Fire of Love

Fire of Love is an incredibly sweet and intriguing documentary about a volcanologist couple who devoted their lives to studying volcanic eruptions. It’s established early in the film that Katia and Maurice Krafft were killed in the 1991 volcanic eruption of Mount Unzen in Japan. The majority of what the documentary shows us is from their beautiful volcano footage throughout their careers. 

Like all great couples, there is a balance between them. Katia is quieter, more reflective, studying the geological formations up close and trying to find their mysteries through photography and writing. Maurice is more grandiose, documenting the kinetic movement of eruptions and lava flows through film and out in front of cameras promoting their newest books and documentaries. Maurice is also more of a daredevil, at one point taking a second-hand inflatable dinghy out on an acidic lake to collect samples. Katia anxiously stands on the shore, hoping they make it back before the boat springs a catastrophic leak. 

The information presented on volcanoes is minimal, focusing more on spectacular images captured by the Krafft’s, mostly in the 1970s and 1980s. While these images may be older, and found on old film reels, they are stunning. The magnificent views of glowing lava, flowing, spewing and burning are amazing and never made me question the quality of the Kraffts camera. And it is heroic how close the Kraffts were willing to get to these active volcanoes, even donning suits to protect them from projectile rocks and lava that look like something out of a 50s B sci-fi movie. 

For me, the real tragedy of this film is not Maurice and Katia’s death, but the fact that they could not spend more of their time on earth in volcanoes. Towards the middle of the film, we are shown their life when they’re not by volcanoes. The fact that there are still bills to pay by writing books or editing film feels so mundane when you’ve been in the beating heart of an active volcano. It’s tragic to think how we all waste so much time on the humdrum money-making tasks just to survive, when we could be out in the fantastic wilds of nature truly living. 

“Alone they could only dream of volcanoes. Together they can reach them.”

Bombshells and Dollies

The new documentary, Bombshells and Dollies, dives into the fun and exciting world of The Miss Viva Las Vegas Pinup Contest. While a casual passerby may dismiss the contest as simply another pageant, this film shows the viewer that there is so much more to it. The ladies involved in this pinup world and rockabilly lifestyle are more than just beauty queens, but have big hearts, aspirations and goals. Best of all, they help to share and promote a body positive lifestyle, showing that all women can be authentically gorgeous. 

The film does a great job of explaining exactly what the contemporary pinup girl lifestyle is. Inspired from the 1940s and 50s, the pinup girls here are inspired to seek out or create their own vintage look and style. Many call back to classic Hollywood beauties like Laura Bacall, Hedy Lamarr or Betty Grable. Others look to empowering icons like Rosie the Riveter and the images of ladies painted on the sides of army planes. Some of the contestants look to elements from their unique cultures in their look. But overall, a pinup is never outwardly sexual or simply objectified. There’s always personality, happiness and someone you’d like to engage with behind the beauty. 

In the The Miss Viva Las Vegas Pinup Contest, contestants come from all over the world to compete in the contest. Some hail from Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada and South Africa as well as the United States. The contestants are not selected simply on looks. Judges consider what sort of work and charities the contestants are involved with as well. Many of them promote body positivity and pride in their cultures. 

All the contestants in the film were delightful and beautiful ladies rocking their vintage wear in pinup style, but I had my favorites. One was Hell Cath, whose body was covered in beautiful tattoos. Some may think that a tattooed pinup girl sounds strange, like an oxymoron, the two don’t usually go together. But her style and personality has been helping normalize and promote tattoos in the modern pinup world. Another favorite was Ivy Fox who is an advocate for the LGBTQ and brave enough to announce on stage that she gay. Best of all, she was met with nothing but support. I loved how Angie Honeyburst has a style inspired by ladies of the Mexican revolution. And how Blue Haired Betty’s story was how she went from a shy goth teen to her bright, colorful self now. Each of these ladies are just lovely, inside and out.

Perhaps the best part of this film is when winners are announced. There are no fights or drama, just love and support for the fellow contestants. The viewer really feels that these ladies are each other’s biggest fans. It’s truly wonderful to see women supporting women.

Before seeing Bombshells and Dollies, I knew nothing about pinup culture and didn’t think I would be interested. However, the documentary was engaging enough that I left with a new appreciation for the culture and fashion. In fact, I was inspired to search for some vintage dresses for myself. These ladies have shown me that everyone is beautiful, worthy and can feel amazing, no matter their size or style.

Bombshells and Dollies is the latest film from Tricoast Studios. The film is available to stream on InDemand, Amazon, DirecTV, AT&T, FlixFling, Vimeo on Demand, Vudu and FANDANGO. 

Exit Through the Gift Shop

For most, the name Banksy stirs up images of whimsical rebellion.  For those unfamiliar with his work, he is a street artist, bringing provocative images into the public eye like no other.  In 2010, the famous and unidentified Banksy became a rather ingenious filmmaker, turning this strange little documentary on its head that shows us what the art world has become.  

First, we have to meet Theirry.  He is a Frenchman living in Los Angeles who lives with a video camera in his hand.  He constantly films everything around him, from playing with his kids at home, walking down the street, even flushing a toilet.  It seems he has a compulsive need to record the world around him with no real focus.  

Until he happens upon a street artist.  He finds Space Invader preparing his work one night and begins following him, recording as he assists in helping him put up his art in the middle of the night.  Theirry meets more street artists and becomes wrapped up in their world, out many nights, recording and helping them put their work up.  Eventually, Theirry meets Banksy and helps him pull off a stunt in Disneyland.  Thanks to Theirry, who hid the evidence and lied to the Disney-police, Banksy gets away and fully trusts Theirry.

***Spoiler Alert***  From here on, I strongly suggest you see the film before reading on.  

So when Theirry decides to become an artist himself, Banksy and other street artists Theirry has befriended are nothing but supportive.  However, Theirry’s new persona, Mister Brainwash, just seems to be a rip-off of everything he has seen and learned from other artist.  Most of his work takes an iconic piece of art from another era and changes one element.  Like turning Warhol’s Campbell’s soup into a spray paint can, or throwing American Gothic through a photoshop filter where it is only vertical lines.  His work is a mess, with no direction and seems to lean on the genius of other, more worthy artists.   With all the hype that went into opening his gallery, the quality of his work makes no difference and he makes over a million dollars.  

What does this say about today’s art world?  Is there more integrity in anonymously spraying your unique mark across the world or only making things like everyone else for money?  I think Bansky describes the dilemma best saying, “Most artists take years to develop their style, Thierry seemed to miss out on all those bits.”  And it’s those bits that create an artist, not just a man mimicking others.

What makes this film a great documentary is the narrative flow and the inside look we get at the world of a street artist.  Some of the most intriguing moments in the film are watching Invader, Fairey, Borf and others trying to discretely display their art.  Sometimes they are on dangerous rooftops in the dead of night, or in the middle of day just trying not to attract attention.  Watching Fairey get some of his work printed at Kinkos made me wonder if the employees there knew exactly who he was and what he was doing.  

In the end, the whole film becomes a wonderful look at the stories and work behind street art and one big joke on Theirry.  When it first came out, many thought the film was a hoax.  I feel that it is genuine, genius and a perfectly smart-ass way for Banksy to lift a big middle finger to his Frankenstein monster, Mister Brainwash.

“Warhol repeated iconic images until they became meaningless, but there was still something iconic about them.  Thierry really makes them meaningless.”

Hoop Dreams

When I have heard of Hoop Dreams over the years, I expected a sports documentary full of uplifting moments seeing our protagonists slowly achieve their dreams.  Instead, I found a heart wrenching story about two boys with big dreams, lots of talent, but no easy path to make their dreams a reality.  Though I could only hope for the best Arthur and William, I think seeing their NBA ambitions fade makes for a stronger film and a call to action for anyone who knows youth in similar situations.

Hoop Dreams is more than a film about boys who play basketball, it’s a dramatic picture of life, luck and school systems in America.  Two boys, Arthur Agee and William Gates, are recruited from Chicago’s inner city to play for a suburban private school, St. Joseph High School.  Isiah Thomas is a famous graduate from their basketball program.  When both boys make the transition from public school to St. Joseph, they only have a 4th or 5th grade reading level, and constantly struggle with their academics and college tests scores.

William is accepted on a full scholarship, makes varsity his freshman year and is expected to excel.  But he suffers a knee injury, requiring surgery and lots of time off the court.  He also fathers a child while in high school, but seems to bear few consequences.  When he returns to the game, you can tell his confidence is shaken, he’s not the same player.  In his senior year, he leads his team to a disappointing end to the season.

Arthur only makes the freshman team for St. Joseph and can’t keep up.  He is cut from the team, loses his scholarship and has to go back to his neighborhood’s public school.  He can’t graduate until the debt to the private school is paid off, something that would have never happened if he hadn’t been recruited in the first place.  His family can’t pay that back so easily, his mother lost her minimum wage job because of a back injury.  His father has left the family, gotten into drugs and jail.  Through it all, Arthur excels on the court for his metro public school and ends up leading his team to be third in the state his senior year, with his old coach who cut him watching.

Such a dramatic tale of dual fortunes could not have been scripted as well as this unfolded into Arthur and William’s lives.  The documentary was originally supposed to be a half hour special for PBS.  As the filming progressed over five years, the filmmakers saw that this was so much more and the project became a documentary running nearly three hours long.

A moment that really resonated with me in this film is when the power is turned off at Arthur’s home.  She looks into the camera and says, “Do you all wonder sometime how I am living?  How my children survive, and how they’re living?  It’s enough to really make people want to go out there and just lash out and hurt somebody.”  If we weren’t sympathizing with Arthur and every other person in his situation, we suddenly come a little closer to understanding.

While Hoop Dreams was nominated for best editing at the Academy Awards, it did not receive nomination for best documentary.  When this happened, Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel decided to investigate the process in which the documentaries were nominated.  Allegedly, part of the process made it possible that the Academy documentary committee could vote to turn off the movie, and they did so within fifteen minutes of Hoop Dreams.  What a shame.  Since then, the voting procedure has changed.

What makes Hoop Dreams such a great film is how raw and genuine Arthur and William’s struggles are.  When we first meet them as fourteen year old boys, they have so much heart and big dreams of the NBA.  They really believe they can get there.  Soon, we see them slowly become disillusioned by pain and poverty.  By the end of high school, they have grown into men, who understand how difficult their aspirations are.  Isiah Thomas must have been either rich or very, very lucky.

“That’s why when somebody say, “when you get to the NBA, don’t forget about me”, and that stuff.  Well, I should’ve said to them, “if I don’t make it, don’t you forget about me.””

Bully

Over my lifetime, I’ve seen bullying from multiple vantage points.  A tease, a name shouted out, a push.  Most times it’s over in a moment and too easily forgotten, unless you’re the victim.  It stings and festers while the rest of the world moves on unaffected.  As a kid, I was both a victim and a silent witness.  Today, I work with children and still see it.  From all angles, it’s so easy to ignore and hope it all just resolves.  Standing up and defending yourself or others is easier said than done, but the one thing Bully teaches us is that it is a necessity, if we ever want it to change.

The documentary follows multiple teenagers and their families showing their unique stories of being bullied.  There’s Alex, a boy who is a helpless punching bag on his school bus.  Kelby is a girl who recently came out as lesbian in her small town.  She has attempted suicide, but her supportive family and friends have helped her reach a brighter place.  Ja’Meya was a high achiever until felt that the only way to stand up to her bullies was to pull out a gun on them.  We watch as she and her family await trial.  Then there’s the tragic stories of Tyler and Ty, two boys who committed suicide to escape their bullying.  Their parents cope and work hard to keep their son’s memories alive and start a movement to change the way bullying is handled across the nation.

For those who may still believe that bullying isn’t a big problem, or that it’s “just kids being kids”, they just need to watch a scene or two from Alex’s bus heartbreaking rides.  The things other children say or do to Alex is just awful.  An older boy threatens Alex’s life, with shocking language, just for talking to him.  Later, we see people sitting on him, throwing things at him and stabbing him with pencils.  Not a thing is done and Alex just protests politely to no avail.

Some film fans may remember the turbulence over the MPAA rating Bully would receive.  At first, it was given an R rating, due to language.  Since the film was made to educate a middle school audience, the creators edited out the high profanity scenes and the film eventually got a PG-13 rating, so that children would be admitted to it.  I don’t like the idea of a cop out that just softens the blow of reality, but admire that the main message would more easily get to its intended audience.

The scene that struck me the most is when Alex’s principal talks briefly with two boys she witnessed some bullying between.  At first it’s not evident who was bullying who, and perhaps the principal didn’t know either, so she simply asks them to shake hands.  The bully gladly complies, probably glad to face no real punishment.  The victim resists, knowing that more should be done.  Once the principal dismisses the bully, the frustrated victim explains the situation more; he tries to avoid his bully, and the bully has been told to stay away from him, but it’s not working.  The boy is clearly angry and helpless, yet his principal relies on her quick hallway confrontations with no punishment.  The whole scene hurt for me to watch, I have seen the same thing in my own schools as a kid.

While Bully isn’t technically a great film (it seemed easy to lose track of our far flung characters, and their climactic moment coming together didn’t bring much impact), it carries strong stories and an important message that needs to spread.  Bullying may seem like a childish issue, but the systematic mental abuse is claiming the young lives of good kids.  Parents don’t know 100% what it happening at their child’s school, or at what end of the spectrum their children may lie.  I would strongly suggest that all teachers, parents and children over the age of 12 see this film.   Currently, it’s available on Netflix Instant.  There is some strong language, but not much.  It’s nothing compared to what most middle schoolers hear in their hallways.

“I’ve never had real friends that would stick around and help me.”

A Look at the Oscar Nominated Documentaries of 2012

5 Broken Cameras

In 2005 a Palestinian farmer named Emad Burnat got a camera to make home videos of his new son, Gibreel.  As the Israeli army takes land from his village, his friends and neighbors protest.  Emad makes sure that he is always there to film the conflict.  The non-violent protests are often met with tear gas and violence.  Throughout the film Emad’s cameras are destroyed in these protests five times, but unlike friends and family, cameras are easily replaced.

5 Broken Cameras is a very raw and honest film.  Emad is just a family man with a camera, no seasoned filmmaker.  Yet, he captures the heart and strife of this conflict, risking his own life many times to bear witness to the injustice done upon his village.  Besides tense and intense moments of protesting, we get to see Emad’s friends and family and how the conflict so obviously affects them.  As the conflict goes on, we see his sons grow within it, their innocence waning.  Throughout the five years, we see fear, determination, small victories, heartbreaking casualties, and little Gibreel grow from a baby to a boy hardened but still bringing light into his world.

How to Survive a Plague

While not really a blatant How-To film, How to Survive a Plague chronicles actions and protests of two groups, ACT UP and TAG, with footage taken through the late 1980s to mid 1990s.  In the beginning of the film, AIDS is a spreading disease that comes with a death sentence.  Many of the activists carry the virus and fight for their lives.  There are many protests, most outside hospitals and government buildings.  Though they’re peaceful, authorities are often called in to shut them down, sometimes with force.

The conflict in the film stems from the fact that the government doesn’t treat AIDS as a priority.  It seems to be chastised, ignored and a seen as only a problem for the gay community.  It takes years of protests and aggressively getting the information out to the world that brings the AIDS epidemic into the spotlight and a priority to study.

Though most of the film takes place within my lifetime, I can only remember one main event, and it was one of the most emotionally powerful in the film.  In school, I remember teachers telling us about the giant AIDS quilt being laid out in Washington and how each square was dedicated to a victim of the disease.  As a kid, it astounded me that so many people had died from AIDS, but I had no real perspective on how many lives it had claimed.  Now watching this documentary as an adult, I’m infuriated that it took so long to get adequate research and development for a descent drug to fight AIDS.  It was a plague, and the activists in this film show us that in order to let some survive it, you must fight hard from all angles and never give up.

The Invisible War

Told mostly in interviews, The Invisible War shares stories of women who have served in the United States military and were sexually assaulted during their service.  While all these women once had dreams of honor and prestige while serving their country, we see them in the aftermath of brutality that has left them all scarred.  Worst of all, the military’s judicial system is corrupt, hardly punishing any rapists and leaving the women without justice.

I believe this film received nomination because of its important and brave subject matter.  Not all the women interviewed are recent veterans.  In fact, there is even a man, now in his fifties or sixties, who tells his tale of being brutally raped.  Sexual abuse in the military has been a constant issue in the US military.  Even after reprimand, the issue was repeatedly swept under the rug, and this film does a great service by bringing it out into the indisputable spotlight.  Though I don’t see this film winning the Oscar, I believe it is important for all US citizens to see, especially those involved in or aspiring to join the military.

Searching for Sugar Man

The film starts out as partially a mystery and partially an informative narrative about a musician named Rodriguez.  Though he played all around Detroit in the 1970s, it seems that no one knows much about Rodriguez, his music or if he is even alive.  In the US, it his career never took off.  However, in South Africa, we see that his music is popular and even helped spark revolution.

*Warning, spoilers ahead*  When we find Rodriguez, he is a simple and humble man, very surprised to find out what an influence he is in South Africa.  As he journeys there to visit and play for his fans, we see what a natural performer Rodriguez is and a welcome he could have never imagined.  The film becomes very uplifting and is filled with Rodriguez’s amazing music.

The Imposter

Shown through interviews and small recreations, The Imposter tells the story of a family searching for a boy who was lost at thirteen years old and a young man in Europe trying to find a new identity.  The family is that of Nicholas Barclay, a young teen in Texas who went missing in 1994.  From the interviews, we see that the family are lackluster small town people genuinely wanting Nicholas home.  They get a call from Spain in 1997 saying that Nicholas has been found.  However, the young man who claims to be Nicholas is not at all who he seems to be.

The film focuses our imposter, Frédéric Bourdin.  We get most of the story from his mouth, detailing his plan from the start, how he found out about Nicholas, how the family reacted to him and more.  As much as I wanted to despise Bourdin for carrying this terrible lie so far, his point of view and style of storytelling makes the film very intriguing and I found him an almost likeable character.

Of the five documentaries, I found The Imposter the most enjoyable to watch.  The story is exciting and unfolds like a mystery with a few unexpected turns along the way in this unbelievably true story.

GasLand

Last Thursday night I went to a free screening of GasLand hosted by Wild South, a local conservation group, at the town’s haven for local artists.  The venue was a small theater that looked handmade from the lumber of the stage, to the faded, hand stitched orange curtain.  There were old pianos on either side, possibly generous donations.  Most of the audience (approximately 30-40 people) were middle-aged and proudly sporting their grays, with a few young liberals sprinkled in.  I sat in the back row, a handmade raised platform with turquoise comfy seats on top beckoned me and made sense to my short stature.  Before the film began, a woman with beautiful silver long hair explained to us the film’s premise and how gas companies are considering leasing parts of Alabama’s national forests with possible shale deposits underneath.  Before that moment, I was just there for the film.

GasLand is an Oscar nominated documentary, directed, written and narrated by Josh Fox depicting how natural gas companies have recently sprung up all over the US.  Due to a legal loophole in the Safe Drinking Water Act and other environmental policies, they are able to pollute freely, without disclosing the chemicals in use.  The results of their work and pollution are shocking and a clear endangerment to people’s health and the environment.  We meet multiple families who have been sick from water and air pollution due to the practices by the gas companies.  Fox travels all over the US, meeting people affected by this hydraulic drilling process, called “fracking,” collecting samples and surveying the land they destroy, land that should be protected and belong to the American people.

The film is set up as a great informative narrative.  Fox has a moment deciding where to begin, and begins with the beginning of his own life in Pennsylvania.  His parents and some hippie friends built a house in the woods, with the a beautiful creek that flows to the Delaware River on the land.  He grew up naturally, as did the land and is now the owner.  When he gets a letter claiming that he could let natural gas companies use his land and he would be paid $100,000 in return, he proceeds with caution.  Nearby, other people have already jumped at this opportunity and regretted it.  Their water is contaminated to the point that they can light water running out of their faucets on fire.  With Fox gathering interviews and evidence, he decides to venture out across the country to find more testimonials.  His findings are only bleaker out west.

Throughout the film, my outraged grew.  I was disgusted, but slightly amused at how families could set their running water aflame.  One man showed this to Fox like it was a party trick.  But out west in states like Colorado and Wyoming, people were getting very ill, even contracting brain damage and cancer, due to the toxins they had been exposed to, both in the water and air.  My boiling point came with the knowledge that these fracturing practices were all over natural, public land.  Land that should be protected by the Bureau of Land Management.

It was about a year ago now, that my husband and I took a trip to Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks.  Until then, the only natural land I had seen between St. Louis and LAX was from an airplane.  Somewhere in that hike up the Mist trail to Glacier Point I became forever thankful for the good people that preserved the natural beauty of the world.  I don’t consider myself a tree-hugger or a young hippie, but if we have to take sides, I’ll stand proudly with them.  Before leaving the film screening, I signed a petition to keep fracking out of Alabama’s forests.

GasLand is a smart documentary with just as much brains as heart.  Fox’s story draws us in, the people’s stories fill it out and the outrage over what the government lets the gas companies get away with is infuriating.  Along the way, technical ideas and processes of fracking are illustrated in various ways, that make them easy to comprehend.  Many times, technical details or incriminating fine text are presented like an animated infographic, laying everything out plain to see, oftentimes highlighting big, nasty chemicals and mind-boggling loopholes.

It’s hard to take the industry’s side after seeing GasLand.  The fact that no one in connection to them refuses to drink the water, and many refused to be interviewed (get a good look at the end credits), instantly makes us incriminate them.  The evidence Fox collects is indisputable and functions to serve justice.  Sadly, justice is still nowhere to be found.  Natural gas companies are simply buying off those affected and forcing them to shut up.  There is a real sense of hopelessness as these people are repeatedly lied to by companies and cheated by their own government.  Fox presents a real fear that this contamination of our water can spread and with more land being bought and considered for fracking, it hits closer and closer to home.  The health and wellbeing of people and the land are things we all should value above money and industry, and what is happening here contradicts all of that.  This is a film that everyone needs to see, before it’s too late.

Get more information about the film, the fracking process and how you can help take action at http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/