Miracle

1.  I really liked how it was presented, particularly with the hockey scenes.  The movie represented the 1980 olympic Games very well.  I noticed that the filmmakers took Al Michaels calling of the "miracle on Ice" and used his recording and implemented it into the movie.  I thought that was brilliant because many people remember seeing that game live when Al Michaels was calling the game.  It really connects the actual game to the movie.  The movie made me feel proud to be an American.  The United States of America has come through extreme adversity since its independence from Britain.  The 1980 U.S Hockey team was made up of college players and they were going up against professional competition.  It's almost like a college football team going up against an NFL team.  The U.S team always looked like the underdog against their opponents which kind of reminded me of how back in 1776; a group of militia men made up of farmers and workers managed to defeat an entire professional army to gain independence.  

2.  The Miracle on Ice was not just a hockey game.  It was a defining moment for the United States of America.  During the years of the cold war many Americans feared that a potential WWIII could break out if tensions continued to rise.  The U.S had adversities such as the arms race, the Iranian hostage crisis, and many other cold war matters.  The "miracle on Ice" gave Americans something to cheer for and be proud of.  

3.  The only event that comes to mind in my lifetime is 9/11.  I was only in kindergarden but I remember my mom crying in front of the TV.  Since I was so young I didn't really understand what was going on that made people really sad.  However, I could sense that people looked after each other more after 9/11.  I could feel that Americans wanted to help the country get through this hard time.  The impact 9/11 has had on the American conscience still is apparent today.     

42

1.  I thought the movie 42 was very inspiring.  Both Jackie Robinson and Branch Ricky took a lot of criticism for breaking the racial barrier in Major league baseball.  Jackie Robinson proved that he was a professional ball player on and off the field.  Jackie Robinson paved the way for many African Americans athletes in professional sports.  Baseball's top players today such as David Ortiz, Jimmy Rollins and many others would have never gotten the chance to prove themselves if it weren't for Jackie Robinson.

2.  I believe that Robinson helped the country in an indirect way.  He showed tremendous sportsmanship and class when he was on the field despite many racial comments towards him.  That showed America that African Americans do not take in violent confrontation to solve their problems with racial issues.  The lesson to take out of Jackie Robinson is to not take violent action to prove a point or to be equal.  Jackie Robinson was frustrated about the way he was being treated but eventually won over many baseball fans and his teammates with his great play.

3.  Jackie's values are very useful to be a successful person.  I use his values all the time.  I tore my meniscus playing football this past fall and I have been very persistent and determined to become healthy for the lacrosse season.  His values play into the role of becoming a healthy person all around.

4.  Jackie's quote means that a person must inspire or make a difference upon other people's lives in their lifetime.  An individual must use their talents and knowledge to give to the world for people to remember them by.  I agree because people have to spread their gifts and talent so the world can be a better place.

Cinderella man

1.  Certain events are described as Cinderella stories is because they are stories that are never meant to happen.  The Cinderella story itself shows that a house maid can become the brightest princess the world has ever seen.  James Braddock was supposed to be done with fighting because he retired but returned and started winning which was never supposed to happen.  The story of James Braddock is very inspiring because he was the people's fighter.  He struggled as much as anybody did during the great depression.  When he was winning fights again he turned his government loans even though he was not required to.  Braddock was a public icon during those hard times.

2.  If my family were starving and there was absolutely no way to get food or help otherwise then stealing is the last resort to survival.  If a member of my family was literally about to die and I had no other way to help them but steal then I would do it.  Braddock's son thought there was no other way to get food or money however, his father worked in the docks to get money for food.  James Braddock understood that stealing wasn't the only way to get food in these hard times.

3.  In Hollywood movies there always has to be some kind of antagonist in the story.  Besides that fact I believe it was very disrespectful for the filmmakers to portray him the way they did in the movie.  The movie makes it seem that James Braddock was the only "good guy" fighter in the entire tri-state area.  Every guy Braddock fought seemed to look mean and very unlikeable.  I think the filmmakers could have portrayed Max Baer fairly and at least should have showed that Max Baer was depressed for killing a man in the ring.

4.  I thought the scene showed that James Braddock was out of all his options and that begging for money was the only way he could keep his kids.  Braddock was very brave to go beg for money and I think most people just felt sorry for him.  I also believe that some people who gave him money believed that he could come back to the ring and still fight.  I find it very admirable that he did this.    

tombstone

Tombstone Blog

1.  I liked that Tombstone really had that old western style cinematography look to it.  I really felt like I was on an adventure in the wild west.  Whyat Earp was by far my favorite character in the movie because of the way he enforced the law in Tombstone.  He eventually fought off the organized crime that was going on in tombstone. The general theme I got out of this movie is that an established law enforcement force is crucial into settling into to new places because a lot of "Cowboys" got away with things that they shouldn't have.  

2.  I believe that an event becomes legendary when it is remembered for a substantial amount of time.  A person becomes a legendary figure by doing something extremely remarkable that has not been done before or what they did will never happen again.  I don't believe that any individual character in Tombstone deserved to be crowned as a legend.  The event as a whole I think is legendary but the characters are not.  The classic gun skirmishes with revolvers and repeaters are really what appeal to me when it comes to the wild west along with the small town aspect of tombstone.     

Glory

1.  I liked how the movie showed how honorable the men felt while marching in the streets and eventually leading the fight against fort Wagner.  Also, I liked when the 54th were able to wear the blue uniforms of the union, which made them feel equal to the other white soldiers.  I didn't like the fact that other union soldiers treated them with disrespect.  When most of the 54th were killed, I was a little upset that the fort was never taken from the confederates.  The amount of effort the the 54th put in into and finally getting their chance to fight almost went to waste because they failed to to take the fort.  I thought that the characters of the 54th came from all backgrounds when they signed up.  Denzel Washington's character showed arrogance towards the beginning but he eventually was able to say that he loved the 54th.  I would recommend this movie to any historians who are interested in African American struggles and triumphs.

2.  I believe that people fight and die for their country because there is an overwhelming sense of pride that comes out of soldiers.  That pride may come from protecting their country or fighting for a reason that they believe in.  The men of the 54th are heroes despite not being able to take over the fort.  They are heroes because they fought for equal passage in this world.  They were also the first African Americans to fight under the flag.  They showed the world that they are willing to die to get equal rights and passage.  Shaw was also a hero because he fought for the order to get the 54th a combat fight.  He lead the 54th into battle and decided to run with them (don't know if historically accurate) instead of mounting his horse.

3.  The significance of this story is that the 54th was made up of volunteers and the 54th volunteered to lead the charge against fort Wagner.  The members of the 54th including Shaw wanted to fight to show the world that they were willing to die for equality.