Friday, January 24, 2020

Miami Film Noir :: Film Cinema Movies

MIAMI NOIR We have much to learn from Mike Davis, CITY OF QUARTZ (Vintage, 1992) who discusses the paradoxical effects that the representations of Los Angeles in hardboiled novels and their translation into film noir cinema had on the image and myth of that city. Together they radically reworked the metaphorical figure of the city, using the crisis of the middle class (rarely the workers or the poor) to expose how the dream had become nightmare. . . . It is hard to exaggerate the damage which noir's dystopianization of Los Angeles, together with the exiles' [European intellectuals living and working in L.A.] denunciation of its counterfeit urbanity, inflicted upon the accumulated ideological capital of the region's boosters. Noir, often in illicit alliance with San Francisco or New York elitism, made Los Angeles the city that American intellectuals love to hate (although, paradoxically, this seems only to increase its fascination for postwar European intellectuals). As Richard Lehan has emphasized, "probably no city in the Western world has a more negative image". . . . It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the paramount axis of cultural conflict in Los Angeles has always been about the construction/interpretation of the city myth, which en ters the material landscape as a design for speculation and domination (Davis, 20-21). Miami, most notably in the works of Elmore Leonard and Charles Willeford, and in the Television series MIAMI VICE, has received some of the same treatment, belatedly, or in a post- or neo- noir modality of the genre. . As Davis noted, "noir was like a transformational grammar turning each charming ingredient of the boosters' arcadia into a sinister equivalent" (38). We need to sort out those aspects of this noir/booster conflict that are generic and those that are specific to Miami. Boosterism is a fundamental feature of Miami's existence. The same paradoxes of attraction are an important part of Florida tourism. However, noir carries with it a state of mind, an atmosphere and mood, that are specific to the genre and may or may not have anything to do with the spirit of place specific to our zone. In any case, we should keep in mind that a book about the mythical America of crime writers includes some discussion of the Miami River setting. The Interviewer, John Williams, spoke with James Hall, author of the hard-boiled SQUALL LINE, as they rode in Hall's boat on the bay near the river's mouth.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Enron Corporation

The â€Å"crisis of confidence† on the public accounting profession was not something that happened overnight and it is not the fault of one group of people or individuals. The accounting profession is partly to blame for this crisis, as the necessary rules, regulations and guidelines were not in place to hold companies and accounting firms responsible for their actions. The lack of regulations also allowed companies to partake in misleading transactions. These transactions were perfectly legal at the mime, Just not necessarily ethical.Companies did not have to be 100% honest when sharing earning results and company structure with shareholders. Arthur Anderson & Co. Was also to blame as they were the accountants for Enron. They were the ones with the expertise who should have known better and looked to fully explain and disclose what they knew. Andersen's commitment is to the shareholders, not to their client and they needed to act in a way and present the statements fairly so that a user could make an informed decision and that the statements presented fairly.Enron is also to blame. They were focused on profits – which is not necessarily a bad thing, except for the fact that they were not forthright In how they were getting there. 5. I believe there has been a shift in regards to the concept of professionalism in relation to public accounting. After the Enron crisis, people began to second guess accountants and their work. There was fear that many other scandals and crises would occur. Because of this, the accounting profession had to be much more cautious and proactive In their approach.They have to err much more on the side of caution and pay close attention to ensure they are always acting ethically, responsibly and In the financial statement users' best Interest. This Is where SOX and other acts of Congress come Into play. It Is not to punish the auditors, but to help them and other accountants keep their reputation and ensure that firms are acting appropriately. It limits the engagement between and auditor and client and helps to ensure all understand the laws and expectations that are relevant to each arty.People are paying attention to auditing and audit firms now more than ever, the auditors and accountants know this and must be more diligent and professional than ever so that another scandal Like Enron does not occur. 6. I believe quarterly financial statements should be audited as a company could be deceiving shareholders for a full year prior to an auditor uncovering something. In the case of public companies, auditors are probably do some type of audit work year round so that would be rare, but Is possible.Currently auditors do not have any responsibility regarding quarter end financial statements as they are unedited and an auditor Is always only responsible for the fairness of audited statements not the statements themselves. I do not believe users of statements can make the best decision based on unedited fig ures. Thing, except for the fact that they were not forthright in how they were getting there. Cautious and proactive in their approach. They have to err much more on the side of responsibly and in the financial statement users' best interest.This is where SOX and other acts of Congress come into play. It is not to punish the auditors, but to than ever so that another scandal like Enron does not occur. 6. I believe quarterly financial statements should be audited as a company could be deceiving that would be rare, but is possible. Currently auditors do not have any responsibility regarding quarter end financial statements as they are unedited and an auditor is themselves. I do not believe users of statements can make the best decision based

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

The Shining, By Stephen King And Directed By Stanley Kubrick

â€Å"I became insane, with the long intervals of horrible sanity†, Edgar Allan Poe. Madness is characterized by â€Å"the state of being mentally ill†, otherwise known as insanity. Twisted Fate, written by Norah Olson, and the book/movie The Shining, written by Stephen King and directed by Stanley Kubrick, are both examples of how the main characters fall into madness. The word sane is derived from sanus, which is a Latin adjective, meaning healthy. Therefore, insane would be classified as not healthy. There are many types of madness that people can â€Å"fall† into, but the most common is Psychosis. Psychosis is defined as a disconnection from reality, according to WebMd.com. Many people with Psychosis â€Å"hold onto untrue or strange beliefs† (WebMD), can’t tell what is fake from reality, and typically the people who have this disorder aren’t even aware of their behavior. Delusional disorder goes more into the reality vs imaginary concept . People with delusional disorder have a â€Å"misinterpretation of perceptions or experiences† (WebMD), which makes their experiences be either super exaggerated or not true. People with delusional disorder are known to function normally and socialize normally, in fact most people can’t even tell if someone has this disorder. The most well known type of psychosis is Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a delusional disorder that â€Å"affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves† (National Institute of Mental Health). Many people with Schizophrenia often lose touchShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Stephen King Film1365 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican writer Stephen King has written over 50 novels and 200 short stories most of which exists within the horror and suspense genre. Given the immense popularity of his work, King’s stories have often been made into feature films. Unfortunately, the horror that exists on the page rarely translates successfully to the si lver screen. For every great King film adaptation such as the classic â€Å"Carrie† (1976) and the recent version of â€Å"It!† (2017), there are many dismal failures such as â€Å"The DarkRead More Stanley Kubrick Essays1577 Words   |  7 Pagesof quarreling with your interpretation nor offering any other, as I have found it always the best policy to allow the film to speak for itself.quot; As one of the most widely acclaimed and influential directors of the postwar era, Stanley Kubrick enjoyed a reputation and a standing unique among the filmmakers of his day. He had a brilliant career with relatively few films. An outsider, he worked beyond the confines of Hollywood, which he disliked, maintaining complete control of his projectsRead MoreThe Shining By Stephen King1500 Words   |  6 PagesThe Shining, a novel written by Stephen King followed by a film directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1980 is a horror/thriller narrative filled with many mysteries of its own. Initially, The Shining portrays itself as an average â€Å"The house is haunted but no one believes me† story. However, as the plot progresses we learn that there is much more that goes into the big picture. At its core, the narrative is about isolation, psychological problems, alcoholism, and the suspense of an impending doom. JackRead MoreThe Shining By Stephen King1486 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The Shining† is a novel written by Stephen King in 1977 and a horror movie directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1980. The novel and movie tells a story about Jack Torrance, who becomes the off-season winter caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. Although the movie and the book have some similarities; there are many differences from the adaptation of the novel. After watching the movie and reading the book, my preference is the novel since it goes into details about describing the characters and the portrayal