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Aug 3, 1492
1492: Conquest of Paradise
EVENT: Columbus set sail on his first voyage from the Port of Palos in Spain to what he thought were the "Indies" in Asia.
FACT CHECK: Though he made few mistakes in the movie, the real Columbus was actually awful at navigating and often recorded false information in his ships' travel log.
CONNECTION: It's significantly easier to travel and navigate these days compared to doing so back when this event took place.
RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐: The movie was interesting, a little slow paced, and kind of cheesy. -
12 Years A Slave
EVENT: Northup was convinced to travel to Washington D.C to play violin for a circus act but was drugged, held captive, beaten, and sold into slavery.
FACT CHECK: According to his narrative, he was more aware of what was happening compared to how it was portrayed in the movie.
CONNECTION: People, usually woman and teenage girls, are drugged, kidnapped, abused, and sold into sex trafficking rings.
RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ : It was very interesting and informative, but some scenes made me uncomfortable. -
Lincoln
EVENT: President Lincoln was shot and killed at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C by John Wilkes Booth
FACT CHECK: In the movie, Lincoln's assassination was only briefly depicted. It left out important details such where he was and who the assassinator was
CONNECTION: This was an event in history that led to the improvement of Presidential security
RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ The movie was informative, but it was boring and some scenes were unnecessarily long and awkward. -
The Lost Battalion
EVENT: Major Charles Whittlesey requests artillery support from HQ, but the cannon shells end up landing on their position in the forest.
FACT CHECK: The air force actually knew the battalion's basic location and even dropped supplies.
CONNECTION: Artillery support these days is significantly more accurate considering the technology we have access to now.
RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ It was interesting and the acting was good but some of the war scenes were hard to follow. -
The Grapes of Wrath
EVENT: The Joad family was forced to move out of their farm during the Great Depression-era Dust Bowl and head out to California in search of jobs.
FACT CHECK: The Dust Bowl intensified the impact of the Great Depression and drove farming families on a desperate search for work and land.
CONNECTION: Thousands of people from poor countries migrate to the U.S. in search of jobs and better living situations.
RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ It was interesting to see what families in the 30's had to deal with. -
Red Tails
EVENT: Ray "Ray Gun" Gannon is shot down, captured by a German pilot, and taken to Stalag 18, a German POW camp.
FACT CHECK: The statement that the Tuskegee Airmen did not lose a single bomber due to enemy fire was proven inaccurate.
CONNECTION: The U.S separates immigrant parents and children at the border and holds each in dedicated tent cities, much like these German camps.
RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ It was overall a good movie, I just thought the acting and dialogue felt too modern. -
Avalon
EVENT: The K&K family business caught fire on the Fourth of July sometime in the 1950s.
FACT CHECK: In the 50's, TV's were heavily advertised and sold in many stores all across the US due to their increasing popularity.
CONNECTION: Electrical fires are extremely common, especially in older structures because of faulty wiring.
RATING: ⭐ ⭐ I only saw about 45 minutes of the movie and it wasn't that interesting to me. -
The Butler
EVENT: Cecil Gaines is hired by the White House after being recommended for the position by his previous employer
FACT CHECK: Eugene Allen, the man this movie is based off of, began as a pantry worker, and was promoted to butler years later.
CONNECTION: The white house staff is now chosen by the president himself rather than selected for him.
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It was really interesting and the acting made the movie super intense. -
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
EVENT: Winnie Mandela detained by state security services and on various occasions tortured, banished to rural towns, and spent months in solitary confinement.
FACT CHECK: The movie doesn't show much of the abuse she endured, it only showed her getting arrested and in solitary confinement.
CONNECTION: Protesters these days aren't treated as terribly as they were back then.
RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ The movie was extremely informative and well made, the acting was fantastic and I learned a lot. -
Selma
EVENT: The 16th Street Baptist Church was bombed by 4 members of the KKK who planted sticks of dynamite underneath the church, killing 4 girls.
FACT CHECK: The bombing actually occurred one year prior to MLK's Nobel Peace Prize speech, in contrast to what the movie portrayed.
CONNECTION: A church in Sri Lanka was bombed not too long ago on April 22nd, leaving 290 dead and 500 injured.
RATING:⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐Interesting to see how these historical events played out. -
Rescue Dawn
EVENT: Lieutenant Dieter Dengler, a U.S Navy pilot, is shot down over Laos while on a combat mission.
FACT CHECK: The film depicts only 6 prisoners in the POW camp, while in real life there were 7.
CONNECTION: These days, there are little to no pilots shot down. Mostly drones used for spying are shot down.
RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ It was an OK movie, I thought that the acting wasn't the best and it seemed a little corny at times. -
Forrest Gump
EVENT: While protecting his commanding officer, Lieutenant Dan, Forrest Gump gets shot on his butt and is sent home to recover.
FACT CHECK: Getting shot in the butt is more urgent than the movie makes it out to be, there is immediate risk of infection and the possibility that the bullet can break your pelvis bone.
CONNECTION: Some people who get shot suffer from lifelong disabilities and struggle financially.
RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ I've seen this movie many times, it's a classic that I thoroughly enjoy -
Birthday
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A Lost Friendship
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Graduation
