The Hurt Locker

I actually did not like the Hurt Locker. I'm not really a fan of war movies but even this one I tried to like it just had no action or suspense. The only suspense was when Will was in the car with that Iraq man to find Beckam and he was sent to the wrong house. The movie did give me a greater appreciation for the US Army, because since it is a volunteer I didn't realize how much they risk their life every day. I really liked sergaent Sanborn and William because of the way they handled everything. William was a little crazy I thought at first but I liked how at the end he refused to leave that Iraq man who had a bomb strapped to him. He tried to help him but realized he couldn't. While I really liked Sanborn because even though he hated William he still protected him and even became friends with him at the end. I don't really know the moral of the story, because I would say war. Since once William came home he was so bored with everyday life he had to return. I would reccomend this to those who are interested in war movies, not to those who aren't a fan of them. I think this applies to today because the Iraq war is going on, and how much warfare has changed today.

Captain Phillips

I really liked Captain Phillips, it was extremely suspenseful but I enjoyed it a lot. I don't know the real story of the real captain phillips so It was very shocking for me to watch the movie. I think Tom hanks, who played captain phillips did an excellent job. I think captain phillips was a hero to all. I also didn't think the somalian pirate Muse was that bad of a guy because although he did capture the ship and the captain he refused to let his other pirates kill him. I actually felt bad for him when he found out all his friends were killed. I think the moral of the story would be to not give up because even though the captain was kidnapped and abused he still set out to sea again after all he'd been through. I deffenetly reccommend this to others espesially ones that don't know the story of captain phillips. This could apply to today because of how important and how hard the navy works and the ability for them to be brave and not give up no matter what.

United 93

I really liked United 93, despite it being extremely suspenseful and depressing I did enjoy it and I'm really glad we were able to watch it. The movie made me feel 1. really scared to go on airplanes (thank god you didn't show this to us before denmark) and 2. extremely proud to be an American. The way the passengers worked together to prevent the terrorists from reaching their destination was just amazing. They decided to sacrifice themselves to protect America. It was extremely hard for me to watch the passengers make phone calls to their family members, and it made me extremely upset for the people because I knew that the plane would crash into a field and they'd all die, but as you said it is human instinct to survive. So therefore when did the passengers realize there was no hope for them? I think the moral of the story is basically teamwork, such as when the passengers all worked together. Bravery is also another one because of the brave actions the passengers took on that flight. I think that all of the characters that worked to fight against the terrorists on the flight were heros and important figures that defended America our great nation. I think that this could apply to today because of what had happened after 9/11, we went to war with Iraq, american patriotism has increased, and our national security has too. This movie and the events that happened on that tragic day made me proud to be an American.

Apollo 13

I've already seen Apollo 13 before, but I enjoyed it again a lot. I thought that the whole space mission to the moon on apollo 13 was really interesting to watch. I thought Jim Lovell, who Tom Hanks played greatly, was a really inspiring character. He realized that when the mission was aborted that it was more important for him and his crew to return home rather than to get his glory of walking on the moon. I felt really bad for his wife because even before the mission she was nervous and wouldn't even see him take off. I think the moral of the story would then be to not give up, espessially when NASA refused to let "failure be an option" and get the astronaunts home safely. Also to do what is right or moral, when Lovell decided to abandon his dream of walking on the moon to get his other members of Apollo 13 home safely. Also to trust people because when Mattingly isn't able to go on Apollo 13 anymore because he's sick days before launch, Jack Swigert has to be made apart of the crew despite Lovell having trained with Mattingly and Haise. I think the funding for NASA should continue because I think space exploration is extremely appointment to future developments in technology and for science research. It's not about competing with other countries, it's about protecting our astronaunts who are brave enough to go to space and using money for greater research and knowledge. I think it sucks that U.S. retired it's shuttle program, theres still a ton of exploring space left to do. Just because we went to the moon doesn't mean that's all there is to see in space? I don't think we should worry about staying ahead of other countries in this capacity because if we travel in space I think it should just be for the benefit of us and our country not competition. By traveling in space we are able to learn and collect information to further our technological and scientific developments.

Parkland

I really liked the movie because JFK was one of my favorite presidents, so it was interesting to learn about his death. Although it was sad and depressing it gave me a better understanding of how shocking and serious the event was for America. I sympathized with lee harvey oswald's brother, and how he was victimized for his brother's actions. I didn't sympathize with lee harvey oswald, in fact he seemed like a psychopath in the movie, as did his mother. I was really confused at how his mother refused to accept that her son killed the president. While his brother accepted it he was still targeted by people as his brother just killed the most important man in the world. I think the moral of the story is basically that john f kennedy was a great president. and that we shouldn't target people just because of their family. you are not you're family. i would deffenetly reccomend this to others, but i think it would be more important for the people who weren't alive during Kennedy's assassination so they could realize how serious of a time it was. This applies to today because Kennedy was a president in the 20th century, assassination attempts have led to an increase of the secret service and security around the president and the U.S. government.

The Pianist

I really liked the Pianist because it followed Szpilman throughout the entire Holocaust and how he was able to survive. It had me a little scared at moments, like when he hid and ran away from the Nazis, also it was really depressing because of the scene in the Ghettos and the way the Nazis treated the Jews. The movie made me feel really appreciative of what I have and not to take anything for granted. The way everything was fine for Szpilaman's family until the last seconds of the war when Szpilaman's captured by the Russians. It also made me appreciate music, because of the way it helped Szpilaman get through the war and with his encounter with the Nazi officer. The Nazi officer was one of my favorite character's because it showed that not all German's were evil, and how he encouraged Szpilaman to play for him and gave him food and hope. It was even more touching at the end of the war when Szpilaman went to free the officer but was too late. I think there can be many morals of the story, such as always holding onto hope. Szpilaman refused to give up he kept trying to survive. Also, that not all people are just good and evil, like that Nazi officer. I would definitely recommend this to others who enjoy a story of survival and hope, but not to someone who can't handle depressing stories or violence. I think this can apply to today because we all assume that you can be just good or bad, but the theme here is that not all people or either good or evil. I think Hosenfeld realized what horrors the Nazis were doing when he saw Szpilman, and I also think he was moved by Szpilman's music, which caused him to feel sympathy. Hosenfeld might've even felt bad for what the Nazi's had done and wanted to help. I think that Szpilman had no other choice, he couldn't of ran away and he couldn't of fought back, he had to listen to Hosenfeld. I think that Szpilman also realized that he wasn't as cruel as the other nazis, and realized that just because he was in a german uniform it didn't make him evil.