Blog 4: Sandlot

Hunter Ricks

Kassia Jackson Waggoner

English 10803- Intro Comp: Writing as Inquiry 021

31 October 2016

The Sandlot

    Looking back on my childhood and some of my favorite movies, The Sandlot sticks out as one of my all time favorites. The Sandlot is the story of Scotty smalls, the new boy in town, who is trying to fit into the local crowd. That crowd was a bunch of kids who played baseball during their free time, except Scotty had no baseball skills whatsoever. Benny Rodriguez, one of the most gifted players in the neighborhood, took Scotty under his wing and taught him how to play the game. One of the main positive messages of this film is acceptance of someone that is different than you. There is also the message of brotherhood and being able to work together as a group. Benny stands up for Scotty numerous times throughout the film when the other kids thing he is just not good enough to be on the team. There are also some negative messages that can be perceived from a couple specific scenes.

Arguably the most crucial scene of the movie, the duel with “the beast”, has a crucial hidden message for all kids to learn. The power of being in a group and working on something TOGETHER to achieve a common goal. In this scene the sandlot boys lose a baseball over the fence into the beast’s cage. After careful thought and planning the sandlot boys work together by creating distractions and contraptions to allow Benny to retrieve the ball back. This scene has stuck with me till this day and is the epitome of camaraderie and brotherhood.  

    Unfortunately, there are some scenes in this movie that can have a potentially negative message that I never accounted for when I had seen this movie as a child. One scene in particular that pops out is the pool scene. Smalls purposely acts like he is drowning and quite frankly, almost did drown, just to get the attractive lifeguard to perform CPR on him. The message of putting yourself in harm to impress your friends or boost your self-esteem is not one that children should be adopting. Another scene in particular is the tobacco and carnival scene. A couple members of the sandlot baseball team try out chewing tobacco and subsequently puke on the rides. Now there is a positive message in the idea that it displays the negative consequence of trying this drug, but having this scene in there alone is potentially harmful considering the kids in the movie where not nearly of legal age. I understand this movie is a little dated and it may have been more acceptable back then to have chewing tobacco at such a young age.

Overall, I think the positive messages in the film outweigh the negative messages in the film. As a kid, I did not think of those messages as harmful and they have not negatively affected my life in particular, but I can say that the message of acceptance of someone that is different and working in a group to achieve a common goal are some of the ideals that I strive to achieve on a daily basis. The Sandlot is a wonderful film and I would recommend it to all children, but parents should realize some of these negative affects and address them to their kids after the movie.

High School Musical

High School Musical is a Disney film that came out in 2005. For my generation, this was the movie that  we watched everyday when we got home from school. Personally, I know all the lines in all three of the movies and I have all the dance routines memorized. It would be an understatement to say that I watched this movie a lot. As a kid, I looked up to the characters and thought they did no wrong. This movie displays the positive message of being true to yourself and that being different is okay and the negative message of an unlikely, too perfect, happy ending.

This movie demonstrates to kids that it is okay to be interested in different things than your friends. At the beginning of the movie, the main character, Troy, is the captain of the basketball team and all he can think about is sports. Throughout the movie he realizes that he has a passion for musical theater. At first he feels like he has to hide it because he is embarrassed of what his friends would think. He feels like he won't be accepted by his friends if they knew the real him. By the end of the movie he realizes that they aren't really his friends if they don't accept him for who he is. There is one scene in particular where the school has just found out that Troy auditioned for the musical and everybody confesses their secret hobbies. Even though by the end of the scene their friends are weirded out, by the end of the movie everyone is accepted and loved for who they are despite their differences. This shows kids to be themselves and not to worry about what other people around them think. At the end of the movie, all of the characters sing a song called "We're All In This Together" where they all come together despite their differences and become friends. While this plot sounds cheesy, it actually shows kids that they should be themselves above all else.

The movie ends with everyone becoming friends and Troy kissing Gabriella (the nerd who discovers her love for musical theater along with Troy) on the cheek, which insinuates the beginning of a romantic relationship. One could say that this movie has a picture perfect ending. There are no loose ends and everybody ends up happy. This demonstrates an unrealistic ideal for children. In real life, not everything ends up the way you want it to. You don't always get the girl and not everyone can become friends with each other. High School Musical gives children unreasonable expectations for life.

In my opinion, the positives far out weigh the negatives for High School Musical. First of all, most movies end in an unrealistic way. This is not a quality specific to High School Musical. If kids don't see it here, they're going to see it somewhere else. Secondly, this is a really strong positive message. In school, children are always comparing themselves to others and putting themselves down for what makes them unique. Seeing their favorite characters embrace their differences will inspire them to do the same.

Is Frozen Good or Bad?

               Frozen has been my family’s favorite children’s movie ever since it came out in 2013. Once it hit the theaters on November 27^th it spread like wildfire. I was even  in high school at the time but I remember everyone talking about Frozen. It seemed that many households were playing the Frozen playlist for Christmas of 2013 rather than the classic Christmas tunes. My niece, Olivia, still loves and practically worships Frozen to this day. I never saw any harm of Olivia enjoying Frozen so much until I recently watched it but with a more critical mindset. Frozen portrays many positive messages throughout the film but it is the ever so subtle negative ones that concern the aunt of Frozen’s number one fan.

              Most people that watch Frozen see the positive messages. Frozen’s one distinct positive message is that love conquers all. This is a cliché theme seen in many Disney princess movies. Disney is famously known for having a similar theme in their films and Frozen continued to follow that pattern. In Frozen the love that conquers all is the love between Anna and Christoff and Anna and Elsa. In the end is saves Anna from dying of a frozen heart. In the ending of the movie, the snowman Olaf is standing by a fire. Anna quickly tells him to go before he melts. Olaf replies with “Some people are worth melting for” (Frozen). This happened when Anna’s heart began to freeze and the positive message that can be taken away is that loyal and loving friends are worth any risk. Another positive message is displayed between Kristoff and Anna after Anna gives Kristoff a new sleigh to thank him for saving her life.

              Kristoff: “I could kiss you. I could. I mean, I’d like to. I-may I? We me? I mean, may we? Wait what?”

              Anna: “You may” (Frozen).

The lovers finally kiss proving to viewers all over that love does conquer all.

              Despite the very obvious positive messages, Frozen also has a few negative messages hidden in some scenes and in the songs sung in the film. A negative message seen in many Disney princess films is that the princess needs the help of a male to live happily ever after. This is also the case for Frozen. Anna is about to die at the end because her heart will only stop freezing if she receives a true loves kiss. It is clearly emphasized that Anna cannot live unless Kristoff helps her which is teaching young girls that they too need a man’s help to go on in life. Many parents are speaking out on this topic in fear of their daughters futures. Little girls should be taught to be whoever they want to be without the help of a man and that’s not the case for Frozen. Another negative message from Frozen is put into the lyrics of ‘Let It Go,’ a song sung by Elsa. “No right, no wrong, no rules for me, I’m free!” (Let It Go). This line concerns many parents as well because it implies that girls do not need to have rules. Girls cannot be taught at a young age to believe there are not rules for them or else they will go wild. The message that line of ‘Let It Go’ sends is terrible for any girl to sing and listen to.

              In the end, I would say the positive messages outweigh the negative ones because you do have to dig deep to find them and many would argue that young girls aren’t thinking that critically when they watch Frozen. Not to say I do not agree that there are negative messages it’s just much harder to find them. I enjoy the movie Frozen still despite the negative messages! 

Ratatouille

Logan Simon

Dr. Waggoner

Intro Comp

10/31/16

Ratatouille

               Like every Disney movie, Ratatouille is a movie meant to inspire our youth. When it came out in 2007, I was a part of that youth. Ratatouille appears to be a simple movie about a rat who is gifted with an extraordinary sense of smell and uses it to become a chef. As I’ve gotten older and gained more knowledge, I know now that it’s impossible for a rat to actually become a chef. However, as kids watch this movie, the underlying message is simple: anything is possible. There are many great themes to this film, but there are also a lot of negative messages that should never appear in a children’s movie.

               Along with the aforementioned positive message, some other positive themes are to believe in yourself and to not let anybody stop you from pursuing your dreams. As a part of the rat community, Remy is looked down upon by his father for taking an interest in a human activity. His brother hangs by his side, warning him about his father’s words to stay away from the kitchen and the cookbooks, but Remy doesn’t care. Eventually, Remy befriends a young chef in a French restaurant. When the food critic finds out his food is being made by a rat, he immediately wants to shut down the restaurant. However, Remy believed in his abilities and persuaded the critic to give him one shot. Remy took this opportunity to make his signature dish, and got to live out his dream.

               A very noticeable negative theme is the presence of domestic violence. The movie includes a scene with a couple arguing and the man grabbing a hold of the woman’s arms. The woman responds by screaming and pointing a gun at the man. As Remy continues to walk, he hears a gunshot go off. Though nobody was hurt, the man is then seen trying to kiss the woman. The woman resists, but the man is persistent enough for her to give in. This scene puts images in kids’ brains that when you’re in a relationship it’s okay to grab your partner and point a gun at them. Another scene shows a grandma firing a gun at will trying to kill rats. When she first sees the rats, there’s no hesitation from her. She immediately goes to grab her gun, unloads a case of bullets, and then continues to shoot.

               Overall, Ratatouille is an excellent movie. I enjoyed it as a kid, and I enjoyed watching it now as a college student. There are some really great things kids can learn from this movie, but there’s also some things that shouldn’t have been included. The messages about pursuing your dreams, following what you love, and always believing in yourself are great themes that even adults can still use today. However, the scenes involving domestic and sexual violence have no place in a kids’ film. With a G rating, parents should feel okay taking their children to this movie and not have to worried about them getting scared, but that’s hard when these kinds of scenes take place. Personally, I didn’t pay attention to the violent scenes as a kid, as there are only a few of them, and I’m sure the majority of children don’t either. The movie has a happy ending, and I believe the positive messages are much more prevalent than the negatives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1takU08aOI

Jostyn Andrews Blog 4

Shark Tales the Positive and Negative

            Shark Tales is a movie about a fish by the name of Oscar that had a hard time with his self-esteem. He works at the wale wash on the south-side part of the ocean. Where his dad for many years in a row was voted the top wale washer in the land. Oscar finds himself in a big whole when he’s gambling problem gets a hold of him and he owes his boss over five thousand clam shells. “In fish world clam shells are money”. When Oscar wasn’t able to pay up the clam shells he was sent to the deep reef with the sharks. When the shark approached Oscar while he was tied to a string at the sea bottom. An anchor fell from the top of the ocean sea knocking out and killing the shark. When the jellyfish hit men that tied Oscar up came back to the scene to see that the shark was dead they asked Oscar what happened and without hesitating he said that he slayed the shark. The big lie spread across the whole ocean floor and eventually gets back to the shark’s brother Lenny. Lenny has his own problem himself he is not a regular shark. Lenny is vegetarian shark which means he doesn’t like eating fish like his older brothers. Lenny feels that he’s farther doesn’t want him anymore because of him not being the blood sensing shark that his brother once was. Lenny decides to go on with the lie with Oscar so he can just disappear and so Oscar can live the lavish life he always wanted. When Oscar became too famous and the Top dog shark found out who he was and was going to send a hit out on Oscar. Oscar feels that the lie is getting too deep to handle so he takes it into his own hands to dissolve the problem.

            There are many positive messages being said and done in this film. One that stands out is at the end of the movie the top dog shark or daddy shark realizes how much he loves his son and how he accepts him being himself. This I feel is the main message of the movie because Oscar also has a problem realizing who he really is, and that he doesn’t have to lie about certain things to make his life better all Oscar had to do was be himself and the happy life that he wanted was right there in front of him. Instead of trying to be someone that you’re not be yourself you will always find yourself in a better situation than before.

            On the other hand a negative message caught my eye while watching the movie when Oscar decide to lie about the killing the shark in the first place to make himself look better. Oscar goes around the whole underwater city and tells his made up story. Having the other fish put him on fish Tv or news, having his name all over billboards and other commercials. It made me have a negative feeling about how he carried himself and how so many of the other fish put there trust in him to defend them from the sharks. This issue of Oscar lying was such a negative influence to kids was manly because it blew up so quick it showed young ones that it was easy to tell one lie and have people believe you so much that even you thought it was real.

            As I watched this film for the second time and really got to understand it. Things became more clear as I listen to the words and the how they were used in the script. Although it was a fictional film it still showed positive and negative things that could easily stir young ones in one of those directions.

The Secret Life of Pets

Blog 4: The Secret Life of Pets

When I first saw the movie Secret Life of Pets, I thought that it was an adorable children's film. After watching the film for a second time from a critical stand point, my initial thoughts about the movie have completely changed. I fail to realize the underlying theme of death. Although some of the messages are dark, the producers end the film on a positive, uplifting note. 

An implied negative message in this film was that threats and intimidation helps you get what you want. I found this to be very prevalent throughout the entirety of the film. In the very beginning of the movie when the owner, Kate, of the main character, Max, brought home another dog, Duke. Right off the bat Duke and Max did not get along because Max was so used to being the only dog that Katie had. He was used to being the only dog on the receiving end of all of Katie's love and affection as well as his own living space. As soon as Duke moves in Max acts like a brat towards his new "brother". After Duke accidently breaks a vase, Max sees this as an opportunity to eliminate his competition. Max destroys the house and blames it all on Duke. After seeing how effective Max's threats were, Duke views Max as a superior. Later in the movie when the crazy delinquent bunny named Snowball is introduced, the message grows stronger. His opening line in the movie was, "We are the flushed pets. Thrown away by our owners, and out for revenge." Not only with this line is Snowball providing evidence that owners are bad but he is also showing kids that revenge is acceptable. When Duke was convincing Snowball that he and Max did not like humans, he says that they killed their owner. "If I had a dime for every owner I killed I'd have a dime." The characters in a PG movie are making jokes about killing humans. Not really something children should be hearing. Snowball tries to get Max and Duke to go into detail about killing their owner and say, "You blended someone." Once again, not really something children should be hearing. 

An implied positive message in this film was to care for the people, or in this case the animals, around you. Although there is a bit of a divide between the Manhattan pets and the "flushed" pets at first, in the end they all come together as one. In one scene in the end of the movie Snowball says to Max, "This kills me to say but we gotta join forces. Duke along with all of the other "flushed" pets were captured by the pound and needed to be rescued. In the beginning of the film, there was obvious loyalty between all of the pets from Manhattan and all of the "flushed" pets. Throughout the entire movie with the exception of the altercation between Max and Duke, each group of pets was continually loyal to one another: the Manhattan pets were out searching for Duke and Max while the "flushed" pets were hunting the two. At the very end, Snowball, the most violent character turns good when a little girl picks him up and says, "Bunny, I'm gonna love you forever and ever and ever." All it takes is a little bit of love to bring out the best in someone. 

Just by the length of the paragraphs, it is obvious that the negative messages were more prominent in the film. The positive message however, is the last thing that people see. By putting the positive message at the end of the film, I believe that the producers were able to make children remember the most important part. After watching the movie a second time, I would not recommend little kids to go see this movie.