Changeling

Changeling is an American drama film directed by Clint Eastwood and written by J. Michael Straczynski. It’s based on real-life events in the 20s in Los Angeles and the facts were:

In 1926, 13-year-old Sanford Clark was kidnapped in Saskatchewan (Canada) by his uncle, Gordon Stewart Northcott. Northcott took Clark to a ranch in Wineville, California; he beat and abused the boy. The police took Clark into custody when a family member informed them of the situation. Clark revealed that he was forced to help Northcott and his mother in killing three young boys after Northcott had kidnapped and molested them. The police didn’t find any bodies at the ranch; Clark said they were dumped in the desert but discovered body parts, blood-stained axes, and personal effects belonging to missing children. The Northcotts fled to Canada, but were arrested and extradited to the United States. Northcott’s mother initially confessed the murders, including that of Walter Collins. She later retracted her statement; Gordon, who had confessed to killing five boys, did the same as her.

Meanwhile, Clark’s mother was sent to a mental health hospital by the police because of her claims. After Christine Collins was released from Los Angeles County Hospital, she sued the police department twice, winning the second lawsuit. The policemen involved in the case were invited to leave their posts, but they were reinstated. Northcott was convicted of the murders of some boys, but after his conviction, he admitted up to 20 murders, though he later denied it. Northcott was executed by hanging in 1930.

My personal belief about this film is that we are unsafe even if we have an institution as the Police Department or the Court. They are supposed to protect you and fight against the bad, but due to corruption it’s not that way. However, it’s not only corruption. We can see it a hundred years ago or even nowadays. For instance, a man was sent to prison in Italy due to a mistake by the police. Sometimes they try to “protect” us without enough evidences about the case and they usually fail.

Inception

Movies often seem to come from the recycling bin these days: sequels, remakes, franchises...But Inception does a difficult thing. Just see the movie.
Everyone in the theater was practically awe-struck.
Such an incredibly creative and unusual story, well acted, great driving-ploted action, and an intellectually engaging flick.
It is wholly original, cut from new cloth, and yet structured with action movie basics so it feels like it makes more sense than it does. So I would say Inception is solid, but it ain't perfect.
I truly have no idea what so many people are raving about. There is something disconcertingly self-important about Inception, with a plot that clogs and flags markedly in its final act. It trades in crafty puzzles rather than profound mysteries and gestures in the direction of mighty philosophical questions that the director is finally too tactful, too timid or perhaps just too busy to engage.

When I saw Inception I thought it was brilliant, and I'm not even a big fan of these sci-fi flicks. It is extremely well acted and the plot is intriguing. Rex Reed is nothing but a doddering buffoon, anyway, so his credibility as a critic is nil. Inception is an excellent movie.
But in the end, Inception is one of those movies that, regardless of what the critics say, people will see it.

Inception

I didn’t watch Inception completely, because I was with the Dutch people of the exchange, but I’ll write a summary of all that I watched.
Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an expert thief that steals ideas from human minds when they are sleeping. He is really valuated into thieves, but he has to live far away from his family, because everybody thinks that he was his wife’s assassin. After one failed mission, he receives the job of putting an idea into a man subconscious, not extracting it. He accepts, so he thinks about the possibility of creating a three levels dream. He contacts with his team, and he also gets the help of a young girl who could create the dream. Would him make his job, and be free to visit his family, or he would fail and all his dreams will be broken?

Changeling

Los Angeles, 1928. Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) is a young single-mother who lives with his son. One day, one of her workmates calls her to work at the evening. She has to leave her son alone in the house. When she returns, her son doesn't appear. She calls the police, and the Los Angeles police department takes care of the search. Finally, they tell Miss Collins that they have founded him. She goes to the train station, but the child that the police department has founded is not her son. However, they force her to get him home. There, she measures him, seeing that he is not as tall as her son. But the police department is not going to admit their mistake, so they try to get false evidences to demonstrate that he is really her son. Finally, when she is getting more and more help, the police get her into a psychiatric with a false order, used by the police department to get there every woman that makes something that they don’t like. On the other hand, one policeman has to get one child to Canada. This boy reveals him that his cousin has kidnapped and killed some other kids with his help, and one of those boys could be Miss Collins’s son. However, the police department doesn’t let him get into the case, but he does, and he discovers the truth, so Miss Collins gets free, but then she knows about his son’s possible death. With the reverend Biegler’s help, she contracts a lawyer who takes care of the judge against the police department’s chiefs, which are expulsed from it. Also, the assassin is condemned to be hung, but he never tells anything about Miss Collins’s son death. Some years later, one of the boys that were kidnapped by the assassin appears, and he says that was Miss Collins’s son who saved him and another boy, but he doesn’t know where he is now.
It is a great film, I really liked it! :)

“Los Angeles, 1928. A true story.” Writer J. Michael Straczynski and director Clint Eastwood make it a point of showing, from the very beginning, what we’re to expect from the 2008 “Changeling.” This is not, they seem to say, just another Hollywood production based, even loosely, on actual facts, this is, without a single doubt, a true story. In some respects, they are right to the point: “Changeling” is different from the rest of the movies released last year, but a true story it is not. That does not mean, however, that it lacks quality for starting off on the wrong premise.

In 1928, a young mother working as a call operator, Christine Collins (played by Angelina Jolie), arrives home one night to find out that her 9-year-old boy Walter has gone missing. After searching the neighborhood, she calls the police, which are, as expected, unapologetically unhelpful. Five months later, after a lengthy investigation of the LAPD, Christine is told that her son has been found after being abandoned by a drifter in a diner, and is asked to come to meet him at the train station, where journalists have already been summoned to immortalize the moment and, thus, put an end to a period of bad press for the force.

The moment Christine’s eyes meet those of the supposed Walter, she realizes that the boy in front of her is not her son. At the insistences of Captain J.J Jones (Jeffrey Donovan), Christine agrees to take the boy home “on a trial basis,” in the hope that she will eventually come to the same conclusion as the police, namely, that the boy had been through enough and was consequently changed beyond recognition. However, a mother always knows best, and “the Collins woman” simply won’t accept that the boy she has now living under the same roof as she is actually her son. It’s from here that things begin to get really complicated.

“Changeling” runs a total of 141 minutes, which may seem a bit too much, especially for those viewers who are not that fond of period pieces. As a matter of fact, this seems to be the only thing going strong for this film, as the story in itself often seems one-dimensional, as also do the characters, who are so flawless (either just bad or simply too good to be true, as is the case with Christine) that it’s as if Eastwood intentionally made them that way. Granted, Angelina is stunning in her portrayal of a desperate mother who would fight anyone tooth and nail to resume the search for her lost boy – were one to draw a parallel between her acting and her personal life, it was only normal that she be that brilliant in this film.

Changeling

The film begins with Angelina Jolie who has missed his son and begins a search by the police.

Five months later, local police given her a boy, but she sees immediately that is not his son. Although the child calling himself WalterCollins and recognizes it as her mother, she denies it. Mrs. Collins tries to see thepolice made ​​a mistake, but they deny it. They bring her to madhouse where she discovers the police abuses dozens of women admitted they have had conflicts with the police force.

Another child however brings a dark history behind himself and before he confesses he has helped a serial murderer named Gordon Stewart Northcott to kill children on a farm. Among the likely victims is the real Walter Collins.
Christine Collins demands the corrupt police force and the California Court judges and condemns them. Furthermore, women unfairly brought there from the asylum are released by court order.
On the other hand is performed while the trial of Gordon Stewart Northcott for the murder of 20 children on their farm. The jury gives the order to execute Gordon Stewart Northcott by hanging. Mrs. Collins and other parents affected by the murders they witness the hanging of the murderer.
Subsequently, five years later, in police custody is a child, the child had beenkidnapped by Gordon Stewart Northcott and had escaped the poultry farm with two other children including Walter Collins, but unknown future that fellow flight had already escaped by different roads. This gives hope to ChristineCollins that her son might be alive but never find.

I enjoyed the movie despite it's sad. It teaches us what life was like at that time and helps us reflect on the injustices.

Ana Izquierdo 1ºB

Changeling

Changeling is a 2008 American drama film directed by Clint Eastwood and written by J. Michael Straczynski. Based on real-life events in 1928 Los Angeles, the film stars Angelina Jolie as a woman who is reunited with her missing son—only to realize he is an impostor. She confronts the city authorities, who vilify her as an unfit mother and brand her delusional. The dramatized incident was connected to the "Wineville Chicken Coop" kidnapping and murder case. Changeling explores female disempowerment, political corruption, child endangerment, and the repercussions of violence. Ron Howard intended to direct, but scheduling conflicts led to his replacement by Eastwood. Howard and his Imagine Entertainment partner Brian Grazer produced Changeling alongside Malpaso Productions' Robert Lorenz and Eastwood. Universal Pictures financed and distributed the film.
Single parent Christine Collins is a supervisor at the local telephone exchange who, having returned home late from having to work overtime on a Saturday, finds her 9 year old son Walter is missing from their home. As the days and weeks go by, the Collins case becomes the object of a campaign by Pastor Gustav Briegleb who rails against the incompetence and corruption of the Los Angeles police Department. Soon, the police arrive with the news that they have found her boy but when the lad is turned over to her, she realizes that the police have returned a stranger to her in an attempt to bring an end to the public complaints about their handling of her case. Her attempts to get justice bring her into conflict with the LAPD who will go to any length to protect their reputation. When she continues to complain she finds herself arrested and confined to the mental ward. Written by garykmcd

In March 1928 in Los Angeles, Christine Collins lives with her beloved son Walter in Lincoln Heights. When she is assigned to work overtime on Saturday at Pacific Telephone and Telegraph as supervisor, she promises Walter she will return at 4PM to watch the latest Charles Chaplin movie at the movie theater with him. However, she arrives home late and does not find her son; after seeking out the boy in the neighborhood, she reports the missing child to the police, but the police officer tells that she should wait twenty-four hours to register the complaint. Five months later, Captain J.J. Jones communicates to Mrs. Collins that her son had been found in DeKalb, Illinois, and is heading back home by train to be reunited with her. In the train station, Christine does not recognize the boy as being Walter, but Captain Jones advises her that his appearance has changed during the five months. Soon she confirms that the boy is not her son, but the corrupt LAPD does not accept her arguments. When Mrs. Collins is approached by St. Paul Presbyterian Church Pastor Gustav Briegleb, who daily broadcasts protests exposing corruption in the police force, she decides to disclose to the press the evidence she has about the changeling. However, the abusive Captain Jones sends Christine to an asylum to intimidate her. Meanwhile the efficient Detective Lester Ybarra is assigned to arrest and deport an illegal Canadian boy who is hidden on a ranch in Wineville. He captures the boy, who discloses hideous crimes committed by his compatriot Gordon Northcott.
In my opinion a think that the movie is so good but the only thing I don´t like is that you can see some horribles and dramatics scenes that ocurred at that time.

El Intercambio

Ya era hora de dar un toque de distinción a la cartelera ! Es precisamente esto lo que me atrajo en primera instancia, y es que a diferencia de lo efectos especiales y la acción de la mayoría de las películas que hoy día aparecen en la taquilla, ¨El Intercambio¨ destaca por ser una una magistral muestra llena de angustia, ternura y justicia con una incógnita en el aire aún sin resolverse.
Basándose en una historia real, la película relata la angustiosa búsqueda de una madre que lucha por descubrir una verdad ocultada por el alcalde, el jefe de policía y varios oficiales corruptos. No era nada fácil el camino por conseguir hundir a la autoridad de la época, pero toda la ciudad de Los Ángeles apoya a esta madre en su particular lucha por la justicia. Todo un ejemplo de valor y esperanza con un final abierto a los espectadores.

“El intercambio” cuenta con una historia conmovedora bien dirigida y protagonizada por una excelente Angelina Jolie. Quizás, lo que menos me gustó de la película fue su ritmo debido a las mas de dos horas de duración, aunque al haberla visto durante varias clases, esto no se noto tampoco mucho.
En resumen es una dura verdad llevada al cine en compañía de grandes actuaciones, excelente reflejo de la época, y llena de detalles del caso que consiguen informarnos realmente de lo ocurrido.

Dejando a un lado las críticas, creo que es una película recomendable que merece la pena ver en cines entre tantos otros carteles que casi no aportan nada original a las carteleras. Podemos hablar de uno de los mejores títulos de este año, o por lo menos, así lo veo yo ;).

Changeling

Los Angeles, 1928. A single mother returns from work to find her nine-year-old son gone. She calls the police deparment to initiate a search. Five months later, a boy is found who fits the description; he says he's her son. To fanfare and photos, the LAPD reunite mother and son, but she insists he's not her boy. The police dismiss her as either a liar or hysterical. When she joins a minister in his public criticism of the police, they in turn use government power to silence and intimidate her. Meanwhile, a police goes to a dilapidated ranch to find a Canadian lad who's without legal status; the youth tells a grisly tale. There's redress for murder.

In my opinion,is a good movie that teach us how was the society of that time and the abuse of the police that happens as a way to get publicity and social support.In those days it was mandatory to submit justice if you don`t you could end as the collin`s mother.Is admirable what she did to find her son, she never gives up, looking for people that can help her, struggling alone without the help of the police.The film is based in real events, is one of the most intrigate anda interesting film i never seen.On the contrary, the only thing that i don`t like is that the film is very long, but in general is an excellent movie!

The Exchange - Film review

Los Angeles, 1928. Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie), who works in a telephone exchange company, lives in her own with his nine years old son Walter. It was a typical weekend for the family, so Ms. Collins went to work as usual, while her son waited her at home so in the evening they could go to watch a film. At the time she was coming back, she unfortunately looses the street car that should carry her home. When she arrives there, already night time, she realizes Walter is not in the house. She quickly starts to search for him in the neighbourhood, but she can't find him. She  then call the police to inform about the disappearance, but she's told that they cannot do anything until twenty-four hours has passed since the boy got lost. Passed that time, she goes to the police station so she's able to make known that her son's disappeared. Weeks later, L.A. Police tell her they've found Walter, and when mother and son are about to rejoin, she denies the boy they have found is her son. From that point, Christine Collins start to investigate where her son really is and unmask the corrupted Los Angeles Police Department.

Changeling, up to now is one the best film I have ever seen, to be honest. It shows how L.A. Police was during the 1920s, a corrupted Department that if they couldn't get the things they wanted, they would get them using the force. [From now on, spoilers begin] When Christine denies that the boy they've found is her son, they start to put pressure on her to not deny that the boy is her son. Despite it is obvious that he's not her son as he is smaller than Walter was before he disappeared and that boy is circumcised while Walter wasn't, they send doctors just to tell her lies trying to convince her. I like how she does not care about what the police says, she knows she's right and the Police is wrong and they don't want to admit it. The pressure they put on her increases as she does not stop, so the policeman in charge of the investigation, Officer Jones, send her to an asylum. Meanwhile, in another investigation, some policemen captures a Canadian teenager who is illegally in the U.S.A.. This teenager has a black past on him: he says that his cousin, the person he was living in and owner of the farm where he was captured, kidnap children and kill them. The policemen show him some photos about disappeared children to see if he recognizes any of them, and he does. To see if he is not lying, they took him back to the farm, and ask him to dig up where the corpses are, and a few shovelfuls later, some human bones appear. This part is very shocking as when the policemen see the corpses ask the teenager to stop, but he doesn't, he's actually crying as he has killed some of the boys there and he's regretted. This make the investigation about Walter Collins to reopen, and tons of people start defend her, even a prestigious lawyer. The killer is captured, and she's taken out of the asylum. After the trial, he's sentenced to die. We see how he is going to be hung, and despite he's crazy and he killed all the children, he is actually scared of death, as he starts to act with hysteria. He ask to the witness to pray for him, but no one does it. This part is very dying for me, as it shows how people behave during the last minutes of their life, when they know they're going to die. Few days later, another trial occur, in which  Officer Jones is accused of corruption, and he looses the trial, loosing his rank and job. Also, another few women who were in the asylum because they did the same as Christine are released after the trial. Some years later, the police find a boy who was kidnapped by the killer, and says how him and two other boys escaped, being one of them Walter. he actually confess that he's alive thanks to him, but he doesn't know where they are now, or if they were captured again. Despite all the evidences, Christine did never give up and continued looking for his son. [Spoilers finish here]


What I like of this film is the effort shown by Ms. Collins: she does never give up, she did never stop fighting the police despite she was tortured in the asylum and all the people lied to her. That's what I call mother love. And this bring hope to people, as this is based on a true story, showing that there's still people who do whatever it takes for the one they love.

Inception - Film review

Inception is one of the weirdest films I've ever seen. It's very difficult, almost impossible, to tell anyone its plot, they only way they could understand it would be by watching the film.  The film is basically about dreams. Dreams are caused by the sub-conscience, so most of the people does not understand them. But it is possibly to create a dream, and Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his team can. This is the only thing I can explain without confusing you, readers.
[Spoilers start here] I actually liked the film, but it really hard to understand, as the special effects and the plot are very complicated. There are some parts, as the end of the film, that are the best and the worst at the same time. The end shows how Cobb, after achieving what he was asked to do, can return to the U.S.A., and he is able to see his children again. The only way he can know if he's dreaming or not is by spinning a little spinning top that, if he's dreaming, it spins forever, and if it's real life, it will stop. We can see how he starts spinning it, but his children distract them and when the spinning top starts to balance, the film ends, so is the viewer who actually decide if he's dreaming or not. This is a master piece for me, but it annoys me a lot, as I cannot decide if he's dreaming or not. I try to guess it being logical, but I just cannot decide. [Spoilers finish here]

CHANGELLING

Changeling is a 2008 American drama film directed by Clint Eastwood and written by J. Michael Straczynski. Based on real-life events in 1928 Los Angeles, the film starsAngelina Jolie as a woman who is reunited with her missing son only to realize he is an impostor. She confronts the city authorities, who vilify her as an unfit mother and brand her delusional. 

I wanted to see this film from a long time ago. Sometimes when you want to see a film when you finally see it, it disappoints you. But in this case I've really like it. I've like the plot, the interpretations and the niceness with which they approach the most painful issues.

I like this film because it shows you how hard the life can be and it really makes you apreciated what you have. You must always think that worse things can happen. In my case the film has transmit me how the woman feels in every moment and it has made me cry because i imagined that those things happened to me. It has some very shocking scenes, like when the murderer kills all those little boys. The film shows you that you must fight for what you want, for who you love. 

In conclusion I've liked it and maybe the only thing that I didn't really like is that the begginig of the film was slow. I recommend it to everyone!

CHANGELING

Changeling is a 2008 American drama film directed by Clint Eastwood and written by J. Michael Straczynski.Based on real-life events in 1928 Los Angeles, the films stars Angelina Jolie as a woman who is reunited with her missing son (Walter) - only to realize he is an impostor. She confronts the city authorities, who vility her as an unfit mother and brand her deslusional. Changeling explores female disempowerment, political corruption, child engargerment, and the repercussions of violence.
my opinion
What i most enjoyed about this film is how it makes us think in what we really want and what we must do : not stop till we get our goal.
We must have our ideas clear and forget about people thoughts. I loved how the mother fought and fought to try to get back his son. It is really sad to see how a mother looses her son, and how people think she is crazy and the film is based on real- life events. That´s why i didn´t like some scenes of the film.
Conclusion
Life is hard, and everyone has problems . Don´t give up and try to get your goals as the mother did.

Changeling

Changeling is a 2008 American drama film directed by Clint Eastwood and written by J. Michael Straczynski.Based on real-life events in 1928 Los Angeles, the films stars Angelina Jolie as a woman who is reunited with her missing son (Walter) - only to realize he is an impostor. She confronts the city authorities, who vility her as an unfit mother and brand her deslusional.

Changeling explores female disempowerment, political corruption, child engargerment, and the repercussions of violence

From my point of view, the film is very interesting because it shows us many things for example that we have to fight for the things that we really love although it's difficult to get them, no matter what the people say or think.

We can see this type of example in the whole film, because it's about a mother that doesn't stop looking for her missing son, the person that she really loves, even knowing it was almost impossible to find him.

On the one hand, I like drama's movies because they always teach us practical things for our life, but on the other hand I don't like them because in them usually appear some horrible scenes, like we can see in this film.

I recommend this film to everyone because surely he/she will enjoy it!

CHANGELING

Changeling is a 2008 American drama film directed by Clint Eastwood and written by J. Michael Straczynski. Based on real-life events in 1928 Los Angeles, the film stars Angelina Jolie as a woman who is reunited with her missing son only to realize he is an impostor. She confronts the city authorities, who vilify her as an unfit mother and brand her delusional. 

On the one hand I like this film because it shows you that life is hard and you must be happy with the things you have. On the other hand I don’t like this film because I don’t usually like drama films.

When you are watching this film you have differents feelings like happiness or sadness.

This film shows us how important is a son for her mother. In spite of  she knows Walter wouldn’t come back. She goes on looking for him.  

The most shocking thing of this film for me is that the film is based on real- life events. It’s shocking because in this film happens horribles things.

My favourite character is the mother because during the film she teachs, us that you must fight for the person who is most important for you in your life.

Changeling

In my case, after having read L.A. Confidential, I think the movie really shows L.A. in those times. Police was famous because of their brutality and use of violence. Eventhough most people knew about this, nobody was brave enough as to inform against it, because the police department could heard about it and put you in jail before you could say a thing. The scene of Gordon Stewart hanging was really shocking for me, you can even feel the agony of feeling your death near. I would say its a good film to watch once, when you see it again, knowing how it is going to end makes it boring because the film has no action scenes. It's something, you know.

Changeling

Fabulous film. I found the atmosphere quite real because by that time the police was known for its brutality and its power, above the politicians.
I believe this film tries to show us that it doesn't matter the way, it doesn't matter our goal, if we really feel and believe we want it and it can be done, we just have to go for it and fight until we got it or until the end, we mustn't give up.

Changeling

In my case, after having read L.A. Confidential, I think the movie really shows L.A. in those times. Police was famous because of their brutality and use of violence. Eventhough most people knew about this, nobody was brave enough as to inform against it, because the police department could heard about it and put you in jail before you could say a thing. The scene of Gordon Stewart hanging was really shocking for me, you can even feel the agony of feeling your death near. I would say its a good film to watch once, when you see it again, knowing how it is going to end makes it boring because the film has no action scenes.