The series revolves around the life of Adrian Monk, a private detective who helps San Francisco Police Department, his previous employers solving murder cases. Known as the defective detective among the department, Monk’s attention to detail, amazing mindset and photogenic memory helps him solve a record number of cases for the police department. Adrian Monk is helped along the way by Sharona Fleming, his nurse at the beginning who ends up becoming his first assistant. After Sharona got married and moved to New Jersey, Monk starts working with Natalie Teeger as his assistant. While on the case, Monk is supervised by Captain Leland Stottlemeyer, who in the beginning doesn’t like the way monk operates, but then eases on as the series progresses.
In most detective fiction written before the 1930’s, police officers played subordinate roles – but the World Wars changed that. Transformations in American society contributed to new concerns about crime, rising levels of violence and acute attention to the role of police. The spy hero was made redundant by the collapse of the Soviet Union and thriller writers needed something to fill the void. Rather than detection, the crime narratives focused on moments of moral decision making and were conveyed from the point of view of protagonists who were police detectives or government agents. A broader interest in exploring psychological motivation also found its niche in US film and was visually and narratively distinct from that of the 1930’s.
Jacob Watkins Professor Massenburg Critical Writing Seminar: Concepts in Popular Culture May 11, 2015 American Gangsters Equals America Cops The movie American Gangster addresses the corrupt system of the early 70’s and the consequences of abuse power when being an American gangster was more honorable than being an American cop. This movie was produced by Ridley Scott and was brought to theatres November 2, 2007. The main character in this movie is a man named Frank Lucas, played by the great Denzel Washington. Frank Lucas was a limo driver-turned-right hand man for a man by the name of Bumpy Johnson, an American mob boss in Harlem, New York. One day while in a store, Bumpy Johnson died of a heart attack.
* Article exposed murder, extortion + standover tactics infesting the docks * A congressional enquiry set up similar to the one in the film to investigate crime and corruption * K had his own reason for making the film * K. was anxious to tell the story of a courageous “whistle blower” * Kazan was a member of the communist party and testified to the HUAC (House of Un-American Activities Commission) and testified against his peers in the film industry * He made this film to justify his actions * The tenements, rooftops + narrow streets to provide realism + the sharp angular lines of buildings, reflect the stark environment they live in * Terry, friendly and Fr. Barry based on real people Structure, Language and Style * The stark black and white cinematography presents an equally stark black and white moral issues – clear delineation between one or the
Most films of the time were shot in studio lots, filming the movie location afforded the viewers an unparalleled insight into the sights, sounds, and weather the longshoremen faced daily. The protagonist of the movie, Terry Malloy is played flawlessly by Marlon Brando. Terry had grandiose dreams of becoming a prize-fighter. When he did not reach his potential in the boxing ring he became a low-level crony working for the mob that ran the docks in New Jersey. His body language in the beginning of the movie suggests he is down trodden, lacks self -esteem and is uncomfortable around others.
Hunter S. Thompson’s, “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” is a self reflection of a journey to Vegas as a journalist for a sports magazine in which Thompsons persona, “ Raoul Duke” is accompanied by his Samoan “attorney” whose only counsel seems to consist of recommending illegal drugs. It is this drug counter-culture, which exposes Thompson’s desire of obtaining the “American Dream”. Thompson’s abstracted idea surrounding the “American Dream” arises primarily from the 60s, when America possessed the qualities of innocence and with the emerging drug culture promised a new perspective on reality. This quest for the ”American Dream” subsequently comes directly from the books subtitle, “A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream”. Though
Martin Scorsese, director of Goodfellas, put a lot of effort into making a good, honest mob film. In this film, Scorsese brings the audience onto the never-ending roller coaster that mobsters ride. The status of these men continuously changes as they battle with the streets, addiction, death and the courts. He combines narrative, cinematography, editing, sound and set design in this film to portray the dark lives of the Italian mob. Martin Scorsese directs a very strong narrative in Goodfellas.
Crash Stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination are the underlying themes of Crash. This 2004 American drama film depicts racial and social tensions in Los Angeles, California. Several inter-related stories of different and unique characters of diverse races and ethnicities twist together just during two days in Los Angeles. These include a black detective, two carjackers, the white District Attorney, a racist white policeman, an African American Hollywood director and his wife, a Persian-immigrant father, and an industrious Hispanic locksmith. One thing interesting about Crash is the fact that no actual victims or offenders are detected among the characters.
Caroline Rose Dr. Sean Morris November 1, 2012 ENGL 2900 Scene Analysis Word Count: 1322 Shot Sequence Minute: 95:35 – 96:44 Murder from a Mobster’s Angle The following scene from Miller’s Crossing (Joel Cohen, 1990) gives the viewer a sense of just how violent life as a mobster can be. To mobsters, murder is business-like and does not hold the same consequences as it does in the outside world. Dressed in a silk robe, mobster boss Johnny Casper (Jon Polito) has no problem murdering a man on the floor of his study. Shot 1 begins with the sudden sound of a bang and a slightly off-center widescreen shot of Johnny Casper, just after hitting Eddie Dane (J.E. Freeman) in the face with a fireplace shovel.
What was it like for people in the 1950s? Compare it to our modern experience living under the threat of terrorism. What are the similarities? What are the differences? OPTION 2: SEE IT NOW Legendary journalist Edward Murrow produced a news magazine called See It Now that aired on television between 1951 and 1958.