Assault on Prescient 13

Now this was one of my favorite films we watched in this class (following Dog Day). Assault does a phenomenal job of introducing the characters. The suspense throughout the entire film was executed perfectly, but particularly in the beginning. You know something is going to go down, but you're now sure what or with who. The dynamic between the characters in the prescient worked very well. You have the strong and confident woman, the witty convict and the respectable cop. One thing I liked most about the cop is that he had respect for the convict. He didn't treat him any differently simply because they needed to survive. This film combines brutal violence with witty jokes in a very entertaining and tasteful way.

...and that's a wrap!

70's Film and Culture was definitely an interesting experience. My knowledge of the 70's previous to this class was very slim. My childhood and teen years were far from the 70's, and in history classes we never reached past the early 1900's (barring one project where we got to choose one event within the past 50 years to study). I've always been interested in history because of the repercussions that those events have on life today. I wasn't aware of many of the events that occurred in the 70's much less the impact, and I certainly wasn't aware of any films from the 70's or any particular film styles or themes from the decade.

I came into the class excited with an incredibly open mind. I was thrilled to see our first film starred Jack Nicholson, who I am a big fan of (previously based on his current films). After screening a few quiet films with long takes, I did grow a little impatient with those type of films-particularly with The Parallax View.

Hearing about 70's culture in this class made me more passionate about events that are currently happening. I love being able to compare these events (such as talks about the National Guard coming to Chicago) to situations that happened in the 70's (i.e. Attica). Having a broader understanding of the past makes me feel like a more well-rounded individual. The organized events on the 70's (such as Woodstock repping the drug revolution) have made me gain respect for these particular groups in society. The same rings true for the Gay Movement, and especially the Vietnam Veterans. I never realized why the Vietnam war was such a milestone(and not necessarily a good one) in American History. I have fallen in love with 70's film and the rebellious attitudes of the public. I had an incredibly positive and powerful experience in this class that will honestly stay with me for the rest of my life.