The trip to the theater was a promise to my kid sister.  She wanted to see it and the parents were working.  So I said sure thing.  I chose to forgo the experience of reading the book by Stephenie Meyer out of a snobbish literary zeal that abhors all things easy and pat e.g. Twilight, The DaVinci Code, or Odd Thomas.

Twilight opens with a pandering narration by the character Bella played by Kristen Stewart who you may remember from the film Into The Wild.  I became a little nauseous when it appeared they were going to run with the narration through the duration of the film.  Eventually it trailed off and the characters began to speak to each other. 

I've barely been able to escape the hype and buzz swirling before the release of this hurricane of promotional baggage.  Comparisons to Harry Potter, assertions that Ms. Meyer has taken the reigns of horror from the male writers made by folks who apparently forgot Frankenstein's mother/author or the massive commercial success of Ann Rice not so many years ago with her own vampire stories.  And the one big media buzz that the character Edward had to be so amazingly handsome and beautiful as to leave all other male leads in the dust was as easy to figure out as the ending.  They found a young actor so damn near in looks to James Dean that you'd think his undead corpse had wandered onto the set.  There were so many parallels astride Robert Pattinson's portrayal of Edward and Dean in Rebel Without A Cause that I couldn't remember what movie I was watching half the time.  I'm not saying it's a terrible thing.  I'm just saying it's nothing to get your media all worked up about.

As far as the movie goes, it is what it is; a teen suspense and romance flick.  Not quite a film and not entirely without virtue.  There were great little scenes packed into a larger generic cinematic experience.  There was a decent chase scene that kept my attention and woke me up when I began to nod off from all of the romantic build up.  The shooting locations were lush and vibrant and filtered so as to evoke a Tim Burton feel in relation to color and tone.  Even the Cullen family felt as though they might have been neighbors of Edward Scissorhands.

All in all sitting in the theater for Twilight was not a bad experience.  It certainly does not make me want to go out and read the book at all though and I've read my fair share of books.  I'm certain I could write Twilight the book after having seen the movie. 

            To begin with, the Vietnam War was from 1959 to 1975, but one modern movie is exemplary of multimedia influence, Full Metal Jacket. The movie conveys strictly the war, and takes no side for or against the Vietnam War: So the director claims, but take a closer look, and you will notice that it is antiwar; a plethora of negative events occur to persuade the viewer that we should not go to war. Toward the begging of the movie Gomer Pyle doesn't even make it through boot camp. He ended up killing himself over being treated unethically. In society one perspective is that war is wrong, and that people just can't take bear the burden presented. Due to the way soldiers and Drill Sgt. Hartman are portrayed, viewers gain also the perspective that leaders of war are draconian, or severe: If the leaders are having to teach discipline or so harshly that a man commits suicide, should we as citizens go to war? These are questions provoked by movies such as Full Metal Jacket. The viewer also sees the trickery of war later in the movie when a man is killed by a booby trap. The rap was a teddy bear attached to a land mine, as to shield its ominous and true identity. The obdurate, yet concomitant, soldier was murdered because of a “cheap trick.” These evidences generate a negative opinion about the war, while at the same time society takes note to how things like that must come to an end nonetheless. In the 2005 movie called Lord of War, viewers will receive an inside look at what “real” deadly counties are like, and why we should fight to end this suffering. One scene in the movie shows how the Warlord murders people for no reason at all when he tests his newly acquired .357 magnum on a fellow soldier. Later, the movie shows the prostitution that occurs in Africa in order for women to make money all because the leaders of the country are power hungry and greedy for money. These scenes show the viewer that we should go to war in order to thwart the atrocities constantly taking place in a plethora of areas around Africa.

            Furthermore, songs also take a great leap into the concaves of our mind to spin a web of perspective for us all. One antiwar song really hits home for people in America during the Vietnam War's end: “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath. The song was released in 1970 on the album Paranoid. The song says “Generals gathered...like witches...” This is a reference to how the war is pointless killing. The reason is that this is a reference to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The trials had many people killed over a spook from two young girls, Betty Parris, and Abigail Williams. The reference is how the generals are fighting for nothing, and are just absentminded, controlled, and misguided little girls. In contrast, “Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue” by Toby Keith supports the ideals of war. A quote from the song says “My daddy...lost his right eye...flew a flag...until the day that he died...” This really tells people that even though there are losses in war, and it is not all fun and games that, however, you should be thankful for the rights you have because of the fighting going on behind enemy lines.

            In addition, another way that perspective is affected by “the man” is through the political articles so conveniently available at most citizens’ fingertips. A political writer named Paul Joseph Watson states his antiwar beliefs in an article called “Rogue U.S. Troops Knowingly Bombed British In Iraq.” A quote from the article is as follows: “Ethnic cleansing, maimed children and thousands of dead American soldiers are a small price to pay because for the Globalists the end always justifies the means and untold bloodshed and misery and bloodshed won't stand in their way.” Watson is remarking on the fact that many of the power holders in America do not care if an abundance of innocent people die, or that there is “bloodshed” in war. The quote shows how the controllers want everyone to conform to their standards, and if people must die in order for the “correct” end, then it is a “small price to pay.” Contrarily, Michael Yon takes a war supporting photograph captioning it: “A US Soldier comforts a child fatally wounded in a car bomb blast in Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad.” This caption tells you enough that you don't even need to see the photo; a child is being saved and comforted in the arms of a US Soldier, showing how the peoples of other nations need our help, and therefore we should wage war across seas."

I never really did understand the words "never give up" until I saw Bruce Lee. I don't think anyone can replace him from my heart. Some people that see me sometimes call me Bruce Lee because of my race but like I said, no one can replace the real one even if it is I. His persistence is nowhere near my cowardice. However he does give me the encouragement to try things I never had tried before and to never give up. If there's something I am bad at yet I still consider it as a part of what I like, then his words energizes me to fight on and keep rising up after a fall no matter the pain!

As you may know that Bruce Lee is starred in many movies and movies aren't always real. I however do not care whether these movies of Bruce Lee are real or fake. As long as Bruce Lee stays with his state of mind as a courageous loving and caring hero is all that matter to me. I can always tell from his face and expression that tell me he is a hard-headed person. Now that is what I am normally called though... However the way they use it to talk to me just means I just don't listen. Still however those both still mean the persistency of a person. Showing we go through many obstacles and hardships that cover our paths! It is true that I am lazy for whatever reasons but Bruce Lee's legacy of wits and might had inflicted upon me to become much more mature and allow me to see the future.

Many people think of us Asians to know kung-fu, knowing how to fight... it is not true in many senses. Seeing those movies of Bruce Lee fighting doesn't mean that all of us know. Another thing is that it counts toward to me as an insult of saying I am like Bruce Lee for he is way more superior than I am. He had great determination and is persistence all throughout the hardships whilst I am nothing but a mere coward. Bruce Lee though did give many people too the ideas of never giving up, allowing them to learn a great knowledge...

His thoughts of kindness, loving and caring encourage me to do the same toward my family and friends. Helping those and care for those that are dear to me... Though it may be a bit too selfish... Bruce Lee had to come over some sacrifices in order to do this and yet that is true in this world. Also a bit of foolishness overcomes me to thinking of being able to do so much as of right now.

Therefore I shall let those characteristics stay in me and release it once the time is ripe. Bruce has became a legend and with that let us carry this legend down further towards history and let it remain until this world is no more...

In the beginning of The Mission the characters are introduced. We see Father Gabriel the leader of the Jesuit order in the new world, Rodrigo Mendoza the famous slave trader and mercenary, Don Cabeza a lobbyist for the dehumanization of Native Peoples and Felipe and Mendoza's girlfriend who are responsible for Mendoza's dramatic change in that if Mendoza's girlfriend wouldn't have cheated on him with his brother Mendoza would've never killed his brother and in turn never had to seek penance for his sudden outburst of anger which left his brother laying lifeless on the city street.

After murdering his brother Felipe, Mendoza goes to a mission to mope and pretty much give up on his life. While Mendoza is sitting in the mission Father Gabriel comes to visit him. Father Gabriel offers him penance for murdering his brother which Mendoza refuses at first but after further convincing by Father Gabriel he agrees to carry a bag full of armor and other such items of war around with him until he thinks he deserves to be set free. The bag of war items symbolizes all the weight killing puts on the shoulders of your conscience with each kill the more weight you put on your on shoulders. In an ironic twist of events Mendoza doesn't set himself free the Guaraní set him free and kick his bag into the river symbolizing the forgiveness of all his past transgressions.

After being set free by the Guaraní Mendoza is never the same. First of all during a presentation of the Guarani's ability to sing and play music in front of the Cardinal Don Cabeza tries to tell the Cardinal that his plantations don't keep slaves but Mendoza having been a slave trader know that he does and not only owns them but also treats them with less respect then a dog or swine Don Cabeza used this as an excuse to try and adulterate the good name of the Jesuit order saying they taught contempt for lawful profit. Mendoza's speech during the Cardinals review of the missions was a major turning point for him. He went from an enemy of the Native Americans to their most outspoken protector and advocate. However to make up brownie points with the Cardinal Mendoza prepared and recited a lengthy speech of apology addressing practically every member in the crowd from Don Cabeza to the little native boy that was singing.

After showing his loyalties lie with the Guaraní he set forth to help Father Gabriel and the other Jesuits build a mission for the Native peoples. The Mission was special to the Guaraní because it was one of the only places left for the Natives to live without slavery and keep their dignity by only having to convert to the Catholic faith in order to live there. People like Don Cabeza were looking to destroy the missions and were greatly set back by Mendoza since Mendoza was a former slave trader and knew all of their deceitful tricks and knew how to inept what they were saying in slave trade talk.

When the Cardinal finally decided the mission was to be closed down the Natives responded in defiance saying that it was their home they built it, if they went back into the jungle the devil would get them, ect, the Portuguese slave traders responded by letting them know that by the end of the week either the Guaraní were going to be dead or slaves.

The Portuguese statement split the Guaraní camp in half. Father Gabriel and half of the Guaraní wanted to resist through love and faith, and Mendoza and the remaining half wanting to fight for the lives of the Guaraní and their right to live without slavery.

Both sides brought up good reasons as to why they thought that they should either fight or just let faith guide them. On the faith side was Father Gabriel his point of view was that if Mendoza went back to his violent ways that all the repenting was a waste; he was hoping that by showing the Portuguese that the Guaraní were civil and Christian through holding an extravagant mass and march up to the river to meet the Portuguese's. This approach had no chance of success.

Robert Mendoza's plan was to resist with everything he had in him. His thinking was that if he could catch the Portuguese off guard in an ambush killing their leader and seizing some of their guns the Portuguese would think that the slaves weren't worth all the lives they would have to pay in order to get them and would leave them alone. This approach had a small chance of success but still more then Father Gabriel's' plan.

Mendoza much like myself thought that a life of slavery is worse than death and that human dignity was worth protecting even if it means using violence. By standing up to the Portuguese he sent a message that the Natives would not just stand idly by and watch themselves be conquered and enslaved.