Brokeback Mountain

I really liked this movie. I liked it the first time I saw it and this time. I feel like its about a lot more than just a love story and that is why I liked it. Its about gay rights and the stigma associated with being a homosexual. I think its great that these issues are addressed in something like a movie because everyone watches movies. What I don't think is great, is people who sit in the movie and moan and groan when a controversial part comes up. In my opinion, if you can't be respectful of other peoples views and lifestyles then leave. I think as college juniors going to school where there are TONS of people who are different and in such a liberal community, we should be at the point where we can be tolerant and respectful in a situation where there may be someone beside you who could be affected by your moans and groans. If you can't be a grown up about your opinions then don't express them in public. As for the adaptation, the director did a good thing by sticking side by side to the story because I don't think it would have had the same meanings and storyline had the director changed even a little bit. I really enjoyed watching and reading this story, I think it's a great movie/story for people to experience, especially with the diversity in the world today.

ShortCuts

This movie was crazy. I really liked the way all of those stories were originally not together but the director put them all together and then intertwined them. There were alot of things that I really didn't like about the movie though. The end was the worst part of the movie. It kind of just dropped off and left you there. Plus the guy hitting that girl and killing her was absolutely disturbing. Especially because you have no clue why he does it and then the movie just ends. I think the movie could have definitely ended better. Another thing I thought was wierd was the way the one woman was having phone sex using explicit language in front of her kids--one of which was absolutely old enough to at least repeat it. It was disgusting. Overall the movie was okay-- but I will not be watching it again...probably ever.

3 Short Stories Assignment

The first short story I read was Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolff. This story was very interesting and easy to follow. I liked it because it had humor in it. There were some parts in the story however that I didn't understand. For example the part where Frank and Tub were telling each other about the lies that they both held inside. Franks lie was gross because the girl he loved and was leaving his wife for was a 15 year old who babysat his kids. Tubs lie was weird because it really wasn't that big of a deal--he only lied because he was embarrassed. I didn't understand what was going on with Kenny while Tub and Frank were in the diner. From what I got, they just left him in the truck bleeding from where Tub shot him--which is ludacris. Then in the end they made the wrong turn and the reader is left with no clue whether they made it to the hospital or not.

For my second story, I read The birth-mark by Nathaniel Hawthorne.I really did not enjoy reading this short story. First of all I thought it was really weird that the whole story was basically about this womans birth mark on her cheek. Yeah, thats the name of the story, but I thought it would have a little more to the story than what it did. I also did not like the way that Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote. The entire story was written in an older language--maybe Old English?--and that made it really hard to understand and follow. I won't be recommending him or atleast this story to my group for our final project.

For my third story, I read A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner. This story was also weird--but I did like it alot better than The Birth-mark. I liked this story because it gave alot of detail about Miss Emily's life. It, like Momento Mori, started out in the end and ended in the end as well. The middle consisted of what came before the end. Ever since watching Momento Mori I have really started taking an intrest in these types of stories. There isn't the level of significance of going backwards like Momento Mori did, but it worked for me. I also liked this story because it intrested me. It talked in what seemed like an "older" language as well but not as bad as the last story I read. Because it had so much detail, it left no questions in my mind after I got done reading, which I really like in a story.


Overall out of the three stories, I definitely liked The Hunters in the Snow the best. I will definitely be suggesting this story and or this author to my group for our final project.