Academy

The Piano (1993) by Jane Campion How vulnerable can a woman be when indulging in her passions? In life, as in nature, it is not possible to see beyond the horizon. When, followed by her young daughter Flora, Ada McGrath, a strong-willed and self-sufficient Scottish widow, mute for having willed herself not to speak, arrives in New Zealand as an imported bride for an arranged marriage to a land-grabber named Alisdair Stewart; she certainly could never have imagined what the final outcome would be…

“Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli” Film influences our lives in multiple aspects. New films are released every day; however, only a great film can make a lasting impact on society. In 1972, America was faced with national cynicism and an ever-changing cultural view, due to the Watergate Scandal, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Equal Rights Movement for women. Francis Ford Coppola made a bold move by producing a film called The Godfather, which detailed the inter-workings of the Mafia in a…

similar he looked to Shingen. The Takeda Clan wanted to use him as a political double, in case the real daimyo was ever hurt or killed. Kagemusha was produced in the 1980’s and won the Cannes Film Festival that year. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and received several other honors. Kagemusha was a film made in Japan during the mid 16 century and was set in the Sengoku Period of Japanese History. The Sengoku Period means “Age of Warring States” this…

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with forensic science and I distinctly remember my brother and I running home from the bus stop every day, when we were in middle school, just so we would not miss the introductory scene of the new Criminal Minds episode. The show always began right at 3 and our bus got to the stop roughly around 2:55; just enough time to run home and turn it to the right channel. And as any fan of Criminal Minds knows, the beginning is the most captivating…

Black Swan: A Movie Analysis “I felt it. What? Perfect. I was perfect.” The movie starts with a ballerina dancing to a musical piece beautifully, and then enters a hideous black bird, which seems to torture the ballerina. The young and naïve ballerina is our protagonist, Nina Sayers, played by Natalie Portman. The ballet company she works in, opens for a new season. The director announces that the season will open with an ambitious adaption of “Swan Lake” with a new face. Nina dreams that…

My favorite actress, Alicia Vikander, is a Swedish actress who was nominated for the 2016 Academy Award. She is one of the new rising stars in Hollywood. Because of her outstanding performance in the latest film, The Danish Girl, Alicia is getting more and more recognition and finally won her first nomination for the best supporting role, even though she had to go up against many big stars like Kate Winslate, Rachel McAdams and Roony Mara. Although . I really admire her because of her touching…

Veteran Transition Specialist, Experienced Trainer, and Supervisor with 20 years of proven experience in the United States Air Force. Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt that can achieve enterprise improvement results in any field. Possess a comprehensive background in Business Administration, Student Training, Supervision, Customer Service, and Education derived from years of experience in a military training industry. Recipient of multiple awards for outstanding performance within education,…

Jennifer Vo Thelma and Louise is a story about two women who decide to go on a trip, but it does not go as planned. The premise is a classic adventure story about friends who plan a great adventure; however, they hit bumps in the road, but the problems they endure help them define themselves. In the three act breakdown, act I is the planning of the trip to taking off on the trip, act II is the runaway from all their troubles, which leads to act III Thelma and Louise tries to escape and their…

As much as a happy ending may seem desirable and promising to a person, a happy ending cannot always be plausible. Ironically, however, a somewhat unhappy ending in a novel is what can oftentimes create truly great and memorable literature. In The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a happy ending gets further and further out of reach as the novel progresses. Many of the conflicts that arise reach a point where they can never truly be resolved. Yes, fortunately, the boys who were stranded on…

As times change, values and ideas often change as they are invariably shaped by their context. However, some remain constant throughout time and are universal. The 1592 Shakespearean drama Richard III and Al Pacino 's 1995 docu-drama Looking for Richard [LFR] were written four hundred years apart yet both texts address perpetual values and ideas that are common to both eras. Through a simultaneous study of both texts, the responder is able to understand the influence of context on aspects of the…