The movie Hoop Dreams is a good portrayal of high school basketball in Chicago. It follows two players, William Gates and Arthur Agee in their pursuit of playing college basketball. It shows all of the struggles and hard work the players had to go through in order to achieve their goals. The movie displays elements of determination and struggling to survive in the harsh sections of Chicago.
Both William and Arthur are determined to succeed in playing basketball. They both travel over an hour to get to school, where they improve upon their basketball skills. They both have aspirations of playing basketball at a high level, and did everything they possibly could to do that. Instead of settling for an average school close to their town they traveled far away to a better school where they could improve and get noticed more. They had a goal all throughout their childhood to be great basketball players. Most people would just be lazy and average. However, there are some players who have the drive and determination to succeed so they push themselves and become stars.
Sometimes living in a hard part of town help make players better. Both players came from bad parts of Chicago. While they could have given up at an earlier age and given in to the crime and drugs in the city, they had more determination and pushed through to become great players. It can be very easy to give up on your dreams, but they both wanted more out of life, and did not want to give up on their dreams. They grew up with little in their life, but were able to take the high road instead of giving in and going down the wrong path.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
The documentary Boys of Fall is a story about all of the aspects of high school football. There are many interviews by NFL players, and coaches from college football and the NFL. They are all reliving the glory and the heartbreak of playing high school football. High School football is all about the passion and drive of the players to succeed and improve while uniting as one.
One of the essential part of being a part of a team is coming together and being strong as a team. You cannot succeed as a team if you are not good at playing together. The movie showed a lot about how you have to work together in order to meet a common goal and succeed. In the movie, it shows groups of people who have been changed by football because they still get together and remember the glory days of high school football.
Also, the movie shows that players need to have determination in order to be successful. You cannot win with just talent alone. The mantra "hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard" is evident here. This is because you have to work as a team in order to succeed, and if all you have is talent, you will not be able to succeed. Coach Bobby Bowden said that he would rather have players who work hard than have the most talented players. This sounds logical because players who don't want to work as a team will not, and the team won't be successful.
The documentary shows how important high school football is, as well. Many past players still talk about football, and are still involved with their former teams. They love the sport, and are taught a lot of values through it. Also, the movie shows how crushing it is to lose a big game or realize that you will never play football again. They show players dropping to the turf in sadness, and players struck with sadness on the sidelines. Also, it shows the winning side of football, and all of the glory that comes with it. There are players running to be with their teammates and others struck with excitement and happiness. Football is a brotherhood that never stops after playing days are over.
One of the essential part of being a part of a team is coming together and being strong as a team. You cannot succeed as a team if you are not good at playing together. The movie showed a lot about how you have to work together in order to meet a common goal and succeed. In the movie, it shows groups of people who have been changed by football because they still get together and remember the glory days of high school football.
Also, the movie shows that players need to have determination in order to be successful. You cannot win with just talent alone. The mantra "hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard" is evident here. This is because you have to work as a team in order to succeed, and if all you have is talent, you will not be able to succeed. Coach Bobby Bowden said that he would rather have players who work hard than have the most talented players. This sounds logical because players who don't want to work as a team will not, and the team won't be successful.
The documentary shows how important high school football is, as well. Many past players still talk about football, and are still involved with their former teams. They love the sport, and are taught a lot of values through it. Also, the movie shows how crushing it is to lose a big game or realize that you will never play football again. They show players dropping to the turf in sadness, and players struck with sadness on the sidelines. Also, it shows the winning side of football, and all of the glory that comes with it. There are players running to be with their teammates and others struck with excitement and happiness. Football is a brotherhood that never stops after playing days are over.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Rocky IV Review
The Rocky series becomes revitalized with spirit and determination in Rocky IV. It is a thrilling version of Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) and his quest to avenge the death of his friends Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) by the hand of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). It is a great display of nationalism and how a country can get so invested in its sports. Also, it shows a great display of determination and desire to win.
Creed wanted to show the dominance of fighters like himself, so he decided to fight Drago and show him who he had to deal with now. Creed took the fight as a joke, but half way in Drago started to dominate, and after a long fight Drago kills Creed in the ring. After the fight, Rocky becomes heart broken that he let his friend die in the ring, and decides to take on Drago for himself. He shows his determinism through all of the montages of him training and preparing for the fight. The song "Hearts on Fire" truly shows Rocky's determination and drive to win against Drago. Rocky trains at a secluded cabin so he won't get distracted by anybody. He finally trains and peaks in time for the fight and after many furious rounds with the physical beast of Drago, he triumphs over the Russian. It shows that sometimes determination and will power can supersede physical dominance.
Also, the movie displayed a strong sense of nationalism. Both Rocky and Apollo Creed wore red, white, and blue trunks, showing their pride in their country. The fans in both of the countries backed their fighters and felt a sense of pride in them. In the first fight between Drago and Creed, there is an array of patriotic themed props and costumes, including Creed's Uncle Sam warmup suit. Also, when Rocky goes to USSR to fight Drago, the majority of the fans are dressed in Soviet Uniforms and despise Rocky.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Remember the Titans movie review
"We are the titans, the mighty mighty titans" chanted the T.C. Williams High School football team; made up of black and white players. It is a movie about racism, and how two different races come together to form a united football team. Also, it is a movie about winning and hard work as a team.
Remember the Titians is a movie about a high school football team in Virginia in the early 1970's. Before the season, T.C Williams High School integrated black students to its population. Also, the school board decided that it should name a black coach as head coach (Denzel Washington). However, during the season it becomes apparent that this move was done just to please the black community, and the first step Coach Herman Boone did wrong he would be out of the job. When Coach Boone comes to town, he pushes aside the former coach, Coach Yoast (Will Patton). All of the white players do not want to play for a different coach, but Coach Yoast finally decides to become an assistant coach, so they all continue to play.
The team goes to Roanoke College for summer camp, where they go in as two separated races only brought together by a team. After many struggles together and fights with each other, they finally bound together an a team for the first time. They were able to become a team throughout learning about each other and struggles during practices. They also seemed to bind together though music, as they sang on the bus and in the locker room. The movie shows how hard it was for black kids to interact at the predominantly white schools. They still had to deal with awful and unequal treatment in the school and in the town. They were still not allowed in some restaurants, and people acted differently when they were around the black players. But, after a while some of the people began to look past the skin color and accept them as human beings.
The team slowly begins to unite as a unit and keeps on winning. Near the end of the season, the school board tries to rig a game so the team lost and Coach Yoast would get his job back. However, he cared more about winning than getting into the Hall of Fame to allow it to happen. This shows that in a time where whites had more power than blacks, that the coach still had integrity. He didn't want his team to go down like that, and he forfeited his hall of fame spot for winning and the happiness his players received from that game.
The team also comes together after Gerry's incident. Gerry Bertier, the school's All-Pro linebacker is leaving the center of town after being welcomed back by the townspeople when he peeled out and got his by a big truck. He was paralyzed from the waist down, and could never play again. Most of the players were crushed, including his best friend Julius Campbell, and went to be with him at the hospital. While the players lost a big part of their defense, they were still such a tight knit group that they were able to fill the void left behind.
The team was able to pull through and had an undefeated season, and battled through the playoffs and won the state title. They had to persevere through many obstacles to get there, but every makes them closer as a team. People usually come together in times of struggle and tragedy. The team was able to over come racial differences and injuries to win a championship.
"We are the titans, the mighty mighty titans" chanted the T.C. Williams High School football team; made up of black and white players. It is a movie about racism, and how two different races come together to form a united football team. Also, it is a movie about winning and hard work as a team.
Remember the Titians is a movie about a high school football team in Virginia in the early 1970's. Before the season, T.C Williams High School integrated black students to its population. Also, the school board decided that it should name a black coach as head coach (Denzel Washington). However, during the season it becomes apparent that this move was done just to please the black community, and the first step Coach Herman Boone did wrong he would be out of the job. When Coach Boone comes to town, he pushes aside the former coach, Coach Yoast (Will Patton). All of the white players do not want to play for a different coach, but Coach Yoast finally decides to become an assistant coach, so they all continue to play.
The team goes to Roanoke College for summer camp, where they go in as two separated races only brought together by a team. After many struggles together and fights with each other, they finally bound together an a team for the first time. They were able to become a team throughout learning about each other and struggles during practices. They also seemed to bind together though music, as they sang on the bus and in the locker room. The movie shows how hard it was for black kids to interact at the predominantly white schools. They still had to deal with awful and unequal treatment in the school and in the town. They were still not allowed in some restaurants, and people acted differently when they were around the black players. But, after a while some of the people began to look past the skin color and accept them as human beings.
The team slowly begins to unite as a unit and keeps on winning. Near the end of the season, the school board tries to rig a game so the team lost and Coach Yoast would get his job back. However, he cared more about winning than getting into the Hall of Fame to allow it to happen. This shows that in a time where whites had more power than blacks, that the coach still had integrity. He didn't want his team to go down like that, and he forfeited his hall of fame spot for winning and the happiness his players received from that game.
The team also comes together after Gerry's incident. Gerry Bertier, the school's All-Pro linebacker is leaving the center of town after being welcomed back by the townspeople when he peeled out and got his by a big truck. He was paralyzed from the waist down, and could never play again. Most of the players were crushed, including his best friend Julius Campbell, and went to be with him at the hospital. While the players lost a big part of their defense, they were still such a tight knit group that they were able to fill the void left behind.
The team was able to pull through and had an undefeated season, and battled through the playoffs and won the state title. They had to persevere through many obstacles to get there, but every makes them closer as a team. People usually come together in times of struggle and tragedy. The team was able to over come racial differences and injuries to win a championship.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
My high school cross country team showed unity in our senior season. We were picked to have a good chance at winning the state championship at the beginning of the season. We went undefeated in our conference, but came in second at our league meet. In the two weeks we had off before the regional meet, two of our best runners got injured, and we had to bring in two JV runners. It messed with our team atmosphere because we had been running with the other two for so long, and now they were gone. We came in 5th in the regional meet, and still squeaked into the state meet, however we finished in 12th. Also, in the summer we went to New Hampshire on a camping trip where we bonded as a team, and got to know each other better. It was a good experience, and we had fun remembering those experiences during the season.
How are sports united?
There are many things that unite people in the world of sports. Some people unite by having a common goal of winning, or from connecting together and being a good unit. Herb Brooks once said that, "When you put on that jersey you represent yourself and your teammates. And, the name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the name on the back” (Miracle). He is showing that it doesn't matter who the player is, you need to connect as one team. A team can't succeed with only superstars, they also need role players who all do something different to help the team. In the movie they say that the NHL All Stars got beaten by the Soviet National team 6-0!!! This is because you can't win with a group of plays who want to hog the puck and be the star all the time.
There are many things that unite people in the world of sports. Some people unite by having a common goal of winning, or from connecting together and being a good unit. Herb Brooks once said that, "When you put on that jersey you represent yourself and your teammates. And, the name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the name on the back” (Miracle). He is showing that it doesn't matter who the player is, you need to connect as one team. A team can't succeed with only superstars, they also need role players who all do something different to help the team. In the movie they say that the NHL All Stars got beaten by the Soviet National team 6-0!!! This is because you can't win with a group of plays who want to hog the puck and be the star all the time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)