Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now, a film criticized for years, but definitely beat all odds through the incredible reviews and awards won. The film follows the story of Captain Benjamin Willard as he proceeds on a mission through Vietnam in the height of the war. His mission ends up taking him deep into Cambodia to assassinate Colonel Kurtz who has turned barbaric and slowly more and more ugly as war persisted. 

The movie incorporates many themes from madness as a result of war to the emptiness of human values. Throughout, we notice how the characters slowly become more and more crazy as a result to the intense surroundings that they live upon. We notice this mainly in Kurtz, who as the ugliness of war continuously surrounds him, he takes upon that role and becomes more ugly. As the  movie comes to an end we hear Kurtz say "the horror, the horror" which really depicts how he truly feels about the madness which he has seen, and how its shaped the people affected.

We also see how war results in the impression of the de-value of specifically American values. As we notice in this movie, the Vietnamese are fighting for their home and land, while American troops are more engaged by the playboy girls and the idea of going surfing. These so called values prove the absurdity of what the soldiers were living for. 

The movie also incorporated an amazing soundtrack, with incredible effects and sound. In the beginning the audience is captivated with an intense shock of fire along the tree line, out of no where. This leads to the introduction of war, and the corruption of Willard's mind as we see him drunk and drugged up. 

Specifically the movie did an incredible job with the use of lighting. The audience is initialized with a majority of dark lighting which surely assists with the mood and feeling expected in the film. The darkness also represents the emphasis on the absence of civilization. We also notice that the film becomes darker and darker as the boat slowly gets deeper up stream. This represents the mind filling up with darkness, and the lack of feelings. The lighting also represents the sense of confusion for the people as it strains from darkness to lightness not only physically but also in the emotions of all the people in the situation. 

Although I personally did not enjoy this film as much as most people, I definitely appreciate the art that went into it and made it so popular. I specifically found it confusing to follow and understand, but enjoyed the extremity of it. 

Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump, an incredible movie which takes the audience through an epic tale about a man named Forrest who may not be the most intelligent one out there, but he so happens to be at a variety of historical events through time. From a young child Forrest knew he was different, and the majority of people around him noticed too. This was until he meets Jenny who turns into Forrest's one true love, but she barely recognizes it until she they are both much older. 

This film, shares the important life lesson to its viewers that no matter who you are, or what obstacles are placed in front of you, one can always get past them through courage and determination. Forrest exquisitely exemplifies this through his running, and his determination to never give up on his dreams and 'his Jenny'. 

Forrest Gump not only is present during many historical events like the Vietnam War, the assassination of the American president, but he is also around during the discovery of Elvis Presley  and John Lennon. Through this exemplification of the events the audience is given a brief tour of history through the oblivious Forrest. 

This movie was incredibly directed and filmed, providing the audience with the much needed perception of a less intelligent man who runs through life quite oblivious of his surroundings. 

Credits go to Tom Hanks for his amazing performance in this film. He really proved to the audience his outstanding skills, and his great portrayal of the character. 

The film music was also beyond incredible throughout the entire movie. It consisted of music from many time periods and was incorporated very nicely into the story line. This was done through not only film music, but also real music, such as when Forrest was sitting in a room with the soon to be famous Elvis Presley singing and dancing with him.

Overal this was an incredible movie which encompassed romance, comedy and drama into a 2.5 hours. The film made the audience fall in love with the idea of Forrest and Jenny, and eventually made them fall in love with little Forrest, who Forrest proudly is the father of.

Ghosts of Rwanda

Ghosts of Rwanda, a documentary made 10 years after the initial genocide, encompasses some of the stories from survivors, as well as military personal who where in the country. Unlike the scripted and hollywood made movies; Hotel Rwanda and Shake Hands with the Devil, the documentary gave the audience a completely different perspective and a very real picture of what happened.

In Ghosts of Rwanda, the film has real footage from the actual massacre including shots of thousands of dead bodies, and people being butchered and killed in front of society. 

Personally I found the documentary to be a much better depiction of the event, due to the real aspect of it. This film, gave from the perspective of the people effected, whether physically, emotionally or psychologically. 

In this specific film the audience is given more insight onto the people effected, which gave off a real and raw emotion which strongly influenced the audience. Unlike Hotel Rwanda which tells mainly one story-regarding the Hotel Des Milles Collines, and Shake Hands with the Devil which surrounds mainly the military personal, this documentary gave all that perspective, plus more within one show. 

The film gave off the perception of how useless the world was when it came to the travesty of Rwanda, especially because you see the so call 'Peace-Keepers" wanting to take out their troops, as well as not being able to protect the citizens who seek help.

Overall, even if one would not say this was an excellent film, it still sent across the right message, and gave across the necessary information that the world was needing to see.