Movie Review

So many movies that I want to review.... but I guess I will just do the most recent one that I have seen. It is the movie The Town directed by Ben Affleck. This movie has just about everything..... intense action, good acting, a nice story, and a good lesson is taught.

The movie starts off with a group of experienced bank robbers going for a heist. Ben Affleck's character holds the bank manager hostage but he ends up forming a connection to her. Throughout the movie, Ben Affleck's relationship with the bank manager ends up ruining their bank robbery group. My short plot sounds a little lame, but you will understand what a good movie it is when you go and see it.

The movie is packed with some intense gunfights and probably one of the best car chases in movie history. Some very good acting is displayed by Ben Affleck and Jeremy Renner. One of my favorite lessons that the story tries to teach is that you can't just change yourself without paying for the mistakes you have made in the past. Spoiler alert: Towards the end, when Ben Afflect decides that he wants to get out of the bank robbing business, he finds himself in quite a bit of trouble.

The lesson I learn in the movie can be directly applied to myself. I expect to get good grades and be good at stuff like music and sports, but I haven't paid for being lazy in the past. Anyways, this was a really good movie and I think anyone should watch it when they have the chance to do so.

Art Review

I am not too familiar with famous art pieces or artists, so I had to go online to look up some pieces. I searched famous art pieces and I found this piece by Vincent Van Gogh called a starry night. I know there are different interpretations of this art piece, but I will give my own opinion of it.
The many stars in the sky can light up the world in mysterious ways, giving us a sense of hope. But when there is hope, there is also doubt. The towering black plant looking thing represents the doubt and the evil in this world. Another way that I see it is that everything looks dreamy and bright because it is being compared to the dark plant. The "beautiful" in this world are made more "beautiful" because of the "ugliness" in this world. People in this world only want more because we compare. We only recognize "beauty" because we  see some people as "ugly."
Sure, Van Gogh was in the mental asylum when he painted this but just because you are insane doesn't mean you are stupid. His painting here shows so much that the interpretations of it could be unlimited. In a way, he was a philosopher of his own.

We Have the Right

We have the right.... or do we really? Who or what is it that determines what we have the right to do? We live our life, doing things that we see as the "right" thing for us to do, blindly following a path. No one is there to tell you whether or not we should keep going or if we should stop because we have the "Right" built into all of us.
This blog makes me question everything around me and my motives in life.. Sure, I have the right to do whatever I want right now. Not only do I have the ability to do it, but I also have my parents to back me up with whatever decision I make. But, instead of doing something that it is worthwhile, I feel like I lose a part of myself everyday. More paths, problems, and questions pop into my mind. Having the Right to do whatever want might sound like a good thing, but in my case it seems like it actually limits me instead. I would want to do something but I always hesitate because I think of the other options that I can be taking instead.
I have the right to just lay on my bed and to just give up but I choose not to. The right to do whatever I want should be a blessing, a blessing that should not be forsaken. I guess what I should work on in college is to determine where all this freedom can go to.

McCarthy’s Birthday Week

Happy Birthday Mr. McCarthy!
Choosing to take philosophy as my senior English class was definitely a good idea. I had my doubts at first. My English classes for the past years have not been very interesting so I was worried that this class would be like them too. However, your style of teaching and the class environment in general makes philosophy in literature one of my favorite classes this year. From the heated arguments to the movies based on books, this class is definitely better and more interesting than other English classes I have had.
Before I took this class, I have been a person who liked to question myself and the things around me. This class makes me question myself more and add more meaning to my life. It is your birthday week and I hope my thoughts of your class make your birthday a little happier! Even though I am a little late......

X is Known

I am guessing that this blog is suppose to be about Malcolm X. Now that we are pretty far into the book and the movie now, it is fair to say that Malcolm has developed into a person he was born to be. His X has finally been found after his time in prison. Malcolm X develops a strong belief that black people should separate themselves from the white people. Black Nationalism.
Malcolm X resolve and dedication to his cause are two things that deserve high respect. Many people would have just given up if so many obstacles stood before them, but he persists in his cause. I think in order to achieve something great, we have to be as persistent as X was. He was able to blindly serve under someone without any doubt of him. Some people might say that this is ignorant but in order to pursue a dream we shouldn't think too much about it or our cause will falter.
I am not too sure about what this blog is about, but this is the way that I interpret it. The more we learn about Malcolm X, the more fascinating his character becomes. Some of his beliefs are controversial, but his persistence is admirable.

X Marks the Spot

X marks the spot on a map, indicating that there is something at this point for us to discover. Something for us to obtain. For most of us, reading this is our first time reading Malcolm X's autobiography. His life is like the X on the map. From reading about his struggles and his thoughts, we get a better understanding of America's history and how people can easily change for the better or the worst.
Our life will become more valuable as we mature, learn, and become aware of things around us. It probably will not be as drastic as Malcolm X's life, but most of our lives will have something valuable to share. A treasure for the future generation to read about and appreciate.
Before we can make our own maps for others to follow, we have to go out and find other X's that have been set in place for us. We have to live life to the fullest by taking opportunities offered to us or going out to find opportunities. Malcolm X set a good example with this. Even though some of the things he did were not very wise, but he is able to learn from his mistakes and experiences to evolve into a powerful figure.

Recovery

Eminem's 2010 album, Recovery, is one that everyone should have a little knowledge of. Driven by his need for redemption, Eminem's Recovery album is new and fresh. In many of his lyrics, like in Not Afraid, he raps about how sorry he is for his fans because he felt that his last album, Relapse, was not as good as he thought it could have been.

And to the fans, I’ll never let you down again, I’m back/I promise to never go back on that promise, in fact/Let’s be honest, that last Relapse CD was eh/Perhaps I ran them accents into the ground/Relax, I ain’t going back to that now

Rapping about his fears, insecurities, and all his different emotions, Eminem is able to properly deliver what his fans always loved. Winning Rap Album of the Year for 2010 and being nominated for Album of the Year, Recovery is a very successful album. Selling 741,000 copies in its first week in the United States and 5.7 million copies worldwide, it ranks number 1 in the most sold albums of 2010.

My two favorite songs from the album are Not Afraid and Love the Way You Lie. There are other ones that are pretty good, like 25 to Life and No Love, but these have more powerful lyrics and they are the two most successful songs of Recovery. Everyone should give this album a chance.

“I’m not afraid to take a stand/Everybody come take my hand/We’ll walk this road together, through the storm/Whatever weather, cold or warm/Just let you know that, you’re not alone/Holla if you feel that you’ve been down the same road.”