Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Movie Review Extra Credit

I am offering an opportunity for extra credit.

You can do a movie review of a movie made about a subject that we have studied so far. You will be responsible for giving me the following:
1. A minimum one-page summary of the movie's plot/story including a description of the main characters and conflict.
2. Minimum 1/2 page summary of the historical elements in the movie - what historical events, people, or moments in time does this movie portray? Are these characters real, fictional? Describe the clothes, transportation, technology (yes, they do have their own version of technology - it's just Outdoor Plumbing 1.0), historical attitudes and beliefs, etc. Provide at least four specific examples with explanation.
3. Minimum 1/2 page on how this movie has expanded your historical awareness of the topic we have already studied. Make sure you describe in this section how the movie connects with an era that we have studied with specific examples from the movie.
4. Keep It or Ditch It - This is where you rate the movie on a true teenager's interest scale. After watching this movie, would this movie might have been something you would have picked out on your own to watch? Why or why not? For a school-related history movie, on a scale of one to five (one being "Good God, don't ever show that again!" to five being "I'm getting on Amazon to buy the DVD"), give a rating for the movie with an explanation.

The assignment is worth 20 points max.

Pick from the movies below.
Sommersby (1993) - Richard Gere and Jodie Foster - Reconstruction romance
Path of Glory (1957) - Kirk Douglas - World War 1
Eight Men Out (1988) - John Cusack, Charlie Sheen - Chicago White Sox Scandal
In Love and War (1996) - Chris O'Donnell and Sandra Bullock - The story of Ernest Hemingway and nurse Agnes von Kurowsky
Iron Jawed Angels
Gettysburg - (1993) - details the story of the battle of Gettysburg over the course of 4 hours
Gods and Generals (2003) - Follows the stories of Generals Lee and Stonewall Jackson between 1861-1863 of the Civil War.
The Molly Maguires (1970) - Irish immigrants and their story of the coal mines in Pennsylvania in 1876
Dances With Wolves (1990) - Kevin Costner. Mary Mcdonell, Graham Greene - Civil War soldier makes friends with Sioux tribe, but then has to choose.
Wyatt Earp (1994) - Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman - cowboys out West and the true story of Wyatt Earp
I Will Fight No More Forever (1971) - Sam Elliot and Ned Romero - Chief Joseph's Nez Perce tribe
Andersonville (1996) - made for TV movie (TNT) about Confederate Civil War prison camp
Inherit the Wind (1960) - The Scopes trial
Far and Away (1992) - Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman - Irish immigrants come to America
Matewan (1987) - Chris Cooper - Profiles the attempt to unionize the coal mines in West Virginia and the violence that followed.

In order to receive credit for this assignment, you must upload your assignment at www.mydropbox.com. When you first get to the website, type in the following info in the light blue boxes at the top of the webpage: Login is 62629 and the password is wickersham (all lower case). Then you will get to a Submit Your Paper page. Click the pull down menu to movie review, type in your email, your name, document title (put the movie title in it), and then either cut and paste or upload your paper from a file.

As a warning, this site will cross reference your paper with many websites on the internet and the other kids who have done this assignment in both of my classes. Two suggestions: 1. Do your own work in your own words; and 2. Don't share your work with anyone no matter who it is. You never know who they'll share it with.

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