Sicko

Watching Michael Moore's Sicko, I came to realize what the great debate about health care in America is all about. Living in North Dakota, with parents who have Blue Cross/Blue Shield coverage and have never experienced any problems, I was shocked at the stories told by Moore of people who have had terrible experiences with their insurance companies. I was brought to tears while watching people discuss losing their health, loved ones, and homes because of their difficulties with the high cost of health care or with insurance providers who refused to deliver on their promise of medical coverage. I got more and more angry as the stories continued.

Which is exactly what Michael Moore wanted. He wants his viewers to become convinced of his very strong point of view on every subject he tackles in his documentaries. However, even as I felt sadness and angers for these people, I kept asking myself if I was getting the whole truth. Moore is very good at finding the most extreme examples, good and bad, to support his own very strong view that America should have free universal health care.

I found Moore's narration to be very effective. He has a very believable, convincing tone while focusing on just the areas he wishes to use to back up his arguments. He seemed to go to great lengths, traveling across America to find people who have been victims of America's health care system, and then going from Canada to England to France and then Cuba to score points for his promotion of socialized medicine in America.

Where I started to have doubts about the credibility of Moore's positions was the large section devoted to the Canadian system. While he went out of his way to counter the criticism that Canadians do not have access to as good of a system as Americans, through the years I have read articles and have heard first hand from people that Canadians do wait very long for surgery and other procedures, for example. I feel that it's easy for any film maker to find the examples they wish to use to make the point they are striving for and leave out differing opinions.

Reading the other articles, such as Kurt Loder's 'Sicko': Heavily Doctored, we are reminded that our system is not entirely wrong and socialized medicine in other countries is not nearly as perfect as Moore would want us to believe. Loder quotes a British film reviewer who wrote of his own experience spending the night waiting in the hallway of a London hospital, with his severed toe in an ice filled cup, and watching that toe shrivel while he waited for medical attention. Loder cites many examples of current event stories, from Canada to Europe revealing that socialized health care is in serious trouble in many countries. None of this would be believed from watching Moore's Sicko.

No, rather than using news items such as this, Moore emphasizes the strong emotional aspects of this story. Moore gets very personal with his interviews with close up shots of their faces while they are telling their very sad stories. This helps us see the human side of this great national debate. Many critics would probably say that Moore is manipulating us in this process. While this is very effective, one might question whether the problems of millions Americans can really be expressed in just a dozen examples.

There are many positive results of this film in my opinion. Bringing attention to the terrible situation in New York City, where volunteers who worked at Ground Zero following 911, who now suffer health problems because of that and are not getting any attention. The big finish to his film, involving taking several of those 911 volunteers to Cuba for medical attention was obviously very staged and done with the cooperation of the Cuban government, which I am sure enjoyed the positive attention. However, it was a very good thing that these people were able to receive medical advise that they were unable to receive in the U.S. Also, many people are probably surprised to learn how advanced the Cuban health care system is, given the bad relationship that our governments have had since Fidel Castro took power decades ago.

The article From ballet to Buddhism by Guillermo Perez reveals the story of a far different film maker, who takes a much different approach than Michael Moore. Chaille Stovall is obviously quite unique in that he started making films at the age of eight. Beyond that, the articles shows how Stovall takes a very simple, child-like approach to his documentaries. Unlike Moore, who injects himself in scene after scene, making himself a major part of the film, Stovall, like many other film makers, takes a more detached position.

Moore, in great contrast to most film makers, resorts to publicity stunts, comedy, and even outrageous acts as all part of his film making technique. This has brought him many critics including the person mentioned in the film who has a website devoted entirely to bashing Moore.

Generally, I believe this documentary did a good thing in bringing attention to a very important subject that Americans should be discussing. President Obama campaigned saying that he would deliver universal health care to all Americans. This film points out how difficult that may be to deliver and what a great debate it will be in the country. From this film and reading the articles, I can see that there are many sides to this debate and I am uncertain to what the answers are, but expect to learn a lot more as this plays out.

The Matrix

From the beginning of The Matrix, we enter Neo's (Keanu Reeves) world of computers and hacking. We see Neo asleep at his keyboard obviously exhausted from hours of searching for something we soon discover is "The Matrix." Neo receives a mysterious message on his computer telling him that the Matrix has him, but that he can escape by following the "white rabbit." Seconds later, a knock is heard at the door. Neo speaks to the people at the door then notices a tattoo of a white rabbit on a girls shoulder. He now knows he should follow them.

Through a series of fast paced sequences we learn that the sender of the message on his computer is Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). Morpheus warns Neo of the agents looking for him in his office and gives him the directions to get away. However, Neo finds himself unable to complete his escape and is caught by the agents. The agents are dressed in black suits and wear black sunglasses at all times. By their clone-like appearance, we are able to see that they represent something very powerful and dangerous.

Once Neo is caught by the agents, they sit him down for a discussion about who he is and why they want him. We see the agents' great power through the special effect of Neo's mouth closing up, keeping him from speaking. Neo quickly realizes these agents are bad news through the events that have just occurred.

Neo is eventually brought to Morpheus, who he learns is the leader of a small group of humans who live beneath the earth's surface away from the Matrix, which is controlled by an artificial intelligence system. Neo discovers that his existence has been part of this made up world of the Matrix. Neo also comes to understand that he is "The One" according to Morpheus and his crew who has been sent to save humanity from the Matrix.

Written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, this film introduced the world to the VFX technology, often referred to as "bullet time" photography. According to the article Buddhism, Christianity, and The Matrix: The Dialectic of Myth-Making in Contemporary Cinema by James L. Ford, this creative cinematographic technique is only the beginning of what makes this film so remarkable as modern myth.

Ford points out that while the story has obvious connections to Christianity and the concept of a Savior, it also borrows heavily from the teachings of Buddhism. In particular, the fourth century philosophical school of Buddhism known as "Consciousness-only" is prevalent in the film. Ford argues that the success of the film could be compared to The Wizard of Oz or Star Wars as an example of modern day myth-making. It is evident from the beginning that Neo is viewed as a Messiah. Ford also points out that Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) can be compared to Mary Magdeline and Cypher (Joe Pantoliano) is a Judas-like figure, eventually betraying Morpheus and Neo. However, the film does not have the equivalent of God as a character.

Much like Jesus in the New Testament story, Neo has doubts about himself. As the film concludes, Neo battles the agents of the Matrix, rescues Morpheus, dies and comes back to life to conquer the Matrix.

Ford suggests that the film's target audience of young males may not be very knowledgeable when it comes to the Christian Bible or Buddhism, which serves to increase the impact of this story the way the Wachowski brothers tell it.

The many dazzling scenes of slow motion martial arts fighting showcase the film makers' technique. While providing very popular action scenes, the technique also fits with the existential themes of the movie.

The appearance of multiple agents who all look alike added to the intimidating feel of the Matrix while at the same time suggesting comparisons with the "artificial world" we live in today. The presence of what appeared to be "monsters" that are really machines controlled by the Matrix adds to the futuristic feel of the movie.

Perhaps the most incredible images in the movie are when the Matrix system of breeding human beings to serve as an energy sources are revealed.

One of my favorite characters in The Matrix was Tank (Marcus Chong). He was the programmer who would download "training sessions" into the characters' brains to get them through their various conflicts. Tank was never involved directly in the action but controlled the outcome through his programming skills. We could feel the "human side" of the conflicts through Tank's emotional reactions as he watched Neo and others suffering through their battles in the Matrix.

This film has become a modern classic with it's special effects, cinematography, and mind-challenging futuristic vision of the world. Parts two and three of this trilogy proved to be just as popular as the first and have guarenteed the Wachowski brothers their place in film making excellence.

The Dark Knight

Chapter 10 of The Art of Watching Films by Joseph M. Boggs and Dennis W. Petrie discusses the importance of acting, the goal of the actor, and how to "become the character." Heath Ledger certainly aced in each of those areas in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. The first paragraph of the chapter explains that when we consider going to a movie, we don't care who directed the movie, we care about who is in the movie. It's so true. If I like an actor or actress enough, I will go see the movie no matter what. The paragraph goes on to say that the work of an actor commands most of our attention, which is also very true. Hearing about Heath Ledger's preparation for joker and his death prior to the films release had many people thrilled to see the movie. Sadly, Batman (Christian Bale) wasn't the center of attention this time.

Chapter 10 also explains the goals an actor has in a movie. It reads "The ultimate goal of any actor should be to make us believe completely in the reality of the character." Ledger certainly did his homework to become the evil, horrifying villain in this movie. I believe Ledger put himself in the shoes of the villain so he could act out the role perfectly. Every time I see the movie, his creepy laugh gives me the goosebumps. I think that is amazing that an actor could do such a thing. The article "Film Review: The Dark Knight" by Sukdev Sandhu stated "It's rare in a blockbuster of this kind for the superhero to be only the second most important character." I agree, but I think it was for the best! Ledger had the ability to really relate to this character and he did so in a magnificent way. When describing the other actors in The Dark Knight, Sandhu said "None of them, in charisma or in sick, slick calculation, can hold a candle to the joker." The article also discussed Ledger's make up in the movie. "It focuses attention on his eyes which, when they're not gleaming with diabolical relish, are glazed, mournful, impossibly tired and old." Every time the joker explained how he got his scars, I took a better look at his make up and realized how much it added to his character.

Chapter 10 went on to discuss how to become the character. It reads "If an actor's goal is to obscure his or her own personality and to become another person on the screen, the actor must learn to behave reflexively and naturally as this new character." I think that Ledger acted so well with this personality, it almost seemed as if it was his true self! The article Ledger could earn a posthumous Oscar Nod compiled by Times Wires expressed the feelings of many people who worked with Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. Director Christopher Nolan said "Working with Heath was absolutely marvelous. I think it's a real testament to his extraordinary ability that, when people see this film, they are so struck by the monstrous nature of this character." I believe that many people felt that way about Ledger's role. Nolan continued to say, "But anybody who knew him knew that he was utterly the opposite to that. I've worked for a long time with the performance, putting it together. It's very gratifying to me, at this point, to see that people are receiving it very much the way he intended it to come across." This goes to show that Ledger did have a very different personality from the joker, but was able to alter his own personality into something gruesome and scary.

Maggie Gyllenhaal, who played as Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight, explained that the scene she did with him was very scary and full of tension, but had a blast shooting it with Ledger. Gary Oldman (James Gordon in the film) said "Whatever Heath channeled into, he's found something quite extraordinary. It's arguably one of the greatest screen villains I think I've ever seen." All of the cast Ledger worked with seemed to have the same views on his performance as the joker. I imagine that many viewers were astonished to see his acting talents in The Dark Knight.

The Dark Knight is an amazing movie with great sound effects, action, and wonderful actors and actresses playing the difficult roles. It was great to see two Oscar wins come out of the movie including Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger. I felt that all of the actors in this movie did a great job of relating to their characters with Ledger's performance being the most outstanding.

Times Wires, comp. "Ledger could earn a posthumous Oscar nod." 17 July 2008. Google. 22 Mar. 2009 http://www.tampabay.com/features/movies/article700901.ece.

Sandhu, Sukhdev. "Film Review: The Dark Knight." 12 Dec. 2008. Google. 22 Mar. 2009 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/3557106/Film-review-The-Dark-Knight.html.

Slumdog Millionaire

2008's Slumdog Millionaire was an excellent film that provided a huge reality check for the United States. The article From Slumdog to Top Dog read "Being a hit in North America doesn't guarantee the same reaction in India." At first, I could not believe how the people of India would not be proud of this film, but then as I continued to read I understood their views much better. The article quoted Shikha Goyal, a public relations executive, saying "You can't live in Mumbai without seeing children begging at traffic lights and passing by slums on your way to work." He continued to say, "But I don't want to be reminded of that on a Saturday evening." Therefore, I understand why some people in India did not appreciate the movie very much. On the other hand, this movie showed Americans what it is like for millions of people in India. I had no idea how bad it was, and to see young children dealing with the horrible conditions was unbelievable!

The article also explained that director Danny Boyle could have chosen English speakers to play the slum children but he wanted the "real thing." Boyle said "We'd been working in the slums, and we'd ask local people, 'Would you play this part?' 'No problem,' they'd say. Then, the local people that were asked to participate questioned whether they should do their "Amitabh" look or "Shah Rukh Khan" look. Boyle responded "No, do your own look." I am glad Boyle had this attitude because it made the movie very realistic.

The beginning of Slumdog Millionaire was an eye opener of what the poverty of India is like. We see that when young Jamal Malik (Ayush Mahesh Khedekar) and his brother young Salim (Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail) were late for school and beaten with The Three Musketeers book that was being read in class by their teacher. In the United States, teachers can barely touch a child without a report being filed. We also see Jamal going to the bathroom in an out house. I was saddened to see the conditions in which a child has to use the bathroom. Once Jamal heard talk of his hero Amitabh Bachchan arriving he became very excited but then realized he was locked in by his brother. We quickly realize how much this means to Jamal as he takes out the picture of his hero and jumps through the hole into the pile of excrement.

I felt that the storyline for Slumdog Millionaire was incredible. When I heard about this movie it seemed obvious to me that a low income 18 year old was just trying to get out of poverty by winning some money on the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" However, we eventually find out in the movie that Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) is making himself public hoping for his lost love, Latika (Freida Pinto), to see him on TV.

I really liked how this film went back and forth with the police questioning Jamal and the flashbacks of his life and the show itself. Right away, I thought that Jamal had won the million already and was being questioned on how he did it. We later see that this questioning occurred before his final appearance on the show with the million dollar prize on the line, and because the host thought that Jamal had to be treating. The police were brutal as they were trying to get Jamal to speak up, but the fact was, he was telling the truth. Jamal had to relive his horrible past through answering questions he'd rather not have to think about.

The politics and religion of India are very complex and difficult for many Americans to understand. The movie, in its early scenes tells us a lot about not only the poverty of India, but the religious conflict between Hindus and Muslims along with the corruption and crime in the slums. The re-enactment of a time when Hindus attacked a Muslim neighborhood shows us how Jamal's mother was brutally killed. Jamal and his brother witnessed other horrible deaths during that attack, which left them orphans.

As the article Coke, Benz avoid gritty 'Slumdog' roles points out, not everyone is comfortable with these images of poverty and despair. Both Coca-Cola and Mercedes-Benz refused to allow their brands to be shown in "slum" scenes. However, Mercedes-Benz had no problem with its image in the more upscale neighborhood scene. I don't believe these companies reacted in this way because they refused to accept that poverty exists in India, but it was a cold marketing decision on their part. Now with the great success of the film, perhaps companies may learn to take a better look at these opportunities.

Mumbai's extreme poverty is shown in gritty detail throughout Slumdog Millionaire with effective close-ups of the characters revealing the strong emotions running through the movie. From Jamal's blank stare when taking questions from the game show host to the look of horror on his brother Salim watching as another orphan's eyes are destroyed to make him a better begger, not much is left to our imagination. The fast paced action combined with the pulsating Indian music kept me on the edge of my seat through a lot of the movie. I understand that these are classic examples of "Bollywood" films.

At the time I was watching the Academy Awards, I was suprised how well Slumdog Millionaire did. However, after watching the film I was not suprised at all with its eight Oscars. I enjoyed the movie because of its great story and acting, but also because it taught me so much about another culture.

Amelie

Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amelie is a very entertaining, yet odd movie. This movie was filled with beautiful color, wonderful music, and very interesting characters, however, I had a difficult time following this movie. I felt that if I watched it again I would catch a lot of things that I missed. As I said, Amelie is a very entertaining movie with a lot of humor and the strangest things happening.

The audience finds out right away that Amelie is a very unique young girl. With fun music in the background, Amelie is shown making strange faces and doing very odd things to show her personality. Facial expressions are very important in Amelie, especially for those of us who do not speak French.

I had to giggle every time the narrator described a new character. It wasn't just the basics, it was every little flaw or weird fact about a person. This movie is very specific in explanations. After hearing what each character hates or loves, I realized that we all dislike it when something out of the ordinary happens, but it's life and we just don't notice those kinds of things. For example, the narrator said "she doesn't like to have her fingers all wrinkled by hot water" when explaining the character of Amelie's mother. I hate that too but never thought of it to be too big of a deal!

The way the director brought objects to life to become involved in the plot was very unique and entertaining. It added to the "weird" aspects of the film.

I felt that color was very important in Amelie. The whole movie color scheme seemed to be based on green, yellow, and red. I noticed that Amelie (Audrey Tautou) was mainly wearing red throughout the entire film from a pretty red dress to a nice red cardigan. Red is a very warm and passionate color. I think that Amelie wore red because of her search for love. Amelie wore green after she was misinformed about her friend going off with the man of her dreams, Nino (Mathieu Kassovitz). Green itself isn't important, perhaps, but the fact that she switched from red to another color.

Amelie seemed to have a very sad childhood with her mother dying and her father being very different, especially after his wife died. Amelie broke free when she left her childhood home to seek happiness in Paris. I was able to tell that Amelie was a very caring person. She was trying to find happiness in helping others. For instance, when Amelie found that box of mementos which belonged to someone who lived in her apartment a long time ago, she wanted to find him right away and return it to him. When she did find him, she didn't personally give it to him. The box was left in a phone booth for him to find. This goes to show that Amelie didn't want to take credit for his happiness, she simply wanted to bring back his childhood to him. Amelie was very interested in other people's lives, sometimes too interested.

I noticed that Amelie became very easily interested in different things. Amelie was especially curious about the bald man whose picture was in Nino's book multiple times. At first thinking he was dead and was afraid of being forgotten, she began to research and ended up finding out he was just a repair man doing his job.

I laughed so much during this movie. I especially enjoyed the scenes when Amelie fooled her neighbor by misplacing his items. Amelie is very unique in that she notices every small difference. When the camera zoomed in on her father's gnome, it showed her noticing a slug crawling on it.

Amelie discovered the man of her dreams one day at the photo booth. Immediately her heart started racing which brought back us back to Amelie's reaching out for her father's love, but the closest thing she got to that was a monthly medical check-up. Amelie was longing for any type of love. This was her second chance!

I immediately like Nino. He was a very good looking and interesting character, someone who I thought would be perfect for Amelie. It was easy to see that Amelie was very hesitant to speak to Nino. Amelie ends up playing games with Nino after he had lost his books of pictures. I could tell that Nino was very interested in who this "mystery woman" was, especially when he put up signs for her. I became so frustrated when Nino arrived at the cafe Amelie worked at and she wouldn't introduce herself!

I think that Amelie finally realized that providing happiness for others did not make her truly happy. In the end, Amelie found out that Nino was what she had needed all along after her neighbor emphasized that she needed to go after Nino and that she'd be crazy to let him go this time. I believe that the message of this story is that you cannot live your life through fantasies, you need to find something real for your happiness.

While Amelie is a comedy, she did triumph over adversity and work her way to a happy ending after a long search.

American Beauty and The Ninth Gate

In Sam Mendes' American Beauty, the primary setting is the Burnham suburban home, where all of the family characters' misery is centered. From the opening scene with Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) narrating, we know that the neighborhood is his life as unfulfilled as it is.

Setting is also very important in Roman Polanski's The Ninth Gate. Like American Beauty, this film was produced in 1999. From the opening sequence, it is clear that books, and one book in particular, are central to this story. Opening in a library with camera angles and lighting that emphasize the beautiful old leather volumes, we are shown that one book is missing, which obviously is connected to the fact that the character, Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), is committing suicide. While American Beauty uses the artificial setting of suburban America to create the atmosphere, Polanski uses the richness of old books combined with the city landscapes of New York City and European destinations to add to the mystery of The Ninth Gate.

American Beauty was shot almost entirely in the suburban setting to better reveal all of the characters and their individual disappointments in life. In spite of the perfectly trimmed lawns and beautiful homes it is obvious that these do not bring happiness to the characters in the film. The primary message that I felt was revealed in this film is that money and success cannot buy happiness. The effective use of the home and neighborhood helped emphasize that point.

In The Ninth Gate, the settings were chosen obviously to enhance the mysterious nature of the story with its satanic theme. The use of large libraries filled with rare books centered on the devil, combined with exotic locations in Spain, Portugal and France create an atmosphere that adds to the intensity of the film.

The art director's choice of clothing in American Beauty says a lot about each individual character. Lester and his wife, Carolyn Burnham (Annette Bening), both wore the standard business attire that would be expected of them for their occupations while others tried to show more on their individuality through their clothing. Jane (Thora Birch), the daughter of Lester and Carolyn, showed a sense of rebellion through her clothing. She usually wore dark clothing with dark make-up to contrast with her "perfect" surroundings.

The Ninth Gate uses trendy, fashionable styles of 1999 with most of its characters. The majority of characters, being European, are wearing stylish clothing of that time. "The girl" (Emmanuelle Seigner) who curiously shows up wherever Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) went is a contrast to the other characters in that she is plainly dressed in casual jeans, tennis shoes, jacket and sweater. An interesting aspect of the film was its focus on the feet of characters. Right away in the beginning we see Andrew Telfer's expensive slippers wiggling as he is hanging himself. Later, we see unknown feet in a window followed by "the girl's" tennis shoes, which had been shown to us in an earlier scene. Polanski uses this character's feet to remind us that she is always around Corso.

I felt that American Beauty used bright lighting to emphasize the "perfect" lifestyle that is really all for show rather than actual happiness. The bright lighting is as direct as Lester's statement to his neighbor, Col. Frank Fitts (Chris Cooper) "Nope, our marriage is just for show. A commercial, for how normal we are. When we are anything but." The lighting shifts dramatically to a softer, more diffused look during Lester's moments of fantasy involving Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari). I believe that this is showing the contrast between the artificial world he lives in and the imaginary world that he fantasizes.

The lighting in The Ninth Gate is also very appropriate with shifts between bright and darker scenes to match the mystery that is unfolding. From the opening scene, the lighting brings out the books on the shelves. During periods of dialogue, it seemed that the new character being introduced was more prominently lit. Lighting was especially effective in the transition to day to night throughout the film. In both American Beauty and The Ninth Gate the director uses lighting to set the tone very effectively.

David Freeman's article Why 'American Beauty' Works: Focus on the Use of Symbols stresses the importance of color in American Beauty. He points out that red is the dominant color used to indicate a variety of emotions throughout the film. For example, when Lester buys the car of his dreams, it is bright red, which shows his side of rebellion. The article also included that one of the scenes with Carolyn in the kitchen showed a red oven pad which was "her soul hanging on the wall". Red is a dramatic color and Freeman tells how it was used for "dramatic" effect in the film.

Polanski also uses red in creative ways throughout The Ninth Gate, however the purpose is far different. With the devil as the central theme of this film, red, especially fire, is used effectively to create an atmosphere that could make a person feel his (the devil's) presence. Blood red lipstick on the evil Liana Telfer (Lena Olin) and the actual blood from "the girl's" bloody nose are especially effective.

I felt that both films were very stylish and artistic, with excellent use of lighting and color, which made them both enjoyable to watch.

Good Will Hunting

I absolutely loved 1997's Good Will Hunting. It was excellent! The fact that actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon wrote this movie's screenplay while they were in college makes it even better! This movie made a person think. I tend to not follow movies very well, maybe because I'm sometimes not interested, but this movie intrigued me.

The article Holden Caulfield, Alex Portnoy and Good Will Hunting: Coming of Age in American Films and Novels by Lawrence E. Ziewacz discussed how this movie began. It read "Written by co-stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck- actually begun as a 50 page script by Damon for a screen-writing class at Harvard- he had two semesters to go for his degree- it grippingly details the struggle of Will Hunting, a foster home orphan in South Boston, to discover how to orient himself into the adult world and how to maximize his immense intellectual talent- he is a genius- in the real world." I find it wonderful that this screenplay was done by two college students. It shows what a person can do if they put their mind to something. The article goes on to explain the type of life that Will Hunting (Matt Damon) has lived. I felt that his friends brought a lot of humor to this movie, especially Morgan (Casey Affleck) and Chuckie (Ben Affleck).

I felt this movie was about a very strong, intelligent young man trying to find his way in life. Will Hunting had an extremely difficult childhood. Will also was a genius mainly in mathematics but had an interest in everyone. Even with this amazing ability of his, Will was content with being a janitor and hanging out with his friends every night. I know if I was a genius, I'd be rich, that's for sure!

The article Too smart for their own good? by Patrick McCormick discussed a few different movies with "geniuses" including A Beautiful Mind, Rain Man, and Good Will Hunting. It read "Matt Damon's genius janitor in Good Will Hunting can humiliate MIT professors, but he's about as grown up as the average schoolyard bully." The article discussed how some genius's maybe didn't have the best childhood. The article also read "You get the sense that somebody stole their childhood, or at least all their recess periods. Maybe they could do algorithms at 4, but nobody ever taught them to color or play marbles." I believe these thoughts relate to Will in Good Will Hunting quite nicely. I think that Will became interested in books, math, and other things because of the type of childhood he had.

Will's unique adventure began when Professor Gerald Lambeau started his search for the "mystery math magician" (Will Hunting). I felt that the professor did a great thing by bailing Will out of jail. It was easy to tell that Professor Lambeau saw Will's potential. However, he also saw Will wouldn't be very easy to get through to.

It was humorous to see Will's great sense of sarcasm show in every single one of appointments with psychologists. Will was stubborn and knew he didn't need a shrink to help him. Professor Lambeau made the right move when he decided to invite his old college buddy, Sean Maguire (Robin Williams), into the situation.

I felt that Robin Williams played his part very, very well in this movie. It was easy to see that Sean's plan was to just get Will to talk. I don't think Sean even cared what Will talked about, he just wanted to listen and see what happened from there. It was easy to see that Will hit a nerve when he mentioned that maybe Sean married the wrong woman. I was very well convinced that Sean had been deeply in love with his wife who passed away a few years before. During Will and Sean's laughing session about how Sean's wife used to fart in her sleep made me smile so hard! Sean said that those are the things he is so glad he remembers about his wife. The way he talked about his wife made me want to have a husband like him someday!

I really enjoyed the music in this movie. I also really liked certain scenes that I felt the filming was excellent. The scene when Will was looking out the window on the bus especially impressed me. I also liked that even when one person was in a room, the whole room was scanned so we could get every detail.

I really liked the scene when Sean took Will to the park. Sean spoke about love, marriage, and life in general. I could see that Sean really got through to Will as he told him about experiencing life. He explained that Will reads books upon books about everything, but hasn't really experienced those things. You could see in Will's eyes that he was starting to understand. I was glad to hear Sean scold Will for thinking he knew Sean by looking at a picture.

It was nice to see that Will wanted to go to his sessions with Sean. During this time, Will had found a nice young lady, Skylar (Minnie Driver). Will had explained to Sean that he didn't want to ruin the idea of this "perfect" girl he has met by hanging out with her too much and taking things to the next level. I agreed with Sean when he said no one is perfect. Our imperfections are what make us special. Sean told Will that the question is whether Will and Skylar are perfect for each other, not if they are individually perfect.

I could tell that Will's childhood had a part in his inability to commit to Skylar. I imagine it is very hard for those with difficult childhood's to put there heart out there for someone else to take in. Will seemed so happy when he was with Skylar. When Will told Skylar about his scars and his childhood in their argument I could see how much Skylar really cared for him. She didn't act frightened while he was yelling, she emphasized how much she wanted to be a part of his future. I cried when Will told Skylar he didn't love her. I knew he was lying.

I believe that the professor really wanted Will to have a great future, but he pushed too hard. Will wasn't ready for those meetings that Professor Lambeau set up for him. He needed to figure out what he really wanted to do. That is why I felt Sean was so important in helping Will. He wanted Will to be ready before he made any big decisions.

What I loved most about Good Will Hunting was that Sean sought to help Will, and Will ended up helping Sean as well. Will wasn't just Sean's client, he became a friend. I noticed that Sean called Will "sport" throughout the whole movie. When Will left his last appointment with Sean, Sean called him "son". I could tell Will felt loved for once in his life.

In the end, Will decided on his own what he wanted to do for himself. He fooled both Sean and the audience by going to a job interview and telling Sean about his boss. I loved it when Will left Sean a note saying he had to go about to see a girl. I really didn't think he would go back to Skylar! But I'm glad he did.

I think my favorite part of the movie was when Chuckie went to Will's house and for once Will wasn't home. That is what Chuckie had been waiting for.