American and Hong Kong Action Films Essay -- Movie Film Essays

American and Hong Kong Action Films When comparing the action films of Hong Kong to the typical action films of America, certain differences are clearly visible. The films from Hong Kong feature more melodrama, more fast-paced action scenes, and most noticeably, more graphic violence, than the action films released in the US. When looking at what these Hong Kong films were influenced by, especially the films of John Woo, it is surprising to see that many of these differences from American cinema are, in fact, inspired by American cinema. In John Woo's most critically acclaimed and popular films in both Asia and the US, he has drawn aspects from other works of fiction across the globe. He then takes these aspects and adds his own touches to them to make them something distinctly Hong Kong. John Woo first made his mark as a director on Hong Kong audiences in 1986, with the epic crime-drama A Better Tomorrow. The film tells the story of two brothers, one an ex-con, the other an undercover cop, and how they eventually team-up to fight a common enemy. The film is foremost a drama about the love of family (both of blood and crime), but there are two scenes involving gunplay that helped redefine not only John Woo's career, but also the action genre itself in Hong Kong. It is interesting though, that both of these scenes draw heavily from scenes found in other films from other countries (Logan 124). The first scene occurs early on in the film as mob enforcer Mark Gor (played by Chow Yun-Fat) kills a gang of criminals for revenge of a comrade's death. What made this scene so original and groundbreaking when compared to other action films in Hong Kong at the time was the way John Woo directed this gunfight, and the fact that it wa... ... drawing upon. Now the same phenomenon is happening in America. The Wachowski brothers appropriated Woo's stylized shoot-out and added martial arts to it to make something entirely new for The Matrix. And even Tarantino had something new to give the genre, with his inclusion of quickly-delivered pop-culture referencing pastiche dialogue, something that is continually used today. This combination of appropriation and originality ensures the action and crime genres will constantly be able to reinvent itself, on both sides of the Pacific. Works Cited Logan, Bey. Hong Kong Action Cinema. Woodstock: Overlook, 1995. Rodham Stokes, Lisa and Michael Hoover. City On Fire: Hong Kong Cinema. London: Verso, 1999. Dannen, Fredric, and Barry Long. Hong Kong Babylon. New York: Hyperion, 1997. Teo, Stephen. Hong Kong Cinema: The Extra Dimensions. Suffolk: BFI, 1997. Â  

Starbucks Attractiveness

THE INDUSTRY ATTRACTIVE? WHY AND /WHY NOT Starbucks currently operates within three industries: Fast-Food Restaurants, Coffee and Snack Shops, and Specialty Coffees. Which are defined by NAICS (North American Industry Classification System). Although all three are separate segments Coffee and Snack Shop and Specialty Coffee basically carry various similarities. Despite this fact that this industry is somewhat narrower when compared to the fast food industry that they are also considered to be a part of, the coffee and snack shop aspect of their overall industry. Attractiveness is their bread and butter.Starbucks currently represents 32% of this industry and continues to grow, making them one of its largest players. This is the industry that they need and have focused the most on. One of the main factors of success are clearly related to their plans for global expansion because Starbucks has all but halted their domestic expansion (Global Data) and focused almost exclusively on the fo rmer. Another fact that illustrates the need to concentrate on this segment is the advancement of overall industry attractiveness their specialty coffees segment (consisting of retail store sales) only comprises 7% of their total revenue.Starbucks operates its largest segment in Fast Food Restaurant Industry, despite their relative insignificance as compared to giants like McDonald’s. It is worthwhile for them to pay close attention to this segment, because McDonald’s and Starbucks may differ in market share, but Starbucks holds a larger market share of the segment that McDonald’s wants/needs to capitalize on: Coffee. So to operate in parallel industries makes for a key success factor dependent on the level of information on competitors that also drive change.Although focusing on its most important segment, the Coffee and Snack Shop, Starbucks should also pay careful attention to this segment as well in order to achieve their optimal industry attractiveness. I h ave come up with a couple options that Starbucks could consider from the information above. First, expanding into international markets is the best way to capitalize in this industry, so continuing expansion is key. China is their primary target currently, as stated above. Continuing to seize international opportunities at a constant but steady pace would be very beneficial.Second, expanding the menu, given this, Starbucks can implement a proactive strategy that includes new and improved menu and convenience items; like, implementing deli items such as Panini’s or wraps. This would continue to further separate the Starbucks brand, which, I’ve determined is the key, in competitive markets. Third, create a new marketing strategy to grab attention. There is much more room for expansion and growth, Starbucks has only touched the available and potential global markets.With its financial strength, international experience, and long standing relationships, Starbucks can spike into an international business powerhouse in no time. However, this process must be at a steady pace. The expansion strategy must incorporate the core capabilities and advantages of the company. They must find excellent people to execute the process of expanding to a new country. The business ties they have created over the years must be used carefully, not to add too much strain on any suppliers.Expanding internationally would also force the company to rely on other markets other than the United States. Being an industry leader, many companies are benchmarking Starbucks. From relatively spending very little, the company could boost spending to include things such as TV ads and other untested marketing outlets, at least on a trial bases. This could possibly be an opportunity to expand their brand recognition, especially with the new logo. Referring back to my second suggestion and inform loyal customers of new menu items. Overall Industry Attractiveness As we have mentioned,

Summary Dr. Cain -calloway - 752 Words

Shawna Smith Smith 1 Dr. Cain -Calloway English 1302 28 October 2011 Works Cited Evans, Robert. â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner.† Short Fiction: A Critical Companion (1997): 150- 157. Literary Reference Center Plus. Web. 9 Oct. 2011. Heise, Joris. â€Å"Characters, Plots, and Themes in ‘The Rocking Horse Winner.’† Eureka Studies in Teaching Short Fiction 8.2 (2008): 62-74. Literary Reference Center Plus. Web. 9 Oct. 2011. Koban, Charles. â€Å"Allegory and the Death of the Heart in ‘The Rocking Horse Winner.’† Studies In Short Fiction 15.4 (1978): 391. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Oct. 2011. Lawrence, D.H. â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner.† The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. 7th ed. Shorter. Eds.†¦show more content†¦Heise first begins his study on the short story with his view of the story as a parable. He then goes on to explain some of the characters. The first character Heise informs the reader about is the mother. She is explained in the beginning of the story like a character is often explained in a fairytale. The author explains that the mother has failed at motherhood and has an absence of love for her family. She has a great need for a social status that is far above her family’s means. Heise explains that the mother is in a self versus self conflict. The author then explains the boy in the story. The boy can sense an absence of love from his mother. He wants to know that his mother feels real love for him in the end. The children feel a sense of anxiety in the house. The house is also portrayed by Heise almost as a chara cter. The house whispers to the children as if it were a real person. Shawna Smith Smith 1 Dr. Cain-Calloway English 1302 10 October 2011 Summary of â€Å"Allegory and the Death of the Heart in ‘The Rocking Horse Winner’† In Charles Koban’s study â€Å"Allegory and the Death of the Heart in ‘The Rocking Horse Winner,’† he explains many topics. Koban explains that Lawrence did not think that money was evil by itself. Also the author feels that a man was not truly free until he lost