Hurt Locker

This movie was crazy but almost had a little too much action for me. I felt like there was not a second where I could sit back and relax, because most of the time I was either covering my eyes or getting ready for a big fight scene or a gory scene. I did enjoy this movie though because of the realistic feeling and scenery. I felt like I really connected with the characters. Also, I was kind of confused because I thought the movie was going to be about one thing, and then another character was introduced and the story went in a total different direction.

The title Hurt Locker really confused me. I think it might mean a place where things are hidden away, and all of the pain and negative things are hidden away in one place.

Captain Phillips

I was very disappointed that I had to miss the first half of the movie, but the second half of the movie was enough to show me how amazing it really is. I was shocked at how quickly I became involved with the plot. I think the story is crazy and interesting to anyone. It is very easy to relate to and you do not need any prior knowledge, which I like. I would for sure recommend this to others, and I want to watch the movie again so I can see the whole thing and how it all blends together.

United 93

This movie was amazing. Although it was very sad, it was extremely suspenseful and interesting to watch. Something I thought was different about this movie is that there was no real plot for most of it, it was just people running around and yelling things to each other and calling other places. I thought this was great because it showed what it was actually like at the time, instead of just showing the "interesting" parts. I felt like I was really part of the story and I got very immersed into it.

Apollo 13

This was one of my favorite movies I have ever seen. I did not think it would something I would be too interested in, but I really tried to get into the movie from the beginning and I ended up loving it. It was so suspenseful, probably one of the most suspenseful movies I've seen. I have never really looked into this topic so I did not know the outcome until I saw the movie which probably made it a lot more exciting for me then for other people who did know the ending. I was very tempted to look it up but I did not want to ruin the excitement of the movie. This movie really made me appreciate people who put their lives at risk for the country and do things that people sometimes never even think or know anything about. This topic and movie should been shown much more than it is now. I am so happy I got to see it because I normally would of never chose this movie to watch.

I think this level of funding should continue, because America needs to stay as a leading country and gain more and more information. Although this is not a vital task for the well being of the country, there has already been so much put into it, it will be useless for them to take away funding now.

Like I said before, I think the United States should try and stay ahead of other countries. The country has put so much energy into space travel, they cannot just stop now after so many people have risked their lives and dedicated their lives to this activity.

Parkland

Before I watched this movie, I have never heard of it before. It started out kind of weird, not like I was expecting at all. I did not know what to think, but when the action began I got very immersed into the story and just wanted to know what happened. I love history but I do not know much about this topic, so it was very cool for me to get to learn the story in this way. I would much rather watch a movie like this about a president and his life, then read about it in a book or textbook. The film made me really think about what it would be like to be any of the people in it, especially the doctors and the extreme amount of stress they must of felt in the situation.

(interview is in google doc)

The Pianist

I had heard amazing things about this movie, so going into it I had high hopes. I thought the plot was a little slow but the story was very interesting to me and I loved how they told the story of what Jews had to go through in the Holocaust by focusing in on one main person. I felt that I learned so much about the time period in this movie, and it seemed very real and realistic. I liked how music was involved and how it was one of the driving factors in the movie.

Szpilman was in a very scary position and honestly, he did not have very many other options. He was lucky enough to survive as long as he already has and he was very lucky to have so many friends that are not Jews to help him and give him a home. When the Nazis confronted him, I would imagine that he would be extremely frightened but willing to do anything to stay alive. I also think that when Hosenfeld asked Szpilman to play the piano, it made him see Szpliman as a real and normal person similar to himself. Even though he is Jewish, he is a still a person and has feelings also. Szpliman got very lucky that he met those Nazis and not others because the ending to his story may have been very different.