American Dream-Julia Alvarez

 Julia Alvarez

Intro to Film B3

Blog Drafts

Mr. Monahan

9.27.2018

THEME: American Dream

The american dream can be altered in definition depending on who’s perspective it is from. For example to an immigrant the american dream can be defined as being given the chance to prosper in the land of opportunities. To others it can mean finding fame or success. All it takes is hard work and determination.

In the first film viewed, Rocky, the story was about a man, who was considered a “bum”/loser in his low income neighborhood, gets chosen in the year 76’ to fight Apollo Creed, the heavyweight champion at the time. The year is of great significance because the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 and so Apollo believed fighting somebody with a name like The Black Stallion, would be very iconic. Rocky first started with the intention of winning but then settled with lasting the full 15 rounds as it was still something never done before and he succeeded at that while also winning a few thousand of dollars and fame in the end.






The film Sugar told the story of a young boy from the Dominican Republic who was training as a baseball player to play for the high leagues in America in which he succeeded at doing so but gave up eventually because of the pressure from it. Being treated and trained like a racing horse was not the life he wanted for himself and so he fled to New York in a hispanic/latino neighborhood with one of his old baseball friends, Jorge, to start a new life away from the pressure of playing professional baseball. He settled there and found a home with Osvaldo, a Rican furniture shop owner who provided shelter for him after he ran out of money. Sugar ended up playing baseball as a hobby in a local park alongside other victims of the foreign baseball players system.







Deciding whether these two men found the american dream in their stories is up to the perspective of the watcher and their life experiences. One thing for sure is that they both got a taste of fame and victory and if we go by the definition of the american dream, success/fame is included. It was predicted that Rocky most likely came from an immigrant italian family considering the time period and his current income status. He trained with determination and worked hard to make sure the fight wasn’t an easy win for Apollo, as said by one of Apollo creed's trainers, “he doesn’t know it’s supposed to be a show! He thinks it’s a damn fight! Now finish this bum and let’s go home”. The word bum is used to describe Rocky multiple times in the movie and he shows resentment towards it as it seems to make him upset and so his goal became to end that. As the fight date approaches he starts being well known by his neighborhood and in his own way comes out of the ring as a winner.

Sugar came from the same status as Rocky, living in a poor neighborhood as well but this time in North America. Sugar immigrated to the USA as well but with an athlete visa that presented him already in a high status as he was coming to America ready to play professional baseball. At first he had fame and was praised and had money but he started slacking, there was no longer the determination and hard work included in the american dream and so he slowly started drifting away.

Both characters experienced their American Dream but the results from it were different as the American Dream comes with sacrifices.

Jasmine American Dream

Jasmine Jones
Mr. Monahan
Intro to Film Studies
1 October 2018


 The ‘American Dream’ is the idea of people coming to America with the goal of having economic prosperity and success, achieved through hard work, determination, and initiative. Many connect the American Dream with immigrants, who usually come here for a better life-- to be free from the threat of war, have religious freedom, or whatever other factor is pushing them from their home country. Many believe that the movies of Rocky and Sugar exhibit the American Dream as films depict the two people trying to be successful through sports.

Rocky is directed by John G. Avildsen and stars Sylvester Stallone as Rocky. He is obviously Italian and probably the child of immigrants. He begins the movie as a low ranking boxer, earning around $40 in one fight. He is lower working class, which is evident by his apartment and the neighborhood he lives in. Though he does do boxing as a job, he also works for a loan shark as a collector, meaning he engages in what one would consider “mafia style work”. He does come off as a tough guy, but throughout the movie one can see him being compassionate. In the film, he walks a foul-mouthed neighborhood girl home and doesn’t break the thumb of a guy who owes his loan shark of a boss money.



Sugar is a film directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden and features Algenis Perez-Soto as Miguel Santos, or Sugar. He is a man from the Dominican Republic who works as a pitcher and dreams of making it to the big leagues. He begins the movie as a pitcher from San Pedro de Macoris, playing at a baseball academy in the Dominican Republic.



Each film really delves into the idea of the American Dream, when each man gets their big break. In Rocky, current Heavyweight Champion of the World Apollo Creed invites Rocky to fight in him in this big important match. This happens because Apollo Creed’s original competitor got injured in training. While scrambling to find another competitor, Apollo Creed thinks that him challenging an underdog boxer would make for an exciting show. Apollo Creed was one of the best, if not the best, boxers of the time and so this was a big deal. In Sugar, Miguel advances to the United States minor leagues and has the chance to come to America. He begins training with the Kansas City Knights and then moves to their suborganization, the Swing. Sugar is a perfect example of the American Dream, a man coming to America for success, through his hard work and determination, despite him not actually making it to the big leagues. Rocky is as well, but in a different way. Despite Rocky working hard as a boxer, he didn’t work hard to be successful. His goal wasn’t to become the best boxer in the world, it was to have boxing be his career. This is one of the main ways that Rocky and Sugar differ.

The way that both men are similar is that both have to adjust their goals. In Rocky, after he had been working towards beating Apollo Creed in the match, Rocky comes to the conclusion that that’s probably not going to happen. He was the heavyweight champion after all. Rocky decides to adjust his goal to lasting the rounds, to lasting all 15 rounds with Creed in the ring. In Sugar, Miguel gets into an injury and sees that there’s more to life than just playing baseball. He does go back to playing, but when Salvador, another pitcher from his past comes from the Dominican Republic and is better than Sugar, he starts to let go of that dream. It’s important to note that them adjusting their goals doesn’t interfere with them achieving the American Dream. Instead, it makes the goal of achieving success more realistic for them. This similarity also helps develop another one of their differences. After changing his goal, Rocky became focused on romance and dating, while Sugar become focused on living life in New York. For a long period of time, Rocky was interested in Adrian, a woman who was the sister of his friend Paulie, and worked in the pet shop that Rocky visited everyday. Eventually Rocky asks her out on a date and their relationship progresses. After Rocky fights Apollo Creed, he begins screaming Adrian’s name and professes his love for her. On the other hand, after Sugar feels threatened by Salvador replacing him, he leaves to New York, like his friend Jorge did. Here he gets a job, meets new friends, and joins a baseball team composed of people who played in the major leagues. He actually enjoys living in New York and is successful there, accomplishing his American Dream to an extent.

The American Dream is the goal of being successful in America and accomplishing that goal through hard work, drive, and motivation. Rocky and Sugar are two films that exhibit the idea of accomplishing one’s American Dream. The main character of each film starts off with a goal, something they plan to accomplish/ do with their life. For Rocky, it was being a decent boxer and proving to those that have doubted him that he did have what it takes to compete with the professionals. For Sugar, it was coming to America and playing in the Major League of Baseball. Though each had to make some adjustments to their goal to make it more realistic and achievable, both men became successful. They didn’t become millionaires in these specific films, but they were able to live decent lives in America through their hard work and initiative.

Fraylin Ventura Intro To Film Studies/ Monahan Class

Fraylin Ventura

Intro to Film B3

Blog Drafts

Mr. Monahan

9.27.2018

Life, and the pursuit of Happiness

THEMES:

  The American  Dream: The idea or promise that America provides equal opportunity for all and will succeed through hard work and determination. This can be evidenced by material success-ownership of property- and having a family and friends. Crossing or Blending Genres: Both and Sugar be considered sports films; however, they both incorporate elements of romance and drama (personal relationships). Additionally, sugar takes a sharp turn turning from what is essentially a sports film into a tale of imagination.

Outline:

1. Evidence Collection I: Sugar by directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, featuring  Algenis Perez-Soto.

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  This honorable man that you see in this image was the protagonist on this film. This film represents empowerment and boundless. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck made a noteworthy narrative feature debut with Half Nelson, and they establish themselves as filmmakers of uncommon integrity, compassion, and vision with their superb follow-up, Sugar.  However, while the film deals with familiar elements -- it is a fish-out-of-water story and a sports drama -- the filmmakers scrupulously avoid cliché, and in their own unobtrusively artful way, subvert audience expectations. Furthermore, the film isn't really about baseball, so much as it's about a young man's coming to terms with what he wants out of life, Boden and Fleck have done their research.

Observation/ something I noticed or observed:

From the opening credits until the final act the protagonist or main character Miguel “Sugar” Santos is a man on the move. The opening credit sequence establishes this motif by having the camera take Miguel’s point of view as he looks out the bus window at the Dominican countryside going from the Kansas City Knights’ training facility to visit his family in the village of Boca Chica. This motif occurs when Miguel is chosen to go to spring training in Arizona, followed by the move to Iowa, and then finally to “New York”. His arrivals in New York is demonstrated by him seeing the Statue of Liberty From the window of the bus - Lady Liberty is a definite symbol of the American Dream, a welcoming land full of hope and opportunity and privilege as a human being. Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden (Half Nelson) weave this introspective sports drama concerning a talented Dominican baseball player who longs to break into the American big league and earn the money needed to support his impoverished family. Miguel Santos is a talented pitcher who might just have what it takes to earn a prized spot on a Major League Baseball team, but before that happens he'll have to prove his worth in the minor leagues. Furthermore, Santo’s when he came down from the Dominican Republic the first things that he did was going to a motel with his colleagues from a couple of weeks after he settles down. After a week, he started watching porn with his buddy. Not even that, the secretary from the motel ask him “when are you going to pay me?” He asked. May you give me one more week and then I’d pay you all the demurrage I was here?. Santos answered her with a question. Then, there was a part where he was talking on the phone with his girlfriend telling her that everything in America was so sweet. He thought that everything was going to taste with spice and other flavors. Moreover, Miguel is warmly welcomed into the small-town Iowa home of his host family, but can't help but struggle with language and cultural barriers despite the kindness of strangers. Subsequently forced to reevaluate his life's ambition after his once-trusty arm becomes unreliable, the previously single-minded pitcher gradually begins to question both the world he lives in and the role he has chosen to play in it.

II. Evidence Collection II: Rocky directed by John G Avildsen and starring Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa AKA “The Italian Stallion”.

Observation/something I detected:

Going back to this idea that the American Dream is the promise of success through hard work and fortitude I am reminded of two things: the power of words and the training sequences. For example, more than anything the end of Rocky illustrates that Rocky has "gone the distance" (all 15 rounds of the fight). That's all he wanted. He didn't care if he lost the fight, (which he did at the end of his battle. Apollo is the victor by points in this match) only that he didn't lose by knockout. He's elated that he "went the distance" and demonstrates to Adrian that he had what it takes to go the distance. Also, he's looking for Adrian because he wants to celebrate this victory with her. Nothing else is important than that, because he doesn’t even care what people think about his personal experiences or their opinions. This is why he doesn't care about having a rematch. He was never interested in winning the fight because he didn’t have self- assured into himself. Which brings him into the situation. Additionally, Rocky proves to everyone’s that being strong doesn’t make you a superior. It doesn’t mean refusing to show your sadness and vulnerability. Furthermore, he was only interested in "not being another bum from the neighborhood". The quote that really stand out, and that had a meaningful meaning for me was when he was with the old man chatting about his favorite quote from one of the greatest baseball players. For example, “if you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth.” -- Roberto Clemente.

This film had an impactful moment which has developed a wide of range of innovative filmmaking supports programs. The message that Rocky sends to the general audience was it means treating ourselves with kindness and compassion, even when you feel like you don’t deserve anything. Also, it means giving yourself permission to get all your needs met by setting boundaries to others.

  This gentleman that you see right here was the main character or the protagonist of this film which had intense moment. Rocky's personal life is rough around the edges, and so is his fighting style. Mickey tells Rocky, "You got heart, but you fight like a goddamn ape." Our little Magilla Gorilla can't spell finesse and he doesn't have any in the ring. Additionally, part of the reason why is because he's a southpaw, or a leftie. Moreover, Apollo's coach, Duke, tells Apollo, "I don't want you messin' with southpaws. They do everything backwards." That line could apply to Rocky's life as a whole because he always feels like a bass-ackwards screw-up.

Over the past years, this two filmmaking had such incomparable similarity. For example, while we can be self-involved from time to time, human beings nowadays we’re not being so generous to the society. On the other hand, many people would say that people are simply unique, and matchless. These two leaders did a tremendous job by avoiding all the controversies that were going on in the streets. In the particular. I lamented that both main characters did a phenomenal job by having self-improvements and self-sufficiency because one of their main goals was to demonstrated to the nation that when you have passion and dedication to any of your objectives or goals you can achieve then by your hard working and fortitude. Nevertheless, I believe that these two protagonists people shouldn’t have gone at this level because I believe that everyone should deserve all the rights as needed as an immigrant and others.

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Form

The American Dream Across Texts: Rocky and Sugar

 The end of Sugar comes abruptly and almost shockingly. The story the viewer assumes is going to unfold is cut short by the exact opposite of what they expected. Sugar runs away from his team and he doesn’t become a star. His girlfriend won’t acknowledge his calls and his mother is angry that he ‘quit’ baseball. Yet despite all of this in the last shot of the movie Sugar is happy.

From a technical standpoint the film expresses Sugar’s emotion in the final shot through acting and shot composition. Throughout the entire film, Sugar is often the only thing that is clear in his environment. Noise is distant and distorted, vision is blurred, and he often stumbles through the shot as if he has no idea what’s going on around him which is amplified by the hand camera used to record those shots that provides a shaky and surreal feeling further removing the viewer from the world around Sugar. At the end of the movie though Sugar is at ease, he smiles, and he fits into his team and the shot with a certain sense of belonging.

I think Sugar does succeed though in the broader sense of the American Dream. He took his chance at becoming a professional player and it wasn’t for him. He still provides for his family back at home doing something he loves in a pick up league surrounded by his friends.  Parallel to Rocky, who showed how the American Dream can manifest in success, Sugar shows how the American dream can end in mediocrity. It is important to emphasize that Sugar hasn’t failed to live up to the American Dream, despite not fitting perfectly into a fairytale and clawing his way up to the big leagues. He lives a life that he enjoys, works a craft, and still sends money home to his family.

Rocky and Sugar come in fairly sharp contrast to each other in nearly every way. Rocky is portrayed as a past-his-prime genius who never pushed his talent to become the best while Sugar is a mediocre young pitcher who struggles under pressure. Economically they are similar, both earning less than comfortable amounts but both manage to feed themselves and their family. However, Rocky doesn’t, and has never, seen his sport as anything more than a hobby, while Sugar has worked his entire life in pursuit of playing professional baseball.  This is important because it puts their goals into perspective. When Sugar fails, he resorts to any means possible to improve, often getting uncontrollably angry at his performance. What matters to Sugar is winning, climbing to higher leagues to earn more money. Rocky went into his fight with Apollo Creed expecting to lose but wanting to go the distance to prove to himself he was worth something. He didn’t fight for the money, and in the movie how much he will earn is mentioned sparingly.