Blog Archives
Flash Movie Review: Brooklyn Castle
My biggest accomplishment in summer camp one year was making a coat hook and a chessboard. The day camp offered a variety of classes for the campers; I chose wood shop. The first time I tried making a chessboard I got frustrated. My colored blocks of wood that I had cut out were not all symmetrical. Yes, even back then I was already a bit obsessive. Wanting to trash the whole idea, it was the camp counselor who took the time to encourage me to try again, after showing me a different way to cut the blocks out. I was not the only one who received help, there were other kids who received the counselor’s help. It was this individual’s patience and encouragement that made this class my favorite that summer. When a child receives positive motivation, the possibilities are endless for what they can achieve. In this inspirational documentary, the teachers of inner city school I.S. 318 are living proof of what a student can accomplish over challenging circumstances. With 70% of the student body coming from homes that were below the poverty level set by the federal government, the school’s chess team were national champions, the best in the country. They had won more championships than any other school in the nation. To hear these students’ personal stories only made their achievement that more impressive to me. This story followed the chess team as it attempted to repeat its past success, despite looming budget cuts that could eliminate them even before the start of competition. The film makers did a wonderful job of filming, giving the viewers a front row seat to the tension, nerves and fears these students experienced during their matches. If anyone has doubts on how much a teacher can influence their students, they need to see this impressive documentary.
3 1/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Samsara
Imagine taking a trip to 25 countries on 5 continents, seeing natural wonders to questionable man made structures, without the intrusion of the Transportation Security Administration and no need of a passport. All of this can be done from the comfort of your seat in your favorite movie theater. Five years in the making and 20 years since his incredible film Baraka; director Ron Fricke brought another absolutely gorgeous movie to the big screen. There was no dialog as the audience was transported to sights most of us will never see in our lifetime. And what I would like to think of as a gentle slap to the digital world, this movie was shot in 70 mm film. The results were massive and impressive to me. Where some movies depend on their musical score to distract from the lack of acting or story, the original music used in this great film was the ideal accompaniment; the perfect blend of spices to the visual stew of images that welled up before our eyes. Do you think I liked this movie? I loved this movie! The word samsara is sanskrit for “continuous flow.” Think of it as birth, life, death and rebirth. What I got out of seeing this movie was how ancient cultures/structures have been reincarnated over and over again. What is that saying that goes “Everything old becomes new again,” or something like it? I found it fascinating the way scenes from opposite spectrums were paired up to show, in essence, their similarities. This was truly a remarkable film. Walking out of the theater, I looked at the buildings around me in a different way; wondering where in a past time were these structures born before.
4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Searching for Sugar Man
In these days of auto-tuning and lip synching, I miss hearing the pureness in a singer’s voice. I can understand as audiences expect bigger and bigger stage shows, very few artists can keep up with the demands of singing and dancing on stage for up to 2 hours. Lip synching has become a given at many of today’s concerts. I miss the days where you would have a Tina Turner or Bette Midler on stage, drenched in sweat, after having just sung live for almost 3 hours. Hearing the songs in this documentary reminded me of those good old days. Singer-songwriter Rodriguez released a couple of records back in the 1970’s. Their sales went nowhere and Rodriguez faded away. In a time before MP3 players or digital downloads, bootleg recordings of his music eventually made their way down to South Africa. His songs ignited the hearts of the South African people, making Rodriguez more popular than Elvis. As years passed, rumors began to spread about the singer’s death. This outstanding movie was about two South African men, who began a journey to find out the truth about this gifted artist and his life. With a voice that sounded like James Taylor to me, I was immediately drawn into the mystery of this man’s life. There were stories spread of Rodriguez being on stage as he doused himself with gasoline and setting himself ablaze. Or, after singing a song he pulled out a gun and shot himself; the tales got bigger and bigger. I loved hearing his daughters talk about their youth, growing up with such a humble man for a father. This documentary worked well on many levels; from a historical perspective, to steady pacing, to what I felt was the greatest part of the story–a pure artist who sang for the love of it.
3 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
Whenever we want to complain or bitch about something, we have various options to express ourselves. There are social media sites, company websites and even physical protests available to us. When I was going through months of hell trying to refinance my mortgage, I kept my office and classes updated on my bank’s incompetencies. It never occurred to me that our freedom of speech really is a luxury…until I saw this startling movie. What added to this amazing, viewing experience was how I had no prior knowledge of the artist/activist Ai Weiwei. Have any of you heard of him? He was the artistic consultant for the Beijing National Stadium a/k/a Bird’s Nest for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. An acclaimed Chinese artist who took to the internet to protest the government’s policies; Ai Weiwei was an outspoken critic in a country that frowned upon such activity. This documentary played like a movie thriller at times. When the government shut down his internet, Ai Weiwei took to Twitter in getting out his messages. I was appalled with the tactics that were used against him. Besides showing the political aspects of this vocal activist, I felt like I scored with a two for one coupon as there was also a focus on his artistic side. His exhibits were fascinating to me, though seeing the photos of him dropping a 2000 year old urn to the ground took me by surprise. I can only imagine the horror on the faces of antique dealers. There are people who hear the word documentary and think the movie will be dull and unexciting; however, they would be wrong with this captivating film. Part mystery, part action with a creative flair; this one man has been living his life in defiance of the probing eyes from Big Brother. English and Mandarin spoken.
3 1/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Queen of Versailles
If this is an example of the type of people who are in the top 1% tax bracket, then I do not want to be that wealthy. What a shallow group of gross people. Come on now, why would anyone need 22 bedrooms or 10 kitchens unless they were the Duggar family? I have always said I do not need to be super rich; I would just like to buy something without having to think about how I was going to pay for it. Flashy cars or clothes are not my thing. Granted, my biggest purchases would probably be an indoor movie theater and fitness room. Watching this documentary about Jackie and David Siegel was like watching a train wreck: horrifying and tragic, yet I could not stop looking in disbelief. David created Westgate Resorts which became the largest privately held time share company in the world. Already living in spectacular fashion with a mansion by the ocean, the Siegels decided to build a bigger house based on Versailles, for themselves and their 8 children. It was going to be the largest house in the country with 22 bedrooms, 13 baths, a bowling alley, roller skating rink and indoor pool; it was mind blowing to see a house this size. When asked why such a large house, David simply replied, “Because i can.” I found the whole thing obscenely decadent. My boss always said “timing is everything” and such words could be no truer here. The Siegels’ palatial mansion began construction just before the economy tanked in 2008. In a bad economy people were not thinking about buying into a time share when they could barely pay their rent. As the money quickly dried up, life drastically changed for David and the family. This was an incredible riches to rags story about people you have to see to believe. Maybe a history lesson about the French revolution would open their minds to a clearer reality.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Katy Perry: Part of Me
The first woman in history to have five #1 singles off of one album is a major accomplishment. Even in this era of auto-tuning, the fact remains Katy moved records. With this documentary I was hoping to get a deeper glimpse into the life of this daughter of two pastors. Seated in the audience, I scanned the crowd, noticing the majority of people were 4 to 12 year old girls with their parents. It seemed odd that the younger kids would be into Katy Perry, but with her cartoon looks and sugar pop songs, I guess it made sense. For me, this film failed in providing anything meaningful; for the most part, it played out like an extended music video. To Katy’s credit, she is devoted to her fans and appears to put on the best concert each and every time. I looked for it, but I believe Katy sings live and for that I commend her. When it comes to concerts I am old school, expecting the artist to be singing live and I know that is not the case these days. Usually when the singer has complicated dance steps they are lip synching. As you will see, Katy kept her moves more basic and simple. There was nothing special in this movie. Scenes were snippets of places and times; I never felt Katy was letting her hair down, so to speak. So she was not wearing make-up, big deal. I found the entire movie experience bland and fluffy. And if it wasn’t enough having a noisy audience, this was the movie where I had the altercation with the father; who let his two daughters scream, cry, talk and whine. You have been warned.
1 2/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Art of the Steal
I think we can all agree that a deceased individual’s wishes listed in their will should be honored. It would be unthinkable for me to not only ignore the person’s wishes but to take contrarian actions. This issue was at the heart of this gripping documentary. From a working class, Philadelphia family; Albert C. Barnes became a successful doctor who had a keen eye for art. He amassed a collection of modern and post-impressionist art before many others realized how important Picasso or Matisse would become in the art world. The established art critics scoffed at his colleciton which was something Dr. Barnes would never forget. What was known as the Barnes collection was a priceless accumulation the doctor had housed in a specially built building in Merion, just outside of Philadelphia. I was shocked when glimpses were shown of the hanging masterpieces. Besides the amazing amount of artwork on display, the pieces were absolutely impressive. I realize anyone who makes a documentary could be biased in regards to their views. However, when this movie presented different aspects of events and what possibly was taking place behind the scenes, I was saddened. The bottom line for me was listed in Dr. Barnes’ will: The artwork was never to be loaned, moved or sold. How could people be so greedy and not respect a dead man’s wishes? What would give them the right? Watch this DVD and decide for yourself.
3 1/3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: The Cove
The idea that Flipper could have been the cause for dolphins’ horrific plight today breaks my heart. Remembering a vacation to Sea World with my niece and nephew as I watched this disturbing documentary, I now could never go to a dolphin show again. This Oscar and Sundance winning film played more like a spy thriller. Activist Richard (Ric) O’Barry was the individual who captured and trained the dolphins who played Flipper on the old television series. From that initial introduction; people began to fall in love with these beautiful creatures, spawning the huge industry of dolphin and whale shows around the world. When Ric witnessed what he believed to be a dolphin’s suicide on the show, he changed his beliefs and became the activist and spokesman for dolphins. What is considered the dolphin capital of the world, Ric and his team traveled to Taiji, Japan; hoping to film what really took place in this town. Not only was there the issue of the dolphins’ predicament, there was the environmental issue that was being concealed. With high tech equipment and highly specialized trained individuals, their plan truly played out like a military operation; it was thrilling and exciting for me. Despite the couple of brutal and barbaric scenes filmed, this incredible documentary must be seen. If for nothing else, to become aware how corrupt and vile humans can be towards earth’s animals…and people.
4 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Mad Hot Ballroom
At my elementary school, we were offered several dance lessons that were held during our lunch hour. We were taught only the basic steps such as the box step or cha-cha. Dancing was not thought of as a strong enough physical activity to warrant taking the place of scatterball or bombardment games. It wasn’t until I was of legal age that I realized dancing could be considered an aerobic activity. Many a night was spent at the clubs burning off calories to the steady beats of dance music. But my love of dance really came at a much younger age. When I was 2 years old my brothers would place me up on top of a table, place an oversized hat on my head, turn on the record player and I would dance along to the music. This documentary did a perfect job in displaying the power of dance. Seeing these New York City 5th graders being instilled with hope and confidence during the school system’s ballroom dance competition was inspirational for me. I especially admired the diversity of students, coming from various neighborhoods of the city. There are famous quotes about music being healing and soothing, but I think they could easily apply to dance. Look how popular the different reality dance shows are on television; people certainly love to dance. I am willing to bet that even the non-dancer would be hard pressed not to feel uplifted by these children as they learn more than just how to dance. If I had such confidence back then; who knows, maybe I would have gone through with my dream of becoming a go-go boy.
3 1/4 stars — DVD
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