Samantha Cormack
Matthew Haupert Humanities 9 June 2019 Movie Review: The Kill Bill Series Labeled as the most iconic Tarantino film of all time, Kill Bill deserves all the credit it gets. Although it is sometimes overshadowed by Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained, and The Hateful Eight, the love for this movie by its fans is unmatchable. The basic premise of the Kill Bill series is a woman waking up from a coma, and immediately going after rightful revenge. The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad was responsible for killing her and everyone at her wedding. The Bride survived the shooting, but in the process lost her baby that she was pregnant with at the time. The leader of this squad? Bill, an ex of hers. Bill also happens to be the father of her baby, and now she’s hungry for revenge. She goes after every single member of the D.V.A.S., getting closer and closer to her ultimate target, Bill. With it’s amazing attention to detail, female empowerment, and astounding storytelling, Kill Bill is a legendary movie series. The attention to detail in Kill Bill is like no other. One of the scenes that I like to point out to others is in Volume 1. Hanzo is a famous swordsmith who made a blood oath to never make a sword again, and has kept it for 28 years. The Bride (the main character) asks Hanzo to make a sword for her. She convinced him to by telling him that the “vermin” she wants to kill is one of his former students, Bill, who he owes a big obligation. Hanzo then writes Bill’s name in the condensation on the window. The Bride comes up to the window and smudged out his entire name, leaving but one small spot of the B. After a good 5 seconds of her staring at the smudge, she goes and smudges out the rest of the B she forgot . Although this may seem like a very insignificant scene to draw attention to, I find it to be a great representation of the attention to detail in this movie (and Tarantino's trademarked perfectionism.) Usually, directors would have not bothered to add that five seconds because “it’s not needed.” Which is true, it’s not needed. But that’s what makes Tarantino stick out. Have you ever questioned the logic of a movie? For instance, someone breaks into a house and touches a bunch of things WITHOUT gloves on. You’re sitting there watching the movie like, “dude, you’re totally gonna get caught if you leave fingerprints.” Tarantino feels this. In Pulp Fiction, this same scene happens. A guys breaks into a house, takes a gun that isn’t his, kills someone with it, and leaves the gun on a table in the house. He is about to leave, but he looks at the gun for a few seconds, and then gets a tissue and cleans the gun of fingerprints. It brings a sigh of relief from everyone watching the movie, and Tarantino leaves the audience at ease. Kill Bill also has great representation of female empowerment and feminism. Uma Thurman, who plays The Bride in Kill Bill, said during an interview at The Karlovy Film Festival, “Women would come up to me and they would say that somehow or other – they’d share a little bit — that that film helped them in their lives, whether they were feeling oppressed or struggling or had a bad boyfriend or felt badly about themselves, that that film released in them some survival energy that was helpful, and that is probably one of the most gratifying things that I have ever experienced in response to a piece of art” (qtd. In Barraclough). This goes to show that Kill Bill has done more than just entertain the audience. Kill Bill provided empowerment, and inspired many across the world. This movie is a big punch in the face to the phrase “you fight like a girl.” There are countless scenes of The Bride demolishing foes left and right, and she is a strong advocate of the idea that you can do anything. In Kill Bill Volume 2, she quite literally digs herself out of a grave after being buried alive in a coffin. She is able to do this after remembering her years of torturous Kung Fu training, thus breaking herself out of the coffin with her fist. Watching The Bride go through years of training and working hard to get where she wants to be is incredibly inspiring. Last but not least, Kill Bill does an astounding job at storytelling. The story itself is a satisfying tale of revenge, making it easy to rewatch over and over again. The movie has a great balance of action and heartfelt emotion, making it a well thought out story rather than it just being explosions and fights 24/7. For example, arguably the most epic scene in the entire series, The Bride fights the Crazy 88, which is a squad of 88 fighting masters, and she defeats every single one of them at the same time. On the contrast, we learn later in the series that her presumed deceased baby has actually been alive all these years, because she went through labor while in her coma. Bill has been taking good care of her, and The Bride is reunited with her daughter, which makes for a very touching scene. Adding on to the aspect of great storytelling, another great example would be O-Ren Ishii’s origin story. This whole scene comes as a wonderful surprise for the audience, as it is fully animated. Because of O-Ren Ishii’s Japanese origin, this story is done completely in a manga/anime art style, which makes for a really epic animation, and yet connects with her culture and where she comes from. This makes for effective storytelling because we are learning not only about her origin story, but her connection to the Japanese lifestyle through the style of animation. Kill Bill is an overall fantastic movie. Not only does this movie serve as a fun movie to watch, but it has done much good for the word by empowering women. It has great storytelling, attention to detail, and keeps you on your toes the whole time! In all, I’d recommend Kill Bill 100%. Citations: Barraclough, Leo. “Uma Thurman Explains How 'Kill Bill' Role Empowers Women.” Variety, 3 July 2017, variety.com/2017/film/global/uma-thurman-kill-bill-quentin-tarantino-women-1202486243/.
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According to this info and my own data of Ms. Lyman’s fish tank, the pH levels are a little higher than they should be in the fish tank. Alkalinity is also much higher than it should be, these two might play a little part in the Zebrafish getting sick in the past. At exhibition, I will be handing out decorated, easy-to-read pamphlets about my data. This week I collected water from the fish tank in the lab room. I’ve only tested it for chromium and pH, but soon I want to test it for Alkalinity as well. I’ve done research on zebrafish, which are the fish that live in Ms. Lyman’s fish tank. Here is the research I’ve so far collected, however I still need to find out which levels of chromium + alkalinity + pH are safe for them:
Zebrafish originate from the Ganges River in East India and Burma. Their diet includes organisms smaller than themselves. They usually serve as prey to bigger fish, small amphibians, mammals, or birds. Zebrafish are a very popular fish to use in scientific experiments because, according to the University of Oregon, ¨zebrafish embryos have become very popular worldwide as a means of understanding how not only fish, but all vertebrates including people, develop from the moment that sperm fertilizes an egg. The eggs are clear and develop outside of the mother's body, allowing scientists to watch a zebrafish egg grow into a newly formed fish under a microscope.¨ 1. 2. 3. 4. So far my lab is going the way I anticipated. I haven’t had to change anything about my lab. My next step is answer the questions I added in my notes & observations, and continue to find places to collect water. I also need to test my different waters for chromium and other things. 5. Samantha Cormack
Elonis v. U.S. Court Majority Opinion In this case, Anthony Elonis was accused of threatening his ex-wife, co-workers, a kindergarten class, an FBI agent, and the local police through rap lyrics he posted on Facebook. Elonis claims they were not literal, but instead artistic expression to help cope with the events in his life. This includes his wife and family leaving him, and losing his job at an amusement park. However, the people he was directing it towards took his lyrics as threats. I believe that the court should have to prove if someone had the intent to threaten someone, as I will explain later. There are a many strong key points that are in Elonis’ favor. The first main point, and probably the strongest point, would be that Elonis put a disclaimer in his comments. According to the brief of the case, Elonis put a disclaimer at the end of his comments in attempt for his statements to not be taken seriously, stating “This is not a threat.” Because Elonis said this even before the charges, its heavy evidence that he did not actually intend to commit the crimes stated in his comments and lyrics. If he did, he wouldn’t go through the trouble of putting a disclaimer. This is important because it provides evidence against the fact that he intended to harm the people he so mentioned. The second point would be that every American citizen has the right to freedom of speech, including Elonis. The very first amendment on the constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” This amendment proves that Elonis is entitled to say whatever he pleases, this includes his song lyrics. This is the first amendment for a reason, and it should be taken seriously and respected. Of course there are limits to the first amendment, like shouting ¨Fire!¨ in a peaceful public place is illegal, however saying this can cause real physical harm to citizens around. This is not the same as song lyrics, like in Elonis´ case. At first, I found the opposing argument to be in the right. After reading Elonis’ lyrics, they did seem pretty threatening. The lyrics were absurdly specific, and I can see why somebody would take it as a threat. However, there is just not enough evidence to suggest that Elonis actually wanted to commit any of these crimes. In fact, there is more evidence against these statements being actual threats. One of the key points being that he puts a disclaimer on his comments saying “This is not a threat.” I believe that the precedent set here should be that we need to prove if somebody has the intention of threatening somebody, rather than it being solely decided on the victims’ interpretation of what is and isn’t a threat. In the future, if somebody says something totally harmless, such as “I don’t agree with you,” a statement they didn’t intend to be hurtful, does that person deserve to be punished if the victim takes it as a threat? This is the precedent that would be set if the U.S. council claims victory in this case. Even if someone says something like ¨I´m going to kill kindergarteners,¨ they will still need enough evidence to prove that they actually meant it. This phrase could mean something totally different to the person who is actually saying it. They do not deserve to be punished for something they possibly didn't even intend. We can't have people falsely accused in prison. That is not the way America should be. Everyone deserves a fair trial, and freedom of speech. We can’t disregard the first amendment on the bill of rights in this case. Freedom of speech is important, and is a very essential part of America. Setting the wrong precedent would go against Freedom of Speech. It is so ordered. Samantha Cormack
Elonis v. U.S. Court Majority Opinion In this case, Elonis was accused of threatening his ex-wife, co-workers, a kindergarten class, an FBI agent, and the local police through rap lyrics he posted on Facebook. Elonis claims they were not literal, but instead artistic expression to help cope with the events in his life. This includes his wife and family leaving him, and losing his job at an amusement park. However, the people he was directing it towards took his lyrics as threats. I believe that the court should have to prove if someone had the intent to threaten someone. There are a many strong key points that are in Elonis’ favor. The first main point, and probably the strongest point, would be that Elonis put a disclaimer in his comments. According to the brief of the case, Elonis put a disclaimer at the end of his comments in attempt for his statements to not be taken seriously, stating “This is not a threat.” Because Elonis said this even before the charges, its heavy evidence that he did not actually intend to commit the crimes stated in his comments and lyrics. If he did, he wouldn’t go through the trouble of putting a disclaimer. The second point would be that every American citizen has the right to freedom of speech, including Elonis. The very first amendment on the constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” This amendment proves that Elonis is entitled to say whatever he pleases, this includes his song lyrics. This is the first amendment for a reason, and it should be taken seriously and respected. At first, I found the opposing argument to be in the right. After reading Elonis’ lyrics, they did seem pretty threatening. The lyrics were absurdly specific, and I can see why somebody would take it as a threat. However, there is just not enough evidence to suggest that Elonis actually wanted to commit any of these crimes. In fact, there is more evidence against these statements being actual threats. One of the key points being that he puts a disclaimer on his comments saying “This is not a threat.” I believe that the precedent set here should be that we need to prove if somebody has the intention of threatening somebody, rather than it being solely decided on the victims’ interpretation of what is and isn’t a threat. In the future, if somebody says something totally harmless, such as “I don’t agree with you,” a statement they didn’t intend to be hurtful, does that person deserve to be punished if the victim takes it as a threat? This is the precedent that would be set if the U.S. council claims victory in this case. We can’t disregard the first amendment on the bill of rights in this case. Freedom of speech is important, and is a very essential part of America. Setting the wrong precedent would go against Freedom of Speech. It is so ordered. August 31st, 2018
Samantha Cormack Humanities Isle of Dogs: A Film to Admire An 8/10 on IMDb, an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a Metascore of 82, for a film that should have a 10/10 on IMDb, a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, and a Metascore of 100. Numbers aren't everything, and I’m here to prove it. Isle of Dogs is one of the best films ever made, with an astounding soundtrack, exhilarating cinematography, and stop-motion that will become an inspiration to directors for years to come. This film is tough to beat, and for good reason. Isle of Dogs is directed by no other than master storyteller Wes Anderson, a director given many awards for films such as The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, and The Grand Budapest Hotel. This film being directed by Wes Anderson is a very good reason on its own, but of course, it’s not the only reason. Isle of Dogs is set in a dystopian future in Japan, where the entire dog population gets infected with a disease. As a result, the humans decide to expel all dogs to a far-away island. The film follows the story of a young Japanese boy and his group of helpful dogs with the goal of finding the boy’s lost dog, who was one of the first dogs to be expelled to the island. This film does a great job at sending a good message about protest, controversy, and diversity which can connect to today’s society. The first aspect of this film that I would like to dig into is the stop-motion. If you have seen a couple of Wes Anderson films in your time, you know he adores stop-motion. Even when he tries making a live-action film, he finds a way to sneak in an stop-motion animated scene somewhere. For instance, in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, there is a 4 second scene of a child holding a rainbow seahorse in a plastic bag, and the seahorse was fully stop-motion, no CGI. The scene did not need the amount of effort that was put into it. However, Wes Anderson’s love for stop-motion couldn’t stay away. It really goes to show Anderson’s true efforts into his art. This theme of tiny scenes of stop-motion is very common in his films. So if the short scenes of animation are amazing, what do his fully animated films look like? Well, quite extraordinary in fact. Isle of Dogs and Fantastic Mr. Fox are great examples. Wes contrasts the art of cartoon physics (when the dogs start getting rough with eachother and begin a physical fight, they get thrown into the classic cartoon trope of a dirt cloud) with deadpan, self aware neurotics. (In Isle of Dogs, when well-groomed ¨Nutmeg¨ gets asked if she was a show-dog before getting kicked to Trash Island, she replies with “I don’t consider it my identity.”) Both films milk the power of photo-realistic detail upon handmade objects, which make for some amazing scenes. My absolute favorite aspect of this movie is the way the soundtrack dances with the cinematography. I will admit, I listen to this soundtrack in my free time. The film does an excellent job of letting the music melt into the environment perfectly, as it uses western themes (like Japanese drums, for example.) This shows Wes’s effort into making his work a real japanese film, instead of the cliche “epic battle with samurai swords wearing robes and sandals” that we have all seen before. The film uses music by Akira Kurosawa, who worked on the award winning film Django (Directed by Quentin Tarantino, creator of the legendary Pulp Fiction.) Not only that, the way the camerawork harmonizes with the soundtrack is such a satisfying thing to behold. Every little head turn, every stomp, and every camera angle switch goes to the beat of the music, including the absolutley glorious title credits. It really represents the amount of detail and effort put into this film, as it is an easy one to watch over and over again. Isle of Dogs is a truly excellent film. The soundtrack, the cinematography, everything is exquisite. But what makes a film a film? As a person who has seen their fair share of cinema, I have come up with a few theories and ideas about the concept of film. One idea asks the question, “Is there a difference between a movie and a film?” My answer, is yes. “For me, filmmaking combines everything. That’s the reason I’ve made cinema my life’s work. In films, painting and literature, theatre and music come together. But a film is still a film.” – Akira Kurosawa. Notice how in this quote Kurosawa uses the word “film” instead of “movie.” When you think of Guardians of the Galaxy, do you think of it as a movie or a film? When you think of Phantom Thread, do you think of it as a movie or a film? For me personally, I find that Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers and others like it are considered movies. Entertainment, eye candy, fan service. Of course, these don’t have to be bad things. They cater to the audience, and in return, the audience eats it up. But what about a film? A film is the mesmerizing doodles in your highschool notebook that nobody knew about. A film is the hidden mural in an alleyway next to the Dodger Stadium. A film is art. Art isn’t entertainment or fan service, but expression. A movie will cater to an audience, nurture it, and give it what it wants. A film says “hello,” shakes your hand, hands you the meaning of life, slaps you in the face and runs away. You’ll catch yourself thinking about a film in the most abstract of settings. Picking up an apple at the grocery store, or zipping up your jacket. A film has the power to do that, unlike a movie. It takes effort to make a film. It takes thought, detail, emotion, and sleepless nights. All things done to make Isle of Dogs. Isle of Dogs is truly incredible, funny, and thought-provoking, and I believe everyone should see it. It spreads subtle awareness about today’s society, things that should be talked and thought about. A film is hard to come by, especially one like Isle of Dogs. A film is hard to replicate. A film is art. A film is beauty. A film is Isle of Dogs. Citations: Shmoop Editorial Team. “Seven Samurai: Music (Score).” Shmoop, Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008, www.shmoop.com/seven-samurai/music.html. “Isle of Dogs (2018).” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/title/tt5104604/. Rotten Tomatoes, www.rottentomatoes.com/m/isle_of_dogs_2018/. Dowd, A.A. “On an Isle Of Dogs, Wes Anderson Uses Stop-Motion to Construct One of His Most Wondrous Worlds.” Film, Film.avclub.com, 20 July 2018, https://film.avclub.com/on-an-isle-of-dogs-wes-anderson-uses-stop-motion-to-co-1823968967 1. 2. 3. My water is overall safe and normal. It is safe for humans to drink. The amount of pH 9, and the average amount being 8.5. The presence of chlorine is normal, as low amounts of chlorine is often found in tap water. The trace amounts of nitrogen doesn’t affect much of the water, and the water is still safe to drink. Phosphate can be dangerous even at low amounts, but it is normal to find it in drinking water. Because copper is found in water pipes, it is common for it to be consumed in drinking water. 4. Charles’ Law Sandra got a balloon for her birthday. The initial volume was 2.00L. Sandra loves Costco, so her mom took her there with her little brother to celebrate. Sandra brought her balloon with her. The initial temperature in Costco is 15 degrees Celsius. While in Costco, her little brother decided to hide her balloon in one of the freezers. Sandra eventually found her balloon. But the balloon now had a volume of 0.70L. What was the temperature inside the freezer?
Answer: 5.25 degrees Celsius Boyle’s Law A ziploc bag that had 8L of air at 67 kpa is opened, and when it is closed it is left with 4L of air. What is the pressure of the bag after it has been opened?
Answer: 134 kpa 3rd Law Pete is pressure cooking brown rice at 215 degrees celsius, and the pressure in the cooker is 110 kpa. Later, the temperature increases to 300 degrees celsius. What is the pressure inside the cooker now?
Answer: 153.8 kpa 5. In chemistry I feel like I have been doing an overall good job, however I do feel like I can be asking my teacher more questions. I usually go to my peers first before my teacher, and I want to grow out of that habit. When I’m struggling, I’ll ask my teacher for help first before my peers. I’ll make sure to email her if I have any questions while working on something from class at home. If she’s not in the room, I won’t be afraid to ask help of the assistant teachers as well. I’ll stay in the classroom during work time so I’ll be in closer proximity of the teachers, thus being easier to ask them for help.
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AuthorI'm Samantha Cormack, and this is my blog for my 10th grade year of 2018-2019! If you would like to know more about me, visit the home page and you will find my biography. Archives |