MAP 12
Davey and Friend, 2014-2015
Class Film Permission Slip
Our school suggests a parental permission for your student to view movies that are used in our curriculum, or that are selected by our teachers, which are rated PG-13 or R. We believe showing your son or daughter films or portions of films in order to engage the students in learning Economics and American Government. We would like to show a number of Hollywood films in class. Our purpose in showing these films is to enrich their understanding of English, Economics, and Government as well as to get the students to “internalize” the information. Movies, along with our hands-on activities such as reading, in-class discussion groups, trials, debates, and research projects, give students a well-rounded opportunity to discover Economics and Government. Movies go beyond dry facts and help bring events “alive.”
Thank you in advance for your support. Be assured that we will use proper discretion when showing movies. Should you choose not to allow your child to watch the any of the films I’ve have selected, please write us a note below and I will determine an alternative assignment.
Adaptation, Rated R, (Spike Jonze) 2002
While his latest movie Being John Malkovich (1999) is in production, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman is hired by Valerie Thomas to adapt Susan Orlean's non-fiction book "The Orchid Thief" for the screen.
American History X, R Documentary, 1998
American History X explores the question of whether or not "those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.” It's a powerful social document and a violent film on the weighty topic or racism in America which also provides a glimmer of hope that even those who grow up in the most corrupt environments have the potential to change. It is brilliantly acted by Ed Norton who was nominated for best actor.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Rated R (Michel Gondry) 2004
A man, Joel Barish, heartbroken that his girlfriend Clementine underwent a procedure to erase him from her memory, decides to do the same. However, as he watches his memories of her fade away, he realizes that he still loves her, and may be too late to correct his mistake.
Good Night, and Good Luck, PG, (George Clooney) 2005
George Clooney pays homage to one of the icons of American broadcast journalism, Edward R. Murrow, in this fact-based drama. With a desire to report the facts and enlighten the public, Murrow, and his dedicated staff--headed by his producer Fred Friendly and Joe Wershba in the CBS newsroom--defy corporate and sponsorship pressures to examine the lies and scaremongering tactics perpetrated by McCarthy during his communist 'witch-hunts.' The film aptly demonstrates the nature of journalism under the fairness doctrine versus modern journalism.
Inequality for All, Documentary (Robert Reich) 2013
A documentary that follows former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich as he looks to raise awareness of the country's widening economic gap and its social and economic effect on the country.
Inside Job, rated PG-13, (Matt Damon), 2010
Ferguson has described the film as being about "the systemic corruption of the United States by the financial services industry and the consequences of that systemic corruption."[ In five parts, the film explores how changes in the policy environment and banking practices helped create the financial crisis.
People Versus Larry Flynt, Rated R, (Milos Forman), 1996
"If the First Amendment will protect a scumbag like me, then it'll protect all of you -- 'cause I'm the worst," declares Hustler Magazine publisher Larry Flynt. This film is a biographical drama of Larry Flynt chronicling his many battles with the American judicial system over the limit of the first amendment freedoms.
Project Nim, PG-13 (James March) 2011
Tells the story of a chimpanzee taken from its mother at birth and raised like a human child by a family in a brownstone on the upper West Side in the 1970s.
Network, Rated R (Sidney Lumet) 1976
In the 1970s, terrorist violence is the stuff of networks' nightly news programming and the corporate structure of the UBS Television Network is changing. Meanwhile, Howard Beale, the aging UBS news anchor, has lost his once strong ratings share and so the network fires him. Beale reacts in an unexpected way. We then see how this affects the fortunes of Beale, his coworkers and the network.
Tucker: The Man and His Dreams, rated PG, (Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen), 1988
Based on a true story, Tucker is the symbol of the individual entrepreneur and how his ideas are dealt with by investors, the automotive business, and the consumer. Demonstrates the nature of oligopolies.
The Truman Show, PG (Peter Weir) 1998
In this movie, Truman is a man whose life is a fake one... The place he lives is in fact a big studio with hidden cameras everywhere, and all his friends and people around him, are actors who play their roles in the most popular TV-series in the world: The Truman Show. Truman thinks that he is an ordinary man with an ordinary life and has no idea about how he is exploited. Until one day... he finds out everything. Will he react?
The Watchmen, Rated R (Zack Snyder) 2007
In a gritty and alternate 1985 the glory days of costumed vigilantes have been brought to a close by a government crackdown, but after one of the masked veterans is brutally murdered an investigation into the killer is initiated. The reunited heroes set out to prevent their own destruction, but in doing so discover a deeper and far more diabolical plot.
***In addition, various documentaries will be shown throughout each semester such as; 40 Years of Presidential Debates, Frontline: Cheney’s Law, the West Wing, American Justice, Frontline: Inside the Meltdown, Frontline: The Card Game, Is Walmart Good for America?, IOUSA, Ascent of Money, and Living on the Fault Line,. I will also use film and television clips from popular media sources to help illustrate key points. Clips will come from films and television series such as Gross Pointe Blank, You’ve Got Mail, Erin Brockovich the Cosby Show, the Simpsons, the Colbert Report, the Daily Show and Seinfeld.
*** Mr. Davey will also offer some films for extra credit such as Roger and Me and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. You will, however, be able to sign at the time if you wish your child to watch the film.
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