Monday, January 27, 2020

Film Review of The Others (2011)

Film Review of The Others (2011) THE OTHERS FILM REVIEW:  Make Sure You all Double Check Youre Alive. By DYLAN B. TO Published March 6, 2017 Nicole Kidman as Grace in 2001s The Others Over sixteen years ago, on Thursday August 2, 2011, Alejandro Amenà ¡bars The Others, was released to the public. Why exactly are we looking back on this sixteen-year-old ghost story that was awarded a very respectable 82% on Rotten Tomatoes? Because it still manages to be relevant. It tackles modern issues of domestic abuse, violence as well as challenges the formula[DT1] of an evil scary monster or ghost that haunts an individual that produces the movies we know today. In a day an age when the slated line up of horror films for the year consists of a multitude of sequels such as The Conjuring 3, Insidious 4, and Saw VIII, a movie like The Others is a refreshing watch. The Others, an almost two-decade old film is a tantalizing ghost story that takes place in 1945 on an isolated rustic house on the island of Jersey, located in the English Channel[DT2]. However, it is curious, the mother and children, as well as the three servants, don age old Victorian attire, as well as other [DT3]elements reminiscent of its inspiration, the classic Victorian novella, The Turn of The Screw, by Henry James, such as the setting itself, as well as the plot line of deceased servants of the home coming back and haunting the new residents. The Spanish director who wrote and directed the film, Alejandro Amenabar, (his first film in English) accentuates the horror of the film through a complex and intelligent setup. Three servants (Fionnula Flanagan as Mrs. Betha Mills, Eric Sykes as Mr. Edmund Tuttle, and Elain Cassidy as Lydia) arrive at the doorstep of the manor, where Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidman), the matriarch of the house, tells them about the lack of electricity, phone or radio in the home. Additionally, the windows of the home must be covered with heavy curtains, as well as no door must be opened unless the one before is closed.[DT4] Due to her young children, Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley), both being ultra-photosensitive to a point where light is fatal to them. Thus, 50 doors, the 15 keys, poorly lit corridors, cavernous lit only by a lamp or fire places, molds a skeleton for the director to manipulate.[DT5] Amenabar manages to pilot with this peculiar setting with incredible precision and efficiency, producing frightening context that is unveiled over the two-hour run time. The large Victorian house seems to be haunted mysterious laughter and weeping could be heard through the walls, Anne swears she sees an unknown young boy and old woman, locked doors are left open, and a piano playing by itself. Director Amenabar knows that what is unseen scares us viewers more than what we can, and he utilizes some of the most minimal old school cinematography techniques to enhance this: snappy tracking shots, reverse cutting, and littering the soundtrack with bellowing cellos and ear-bleeding shrieking violins maximizing the jabs of terror and horror of the setting. Within the first 40 minutes of screen time, Amenabar manages to produce a fog of ambiguity out of his fog machine of directorship, reminiscent of the films inspiration from The Turn of the Screw. Are the children playing tricks on their hysterical mother? Do the servants have some sort of hidden agenda? Is the film psychological or paranormal? Are any of the ghost in the movie as frightening as Grace herself, whose strict and borderline insane parental skills are a mixture of high-strung temperament and religious bigotry? Actress Nicole Kidman nails her performance of this unstable mix with such conviction that it adds its own element of terror to the film. The exciting moment where Kidman is ravaging through the hallways and doors, with immense rage and confusion, cocking an old shotgun is a highlight that shows her acting chops[DT6]. Her stylish and multilayered performances that can be seen in some of her recent work, gives the film some extra incentive to watch. The film is not without flaw, however. The directors technical direction doesnt quite match his conceptualization. The film takes some confusing turns and is not entirely proficient in displaying the rule of thumb[DT7] of horror movies. The supernatural elements must have some sort of explanation, as the product of fear is not sold without its believability. Perhaps this is the same reason the film is openly compared to M. Night Shyamalan The Sixth Sense. This movies premise, is stated clearly by Mrs. Mills (Fionnula Flanagan), the housekeeper, is that the world of the dead gets mixed up in the world of the living.. Further through the story, she claims the intruders are bad and not to be trifled with, and yet is contradicted by her own statement in the closing of the film, we must all learn to live together, the living and the dead. The methods the film uses to address [DT8]the rest of its ghostly phenomena as confusing and contradicting as those moments in the movie. Despite[DT9]The Others not making complete sense in some ways, it has its fair share of pleasantries. There is something refreshing about seeing a filmmaker embrace classic and old fashion horror essentials with such care and precision. And there is a deeper satisfaction and enjoyment found in watching Nicole Kidman transcend the haunted paranormal that threatens to consume her. Her bone-chilling performance sells the product of fear that convinces even me, someone that considers himself a realist, that ghosts exist. As I have mentioned before, the film tackles various relevancies in current times. The truth we find in the end ties to domestic abuse shown by the intense dynamic between the mother and children, violence from the context of WWII and certain qualms with religion. The flow of events generally ties back to these, in subtle ways control the plot. Due to these ties, the relevant themes add some extra meaning to the film if connected back to our current situations with war in the middle east, violence that is still occurring in homes, as well as some religious bouts elsewhere in the world. As a film in general, The Others, though not at all plot driven, is something entirely unique from what you would see today in theaters. The craftsmanship of the screenplay, on its own sets itself apart from films such as The Conjuring, and its sequel(soon to be trilogy), that rely on the standard paranormal villainy and horror. The Others banks on the never before seen perspective of those that are the paranormal rather than those of the affected by the paranormal (well other than Casper the Friendly Ghost). The robust and engaging acting of the characters such as Kidman, and unique perspective of the film, makes this 2001 horror movie something to be seen even in this day and age.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

What achieving a degree means to me :: essays research papers

â€Å"What achieving a degree means to me† Hello my name is ______________ I am a twenty nine year old married mother of two. I’ve been married for twelve years and I have an eight years old boy and a two years old girl. Since I was nineteen years old in the fall of 1991 I’ve attempted to earn a college degree attending first Tarrant County Junior College and second Weatherford College stop and starting back again several times over the years trying to reach my goal. In the summer of 1995 when my oldest was two my husband and I moved our mobile home on to new land, which required my assistance helping out financially. I started working for a great company that I loved, Auto Rail Services of Texas they are an afflation of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway were I worked part time in the evenings doing data entry. Six months later I started working full time as the assistant office manager in charge of the day-to-day operations. I was sent to Tarrant County Junior College to gain a certificate in Microsoft Offic e applications. I continued to advance with in the company and enjoyed working there but in the July of 1998 the company suffered financially when Ford Motor Company moved there business to Union Pacific Railway, which caused downsizing in the company I was laid off. I contemplated going back to school after this but couldn’t financially afford to stop working full time. The following October I became pregnant with our second child and after her birth my husband and I decided to downsize our financial situation so that I could remain home with the baby. When the child was seven months old I took a part time position in my aunts security company where I assisted in the office and was able to bring my child with me. Not long after my aunts company was forced to go out of business, which caused me to relay on unemployment compensation, threw Texas Workforce Commission there I was informed I could return to college and receive assistance with childcare. I began all the necessary proceedings for the program and was informed before I could actually get the assistance I would need to pass the TASP test a mandatory test required before you are eligible to receive a degree in the State of Texas. Having passed all but the math section of the test I decided I would take a preparatory tasp math class.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Outline current policies and legislation relating to children and how these affect your practice Essay

First of all what is the difference between â€Å"policy and legislation†. â€Å"A policy is a document that outlines what a government is going to do and what it can achieve for the society as a whole. It also outlines any and all methods and principles that the government or any entity, for that matter, will use to achieve its directive. Legislation is another term meaning statutory law. These laws have been enacted by a legislature or the governing body of a country. Legislation can also mean the process of making the law.† Before being able to take a position held in a school I would have to be DBS Disclosure and Barring Services which are replaced the CRB check**. This is a regulation within the law which will be looking at an individuals criminal history ranging from convictions, cautions down to warnings. In the Protection of Children Act 1999 it states that all adults working with children must be DBS checked. Any person who is found to have their name on this l ist with a criminal offense regarding children will not be allowed to work within this area. I would have to work under the law of the Children Act 2004 which is there to make sure the welfare and health of the child is protected, this also includes the Every Child Matters in which all children deserve and should expect the levels of care and adhere to this. This also includes in this green paper allowing all services to share information on children that they have concerns over, this is to help all the services have a better understanding and have the knowledge of that particular childs risk history so to evaluate what the next appropriate step is to take for this particular child.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Disability Discrimination In The Workplace - 1439 Words

Over the years, the workplace has experienced several instances of discrimination. In attempt to stop the discrimination, Title VII was passed. Although Title VII helped employers in terms of race, color, gender, religion and national origin, those who had disabilities continued to face the frustration of disability barriers in the workplace, given disability was not one of the listed protected classes. Employers abstained from hiring the disabled in fear of them not being able to perform at the same level as the other employees or the attitudes of such employees towards the disabled workers. Of course, there was some legal protection against discrimination: The Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, but this law only applied to employees†¦show more content†¦However, other labor laws prohibiting employment discrimination based on disability such as Section 503, among others, are enforced or administered by the DOL. Under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act, emplo yers with fifteen or more employees are prohibited from discriminating against people with disabilities. Furthermore, the employment provisions of the Act require that employers provide equal opportunity in selecting, testing, and hiring qualified applicants with disabilities, job accommodations for applicants and workers with disabilities when such would not impose due hardship, and equal opportunity in promotion and benefits. (United States Department of Labor). If an employer is found liable for such discrimination, the fines can be extremely high. Therefore, it is important to know the definition of disability as determined by the ADA. A disability is a physical or mental impairment that essentially limits one or more of the major life activities of an individual, a record of having such impairment, or being regarded as having such impairment (Bennett-Alexander and Hartman) and the individual should be able to prove such factors to establish a prima facie case in court. Despite of these definitions, a disability is determined based on the effect the impairmentShow MoreRelatedDiscrimination Within The Workplace, Race, Religion, National Origin And Disabilities1372 Words   |  6 PagesDiscrimination in the workplace comes in many forms: age, sex, race, religion, national origin and disabilities. All of these are in protected groups by law. 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