Tomorrow

Tomorrow was one of those movies that just seemed awkward and boring to me. Not taking anything away from Duvall’s acting but it just didn’t interest me. I think his portrayal of Fentre took a lot of skill and talent and he really fit the part. I prefer movies that have excitement and action and this film had little to none. The interaction between Fentre and the women just seemed to drag on throughout the movie. Also, the movie was very predictable. Even without reading it I could easily guess that she was going to eventually pass away and couldn’t help but feel sorry for Fentre. He had the biggest heart and no matter what he did things were going to end badly for him. The movie just had an overall depressing tone. At the end when his wife’s brothers took the boy away you would like to think the Fentry would have fought harder to keep something he cared about so much. The boy was the one thing in his life that kept him happy and to let him go so easily just didn’t seem right. This just shows that nice guys finish last and that the world is sometimes not fair. I realize that even though this wasn’t my favorite movie I do think the director was fairly accurate with the time period and presented many important themes. Not all movies should have happy endings and this film did for the most part fit with Faulkner’s writing.

The sky is grey

After finishing reading The Sky is Grey I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the short story. I usually do not like reading text that has a lot of slang or that takes place back in time because it takes me longer to read and comprehend. This was different. I quickly picked up that this would be focused on racial equality when they had to sit in the colored section of the bus. I liked that it didn’t focus primarily on the anger of how blacks viewed whites but insight on how to change it. The point in the story when the boy was talking to the preacher really made me think. The boy way of thinking in my opinion was commendable and rather thought provoking. His reference to the wind being pink made a lot of sense to me. I think if people have a problem with different races they should think about what exactly the color black or white really means. Going back the mom and the boy, the way they acted at the old ladies store was to be admired. Although her boy was starving and cold, she still didn’t want their charity unless they earned it. It made me think of how lucky to have the possessions I do and not to envy others as much.

tomorrow

After reading the short story Tomorrow by William Faulkner I was confused to say the least. The story starts out in a courtroom where they mention a plethora of different characters and gave little back story on any of them. I had a hard time keeping the characters straight and after trying to re-read the pages got very frustrated. Not to mention when I watched the movie today there was not a courtroom seen at all. Unlike the movie, they gave a description of Fentry and what kind of people he came from. It told us the he knew very little except how to work hard. Basically they just took advantage of his work ethic. I think the conditions to which he was living were very poor but Fentry didn’t seem to mind at all. The way he treated the pregnant lady was to be admired as well. It shows the he did need companionship and maybe her passing out near him was some kind of sign. The story all in all had me confused to how all these characters connect to each other. I would also say I was not a big fan of the story or the movie due to its boring and almost awkward dialogue.

Momento

The movie Momento was quite good to say the least. I was really taken back by how good the acting was and the plot was very original. Although the short story and the movie differ slightly, the idea the director and the author were trying to convey were similar. As I began to watch the movie, it was easy to figure out that the plot was in a way reversed. The beginning was the end and the end was the beginning. I enjoyed this twist because right when you think you have the movie all figured out the director throws you off. Throughout the whole movie, the audience is hoping the main character, Lenny, will find the person who raped and killed his wife, and left him with this debilitating disorder. His persistence and determination is admired to the point that you can’t help but feel bad for him. Also, his love of his wife just puts the icing on the cake. The character named “Teddy” was questionable in my eyes. You know that his involvement and Lenny’s life is crucial but not sure if it’s in a good or bad way. He has certain characteristics about him that make him seem shady or even sleazy. My initial reaction to him was correct. I felt that he’s was trying to help out Lenny but that his intentions were questionable. The biggest turn in the movie for me and I assume others is when you find out his wife is still alive, and that Sammy Jenkins was Lenny. All in all, the movie got me to think in ways I have not yet thought and gave good insight on what people with short term memory go through.

Momento Mori

When I first started reading “Momento Mori” I’ll be honest it kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I didn’t like the negativity and I found it very sexist. I felt like it portrayed men as these dumb forgetful creatures and I probably would not have kept reading it if it was not an assigned reading. As I continued reading I learned quickly that the reading had a deeper meaning. It offered an unusual but interesting view of living a life that had no meaning, no timeline, no point. It gave a sad reference to a man who cant remember anything longer than a half hour or so and has to leave clues in order to go through his daily living. Personally, I like many people just thought it was a man with Alzheimer’s, a degenerative neurological disease affecting many senior citizens. I quickly realized that this was probably not the case. It got me thinking when he wrote the letter. The idea that the life he is living may not be real at all. His thought that maybe the people who didn’t get in heaven were just going through the motions in life. People would have already gone through judgment day but would have no clue. Nothing they would ever do would matter. This is very depressing to think about but an interesting thought. I personally don’t agree with it but who am I to disagree.

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The essay “Hemingway’s “The Killers” Heroic Fatalism gave good insight to many of the unanswered questions that one might not realize from just reading the short story. It tells you about Ole Anderson or the Swede as they call them and more about what he did. For example, when he was supposed to throw one of his fights but then couldn’t and end up knocking the opponent out. Also, they talk about how in the movie made in 1946 did not include the characters Mrs. Bell and they change the name of Ole Anderson to Pete Lund to conceal his identity. The dialogue also changes as they don’t call the cook a “Nigger” probably due to censorship laws or maybe it was just the director’s decision. Either way I feel like that changed the tone significantly in my opinion. In the essay it also explains the bizarre 1960’s version of “The Killers”. It explains that the director was known for making 1950’s western movies which may explain why it was so different. Before it was released Kennedy was assassinated and the movie was actual deemed to violent for television. Although the movies both differ, the themes presented a man who understands the implications of their actions and are willing to accept the consequences. This as clearly stated in the title is “Heroic fatalism”.

The Killers

In response to reading The Killers by Ernest Hemingway, I was kind of torn to how I felt about it. Personally, the characters, Max and Al, were definitely shady form the beginning. Their dialect and tone of their voice gave insight to the reader that their intentions were malicious. Max and Al’s use of the word “bright boy” and “nigger” showed their ignorance and also gave an uncomfortable feeling to me and probably anyone who reads it. This short story, for me, closely resembles the movie deliverance. Although taking place in a different location and time the tone Al and Max used toward everyone different than themselves reminded me of the movie. Everything Max and Al said was intentionally supposed to make the rest of the people feel dumb and awkward. The way they always said they had to keep the “bright boy” amused also stuck out in my mind. When watching the clip of the movie on YouTube, you can definitely feel the tension in the restaurant. Never seeing this movie before, I expected that they were definitely going to kill someone in the restaurant, and the fact that they let them all go was surprising. In response to how Ole Anderson responded when Adams told him what was happening his response was pretty much how I expected it to go. Knowing that he was a retired heavyweight prizefighter you can imagine the pride he must have and he knew that he got involved with the wrong people and there was nothing he can do. All in all, I enjoyed the story and it kept me interested from start to finish.