Brief Screening Report: Fantastic Mr. Fox

        My favorite scene in Fantastic Mr. Fox is when Plan B takes place.  The farmers write Mr. Fox a letter telling him that he needs to come out or they will keep his nephew.  Mr. Fox then writes them a letter telling them that they should move the car that is on top of the manhole cover.  He tells them that they should meet at 10 a.m.  He will meet them there and will turn himself over, in order for his nephew to be returned unharmed.  At 10 am, the animals start throwing fire pinecones out of the hole.  Fires break out in the town from the pinecones.  Mr. Fox, Kylie, and Ash jump into a motorcycle and take off for Bean’s farm.
      I think this scene is important because no matter how many times their plans didn’t work and they were about ready to give up, they never did.  Which paid off in the end.  I think this shows a very valuable life session.  It shows that working hard for what you want and never giving up really does pay off.  Although it may not have been easy along the way, they fought until the end.

This scene occurs at the end of the movie, around 60 minutes.

Journal 2: More Than Just a Movie

     The term "favorite movie" seems to be a term that is thrown around often.  It often seems as though you hear people talking about their "favorite movie" only to hear them change their mind the next time it gets brought up, which is why it made it difficult choosing just one.  However, one movie stuck out more than others for me, The Proposal.  No matter what mood I am in, this movie can cheer me up.

     In this movie, I definitely respond more to the formal elements.  One of the formal elements that sticks out to me is the acting.  Ryan Reynolds, Sandra Bullock, and Betty White are three great actors/actresses.  The humor that they bring to this movie is why I like it so much.  I also love the plot.  The storyline is very intriguing for anyone watching.  I would consider this movie a romantic comedy.  I think in most romantic comedies, the formal elements are what matter most.  However, there are some movies where the cultural elements can be just as important.  An example of a cultural element from this movie could be prejudices about gender.  Ryan Reynolds works as an editor's assistant, and his father seems to think that job is not good enough for a man.  No matter how many times I see this movie, I laugh just as hard as I did the first time.  With acting like this, and a plot that is so intriguing, it isn't hard to want to watch it time after time, and call it my favorite.  

Journal 1: Winning Actually Isn't the Only Thing

       In the article David Maraniss talks about the Monday night football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks.  He recaps the last play of the game for us, telling us what happened and also his feelings about it.  He then began asking other questions about the game, what ifs.  Maraniss told us that he was more upset not by the call, but by what the quarterback, Russell Wilson, and the Seahawks coach, Pete Carroll said and did.  Carroll threw his arms up in the air, signaling a touchdown, almost implying that they had just won a game that was so close, yet they were the better out of the two teams.  Wilson did the same thing as Coach Carroll.  He made it seem like they had just won such a great game, that they had come out on top after all the fighting they had done.  Maraniss talks about his beliefs and that he never thought that winning was the only important thing.  Even though that play from Monday night can’t change, Maraniss stated, “But Carroll and Wilson and the Seahawks don’t have to pretend that the call was right and that they deserved to win.”

I agree with what Maraniss said.  One part of this article that really stuck out to me was the part when he was talking about Vince Lombardi.  “He once pulled his star corner- back out of a game when he saw him trip an opposing player, even though the refs missed it. He was always harder on his team when they played poorly but won than if they played well but lost.”  I was a three sport athlete all four years of high school, meaning I have had quite a few coaches.  My basketball coach had the same exact mentality as Lombardi.  If we were going to lose a game, he, as well as the team, would have rather it been a good game, where we played to the best of our ability, yet just weren’t able to come out on top.  I think as a coach, that is how it should be.  For the Seahawks to be proud of that touchdown, that’s like a slap in the face.  They know, just as well as we all know, that it wasn’t a catch.  Now it would be a different story if the team and quarterback of the Seahawks admitted that, or at least were a little more subtle about it.  The fact that they both reacted the way they did, was just an embarrassment to themselves.  Even if that is what the call was, it makes them look bad trying to make it something that it wasn’t.  It was not a touchdown.

The Believing Game-I hate cats.

I hate cats because they are annoying when they meow.  It would be a lot of work having to change their litter box, instead of just being able to let them go outside to go to the bathroom.  Cats shed.  More people are allergic to cats, rather than dogs. 

The Believing Game-I love cats.

I love cats because they are very furry and friendly.  They wouldn’t be a lot of work, because all they do is lay around most of the day.  They don’t bark, so wouldn’t be loud like a dog could be.  They also would be good if you live on a farm to catch mice. 

Test Video Post

Test Post

Pretty flower, courtesy Microsoft

This is just a test to see if this works.