Reflection#5: Hoop Dreams

I think the film was unfair as to how they portrayed both of the boys lives. William always had it better than Arthur, he had a scholarship and he was automatically on varsity. His parents never split up during the course of the film, and he never was remotely kicked out of St. Josephs. The two hardships he faced, was having a baby which also as a choice he made, and his knee injury. Sure, he worked hard and wound up back on the court and to winning games but he also had people pay for his recovery. Arthur had a way different story within the film. He had so many let downs it would have been unbearable if it were me. He went to St Josephs hoping that he would graduate there and his parents would be able to pay for it. He was on the freshman team because he was short and then he had his father leave the house for drugs. His mother could not pay for school and he was forced to go to the local public school. His grades went down and he did not have a lot of food or even lights. Its unfair that he had to suffer while others, like William get to have everything given to him. No one fought for Arthur, but I know William had a lot of people fighting for him.

Review#3: Seoul Train

I wholeheartedly felt very bad for these people and wanted to help them as best as I could, but disappointingly I knew I had no control over the situation. The film was short but it had a lot of information and make progress quick, as to what the families had to do and where they went. The group of 7 was caught and I felt like I had to do something but I knew I couldn't  Before the film I was unaware that China was so strict and people crossed to China instead of someplace else. Han-Mi and her family also pulled at my heartstrings but the men  of the family got me mad when they didn't push the guards away. I wanted to strangle them and I didn't think they then deserved freedom. The man who out the plan together was very nice and I am happy there are people like him trying to help others. Helping people is the only way we could possibly think about world peace. I did not like how after people were caught we had no way of finding out where they were or what happened to them, I know it would probably result in death but I want to know for sure. All in all some made it and some did not, I feel sorry for everyone in this perdictament and I hope sometime in the near future North Korea will become a better place.

Reflection#3: The times of Harvey Milk

The ending to this amazing journey through Harvey's life to me, was heartbreaking. Harvey obviously was a great man and had  a lot going for him  he had a bunch to conquer and he had many followers. Therefore the envy someone could have for him, is somewhat understandable, but to kill an innocent man and then he was not charged for a proper sentence is horrifying. Off the bat, he had a weapon, he broke into a public building, he shot someone which is man slaughter, he choose to shoot a political person which is worst and he shot a gay man, which can be taken as a hate crime. All of those sencerios together just should put him away for life. The fact that he wasn't, and Harvey is dead and it seemed like no justice was served proved a horrible ending to such a great story.

Review#2: The Times of Harvey Milk

The movie was inspiring, to many people just not one type of people. I think the diversity and the way the plot went along made people want to keep watching to witness the success that Harvey had made. Regardless that he was assassination  his memory never died, so in essence he lived on. His story was made into a production and that means so many people were informed about what he did and stood up for. His courage and charisma made San Francisco and gay people unite and stand up for what they believe and and need. The movie has a lot of people in it who is able to comment and make the whole ordeal more surreal and it shows how Harvey really did affect a lot of people. The film is good, and very informative; it is not biased in the sense that opinions are shared, but not all are agreed with. The love and companionship displayed is remarkable and I believe that is pulling all the details together and making it worthwhile to watch.

Hoop Dreams

                  After watching Hoop Dreams a few parts really struck me.One part that really stood out to me was when Arthur had to leave his school St.Josephs because of financial problems, because I am a basketball player as well. Usually now and days if a school such as a catholic school that has tuition fees want you to play for them and scouts you to play for them they would pay your full tuition to attend the school. Obviously it was a different story in Arthur's case, which I thought was really sad. Not only was he scouted by a person to play for the school team but he made a three hour commute each day. I feel like he was treated very unfair in this situation, because they asked him to come to their school basically for no reason  at all. After leaving St. Josephs you also saw a change in his attitude as well. One can argue that he felt more comfortable around "black people", but you also saw how immature being in a normal public school made him. Another part that stood out was when Arthur was at the park playing basketball, and he sees his dad that was no longer with the family. Shortly after hanging out with his father he sees his father go and buy drugs in the same park that he was playing in. This part was very sad as well, because it showed you just how challenging things were for Arthur as a kid. I also think that Arthur's fathers actions around him impacted him so much that it made it hard for Arthur to focus on his school work or his basketball dreams as well. The last part that stood out to me was the change in Williams Gates behavior over the years of being at St. Joseph. I think that going away to a nice school like St.Josephs, allowed William to get away from his rough neighborhood for a while and kind of showed him that things could be better than what went on in his house or out in his neighborhood. I also saw how mature he was because he played for a strict coach that was hard on him. I think Williams coach and the family that paid for him to go to school left a huge impact on Williams life, because it stood out to me that his father was not in his life to be a male role model which every teenage boy needs growing up. None the less William was still able to become a much better student at st. Josephs and was also able to play basketball and get a good job as well. Which I think was because of the extra support that William had around him that wasn't apart of his family such as his coach, girlfriend, and the family that paid his tuition. This was extra support that Arthur needed but didn't have. This documentary is very interesting to me and I enjoy watching it and look forward to continue watching it.

Key Images From Hoop Dreams

 A key image from the film Hoop Dreams that stood out to me is the scene where Arthur was playing basketball in the park and his father stopped by. His father played with him for a while, but as he was leaving he stopped to buy drugs from a drug dealer who was at the park. It made me realize that addiction is a very strong thing that can take over a person, especially if it would possess the to buy drugs in front of their child and waste money that could be going towards their child’s education. It must have felt really bad for Arthur to have to see his father in that state. Another image that stood out to me was when William injured his knee and he was in the doctor’s office. He looked so sad and I could tell that he really wanted to continue playing basketball and he would do whatever he could to get back on the court. The third image that stood out to me was when Arthur’s family’s lights were cut off. His family had suffered alot since his dad left and his mom wasn’t able to pay all the bills on time. His mother’s words along the lines of “you can have something today and it could be gone tomorrow” really stuck with me.

Key Images from Hoop Dreams

I had a couple of scenes that stood out to me during watching Hoop Dreams. In particular there was a scene where Arthur was in a park playing basketball and his estranged father had come by to say hello. In the mist of everything, the father went off towards the bathroom and bought drugs. I felt so sorry for Arthur to be put into that kind of situation, by his father no less. After that Arthur felt differently about his father, there was no respect, because his father did not deserve any. His father messed up Arthur's schooling, future and his mindset. Things, he will never regain, it was unfair and Arthur is the only one who suffers. Another scene that really hit home was when the kid with the knee problems had surgery and had his fluid drained. The needles and contraptions are crazy and my knee felt pain throughout that ordeal. I have knee issues myself and watching that I felt the pain he was going through and the dissapointment of having it in the first place. The last key image for me from the documentary is when the varsity basketball player has a baby and actually cares for it as a teenager. Teen fathers do not normally take such good care of babies, especially when they are in admist of chasing their dreams. The movie is good and I want to see more of it.