glossary of Film terms

This website is a large dictionary of different film terms from A to Z. The term is shown and the defintion is given after. The entire glossary is alphabetized with detailed definitons. This is written and designed for the web by Joel Schlemowitz and is part of the New School's Film Production Department.

Rocky: The Story of an American Dream

Ira Shor gives his critical insight in this article by explaining the film's demonstration of the rise of a working-class hero by gaining dignity and recognition. Rocky is a a dim-witted but good-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the grimy streets of Philadelphia. He is given the chance to fight in a huge boxing match where he ultimately gains recognition and respect. Shor discusses how Rocky demonstrates every man's will to rise to the top; from rags-to-riches. Shor states that, "Rocky has no choice but to either rise above his class or sink below it. He’s offered no chance to rise with his class, and can't fit into the respectable routines familiar to the working world." Since Rocky has been living with a dead-end job that deals with crime, he will never be able to fit in with the higher class; he can only rise above his own class by proving himself in the fight. This is where the viewers experience an "opportunity" for a lower working-class man. Shor explains that "Rocky emerges as a working-class hero who answers the sudden call of the American Dream, going from disgrace to dignity in a magical moment. His bruised but handsome face mirrors the two faces of the American Dream." Rocky needed fight with others, and himself as well in order to succeed. Ira Shor outlines the film's idea that working class people must fight in order to overcome depravity.

Blood Diamond

A movie that I am thinking about writing about this semester is Edward Zwick's thrilling film, Blood Diamond. Set during a civil war in Sierra Leone, Africa in the 1990's, Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), a South African mercenary, and Soloman Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), a Mende fisherman, join through fate in a quest to find a rare pink diamond.
Archer learns, while in prison, that Soloman was taken from his family by a rebel group named the RUF (Revolutionary United Front) to work in the diamond fields for "blood diamonds," which are diamonds used to finance their military. He learns that Soloman found and hid this rare pink diamond. With the help of an American journalist (Jennifer Connelly), the two men embark on a journey through rebel territory to find this diamond in hopes of finding Soloman's family, and gaining an opportunity for a second chance for Archer. This film was nominated for 5 academy awards: Best Actor In A Leading Role - Leonardo DiCaprio, Best Actor In A Supporting Role - Djimon Hounsou, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Film Editing.

Trailer--
http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/blooddiamond/