Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" was an extremely good example of a film with significant social commentary. The dialogue in the film fit so well with the setting as well as the community and, for me atleast, is where most of the entertainment can be found. I did have to rent the film because I missed some, but truth is I did not feel as though my missing a section really affected my comprehension of the film. The film definitely does not tell a plot driven story but centers more around human action and behavior. It was very interesting watching the film unfold, and it was a complete surprise to me to find out that Mookie would be the one to start the riot on Sal's Pizzeria. My favorite character, and the one I thought actually did do the right thing, was Da Mayor. He is the one who utters these words to Mookie, as well as the sole person attempting to calm the angry people of the neighborhood after Radio Raheem's death. I applaud the utilization of color in this film because it truly sets this film apart, it not only emphasizes the heat, but more importantly it gives the neighborhood a unique look/feel. Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" could be heard numerous times in the film and highlights the racial tension. In terms of the issues brought up in the film, I do not think Buggin' Out had a right to criticize Sal for not having African Americans' pictures on his wall. It's not like he had Abraham Lincoln and Cary Grant up there; it was strictly Italian Americans, and it was his attempt to represent his culture. In my opinion Sal is not a racist, but he is clearly aware of his surroundings. I do not believe that Mookie did the right thing by society's standards, but I do believe he did the right thing in terms of mourning a good friend.

The Battle of Algiers

"The Battle of Algiers" is considered a classic to many people and the review/commentary I read by Sheila K. Johnson of News Center would definitely agree. Johnson first discusses how the film was mostly watched by young Americans when it first came out in the 1960s, young Americans who just wanted to learn more about the Third World country revolutionaries thousands of miles away. I thought it was very interesting how Johnson explicated the fact that the film was made by an Italian director, Gillo Pontecorvo. I never thought this would really affect the film, but she makes the point that the fact that the director was neither French nor Algerian added an un-bias feel to the film. Johnson also points out that the film is shown in political science classes as well as more recently the pentagon. While watching the film I was also, like Johnson, extremely impressed with the documentary-like look the film had. Knowing that Pontecorvo did not use any realy footage made the film that much more impressive. Johnson kept on making connections between the Algerians and the Iraqis and her view on the war in Iraq became extremely clear, but I feel she concentrated on that connection too much and should have just watched the film to learn more about that instance in history. What Johnson did not mention was the fact that most of the actors in the film were not professional actors. Not only was that my favorite fun fact but I thought that having real life Algerians represent their culture made the film that much more authentic. Overall, Johnson praises the film for being a groundbreaking piece of art, while I enjoyed it but reading the subtitles became a little too hard sitting in the back.