Kitchen Stories

an Enemy of the Tennis Judge's Chair

A touch polarizing, this film shows the distinct divide between two countries that when these countries are stereotyped their people are essentially the same people. But stereotypes are typically wrong when put under a microscope, and Kitchen Stories acts as that microscope. This film shows a Swedish kitchen company, that sends it's efficiency investigators to look at the single Norwegian male kitchen usage market. The Swedish folk seem very well to do, always wearing suits and ties. While the Norwegians who are being observed seem woodsy and a little backward. But this film truly helped me appreciate the multitude of usages for a tennis judge chair.

a Stereotyping Car Company

Little Otik

a Wonderfully Backward Country

a Little Otik

Perhaps my favorite film of this class, this cinematic masterpiece lifts a Czech fairy tale (just as good as the Brother's Grim) to the deliciously backward modern day Eastern Europe. Thematically this film is special, as it blends stop-motion animation to bring Little Otik to life, run of the mill filming of the real world and traditional animation to bridge the fairy tale world and the real world. And as far as the story is concerned, there is no risk that this story is overdone, in fact I don't believe that this story has ever been done. But to be honest, the novelty of this movie is one thing, it's quality is something entirely else. This movie would have been a hit if it was a Hollywood film alas it was done by a Eastern European director from an Eastern European film studio. But that just means that it is the proverbial "diamond in the rough" and all the more enjoyable for yours truly.

Of Love and Eggs

Going in/Coming Out

an Average Mexican Love Triangle

One fun fact about Indonesia is that it has the world's largest Muslim population, yet in the film Of Love and Eggs the level of (stereotypical) Muslim influence is less. One does not see the Middle Eastern level of Islam present in Indonesia, albeit one does see a mosque but it plays a secondary role to that of the marketplace. So while in Baghdad one sees marketplaces blown up by suicide bombers, in Indonesia it seems that the life of the city emits from the marketplace. And this film's perspective of Indonesian daily life seems on par with the average Mexican life being portrayed by Univision's soap operas. So without further to say, a bit overacted. 

a Before Picture of a CNN News Story About Iraqi Life

Tstosi

Going In/Coming Out

a map of South Africa

apartheid South Africa

An interesting film concerning an extremely interesting country, South Africa. A predominately black country controlled (financially, politically, militarily) by whites, this film shows the literal night and day difference of the day to day lives of the whites and the blacks. While the main character Tstosi, steals a car (and inadvertently a baby) from a wealthy black woman (who appears to live in a white neighborhood) the viewer takes part not only in the story of our protagonist (and simultaneous antagonist) but the story of the country as well. A country where stealing a car is a necessity for Tstosi who is attempting to get by the only way he knows how (thievery). Even the end of the movie leaves the fate of Tstosi (and of South Africa) up for interpretation for the viewer.

Chak De!

Going In/Coming Out

a picture of women's field hockey,
for the average American

a map of India

An interesting film concerning the most populous English speaking country and what is perhaps the least known sport to the average American, field hockey. In particular, women's field hockey. This film gives the average American insight into Bollywood's over extravagance (perhaps a throwback to the early American film industry), women's field hockey and most importantly the evolving role that women play in modern day India. The women in this film come from all the regions of India, from girls coming from Himalayan towns in the north and Tamil girls coming from towns in the south. All in all this movie contains a cross section of Indian women, and an interesting cross section it is. For this film shows the comradeship needed not only for victory on the field hockey field but for victory for women's rights in India.

Hoop Dreams: Final Essay

In the film Hoop Dreams one follows the progress of two young African American men whose future hangs entirely on their athletic prowess in the game of basketball. Their present situation is grim to say the least, living in a “wrong side of the tracks” type of urban neighborhood. Even in the rough neighborhood that the two young men reside, they have family and friends who support them in their dream to play college and potentially NBA level basketball. And it is this outlet alone that will make or break their potential for a better future.

            William Gates is one of the young African American men who are followed in the documentary Hoop Dreams. His future is drastically changed with his recruitment into the private high school of St. Joseph due to his basketball prowess, which he has refined to a form of art with years of street basketball under his belt. When the documentary crew follows William out to the wealthy neighborhood in which St. Joseph is located one can tell the drastic difference the three-hour commute makes, as far as social standings and situations are concerned. In William’s neighborhood the viewer sees sketchy looking young men standing at street corners and tenement building after tenement building. While in Westchester (where St. Joseph is located) one sees tree lined streets with extremely nice looking houses lining the streets. This is the proverbial night and day difference that William experiences every school day.

most likely the one thing that turned around Arthur's and Williams lives

            Meanwhile Arthur Agee (the other young man featured in the documentary) who also got recruited to St. Joseph fails to keep up with the payment required to attend the private catholic school. He then gets kicked out and sent to his neighborhood public school. In the documentary the viewers should notice the subtle difference in the pep-bands of Marshall (the public school) and St. Joseph. St. Joseph band kids had shiny new instruments while the kids at Marshall had slightly beaten in instruments. But as far as raw musical talent goes, Marshall had far more soul. And that soul was transferred onto the basketball court as well. While in William’s senior year St. Joseph doesn’t make it past the first playoff round, Arthur and Marshall take it all the way to third place in the state tournament.

            But to put the ol’ undergraduate brain to evaluating the social situation that these two young men reside, one must look at the culture in which William and Arthur are living in. Just in their neighborhood alone, one sees next to no successful individuals, no one with a four-year college degree and nearly no one with a well paying job. This lack of people to look up to seems extremely detrimental to any young person. It seems that the only way to get out of the sub-par neighborhood is to be good at basketball, like William and Arthur’s hero Isiah Thomas. This then forces the viewer to ponder the whole ramification of teaching an entire subset of American youths that their future relies purely on their physical prowess, not their academic prowess. The lack of support for the academically gifted can be seen in Arthur’s public high school Marshall. The teachers tend to give up on the majority of the class, giving most of their focus and attention to the few students who try. Arthur is not one of those students; instead his only form of support from the school comes from the basketball coach.

            Meanwhile at the private school of St. Joseph one sees academics playing a much larger role, even in the life of William who has hinged his future on his athletic prowess. In the classrooms, the student to teacher ratio is a lot small then at Marshall and the focus of the teachers is towards the sub-par students (like William) and pulling them up to snuff. This reflects in William’s future, in particular his plethora of college recruitment letters and also finally in his college selection, Marquette. Meanwhile Arthur is forced (due to grades) to attend a two year technical college in Arkansas and then he gets transferred up to a four year institution, all the while playing basketball.

            Hoop Dreams allows the viewer to see in the years surrounding Michael Jordan’s success, that the only visible, heralded route to success and fame is through athletic prowess, not academic. And the viewer sees that on numerous levels, in particular through the night and day difference of the focus between Marshall and St. Joseph. At Marshall a success would be a former student who graduates, at St. Joseph a success would be a student who graduates from a four-year private school. So it appears that the only form of success for an inner city youth would only be achieved through the game of basketball.

The Host

Going In/Coming Out

and this is over a budget bill,
imagine if these people were fighting a monster?

guarding the most militarized border in the world,
bet we have a plan for fighting a mutant river monster
in a draw somewhere

Japan has Godizalla, the United States has vengeful aliens from Roswell, New Mexico (Independence Day), Europe has Nazi's and what does Korea have? Well The Host answers that question, with one part ecological disaster and one part river monster and you have a sci-fi romp that is worthy of earning Korea's national monster title. The Host looks like a giant river salamander that is on a one monster destruction tour of Seoul's river district. This movie brilliantly gives insight into the Korean mindset (extremely orderly, even when running from a monster) and the response by the people (initially orderly withdrawal, later angry protests) is spot on if Korean politics are to be a gauge. Also included in the story is the US involvement in containing the monster because with 40,000 troops stationed in South Korea and the largest military budget in the world no one else is more qualified to fight a monster. But one area with this movie didn't cover was North Korea, which shows us the viewer, that in America the North Korean threat is paramount but in South Korea (living daily with the threat) it is just another potential monster, but the river monster wrecking the Seoul river front takes precedent.