Scrius
Joined Sep 2011
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Scrius's rating
Lately, I've wondered more and more if my college success would actually be worth something in the end. Life would indeed be so much simpler having a flying caped superhero always prepared to save the day or having a yellow brick road to follow to our destinies. While we may not have such luxuries in this reality we live in, Waiting For Superman focuses on a variety of youths who have had it far worse than I have growing up, being denied that which I've always had but failed to fully appreciate. The documentary emphasizes the degradation of American education but also provides hope that all is not lost. With enough determination and commitment; a broken system thought by many to be beyond repair can be fixed.
Davis Guggenheim's critically acclaimed documentary presents a number of bright and promising children, some of whom have clear goals in mind for their future careers, growing up in poor backgrounds devoid of the luxuries of proper education and financial advantage. Daisy is the ideal representative. At a young age, she already aspired to become a surgeon after finishing a medical or Veterinarian College. She maintains an upbeat attitude and sets the example for other children to follow.
I was shocked at the low proficiency rates in reading and mathematics nationwide with as many as 2,000 "Dropout Factories", where over 40% of students from poor elementary and middle schools are fed into high schools and fail to graduate on time according to research conducted by Dr. Robert Balfanz. It was the original belief of experts that failing schools were to be blamed on failing neighborhoods, but reformers now believe that failing neighborhoods could be blamed on failing schools. Ultimately, the very things done to help schools work better became the things that prevent them from working. A prime example is teacher tenure, which guarantees a job for life even for lousy teachers. And people wonder why things aren't getting better!
With the help of clever animated sequences, Guggenheim illustrates the serious concerns that his documentary aims to address. Public schools are meant to be the most important formative experiences of anyone's lives, providing a way out even for those born in the wrong neighborhood. Bill Gates himself testified before Congress "We cannot sustain an economy based on innovation unless we have citizens well-educated in match, science, and engineering. If we fail at this, we won't be able to compete in the global economy."
The obstacles were overwhelming, but hope could be found in the KIPP Academy, which was named the highest performing middle school in the Bronx. Its students were encouraged to perform to the utmost of their abilities, resulting in tremendous gains even for students from low-income families. Eighty-two such schools spread across the country, each in low income and under-performing neighborhoods. As Bill Gates pointed out "when you get the culture right, and the teachers are helping each other out, and that long schedule day means that that is the primary things that students engage in, it works".
In retrospect, I feel it was cynical of me to ever doubt the rewards of education. For opening a world of possibilities and the opportunity to build something greater than myself, it's always worth it.
Davis Guggenheim's critically acclaimed documentary presents a number of bright and promising children, some of whom have clear goals in mind for their future careers, growing up in poor backgrounds devoid of the luxuries of proper education and financial advantage. Daisy is the ideal representative. At a young age, she already aspired to become a surgeon after finishing a medical or Veterinarian College. She maintains an upbeat attitude and sets the example for other children to follow.
I was shocked at the low proficiency rates in reading and mathematics nationwide with as many as 2,000 "Dropout Factories", where over 40% of students from poor elementary and middle schools are fed into high schools and fail to graduate on time according to research conducted by Dr. Robert Balfanz. It was the original belief of experts that failing schools were to be blamed on failing neighborhoods, but reformers now believe that failing neighborhoods could be blamed on failing schools. Ultimately, the very things done to help schools work better became the things that prevent them from working. A prime example is teacher tenure, which guarantees a job for life even for lousy teachers. And people wonder why things aren't getting better!
With the help of clever animated sequences, Guggenheim illustrates the serious concerns that his documentary aims to address. Public schools are meant to be the most important formative experiences of anyone's lives, providing a way out even for those born in the wrong neighborhood. Bill Gates himself testified before Congress "We cannot sustain an economy based on innovation unless we have citizens well-educated in match, science, and engineering. If we fail at this, we won't be able to compete in the global economy."
The obstacles were overwhelming, but hope could be found in the KIPP Academy, which was named the highest performing middle school in the Bronx. Its students were encouraged to perform to the utmost of their abilities, resulting in tremendous gains even for students from low-income families. Eighty-two such schools spread across the country, each in low income and under-performing neighborhoods. As Bill Gates pointed out "when you get the culture right, and the teachers are helping each other out, and that long schedule day means that that is the primary things that students engage in, it works".
In retrospect, I feel it was cynical of me to ever doubt the rewards of education. For opening a world of possibilities and the opportunity to build something greater than myself, it's always worth it.
There's no need to vouch for the musical that swept the world. Few are as celebrated as Les Miserables, and for all the right reasons. The musical production was truly beyond compare. Its songs; powerful, its acting; stellar, the storytelling; wondrous; and its impact; everlasting. It's long earned its place as my favorite. To develop a work of cinema out of this phenomenon would be a great challenge requiring respectful care, but would not be an impossible matter. This much is established by Tom Hooper's most recent addition to his growing body of ambitious work, an entertaining film adaptation that faithfully emphasized the themes that countless viewers, myself among them, fell in love with.
The movie follows the same path as the musical, starting with Jean Valjean's release from 19 years of slavery on a charge of stealing bread to feed his starving family and his failed attempts at escape. A Bishop who shows him compassion and the path to salvation sparks Valjean's journey to redemption. Henceforth dedicated to upholding his bargain with God, Valjean assumes a new identity and a new life, breaking his parole to fulfill his mission to show the world the goodness that he has found within himself. Years pass and by that time Valjean has become a respected factory owner and the mayor of a town that prospered under his reign. An intervention of fate leads Valjean to a new task that would change his life once again. Fantine, a desperate woman symbolic of the miserable life of poverty in France was betrayed and deserted by her lover. Left alone with Cosette, the child she bore out of wedlock, she commits herself entirely to her daughters welfare, going as far as to sell her own body for the coin she needs to ensure her daughter's survival. As Fantine lies dying from an illness, Valjean learns that he had a part in her downfall. Fantine had been a worker in his factory who Valjean fired at the request of his lecherous foreman after she rejected his advances. Overcome by guilt and wishing to make amends he now makes another promise of a lifetime – to become the father Cosette never knew and raise her as his own. Valjean finds Cosette and what then begins is something greater than he could ever imagine being possible; he experiences love for the first time, a sequence illuminated in a beautiful song; one of the original touches this movie delivers which has rightfully earned its academy award nomination.
Made possible by Victor Hugo's novel, Les Miserables is a timeless story filled with timeless characters and enriched by timeless themes. The essential pillars which hold the structure upright are the complex forces that come into play. Throughout the course of the story, Valjean is hunted by his obsessive enemy Inspector Javert; a man obligated by his duty to the law who shows no remorse for those he perceives as unjust. Since he does this sincerely in the name of God, he and Valjean prove to be two sides of the same coin. Javert isn't evil, but his own unbending sense of Justice renders him blind to the forces that can lead weaker men astray. This and his complete lack of compassion for those he considers sinners ultimately lead to his tragic downfall when he realizes that Valjean is a better man than he. The Thénardier couple, an innkeeper and his wife, who kept Cosette in a dismal life of servitude light the tone of the story with comedic appeal. All of these events unfold in the midst of a revolution of youths rising up against an oppressive government, under the leadership of the dashing and charismatic Enjolras and Marius Pontmercy (who would later develop a loving relationship with Cosette). Within this turmoil, all the characters find themselves bound.
Fresh from the success of The King's Speech and the John Adams mini series, Tom Hooper gave the world of Les Miserables a gritty and down-to-earth atmosphere and took the unusual step of recording the songs during the filming rather than dubbing the voices in later. This is where the movie has fallen flat for those expecting top-notch vocal performances. More focus is thus placed on the acting as opposed to singing and it doesn't seem fair to compare the actors to their musical theater counterparts. There are enough positive elements to overwhelm the negatives, including the Oscar nominated performances of Hugh Jackman (who is no stranger to the musical world and as a result is absolutely wonderful portraying Jean Valjean) and Anne Hathaway, who despite having much less screen time, delivers a stunning performance as Fantine. Her scene involving the famous song "I Dreamed a Dream" shows how far she has come since Princess Diaries, a powerful blend of song and emotional acting. The production value reflects the tone that was intended and enables the viewers to immerse themselves in the world of strife and struggle; to savor all the passion. The most important aspect is conveying all the emotions and all the themes for which Les Miserables the classic novel and classic musical is rightfully renowned for – liberty, love, redemption, and the triumph of the human spirit even when the battle is lost.
I admire all movies that take risks, those that take a path that conformist filmmakers dare not tread. Tom Hooper's Les Miserables is a work of exceptional fidelity that is surely the best cinematic adaptation of one of literature and theater's great classics. The cinematic experience is one that won't soon diminish for me and frankly I hope it never will!
The movie follows the same path as the musical, starting with Jean Valjean's release from 19 years of slavery on a charge of stealing bread to feed his starving family and his failed attempts at escape. A Bishop who shows him compassion and the path to salvation sparks Valjean's journey to redemption. Henceforth dedicated to upholding his bargain with God, Valjean assumes a new identity and a new life, breaking his parole to fulfill his mission to show the world the goodness that he has found within himself. Years pass and by that time Valjean has become a respected factory owner and the mayor of a town that prospered under his reign. An intervention of fate leads Valjean to a new task that would change his life once again. Fantine, a desperate woman symbolic of the miserable life of poverty in France was betrayed and deserted by her lover. Left alone with Cosette, the child she bore out of wedlock, she commits herself entirely to her daughters welfare, going as far as to sell her own body for the coin she needs to ensure her daughter's survival. As Fantine lies dying from an illness, Valjean learns that he had a part in her downfall. Fantine had been a worker in his factory who Valjean fired at the request of his lecherous foreman after she rejected his advances. Overcome by guilt and wishing to make amends he now makes another promise of a lifetime – to become the father Cosette never knew and raise her as his own. Valjean finds Cosette and what then begins is something greater than he could ever imagine being possible; he experiences love for the first time, a sequence illuminated in a beautiful song; one of the original touches this movie delivers which has rightfully earned its academy award nomination.
Made possible by Victor Hugo's novel, Les Miserables is a timeless story filled with timeless characters and enriched by timeless themes. The essential pillars which hold the structure upright are the complex forces that come into play. Throughout the course of the story, Valjean is hunted by his obsessive enemy Inspector Javert; a man obligated by his duty to the law who shows no remorse for those he perceives as unjust. Since he does this sincerely in the name of God, he and Valjean prove to be two sides of the same coin. Javert isn't evil, but his own unbending sense of Justice renders him blind to the forces that can lead weaker men astray. This and his complete lack of compassion for those he considers sinners ultimately lead to his tragic downfall when he realizes that Valjean is a better man than he. The Thénardier couple, an innkeeper and his wife, who kept Cosette in a dismal life of servitude light the tone of the story with comedic appeal. All of these events unfold in the midst of a revolution of youths rising up against an oppressive government, under the leadership of the dashing and charismatic Enjolras and Marius Pontmercy (who would later develop a loving relationship with Cosette). Within this turmoil, all the characters find themselves bound.
Fresh from the success of The King's Speech and the John Adams mini series, Tom Hooper gave the world of Les Miserables a gritty and down-to-earth atmosphere and took the unusual step of recording the songs during the filming rather than dubbing the voices in later. This is where the movie has fallen flat for those expecting top-notch vocal performances. More focus is thus placed on the acting as opposed to singing and it doesn't seem fair to compare the actors to their musical theater counterparts. There are enough positive elements to overwhelm the negatives, including the Oscar nominated performances of Hugh Jackman (who is no stranger to the musical world and as a result is absolutely wonderful portraying Jean Valjean) and Anne Hathaway, who despite having much less screen time, delivers a stunning performance as Fantine. Her scene involving the famous song "I Dreamed a Dream" shows how far she has come since Princess Diaries, a powerful blend of song and emotional acting. The production value reflects the tone that was intended and enables the viewers to immerse themselves in the world of strife and struggle; to savor all the passion. The most important aspect is conveying all the emotions and all the themes for which Les Miserables the classic novel and classic musical is rightfully renowned for – liberty, love, redemption, and the triumph of the human spirit even when the battle is lost.
I admire all movies that take risks, those that take a path that conformist filmmakers dare not tread. Tom Hooper's Les Miserables is a work of exceptional fidelity that is surely the best cinematic adaptation of one of literature and theater's great classics. The cinematic experience is one that won't soon diminish for me and frankly I hope it never will!