So sorry that I haven't updated this in a while. It's been a crazy week, but I promise I'll have at least three updates done for Monday, including the upcoming Cinema 10 film, "Broken Embraces (2009)." Congratulations to SUNY Potsdam student, Brian Bond, on winning the Cinema 10 Season Pass by listening to my radio show on Friday.
Keep reading for an update on how to win the remaining Season Pass on my next radio show, this Friday at 2 pm.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Soul Power
I literally just sat down to my computer after leaving the theater for tonight's Cinema 10 screening of "Soul Power (2008)," a film that's been delayed since last semester. My review for the first film of the season took a few days to be published because I felt like the other things I was doing were much more important. But I could not wait to get back to my computer so I could write down my thoughts on this powerful, awe-inspiring movie. As a matter of fact, I'm currently in the process of scouring all free-sources available for James Brown and BB King music - something I never imagined myself doing. I've never really been fond of blues or soul or funk or anything to that effect until tonight. I wish now more than ever that this film hadn't been delayed so I would have been moved by this music before my last few months as an undergraduate. I feel like I'm rambling, so I'll actually say something about the movie's content.
"Soul Power" documents a 1974 music festival that took place in Zaire featuring the legendary James Brown, BB King, Bill Withers, and a slew of others. The three day event was meant to coincide with a heavy-weight boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, but that was ultimately postponed. At first, the film is just a bunch of musicians and promoters talking about how important this music festival is, some interviews, and some footage of stages being erected and sound equipment being tested. There are beautiful shots of women carrying their children sandwiched between scenes of press conferences, while any type of music places throughout. This is all entertaining, certainly, but the film really picks up as the bands begin their journey across the ocean to Zaire; it's a plane ride filled with loud, improvised music, and more uplifting back-and-forth about how important the movement we're all about to witness is. From that point on, almost all of the time is taken up by concert footage, and I haven't a single gripe with that. Whether or not I had any knowledge of the artist performing didn't matter; each musician played their instrument so skillfully and confidently that to snub would surely be a sign that you hate fun.
I've found with Cinema 10 films that a common theme is the idea of the language barrier. That is: our different languages keep us from forming meaningful connections. Whether this is present in the film itself (between two characters from different-speaking countries) or between the film and the audience (an English speaking viewer reading subtitles and missing the subtleties of a foreign film), the language barrier seems to be a constant. This film seems to reject this notion, though. At numerous points throughout the film, one person or another comments on the fact that many of the musicians performing speak English, while the bulk of the audience is French-speaking. Despite this, they say that everyone listening knows every lyric to every song. They dance and sing like the music was written just for them. It is the music that brings them together and allows them to embrace one another. It sounds almost hokey when you put it in writing like this, but there's no other way to put it: this film is about people joining together through the power of music and the happiness it can bring without regard for race or beliefs.
Verdict: More Stoked than I have ever been. This is one of the best films that Cinema 10 has brought to Potsdam, second only to "Synecdoche, New York (2008)", and was by far the most fun film they have ever had. From start to finish, this film is nothing short of fantastic and wonderful. I only wish more people had attended so that more people would know about this great piece of art we have. Ignore the relatively low rating that IMDb gives it. Do anything you can to get ahold of this movie, and then find all of its music (preferably on Vinyl).
"Soul Power" documents a 1974 music festival that took place in Zaire featuring the legendary James Brown, BB King, Bill Withers, and a slew of others. The three day event was meant to coincide with a heavy-weight boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, but that was ultimately postponed. At first, the film is just a bunch of musicians and promoters talking about how important this music festival is, some interviews, and some footage of stages being erected and sound equipment being tested. There are beautiful shots of women carrying their children sandwiched between scenes of press conferences, while any type of music places throughout. This is all entertaining, certainly, but the film really picks up as the bands begin their journey across the ocean to Zaire; it's a plane ride filled with loud, improvised music, and more uplifting back-and-forth about how important the movement we're all about to witness is. From that point on, almost all of the time is taken up by concert footage, and I haven't a single gripe with that. Whether or not I had any knowledge of the artist performing didn't matter; each musician played their instrument so skillfully and confidently that to snub would surely be a sign that you hate fun.
I've found with Cinema 10 films that a common theme is the idea of the language barrier. That is: our different languages keep us from forming meaningful connections. Whether this is present in the film itself (between two characters from different-speaking countries) or between the film and the audience (an English speaking viewer reading subtitles and missing the subtleties of a foreign film), the language barrier seems to be a constant. This film seems to reject this notion, though. At numerous points throughout the film, one person or another comments on the fact that many of the musicians performing speak English, while the bulk of the audience is French-speaking. Despite this, they say that everyone listening knows every lyric to every song. They dance and sing like the music was written just for them. It is the music that brings them together and allows them to embrace one another. It sounds almost hokey when you put it in writing like this, but there's no other way to put it: this film is about people joining together through the power of music and the happiness it can bring without regard for race or beliefs.
Verdict: More Stoked than I have ever been. This is one of the best films that Cinema 10 has brought to Potsdam, second only to "Synecdoche, New York (2008)", and was by far the most fun film they have ever had. From start to finish, this film is nothing short of fantastic and wonderful. I only wish more people had attended so that more people would know about this great piece of art we have. Ignore the relatively low rating that IMDb gives it. Do anything you can to get ahold of this movie, and then find all of its music (preferably on Vinyl).
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
A Series of Sappy Events
Watched "Dear John (2010)" last week at a midnight screening just because it was free and I had nothing better to do. How wrong I was. I absolutely had better things to do than sit through this absurd, plotless, meandering joke of a film. Having seen and enjoyed one other Nicholas Spark adaptation, I expected to be entertained at the very least. And I was, but only by the comments my friends and I shouted at the screen. Literally nothing happens in this movie. There are four hundred little conflicts that are as resolved as quickly as they appear, and a million loose ends that no one bothers to tie up. The acting is boring and totally uninspired (except for that of Richard Jenkins), allowing for characters that are purely surface.
Verdict: So unStoked, it's unreasonable. Do not go see this movie. Don't even see this movie to laugh at it. It is a boring, insulting, and trite movie that a friend could only describe as "A series of Sappy events." Fuck "Dear John" and protest the fact that all of his other books are going to get optioned because it took the number one spot over "Avatar (2009)" after two months. God dammit.
Verdict: So unStoked, it's unreasonable. Do not go see this movie. Don't even see this movie to laugh at it. It is a boring, insulting, and trite movie that a friend could only describe as "A series of Sappy events." Fuck "Dear John" and protest the fact that all of his other books are going to get optioned because it took the number one spot over "Avatar (2009)" after two months. God dammit.
Amreeka!
Monday night was the season opener for the Spring session of Cinema 10. Attendance was a little lower than I had expected, as people generally come out in droves for the first film of the season. People seemed in good spirits, though, responding well to Holly's pleas for the audience to do well by their garbage and to support local businesses. The mood of the film was appropriate for a season opener: light-hearted but somewhat commanding.
"Amreeka (2009)" follows a Palestinian woman (Muna) and her son (Fadi) as they travel to America to seek out better lives for themselves. We're introduced to them by way of their cramped, uncomfortable home life that is constantly interrupted by military check points and nagging mothers; it's a life that the viewing audience does not envy. Pathos is established here - blah, blah, blah. It's a relatively tame opening and offers nothing fresh to the cinematic world (though experiencing their plight alongside them is frustrating). Where the film gets interesting is when they finally arrive in America and are immediately subjected to culture clashes that make our pair long for the home they so desperately fled. But the politics p`resent in this type of film are set aside for the most part, and that's why this film is refreshing. It becomes less about a woman being of foreign descent, and more about trying to fit into a world that does not want anyone new.
Muna, a banker in her homeland, seeks out employment at any of the 400 banks surrounding her now house, only to find that the language barrier stops all her efforts dead. Naturally, she resorts to a fast food restaurant. Despite her success, she feels a great deal of shame and so hides the fact from all those close to her. Meanwhile, her son becomes involved in disputes with local racists, and the plot unfolds from there in a predictable way that is both satisfying and disappointing. I won't spoil anything, because it's a film that is definitely worth watching, and almost certainly worth re-watching. That is not to say that the political lining (which is ever-present) is so dense that it cannot possibly be comprehended in a single viewing. I just mean that the film was entertaining and suggested a political agenda in a way that wasn't overwhelming.
Also noteworthy is the film's camera work. It seems as though the film makers employed hand-held cameras for the majority of this film, and the way they utilize them gives the audience the feeling that they're not only watching, but experiencing. The shots feel as though they're from the perspective of a member of the family standing just in the background.
Verdict: Just Stoked. While I probably won't buy this movie, I would watch it again should the opportunity present itself. There are certain movies that are so dense and depressing that I can only condone a single viewing per year (Ahem...), and this definitely doesn't fall into that category. One friend said that this is on her on-demand list on Cable where she lives. Check it out if you've got the luxury.
"Amreeka (2009)" follows a Palestinian woman (Muna) and her son (Fadi) as they travel to America to seek out better lives for themselves. We're introduced to them by way of their cramped, uncomfortable home life that is constantly interrupted by military check points and nagging mothers; it's a life that the viewing audience does not envy. Pathos is established here - blah, blah, blah. It's a relatively tame opening and offers nothing fresh to the cinematic world (though experiencing their plight alongside them is frustrating). Where the film gets interesting is when they finally arrive in America and are immediately subjected to culture clashes that make our pair long for the home they so desperately fled. But the politics p`resent in this type of film are set aside for the most part, and that's why this film is refreshing. It becomes less about a woman being of foreign descent, and more about trying to fit into a world that does not want anyone new.
Muna, a banker in her homeland, seeks out employment at any of the 400 banks surrounding her now house, only to find that the language barrier stops all her efforts dead. Naturally, she resorts to a fast food restaurant. Despite her success, she feels a great deal of shame and so hides the fact from all those close to her. Meanwhile, her son becomes involved in disputes with local racists, and the plot unfolds from there in a predictable way that is both satisfying and disappointing. I won't spoil anything, because it's a film that is definitely worth watching, and almost certainly worth re-watching. That is not to say that the political lining (which is ever-present) is so dense that it cannot possibly be comprehended in a single viewing. I just mean that the film was entertaining and suggested a political agenda in a way that wasn't overwhelming.
Also noteworthy is the film's camera work. It seems as though the film makers employed hand-held cameras for the majority of this film, and the way they utilize them gives the audience the feeling that they're not only watching, but experiencing. The shots feel as though they're from the perspective of a member of the family standing just in the background.
Verdict: Just Stoked. While I probably won't buy this movie, I would watch it again should the opportunity present itself. There are certain movies that are so dense and depressing that I can only condone a single viewing per year (Ahem...), and this definitely doesn't fall into that category. One friend said that this is on her on-demand list on Cable where she lives. Check it out if you've got the luxury.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)