The Drunken Monkey

The Review We Didn't Like

AMERICAN GANGSTER?
IT takes nerve to call a film "American Gangster": It's more than a movie title, it's the name of a venerable genre that dates to cinema's beginnings. But once you see this finely made and richly satisfying film, you understand it's the only title possible.

In part that's because "American Gangster" is conscious of its place in that tough guy continuum. Visual and thematic references to classics such as "The Godfather," "Once Upon a Time in America" and "The Asphalt Jungle" show that director Ridley Scott and screenwriter Steven Zaillian are quite aware of their film's place in history.

More than that, with Oscar-winning costars Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe joining forces with Scott and Zaillian, two of the best at what they do, "American Gangster" is mindful of continuing another tradition, that of sweeping, old-school epic filmmaking that artfully heightens reality even if it's based on the gritty facts of the Harlem drug trade of the 1970s.

This is a review that i technically disagree with. The writer uses the title to draw in the reader as far as the review is concerned and it is that use of ruse that i disagree with. I've seen this film and it was a very well done piece of movie making but what it was not was a true gangster film. In the annals of american film making there are many movies that could have used the title of american gangster, this would not be one of those films. With most gangster movies there is a realm of excess and debauchery that goes well beyond the expectations of most movie goers, such as Scareface or even The Godfather. This film doesn't meet those expectations merely because the directory wasn't trying to create an iconic characters and situations that emphasis excess. No instead in this movie Ridley Scott is simply trying to tell the true story of Frank Lucas as honestly as possible not to make him another scareface. The reason for that is Frank Lucas was a real gangster not an over the top bad guy hell-bent on world domination like Tony Montana. Very significant story and very great directing and screenplay to defend it. The title is correct but not in the context that this reviewer seems to think.

FREE KNOWLEDGE OR DEATH!

“All Men By Nature Desire To Know”

ARISTOTLE

The question surrounding the issue of downloading music is whether or not the industry itself has substantially suffered from the lack of regulation of technology that allows people to successfully download copyrighted material at the very click of a button.

Recently there has been an introduction of a bill in congress that would severly injure institutions of higher learning that that do not curb the influx of illegal downloading amongst college students or do not provide alternatives to downloading copyrighted material.

Introduced by House Labor and Education Committee Chairman George Miller and Higher Education Subcommittee chairman Ruben Hinojos, the bill is meant to get colleges to inform students and employees about the policies and procedures surrounding the issue of illegal downloading. The bill also asks that colleges figure out a way to allow alternatives to peer-to-peer file sharing or illegal downloading.

As someone that is an avid lover of music and movies I feel that such legislation would be too harsh to provide and environment that allows higher learning and understanding of subject matter.

The main tenors of opposition in this free flow forum of information is the government and their regulations that seem to allow the means of appreciating the art that it’s people create but do not allow it’s people to own their own art.

Music and movies should be free, the industries don’t lose enough to really curse the watcher or listener and there isn’t enough criminal intent to prosecute on the grounds of actual intent, but rather the curious nature of interest.

This is a war, and a call to arms. There is art in the air and we are forced to breath.

Colleges should not suffer because of their students activities. The only way to stop people from gathering free music is to stop the making of music all together. There are more of us music listeners than there are people trying to stop it, therefore it is not a stalemate in a losing battle, the battle is lost on the part of those trying to stop the love of true art and absolute beauty.

If we are to be punished because of our need for understanding and truth then blame Aristotle, I just wanted to listen to some Rage Against The Machine

Dramatic Narrative

First and Long

coming of age story about a high school athlete coming to terms with being a star athlete and a seinor.