Good Will Hunting

Chapter 3 of the text focuses on the elements of a good story. It raises the question about what makes a story good. The movie "Good Will Hunting," is structured around a central character and has a unified plot. The movie has continuous action and as a viewer, I felt that it has somewhat of a predictable ending. "Though the movie tells a straightforward story, there are enough offbeat touches along the way to balance out its more predictable aspects"; this quote from Rotten Tomatoes really captured my thoughts about the somewhat predictable ending. However, the action in this movie was not necessarily physical activities such as fighting or chasing as the book mentions. It is very emotional at times and psychologically based. It kept me interested with the varying emotional scenes, including what I thought was a definite climax in the movie towards the end. The scene I am referring to is when Dr. Maguire finally gets through to Will and makes him realize that all of what he went through as a child was not his fault. Will finally realizes that it was time to take control of his own life and face his internal struggles. I think Matt Damon did a great job of projecting the qualities of his character and immersing himself into the role of a person with so much internal conflict. The dialogue is graphic and some viewers would argue that it could be offensive at times, but I felt it is what makes the movie. I feel it reveals alot about the characters in the movie and their personalities. It also makes the movie credible because this is how real life can be for some people. This element of credibility also contributes to making a successful story. Another aspect that the book touches on is the significance of the movie title. It wasn't until the end of the story that I understood the meaning behind the title. In the article "Too smart for their own good," there is alot of discussion about being good, what comprises being good, getting good grades, landing a good job, and getting into a good school. All these "good" things are measurements of success by society. Will Hunting, because of his abused childhood, had suppressed his good, if not great, academic abilties. Will is a good person, therefore came the appropriate title. My opinion on "Good Will Hunting," is that it is one of the better movies I've seen and I really enjoyed it. Movies that make me reflect on characters and themes are definitely worth while. Additionally, movies with strong elements and storylines such as this tend to grip their viewers and keep them interested til the very end. The different emotions I experienced are a testimony of a movies value. (I still think Titanic was deserving of its academy awards, otherwise I wouldn't have seen it in theaters four times).

On the Waterfront

My first reaction to the movie was that it wasn't one of my favorites but according to "Rotten Tomatoes," it is an all time favorite and got rave reviews. I felt it had a dark setting and plot, and it wasn't due to the lack of color. However, I can certainly see why it's one of those classics that people continue to watch today. It has a message that people can still relate to. The main character, Terry, a former boxer experienced a lot of emotions and trials. Because of this, he was forced to make alot of decisions based on moral standards. In the section titled "Moral Implications," of the text, it talks about films that make moral statements based on moral principles, and this movie follows that direction. After witnessing the murder of Joey, Terry struggled to make the right decision. He was full of remorse over having to keep his secret from Edie. Fortunately, Terry came across Father Barry, a priest, who helped him see the difference between right and wrong, and pushed him to tell his side of the story. The book refers to "On the Waterfront," in the section "The Struggle for Human Dignity." Terry was a prime example for this. He was always referring himself as a lazy bum and failure. He regretted being paid off to lose a meaningful fight, and felt he could have been a real contender. In the end, Terry came forward about the killings and stands up the mob's corruption. By doing so, Terry regained his human dignity and self-respect.

Casablanca

After reading the section, "Becoming A Receptive Viewer", I realized how much it related to me. I had come to the previous conclusion that I was not a fan of black and white films, let alone that it was from the 1940s. I figured the acting would be poor and there would be a lack of quality. Casablanca definitely opened my eyes to film watching and that I should void out all the technological differences from back then to now. My misconception was that I thought Casablanca was more of a film about war. When it turned out to be a love story I was intrigued and it kept me interested and I wanted to know the outcome of the love triangle that was thrown at me. Casablanca was a good film and I would be interested in watching it again. Another section from the reading in the text,"Preparing to see a film" was interesting and I wish I had read this before viewing Casablanca. It says reading reviews before watching a movie can give you good information and insight about important elements that are significant or are worthy of attention. This is definitely something that I will consider in the future. After seeing Casablanca I am going to be more open-minded about older classics and would consider seeing others that were popular years ago.