Miracle On Ice

I really likes Miracle on Ice.  The beginning did not really capture my attention but after about a half hour in I loved it. Once I got past the beginning I felt myself cringing at the workouts the players had to do, but also feeling the anxiety before the big games and wanted to be able to cheer the team on. I thought the movie was so well done.  The story itself is amazing.  Not  only did the story completely inspire me and make me want to be the best athlete I can be, the movie made me want to be so determined in every single thing I do, much like the coach.  I think this movie and its moral of hard work will stay with me forever.  I would without a doubt, and have already,  recommend this movie to others.  Miracle on Ice was one of my favorite movies we have watched so far.  I wish I would have been able to see these games first hand, but I think the movie was as close to it as I could get.

Miracle on Ice is a story about exactly what the title is. A team that was not supposed to do well at all put in so much hard work, blood, sweat, and tears into the games and ended up winning the gold medal in the Olympics that they were not even expected to place in. The games took place during the Cold War, so the hockey games also stood for something so much greater.  America, thanks to Herb and the hockey players, showed the world that we may not be the best at everything but if we set our mind to it and put effort behind it, we can be the underdogs that rise to the top.  This hockey team represents America against the world and how we never gave up.  I think this game will be remembered forever for not only the amazing hockey achievements, but also the dedication and hard work Americans put in to everything they do.

 

I believe that an event in my lifetime that is similar to Miracle on Ice would be the situation of gay rights.  Although our country is not unified on the topic, it is such a talked about and argued point.  Most people have very strong beliefs and almost all of the country is involved in debating the topic.  Currently a lot of sports teams are deciding if they're going to allow gay players and if they say yes, to me, it would not only be a miracle on ice, but also the court, field and every sports arena.

42

I really liked the movie 42.  I thought the movie did an amazing job of showing the story of Jackie Robinson and the entering of black men into the MLB.  I think this movie will always stay with me for many reasons.  First, 42 showed me to never give up on my dreams even when everyone else is telling you to.  Also, I think Robinson did an amazing thing of not fighting back even though he wanted nothing more than to be able to defend himself. I would definitely recommend this movie to other people, whether they like baseball or not.  I strongly believe that this movie did an excellent job at depicting the struggle that Robinson felt, and made the viewer feel the same way.  

I think Jackie Robinson helped this country by showing that African American men can be apart of sports and could be on the same team as white men. We must learn from the experiences of Jackie Robinson so no other person of any race, religion, or anything has to go through the pain and torture that he did just to be able to live out his dream.  I also think the Jackie Robinson impacted this country through impacting  his teammates. He showed his teammates how committed he was, even through all of the struggles he was facing.  His teammates then showed America how important it is to support others and work with others, regardless of skin color.

I think Jackie Robinson's value of not fighting back could help me and everyone else in their struggles.  You don't always need to acknowledge the people that are making the rude comments, instead you can just let them say it and use it to motivate you,

Jackie Robinson said, "A life is not important except in the impact it has on others lives."  I agree with this, but I also disagree.  I think it is extremely important to leave a positive impact on at least one person in your lifetime, however, I do not think that all other lives are unimportant.  I believe that the most evil person in the world leaves a positive impact, no matter how small, on at least one person, and therefore I strongly believe that every single life is important.

A Cinderella Man

I think this movie was called a Cinderella Man because James Braddock had a rough life throughout the Great Depression, but ended up coming out on top and making the situation the best it could be.  James didn't complain much, instead he fought to put meaning behind his name.  In a way the Great Depression was like the evil stepmother in Cinderella.  The reason I say this, is because Braddock couldn't speak out against it or do anything to change the way the Great Depression affected his life, instead he could only break away and fight for his love of boxing and family. I really enjoyed the movie and how Braddock fought so hard to overcome his struggles, both figuratively and literally. I loved the character of James Braddock because he was very inspirational and made me want to never give up.  The issues that the Braddock family faced in the movie are definitely present today.  Many people struggle to provide food for their families and pay the bills.  The difference in the issue is that the whole country is not facing the problem, and because of that it is sometimes forgotten about, unfortunately.  Our children could possibly face the same issues of struggling to keep their families afloat, but hopefully they will not have to.

Unlike Braddock's son, I would not steal if my family had not eaten in a week.  The reason I would not is because I would feel extremely guilty.  The people providing the bread were also struggling in the economy and I wouldn't want to harm their families.  I personally would have tried to find a job, even though he was very young, of doing absolutely anything for anyone so that I could help my family, instead of possibly getting them into more trouble.

On the topic of Max Baer's portrayal in the movie, I think it unethical and extremely sickening.  I understand the film makers wanting to make it more dramatic for point of Hollywood, but the death devastated Baer and gave him severe depression.  I believe that if someone was mentally harmed by the death, it should not seem like they weren't.  The film made Baer seem like he was proud of it and that was clearly not the case.  If Baer had done it intentionally and had been proud of the death in the ring, then Baer would have been a sick person and I believe it would have been right to present him like that.  However, it is unfair to present someone who was devastated and trying to provide a living as a criminal when he clearly was not.

I found the scene where Braddock went to Madison Square Garden to beg for money interesting.  I would never say it was pathetic because he was trying to provide a living for his family, and it wasn't like he was not trying for a job. I also wouldn't say the scene made him admirable, however I would call the men that donated the money admirable.  This scene helps define Braddock as a Cinderella Man because it shows he had absolutely nothing and built himself up to his peak of his career by himself, and the help of a few others.

Tombstone

I did not like the movie Tombstone.  I found it to be extremely confusing, partly because I felt like I didn't know which characters were who.  I kept mixing up the characters and was getting lost in how they were related and what their goals were.  I did not feel like this movie left an impression on me or made me feel a certain way, because I was struggling to stay invested in the film due to my confusion.  I also thought this movie was probably not the most accurate portrayal of the cowboys in that period of time.  One part that I liked was seeing the character run off with the girl and finally be happy and content with his life.  I don't think the content of Tombstone is very accurate to today because we don't have cowboys like that and I don't think there were any lessons or morals that could be taught today.  Tombstone is a movie that I would personally not recommend unless you are very interested in the cowboys.

I believe that an event is legendary if it has a big impact on a large and diverse group of people.  Also,  I think that for an event to be considered legendary it must also make a change that will last in the future.  In my opinion, a person can be considered a legend if they have a large role in a legendary event, or they create something themselves that would be remembered and used as an influence for many years following the event. I do not really think that the characters in the movie Tombstone are considered legends.  My first reason for this belief is that  I have never heard of any of these individuals, and although not every person has heard of every legend,  I feel as though the most legendary individuals are heard of even if people don't know what they are known for.  I think the "Wild West" is interesting because it is not something that is talked about very often and is kind of unknown to me.  I would be interested in learning more of the "Wild West" in an accurate, not confusing way.

Glory

I enjoyed the movie Glory. I thought the movie showed not only the gruesomeness of war, but more importantly the unfair treatment of the black men of the 54th regiment and how they were not treated as all the other men were. I really liked Shaw's character and how he fought endlessly for the blacks to be treated fairly. I also liked when the men were so excited to fight for equal rights and be treated fairly, that  it didn't matter if they lost their lives because of it.  One scene that bothered me was when Shaw gave permission to the officer to whip the soldier, however I understand that he needed to do it to show his authority and gain the men's respect.  I felt like the movie was really inspiring to fight for what you feel is right and what you really want.  Shaw's character was extremely interesting to me because he was questioning even taking control of the 54th, but he did it anyways and he put everything he had into it.  I would recommend this movie to people, whether they are interested in war movies or not.  This movie is much more than a war movie and instead shows how the 54th was treated and what heroes they ended up being.

Many people go to war and end up losing their  lives while fighting.  I think people are willing to die for their county because they believe it is the way to get their country's freedoms. I also think many people do it because they believe they need to do something good for their country and if it helps others, they don't mind being a sacrifice. I believe that all men and women who fight in the wars are heroes, but the men of the 54th Massachusetts regiment are without a doubt heroes.  The men were fighting for their own freedom and were willing to do anything to get there.  All these men wanted was equality and to be treated like the white soldiers, so while many people would hope they wouldn't be put on the front lines, these men were eager to get there.  I have so much respect for these heroes and how brave they were to go into some of the deadliest battles and not look back.  Shaw is also a hero without question.  Shaw was the first man to lead a black regiment, which was unheard of.  However, more importantly, Shaw stood up for these men and fought just as hard to give them their equality in war and our country would not be the same without him.  When the men were just left to do  the hard labor, Shaw fought for them to be able to go to the front lines.  Shaw also volunteered his men to go into Fort Wagner first, knowing that almost all of the men would die, and he didn't hide in the back, instead died fighting at the front of the regiment, helping these men achieve their goal of being treated like real soldiers.

This specific story of the 54th regiment is extremely important because it changed our history.  For the first time the black men were able to fight the front lines of a war which had always been only white men.  The men were heroes who entered Fort Wagner first without looking back, and although the Fort was never taken, the 54th leading the troops was so important. These men were fearless and wanted to make sure the  generations after them were able to have equality that they were not able to have.  The story in Glory and of the 54th regiment is one that I will always remember because of these heroes that set the path of our country.