examine main series of shots

Boondock Saints

Two different kind of shots were used during the first 30 seconds of the boondocks saints trailer.  Throughout the first 30 seconds, the two brothers and and the other guy are talking around a table.  The camera always pans right across the the group talking.  The use of panning shows a continuous story.  During the panning of the group around the table, the screen continually flashes short clips.  This foreshadows what is to come in the story.

www.wix.com/efinley/sailing

The Boondock Saints

The camera pans around a man talking at a table throughout the first 30 seconds of the trailer.  The screen continually flashes short clips that foreshadow what is to come.  For example, after the man talks about how bad men such as rapists and murderers should die, the screen flashes to a man getting shot.  

Boondock Saints analysis

Boondock Saints

-Trailer opens with the movie’s producing company name

-Slow music and close up on the two brothers

-Shows one brother talking around a table

-Flashes image of a detective, prisoner, and a brother wakes up

-Goes back to brother talking around table and his voice continues to narrate throughout the clip

-Talks about rapist and murderers while flashing images of bad looking men

-Goes back to narrating brother who says they need to die

-Flashes to a man being shot 

-First 30 seconds of trailer ends with narrating brother around table telling another man, “Admit it, even you’ve thought about it”

Evan Finley

Miron, Jeffery. "http://www.drugsense.org/cms/wodclock." . N.p., 27 Feb 2011. Web. 27 Feb 2012.

The source posted above showed many statistics on the war on drugs.  In 2010, the U.S. government spent over 15 billion dollars on the war on drugs.  In 2009, 1,663,582 arrests were made for drug offenders.  Approximately 900,000 of those arrests were for marijuana offenders.  Since 1995, the U.S. prison population grows at around 45,000 inmates per year with a fourth of those being drug offenders.

Romaine, Joe. "War on Drugs a “Total Failure” And Statistics to Prove It." . N.p., 17 6 2011. Web. 27 Feb 2012.

According the global commissions on drug policy, global use of opiates increased 34.5 percent, cocaine 27 percent, and cannabis 8.5 percent between 1998 and 2008.  Between 1980 and 2009, the total U.S. prison population has increased by 1.7 million people.  In 2011, 50.8 percent of federal inmates are imprisoned for drug offenses. 

. "office of national drug policy." . N.p., 24 2 2012. Web. 27 Feb 2012.

The video at the top of the web page argues that drug court would be more efficient for dealing with drug offenders rather than just locking them up.  Prescription drug abuse is climbing higher and higher.  Driving under the influence of drugs has been increasing as well.  Under Obama, 10 billion dollars is going to drug education programs and help for addicts.

Is the War on Drugs working?

The cost of upkeep for a U.S. prisoner is approximately 22,000 dollars a year.  In 2009, the government spent two billion, 94 million, and 510 thousand dollars on incarcerating non-violent drug offenders.   State and local taxes spend around 25.7 billion dollars and federal taxes are used to spend around 15.6 billion dollars because of the War on Drugs.  The war on drugs has more than just a large monetary cost though. A drug conviction of even simple possession can be placed on one's record forever.  This one drug conviction can cripple opportunities for teenagers to adults.  A drug conviction can keep you from getting an education.  Many companies perform background checks and will not hire a person with a drug conviction even if the conviction was many years ago and has no standing on the ability of the person to produce value added to the company.  The most important thing to ask oneself is how does one decide if the war on drugs is working.  Many would argue it is worth both the monetary and non monetary costs as long as the community is "safe" from drugs.  The truth of the matter is that even with the large budget the war on drugs is given, drug use still continues to rise or stay the same depending on the drug.  Portugal took a radical drug stance and decriminalized every drug.  Thats right, even hard drugs like heroin.  Although it sounds crazy, drug use in Portugal has not risen.  Portugals policy lowers the stigmas of a drug charge so therefor no one is crippled from getting an education or a job.  Also, instead of spending taxes to incinerate drug offenders, drug offenders are offered free rehab programs which are far less expensive then prison.  

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Topic 2  To what extent does the United States relie on illegal immigrants for cheap labor?

Topic 3  To what extent is the war on drugs working?