Will Smiths Roles And Performances Film Studies Essay

Will Smiths Roles And Performances Film Studies Essay Born to Reign was the album released by Willard Christopher Smith Jr. also known as Will Smith, in the year of 2002. Although it did not reach the levels of success his previous albums had, it had a very clear and intended message behind it in relation to this essay. Within it, he addressed his true beliefs and intentions of life which are now backed up by his acting in his never-ending list of films. This essay will simultaneously look at Will Smiths roles and performances mainly within three of his movies filmed within five years of each other. The first of the three being one of the most challenging physically and mentally as described by himself Ali, Michael Mann, 2001. At the time, this was something completely different to any of his other work. This film being a biopic meant he had to accustom himself into the role of one of the most influential figures and one of the greatest fighters of all time. Not an easy task for an average actor. But is Will Smith average? Far from it i n fact, in his 1997 pop/rap lyrics of Gettin Jiggy Wit It from the hit album Big Willie Style, Will Smith says that Muhammad Ali would call him the greatest. Four years later, he was the lead role in Ali working alongside the great man himself. The second film is Bad Boys II, Michael Bay, 2003, an action/adventure film which can be said to be a typically standard Will Smith movie consisting of comedy throughout. And finally, the third film is Hitch, Andy Tennant, 2005 which again showed his versatility as an actor and his capability to adapt to any given role within a film with this being of a romantic comedy genre. The reason behind these film choices is simply because of the fact that they all come under different genres with Will Smith maintaining his high standards throughout each of these films. This has made people ask themselves the question whether there is anything he can not do in film. By the end of this essay, when the films have been analyzed and his performances within them observed, we will have come to the conclusion as to why Will Smith is regarded as the most powerful actor in Hollywood. The word Renaissance is defined in the oxford dictionary as the revival of art and learning under the influence of classical models. Considering the formidable success achieved by Will Smith in the numerous arenas of the entertainment industry, music, producing as well as acting, this multi-talented individual must be regarded as the original Renaissance man. Remembering back to the time Will Smith first hit the big screen in the family friendly sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air in September 1990, he was a little known pop/rapper. Unknowingly, this sitcom based on a poor kid living with a rich Beverly Hills family relative from the Warner Bros executive Benny Medina would be an emergence of black comedy. This proved to be a runaway hit lasting for six seasons, but in fact this would just be the beginning of what was to come. His exploits within The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air prove that it was just the birth of a true star of entertainment. According to Dyer, R. 1998, p35, stardom is an image of the way stars live. For the most part, this generalised lifestyle is the assumed backdrop for the specific personality of the star and the details and events of his/her life. With that in mind and bearing Will Smith was given the freedom to be himself within the sitcom, he was given an opportunity to put across his true personality which in turn gave the show a distinctive genuine feel. This way, the audiences were treated to the real life star but unusually on stage. This gave the show a natural look which allowed the audience to appreciate the true characteristics and traits of the star of the show, Will Smith. In actual fact, it did not stop there. Since then most of his films have had Will Smith written all over them. Most of the films that Will Smith is associated with are action/adventure with a touch of his trademark comedy which is known to be his strength due to his personality. But in fact it appears to have been the epic creation of the biopic Ali, in which he had the lead role that earned him his first Oscar nomination. His well studied performance also earned him severe praise as at the time, it was something completely different to any of his other mainstream films. Playing the lead role in this biopic of the great Muhammad Ali was no easy task as in the footage of the Making of Ali, Will Smith stated that to play the role of a living legend is the hardest thing to do for an actor. Few would disagree as Muhammad Ali himself was on set for some of the shooting to keep an eye on things! The basic narrative of the film is that Ali thrills the world with his ground-breaking boxing victories in the 60s and 70s. But the man behind the legend is grappling with a tumultuous romantic life, his de eply held religious beliefs and the pressures of staying on top. A quick witted, winning personality and strong friendships with close associates including renowned newscaster Howerd Cosell help Ali float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. But faced with a life changing conflict outside of the ring, the famously opinionated boxer is forced to rely on the one person he knows the best, himself. With this narrative, Will Smith did not just have to worry about getting the acting part right, but also the part of getting into the right physical shape. This meant he had to train rigorously for his most demanding role yet. Darrell Foster, his boxing trainer, talked about the training regime in Behind the Scenes of Ali. He intimated that they trained for just over a year, six hours a day. The training began at six in the morning and finished by five in the evening with rests and other acting exertions in between. Weighing at just 189 pounds when they began, Will Smith scaled at 222 pounds by the time they had finished training and started filming. These facts simply show the dedication and commitment he has for the cause of being an actor and more importantly, a success. His ability to change his whole appearance via a physically demanding regime as the one he was on in order to fill his role show what an exceptional character he has. The courage and compassion he showed by doing this was what got him the most recognition by critics and audiences alike as he went out of his way in order to tell a real life story in the best way he possibly could. His general behaviour and intelligence within this film got people questioning how good he really was and is as an actor never mind an entertainer. This quote from Will Smith himself out of the Making of Ali I had to learn to think like a fighter, eat like a fighter, sleep like a fighter and assess situations in life like a fighter shows vital skills of adapting to any given role which is a sign of an if not good, then a great actor. It also shows that it was not just the physical aspects he had to adapt to but in fact his mentality too. This was on show when watching the film as you could see the narrative of the film insisted on him to cut out his usual comedy traits in order to try and emulate one of the most influential figures to grace sport. He managed to show some unique characteristics within the film as alt hough the film did include various scenes of comedy, the trademark so called goofy comedy of Will Smith was nowhere to be seen. In truth, it was the poetic rhymes that Muhammad Ali was so famous for that Will Smith imitated all to well. Changing his whole style of acting, beginning with minor things such as his walk, line of speech (phrases) and other characteristics to accommodate his role within the film showed a mean feat in itself. In reality, this was the film that put Will Smith at the top in regards to acting as although it was not the biggest selling film of that year, the hard work put into completing this film gained him endless praise and respect from critics, peers and audiences alike. After his Oscar nomination performance in Ali, Will Smith went on to executive produce the Robert De Niro/Eddie Murphy comedy Showtime in 2002. However what came after is our next focal point. Bad Boys II, a 2003 film by Michael Bay, was a film that topped the box office but by now, that was to be expected with a film starring Will Smith. This film consisted of a thrill ride from beginning to end. In brief, the film is about one hundred million dollars worth of confiscated heroin getting poached from police custody and the two most witty of detectives, Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) are on the case. The missing drugs now threaten to shut down their narcotics division of the Miami Police Department. Bullets fly and cars crash as they pursue a dead beat drug lord from the streets of Miami to the barrios of Cuba. But this being a Will Smith film, the real fireworks result when Marcus discovers that playboy Mike Lowrey is secretly romancing his sister. This is the box office topping film we have now come to expect from Will Smith. A typical action/adventure genre with plenty of nice cars, plenty of shooting and plenty of blow ups, not forgetting the secret romance on the side. In a particular scene of an intense car chase, you see him driving his Ferrari over pavements and executing plenty of stunts while maintaining his trademark comedy with his witty comments. This really fulfils the credentials of an action/adventure genre therefore is very productive in catching the attention if its audience through its action packed acting. It has to be noted that Will Smith is complimented very much so by the presence of Martin Lawrence throughout this film which is fantastic from the comedic aspect of the film as they are two good entertainers but together, they show that they can become great. Director Michael Bay insisted on giving Will Smith a new sexy, bad image in the original Bad Boys to overcome his existing image of providing young goofy comedy seen in his sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. This obviously continued from their on in which shows his intentions to be able to learn and cultivate on his acting from a young age. All this has led him to reach the heights that he is at today. Preparation for this film was far from the same level as Ali as that was just on a completely different scale. But he still managed to put in some extra work by attending a school for policing to learn shooting and basic combative movements. This propelled him to greater heights in the world of Hollywood as he could have been said to be reaching a point where the question what he can not do was beginning to rise. Then came a slight indication as to there might just being something but as that question was about to be raised, then came Hitch. While Will Smith had proven himself as an action star time and again and had received high marks for his dramatic work, it remained to be seen if he could carry a romantic comedy. How wrong were the doubters as all the speculation ceased in early 2005 with the release of Hitch, starring Will Smith as a fabled date doctor. The film had the biggest opening weekend for a romantic comedy to date. Basically, Will Smith, as Alex Hitchens within the film, is the cure for the common man. Most men have difficulty finding love because its hard to be yourself when your self thinks you should be someone else. Thats where Hitch comes in. as a tactical advisor who specialises in first impressions, he customises and orchestrates a clients first three dates. He is secretly responsible for hundreds of New York City weddings. Sara (Eva Mendes) is a gossip reporter for a da ily tabloid who, after a chance meeting with Hitch, finds her professional life and personal life on a collision course. She makes Hitch re-evaluate his game and teaches him that love is not a feeling, its in fact an action. In relation to this narrative, the director Andy Tennant hinted that with all the charm and charisma Will Smith naturally possessed, this script was written purely for him and that this would come as second nature to him. His theory proved to be correct as Will Smith walked away with the kids as well as the teens choice awards for this film as well as being nominated for another six staggering awards including the BET comedy award. The following year, Will Smith starred in the period drama The Pursuit Of Happyness. This film recounted the true story of Charles Gardner and tapped new reserves of compassion in Will Smiths persona. He managed to fully embody another real-life character while maintaining all of the qualities that endeared him to audiences in the first place; his humour, his hustle and his ingenuity. This is no coincidence then that people have already begun to talk about him as playing the role of Barack Obama if a biopic of his life and the road to the United States presidency as the first black president is ever produced. Looking at his achievements to date and his ambitions for the future, you can understand the reasons behind him now being labelled as the most powerful actor in Hollywood. Having started rapping at the age of twelve and having won his first Grammy at the age of twenty, he is now in a position with a countless number of awards and nominations under his belt at the age of forty. The most recent one (November 2008) being voted number one on the list of Americas favourite stars by readers of parade magazine and viewers of the US television show Entertainment Tonight. Currently working on producing for film, music and television as well as acting, you can see that he is not yet ready to relinquish his work. Through the years he has distinctively demonstrated his own commercial viability and sturdy appeal to a broad cross section of viewers which has allowed him to arguably cement his place deservedly as the most powerful man in Hollywood never mind actor. Could his very own lyrics of 1997 from the hit single Gettin Jiggy Wit It when he claimed Muhammad Ali would call him the greatest be accurate? Would it be justifiable to think so in relation to what he has achieved and what he is destined to do?

The Fundamental Caring Skill of Blood Pressure recording Using an Appro

The fundamental caring skill that was chosen to demonstrate knowledge and understanding within a reflective framework was recording blood pressure. Blood pressure was chosen because it is a critical physiological function and a fundamental indicator of well being (Fullbrook 1993). It is an important and vital observation, in that it allows early therapeutic intervention should a patient’s status change (Fullbrook 1993). This essay will also demonstrate an understanding of best practice for the theory of blood pressure measurement of the patient. The factors which can influence different results in the measuring of blood pressure. In a model of reflection to aid the reflective process Gibbs (1998) was chosen. Before placement started we were given books for Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC 2004) code of professional conduct, and the NMC (2004) guide for students of nursing and midwifery. This gave me the guidelines and knowledge for my accountability and confidentiality. Marieb (1998) suggests that Blood Pressure may be defined as the force exerted by the blood against the walls of the arteries in which it is contained. Differences in blood pressure between different areas of the circulation provide the driving force that keeps the blood moving through the body. Blood pressure is measured for one of two reasons, firstly to determine the patients blood pressure as a baseline prior to admission and secondly to monitor fluctuations within the blood pressure. Blood flow is defined as a volume of blood flowing from the heart through a vessel at any given time. Blood flow is equivalent to cardiac output. Resistance to the cardiac output is the opposit... ...the procedure for taking blood pressure helps to understand the theory behind the practice. To conclude my essay the skill of recording blood pressure is a vital one for the nurse, as we can not always rely on having electronic equipment to hand. I also gained that if different circumstances can have an effect on the pressure reading. I feel I have gained a learning skill I was quite worried about this skill but practice makes easier. The more blood pressure recordings I took me soon realised that no two patients were the same. I also learned that different factors can affect blood pressure, from the patient rushing in late for his appointment which can lead to elevated blood pressure. It has also given me a lot of confidence in myself and confidence with the patients I care for.

The Effects of Bullying on Student Achievement Essay -- Education

In today’s world there are many laws that have been established in order to protect everyday civilians from being harmed or robbed of their possessions or piece of mind. However, in school, children play by different rules. Rules do not seem as imperative as say a law being broken. For example, imagine if it did not matter what the robber stole, but how much he took that lets him off the hook. One would still be upset that his valuables were interfered with without permission. This scenario can be compared to bullying and how adults sometimes overlook the seriousness of the effects (no matter how big or small) it can have on a student and his or her achievements. Sometimes bullying is acknowledged, but is ultimately cast off as mere â€Å"child’s play,† but it can become so much more. A bullying incident does not stop in the school yard simply because a teacher puts an end to it; bullying must be addressed from all angles of parents, guardians, media, and everyda y civilians that are children’s immediate examples of proper ways to behave. Again, bullying spans beyond school walls and cannot ultimately be controlled by teacher discipline alone. The effects bullying can have on student achievement may interfere with their life choices, their physical and mental stability, and of course their future behaviors as a reaction to such behavior that was shown to them. It is arguable that broken citizenship among students is not as harmful as everyday citizens breaking common laws, but I argue that it is. However, this paper is not to argue; it is to inform every one of the issue at hand, so that it may be reduced, and that can only be done with harmony, not coercion, or plainly â€Å"bullying.† What exactly is bullying, to the extent that I am spea... ...l abuse. However, it is not a situation exclusive to occurring in school, it happens outside as well; the effects of it are simply more noticeable through the results of student work or lack thereof. If bullying is not addressed, dropout rates, youth suicide, and lack of positive future leaders are in store for future generations of education. â€Æ' Works Cited "Bullying." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2012. Web. 16 April 2012. Kritsonis, W. PhD. School Discipline: The Art of Survival. Mansfield, Ohio: BookMasters, Inc. 1999. Print. Meyer, E. Gender, Bullying, and Harassment: Strategies to End Sexism and Homophobia in Schools. New York: Teachers College Press. 2009. Print. Singer, L. Jerome, and Dorothy G. Singer. Television, Imagination, and Aggression: A Study of Preschoolers. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 1989. Print.

Michael Imaginary Friend :: short story

Michael Fritz was a very lonely boy. His parents died in a nasty car crash when he was two, so Michael was sent to live with his Aunt and Uncle. Michael was known as a shut in, and never would he go play with kids his own age. He was content with the inside of his home and that is where he stayed. While Michel’s Aunt and Uncle were at work his nanny, Kendra, would watch after him and take him to the park. On a day that seemed to be as normal as the rest something very abnormal happened. Michael was taken to the park, and like his usual routine; he went off and played by himself. A few hours later Michael went to Kendra, and told her he was ready to go. She agreed and they started to the car. â€Å"Miss Kendra, can I bring a friend home with me,† stated Michael. Kendra replied, â€Å"I can’t see a reason why not.† Kendra looked around for Michael’s friend, but she did not see him anywhere. â€Å"He’s right here,† stated Michael, â€Å"he is very excited to come home with us.† It was at that moment that Kendra realized that Michael had an imaginary friend. She was fine with the idea and thought the concept of an imaginary friend was perfectly normal. â€Å"Oh, now I see your friend. What is his name?† the nanny said. â€Å"His name is Jonny, and he is one year older than me.† The whole car ride home Michael was talking to his imaginary friend. Kendra did not mind; she was acutely very happy to know that Michael made some type of friend. When Michael’s aunt came home that night the Kendra pulled her to the side and told her about Jonny. Kendra also told her that Michael began using very bad words when he spoke with Jonny. Sarah (Michael’s aunt) was very surprised that Michael would ever use swear words, and frankly did not believe what the nanny was telling her. Later that night Sarah pulled Michael to the side and asked him about his friend. Sarah’s first words were, â€Å"Kendra told me that you have a new imaginary friend.† â€Å"He’s not imaginary he is really!† Michael answered angrily. â€Å"Oh, Ok,† Sarah replied sarcastically. â€Å"Well does your friend have a name?† â€Å"Yes, his name is Jonny.† Sarah asked, â€Å"Kendra has brought to my attention that some choice words has slipped out of your mouth.

What Is Toxicology?

Research involving laboratory animals is important to people and to our quality of life. In the past century, most inhabitants of this planet have experienced an unprecedented rise in living standards, life expectancy and personal opportunity, in large part due to the many ways chemicals have been put to work for us. For example, drugs whose effects range from curing previously fatal bacterial infections, reducing the impact of AIDS, minimizing heart disease, decreasing age- related wrinkles, to reducing hair loss are widely available today. The many benefits of the diverse uses of our natural resources are an outcome of careful scientific research and of using chemicals in an appropriate and safe manner. Toxicologists, the scientists who help determine the limits for safe use of materials, use modern technological research methods, including tests on animals, to protect human and animal health and the environment. What is toxicology? Toxicology is the study of how chemical substances interact with living systems and affect normal processes, and the use of this information to predict safe exposure levels. Toxicological research and testing helps us to live safely and to derive benefit from natural and synthetic substances while avoiding harm. Toxicologists are involved in the evaluation of household products, medicines and the effects of incidental and occupational exposure to natural and manufactured substances. Toxicology also helps us develop the best treatments in the event that accidental overexposure does occur. What is safe? Toxicologists know that no substance is risk-free. One fundamental tenet of the science of toxicology is that all chemicals can cause harm at some level of exposure, summed up in the phrase â€Å"the dose makes the poison. † This means that exposure to a specific small amount of any substance will have no detectable impact on normal biological processes and is considered safe. Some doses actually have beneficial effects, as we all know from use of medicines. But increasing exposure to most substances will, at some point, cause harmful effects. Substances are considered toxic at that level. For example, digitalis is a plant product that has been used with great benefit to treat heart irregularities, but too large a dose will cause death. Oxygen provides another example of how increasing the dose can turn a safe compound into a toxic one. Oxygen is essential to life and part of the air we breathe, but when given at high concentrations it can cause lung and eye damage in infants. Sometimes the possible negative effects of a substance are outweighed by the positive benefits at that dose. Dogs are treated with heartworm medication because the risk of death from heartworms is much greater than the risk of toxicity of the medication. Similarly, chemotherapeutic agents are used to destroy cancerous cells even though they may damage healthy cells in the process. Prior to the use of new substances, toxicologists and policy makers are responsible for determining the range of exposure that is safe and the level of exposure that may be harmful to human health or to the environment. The effect of the level of exposure is also important when toxicologists assess the risk caused by a substance already present in the environment. The benefits of using a new substance, or the costs of removing an environmental contaminant, are viewed relative to the perception of what is safe.

Prison system of the 18th and the early 19th century Essay

In the early 1800’s, state prisoner were leased to Florida companies where they were often worked as slave labor. Mart Taber was a young prisoner convicted of stealing a ride on a freight train. He died as a result of the brutal treatment administered by a lumber company boss to whom he was leased. The prison system of the 1800’s and the early 1900’s was based on cruel and inhumane treatment. Punishment was very tragic. The prisoners were treated as animal and consider less of inhuman because of their lawlessness. They were made to right the wrongs that they have committed either trough physical pain, endure mutilation, torture, mulcted in fines, deprive of liberty, adjudges as slave or even put to death. The American prison as we know began in New York in the early 19th century. â€Å"Reformation† was the goal of the founders of the system. During the colonial period and in the early years of the nation, long-term imprisonment was not a common form of punishment in prison. Instead, execution was the prescribed penalty for a wide range of offenses. People who committed less serious offenses faced public punishment such as pillorying, whipping and maiming. At the beginning of the 19th century, imprisonment had replaced public punishment and execution as a form of punishment for most crimes, except murder and treason. The early places of imprisonment ranged from wood frame houses to copper mine, such as the Connecticut prison in 1790. Then, in the early 19th century two concepts of imprisonment were introduced in New York and Pennsylvania, including what the structures should look like and how they should be operated, â€Å"Few people had any idea what the structures should look like or how they should be administered.† (The Evolution of the New YorkPrison System, Part I. Page1) These institutions were not only meant to be houses of convicted criminals, they also had the objective of reforming inmates into temperate, industrious, hard-working citizens and return them to their societies as new men. Sentences were long enough to allow the prison system its program of reformation. In Pennsylvania, the prison system of reformation was to separate the inmate and provide him with a small room and a exercise area totally isolated from  the human companionship â€Å"Only in the purity of complete isolation could be the corruption be overcome and the restoration of faith and honesty be attained† (The Evolution of the New YorkPrison System, Part I. Page2) After an appropriate period of total isolation and inactivity, the prisoner was allowed to small bits of handicraft work and a Bible in his cell. The inmate was not allowed to see another prisoner. The founders of the prison system believed that isolation was the only way for a prisoner is rehabilitated. Prison system of the 18th and early 19th century left a reasonable quantity of dead prisoners and also physical abuse to the inmate. The crime that any prisoner has committed doesn’t justify the cruel and inhumane treatment they receive in jail. If the founders of the prison system from that time of period wouldn’t have been so cruel, they would had avoid so many death and people being maltreated. Instead of merciless punishment they should had given them social work as their sentence and should had taken advantage from the prisoners keeping in mind that they are human beings.

Reflection Paper on Descartes

Joe Niro History 113 Descartes Reflection Paper Descartes was a very intelligent man and was knowledgeable in many subjects. One of which was his understanding of reason. One might ask themselves, â€Å"What is Reason? † According to Descartes, the ability to reason is a human trait that does not differ from person to person. He believed that everyone had the same ability to reason rationally. It is one’s prior opinions, knowledge, and teachings of a subject that causes a difference in our reactions and results. 1 Descartes discussed that in order for him to reason, he would first clear his mind of all past knowledge.He believed that this would rid him of any bias and prior opinions he might have on a matter to better understand and reason. He would base his reason solely on facts provided as evidence. Descartes also did not force his thought on reasoning upon anyone else. He would merely write his own approach in which he would follow to reason. 2 He set four rules to be followed. 3 His first rule was that he would not accept anything to be true unless presented with evidence to support the claim, whatever that claims may be.His second rule was that he would divide the two sides of an argument or claim in as many ways as possible to sufficiently reason. Descartes would then, as his third rule states, view each claim step by step, starting with the easiest thought to comprehend, then progressively and chronologically view more of each claim. His final rule was to not omit anything or any view. Instead he would view everything as plausible and, by following all prior steps, would then be able to reason and make a definite conclusion.The real key statement Descartes was making about reason is that it is of the human’s decision as to what the logical reasoning is for something. It is our own past experiences and views that cause a difference in opinion and reason. In order to view reason as Descartes had, one must open one’s mind to man y possibilities. In comparison to a glass of water; one cannot possibly fill an already full glass, and one can only fill a half full glass so much. To fill said glass, the glass must be empty. Same is to Descartes’ definition of reason. One must first empty their mind in order to understand and reason.Nothing is concrete and all is plausible. This is Descartes’ definition of reason. Hume’s is another philosopher who made a stand on the definition of reason. He saw that there was a distinct different between a â€Å"relation of ideas† and a â€Å"matter of fact. † If viewing with an open mind as Descartes would support, ones’ claims may not be supported with sufficient evidence, but that alone does not disprove that claim, however, is therefore an idea. A matter of fact would be a claim that is supported by sufficient evidence that can support that claim legitimately.