When I was your age, we had school 6 days a week: "The Breakfast Club"

Alright, for this entry I'm going back to the 80s, to a movie that has been loved by teenagers for almost 30 years! I'm talking about the crowing jewel of the '80s High School Movies,' and one of the most famous Brat Pack movies. Of course, I'm talking about "The Breakfast Club"

The Movie

For those who haven't seen this movie, it essentially is about 5 teenagers, all from very different (and stereotypical) cliques, forced to come to detention on a Saturday. Forced to stay in the library all day, pondering the err in their ways, they get to know each other and temporarily break through the barriers of high school prejudice. All the kids bare their souls, and almost every teenager can relate to at least one character in this film, therefore making it one of the most beloved 80s movies to this day. 

What Doesn't Make Sense

John Bender, bad-ass criminal who gets all the wrath of the school principal, is locked in a closest because he was caught outside the library. First of all, this is so illegal I don't even know where to start! Even in the 80s, I think this could be termed as detaining someone against their will, or even kidnapping! Not to mention the principal invites Bender to hit him in the face, then tells him that once he's finished high school, he's going to kick Bender's ass! But that's not even the least realistic part about this part of the film. 

In this scene, Bender is escaping from the closet he was locked in, trying to rejoin his fellow prisoners in the library by climbing through the ceiling. Of course, he does fall through eventually, but what bothers me is that he should have fallen through right away! Those ceiling tiles can barely hold 20 pounds, let alone a teen-aged boy! Don't believe me? Next time you're bored and sitting in an office, take down one of those ceiling tiles and put a brick or two on top of another. Then go get a broom to clean up the mess. Believe me, my first year in university, I lived in a residence with these tiles in the hallways. They don't withstand much, including high-kicks, head-butts, and falcon punches. 

Also, just as a little aside, I think that the entire idea of forcing teens to come in on a Saturday for detention is highly unlikely. You can have students voluntarily come in to the school on the weekend (sports games, rehearsals, etc.), but I don't think you can force students to come in on the weekend. My main suspicious is that I don't think the school board would insure these kids, so therefore, if when John Bender fell, he broke his leg, then the school board could be held liable. 

Just saying.

Until next time!

Mega-strength "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl"

Hey everyone. For this entry, I'm going to dip into one of my favorite genres of film: historical fiction. Although it's not exactly historically accurate (hence the word 'fiction,' I suppose), the first film isn't that far-fetched...minus the cursed pirates that turn into skeletons in the moonlight. That's right, I'm talking about Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.

The Movie
In a nutshell, the movie is about William Turner (Orlando Bloom), forced to enlist the help of the infamous-and-unpredictable pirate Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) to save his love, Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightly) from evil, dreaded pirates, captained by Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). It's a race to the finish to save her before she is sacrificed to lift the Aztec curse plaguing Barbossa and his men, but there is still plenty of time for Depp's memorably hilarious character to show off his charm and wit...as well as get a little tipsy off some rum.

This is one of my favorite movies. It's got action, comedy, a bit of horror, and a lot of pretty scenery, including some beautiful tall ships. Also, this movie was instrumental in reviving Johnny Depp's career in the 21st century, reintroducing him to a new generation as A-list star.

What Doesn't Make Sense
Jack Sparrow is characterized as being resourceful and extremely witty, able to escape seemingly impossible circumstances with absolutely no effort. It's all part of the comedic element of the entire movie. In this scene, Sparrow comes up with a rather ingenious way to steal a boat from the British Navy: sneak up right under their noses...and under the water.

For those of you who remember Bill Nye's lesson on Buoyancy, you will know that this feat of holding a boat under water is quite difficult. In fact, it's nearly impossible. Trust me, I've tried. With a  canoe and 4 other girls at summer camp, we attempted to sink the boat without losing the air pocket. Even with 5 of us pulling (and even trying to push it under the surface), we were unable to get the boat the stay under the water.

The phenomena is called upthrust. It's what makes things that float, well, float. Oxygen is lighter than water, and therefore the air trapped under the boat (as well as the fact that the boat is made of wood, which also floats) would be too much for two men to hold under that much water. In fact, they would need to weigh several tons in order to hold a boat that size that far underwater, according to the laws of physics.

So, in reality, Jack Sparrow wouldn't have been nearly as successful at sneaking up on the British Navy. The boat would keep bobbing up to the surface, and they would never be able to hide underwater for long. Needless to say, Elizabeth would be pretty screwed.

Until next time.