11/11/16 A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story, 2015
Full disclosure - I supported this project on Kickstarter back in 2014. Lizzie Velasquez is a young woman who was very cruelly identified on Youtube as 'The World's Ugliest Woman' in a posting that went viral and was filled with abominable comments. Most people would have been devastated and hid themselves away. If you watch this documentary you will quickly learn that Lizzie is not like most people. When Lizzie was born, she was very, very tiny, and the doctors and her parents noticed very early on that she was not gaining weight the way she should, but they couldn't figure out why. For over 25 years, Lizzie was undiagnosed, but during the movie, she and her family do receive a diagnosis, one that removes the feelings of guilt her mother has carried for all of these years. Lizzie and her family developed ways to deal with teasing at school; and Lizzie made friends on her own merits (trying out and making the cheer squad much against her mother's fears of rejection). Lizzie fought back against the online bully by creating her own Youtube channel, which then led to a TEDtalk, which then led to speaking engagements around the country. There are so many things that I loved about this documentary: first of all, Lizzie herself, she is an indomitable spirit, who can laugh at herself, has a loving and strong relationship with her family (her parents are gems); the anti-bullying message is not a peripheral issue, it is prominent and honest and painful; and I think it is a great educational opportunity for kids and parents on dealing with people who are different from them in some ways, but not different in others. When Lizzie gives her talks, she stresses to the audiences that the power to change, to be beautiful, to be strong, is within them, which is a message I like to hear; Lizzie's messages of kindness are even more important now. I encourage you to watch this with your kids; if you're a teacher, maybe you could watch it with your students, I think it is really imperative to see this film (with or without kids).
11/12/16 Truth, 2015
I was very interested in seeing Truth starring Robert Redford as Dan Rather and Cate Blanchett as Mary Mapes, a television news producer. Rather, Mapes and their research team were the focus of the news after issues with their story on President George W. Bush's time in the Texas Air National Guard. The story became about the documents used in the story, as opposed to what President Bush did or didn't do. It was a behind the scenes look at how a news organization does research, checking sources, verifying the documents (I did not know that they had document researches), the politics behind the news. The movie follows the story of the the Killian documents (these are the documents that showed the favorable treatment that superior officers were allegedly asked to show George W. Bush), the research done, politics within CBS news/60 Minutes, to the implosion of the news team. I watched All the President's Men (also starring Redford) not too long ago, and I still had Oscar-winner Spotlight in the back of my head, so I felt something was missing here. It wasn't in the performances, but maybe the story. It was a huge deal when it happened back in 2004, but that was twelve years ago, and the anger I might have felt politically at John Kerry losing the presidential race to Bush was gone. And when I compare the current presidential situation with the one from 2004, 2004 seems to pale. Normally I say truth is better than fiction, but "Newsroom" is a fast-paced, current (relatively), biting television series that you can now get on DVD (and probably online).
11/13/16 Dr. Strange, 2016 not yet nominated
I just saw Dr. Strange today, in 3D, and the quick review is: I loved it. I almost never do 3D because I'm cheap and most times, I don't think it's necessary. I enjoyed the effects tremendously, and I feel like the movie will be nominated for visual effects and production awards. Benedict Cumberbatch is spot on as Dr. Stephen Strange, a world-renowned, egotistical surgeon, who seems to only take cases that can increase his fame. He's and ass, personally and professionally, and when he has an accident (that he caused - don't look at your phone when driving!) that irreparably damages his hands, he alternates between self-pity and anger with the one person who wants to help him, Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) before heading to Nepal in a desperate attempt to heal. He meets mystics/sorcerers Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and learns humility and to control his hubris, oh and how to do astral projection. The Ancient One and other mystics need help fighting Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), a sorcerer who has gone to the dark side. The world of the magical arts works in parallel with the world of super heroes, like the Avengers, but they are different, so a lot of people may not be familiar with Dr. Strange; and the movie isn't the big explosion-driven fair that you might be used to, but that doesn't mean there isn't action. There is plenty of action, but balanced with sorcery, and you may be in a different place in the multiverse. Did I lose you? Yeah, I lost me too, I try not to think too much and just enjoy. Cumberbatch is great, and I loved Swinton as the Ancient One (there was some controversy because an Asian actor was not used, and I appreciate that, but she nailed it, I think), and I liked the idea of a woman being the Ancient One; along those lines, I would have liked to have seen perhaps Michelle Yeoh or Zhang Ziyi as the Ancient One. Mikkelsen may be more familiar to American audiences as a bad guy ("Hannibal", Le Chiffre in Casino Royale) and he doesn't disappoint (although, he can do far more, and is superb in The Hunt), he is a strong sorcerer and seemingly unbeatable. The effects are mind-blowing, and I felt transported as buildings tipped and rotated and blended into themselves, like an Escher drawing on steroids. I love that Marvel/Disney are making movies about characters that we may not know as well as Captain America, Iron Man and The Hulk, like the Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man, Dead Pool and Dr. Strange. If you're skeptical, just go. You can thank me later.
