This film is coming out sometime this spring. I can hardly wait; it looks like it’s going to be a good one. I’m also looking forward to this film, and this one, too.
I’m fond of action-adventure movies, and I always have been. Sure, I like other genres, too, but if given a choice between a comedy, a romance, or an action-adventure, I’m going for the guns and intrigue almost every time. The movies that I watch over and over are in the neighborhood of The Hunt for Red October and Apollo 13 and the Lord of the Rings. I’m more likely to pull a quote from the Matrix or The Fugitive or Braveheart than I am from When Harry Met Sally or Sleepless in Seattle. I still maintain that one of the most fun car chase scenes ever filmed was in Bad Boys II.
I think what I really love about action-adventure movies is the simplicity of the stories. Someone does something bad, and the hero - either alone or with a small group of trusted friends - isn’t going to let that go by. There’s a lot of black and white in action-adventure movies - action heroes don’t spend a lot of time discussing grey areas or moral questions - and the bad guys always get what’s coming to them, often in a spectacularly violent and gory fashion. The fact that this rarely happens in real life is, I think, what makes these films so appealing. The sentiment of these types of films is nicely embodied in Demi Moore’s quote in A Few Good Men; we love these heroes because “they stand upon a wall and say, ‘Nothing’s going to hurt you tonight, not on my watch.’”
Not to mention the fact that there’s something ultra-sexy about a man who knows what has to be done and, dammit, gets his gun, gets up, and does it.
I’m not a chick-flick hater, though. There are certainly occasions when the lighter fare is called for, and my DVD library includes Moonstruck, Green Card, Must Love Dogs, 50 First Dates and quite a few others in the genre. I’ve got quite a few romantic comedies and historical fiction films lined up on my wish list, too. I am a sucker for a good love story, and have a great appreciation for ones that are done well. I’m also fond of funny movies - My Cousin Vinny, Jumpin’ Jack Flash and Beverly Hills Cop are some of my favorites (though BHC mixes the comedy/action-adventure genre, so I’m not sure that counts).
What I’m trying to say here is that, deep in my heart, I’m really just one of the guys, and would prefer an afternoon in front of a football game with the boys to a shopping trip or a visit to the salon with the girls. This endears me to my husband’s college friends - and mystifies their wives - and very often limits my movie companions to those who share my more adrenaline-laced preferences, but I can’t help it. It’s who I am.
I’m not sure it LIMITS your companions. I am not really an a-a movie girl, but I know we have been to the movies together PLENTY: Brokeback Mountain, Phenomenon (do do do do do do), A Walk In The Clouds, and The Truman Show to name a few…
what about this one, MRs. C.?:
http://300themovie.warnerbros.com/
both the movie and the soundtrack have all makings of being awesome - based on the trailers, anyway.
Bowyer and Erik the Viking and I plan on catching this one as a matinee asap after it hits the theaters on 3/9/07. You game?
I read a review yesterday for Ghost Rider, it was very funny because it panned to movie. But i’ll go see it anyway.
Mrs. Chili - any movie recommendations to show grade 11 & 12s (mostly boys) ??
Ciboulette; for school or general entertainment?
for school…
The first one that pops immediately into my head is Glory. It’s a gorgeous movie about the Massachusetts 54th regiment in the Civil war - the first black unit to be mustered in that conflict - starring Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman, and Denzel Washington. I’ve used it in my English class before for one specific scene, but the entire movie is truly a masterpiece.
Beyond that, I’m sure I’d have other suggestions if you can give me a subject - are you teaching English? History? Psych? Math? Science - and a general sense for the themes you’re looking for. I’ve got a pretty wide range of cinematic knowledge and experience and can probably think of some appropriate film to meet your needs…
I’m teaching English - it’s a lower level English class so I am trying to use a lot of alternate texts. Right now we are concentrating on conflict. Thanks for the suggestions!
Oh - then Glory is PERFECT! There’s a glorious, heartbreaking scene in about the middle of the film where Denzel Washington’s character is caught deserting. The penalty for this is a public flogging, and Broderick’s commander is well aware of the implications of whipping a runaway slave, but he has have it done anyway. The scene passes almost without dialogue, and it’s a beautiful character study - a great opportunity for the students to write internal monolouges, or to write screen directions for the scene, or to imagine an encounter between the two characters later in the film.
I would also suggest Somersby (though that may be a bit too mushy-romantic for high school boys) and The Last Samurai. Both of these films have main characters who struggle with what they believe, and have to undergo tremendous personal and psychological changes before the movies end.
Good luck!
Thanks very much, Mrs Chili. These are some great ideas. I am going to show The Last Samurai tomorrow (and the next day) and will look into Glory.
YAY!! Please do let me know how it goes - I’d love to hear your experiences with these films… and really; I can’t recommend Glory highly enough…
Hey Mrs. Chili - so we finally finished The Last Samurai today (I got the numbers mixed up in my head as usual - 100 minutes is not one hour! Three periods of The Last Samurai is easy on me and the kids, but I feel like I might get challenged by the parents)… Anyway - they enjoyed it. I could tell because they kept breaking into quiet discussion about what was happening ever-so-often. Also, I have two Japanese exchange students in that class, so at least they could understand 1/4 of the movie when Japanese was being spoken. When we were done I asked them to write an original composition about these lines:
Nathan: All soldiers have nightmares.
Katsumoto: Only those who are ashamed of what they’ve done.
It went fairly well. If I had planned better and hadn’t been pressed for time I would have done some more in-depth character/inner struggle stuff. But as it was, for a low-level English class, it was great.
Now to rent Glory and see how I can fit that in.
Also any recommendations for teaching Animal Farm?
Ciboulette, you gave me CHILLS when I read this - that’s EXACTLY the moment I would have students write about! GORGEOUS!
You don’t really need to watch the whole of Glory to get the full benefit of the flogging scene I mentioned, though watching the entire film gives one a really good understanding of the characters, where they come from, and what they believe - particularly the Shaw character, played by Broderick.
I’m sorry, but I have NO recommendations for teaching Animal Farm. I managed to earn a high school diploma, a BA AND a Master’s in English teaching without ever having read that book…..
I haven’t read Animal Farm since high school so it’s a refresher for me. Why I am I doing it? Because it’s short and not intimidating. I debated over Catcher in the Rye and Lord of the Flies, but in the end I realized they were just too long for the skill level of these students. So what else is in the book room? They did Of Mice and Men last year, and so Animal Farm it is. As I’m rereading it, I think it’ll be a lot of fun.