yet Another Film Critique Blog

Hoop Dreams

2006-04-19T04:10:00.000-07:00

It's been almost 10 years since Hoop Dreams was released, but the documentary is still relevant. Hoop Dreams is about two African American teenagers, William Gates and Arthur Agee, who grow up in a depressing neighborhood, become talented young basketball players and take steps to become professional. They are recruited by a high school that has a special program for basketball players. William Gates manages to stay and Arthur Agee ends up not being able to finish high school education there, but both manage to go to college on scholarships and they both graduate. They do not become professional basketball players in the end, but the documentary gives the audience a good idea of what it is like to become a professional basketball player and what it means to have the opportunity just to go through the process for African Americans who grow up in depressing neighborhoods. I believe that not much has changed socially or economically since then and most African Americans who grow up in depressing neighborhoods go through a similar experience.

Although two African American teenagers in Hoop Dreams manage to finish college and certainly achieve more than their parents ever did, the documentary is rather depressing.

1. Their mindset is not very positive, and it seems that they acquired that mindset as they grew up, although I do not know what they are like today.

2. Whether it is true or not, they view that playing basketball is the only way to have a better life than their parents and those who live in the same neighborhood.

3. Basketball has become very much a business today, and two African American teenagers in Hoop Dreams become an integrated part of the business as they start high school. It does not seem that they enjoy being a part of the business process.

3.2. They are more or less controlled by people who take part in the business process such as high schools and colleges that have a well-organized basketball program. Because they are so young and they do not have much power intellectually or financially, much of their lives are led by others; they are not exactly leading their lives. They also seem oppressed and exploited to a certain degree.

The fact that two African American teenagers in Hoop Dreams are living a good life today is encouraging, but Hoop Dreams does not tell the happiest story in America.

Movie DVD Store (UK) update

2006-04-19T00:10:00.000-07:00

I just updated Movie DVD Store (UK). The store has a new layout and it has the following categories:

Action & Adventure
- Action & Adventure
Art House & International
- Directors
- French
- Japanese
- Others
Box Sets
- Series
- Others
Children's DVD
- Ages 0-2
- Ages 3-4
- Ages 5-8
- Ages 9-11
- Ages 12-16
- Animation
- Characters & Series
- Disney
- Educational
- Family Favourites
- Music
Classic Films
- Classic Films
Comedy
- Comedy
Drama
- Drama
Horror & Suspense
- Horror & Suspense
Music
- Artists & Bands
- Pop & Dance
- Rock
- Others
Musical & Classical
- Classical Music
- Musicals & Stage Performances
- Opera
- Others
Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Cult Series
- Others
Television & Documentary
- Television & Documentary

The store is for UK residents only. Any product purchased at the store cannot be delivered to any place outside of UK. US residents need to make a purchase at the other store, "yetAnotherFCW Store". I plan to make a few changes in near future, and I will mention about it in this blog.

The Future of Food

2006-03-14T03:52:00.000-08:00

Number of good documentary films have been released for the last several years, and this is one of them. The film did not do so well in the box office though. Also the film has not been widely talked about, and it is not as well-known as other documentary films released recently such as SuperSize Me and Control Room.

The Future of Food focuses on food production in US today; the film briefly touches on health issues but only briefly. More specifically, the film focuses on crops such as corns and potatoes. I presume that many people do not completely agree with the view point that the film presents, but the film makes its view point very clear and easy to understand.

If you watched SuperSize Me, Control Room or The Corporation and liked the film, then I would highly recommend The Future of Food.

Robert De Niro and his characters' disconnect to the rest of the world

2005-12-31T23:49:00.000-08:00

Not so sure if this is what I want to write about at the end of the year, but, I don't know, maybe this is.

Robert De Niro is often considered as one of the greatest actors, though I personally feel that he has not played a great role for the last several years. The most striking thing about Robert De Niro is his characters' disconnect to the rest of the world. I was just watching Once Upon a Time in America, and I notice that David 'Noodles' Aaronson (played by Robert De Niro) represents one's disconnect to the rest of the world. The night before Deborah Gelly (played by Elizabeth McGovern) leaves New York for Los Angeles, Noodles takes Deborah out to a restaurant that Noodles reserves just for them; there is no other customer but them. They spend a very romantic night for the most part, but Noodles who really does not know how to communicate with women ends up raping Deborah. If you interpret the scene literally, it is a very violent scene and it shows Noodles's recklessness, but what the scene really represents symbolically is Noodles's disconnect to the rest of the world. He simply does not know how to communicate or how to establish a relationship. Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver is another fantastic character. When Travis takes Betsy (played by Cybill Shepherd) out on a date, he takes her to an adult movie theater; the scene represents Travis's isolation and his disconnect to the rest of the world once again. He is alone and he is unable to participate in the society.

Robert De Niro's characters are not ugly, extremely over weight, physically sick, lacking intelligence or dyslexia. The disconnect is not created by their lack of a certain ability; it is not their wish or hope, but it is their inescapable attribute. This is why Robert De Niro's characters speak to our heart, and Robert De Niro is often considered as one of the greatest actors.

What English Patient is really about and why the title is "English Patient"

2005-12-29T00:49:00.000-08:00

English Patient is one of my favorite movies. I was just reading reviews and comments on the web, but none of reviews and comments talks about what English Patient is really about or why the title is "English Patient", so I want to comment on this. Count Laszlo de Almásy (played brilliantly by Ralph Fiennes) despises Great Britain. Great Britain was the superpower in the time period which the movie's story takes place. Great Britain creates wealth and sets up colonies all over the world. Great Britain plays the central role in world politics and economy. Great Britain is the center of the world, yet Count Laszlo de Almásy despises that like many intellectuals despise today's US. Pursuit of nothing, destruction of humanity, layers of superficialities constructed in the society, etc. Count Laszlo de Almásy moves to Africa to find his conscious. He finds life of solitude and peace there. However, he is forced to be a part of Great Britain's presence in Africa because he is after all an Englishman. He meets a woman and they fall in love, but the tragic accident and his relationship with the woman force him to provide certain documents to Germany, an enemy country. He gets injured badly shortly after. He basically loses all at this point. He has lost his love. He has lost Africa. He has lost life of solitude and peace. He becomes an English patient and he is moved to Italy. Though he despises Great Britain, he has been forced to become an "English" patient. Because he is an "English" patient and he has passed certain documents to the enemy, he has no future though he never wished to become "English Patient", nor did he want to take any part of the war between Great Britain and Germany. He was forced to do what he never wished to do, and what is even worse is that he has no future because of what he was forced to do. He is doomed; this is a real tragedy. The only thing that he wishes to do and he is left to do is to commit suicide. Since he cannot do it alone because of his injuries, he gets his nurse's assistance. The title "English Patient" symbolized the doomed existence, and the movie is really about the doomed existent and eternal suffering.

Why Kevin Smith has such a strong following

2005-12-28T22:49:00.000-08:00

Though there are number of movie directors who directed mega blockbuster movies ($200 million+ in box office), there aren't that many movie directors who have a strong following. I briefly mentioned about Chasing Amy DVD, and
Chasing Amy's director, Kevin Smith has such a strong following; he is one of few directors who have a very strong following. The followings are some of reasons why, I think, he a very strong following.

Reason 1: Kevin Smith writes stories about middle class and lower class people, though it is kind of questionable if they are realistic or not (e.g., Jay and Silent Bob). A lot of movies are supposed to be stories about middle class and lower class people, but they are often not portrayed like that; they have perfect teeth. They have perfect clean skin. Fashionable, eat well, driving nice cars, living in a large apartment, dating a cute boyfriend or girlfriend, healthy and no recognizable mental problem. This is not exactly a true representation of middle class or lower class. (Most) Characters in Kevin Smith's movies are down-to-earth; they are domesticated. They are flawed. They work in video stores, convenient stores and they make $1.00 slice pizzas. I do not think that Kevin Smith consciously portrays true middle class and lower class, nor have I ever heard or read that he makes that conscious decision, but that's what he does, and that's one of reasons why he connects to a lot of people.

Reason 2: Though he emulates certain techniques and dialogues from other movies and move directors (and he admits this), he has his own style. His movies are dialogue-driven. Characters talk a lot, and the intense dialogues tell stories. Though dialogues are not malicious or violent, they are certainly vulgar. As a matter of fact, there are only a selected number of movies that have more vulgar dialogues than Kevin Smith's movies.

Reason 3: People are the center of his movies. Culture is undoubtedly a very important aspect of the movie. Consequently, music is a very important aspect of the movie. So is cinematography and commerce has a certain importance. However, commerce cannot be the center of the movie. The movie cannot be like a big advertisement. Though music is important, it cannot be the center of the movie, either. Culture, though it is extremely important, cannot dictate people. If anything but people becomes the center, there wouldn't be any balance. You'd feel emptiness, no matter how elegantly other aspects of the movie are done. People are the center in Kevin Smith's movies (even if they are smoking out or cursing), and that captures the audience. That creates the strong following.

Chasing Amy

2005-12-28T21:34:00.000-08:00

Note on DVD:

Most DVD commentaries today were done after DVD became the standard format to watch movies at home, but Chasing Amy's commentary was done when there was also laserdisc; in fact, laserdisc was believed to become the standard then. Therefore, the commentary is a bit old. Though DVD includes an intro by Kevin Smith, all other materials were recorded and compiled a while ago.

Comment on Commentary:

If you are a Kevin Smith fan (like me), you'd enjoy the commentary. He is actually one of several commentators and they all make one commentary, but he talks a lot about the movie; in fact, he is the one who talks most (which is appropriate give the fact that he is the writer and the director of the movie).

Kissing Jessica Stein and New York

2005-12-27T23:55:00.000-08:00

I don't know if those who watched Kissing Jessica Stein agree with me, but when I watched Kissing Jessica Stein, I found that the movie is Woody Allen-ish. Though Kissing Jessica Stein focuses on love and romance, questions that the movie asks are important questions about life in general. The movie is also a romantic comedy. Many elements of the movie are quite serious, but it is a funny movie and most scenes are funny while they are able to deliver important and serious messages. And the movie is, of course, filmed in New York, and the movie shows many great things about New York. Cool restaurants, streets, buildings, architecture, intellectual conversations, art, great food, great diversity of people, music, and other gazillion wonderful things about the city. I find it Woody Allen-ish though I don't mean to say that Kissing Jessica Stein is unoriginal or it lacks its own unique style. Among many Woody Allen-ish elements of the movie is one thing in particular that I find the movie really captures New York. I already listed many great things about the city, but there aren't a whole lot of movies that really capture New York. There are things that those who actually live there notice and can capture (Ok, some tourists may notice, but most people in Hollywood apparently cannot; maybe there is really something bad in water in Hollywood). Skyscrapers certainly have attractive looks, there are number of fancy schmancy restaurants and big museums (like Metropolitan Museums of Art), but what's great about the city are small things; they are about things on streets. They are about ordinary people in New York. Conversations that you hear have life, energy, entertainment and philosophy (Am I exaggerating?). To make a long story, most major Hollywood movies fail to capture what's so great about New York (and other real cities (so of course, Los Angeles does not count because Los Angeles is not a city)). Kissing Jessica Stein is one movie that really captures New York.

(And the movie reminds me that I need to go back there ...)

Kissing Jessica Stein, another wonderful love story

2005-12-27T23:50:00.000-08:00

I wrote about Heavenly Creatures several days ago and wrote that it is a great love story, though the movie has many dimensions and love story is only one of dimensions. Kissing Jessica Stein is another wonderful love story; I personally like Kissing Jessica Stein better than Heavenly Creatures (though both are great movies). As I read some reviews on the web, Kissing Jessica Stein is often described as a lesbian love story, but it is not. Two main characters in the movie Jessica Stein (played by Jennifer Westfeldt) and Helen Cooper (played by Heather Juergensen) are straight women; this is one of components of the movie that enables to tell a wonderful love story. Like Heavenly Creatures does Kissing Jessica Stein challenge conventional view of love and romance. The movie is certainly not a love story about a man and a woman; the movie is not about a homosexual couple's love story, either. By taking two straight women and making them a couple who venture into a sexual, sensual and romantic relationship, the movie attempts to rediscover the meaning of love and asks fundamental questions about love. Do lovers need to be a man and a woman? Do lovers need to be homosexual men or women? Does there need to be biological compatibility (assuming that homosexuality is biological)? Given the ending of the movie, we could say that romantic relationship between two straight people who have the same sex won't work out, but could we really say that? When I wrote about Heavenly Creatures, I raised questions about love; we cannot honestly say that there is a definitive and clear definition of love or romance. Half of couples of getting divorced. Many couples remain so simply because they can get economical and social advantages. It's true that there is no concrete evidence that homosexuality is biological, but as we observe the whole eco system, heterosexuality is not guaranteed to create a heaven on earth. Kissing Jessica Stein is a wonderful movie and there are many things that I praise about, but its challenge on the conventional view of love and romance alone make the move worth watching.

Two stories in Startup.com

2005-12-27T13:35:00.000-08:00

I watched Startup.com, but I never had chance to listen to the directors' commentary up until a couple of days ago. I had some idea of what was happening behind the making of the film, but there was much more happening than I imagined, and what took place during the making of the film is pretty fascinating. Especially if I follow two stories, the story of govWorks.com which is what the film is about and the story of film making, the contract tells an ironic yet educational and intriguing story.

govWorks.com raised roughly $60 million by the end, and those who started the company dreamed of creating an empire like Microsoft and Oracle and they dreamed of becoming billionaires before they turn 30. However, all $60 million were basically wasted ("waste" is definitely not too strong a word), and no one really made any money (except one guy involved in the making of the company at a very early stage, but he never left his day job; subsequently, he spent least amount of time among founding members of the company and he left earlier than anyone else). Chris Hegedus
and Jehane Noujaim, directors of the film Startup.com tried to raise money to make the film, but they were unable to get any funding; consequently, they self-funded the making of the film. They did not spend so much money making the film, either (certainly compared to all other films including documentary films and independent films). Nonetheless, the film was nominated for Best Documentary in Directors Guild of America, and the film made half a million dollars in the box office; video and DVD are also being sold. The film was a recognizable success in short. One of directors Jehane Noujaim filmed Control Room later as the sole director of the film, and the film was a much bigger success; the film made over $2 million in the box office. She is also recognized as one of the prominent documentary film makers today as well. She is not a billionaire or celebrity like Paris Hilton, (nor does she want to be probably), but she is the one who has achieve financial success and fame.

Traffik is better than Traffic

2005-12-26T17:47:00.000-08:00

I had chance to watch this 5 hours+ mini series over Christmas (not that I care much about Christmas, but it just inspired me to watch a very long film). In short is Traffik better than Traffic. Here are a couple of reasons why.

Reason 1: A good part of Traffik is filmed in Pakistan to tell a story in Pakistan. The story in Pakistan is a story of the production side. Traffik focuses on heroin, and the heroin in Traffik is produced in Pakistan. It is certainly debatable how accurate the film really, but the production side of the story is a very big part of Traffik, and it enables Traffik to tell a big picture of the drug trafficking. Traffic simply does not cover the production side of the story at all. Traffic tells a story about cocaine, but the film does not tell how it is produced or where it is produced. Consequently, the film fails to tell a big picture of the drug trafficking.

Reason 1.2: Traffik highlights three problems in the use of drugs today; individual's problem (inability to copy with the society at large), the society's inability to create such an environment that everyone wants to live in and participate in and economical problem, in particular, economical problem in developing countries where drugs are produced and economical problem is created in relation to developed countries. Traffic primarily focused on individual's problem. It is certainly a very serious problem, but it is not the only problem. Consequently, the story of Traffic lacks depth.

Reason 1.3: Traffik tells three stories and they are all connected. One story takes place in England, one story takes place in Germany and one story takes place in Pakistan. Drug trafficking is a global activity, and Traffik does a good job portraying how it works. Traffic tells stories in U.S. and Mexico; two countries are not only geographically connected but also they are closely connected politically and economically. Consequently, the story in Traffic becomes almost domestic. The film fails to tell that the drug trafficking is a global activity.

Reason 2: Traffik is 5 hours+ long, so the film covers many stories and many details. Traffic is too short; it does not cover many stories or many details. Rather obvious, but it is what it is.

Reason 3: Traffic is actually more stylistic and its cinematography is much cleaner and polished. Though Traffik includes good pictures, Traffic is better filmed in terms of cinematography. However, Traffik clearly focuses more on its story and the story is well written. Traffik not only covers a lot of materials but also the film organizes all information so well; it has good tempo and rhythm so that it captures the audience the whole time. Traffic also has good tempo and rhythm, but the story itself lacks details. It lacks emotions and depth. The film also looks like that the film is made to make it look good rather than to tell a good story. Once the film loses its story, the film becomes not worth much, and that is what happens in Traffic unfortunately.

Watanabe Web Publishing, LLC

2005-12-25T22:58:00.000-08:00

yet Another Film Critique Website is actually one of several sites that I own; I have developed all sites as a consultant, but I have recently decided to incorporate and let the new company own all sites (to be more precise, the company will be incorporated in January 2006 for a couple of different reasons). The company's name is Watanabe Web Publishing, LLC. yet Another Film Critique Website does not have "About Us" page, so I decided to mention about it in this blog. If and when I add "About Us" page in yet Another Film Critique Website, I will mention about it formerly.

(Company website, Watanabe Web Publishing, LLC, was set up on Christmas Day; kind of Christmas present to myself :) .)

Josh Rushing's commentary on Control Room

2005-12-23T00:16:00.000-08:00

I watched Control Room again with the director Jehane Noujaim's commentary and Josh Rushing's commentary. Both commentaries are great, but Josh Rushing's take on the film is much more interesting in the sense that the film has transformed his life. I strongly recommend that those of you who enjoyed watching the film watch the commentary. The story of how Josh Rushing became one of central characters in Control Room is pretty interesting and he talks about that in the commentary as well (You can also watch his interview at NPR or PBS to find out why he was picked by the film director and became one of central characters.). Josh Rushing has become pretty famous, and there are several articles written on him actually. Some articles are good read, and the following is one of them; I also give my comments to give my view on the article and on the film.

Marine Lands in Film, Collides With Superiors
A military spokesman is silenced after candid comments in a movie on Al Jazeera and Iraq war.
by Mark Mazzetti

WASHINGTON — For most of the central figures in the documentary film "Control Room," the grisly images that emerged from last year's U.S. invasion of Iraq were no cause for a change of opinion.

Over the length of the film, director Jehane Noujaim's inside look at the war through the eyes and lenses of Al Jazeera's journalists based at U.S. Central Command headquarters in Doha, Qatar, the chasm only widens between the U.S. military officials who speak about the "liberation" of Iraq and the Al Jazeera reporters skeptical of the invasion.

The exception is a young Marine lieutenant named Josh Rushing.

Source - Common Dreams

As I mentioned, Control Room is a documentary film about Al Jazeera, the most popular TV network in Arab world (the network also has its website). The film interviews number of different people surrounding Al Jazeera, and Josh Rushing was a Marine when the film was made; this is one of reasons why he is in the film.

Rushing, a Central Command spokesman assigned to escort the documentary makers during their time in Qatar, is among the film's most sympathetic characters, portrayed as a thoughtful young man moved over time by the grim reality of war.

At no point is he shown doubting the justness of the U.S. effort in Iraq, yet the film documents a budding friendship between Rushing and Al Jazeera reporter Hassan Ibrahim, and moments on camera when Rushing is wrestling with the film's central themes: war, bias and the Arab world's most powerful media outlet.

Source - Common Dreams

Josh Rushing actually only spent a day with Hassan Ibrahim when the film was made. Though these two have a simulating discussion in the film, they are not exactly friends; they just meet and start discussing various issues. The way in which the film is edited gives us the impression that they meet in several occasions during the course of the film's being made.

The Marine's role in the film turned him into a minor celebrity among the art-house-cinema crowd. But the candid comments he made in the documentary and in interviews after its release ran afoul of his superiors in the Marine Corps, which he now plans to leave.

Josh Rushing has joined Al Jazeera interestingly, and Al Jazeera-International in which Josh Rushing takes a part will start in the spring of 2006.

On camera midway through the film, Rushing spoke of being disturbed that footage Al Jazeera, an Arabic-language satellite television channel, broadcast of civilian Iraqi casualties had not affected him as much as images shown the following night of dead American soldiers.

"It upset me on a profound level that I wasn't bothered as much the night before," Rushing said. "It makes me hate war. But it doesn't make me believe we can live in a world without war yet."

Source - Common Dreams

The film allows you to see Al Jazeera from different angles partly because Josh Rushing's view often opposes that of Al Jazeera while he makes fair assessments. He himself actually attempts to understand Al Jazeera's perspective and allows himself to see Al Jazeera from the perspective of Arabs. This is why the film has a certain depth and challenges your perspective.

Rushing, now a captain assigned to the Marine Corps Motion Picture and Television Liaison office in Los Angeles, has been prohibited from giving any more interviews about his part in the film.

Marine officials at the Pentagon have even asked Rushing to keep his wife, Paige, from giving interviews after she made comments critical of how the military handled her husband's situation. Because of this, several of Rushing's friends say the 31-year-old Marine plans to leave the military in October.

Rushing declined to be interviewed for this article. His situation has angered many in the military public affairs community who say Rushing has been a passionate spokesman for the U.S. armed forces and is being punished for appearing in a film that portrays Al Jazeera — a bete noire of the Bush administration since the Sept. 11 attacks — in a positive light.

"Here's a guy who represents the very best of public affairs in the Marines," says a senior military official who worked with Rushing at Central Command, speaking on condition of anonymity. "For whatever reason, it didn't play well with some of the senior brass in the Marine Corps at Pentagon. They're losing one of their finest."

Source - Common Dreams

As I mentioned already, he left Marines, and (rather unfortunately) after he left, he gave number of interviews including one with NPR and one with PBS.

A 14-year veteran, Rushing enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1990. After serving nine years, he entered the University of Texas on an ROTC scholarship and earned a dual degree in classics and ancient history. This background, Rushing's friends said, gave him a more nuanced view of the Arab world and its attitudes about the West.

Source - Common Dreams

He majored in Classics and History; he is an educated man, and this enables the film to be intellectually stimulating. Josh Rushing was not an expert in the middle eastern affairs, nor was he originally from the region when the film was made. However, he has natural ability to think critically and ask genuine and intelligent questions about the situation in which he is in. This is why the film makes you to think and ask questions that really matter to you, and also the film becomes educational.

"It benefits Al Jazeera to play to Arab nationalism because that's their audience, just like [the Fox News Channel] plays to American patriotism, for the exact same reason — American nationalism — because that's their demographic audience and that's what they want to see," Rushing says at one point during the documentary.

For their part, Marine officials said their problem was not with what Rushing said in the film, but with comments he made after the film was released and received international attention. Some suggested he did not understand his role as an officer.

"He did a few interviews that indicated he might not know what his lane is," said Lt. Col. Stephen Kay, deputy director of Marine Corps public affairs at the Pentagon. "He was way too far in the opinion realm."

One of the articles Kay cited appeared in the Village Voice in May. "People don't understand what a complex organization Al Jazeera is," the article quotes Rushing as saying. "They say it's all Islamists, or Baathists, or Arab nationalists. You have all that, but you have really progressive voices too. Al Jazeera shows it all. It turns your stomach, and you remember there's something wrong with war."

Source - Common Dreams

Another important message that Josh Rushing delivers in the film is that the war should never be the first or easy solution to the problem; it needs to be the last resort. One who delivers the message, Josh Rushing, is ironically on the side which starts the war. Though it is not the central message of the film, it is an important message, and the fact that Josh Rushing delivers the message affirms that he is an important character in the movie.

This is a far different picture of Al Jazeera from the one normally described by top U.S. officials. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has denounced the network from the Pentagon podium, calling it a mouthpiece for Al Qaeda and a vehicle of anti-American propaganda.

"We have been lied about, day after day, week after week, month after month for the last 12 months in the Arab press," Rumsfeld said recently after news of the Abu Ghraib scandal broke, specifically citing Al Jazeera and the newer and less influential Al Arabiya channel, based in Dubai.

Kay argued that because Rushing was no longer posted at Central Command, it was not appropriate for him to give interviews about a project he worked on during his old job.

Kay confirmed, however, that he recently sent an e-mail to Rushing asking the Marine to talk to his wife about not giving interviews.

"I did tell him that he could control that if he wanted to. I asked him to consider it," Kay said.

Source - Common Dreams

Josh Rushing actually does not criticize Marines or Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. It may be because he was not allowed to do so when he was a Marine and it has become his habit, but that actually helps him to give a more balanced view when he comments on Control Room. Though Marines and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld should probably be criticized, criticisms on them are not a part of the film.

According to several officers assigned to Central Command during last year's invasion of Iraq, Rushing was directed to help the documentary team making "Control Room" in part because he was lowest in the pecking order of public affairs officers in Doha.

"We thought it was just a school project," said one officer who worked with Rushing at Central Command, speaking on condition of anonymity. "And Josh, being the first lieutenant that he was, was assigned to deal with these folks."

In fact, the film has had an effect far exceeding the expectations of the officers at Central Command. Filmed on a shoestring budget and already banking $1.7 million at the box office domestically since its May release, "Control Room" presented a behind-the-curtain look at the Arab world's first big experiment in breaking free from state-sponsored media.

Source - Common Dreams

Josh Rushing discusses this in more detail in his interviews (Interview 1, interview 2).

"Al Jazeera has become far more powerful than any Arab leader," said director Noujaim. "A Bedouin can hook up a satellite dish to his truck and watch. They can affect change like no other force in the Arab world has been able to."

Source - Common Dreams

The film Control Room has great value for this reason alone.

Read the rest of the article here.

Reserved order

2005-12-21T21:49:00.000-08:00

So Manhunter is a mediocre movie at best, but casting in the movie is pretty interesting. Joan Allen and Brian Cox are in the movie, and they are recognized as two of best actors today; however, neither of them played the main character in Manhunter. Brian Cox only shows up in selected scenes and Joan Allen only shows up in the last 30 minutes of the movie. The main character, Will Graham, is played by William L. Petersen. William L. Petersen has had a fair success in TV, but he's never become a big star, nor is he recognized as one of best actors today. Most movie fans recognize Joan Allen and Brian Cox today, and in fact, there are probably a fair number of Joan Allen and Brian Cox fans, but I don't think that there are many William L. Petersen fans (I have nothing against him personally). What is interesting is that Joan Allen plays the main character in The Contender in 2000, 14 years after Manhunter was released (The Contender did all right in the box office, and Allen received her first lead actress Oscar nomination). William L. Petersen is also in the movie, and he plays a smaller character. Actor order has completely reserved over the 14 years.

Brian Cox's playing Hannibal Lecktor is a mismatch

2005-12-21T21:37:00.000-08:00

I was watching L.I.E. with the director's commentary yesterday; Brian Cox plays a key character in the movie, and I thought that I want to watch other movies featuring him. I have seen recent movies featuring him such as The Bourne Supremacy, 25th Hour, The Ring and The Bourne Identity, but I have not seen his earlier movies, so I picked Manhunter, which is a movie based on Red Dragon (its sequence is The Silence of the Lambs). The movie itself is unimpressive to say the least, and also I find that Brian Cox's playing Hannibal Lecktor is a mismatch. Brian Cox has played number of memorable characters brilliantly, but one of Hannibal Lecktor's (Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs) outstanding characteristics is his intellect. It's not that Brian Cox does not look intelligent, but he tends to play characters that show power and dominance created from his power. Ward Abbott in The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Identity is a great example. Big John Harriganb in L.I.E. is another example. Both are intelligent characters, but their main characteristic is not intellect. Brian Cox doesn't do a bad job in Manhunter, but Brian Cox's playing Hannibal Lecktor in the movie is a mismatch.

Heavenly Creatures is essentially a love story

2005-12-21T00:13:00.000-08:00

Peter Jackson's King Kong was quite a disappointment and I wrote about that yesterday. The movie was such a disappointment partly because Peter Jackson made a very fine movie Heavenly Creatures a while back, and the movie tells a great story; King Kong does not have any story. The story in King Kong is flat and has no excitement or complexity. The thing is that I have never written about Heavenly Creatures here, so I'd like to say a few things about the movie.

Heavenly Creatures is essentially a love story, though many people may not view it that way. It is also an interesting love story because it really challenges the conventional belief of what love is. Lovers are two women; though there are many gay and lesbian romance movies today, they are still a minority group. Two women commit murder, and it is tragic and it is quite horrifying, but the passion to commit murder comes from love. You can interpret that two women are confused about two passions (passion to love and passion to commit murder), but no one in history has figured out what love really is or what passion it drives. It is an open question, and thus, it seems perfectly acceptable to raise the question in the movie. Speaking of the fact that no one in history has figured out what love really is, so many couples believe that they have found soul mates and they are in love and they get married. However, half of them end up getting divorced in the end (in U.S.). If you count those who have an affair(s) while they are married and those who stay married on paper but essentially give up on marriage, those who stay married happily are a minority group at best. Given that, "love" portrayed in Heavenly Creatures isn't exactly twisted, nor is it misinterpreted. It is just one way to interpret and portray love. The story is based on a true story, and two women commit murder when they were in their teenage years; they are sent to jail after the murder and they never see each other again after they are released. You may say that they are too young to understand what real love is, but it is also an open question. It is not certain whether people have deeper understanding of what love is as they get older. All these challenges against the conventional belief of love and how Heavenly Creatures tells its own interpretation of love make the movie intriguing and worth watching.

Mayor of the Sunset Strip

2005-12-20T23:11:00.000-08:00

Fine movie, though it is a rather sad story.

The movie starts off by telling the story of Rodney Bingenheimer.

Biography

Rodney "on-the-'Roq" Bingenheimer, is one of the best known disc jockeys in the world, and has been called "The Prince of Pop." His show on Los Angeles' KROQ-FM has been a hit with youth of all ages since it's inception in late 1976, becoming famous for, among other things, the newest and the best rock music for all of L.A.'s "in-crowd" and forward thinking listeners.

Rodney appeared on the Monkees' TV series as a regular guest, and was Davy Jones' stand-in when he was a kid. As a teenager, Rodney grew up with hundreds of rock stars, including: The Monkees, Sonny & Cher, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Byrds, Elvis Presley, and David Bowie (while landing Bowie a record contract with RCA .) Rodney Does a Bowie salute every year on that star's birthday as well as doing a Phil Spector salute on that producer's birthday.

In the 70's Rodney made his name as a national columnist for "Go" and "Phonograph Record" magazines; and he also operated and co-owned his club, "Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco", an L.A. club where Bowie, Iggy Pop, T.Rex, Suzi Quatro, Led Zeppelin, and the Sweet where all regulars. In fact, the list of Rodney's friends in music, TV and movies is a "Who's Who" of rock. Rodney even recorded a single with Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and Eric England of Hole called "I Hate the 90's" produced by Cameron Jamie.

Click here to read the rest of the biography

The movie continues to tell the story of Rodney Bingenheimer, while many pop music (primarily Rock'n'Roll) icons talk about Rodney Bingenheimer. The movie gradually starts telling the story of pop culture, in particular, the world of "fame". Half way through the movie do you realize that the story is a tragedy, and it is not a story of glamour or triumph. The sited biography sounds quite interesting because the biography actually does not tell anything that Rodney Bingenheimer accomplished; the biography introduces him as a disk jockey, but it is hardly his job, nor does it have a significant impact on the world of pop music. Rodney Bingenheimer lived in a world created by "fame"; he went after one pop icon to another, and he certainly got close to many iconic figures, but he was never a part of any real action. He was just a part of frenzy that "fame" created. Many of pop icons in the movie talk about Rodney Bingenheimer as if he were someone in their lives, but there is no friendship between Rodney Bingenheimer and them. The fact that pop icons pretend that Rodney Bingenheimer were a friend or acquaintance makes the story very tragic because it suggests that much of the world of "fame" is fake.

When you read about the story of John Lennon, Jim Morrison or David Bowie, my guess is that their stories are not just about fame or fortune. I believe that there were truly triumphant moments and they made a significant impact on our lives, but a part of their experience "fame" was probably not all positive, nor did it have a significant impact on our value. That is what the movie Mayor of the Sunset Strip captures. Dark and empty story of "fame".

Only if the story were as compelling as Heavenly Creatures

2005-12-19T18:20:00.000-08:00

Peter Jackson is probably best known as the director of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, but he directed number of other films including Heavenly Creatures which he directed back in 1994. Seeing The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, you may expect big SCI-FI action films from Peter Jackson, but Heavenly Creatures is very much a film driven by its storyline and acting. If you watch The Lord of the Rings Trilogy before you watch Heavenly Creatures, Heavenly Creatures probably looks a bit unexpected. Heavenly Creatures is essentially a love story, though the relationship portrayed in the film is rather strange. It is a rather dark relationship, and the relationship leads to a murder in the end. The story is based on a true story, and it is one of the most interesting romance films made in the last decade. Forward 10 years; Peter Jackson directed King Kong. A part of the story in King Kong is a love story, BUT you do not see much effort the director put, nor do you see much depth in the story. The story is actually pretty flat, and you also realize that not a whole lot of effort was made to create a good dialogue. You'd wish if the story in King Kong were as compelling as Heavenly Creatures.

It's almost impossible to become someone whom everyone likes

2005-12-16T23:20:00.000-08:00

Spike Lee is probably the first African American film maker who made a major impact on films and also achieved recognizable success both financially and critically (and he is one of the most important film makers today). Although not all films are critically successful, I'd risk saying that almost all film fans and film critics find a couple of Spike Lee films that they really like, rate highly or both (Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X and 25th Hour are three of the most popular Spike Lee films). However, he is not liked by everyone, and while he makes many films about African Americans, he is not liked by every African American. Apparently, Tupac did not like Spike Lee (his films and his view point), and he talked about that in Tupac: Resurrection, though he later explained that he said what he said because he was young and unintelligent. Well, it's almost impossible to become someone whom everyone likes.

Tupac: Resurrection

2005-12-16T22:47:00.000-08:00

Acclaimed film, and I believe that the film had a fair success at the box office as well. The film was also nominated for Oscar. I did not go watch the film when it came out primarily because I was not exactly a rap fan (though I liked many of Tupac's songs). Excellent film. I know that many people are not too crazy about rap, and I'm afraid that not all of them will like the film because the film is after all about a rapper Tupac; however, I'd risk saying that many of those who are not too crazy about rap will like the film.

1. One of themes often heard in many rap songs is that African Americans have been repressed since the beginning of the history of the United States and they have been trapped in the society; they are less privileged and they have hard time establishing themselves legitimately in the society. There is a certain truth in the theme, but many people feel that there is no hope or desire to obtain anything better in the theme; consequently, it is only depressing. Some often feel that there is only the feeling of giving up in the theme. All true to a certain extent, but Tupac: Resurrection gives us a good overview of what Tupac was trying to express and where he was coming from. The background information makes us appreciate his rap, and it also makes his rap upbeat rather than depressing or hopeless; furthermore, it allows us to enjoy the music in the film, even if you are not a rap fan.

2. The film also can be seen as a brief overview of American history. I must say that the film has a rather biased view, but it is a view that you do not get to learn in schools or read in (major) newspapers. The film briefly touches on Black Panthers. The film also briefly touches on how some of Black Panthers lived and died. Life of Tupac is similar to many of Americans' lives (though it may not be like lives of the majority of African Americans). It touches on pop culture in late 80s and 90s.

3. One of the most compelling parts of the film to me (to not-a-major-rap-fan) is that the film gives value to lives of those who are underprovided, oppressed and exploited. The film actually shows only a small group of underprivileged, oppressed and exploited, i.e., African Americans who were born and brought up in depressing neighborhoods; however, the fact that the film attempts to show the world of underprivileged, oppressed and exploited makes the story compelling and moving.

A lot more can be said about the film, but I say just one more thing. I enjoyed watching the film. It was a great entertaining; it was fun watching the film. A minority group of non rap fans may not enjoy the film just because they simply cannot accept rap; otherwise, the film is great fun.

Murderball

2005-12-16T16:45:00.000-08:00

One of best movies that I watched recently. Some of the things that I liked about the movie.

1. Murderball shows many things that those with no disability do not know about those who have had spinal cord injuries, do not have fully functional legs and arms or both. For example, the common belief is that those who had spinal cord injuries cannot have normal sex. This is false; they can have normal sex. They (men) get erection and they can have intercourse. Also they have girlfriends who have no disability; they are very attractive in fact, and if you had to give score to them, their girlfriends score average 9 out of 10 in every aspect, look and personality (Everyone who has had a spinal cord injury in the movie is a man).

2. Murderball asks a very fundamental question about life, which is "What does it mean to be a human?" The movie gives some idea of what the answer is like, but the answer is really up to each viewer. The question is asked by many different people, but the movie lets you explore the answer from a different angle because you are forced to ask the question from a very different starting point; you have had a spinal cord injury, and you do not have fully able body. That is the starting point.

3. Murderball portrays (at least a group of) those who had spinal cord injuries more correctly, i.e., it portrays them as people who desire to live and seek to find value in life more than those without any disability. They have a much more profound idea about life and they are much more enlightened and vibrant.

4. Murderball also gives an interesting idea of finding one's own identity from the perspective of patriotism and nationality. Those who play for Team USA are all Americans and they represent USA in international competitions including Olympic. They are proud and they do the very best. Joe Soares takes a different approach to find his own identity; he is an American and he used to play for Team USA. As a matter of fact, he was the star player when he was in the team. However, as he got older, he was unable to play for Team USA; speed wasn't there (and it's normal as you get older). However, he, then, started coaching Team Canada and took the team to the point which Team Canada beat Team USA a couple of times. He is proud to have played for Team USA and he is proud of living in US, but he helps another team, a non-USA team, to get to the top in his personal journey.

Kontroll, number of symbolisms in the film

2005-12-14T14:22:00.000-08:00

Kontroll seems to be filmed in a rather tight set with a relatively low budget (compared to most Hollywood films); however, the film is highly stylized and tells a complex yet moving story. One of techniques that the film uses is to use a lot of symbolisms. This makes the film look poetic and gives its story depth. The followings are some of symbolisms that Kontroll uses.

Symbolism 1: Underground

The main character, Bulcsú (played by Sándor Csányi) lives in the underground. He does not have to stay there, but he prefers to do so. This symbolizes that Bulcsú does not want to face the world above ground and wants to be unseen. Underground symbolizes the state of his mind.

Symbolism 2: Kontroll (Control)

Bulcsú's occupation is Kontroll (Control) which is to check passengers in the underground (subway system) to make sure that they have a ticket or pass. He controls passengers in a sense, and that fits to the name of his job "Kontrol (Control)". In reality does the state of his mind control him. He is not controlling others, but he is being controlled. His occupation symbolizes what he is doing to himself reversely.

Symbolism 3: Railing

Railing is a game that those in the underground play occasionally. They step down from the platform and run after the train in the tunnel. If they manage to get to the next station before the next train gets them, they survive. If not, they get rolled over by the train and they die. In the movie does one character describe the game as a kind of Russian Roulette. Bulcsú plays the game occasionally, and this also symbolizes the state of him mind. He is not suicidal, but he is fatalistic. He wants to put himself very close to a great danger, and railing symbolizes that.

Symbolism 4: The Girl

Szofi (played by Eszter Balla) is Bulcsú's love interest. She symbolizes hope and she also symbolizes Bulcsú's path to the world above underground. Szofi uses subway frequently, but she works at a place in the world above underground, so she literally goes back and forth between the underground and the world above underground.

Andy Garcia in Night Falls on Manhattan

2005-12-11T22:47:00.000-08:00

When I wrote about Andy Garcia a short while ago, I checked the list of movies that he did. He played the main character in the movie Night Falls on Manhattan back in 1997, and I thought that I should write about the movie. Night Falls on Manhattan is a very good drama, and the movie asks questions about honesty and integrity. Not a lot of people talk about the movie, but Night Falls on Manhattan is one of few movies that ask questions about honesty and integrity and the movie tells a good story. Andy Garcia does a great job of playing the main character, Sean Casey.

Some people apparently don't like how Andy Garcia plays the role of Sean Casey, but I kind of like his acting in the movie, and I actually think that he is a good fit. Sean Casey is supposed to be a little older than the rest of attorneys in DA's office; Andy Garcia does look a little older (than 26, 27). He is also kind of attorney who has a lot of passion and energy. The way in which Andy Garcia raises his voice shows that. Also Sean Casey is supposed to be a kind of person who strongly believes in honesty and integrity. I don't mean to say that a lot of actors look dishonest, but not a lot of actors can play the role of Sean Casey and makes the audience believe that Sean Casey is a man of honesty and integrity.

Trivia:

Jordan Washington (played by Shiek Mahmud-Bey) is loosely based on Adam Abdul Hakeem (formally Larry Davis).

Adam Hakeem was a fourteen year old African-American youth when he was recruited into a drug selling ring by detectives from the South Bronx 44th precinct (sometimes colloquially referred to as "Fort Apache"). When Hakeem decided to get out at the age of nineteen and inform the F.B.I., he went into hiding-- fearing reprisals--which initiated an intensive police search to find him. Thus began his long odyssey through police, court and correctional systems which resulted in a bloody gun battle, successive prison terms, and paralysis from the waist down (supposedly the result of recurrent beatings at the hands of correctional officers and other inmates).

Source - Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture

Click here to read the rest of the article

Also Sam Vigoda, Jordan Washington's defense lawyer (played by Richard Dreyfuss) is very loosely based on William Kunstle.

Bill Kunstler loved life and hated racism. He was brilliant, humorous, witty, passionate, and fearless. Journeying south to defend civil rights demonstrators in 1964, he found himself and his life's work. Bill was tireless and uncompromising. In his memory, his family and friends have established the William Moses Kunstler Fund for Racial Justice to help continue the fight he loved so well. The Fund supports the WMK Racial Justice Fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights, makes grants to fierce and energetic projects to help guarantee Bill's legacy, and helps to coordinate and implement projects and initiatives in the interest of racial justice. For the past five years, the Fund has helped organize vigils of families affected by the Rockefeller Drug Laws in New York City and throughout the state. In the last year, the Fund has begun to investigate how the 'War on Drugs' is being fought across the country, and has helped mobilize families and publicize the unduly harsh sentencing and racially biased enforcement of drug legislation throughout the United States.

Source - William Moses Kunstler Fund for Racial Justice

The movie is ultimately about honesty and integrity though the movie asks important questions about the police force and judicial system. However, making the movie (loosely) based on a true story enables to tell a compelling and moving story.

Haven't seen Andy Garcia playing a major role in a good movie for a while

2005-12-11T21:59:00.000-08:00

I just watched Ocean's Eleven with Andy Garcia's commentary (and Matt Damon and Brad Pitt). He has a very strong presence in Ocean's Eleven, and he plays a great adversary; he contributes a lot to the movie. But he hasn't played any major role in a good movie for a while. Ocean's Twelve was a big disappointment. I have to go back to Ocean's Eleven released in 2001 to find anything that's worth watching (he completed The Lost City several months ago, but the movie has not been released nationwide).

Traffic works but Syriana doesn't

2005-12-11T18:42:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of similarities between Traffic and Syriana since both movies are written by the same writer Stephen Gaghan. However, Syriana doesn't work as a movie while Traffic works well as a movie.

Both Traffic and Syriana tell a couple of different stories simultaneously. Traffic tells a story in Mexico. The movie also tells a story in Washington D.C. There is also a story taking place in Cincinnati. All stories are connected. Syriana also tells a couple of different stories. There is a story in Texas. There is a story taking place in Washington D.C. There is, of course, a big story in the middle east (since the movies is about oil), and we also see a story taking place in Europe. All are connected.

There is an unified message in Traffic. Though we are not 100% convinced that war on drugs will end any time soon, the movie gives a rather optimistic view on the subject. There is a family helping each other to get young woman out of the problem of drug abuse. There are men who fight within their ability to bring down drug lords. Some drug lords and thugs get caught in the end. Though probably not everyone in the audience sees it realistic, the movie delivers a pretty clear message; there is something that every one of us can do. The problem of Syriana is that there is no unified message. Oil industry gets what they want in the end more or less, but Bryan Woodman (played by Matt Damon) does not belong to any side. He does not become one of those who just help out the oil industry to get what they want, nor does he fight against the oil industry. The movie is roughly 2 hours long, so the story becomes quite confusing if the movie does not have a clear and consistent message. Syriana does not have a clear and consistent message, and this is why Syriana does not work well as a movie.