This is a line that needs to be banned from those films that are truly not based upon reality. The films that want nothing more for the audience to believe that there is some amount of truth to them. I know that many may think that this is a harmless practice, but I argue the contrary. Too often people are duped into believing that a film they just watched was based upon events that truly happened. Granted, no one is foolish to believe that a film is depicting reality as it happened. Even the most dedicated film to the truth takes liberty with reality in favor of entertainment value. Many believe this also to be a somewhat new practice. Starting out with The Blair Witch Project and growing from there. Unfortunately this practice began long before The Blair Witch Project.

No, unfortunately this practice began way back with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Not just the original was guilty of this act. Even the remake tries to dupe the audience into believing that these events actually happened. The majority of the intelligent community would in no way buy that load of crap, but unfortunately there are some who maintain to this day that leather face is still out there. Even when the evidence is presented to them, they point to the films and all of the fake crap written about them that try to convince people of the films basis in true events. To make matters worse, the believers write articles about how those events happened. And other believers use this as evidence to back up their position. Any one familiar with the film may be surprised to find out that the main character, Leather Face, was loosely based upon the well known serial killer Ed Gein.

In the movies Leather Face kills lots of people. In reality Ed Gein only confessed to two murders and was only tried and convicted for one. It was the nature of the case that got Gein his notoriety as a serial killer, even though technically he does not fit the definition. All of the body parts found in his home were attributed to his grave robbing activities and not people he actually killed. He had heads, skulls, organs, and various other body parts. He made skin suits and covered his furniture with skin. All of these gruesome details are what lead to Gein's fame.

Next we have the Amityville Horror. This movie is claimed to be based upon true events, and it may be. I have a sneaking suspicion that this is nothing more than a clever story created to help two people get out of financial troubles. They bought a house they could not afford or had other debts, or they simply created this story; because they wanted to be rich. A good enough story is worth a lot of money. There are still people today who believe that the events depicted in this film are real.

Fast forward to the Blair Witch project. The filming style of this movie is what leads the audience to believe that there is some kind of truth to the film. That there may be a small town out there with a local legend of a witch. Children gone missing with no good explanation as to why. Very few people would buy into any part of this film being based in reality, but there are exceptions to the rule.

Another more recent film claiming to be based upon some kind of reality is Paranormal. When you see the preview, you think to yourself, "wow, that looks scary". Unfortunately you then watch the film and find out that it is nothing more than a long and boring piece of crap. Once again the audience is lead to believe that there is some kind of truth to the film. When in reality it is nothing more than a reality based film. The style of filming is meant to have a real life, home movie feeling. Does stuff like this happen? There is a ton of evidence out there to at least lead someone to believe in the paranormal. This film does that evidence a great disservice. In my mind it is a slap in the face to people who have dealt with real life situations involving the other side.

The most recent film, one that inspired this article is called The Fourth Kind. The movie starts out with Actress Mila Jovovich claiming that the events in the film are real and that it was up to us to decide. The film company, Universal I believe, created a fake web site and articles to help create the illusion that these events happened. The interviews done in a home video style sprinkled throughout the film adds to the films reality. It leads the audience to believe that the footage is real and was taken by a real psychiatrist. This real life footage from the real life story is what inspired this film. This is what we are supposed to believe.

Of course when you do a little digging, you find out that there is no psychiatrist, there were no hypnosis sessions that revealed alien abductions taking place in Nome, Alaska. The FBI was investigating some cases up that way, but they did not find anything out of the ordinary. Now I know that it all could be one big conspiracy. The government is covering things up, to make us think these things did not happen. The fact remains that without evidence i can't buy into it. The best I can do is probability. It may or may not have happened. I did the research for myself and I found the fake web sites, but I did not find anything else about anything in this film that looked believable or real. This was a good movie, I really enjoyed it. I just wish they did not try so hard to sell it as a true story.

What these films should say is Based upon themes that occur in reality, or inspired by events that take place in the world. Too many people buy into these films, which does not really hurt anyone. It just drives me crazy when I am lead to believe one thing only to find out that there is no basis in reality. When I see a film like this, I in no way believe that what I am watching is all truth. I do expect that at least one or two of the characters in the film actually existed.

It would be nice to find some shred of evidence that could support any part of the film. Honestly, the big problem for me is that I want some part of these movies to be true. I'm not talking about films like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I'm talking about films like Amityville, Paranormal, and the Fourth Kind. Amityville and Paranormal, because of the prospect of there being evidence of something beyond this life. The Fourth Kind, because of the possibility of having evidence that we are not alone in the Universe. Fire in the Sky was a good film for that. At least when i looked up those characters i found out they existed and the story they claimed to have happened is what the movie is based upon. I also like the fact that they all passed a lie detector test. So, when I find out these stories are bogus, its a big let down. Based upon a true story or inspired by true events should be left to films like RUDY, WE ARE THE TITANS, MALCOM X, NIXON, ALI, and so forth.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dennis_Huff

There are a growing number of people who think that TV is now a no brainer and all programs are the same, with a lack of taste and morals. OK, there will be some shows that are purely there for entertainment, but valuable life lessons can still be learn from some. We'll look at a few of those now.

The first one is Psych; this is a networked crime drama which I think is great fun. A guy who's memory is photographic and wits are razor sharp passes himself off as a psychic to solve mysteries and crimes.

This show keeps me very entertained and also gets my deductive juices flowing. This is a show that really gets you using your brain.

Jo Frost is the Super Nanny, who goes to different homes in the UK and the US to help parents cope with their kids who are, quite frankly, monsters. It is on weekly on ABC and re run daily on the Style network.

Jo is a British nanny who has had to deal with many horrors in her time and now educates parents how to deal with issues coolly and calmly. No parent is perfect, but she points them in the right direction.

If you like shows that deal with self improvement, you will love How do I look? and What not to wear. These get people who look like they got their clothes out of a dumpster and transform them into fashionable, well dressed individuals, thus raising their opinions of themselves.

I've always prided myself on not judging people by their appearance, but not everyone is like that. Learning to dress properly can improve your life no end.

If I can be entertained and educated at the same time, I'm very happy. I get both of these from all the CSI shows, NCIS and Law and Order. They show behind the scenes of our legal system as well as dealing with moral and ethical dilemmas. No subject is taboo, however disturbing.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rachel_Morgans

"Home" (Maison) is an intriguing film from France involving a family who has witnessed the growth of a major highway being built just steps away from their front door. The road has set unused and unfinished for years, and the family has over time become acclimated to its presence. They simply cross the road and use the dirt road on the other side leading away from their house to go to school or work. The family's young son (played by Kasey Mottet Klein) uses the highway as a place to play and ride his bicycle.

All seems well until they come home one day and find that the pathway to their house has been blocked by guardrails. Shortly after trucks began to arrive with workers intent on getting the highway completed so that it can be used. Even as the work progresses, no one in the family seems to realize that their lives are about to change.

When the first cars begin to arrive on the newly paved highway the family sees it only as a minor diversion to their daily lives (the children must use the drain pipe under the highway to make their way to school, the car must be parked on the opposite side of the highway from the house, they have to start dealing with the air and noise pollution stirred up by the increasing traffic).

As the days wear on though, the family begins to crumble under the weight of the changes that have been forced upon them. One daughter begins to consistently wear a gas mask to protect herself from the pollution, the parents begin to fight and argue more often than not, and the tension amongst the family members gets more and more unbearable each passing day.

Eventually the whole family moves down into the basement, bricking up the windows in the upstairs rooms. The close quarters and ultimate confinement only tend to make matters worse. Will the situation cause the family to implode, or will they find a solution to stop the breakdown that has already begun.

This is a greatly done film. The slow moving pace, and long delays in switching from one scene to another gives you the feeling of tediousness and dread that you know the family must be experiencing. Kacey Mottet Klein, in his first major role, does an exceptional job as the youngest member of the family, winning the Swiss Film Award for Best Emerging Actor at only 9 years of age.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christian_Jentz

By now you've heard Avatar lived up to its expectations. With nominations in almost every category this year, James Cameron can count on stealing the spotlight again since the ginormous success of Titanic.

Its Cameron, therefore epic, and a blockbuster, surpassing the only other record-breaking highest-grossing movie: his own Titanic. The movie grossed over $2 billion, and had a budget of $237 million, but went over it by a cool $300 million. But enough about its fiscal success:

What I liked the most about the movie was the title. Avatar. Avatar, merely an embodiment, a variable if you will, just a shell of who we are, not the real person inside. Should that restrict us? Our bodies do not necessarily identify us though, its who we are inside, right? The same question was posed in the 2009 Surrogates: Are our bodies inhibitors and genetic oppressors of who we really are inside?

For Jake Sully, the physically impaired ex-Marine, having an avatar reignited the strength and mobility he once had, because now he can move with his mind. Its no surprised he enjoyed his Avatar life better (if you haven't seen DO NOT read on) and decides to fight humanity and stay.

Plot-wise, Avatar did a very good job at making us humans take a look at our relationship with our land. The planet of Pandora led a life much simpler and respectful to their resources and ancestors (think Native Americans and their loyalty to their tribes).

Cinematically, what would a James Cameron movie be without a little kick ass graphics? The only way to see this movie is in 3-D. While I promise you'll get the same mind shake from just the 2D, you will fall in love with the planet Pandora once you see it like you're there.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susie_Medina

Ask anyone close to me, I like Michael Jackson the way I like ice cream: understanding and appreciating the appeal, but just fanatical crazy over him the way others are. However indifferent I am to his career though, I acknowledge just how pivotal he was to the music world at large.

This Is It gave raw pieces of MJ's never-seen performance. The movie begins with heartfelt accounts by his dancers who are interviewed just after they found out they will be a back up dancer. Then you a lot of footage of fanfare. For the remainder of the film, you meet a few more key people to the anticipated performance, and watch their interaction with the King of Pop, and a lot of amazing dancing, elaborate dance sets, and pyrotechnics.

The footage was obviously not meant to be made into a movie. Edits were limited to maybe a few cuts here and there, with some split screens, and older video montages. In my opinion, the movie was sloppily put together with no great wrap up of the film nor any tie-in back to the dancers we started off with. I was disappointed with the ending. Had it not been for the awe-inspired performances I saw, I would've been really disappointed by the mediocrity of it all.

Even so, for the King of Pop's honor, his legacy should've been a bit more sophisticated than that. That was it! Of course, if you're already a die-hard fan, you won't care about the sloppy-edited movie, you'll just love seeing him just before he left us. I'll rarely say this, but, even though I thought it could be better, you should still go see it because this truly is it.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susie_Medina