Tombstone

I was pleasantly surprised by the movie Tombstone. I thought the movie was very good because it was different than I thought it was going to be. Erika and I had trouble figuring out what the plot was going to be at the beginning, however we got the hang of it through the middle. Wyatt Earp was kind of a bad ass but without being a bad ass. He wanted peace for the town, but he could scare someone very quickly if he wanted to. Doc's role was not really needed in the film but he was the drunk who was very good with his weapons. This was not the typical western though. It was not blatant that it was cowboys verse the indians. It was more like the cowboys verse the police. Find out more when Erika and I talk more about our project.

Final Project Post 1

I'm actually really excited to watch the movie Tombstone because i've heard from numerous people that it was very good. I hope it is as good as its made out to be. Erika and I are watching it tomorrow so i'll be posting again on what I think about it soon.

What do I want to write about...essay 3?

I think I want to write about the alcoholic parents within the reservation. I feel that this topic is interesting enough to write 3 pages on it. Alexie's parents were alcoholics and he said he experienced it but was strong enough to stop. In Smoke Signals, Victor's dad was also an alcoholic which made him cause a house fire killing Thomas' parents. Victor did not want to touch a drop of alcohol in his life because of his dad.

Alexie's Iowa Review Interview/ Smoke Signals

I feel like Alexie was a little shy at first but then opens up more throughout the interview. I love his sense of humor which makes me want to read more of his stories and books. I was interested in this quote about indian myths.."we had a land-based theology, but all theologies are land-based. Christianity is land-based in its beginnings. I think in some ways Indians embrace it because it's a cultural or racial self-esteem issue. We're trying to find something positive that differentiates us from the dominant culture. And the best way to do that—because the US is so industrial and so wasteful—is to say, 'OK we're environmentalists' and that separates us. When in fact, we're just a part of the US as well, and the wastefulness. The average everyday Indian—he's not an environmentalist—he could give a shit. Just like the average white American. I grew up with my aunts and uncles and cousins throwing their cans out the window." I like how he compares Indians and the US because they are much alike and that he realizes that which I didn't really think he did because I feel that he has some hatred towards white people for being bullied which I would too.

Im glad he is still connected with the reservation and his family. He is a famous writer, but he is not too good for his family and his hometown and the people he grew up with. I really like Sherman Alexie as a person and a writer.

Smoke Signals has been a very good movie. I like the relationship between Thomas and Victor because they bicker all the time but I feel like Victor will warm up by the end of the movie. I love Thomas's personality because in my opinion he doesn't care what other people think about him. Victor is kind of a jerk but hopefully like I said before he will warm up. I hope when they get back to the reservation, that everything will be good with their lives and the movie will end happy but we will have to see.

A History of Native Americans in Cinema/ Smoke Signals

I thought the reading was a little boring. I thought it was too long but I did learn a lot about Indians in the film history. I didn't know they had it so hard and had difficult times.

I'm really starting to like the movie Smoke Signals. I enjoy how they change the scene within the scene from the present to the past and visa versa. I think Victor is kind of a jerk though to Thomas. Thomas is my favorite character because I like his stories and his personality. Its obvious that alcoholism is prevalent within Native American backgrounds and in this movie with Victor's parents. I'm excited to see the rest of the movie.

This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix Arizona- Alexie

This story was about a man named Victor whose dad passed away. Throughout the story, he tries to find someone to loan him the money to go back to Phoenix, Arizona. I really enjoy reading Alexie's work. I feel that he has a great sense of humor that shows through his work and he builds character through his fictional characters that he writes about in my opinion. I think that the reservation would be really hard to live in. I think that he expresses these feelings in this story because I was frustrated even reading about him trying to find money to get back to Phoenix to bring his dad who passed away. I liked how I learned a lot about the lifestyle on the reservation and how these people get by with their lives. Although, I felt for these people because I'm sure its a huge struggle to live there and making a living if they even can.

Fleur

I don't know why but I thought this story was kind of creepy at first, however I ended up liking it in the end. I think Fleur had good intentions for who she was. She almost drown twice in cold Lake Turcot. I wanted to know more about her though. I felt that they really didn't explain her very well. I think she likes to be invisible and that no one really knows her. I wonder why the game they played was cards. I thought that was kind of random. I was wondering who people said she was married to and if the child was really her kid. I think it was sad that she only had the narrator that visited her because I felt she was lonely. I really liked this story because it created an image kind of like a movie in my head about Fleur.