Billy Zane

Every hero needs a first-rate, old-fashion villain. In fact, the greater or more powerful the hero, the more despicable must be the villain, for the sweetness of victory lies in its difficulty. The question must then be asked: Can villainous victories taste as sweet? Could an audience of normal, decent human beings really find it in themselves to take joy in the victory of, say, a manipulative, power-hungry murderer? In his play Richard III, Shakespeare puts this idea to the test, not only by…

Film in the 1940’s focused on lying, crime, and mystery. This particular style of film is now known as Film Noir, which focused on the dark side of humanity. Certain elements are needed to properly display a true film noir film. Double Indemnity (1944) is a film that focuses on insurance agent Walter Neff. Due to the dark events that take place throughout the film, several elements of film noir were used in the filming of this movie. Double Indemnity utilized film noir by setting a dark mood,…

Kurt Vonnegut's historical science-fiction novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, recounts Billy Pilgrim’s life as a former U.S. soldier who was a Prisoner of War during World War Two. The Tralfamadorians, an alien race from the planet Tralfamadore, abduct Billy and put him on display in their zoo. While there, Billy not only learns about Tralfamadorians views on death but also their perception of time. Vonnegut wrote the novel with a scrambled timeline, meaning the events of Pilgrims life are out of order…

The book Slaughterhouse Five and the poem “Requiem”,both by Kurt Vonnegut feature the destructiveness of war as a prevalent theme. Both works address this theme in different ways. It is addressed more literally and explored more in depth in Slaughterhouse Five due to the nature of it being a book and having more length to explore its themes. In “Requiem” the theme is addressed more metaphorically and in ways that are more open to interpretation. In addition to this, the way the theme is…

Journal Entry #9 September 12, 2014 Topic: My reading since September 2nd Slaughterhouse-Five – Kurt Vonnegut – pp.275 (Book finished) Slaughterhouse-Five is an antiwar satire following Billy Pilgrim, a former World War II veteran who has become “unstuck in time.” The novel has a nonlinear narrative, constantly jumping between Billy’s war time, pre-war, and post-war experiences as he lives the events of his life over and over again. The plot mainly focuses around the war and Billy’s…

The films Double Indemnity, directed by Billy Wilder, and The Night of the Living Dead, directed by George Romero, both feature female characters in subordinate roles to their male counterparts. Double Indemnity features Walter Neff underestimating his lover Phyllis’s power and continually patronizing her, calling her “baby” almost exclusively. The Night of the Living Dead features Helen, who is constantly put down by her husband who never values her opinion. Both films use elements of…

1. The movie Sunset Boulevard follows a writer, a man named Joe who comes across an old mansion while trying to hide his car which is about to be reclaimed because he is unable to pay his bills. Desperate for a job, he starts to read the script of the old Hollywood star that lives in the mansion, Norma Desmond. Norma was once one of the biggest silent film stars in Hollywood, but once talking pictures got popular and she got older, there was less demand for her work, and she has spent the last…

Olivia Lonchar Ms. Bobby English 9, Period 9 22 May 2018 Americas Piano Man: Billy Joel Many musicians in the world are extremely talented, but Billy Joel is one of a kind. Joel has inspired people for forty years. He has managed to live on his legendary music career for just about 47 years. Joel, born on May 9, 1949, in the Bronx. He displayed an early aptitude on the piano and started taking lessons at the age of four. At the age of sixteen, Joel was already a veteran of three bands. In 1967,…

In “Electric Funeral,” a chapter in I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling with Villains (Real and Imagined), Chuck Klosterman, a best-selling author, analyzes three separate “villains” in today’s society in order to emphasize their impact on others through their actions. In this analysis, Klosterman wrongfully assumes Perez Hilton, a out-of-date blogger, is a “real villain” because of his prejudice against the “first authentically famous blogger.” This incorrect thinking clouds his judgement from…

Have you ever dreamed of becoming one of the world’s biggest icon for decades? Even after you were no longer around? Before I jump to far ahead there are a couple things most people do not know about the all-time famous “Marilyn Monroe”. For starters her real name was Norma Jeane Mortensen born in California who grew up with a very rough and unstable childhood. Marilyn Monroe died at a very young age, 36 years old. Marilyn Monroe had to use perseverance, passion, and creavity just to survive her…