Showing posts with label HBO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HBO. Show all posts
Saturday, July 07, 2012
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Tuesday, April 03, 2012
A Nun Who Used to Kiss Elvis
Hard to believe, but it's true--at one time, sister Dolores Hart appeared alongside Elvis, and other notable stars, in Hollywood films. Today? She's a nun!
See her fascinating story in the new documentary short film God is the Bigger Elvis, which debuts on HBO this Thursday, April 5.
See her fascinating story in the new documentary short film God is the Bigger Elvis, which debuts on HBO this Thursday, April 5.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Coming Soon - Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
One of the most powerful set of documentaries I've ever watched are Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hills and Paradise Lost 2: Revelations, about the unfair murder convictions of three teenagers, which the media dubbed the "West Memphis 3."
Earlier this year, the convictions were overturned and the three boys (now men in their 30s) walked free. The filmmakers who told the first two parts of the story continued filming and have completed the conclusion to this real-life trilogy, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory.
It debuts on HBO January 12 at 9:00 p.m.
Here's a sneak peek:
Earlier this year, the convictions were overturned and the three boys (now men in their 30s) walked free. The filmmakers who told the first two parts of the story continued filming and have completed the conclusion to this real-life trilogy, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory.
It debuts on HBO January 12 at 9:00 p.m.
Here's a sneak peek:
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Prom Night in Mississippi
Tonight I saw the documentary Prom Night in Mississippi.
In this day and age, it's hard to believe there are still places in America that segregate blacks and whites. For God's sake we have a black president (or at least, a 1/2 black one). But unfortunately, those places do exist.
The place in this case is Charleston, Mississippi—hometown of Morgan Freeman—and the annual prom at Charleston High School. Since the beginning of days, there have always been two proms. One for blacks; one for whites, though all of the kids go to classes together. Morgan Freeman had offered in years past to pay for the prom if it were to be integrated, but the town (read: the parents) wasn't interested.
Enter Director Paul Saltzman and a camera crew, and the school finally agrees to do it in the ripe old year of 2008.
But not everyone is on board. In fact, some of the parents are so put off by the concept, they arrange a white prom anyway. And they follow through with hosting it days before the integrated prom (the schadenfreude for those of us who live and breathe in modern times was that there was violence at THAT prom). But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The first 1/3 of the movie is talking head interviews and frustrating school meetings that only show how ignorant this poor town is (and I do mean poor—most kids live in trailers). The majority of the families (including the students) are obese, their language is simple and their minds are unfortunately small (one parent speaks of God making us into separate races to represent different classes and I almost threw my laptop at the television).
But it's not all bad.
There is a rebellious girl who digs her black boyfriend and won't give him up though her father is furious; another white girl considers her black friends more loyal than her parents, who are mortified that she would even mingle with such folks. And of course, many of the kids could care less what color their classmates are—they just want to party!
So we see kids of both races going to the beauty parlor, washing their cars, choosing their dresses and posing on the lawn for awkward photos as they all pile into a white limo (you get the sense there may not have been any black limos available in that town). The ride to the prom with both blacks and whites in the same vehicle seems peaceful.
The school has amped up security for the festivities (and we are told his by a clearly concerned black cop), but there is no need for it. The kids get to the dance and they...dance. They laugh, they eat, they choose a king and queen. Blacks dance with whites and blacks dance with blacks and whites dance with whites. Everyone has a great time and from the post-prom interviews it sounds as if some new friendships were born.
Lesson learned? I don't know.
Until they can have an integrated prom without an all-white prom in the same week, they're still unacceptable in my book.
~~~
In this day and age, it's hard to believe there are still places in America that segregate blacks and whites. For God's sake we have a black president (or at least, a 1/2 black one). But unfortunately, those places do exist.
The place in this case is Charleston, Mississippi—hometown of Morgan Freeman—and the annual prom at Charleston High School. Since the beginning of days, there have always been two proms. One for blacks; one for whites, though all of the kids go to classes together. Morgan Freeman had offered in years past to pay for the prom if it were to be integrated, but the town (read: the parents) wasn't interested.
Enter Director Paul Saltzman and a camera crew, and the school finally agrees to do it in the ripe old year of 2008.
But not everyone is on board. In fact, some of the parents are so put off by the concept, they arrange a white prom anyway. And they follow through with hosting it days before the integrated prom (the schadenfreude for those of us who live and breathe in modern times was that there was violence at THAT prom). But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The first 1/3 of the movie is talking head interviews and frustrating school meetings that only show how ignorant this poor town is (and I do mean poor—most kids live in trailers). The majority of the families (including the students) are obese, their language is simple and their minds are unfortunately small (one parent speaks of God making us into separate races to represent different classes and I almost threw my laptop at the television).
But it's not all bad.
There is a rebellious girl who digs her black boyfriend and won't give him up though her father is furious; another white girl considers her black friends more loyal than her parents, who are mortified that she would even mingle with such folks. And of course, many of the kids could care less what color their classmates are—they just want to party!
So we see kids of both races going to the beauty parlor, washing their cars, choosing their dresses and posing on the lawn for awkward photos as they all pile into a white limo (you get the sense there may not have been any black limos available in that town). The ride to the prom with both blacks and whites in the same vehicle seems peaceful.
The school has amped up security for the festivities (and we are told his by a clearly concerned black cop), but there is no need for it. The kids get to the dance and they...dance. They laugh, they eat, they choose a king and queen. Blacks dance with whites and blacks dance with blacks and whites dance with whites. Everyone has a great time and from the post-prom interviews it sounds as if some new friendships were born.
Lesson learned? I don't know.
Until they can have an integrated prom without an all-white prom in the same week, they're still unacceptable in my book.
~~~
Monday, July 21, 2008
Heidi Fleiss: The Would-Be Madam of Crystal
Tonight I saw the documentary Heidi Fleiss: The Would Be Madam of Crystal.
I love it when a film makes me think more of the subject—and that's what happened tonight when I saw this glimpse of Heidi's life.
For those living under rocks: Ms. Fleiss ran a very successful escort service in LA for years before she finally got caught in the 90s. Now she's done her time and moved to Nevada (where in some counties, the business she's good at is legal).
In the film, we see that she bought several acres of prime land in a scary wild-west-type town, she owns a laundromat (cleverly titled "Dirty Laundry"), she hired a homeless man to be her assistant (and then fired him), and befriended an elderly woman (Marianne) who was her neighbor, and fell in love with her pet birds along the way.
And did I mention? She wants to open a Stud Farm.
That's right—Stud Farm. As in a place where women would pay MEN to have sex with them.
Genius? Definitely. Risky? Could be that too, but that's not stopping her.
Like any public figure disrupting a small town, Heidi has friends and foes. A female saloon owner says behind her back and to her face she doesn't want the brothel built; other residents at a local swap meet greet her very warmly with smiles of support.
You want to shake the townspeople who are against it because they think "women won't buy sex."
What they don't realize is that even if they don't, they'll come and gawk at those who will, which means stops at all of the local restaurants, hotels and gas stations. They could make a lot of money off of Heidi's notoriety.
In her favor is her gift for business (this is a woman who started a babysitting ring when she was 14), her ability to research (she clearly does her homework), her political savvy and her genuine good heart (I think she actually has one).
Playing against her are her drug habits (you get the sense she's not done using), her manipulative tendencies and her self-imposed isolation.
She clearly wants relationships (though she claims not to) and anyone who witnesses her around her birds could see that she has love to give.
It makes you wonder if someone reached out to her, what she really could become.
I love it when a film makes me think more of the subject—and that's what happened tonight when I saw this glimpse of Heidi's life.
For those living under rocks: Ms. Fleiss ran a very successful escort service in LA for years before she finally got caught in the 90s. Now she's done her time and moved to Nevada (where in some counties, the business she's good at is legal).
In the film, we see that she bought several acres of prime land in a scary wild-west-type town, she owns a laundromat (cleverly titled "Dirty Laundry"), she hired a homeless man to be her assistant (and then fired him), and befriended an elderly woman (Marianne) who was her neighbor, and fell in love with her pet birds along the way.
And did I mention? She wants to open a Stud Farm.
That's right—Stud Farm. As in a place where women would pay MEN to have sex with them.
Genius? Definitely. Risky? Could be that too, but that's not stopping her.
Like any public figure disrupting a small town, Heidi has friends and foes. A female saloon owner says behind her back and to her face she doesn't want the brothel built; other residents at a local swap meet greet her very warmly with smiles of support.
You want to shake the townspeople who are against it because they think "women won't buy sex."
What they don't realize is that even if they don't, they'll come and gawk at those who will, which means stops at all of the local restaurants, hotels and gas stations. They could make a lot of money off of Heidi's notoriety.
In her favor is her gift for business (this is a woman who started a babysitting ring when she was 14), her ability to research (she clearly does her homework), her political savvy and her genuine good heart (I think she actually has one).
Playing against her are her drug habits (you get the sense she's not done using), her manipulative tendencies and her self-imposed isolation.
She clearly wants relationships (though she claims not to) and anyone who witnesses her around her birds could see that she has love to give.
It makes you wonder if someone reached out to her, what she really could become.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Ganja Queen
Tonight I saw the documentary Ganja Queen about the gross injustice that's happened to Australian Schappelle Corby.
In 2004, 27-year-old Schappelle had begun caring for her father who was ill with cancer and was preparing for some upcoming rough treatments that he would endure. Because the family realized how difficult this was for her, they helped her pay for a short vacation to take in the weeks prior.
The destination was Bali, Indonesia and she would travel with a few friends to take advantage of the beautiful beaches and natural amenities of the area. In her luggage was a boogie board, which was packed by her and her friend. The only thing in the bag when they arrived at the Brisbane airport was the boogie board.
Upon their arrival in Bali, her bag was searched and 4.2 kilos of hydroponic marijuana was discovered. Schappelle was stunned and immediately claimed she had no idea where it came from.
She was then arrested and interrogated in the Bali customs unit, with her friends by her side also claiming her (and their) innocence.
There was no DNA testing of the plastic bag containing the drugs, or the drugs themselves, and there was evidence of a drug sting back in the Australian airport that same day (traffickers were paying baggage handlers to set up mules). But that didn't matter—they still held Schappele for seven months before putting her on trial.
I won't reveal the outcome of the verdict, but I will say it's not good news and documentaries like this make me want to crawl into a hole and never come out.
But for people like her, we have to continue having hope.
UPDATE: Chapelle is almost free ...
```
In 2004, 27-year-old Schappelle had begun caring for her father who was ill with cancer and was preparing for some upcoming rough treatments that he would endure. Because the family realized how difficult this was for her, they helped her pay for a short vacation to take in the weeks prior.
The destination was Bali, Indonesia and she would travel with a few friends to take advantage of the beautiful beaches and natural amenities of the area. In her luggage was a boogie board, which was packed by her and her friend. The only thing in the bag when they arrived at the Brisbane airport was the boogie board.
Upon their arrival in Bali, her bag was searched and 4.2 kilos of hydroponic marijuana was discovered. Schappelle was stunned and immediately claimed she had no idea where it came from.
She was then arrested and interrogated in the Bali customs unit, with her friends by her side also claiming her (and their) innocence.
There was no DNA testing of the plastic bag containing the drugs, or the drugs themselves, and there was evidence of a drug sting back in the Australian airport that same day (traffickers were paying baggage handlers to set up mules). But that didn't matter—they still held Schappele for seven months before putting her on trial.
I won't reveal the outcome of the verdict, but I will say it's not good news and documentaries like this make me want to crawl into a hole and never come out.
But for people like her, we have to continue having hope.
UPDATE: Chapelle is almost free ...
```
Monday, June 09, 2008
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Tonight I saw Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, a documentary by Marina Zenovich.
Thank goodness someone finally created a coherent timeline that is the mess of Polanski's life, because in all of my years I've never quite grasped what happened to him.
After seeing this, three things I suspected were confirmed:
1) Roman should be celebrated for the artistic genius that he is.
2) Roman should've undoubtedly been punished for the crime he clearly committed.
3) There was no way in hell Roman was going to get a fair sentence in the California courts with the corrupt judge that was assigned to his case.
If I'm correct in my assumption, Roman was just a typical party-scene Hollywood filmmaker in the 60s that loved his life and loved his wife until she was brutally murdered by a crazy man's cult.
Once Sharon was gone, his world seemed to tailspin, as often happens in times of desperate grief, and to endure the pain of the press crucifying him for having a hand in her murder (when really he was out of the country at the time and had nothing to do with it), he sought refuge in women, drugs and distractions.
One of the casualties of this distraction was Samantha, a California girl wanting to break into the business at the age of 13. They were alone, he was photographing her, clothes came off, drugs were ingested, sex resulted.
His actions were reprehensible. Inexcusable without question, but the way the system handled his case was also unfair. When the attorneys on both sides cry foul, you know something's wrong.
It could be argued that despite justice not being served, Polanski made the right decision deporting himself to France before his final sentencing. Assuming he's done no one else harm, he's certainly been more productive as a cinematic genius than he ever could have been eating up American taxpayers' money, rotting behind bars. Even his accuser didn't want that, and shouldn't she have a say in the matter?
I can't help but wonder what would've happened if he'd taken the offer to come back to the U.S. and had the case heard by a new judge.
```
Thank goodness someone finally created a coherent timeline that is the mess of Polanski's life, because in all of my years I've never quite grasped what happened to him.
After seeing this, three things I suspected were confirmed:
1) Roman should be celebrated for the artistic genius that he is.
2) Roman should've undoubtedly been punished for the crime he clearly committed.
3) There was no way in hell Roman was going to get a fair sentence in the California courts with the corrupt judge that was assigned to his case.
If I'm correct in my assumption, Roman was just a typical party-scene Hollywood filmmaker in the 60s that loved his life and loved his wife until she was brutally murdered by a crazy man's cult.
Once Sharon was gone, his world seemed to tailspin, as often happens in times of desperate grief, and to endure the pain of the press crucifying him for having a hand in her murder (when really he was out of the country at the time and had nothing to do with it), he sought refuge in women, drugs and distractions.
One of the casualties of this distraction was Samantha, a California girl wanting to break into the business at the age of 13. They were alone, he was photographing her, clothes came off, drugs were ingested, sex resulted.
His actions were reprehensible. Inexcusable without question, but the way the system handled his case was also unfair. When the attorneys on both sides cry foul, you know something's wrong.
It could be argued that despite justice not being served, Polanski made the right decision deporting himself to France before his final sentencing. Assuming he's done no one else harm, he's certainly been more productive as a cinematic genius than he ever could have been eating up American taxpayers' money, rotting behind bars. Even his accuser didn't want that, and shouldn't she have a say in the matter?
I can't help but wonder what would've happened if he'd taken the offer to come back to the U.S. and had the case heard by a new judge.
```
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Recount
Tonight I watched Recount, starring Kevin Spacey.
It was exactly as I thought it would be—definitely painting a somewhat silly (if not deserving) picture of the republican party and the lawmakers in the election-challenged state of Florida.
Recalling the crises that was the 2000 presidential election, the film shows how both sides handled, maneuvered, fought, schemed, prayed and cried their way through the count, recount and all of the lawsuits in between.
It showed how our system was (is) clearly flawed and that politics were (are) well...ugly.
In other words, it didn't really tell us anything about the incident or about the country that we didn't already know, it just revived the stomach ache some of us still have from that fateful decision eight years ago (and when I say fateful, I do mean it—how many lives wouldn't have been lost if Bush never made it to office?).
And since we're in an election year now, it only makes those of us who are somewhat involved in the campaign all the more determined to see our part through, as well as reminding us that if we want our votes as Americans to truly count, we should stay out of Florida.
It was exactly as I thought it would be—definitely painting a somewhat silly (if not deserving) picture of the republican party and the lawmakers in the election-challenged state of Florida.
Recalling the crises that was the 2000 presidential election, the film shows how both sides handled, maneuvered, fought, schemed, prayed and cried their way through the count, recount and all of the lawsuits in between.
It showed how our system was (is) clearly flawed and that politics were (are) well...ugly.
In other words, it didn't really tell us anything about the incident or about the country that we didn't already know, it just revived the stomach ache some of us still have from that fateful decision eight years ago (and when I say fateful, I do mean it—how many lives wouldn't have been lost if Bush never made it to office?).
And since we're in an election year now, it only makes those of us who are somewhat involved in the campaign all the more determined to see our part through, as well as reminding us that if we want our votes as Americans to truly count, we should stay out of Florida.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Ghosts of Abu Ghraib
The evening of February 22, I saw Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, a documentary about the atrocities committed in the Iraqi prison.
The film was created by my favorite documentarian, Rory Kennedy and includes interviews with former prisoners, guards and military personnel who were there at the time.
What did I learn? Something I already knew: America should be ashamed of itself. There's really no other way to say it. As this war began, the Geneva Convention was thrown out the window and our soldiers were instructed to torture their captives using the most humiliating and extreme techniques. The photos in the documentary (many of which were seen through various media channels when the scandal was exposed) are still nauseating; the excuses still unacceptable.
What I found to be the most frightening part of the documentary was the nonchalance of the females interviewed, who were all but justifying their smiling photographs demonstrating these horrors. I didn't get any sense of remorse from the women, although all of the men displayed regret and guilt for their actions.
This film should be required viewing in every boot camp training course in every branch of the military.
But that will never happen.
The film was created by my favorite documentarian, Rory Kennedy and includes interviews with former prisoners, guards and military personnel who were there at the time.
What did I learn? Something I already knew: America should be ashamed of itself. There's really no other way to say it. As this war began, the Geneva Convention was thrown out the window and our soldiers were instructed to torture their captives using the most humiliating and extreme techniques. The photos in the documentary (many of which were seen through various media channels when the scandal was exposed) are still nauseating; the excuses still unacceptable.
What I found to be the most frightening part of the documentary was the nonchalance of the females interviewed, who were all but justifying their smiling photographs demonstrating these horrors. I didn't get any sense of remorse from the women, although all of the men displayed regret and guilt for their actions.
This film should be required viewing in every boot camp training course in every branch of the military.
But that will never happen.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Friends of God: A Road Trip with Alexandra Pelosi
Last night I watched Friends of God: A Road Trip with Alexandra Pelosi, a documentary about evangelical Christians in America.
After seeing Journeys with George a few years back and loving it, I was excited to hear Pelosi was returning with a new film. Unfortunately, this one had some flaws.
First, the length.
Friends of God is only an hour long. Considering the time the documentarian spent with these groups of people, I have to assume she had enough footage to create a full-length story. But she didn't. And what resulted was interesting lead-ins with no substantial pay-offs.
Shock and Awe?
While her earlier pieces have brought the viewer in as a mere observer and presented a fair scope of each angle of the message, this documentary felt like it was trying to jolt us into reality every few scenes. Guess what? There are lecturers that travel from church to church refuting evolution! Guess what? Evangelical Christians have sex every day (and even make their wives orgasm)! Guess what? Jerry Falwell's Liberty University was created to breed new right-wing politicians to elect and further the Christian movement!
While all of those things are somewhat newsworthy or at least a little interesting from an anthropological level, they're not really a surprise anymore. We know who our president is and how he got elected (and re-elected). We realize that the liberals in our country are fastly becoming a minority. We understand that evangelical Christians are aware of how to reproduce.
There were compelling elements to many of the topics Pelosi brought to light, but she didn't take the time to develop them or provide a consistent narrative to tie them all together.
Scandal Averted
Perhaps the film was already edited by the time the Pastor Ted Haggard scandal broke, but even if so—wouldn't it have been more interesting to show the footage that she had of Haggard renouncing homosexuals and 'training' his congregations to properly share their faith with the media and then go back to those churches and interview the people. Ask them what they make of their fallen leader? Question whether this hypocrisy is a trend in their circles or just an isolated incident?
I'd love to know if these folks are praying for his soul and forgiving him (as Jesus would want them to), or if they've written him off as a victim of Satan's temptations and moved on.
And I'd like to know why Pelosi didn't go back and ask those questions.
After seeing Journeys with George a few years back and loving it, I was excited to hear Pelosi was returning with a new film. Unfortunately, this one had some flaws.
First, the length.
Friends of God is only an hour long. Considering the time the documentarian spent with these groups of people, I have to assume she had enough footage to create a full-length story. But she didn't. And what resulted was interesting lead-ins with no substantial pay-offs.
Shock and Awe?
While her earlier pieces have brought the viewer in as a mere observer and presented a fair scope of each angle of the message, this documentary felt like it was trying to jolt us into reality every few scenes. Guess what? There are lecturers that travel from church to church refuting evolution! Guess what? Evangelical Christians have sex every day (and even make their wives orgasm)! Guess what? Jerry Falwell's Liberty University was created to breed new right-wing politicians to elect and further the Christian movement!
While all of those things are somewhat newsworthy or at least a little interesting from an anthropological level, they're not really a surprise anymore. We know who our president is and how he got elected (and re-elected). We realize that the liberals in our country are fastly becoming a minority. We understand that evangelical Christians are aware of how to reproduce.
There were compelling elements to many of the topics Pelosi brought to light, but she didn't take the time to develop them or provide a consistent narrative to tie them all together.
Scandal Averted
Perhaps the film was already edited by the time the Pastor Ted Haggard scandal broke, but even if so—wouldn't it have been more interesting to show the footage that she had of Haggard renouncing homosexuals and 'training' his congregations to properly share their faith with the media and then go back to those churches and interview the people. Ask them what they make of their fallen leader? Question whether this hypocrisy is a trend in their circles or just an isolated incident?
I'd love to know if these folks are praying for his soul and forgiving him (as Jesus would want them to), or if they've written him off as a victim of Satan's temptations and moved on.
And I'd like to know why Pelosi didn't go back and ask those questions.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
The Journalist and the Jihadi: The Murder of Daniel Pearl
Tonight I saw The Journalist and the Jihadi: The Murder of Daniel Pearl.
This news-report-like documentary traces the lives of slain journalist Daniel Pearl and the terrorist responsible for his death, Omar Sheikh. Narrator Christine Amanpour shows us their similar upbringings (privileged, strong sense of faith, loving family) and explain that as they aged, Daniel grew more 'global' in a sense, while Omar withdrew from modern British society and adapted fundamentalist beliefs.
I appreciate the background on the killer, but I almost wish he hadn't been given that much airtime.
The Pearl home movies remind us of how much fun Daniel must have been; the calm spirit of his widow and surviving family are a testament to the peace that he stood for. He was truly a man that didn't just believe in tolerance—he believed in acceptance, which makes the way that he was captured and died all the more tragic.
Daniel had an uncommon desire to learn and use that knowledge to bridge undeniable gaps between faiths and cultures. Viewers will get the sense that although cautious, he was almost naive in his trust of strangers. And unforuntately, that false sense of trust led to his kidnapping and untimely death.
It may sound cliché to say that the world lost a hero when Daniel Pearl was murdered, but I don't care. God knows what more he could have accomplished if he had lived.
This news-report-like documentary traces the lives of slain journalist Daniel Pearl and the terrorist responsible for his death, Omar Sheikh. Narrator Christine Amanpour shows us their similar upbringings (privileged, strong sense of faith, loving family) and explain that as they aged, Daniel grew more 'global' in a sense, while Omar withdrew from modern British society and adapted fundamentalist beliefs.
I appreciate the background on the killer, but I almost wish he hadn't been given that much airtime.
The Pearl home movies remind us of how much fun Daniel must have been; the calm spirit of his widow and surviving family are a testament to the peace that he stood for. He was truly a man that didn't just believe in tolerance—he believed in acceptance, which makes the way that he was captured and died all the more tragic.
Daniel had an uncommon desire to learn and use that knowledge to bridge undeniable gaps between faiths and cultures. Viewers will get the sense that although cautious, he was almost naive in his trust of strangers. And unforuntately, that false sense of trust led to his kidnapping and untimely death.
It may sound cliché to say that the world lost a hero when Daniel Pearl was murdered, but I don't care. God knows what more he could have accomplished if he had lived.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater
Caught this documentary on HBO earlier today—from the trailer, I thought it would be more exciting, but sadly it was actually kind of boring.
Created by his granddaughter, the film follows the political and personal life of famous Arizona senator Barry Goldwater. It's comprehensive and linear, but what it lacks is an intimacy that should be evident when a family member recounts the life of someone close to them.
Senator Goldwater had an interesting life—he was a politician, family man, photographer and special friend to Native American tribes throughout the southwest (in that order). Notable figures such as Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Senator Hillary Rodham-Clinton share personal stories of his climb to the top and provide testimonials as to what a nice man he really was.
And I suppose that's where we have our story.
Not in his wild successes and low failures as a politician, but in his kind and compassionate heart that stayed with him and those around him until his death in 1998.
Created by his granddaughter, the film follows the political and personal life of famous Arizona senator Barry Goldwater. It's comprehensive and linear, but what it lacks is an intimacy that should be evident when a family member recounts the life of someone close to them.
Senator Goldwater had an interesting life—he was a politician, family man, photographer and special friend to Native American tribes throughout the southwest (in that order). Notable figures such as Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Senator Hillary Rodham-Clinton share personal stories of his climb to the top and provide testimonials as to what a nice man he really was.
And I suppose that's where we have our story.
Not in his wild successes and low failures as a politician, but in his kind and compassionate heart that stayed with him and those around him until his death in 1998.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts
The last two acts, which I watched tonight, were no less impactful or disturbing than the first two.
In these portions of the film, we're shown the aftermath of Katrina and those returning to New Orleans to pick up the pieces of their lives. It's heart-wrenching to see elderly folks reduced to sobs when they realize their homes are piles of rubble. These are good people who have worked all of their lives, raised their families and been model, taxpaying citizens. They now have nothing.
• Insurance company payouts? Probably not (we're told many policies didn't cover flood damage and most of the damage was due to water, so they're splitting hairs over what was 'rain' and what was 'flood')
• FEMA housing? Most likely not - but if they do, their new digs consist of a paper-thin trailer barely suitable for camping, parked alongside 20 others just like it. Did I mention these emergency homes have with no electricity and what appears to be shower curtains for room dividers?
• Government assistance? Of course not - we only live in the richest country in the world and offer aid to millions of places/other citizens around the world on a daily basis, but our own backyard? Nope.
What it boils down to is really poverty entrapment. These citizens bought land in an area where the property value was believed to be rising, then the storm hit and the levees broke (or were blown up, depending on who you believe) and those who survived were either scattered to another part of the country to start their lives over from scratch, or have nothing to rebuild with at home because they aren't being reimbursed for their losses.
It's nauseating.
What's also nauseating is that the degree of devastation was unnecessary. Dutch engineers in The Netherlands have built superpower levees that would've prevented this. They showed footage of those systems to demonstrate how far behind we are.
Human life was lost mainly because of poor workmanship, not because of Mother Nature.
The only bright spot in the entire documentary was the spirit of the people. The resilience and pride they have in their home state of Louisiana is inspiring. At the end of the film, each speaker was set into a picture frame as they stated their name, title and where they're from. Most are natives of New Orleans and have remained there in spite of our country's embarrassing failures.
They won't back down.
In these portions of the film, we're shown the aftermath of Katrina and those returning to New Orleans to pick up the pieces of their lives. It's heart-wrenching to see elderly folks reduced to sobs when they realize their homes are piles of rubble. These are good people who have worked all of their lives, raised their families and been model, taxpaying citizens. They now have nothing.
• Insurance company payouts? Probably not (we're told many policies didn't cover flood damage and most of the damage was due to water, so they're splitting hairs over what was 'rain' and what was 'flood')
• FEMA housing? Most likely not - but if they do, their new digs consist of a paper-thin trailer barely suitable for camping, parked alongside 20 others just like it. Did I mention these emergency homes have with no electricity and what appears to be shower curtains for room dividers?
• Government assistance? Of course not - we only live in the richest country in the world and offer aid to millions of places/other citizens around the world on a daily basis, but our own backyard? Nope.
What it boils down to is really poverty entrapment. These citizens bought land in an area where the property value was believed to be rising, then the storm hit and the levees broke (or were blown up, depending on who you believe) and those who survived were either scattered to another part of the country to start their lives over from scratch, or have nothing to rebuild with at home because they aren't being reimbursed for their losses.
It's nauseating.
What's also nauseating is that the degree of devastation was unnecessary. Dutch engineers in The Netherlands have built superpower levees that would've prevented this. They showed footage of those systems to demonstrate how far behind we are.
Human life was lost mainly because of poor workmanship, not because of Mother Nature.
The only bright spot in the entire documentary was the spirit of the people. The resilience and pride they have in their home state of Louisiana is inspiring. At the end of the film, each speaker was set into a picture frame as they stated their name, title and where they're from. Most are natives of New Orleans and have remained there in spite of our country's embarrassing failures.
They won't back down.
Monday, August 21, 2006
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts
"Cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
Now, cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
When the levee breaks, mama, you got to move."
These words, a verse of the Led Zeppelin version of the song When the Levee Breaks, refused to leave my head this evening as I watched the first two acts of Spike Lee's new documentary about Hurricane Katrina.
It was everything I expected it to be and then some.
The interviews with celebrities -- a genuine Sean Penn, a typically amped up Al Sharpton and a Harry Belafonte who sounds a lot like Marlon Brando -- were all entertaining and effective. The real stars of the show, however, were the actual victims of this natural and national tragedy.
A man who realized his mother had passed but didn't have anything to cover her body with; a family of children whose mother lie dead in the bedroom as they wait for help to arrive; a woman who asks her husband in the eye of the storm if maybe it isn't just God's will for them to die there in that moment.
The injustice of the lack of response by our government will leave a much greater scar on the city than the actual storm did.
Watching the archive news reports again of the hurricane "on its way" really brought it all back. I remember at the time wondering why they were making such a big deal of it on CNN. Didn't the south have hurricanes every year? Why are they putting people in a sports complex? How can U.S. citizens be lying dead on the streets of a major city and go completely unnoticed?
Horrific doesn't begin to describe the conditions these people were put through. And they should have never had to endure what they did.
One woman summed it up very well as she described waiting for nearly a day at the airport to get on a plane to anywhere (literally) and being hassled at the security checkpoint. She said the screener asked her "Do you have any drugs on you?" to which she replied "If I did, I'd be smokin' em! Fuck."
Fuck is right.
Part two is tomorrow night - I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but I can't not watch it. As an American, I just have to.
Now, cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
When the levee breaks, mama, you got to move."
These words, a verse of the Led Zeppelin version of the song When the Levee Breaks, refused to leave my head this evening as I watched the first two acts of Spike Lee's new documentary about Hurricane Katrina.
It was everything I expected it to be and then some.
The interviews with celebrities -- a genuine Sean Penn, a typically amped up Al Sharpton and a Harry Belafonte who sounds a lot like Marlon Brando -- were all entertaining and effective. The real stars of the show, however, were the actual victims of this natural and national tragedy.
A man who realized his mother had passed but didn't have anything to cover her body with; a family of children whose mother lie dead in the bedroom as they wait for help to arrive; a woman who asks her husband in the eye of the storm if maybe it isn't just God's will for them to die there in that moment.
The injustice of the lack of response by our government will leave a much greater scar on the city than the actual storm did.
Watching the archive news reports again of the hurricane "on its way" really brought it all back. I remember at the time wondering why they were making such a big deal of it on CNN. Didn't the south have hurricanes every year? Why are they putting people in a sports complex? How can U.S. citizens be lying dead on the streets of a major city and go completely unnoticed?
Horrific doesn't begin to describe the conditions these people were put through. And they should have never had to endure what they did.
One woman summed it up very well as she described waiting for nearly a day at the airport to get on a plane to anywhere (literally) and being hassled at the security checkpoint. She said the screener asked her "Do you have any drugs on you?" to which she replied "If I did, I'd be smokin' em! Fuck."
Fuck is right.
Part two is tomorrow night - I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but I can't not watch it. As an American, I just have to.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)