Lessons From Movies

Every good movie leaves its viewers with a clear message to take home, whether it’s about confidence, or trust, or courage, it serves to exemplify goodness and teach the audience a great lesson. In this special segment, we have for you a few quotes from movies that were moving, enthralling and altogether inspiring.

Don't judge a man's maturity by his appearance; judge by his actions.

The Mysterious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Attacking what you don't understand only shows your ignorance and cowardliness.

The Passion of Christ (2004)

If you live everyday of your life to the fullest, you can make a great story out of all of your "today"s too!

 One Day (2011)

A mask taken off by another is a failure; a mask taken off by oneself is a victory.

The Mask (1994)

As long as you've given all your best, even if you lose the game at the end of the 9th inning, you'd still be a winner. 

 Moneyball (2011)

I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most, including our dreams. 

 Spiderman 2 (2004)

The three things that are more obvious the more you try to hide them: Poverty, coughing, and love.

 Il Mare (2000)

There can be no triumph without loss. No victory without suffering. No freedom without sacrifice.

 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

If black and white are all what's left, even a tiny bit of red can shock the world.

Schindler's List (1994)

Courtesy of Shooting Stars
TCSH Film Club

IMDB Top 10 Movies (Part 1)

What is IMDB?
 
The Internet Movie Database (abbreviated IMDb) is an online database of information related to films, television programs, and video games, taking in actors, production crew, fictional characters, biographies, plot summaries, and trivia. Actors and crew can post their own résumé and upload photos of themselves for a yearly fee. U.S. users can also view over 6,000 movies and television shows from CBS, Sony, and various independent film makers.

Launched in 1990 by professional computer programmer Col Needham, the company’s revenue is generated through advertising, licensing, and partnerships.

As of April 1, 2014, IMDb had 2,841,405 titles and 5,826,213 personalities in its database, and is an Alexa Top 50 site.

The site enables any user to submit new material and request edits to existing entries. Although all data is checked before going live, the system has been open to abuse, and occasional errors are acknowledged. Users are also invited to rate any film on a scale of 1 to 10, and the totals are converted into a weighted mean-rating that is displayed beside each title, with online filters employed to deter ballot-stuffing. The site also features Message Boards, which stimulate regular debates among authenticated users.

Here is a compiled list of IMDB’s Top 100 movies, as rated by its millions of users. We definitely recommend these movies to you and your friends and family. Next time you feel like curling up on the couch to a cosy chick-flick, or having a sleepover party watching movies till past your bedtime, or just a good way to spend your holidays, you now know where to consult! 

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Director:

Frank Darabont

Storyline

Andy Dufresne is a young and successful banker whose life changes drastically when he is convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife and her lover. Set in the 1940's, the film shows how Andy, with the help of his friend Red, the prison entrepreneur, turns out to be a most unconventional prisoner.

The Godfather (1972)

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

Storyline 

The story begins as "Don" Vito Corleone, the head of a New York Mafia family, oversees his daughter's wedding with his wife Wendy. His beloved son Michael has just come home from the war, but does not intend to become part of his father's business. Through Michael's life the nature of the family business becomes clear. The business of the family is just like the head of the family, kind and benevolent to those who give respect, but given to ruthless violence whenever anything stands against the good of the family. Don Vito lives his life in the way of the old country, but times are changing and some don't want to follow the old ways. An up and coming rival of the Corleone family wants to start selling drugs in New York, and needs the Don's influence to further his plan. The clash of the Don's fading old world values and the new ways will demand a terrible price, especially from Michael, all for the sake of the family.

The Godfather: Part II(1974)

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

Storyline

The continuing saga of the Corleone crime family tells the story of a young Vito Corleone growing up in Sicily and in 1910s New York; and follows Michael Corleone in the 1950s as he attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.

The Dark Knight (2008)

Director:

Christopher Nolan

Storyline

Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organisations that plague the city streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as ‘The Joker’.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Director:

Quentin Tarantino 

Storyline

Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega are two hitmen who are out to retrieve a suitcase stolen from their employer, mob boss Marsellus Wallace. Wallace has also asked Vincent to take his wife Mia out a few days later when Wallace himself will be out of town. Butch Coolidge is an aging boxer who is paid by Wallace to lose his next fight. The lives of these seemingly unrelated people are woven together comprising of a series of funny, bizarre and uncalled-for incidents.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

Director:

Sergio Leone

Storyline 

Blondie (The Good) is a professional gunslinger who is out trying to earn a few dollars. Angel Eyes (The Bad) is a hit man who always commits to a task and sees it through, as long as he is paid to do so. And Tuco (The Ugly) is a wanted outlaw trying to take care of his own hide. Tuco and Blondie share a partnership together making money off Tuco's bounty, but when Blondie unties the partnership, Tuco tries to hunt down Blondie. When Blondie and Tuco comes across a horse carriage loaded with dead bodies, they soon learn from the only survivor (Bill Carson) that he and a few other men have buried a stash of gold in a cemetery. Unfortunately Carson dies and Tuco only finds out the name of the cemetery, while Blondie finds out the name on the grave. Now the two must keep each other alive in order to find the gold. Angel Eyes (who had been looking for Bill Carson) discovers that Tuco and Blondie met with Carson and knows they know the location of the gold. An intricate plot woven with the values of trust and dangers of greed.


Schindler's List (1993)

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Storyline 

Oskar Schindler is a vainglorious and greedy German businessman who becomes an unlikely humanitarian amid the barbaric Nazi reign when he feels compelled to turn his factory into a refuge for Jews. This story is based on the touching true story of Oskar Schindler who has managed to save about 1100 Jews from being gassed at the Auschwitz concentration camp.

12 Angry Men (1957)

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Storyline

The defence and the prosecution have rested, and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case of murder soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other. Based on the world famous play, all of the action takes place on the stage of the jury room. 


The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

 
Director:

Peter Jackson 

Storyline

Frodo and Sam continue to approach Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring, unaware of the perilous path Gollum is leading them. In the mean time, the former Fellowship aid Rohan and Gondor in a great battle in the Pelennor Fields, Minas Tirith and the Black Gates as Sauron wages his last war against Middle-Earth.

Fight Club (1999) 

 

 

Director:

David Fincher

Storyline

A ticking time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion.


Well, there you have it- the Top 10 movies of our lifetime as rated by the IMDB. We sure hope the brief summaries provided has tickled your curiosity and intrigued your imagination enough to make you watch some of the movies! Movies are there not just for our enjoyment and entertainment, but also to draw inspiration from and to watch the lines between reality and make-believe blur for our imagination’s sake- even if it’s just for a few hours.

Courtesy of Shooting Stars
TCSH Film Club

Oscars 2014: A Brief Overview

The big night had finally arrived. On the 2nd of March 2014, the prestigious 86th Academy Awards had all of Hollywood’s rich and famous turning out to celebrate the night in style. The star-studded event was no disappointment to its global audience, who followed the speeches, the surprises and other memorable episodes of the night closely, from the red carpet specials to the winners’ speeches to the closing ceremony.

This year’s host was none other than popular comedian and talk-show host, Ellen DeGeneres! She had a few surprises up her sleeve for the celebrities and audience alike, and probably one of her most unforgettable contributions to the night would be ordering pizza for the A-List guests. “You know my motto - give the people what they want,” she said. And they wanted pizza all right. 

The not-so-flattering faces of satisfied celebrities digging into their slices of pizza.










The lucky pizza delivery guy walked away with a $1000 tip for delivering the pizzas to the celebrities. He thought he was only delivering the order backstage. Naturally, he was caught by surprise when he found out he was actually going to deliver it to them! He was brought in to the stage personally by Ellen herself and the whole world was just blew off by her act .

This is awkward.

Let’s not forget the the “Oscar Family Selfie” that literally broke Twitter with 3.3 million re-tweets and counting. Looks like the usual “ stiff, high-class”  impression of the Oscar's ceremony was totally “ruined" by Ellen. As a matter-of-fact, it turned out to be a warm-hearted, hilarious night - a historical Oscar's ceremony - thanks to Ellen, earning the title of being the most viewed award's ceremony in the past five years. 

Ellen DeGeneres: “If only Bradley's arm was longer. Best photo ever.”

Another highlight of the evening would be a déjà vu of Jennifer Lawrence’s infamous fall -  it happened again for the second consecutive year. Besides that, Leonardo DiCaprio was voted most likely to win ‘Best Actor in A Leading Role’ for his outstanding performance in ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’. Unfortunately, the Oscar drought still runs dry for poor Leo. However, being the good sport that he is, he said this to his fans: “I am really moved by all the people on the Internet demanding that I should win an Oscar. But to be honest, I only do this job because I love it, not to win prizes.” Respect!


If the Red Carpet moments and Ellen’s gimmicks weren’t enough, the entire ceremony had us on the edge of our seats, what with the biggest movie stars on the planet presenting awards, musical performances of Academy Award nominated songs, surprise twists, predicted wins and funny speeches. With such great movies, talented stars and crew nominated for the esteemed Oscars, the results were definitely worth waiting for. Yes, the Oscars 2014 certainly had it all!

Category	Winner (Movie Title)	Winner (Actor/Actress/Team)
Best Picture	12 Years A Slave
Best Actor in a Leading Role	Dallas Buyers Club	Matthew McConaughey
Best Actress in a Leading Role	Blue Jasmine	Cate Blanchett
Best Actor in a Supporting Role	Dallas Buyers Club	Jared Leto
Best Actress in a Supporting Role	12 Years A Slave	Lupita Nyong’o
Best Animated Feature Film	Frozen
Best Cinematography	Gravity	Emmanuel Lubezki
Best Costume Design	The Great Gatsby	Catherine Martin
Best Directing	Gravity	Alfonso Cuarón
Best Documentary Feature	20 Feet from Stardom
Best Documentary Short Subject	The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life	Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed
Best Film Editing	Gravity	Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger
Best Foreign Language Film	The Great Beauty (Italy)
Best Makeup and Hairstyling	Dallas Buyers Club	Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews
Best Music (Original Score)	Gravity	Steven Price
Best Music (Original Song)	“Let It Go” from Frozen	Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
Best Production Design	The Great Gatsby	Catherine Martin (Production Design); Beverley Dunn (Set Decoration)
Best Short Film (Animated)	Mr. Hublot	Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares
Best Short Film (Live Action)	Helium	Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson
Best Sound Editing	Gravity	Glenn Freemantle
Best Sound Mixing	Gravity	Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro
Best Visual Effects	Gravity	Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk and Neil Corbould
Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)	12 Years A Slave	Screenplay by John Ridley
Best Writing (Original Screenplay)	Her	Written by Spike Jonze

Best Documentary Short Subject	The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life	Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed
Best Film Editing	Gravity	Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger
Best Foreign Language Film	The Great Beauty (Italy)
Best Makeup and Hairstyling	Dallas Buyers Club	Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews
Best Music (Original Score)	Gravity	Steven Price
Best Music (Original Song)	“Let It Go” from Frozen	Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
Best Production Design	The Great Gatsby	Catherine Martin (Production Design); Beverley Dunn (Set Decoration)
Best Short Film (Animated)	Mr. Hublot	Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares
Best Short Film (Live Action)	Helium	Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson
Best Sound Editing	Gravity	Glenn Freemantle
Best Sound Mixing	Gravity	Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro
Best Visual Effects	Gravity	Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk and Neil Corbould
Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)	12 Years A Slave	Screenplay by John Ridley
Best Writing (Original Screenplay)	Her	Written by Spike Jonze

 

12 Years A Slave
Winner of
‘Best Picture’
‘Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)’
‘Best Actress in A Supporting Role’ (Lupita Nyong’o)

Dallas Buyers Club
Winner of
‘Best Actor in A Leading Role’ (Matthew McConaughey)
‘Best Actor in A Supporting Role’ (Jared Leto)
‘Best Make Up & Hairstyling’

Blue Jasmine
Winner of 
‘Best Actress in A Leading Role’ (Cate Blanchett)

Frozen
Winner of
‘Best Animated Feature Film’
‘Best Music- Original Song’ (Let It Go)

The Great Gatsby
Winner of
‘Best Costume Design’ (Catherine Martin)
‘Best Production Design’ (Catherine Martin)




 
Gravity
Winner of
‘Best Cinematography’
‘Best Directing’ (Alfonso Cuarón)
‘Best Film Editing’
‘Best Music- Original Score’ (Steven Price)
‘Best Sound Editing’
‘Best Sound Mixing’
‘Best Visual Effects’

 






20 Feet from Stardom
Winner of
‘Best Documentary Feature’






 





The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
Winner of 
‘Best Documentary Short Subject’









 





Her
Winner of 
‘Best Writing (Original Screenplay)’








 






The Great Beauty (Italy)
Winner of 
‘Best Foreign Language Film’







 



Mr Hublot
Winner of 
‘Best Animated Short Film’










 


Helium
Winner of 
‘Best Live-Action Short Film’

Fun facts about the Academy Awards

1. Length of the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre: About 500 feet
2. Width of the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre: About 33 feet
3. Height of Oscar statuette: 13½ inches
4. Weight of Oscar statuette: 8½ pounds
5. The design of the Oscar statuette is a knight holding a crusader's sword, standing on a film reel. Number of spokes the reel has: 5 for the 5 original branches of the Academy: writers, technicians, producers, actors and directors.
6. The 1st Academy Awards was held in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on May 16, 1929
7. Price of guest tickets for the first Academy Awards: $5
8. Since 1929, number of Oscar statuettes presented: 2,809
9. Date of the first televised Oscars show: March 19, 1953
10. Year the Academy Awards were first broadcast in colour: 1966
11. Year the Best Animated Feature Film category was added: 2001
12. Number of Oscar statuettes created for the 86th Academy Awards: 50
13. Estimated global viewership of 86th Academy Awards: 700 million
14. How much freebies in this year's Oscar swag bags are worth in total: >$55,000


By Low Yan Zhi and Jayson,
Cambridge A-Levels Program,

Courtesy of Shooting Stars Film Club