Hoop Dream - Their Message a Cultural Bridge

Cultral Bridge:

This film here raises a number of issues concerning race, class, economic division, education and values in contemporary America. Not only that, but it also gives us one of the most intimate views of the inner-city life captured on film.

This documentary pulls out the race, class, economic, education and values from two teenagers' life, of William Gates and Arthur Agee.

These two teenage boys are African American and lives in ghetto neighborhoods. They encounter a lot throughtout their  time, as they are filmed.

First, concerning race, Agee and Gates enters St. Joseph High School, where the majority is white. Since growing up they have always gone to school where there is their kind only. Thus this gives them the feeling of isolation and also making them feel weak-ish and concern of how they'll adjust to it. With this situation, I got to say that it happens to everyone too, every students that enters a school. Every students themselves wants a place where they can feel like home and not have to think about how other "races" looks at them.

Second, concerning about class, class as in status, also plays a role in this film too; this also pulls economic division along with it so. When Arthur met the crisis of having to pay his school tuition fee back, and his parents weren't able to meet the requirements, he had to drop out of the highschool. Coming from the income family, it just pulled a part of his chances of being in NBA. I do see that it happens to a lot of families who do put their children into private schools or those expensive schools; but like how my cousin said, "You need a lot of money to keep yourself in those schools...". As for Gates, he too did came from a low income family, but with this too, he was able to get those scholarships that he needed to support and keep him at St. Joseph and in college. Even still right now many low income family are depending on those scholarships and merits. Even my family and I also depend on it too, since we know for sure that we will have some financial help.

Third, concerning about education, education indeed is what every parent want their children to have and get. From this film, Arthur's mom actually wants him to go to a good school, that is not like their neighborhood school. Not only does his mom too wants that, every parents wants that too, since of course they don't want their own child to be around drugs and gangs that runs around the neighborhood- no wants that. The message that this film bring out about education is really a value, since it is what lands you in your own future.

Forth, the values of the contemporary America, is seen to shown and told straight up from the film. The message indeed is that, in my opinion is that, no matter where you go around the nation everyone is gonna judge you and evaluate you.

Of course everybody goes through the same roughness in life, no matter how much one says that the situation is different - it's the same with its own twist of the story. It's like, all the above needed to happen  in order to see that we should do that or this and work our own way in life. Life is a puzzle and every puzzle is almost different.

Run Lola Run - Review

From Beginning to End (A Summary):


This is a German film. This film was made in 1998 that was written and directed by Tom Tykwer. Run Lola Run was released on August 20, 1998 in Germany, and released on June 18, 1999 in the US.

This film is divided into three parts, each part having their own results in how Lola, the main character, goes through the same thing over and over but ends with a different outcome.

The main goal of Lola throughout the whole film was to get $100,000 GD (German Dollar) to her boyfriend, Manni, before 12 o'clock, so that he doesn't get in trouble with his boss. 

1st Part: 

Lola & Manni

With the first part, Lola runs and hurries to her father's bank to get the money. But her father refuses to give her the money. Thus Lola runs back to Manni, where he is in fact robbing a store for the money, and she eventually helps Manni in the robbery. But when they fled, Lola was shot dead.

2nd Part:

As for the second part, Lola runs and hurries to her father's bank to get the money, limping her way there. Lola in fact robs her father's bank, using her father as hostage to get the money. She got out of the bank safely; but when she reached Manni, he got ran over by an ambulance and dies.

3rd Part:

On the last part, Lola runs and hurries, being more quicker, to her father's bank to get the money. But then, she goes to the casino and earned herself $129, 600 GD, and heads her way to meeting Manni. Manni in the other hand sees the homeless man that took his money and thus got it back. Manni and Lola  met up, and in the end has $129, 600 GD to themselves.

German "Time": 

From class, I was told that this film focused a lot on time, which in Germany, time is really important; not only that but everything is really organize.

From researching the net I found that with introduction between people, you have to say their title correctly. Not only that but shaking hands is always a greeting that residents of Germany  always do.

Then for meals/ eating, there are definite time for everyone to eat with their families. And being on time for these are important, if you were to be late it was consider really rude. Therefore lunch begins at 12 at noon, having everyone leave work, and closing stores to got and eat. Dinner, is a more smaller meal, and is eat at times that varies in every family.

My Recommendation:

I got to say that I recommend this film to everyone.