It’s hard to imagine that it’s been over 5 years since the Boston Marathon Bombings. As a New England native who’s spent a lot of time in Boston, the tragedy was very memorable, and watching this movie as the Flora’s Friday Film last week rekindled some of those emotions. As many film reviewers claimed after their initial reviews, the film to presents itself as a great tribute to the many who were involved in solving the case, as well as a great example of the Boston Strong mentality that arose after the events. I found Mark Wahlberg’s acting to be incredible; he does a phenomenal job of captivating fear, courage, and triumph — all three emotions that resonated throughout the events of April 15th, 2013. When watching historical dramas and biopics, it’s important to realize that everything portrayed in film isn’t always accurate to the historical events being portrayed. That being said, Patriot’s Day does a great job of staying true to the story. The use of composite characters, which incorporated the experiences of multiple victims, and the use of actual testimonies in the making of the film, allowed for a comprehensive, impactful portrayal of the narrative. Overall, it was a great viewing experience, and I highly recommend this film to anyone who hasn’t had the opportunity to watch it.
Author Archives: jsk382
A Courtroom Drama of Great Social and Cultural Significance
Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to watch 12 Angry Men, a film that I hadn’t seen before. The film was fantastic. It may not have included the fascinating characters and enticing special effects that (to some) equate to entertainment in the modern day, but rather depicted an interesting plot interwove with powerful themes. The general plot of the film follows this notion: an assortment of jurors in a courthouse are deliberating the murder trial of a teenage boy, from the slums, who allegedly killed his father. The bulk of the film surrounds the various deliberations the jurors face in making a final verdict. At first, there is only one juror, Juror 8, who votes “not guilty” while the remaining jurors all vote “guilty”. This initial vote of not guilty is enough to start a cascade of thought provoking discussions and arguments. Amongst these deliberations, I found fascinating the social and cultural themes that were alluded to in the film. For many of the initial jurors who voted “not guilty”, we can see inherent biases that are presented in the ways they present their arguments. We see one juror repeatedly stereotype of a teen from the “slums” — as individuals who are violent and vile and comprise a lower echelon of society — to support the notion that he must’ve been guilty of the crime. Juror 8, the initial juror who had voted not guilty, points out several instances in which the other jurors depicted inherent bias and ignorance, often in their refusal to acknowledge alternative possibilities and theories as to what actually happened. Interestingly, some critics of the film believe the courtroom drama to be too infused with social and cultural ideals — to some extent, they believe the film is an inaccurate representation of what a real-life jury proceeds like, especially when referring to situations such as Juror 8 bringing outside research into the case deliberation (which is prohibited), and to the many wide assumptions & inferences the jury makes beyond the scope of reasonable doubt (such as the nose depressions on the women wearing glasses).
A New Experience: Before Night Falls
Last Friday, I came into this event knowing little or nothing about the story or man behind Before Night Falls. As an individual who doesn’t typically watch biopics, watching Before Night Falls was definitely a different experience. One of the aspects of the film I admired most was the narrative style, which was captivating. The film’s director, Julien Schnabel, displays both the virtues and vices of Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas’s literary circle, and is able to carefully depict both the internal and external struggles Arenas faces in both coming to terms with his homosexuality and finding ways to openly live as a homosexual in Cuba. The plot itself isn’t what I found fascinating, but rather the way Schnabel was able to present these themes through his imagery-dense imagination and Arenas’s words. A second aspect of the film I found admirable was the acting of Javier Bardem. Through the coming-of-age storyline the film presents, Bardem does a fantastic job portraying the right emotions at the right time — be it the times of loneliness and pain or the times of maturity, strength, and defiance. As many critiques of the film have said, Bardem’s acting — an award winning “breakthrough” performance – definitely does justice to Reinaldo Arenas’s life story. A third aspect of the film that I found truly appreciated was the way that the film felt honest. Schnabel was not afraid to make the viewer feel uncomfortable or unsettled at times. This allowed certain scenes to carry their weight and allow readers to leave the film carrying an accurate perspective of Reinaldo Arenas’s story. I really recommend for people who haven’t watched the film to give it a chance!
What Happened to Monday — An Interesting Film With Intriguing Implications
Last Friday, I had the opportunity to watch “What Happened to Monday” as part of the Rose Scholars Friday movie series. After the initial disclaimer the GRF gave in the beginning of the movie, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Unfortunately, I wasn’t pleasantly surprised — the movie felt unnecessarily graphic with the plot feeling forced and predictable. I was, however, quite intrigued by the premise behind the movie, and the implications set forth by it. The central issue at hand was one of population control. In the world where widespread efforts, including modern medicine, are in place to keep society healthy and alive, it’s a controversial issue to point out how technology has put us above the evolutionary laws that shaped mankind, and how one day the world may not be able to support an ever growing population. As the late Stephen Hawking used to claim, humans would need to leave Earth and colonize other planets. To some, of course, actions such this movie’s, and China’s, one child policy may seem more practical. I’m curious to see how our society responds to overpopulation when the time comes.
A Truly Unique Character: Forrest Gump
Last Friday, I had the opportunity of watching Forrest Gump for the first time. I came in with high exceptions — based on the rave reviews the film has received over the years — and the film easily exceeded these expectations. The most inspiring, and intriguing, aspects of the film all centered around the development of Forrest as a character. A well intentioned man with an IQ of just 75, Forrest Gump manages to be involved in nearly every major event from the 1950s through the 1980s. He survives a vast array of conflicts, be it heartbreak or tragedy, yet shows an uncharacteristic & simple resilience that is heartwarming. When his intelligence is challenged in various points of his life, he regurgitates a quote his mother once told him: “stupid is as stupid does.” When faced with the deaths of his mother and newlywed wife, Forrest remains in good spirits, as shown by his speeches to his wife. When Forrest learns that he has a son, he isn’t overwhelmed with anger for being kept in the dark, but rather rejoices in the thought that his son is beautiful. The essence of the film suggests that although Forrest doesn’t understand everything that goes on around him, he understands everything he needs to know. Everything else is simply extraneous. He experienced the emotions of a proud son, husband, father, and friend. His actions were lauded, and he had no shortage of accolades or wealth. Give the events & environment of today, it was refreshing to view Forrest’s story and his rejoice for the simple joys of life.
Korea: A United Stance
For over 70 years, Korea has been split into two different nations: one harboring the North and one harboring the South. The separation, originally along the 38th parallel, was the result of the dismantling of the Japanese empire at the end of World War II. Decades of tensions between North Korea and the rest of the world have culminated in sanctions and verbal threats. It’s for this reason, that the unified presentation of Korea at the Olympic opening ceremony was a very significant, and special moment. In a surprising diplomatic move, North Korea sent a high profile figure, Kim Jong-Un’s sister Kim Yo-Jong, to the Olympic games, and she brought with her an invitation for the South Korean president to engage in talks with the North Korean Kim Jong Un. Although this isn’t the first time Korea has participated in the Olympic Games under a unified banner, it’s the first time North Korean and South Korean athletes have competed together in a team, with women from both North and South Korea comprising the women’s hockey team. The seemingly good-spirited Team Korea opening wasn’t without its controversies, however. One of the most notable events involved current U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who was seated near top North Korea delegation at the opening ceremony. Several headlines quickly proclaimed that Mike Pence didn’t stand for the Team Korea entrance, even though Team USA’s entrance was the only entrance Pence stood for. More recently, headlines are poking at possible consequences North Korean athletes may face when they arrive home, as they’ve garnered no medals so far. For reference, the 1966 North Korean World Cup Team was sentenced to concentration camps after losing 5 -3 to Portugal. After all the media attention and focus on North Korea at the Olympics ends, it will be very interesting to see how international relations between North Korea and the rest of the world change — if they do at all.
The World of Football Prop Bets
I’m an avid football fan. Raised in New England, I’ve been religiously following the Patriots for over decade. Although I may not have learned much “football trivia” at this past Sunday’s Super Bowl event, I actually learned a surprising amount about the vast world of gambling that surrounds football games, and especially the Super Bowl. The GRF hosting the event, Shiv, gave us an introduction on the basics of proposition bets. These bets are essentially wagers that aren’t directly decided by the final outcome of the game. Most commonly, prop betting is focused around factors such as individual or team performances, and prop betting has been around for a very long time — dating back to at least the 1870’s if not earlier. I was intrigued by this, and the Rose event inspired me to a little deeper into prop bets.
One thing I learned is that, as a general rule, sportsbooks tend to fare very well on prop betting. Why? Well, prop betting is vastly driven by public interest and perception. Especially during the Super Bowl, bettors set prop bets for fun in hopes of getting lucky with a payout, often without putting excruciating thought into such wagers. For this reason, sports prop betting is thought to actually be a profitable sector of gambling for “smart” bettors. For example, player-based prop bets are a prime example of what may be a profitable sector for individuals who specialize in football stats — such as fantasy football gurus. Often times, as sportsbooks have so many lines to set, they will base player bets simply on average stats. Close football enthusiasts, however, may realize the “intangibles” that a line may not account for, and use this to their advantage. Essentially, bettors have an edge over sportsbooks in the sense that they can dig deeper and do their research. Regular bettors often search through varying betting platforms to seek discrepancies that one casino may have that can be taken advantage of.
To summarize — the Rose event was a unique experience, informing and intriguing me on a topic I had little knowledge of!