Film Critique on the Movie Takers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Film Critique on the Movie Takers - Essay Example Takers is a film released in August 27, 2010, which details crime life today (Takers, 2010). It is directed by John Luessenhop and is adopted from a story and screenplay written by Luessenhop, Gabriel Casseus, Peter Allen, John Rogers, and Avery Duff (Dudley, 1984). The film is a narrative that follows up a gang of bank robbers who carry out spectacular robberies. One of their former crew member forces them into an elaborate heist, but the inside ring members contact is far from being trustworthy. In their grilled occupation, they have one job to accomplish, which seems to be more rewarding than any other. However, this turns out to be a death trap when they are pulled into this last mission by their recently paroled cohort T. I, but unfortunately they are encountered by a hardened detective (matt Dillon) and his counterpart Jay Hernandez (Matt, 2010). The detective wont rest until he gets the thieves and brings them to justice, and through out the film, his preparation brings a mix of good and bad as the viewer remains with blurred opinion on the two sides. Tanker is a film whose plot is linear, starting at a point where there is one member who is not with them. The member is Ghost (T.I), who was arrested and jailed in a previous robbery five years ago. Ghost is released, and he plots for a mission on their behalf. He persuades his gang members to undertake this mission, which is a $20 million dollar project, but they are intercepted by detectives (Scott, 2010). The mission fails, and the gang is defeated with Ghost being the last member to be gunned by detectives Welles and Gordon. As the movie ends, we are left to wonder whether Gordon or Welles survives the injuries they sustained in the gun ensue. There are many conflicts in this movie starting with the first created when Jesse meets with the rest of the crew at a hotel where they discuss the shooting of Detective Hatcher. During this meeting, Russian gangsters storm the meeting and try to shoot everyone p resents apart from Ghost. This is a conflict between characters where it turns out that ghost had decided to double cross his friends and cut a deal with the gangsters to kill the whole crew for the exchange of $10 million dollars (Scott, 2010). The formerly cold, but well calculated conflict between Ghost and his friends includes the Russian gangster and Ghost’s colleagues. This creates a conflict, but it is resolved when Jake kills the Russian. The second conflict is created when Jake and Jesse go home, and find that jakes girlfriend Lilly had been murdered and immediately they realize that police surrounded them. This is the last conflict where Ghost is out to double cross them and escape with the stolen money, and they embark on two missions: to rescue their money from their lead gangster Ghost and to escape the police attacks (Matt, 2010). This being the last hour and the highest point in the film, the police detectives are well prepared to resolve every other conflict b y terminating the gang ring and they succeeded. The main conflict is resolved when all members of the gang are killed and the detectives get hold of the stolen money. The two detectives in the film are symbolic of the forces of justice, which inhere in a society where crime is rife. The fact that they are only two out of the whole police force in the country symbolizes the mighty power of justice and good against big evil. Secondly, there is some ironic twists in the story when Ghost, the leader of the gang turns out

Serve or Fail Essay Example for Free

Serve or Fail Essay The article Server or Fail, by Dave Eggers of The New York Times presents a very interesting take on college students and their free time. Eggers believes that colleges should institute a service requirement for students to graduate. Due to his college experience he considers college students to have too much spare time, which is wasted on silly electives or just wasted. With this surplus of time students should contribute to the community around themselves to develop intellectual tools that will be helpful to their careers post-graduation. The primary problem with making service a necessity is that it exchanges one requirement for another. Students already have too many requirements for college making college careers last longer needed, even Eggers agrees with this. Every student has to take certain learning requirements and many students have no need or will to even attend these courses. Learning requirements such as, Oceanography and Psychology are the issue. Students have no interest in these classes and just do the bare minimum to pass. In addition, students are not forced into taking whiffle ball or Cricket as a requirement as it might seem from this article. Those types of classes are electives that students choose if they would like to take them. This proposal just substitutes classes for work, which is not much different. Many students would not want to be there in the first place, which leads to bad service for the community. Students would be on their phones, giving half effort or goofing around if this was made a requirement. Serving a community should be your choice and not an obligation. If helping out at a retirement home or tutoring children would be good for a student’s degree or resume, then he or she should seek that out on their own time. Students would have to pay for this in their tuition fees if it is done through the college. Paying to help your community is the ultimate oxymoron. This idea would not work because some students would be exempt and others would not. This places students into classes, a problem we already have in America. Students would try to find ways around working for the community by possibly going to community college instead of a university or state college for some courses. Community colleges already have a few advantages working in their favor; it is cheaper, and closer to home compared to most universities. College students need free time and down time to keep themselves sane. This proposal has too many holes, and it does not really take care of any real college issue. Colleges are already demanding enough with the amount of work that is required. College takes too long as it is and this proposal would not change the length of college, but just changes the requirements to graduate.

Dreams on of mice and men :: essays research papers

Dreams, although often cut off are always necessary to keep the hope of people alive to fight against the inadequacies of the economic and social perils of life. Dreams are one of the most freely experienced actions by humans, and still it is the most rigid and unrealistic thought process that is part of our lives. The dream of most American’s at this time period surrounding the book â€Å"Of Mice and Men† was only a large cesspool of dying hopes that were kept alive by wishes and aspirations even without success. They often have no power fulfillment or credence to them even though we as humans put so much belief and effort in them. Joesph Fontenrose comments that the novel I about â€Å"the vanity of human wishes† (Fontenrose 375). Dreams and willpower are necessary to keep hope alive in people. What was once the land of opportunity was now the land of desperation. What was once the land of hope and optimism had become the land of despair. Sometimes these dream s become nightmares because of the hardships that are endured through the trials of life and society. Many immigrants from Europe coming to America in hope of prosperity and easy living found themselves in conditions that were paralleled by the conditions in the European slums of the inner city. Howard Levant made the statement after a critical reading of the novel that â€Å"the good life is impossible because humanity is flawed† (Owens 146). The horrors of the American Civil War and the growth of towns with slums as bad as those in Europe, and the corruption of the American political system led to many shattered dreams. For society as a whole the American dream ended with the stock market crash on Wall Street in 1929.This was the start of the Great Depression that would affect the whole world during the 1930’s. However the dream kept some hopes alive and could not be suppressed by the heartbreaking circumstances endured by all Americans. Many moved to the west in Cal ifornia to escape from their land in the mid west. Californians who lived through the 1920s and 1930s must have felt as though they were on a roller coaster. In a dizzying cycle of boom and bust, a decade of spectacular prosperity was followed by the worst economic collapse in the state's history. Ramshackle encampments, such as Pipe City in Oakland, filled with forlorn unemployed workers and their families.

Compare/Contrast Paper

Darius White Michael Duffy TSEM: Blood, Lust, and the American Dream 13 October 2012 The articles I have selected all involve metaphorical drugs and addictions in vampire media. The in class article I have chosen is titled Not to Be Toyed With’: Drug Addiction, Bullying and Self-empowerment in Buffy the vampire Slayer by Rob Cover and it involves the fictional character, Willow, and her addiction to magic. The article shares several similarities with the peer reviewed article Battling Addictions in Dracula by Kristina Aikens, and â€Å"[I]s it dangerous? Alternative readings of â€Å"drugs† and â€Å"addiction† in Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Jo Latham. All three articles explain the drug references in vampire media albeit with different points and interpretations. They briefly explain what an addiction is and how it applies to that particular subject. But two articles in particular, Not to Be Toyed With and â€Å"[I]s it dangerous? † both mention the nega tive aspects of peer pressure and bullying and what effect it can have on someone’s psyche specifically on the character Willow.Both articles explain how Willow’s magical curiosity began to manifest into something darker through time. The more she used magic, the more she relied on it and the more she became reluctant to control herself. She also began to show signs of an addiction, including withdrawal. The articles differ from Not to Be Toyed With in the sense that they explain drug use using different examples. â€Å"[I]s it dangerous? † takes a more in depth look in how Willow’s addiction causes her to become more compulsive, and how her friendships begin to crumble the more she hurts others with her magic.The article states that â€Å"The show succeeds in depicting drug use and its consequences as a complex web of dynamic intra-action between personal agency and structural forms of social restraints. Magic is pharmAkon: poison and cure, and the dist inction arises from how it is used: for good or evil, productively or destructively. † It states that the show attempts to show that drugs aren’t entirely bad, but can be used constructively. It evens takes it a step further by comparing her to other drug abusers and the medical aspect of addictions.It mentions that there may be properties of magic that has universal effects that may result in addiction, not the magic itself. In Battling Addictions in Dracula, It doesn’t use magic as a metaphor for drugs, but it compares drug abusers to a vampire addicted to human blood, more specifically the war on drugs. It briefly mentions the various drugs and makes several references to vampire culture. It also states that the drug use in Dracula refers to real life instances where doctors would try to control drug consumption during that era.The article elaborates further by stating, â€Å"Doctors carefully regulate the use of drugs in the novel, implying that disaster wil l surely ensue if the drugs are used improperly, which is demonstrated when Lucy dies as an indirect result of the maids being drugged. † Works Cited Aikens, Kristina. â€Å"Battling Addictions in Dracula. † Manchester University/Gothic Studies, 17 Mar. 2010. PDF. 13 October 2012. http://ehis. ebscohost. com. proxy-tu. researchport. umd. edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? id=0737b5e2-8766-4318-a13a-9ef14709da71%40sessionmgr111&vid=3&hid=120 Latham, Jo. â€Å"[I]s it dangerous? Alternative readings of â€Å" drugs† and â€Å"addiction† in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. † Watcher Junior. June 2010. Web. 13 October 2012. http://www. watcherjunior. tv/05/latham. php Cover, Rob. â€Å"Not to be Toyed With': Drug addiction, Bullying and Self-empowerment in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. â€Å"Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies 2005 19(1): 85-101.

Development of Social Emotional Identity and Personality

The essay shall examine lifespan development issues with regard to an interview consulted at a local neighborhood. The case study involved analysis of the emotional, moral and personality developmental issues that arise in instances when one has to cope or live with a step family.Synopsis of interviewThe interview involved a seventeen year old female student who lived with a stepmother and her biological father. It involved an assessment of the effects that a step family has had on her life. Some relational issues that were revealed in the interview include; the two families could not get along, the respondent felt that her mother had been robbed off her rightful place, the respondent felt out of place as she was the only person from her mother’s side who lived with her dad, she found it difficult to concentrate on her academics especially because she confronted her step siblings frequently. Furthermore, it was found that she had not sought any help from teachers or other prof essionals.Major concepts, features and developmental changes associated with ethnic, gender identification, cultural and sexual differences with respect to the specific caseWith regard to gender identification, there were some issues that were unique to the case study. Research has shown that certain developmental features are largely common among certain sexes while being hidden in others. In a research conducted by Hicks, J. et al (2007) in their article â€Å"Gender differences and developmental change in externalizing disorders from adolescence to adulthood†, Vol, 116, no, 3, pp 433-447, it was found that there certain externalizing disorders were synonymous with certain genders.The authors studied the following symptoms; alcoholism, nicotine dependence, drug dependence and anti-social behavior. The study involved persons at the age of seventeen and analyzed them all the way into their adulthood at the age of twenty four. It was found that as the respondents grew older, t hey developed a higher tendency towards these externalizing disorders. However, male candidates had a higher prevalence rate than their female counterparts. It was found that the latter were influenced by their environment in avoiding antisocial behavior more then genetics.However, among males, genetic variations played a larger role in explaining their behavior through these developmental changes. In the case study, the respondent was female. Consequently, it was likely that the respondent had to look for other methods of expressing her anger rather than through the use antisocial behavior, alcohol or drugs. This was probably the reason why this respondent did not depict the latter symptoms. While quarrelling with siblings may be a negative occurrence, one can hardly classify it as anti-social behavior. This goes to show that across one’s lifespan, certain changes such as introduction of step families bring out different aspects depending on one’s gender.With regard t o cultural differences, there were some major developmental issues that were unique to this individual. Research conducted by Gartstein, M. et al (2006) on cross cultural differences in development of children, it was found that substantial differences exist between children growing up in certain cultures. The research entailed an analysis of children from the Chinese Republic, Spain and The United States. The authors found that children within the United States had higher degrees of temperament even at an early stage. This continued to be the case as they grew older.Conversely, children from China had relatively lower temperament. The case under consideration was a teenager who had been born and raised in the US. Her developmental changes were therefore synonymous to a large section of the population which tends to vent out their frustrations on their environment. This may involve either inanimate objects or their fellow counterparts. Another developmental change that could have be en related to the case study’s situation was the place of a mother within a family. In the US and in many other western states, nuclear families are generally accepted as the norm.The issue of a step family is not as welcome as it is in other parts of the world such as in certain parts of Africa; where numerous families can interact and live together. Having to tackle separate families was difficult since the respondent’s mother lived elsewhere. This meant that the respondent had to move between these two homes from time to time; this could have caused her to appear different from her peers since this is the cultural norm. It could have propagated her anger.Major concepts, features and developmental changes of emotional, moral and personality development and how these relate to individuals within the specific caseEmotional development is crucial to all individuals because before human beings can reason, they first develop emotions. In this case, the respondent came fro m a blended family. There are certain emotional issues that were not addressed as she grew up because every experience one goes through is a contributor to what one can become in the future. The respondent reported a lot of mood swings and there are chances that as she gets older, she may develop mood disorders and eventually depressive disorders.Developmental experts assert that different individuals respond to circumstances in a different way. Consequently, the latter assertion may not be an ultimate result in the future. The respondent also claimed that she has trouble concentrating in class and that she always had a feeling of restlessness. Sociologists assert that anxiety disorders can crop up when a child has grown up in a tense environment. Such negative influences condition the child to feel as though they are living in an emergency and this severely impeded normal emotional development. (Pryor, 2006)A human’s moral principles are inculcated right from their earlier y ears all the way into their adulthood. These principles are usually derived from their respective parents. However, when one of the parents is not around and someone else takes her place, then that stepparent may not feel obliged to teach their step child moral discipline. Additionally, a child will also feel that their step parent has no right to teach them moral issues anyway. The overall result of this is that a child may grow up not being morally bound and they may depict this though anti-social behavior.ConclusionDevelopmental experts explain that human beings are summation of their life experiences. This case study involved the study of a respondent who lived in a step family. Some of the developmental issues arising in this case were linked to the respondent’s culture, gender and features of moral development.ReferencesGarstein, M. et al (2006): Studying cross cultural development of temperament, Journal of Child Psychiatry and human development, 37, 2, 145-161Pryor, J . (2006): Children and their changing families, Polity Press, p 35-46Hicks, J. et al (2007): Gender differences and developmental change in externalizing disorders from adolescence to adulthood; Vol, 116, no, 3, pp 433-447