Category: Power of Ambition

The China Syndrome – Day Nineteen – #40movies40days

The China Syndrome is a fast-paced socially conscious thriller that entertains and is surprisingly contemporary.

The Adjustment Bureau – Day Four – #40movies40 days

Much has been written about who the Adjustment Bureau is– are they angels and is the “chairman” God? Let’s look at what the bureau does– it creates a hunger in people that can be directed to fulfill the bureau’s plan.

Rango and My Own Lenten Observance – #40movies40days

I’ve decided to watch 40 films in 40 days and write about them from a personal standpoint as I puzzle through how I want to be reborn on Easter morning. It will be a journey of looking at my life through the lens of movies– some contemporary and some old school– I hope you will join me.

NFL Leadership Styles – Can You Help?

Sometimes it is really useful to look at the Character Types of real people to see how what they do or say defines them. The SuperBowl and the magnificent victory by Green Bay and their young quarterback Aaron Rodgers is a great example to start off with. I’d like to type all the major players in the NFL in terms of their leadership styles. I’m looking for some help here– with quotations or a link to a video as an illustrations. Can you help fill things out?

Tony Curtis & The Power of Ambition

Tony Curtis passed away at the end of September 2010.  Here is what Time Magazine has to say about one of the roles that defined him as an actor, Sidney Falco in The Sweet Smell of Success.  It is a stunning example of a Power of Ambition protagonist falling to the Dark Side. (In the… Continue reading Tony Curtis & The Power of Ambition

Cougar Town – When a Character Doesn’t Ring True

Cortney Cox’s character is is poorly defined, cartoonish and utterly inauthentic. She acts like a thirty-year old Judd Apatow guy trapped in a one-note joke about being desperate but clumsy in the attempt to get laid.

The Informant! – Power of Ambition

Matt Damon plays a pitch perfect Power of Ambition protagonist. A close movie comparison would be to Damon’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, another movie that explores dark and twisted side of the Power of Ambition character.

The Power of Ambition

These characters want the reassurance of the visible, tangible evidence of their outward success or status. The definition and meaning of “success” is at the heart of a Power of Ambition character’s story. Is success truly measured from the outside or from the inside?

The Reader – Power of Idealism

Memory, loss and disillusionment are all part of a Power of Idealism Coming of Age Story. The Academy Award nominated film The Reader taps into the powerful resonance of this kind of story.