Understanding How Film Impacts the Real World:

Using The Birth of a Nation as an Example

This aired in CA @11p last night so I recorded it. Very glad I did so. Film students are aware of Griffith's additions to film language, but I don't think as many are fully aware of what he did to elevate film to consideration as an art form or his fight in Boston for protection of the first amendment for 'Birth of a Nation.' He did much for film but his crowning achievement did far more harm to o...ur nation.

Unfortunately, many film history classes can't spend anywhere near enough time on the social and political impact of this film on our culture, the rebirth of the KKK, or even its overt racism. This is incredibly difficult for any person of color in those classes because they are told not to see that aspect and to focus only on the film language. I believe it is easier for white people to view the film with the understanding that it was created in a different time, that is part of our privilege.

'Birth of a Movement' takes us through those missed discussions. They set up a protagonist in the newspaper man, William Trotter, with the antagonist, D.W. Griffith and his film 'Birth of a Nation.' Trotter laid ground work that Civil Rights Movement would use fifty years later. The message I heard loudest is that the men in this story were children of the reconstruction with very different views of that period of our history.

I think if we look at our government right now, you will see that most of our leaders are children of the Civil Rights Movement. Some are truly afraid of equality just as their predecessors were afraid of civil rights. Trump will be judged by his racist and misogynistic views just as Wilson was for bring segregation to the federal government.

I really think that avoiding the social, political, and economic ramifications of 'Birth of a Nation' is a disservice to all film students. It doesn't address the very real effects of how film impacts our world. We have the opportunity to use this 1 hour discussion to begin a new conversation in film schools and amongst ourselves. As filmmakers we have incredible power to change perceptions.

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/birth-of-a-movement/

Review of Arrival 'Arrival' has certainly earned every accolade and you should NOT miss this one if you can manage it. The sound design alone will suck you into the fabric and won't let you go until the credits roll. As my husband says, you will be completely absorbed. The film is seamlessly woven together from two storylines, one linear and the other non-linear centering on the main character, linguistics expert ...Louise. The experience is similar to listening to a symphony expertly conducted in the most perfect acoustical space. The editing sweeps you into Louise's mind and especially into her emotional state at every turn. Throughout the film perfect moments of silence create an intimacy with the uncertainty and fear that surrounds the investigation into the shells. Louise's linear story provides focus, a strange sense of calm in the center of a storm that takes over everything else. Tight, intimate shots of Louise's hands allows you to feel her fear, uncertainty, and stress. The photography will capture your imagination without allowing your feet to leave the ground. Your first view of the Montana shell will impress you with the beauty of the landscape. The DP used a subdued color pallet for Louise and the scientists but brings in the brightness of white for the aliens, but softened like cotton. It is a subtle cue for what the audience will learn later about our visitors. This is probably the best first contact story that I've seen since 'Contact' or 'Close Encounters.' When the credits rolled my husband described a sense of profound connection. I felt like I was finally able to breathe again, as though I was coming back to the surface after being deep underwater. This film is an amazing experience and one you should not miss. I don't recommend 'Arrival' for children under the age of 13 because they will be bored and will distract the rest of the audience. There is nothing inappropriate other than a couple of pieces of dialogue if your children watch the news. Sci-fi fans will see a film that doesn't make the government or other scientist out to be crazy or warmongers. The filmmakers were able to present a very real idea of how visitors to our world might be greeted, investigated, and feared in the present day.

Update: February 15, 2017

Arrival has been nominated for several Oscars including Best Cinematography. Bradford Young brought his deep understanding of exposing dark skin tones to the shadowy world of Arrival.

"I think what we discover in our work—and from being exposed to African filmmakers, to third-world filmmakers—is our hue is a reflection of every color of the rainbow." - Bradford Young

Variety interviewed him about his unique style, the challenges for black cinematographers, and the importance of his Oscar nomination.

Read on: http://variety.com/2017/film/awards/bradford-young-arrival-oscar-han-solo-1201988626/

Why I Love the Red Turtle

(La Tortue Rouge)

'The Red Turtle' is a beautiful and very emotional film. The score was lovely and the theme pulls you in on a deeper level than you have probably experienced before. The composer speaks for every character and even the little sand crabs have their moments throughout the story. The human characters do use their voices, but there is no dialogue. I promise you won't miss it because it is completely u...nnecessary. This is a score I'd like to add to my collection.

Visually, it is like a gifted artist painting watercolors before your eyes. The colors dance across the screen swirling around and inviting you into the canvas. It is soft and elegant even during the storms on the island. All of the animals are quite detailed, but you will notice that the faces of the human characters are more of a blank slate. It allows you to become the characters and empathize with them in their love, loss, joy, and fear.

The story is a classic tale of a shipwrecked man trying to escape his fate. He gradually accepts his life on the island and has a family. In the final scene the audience is left with the idea that perhaps his wife and son were figments of his imagination to cope with being alone one the island. He truly embraces his new life and becomes enraptured by nature herself.

The animators did a very nice job of showing the passage of time, allowing the characters to age gracefully. You feel the ebb and flow of life throughout the film. It's slow, allowing the man to become frustrated with his lack of progress in escaping the island and then picks up the tempo as their son grows up. As the couple moves into their elder years the tempo gradually dies only to pick up again as the rhythm of life moves on.

Try not to miss this one on the big screen. It is perfect for the family, I have no age recommendations this time, or date night. As the credits begin to roll you'll remember to breathe, but take a moment to appreciate the beauty of a story with no words.

Some quick facts about 'The Red Turtle:' there is no dialogue, it is the first Ghibli film that was not made in Japan, and it has been nominated for the Best Feature Animation Oscar.

Catching Up with Passengers

Catching Up with Passengers

Tonight I finally went to my local theater, the one with the recliners, to see "Passengers" with Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt. We, as you might have guessed, are science fiction fans and this film was on our definite must see in theater list. It is a beautiful film which was probably even more so if you got the opportunity to see it in IMAX. There were shots that made it seem as though you we...re in the starscape.

It is an interesting film, but if you aren't a sci-fi fan you might want to hold off and watch this in the comfort of your home. It feels much longer than it is because of the epic scenery that the filmmakers linger on. Kind of like 2001, except the ship's computer isn't actively trying to kill the passengers. There is some good character development once you get past the weird sense of no time passing at all. At least until Chris Pratt's character actually says that he's been awake for a year and three weeks. Later the audience is told that the passengers have been awake for two years.

The film was stitched together with great care to incorporating the location into the overall story. You can feel the distance between the ship and Earth and their complete isolation. You are also left in awe of the beauty of space. Overall, it was lovely to see on the big screen and sci-fi fans will want to see it the same way.

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Spoilers below! Breaking down some of the plot holes.

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Like most Sci-fi films there are some significant plot holes such as why a suspension pod failure wouldn't have triggered a protocol to awaken a member of the onboard medical crew or why, when the deck chief's pod failed, he didn't immediately awaken the captain or head of engineering. For the average audience member it might be enough to accept a hibernation hangover for the second and general ship failures for the first.

What you do get to see is how the first passenger deals with be woken too early. As "Jim," Chris Pratt initially starts with trying to access help onboard and by sending a message to the corporation responsible for the ship, voyage, and the colony on the other end. As time slips by, he loses himself until he literally runs into a beautiful woman. At a loss for anything else to do with his time he looks her up in the database.

What happens next is a fascinating descent into a choice there appears to be no going back from. Think about the question: if you are on a desert island and could pick someone to join you, but both of you would live out the remainder of your lives on that island would you? If you've seen the previews then you know what choice Jim ultimately makes. It is what happens after that which is such fun to watch. Again, think the last two or only two people left alive would you fall in love or hate each other?

For me this is the biggest plot hole. The writer, rather than deal with the trauma that Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence) has been subjected to, chose to drop that line and get back to the ship wide failures. Of course, the cascade failure is an extinction level event for the passengers and crew and requires immediate attention. Aurora chooses to let go of her hurt and anger to tell Jim, "you die, I die," just as he's about to sacrifice his life for the good of all. This is classic story architecture and allows the audience to forgive his heinous crime along with Aurora.

I would have liked to see more time spent with Aurora as she coped with her trauma. Ultimately, the characters choose love and staying awake together rather than attempting to wake more crew members to return both to their hibernation pods. With all of that said, it was a beautiful film with great photography and decent character development.

Deep Water Horizon Review

Deep Water Horizon Review

Rented this film on Amazon tonight. Director Peter Berg and the rest of the team did an excellent job of keeping the humanity in the characters. The power play that ultimately caused the disaster was felt from the beginning as the crew gathered for their flight to the Deep Water Horizon.

As with all disaster films, be prepared to sit on the edge of your seat. You will find from time to time that it gets really quiet forcing you feel the seconds slipping by and the danger growing exponentially. Despite knowing that the rig burned for 87days spilling millions of gallons of oil, you keep hoping that someone will have that magic moment that saves the day. Ultimately, it is all of the small acts by individuals that get the workers off the rig saving 109 of the 120 souls aboard.

Gina Rodriguez, as Andrea Fleytas, really showcased how a woman manages in such a testosterone saturated job. In the film, she initiated the distress call despite arguing with her male colleague. Later she starts to head for the pipe cutoff and is stopped again by her male colleague because neither has the authority to do so. The delay in attempting to cut the pipe ended with the pipe breaking and exasperating the entire situation.

This is well worth the investment of your time and the rental fee. I expect you, like myself, will compare this human story with the one of corporate greed that played across the media almost 7 years ago. One of the aspects of this story that was lost has been returned to us with the film. The crew at ground zero did their best to prevent a greater disaster and we should not forget that 11 of them gave their lives in the process.

A Dog's Purpose - what did you see?

Did we see what we thought we saw?

Regarding the viral video from set of A Dog's Purpose.

The footage that went viral only last week was cause for alarm and many people I know are choosing not to see the movie because of it. Initial reports said that the production company and producers would be looking into the incident. As a filmmaker I was shocked by the footage and deeply concerned. I did notice the cut in the middle and the instant shut off when the dog's head went under the water. Before you boycott and buy into PETA's description of events take a moment to ...read one producer's account of the investigation.

As I told my husband, there is more to that footage and we were only shown the worst parts. As an animal lover and pet parent, I am aware that accidents happen and not everything goes according to plan. Please remember that the footage you saw was a forced perspective and edited to show the worst in a very short amount of time. We could not see the tools put in place to protect the dog nor could we see the entirety of the pool.

Here are the comments from one of the producer's regarding the viral video that appears to show animal abuse:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gavin-polone-a-dogs-purpose-outcry-what-happened-whos-blame-967160

Benedict Cumberbatch & The Imitation Game

Playing God as Turing

I will admit I am a Benedict Cumberbatch fan. I thoroughly enjoyed him as Sherlock and last weekend I saw 'Dr. Strange.' Today we watched The Imitation Game in which he played Turing. Yes, that Turing. As much as we will miss the great actors who have departed this world in the past year, there are new people ready to take up the mantle. I submit that Mr. Cumberbatch will be one of those greats in the future.

If you haven't seen The Imitation Game, I promise it is a WWII story that should not be missed. Discovering the power of life and death in order to protect the greater good could not have been an easy burden to bear. It is a wonderful drama and told in flashback by Turing.

Kiera Nightly plays Joan Clark and for the young women fascinated by technology and the science, this is someone you should learn about. Turing fought to have her work with him despite the problems of a single woman working among men at the time. She was the exception and it is made quite clear during the interview scene.

The intersection of brilliant minds, gender differences, and homosexuality during 1940's Britain makes for an eloquent discussion on how we lost one of the brilliant minds of the 20th century. Turing was a great gift and I hope when you watch this film you will think about all the people out there changing the world, even if you don't know their stories yet.