Everything Must Go

     There are objects lying on the lawn, ranging from an old record player to a dusty television. On that lawn lays a man in his sofa, watching people pass by and for some reason, he seems desperate. Then, a boy and a girl come by to look at a television among all objects. They ask for price. The man gives them price. The girl lowers price. The man accepts it. The couple continues to look for objects and the man accepts whatever prices they demand for. Then, the man asks them why not dance and the girl dances with the man. Looking into his face, the girl asks him why he is so desperate.

     This is the summary of “Why don’t you dance?”, or practically all of it. This is merely a two-page short story and I was surprised when I heard of a movie adaptation of this story. Come to think of it, the movie logically could not have been two-minute long for it would certainly not go on stage. Therefore, it must have been a hour long movie. Yet, reading only the two-page story, I was unable to imagine how that was possible.

     Nick Halsey is fired from his lifetime job due to an affair he had with a woman, which he does not even remember. Despaired, he returns home only to find out that his wife had left him, with his house locked and his belongings thrown outside. Unable to enter his once home, he decides to spend the night in his sofa on the lawn. At first, he refuses to accept the brutal reality but thanks to his neighbors such as Kenny and Samantha, he begins to learn how to let go of things he once desperately held on to. Passing through the ordeal, he eventually drinks the elixir to start a new life from a fresh start.

     Dan Rush, the director and the writer of “Everything must go”, successfully turns the two-page novel into a two-hour movie. Personally, I would not have even imagined thinking of all the events or feelings the main character goes through just by reading that two-page story. Yet, Dan does come out with a result, pulling out threads of Nick’s life story from only two pages. Additionally, the events portrayed on the screen are seemingly close to reality that we are able to sympathize with Nick and go through his ordeal together until he reaches the elixir.

     In conclusion, I must acclaim both Dan Rush and Raymond Carver for their excellent work in both film and novel, for Dan brings Nick into life from a two-page story and Raymond portrays a lifelong story in a mere two-page novel.

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption

     Imagine yourself grief-stricken by a recent love affair. It turns out that your wife was having an affair with another person. Disheartened by your wife's action, you feel the urge to revenge, to show that you are not an easy person. Yet, you give up because you are not the kind of a person that takes revenge for granted. However, your wife and her love mate are found dead. And you? You are convicted of murder. Welcome to Shawshank.

     A thought came to my mind after having watched the movie. Why did I not notice such a great movie before? The Internet Movie Database crowned it the best movie ever made. There is no doubt about that. As a matter of fact, I would say that the movie was able to portray the emotions of the characters better than the book. (I'm truly sorry Mr. King) Of course, one cannot ignore the importance of music and camera angles, which are definitely unportrayable in books. Yet, overall, the movie itself was very compelling in drawing the audience into the story of Andy Dufresne narrated by Red. (I was able to stand two hours without dozing off)

     Critics claim that "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" as the best story written by Stephen King, which is rather peculiar considering that King is more of a horror genre. The book does contain gruesome descriptions characteristic to Stephen's writing style, especially when the Sisters "rape" Andy. Yet, unlike most of his works which show the "dark" reality of the world, this story on the contrary teaches us a valuable lesson of "hope". Through Andy's unchanging character, King evokes "hope" that is imperishable even in the worst condition of being convicted murderer for a crime never committed.

     The short story by Stephen King was excellent but the movie was even greater. Unlike the beginning of the story with Red’s narration, the movie commences with Andy’s trial. This allows us to quickly engage into this world of Shawshank. In addition to such modifications, there are also additions of scenes that made the movie more dramatic than the book. The scene where Andy turns on the opera evokes a strong sense of light and hope to the gloomy prison. The scene depicting Brook’s fear allows us to look at our world that we are so used to from a different perspective. All these scenes compiled together, allows us to share the emotions and thoughts of the characters and to end the movie with great relief when Andy and Red finally meet at the Pacific "blue as it has been in my dream".

     To sum up, "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" or The Shawshank Redemption is a definite book to read or film to watch. Not only are we able to experience the world behind the "walls" of prison but we are able to learn a valuable life lesson, as Andy quotes:

"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."

The Hero's Journey - Finding Nemo

Group:
Won Woo, Minsu, Somin, Hyeongbin
Our Film:
Finding Nemo
Why we chose it:
Everyone watched it.

ACT I

1. Ordinary World:
While Marlin is very protective, Nemo is excited to go to school.
2. Call to Adventure:
To prove himself brave, Nemo ventures out to the “Butt” but he is caught by a scuba driver.
3. Refusal of the Call:
Marlin is afraid to cross the “Great Barrier Reef” and enter the open ocean.
4. Meeting the Mentor:
Through Dory who overcomes her short-term memory loss by humor, Marlin regains hope and believes in Nemo.
5. Crossing the Threshold:
Marlin and Dory swim together into the open ocean.

ACT II

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies:
Marlin and Dory meet the would-be vegetarian sharks Bruce, Anchor and Chum and escape the mine field.
They encounter a surf-cultured sea turtle Crush and travel the “East Australian Current”.
A friendly pelican Nigel recognizes Marlin and take them to the dentist.
7. Approach to the Innermost Cave:
Believing Nemo is dead, Marlin leaves Dory and swims away but Dory relights Marlin’s hope.
8. Ordeal:
To save Dory from the jellyfish, Marlin almost dies from the sting but recovers to meet Crush, who explains Marlin how he can trust his son.
9. Reward:
While Marlin believes Nemo is dead, Nemo drains out to the ocean and meets Dory, who then leads Nemo back to Marlin.

ACT III

10. The Road Back:
To save Dory from the net, Marlin lets go of Nemo realizing that he must have confidence in his son.
11. Resurrection:
Having once believed Nemo was dead, Marlin apologizes to Nemo for not having faith in him.
12. Return With the Elixir:
Marlin and Nemo return home and from the lessons learnt from their adventures, they live a happier life.

Points of contention (ifs/ands/buts):
It was surprising to see how a child animation had such a complicated hero’s journey.