It's an odd phenomenon. Tens of thousands of people leaving their fair-weathered homes to come battle a snowstorm to see movies. And meet other people who love movies. It's seeing your people, but not all of them are your people. They are all your people when you are sitting in a dark room and you are all moved together by the art of filmmaking in a spectacular demonstration of the human spirit. They are not your people when you are on the shuttle and they are talking shit about a film you loved. Or vice versa.
This year I'm seeing mostly docs and all three I've seen so far have been really strong. Which is typical. The one narrative feature I saw, Spike Lee's new film Red Hook Summer, was not good. I wanted to like it, but it just didn't work. The acting was overwrought. Too much Jesus, and the signature Spike Lee direct camera dialogue with social messaging was just too on-the-nose. Overall clunky. Too bad.
My favorite so far is a film by first time director Alison Klayman Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, about the amazing Chinese artist known for giving the finger to his motherland. His conceptual art work/sculpture/installations and use of social media to spread the word to engage his audience are all brilliant. Simple, compelling works. Super inspiring in itself, but also because he is embraced by so many Chinese citizens who want change. And that art is playing a role in changing people's consciousness. It's upsetting that the Chinese government has for now shut him down.
The House I Live In is a devastating portrait of the War on Drugs by Eugene Jarecki. Everything you thought about when you were paranoid about this stupid "war" is correct, apparently. See it if you can. It connects a lot of dots about poverty and class and the use of laws to isolate unwanted populations, criminalize them, and where that fits into the spectrum of war crimes. It's chilling.
Same with We're Not Broke. It helps put the Occupy movement into context and inspires me to find ways to protest. For example, I will move my money from Chase to a credit union as soon as I get back to San Francisco. It's a small move, but I won't cringe every time I hit the ATM at the brand new and ubiquitous Chase retail outlet purchased with bailout money.
It's cold here. Just getting ready to go outside is a big production. My usual preflight check to leave the house is a much longer operation. Because you might be going to four movies in a row and might not have time to eat. But I'm not complaining.
This year I'm seeing mostly docs and all three I've seen so far have been really strong. Which is typical. The one narrative feature I saw, Spike Lee's new film Red Hook Summer, was not good. I wanted to like it, but it just didn't work. The acting was overwrought. Too much Jesus, and the signature Spike Lee direct camera dialogue with social messaging was just too on-the-nose. Overall clunky. Too bad.
My favorite so far is a film by first time director Alison Klayman Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, about the amazing Chinese artist known for giving the finger to his motherland. His conceptual art work/sculpture/installations and use of social media to spread the word to engage his audience are all brilliant. Simple, compelling works. Super inspiring in itself, but also because he is embraced by so many Chinese citizens who want change. And that art is playing a role in changing people's consciousness. It's upsetting that the Chinese government has for now shut him down.
The House I Live In is a devastating portrait of the War on Drugs by Eugene Jarecki. Everything you thought about when you were paranoid about this stupid "war" is correct, apparently. See it if you can. It connects a lot of dots about poverty and class and the use of laws to isolate unwanted populations, criminalize them, and where that fits into the spectrum of war crimes. It's chilling.
Same with We're Not Broke. It helps put the Occupy movement into context and inspires me to find ways to protest. For example, I will move my money from Chase to a credit union as soon as I get back to San Francisco. It's a small move, but I won't cringe every time I hit the ATM at the brand new and ubiquitous Chase retail outlet purchased with bailout money.
It's cold here. Just getting ready to go outside is a big production. My usual preflight check to leave the house is a much longer operation. Because you might be going to four movies in a row and might not have time to eat. But I'm not complaining.
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