Force 1TD

I've been watching a lot of short films lately. One of the ones that stands out is Force 1TD.

Enjoy.

Mister Freedom (Directed by William Klein)

Today marks the 8th Anniversary of the terrorist attacks that took place on American soil in 2001. While browsing through the video store, I wanted to watch something that was relevant to this occasion and Mister Freedom caught my attention...

Simply stated, this film is beyond satire. For some, Mister Freedom is very real.

The human personification of America has been used in many films but none have come close to the depth of William Klein's Mister Freedom. It is apparent that Klein, an expatriate of the United States, dug deep when he wrote, directed, and designed this film.

With costumes made entirely of sports equipment and villains who are little more than balloons, this film struck me as a child's wild fantasy. Remember when you were a kid and you could turn a skateboard into a get away vehicle and a tennis ball into a grenade while playing cops & robbers with your friends in the neighborhood? Well Mister Freedom is just that, but with grown up political commentary. Perhaps this is all a child's game on the world stage...

Although decades have passed since the premiere of this film, I think it would be interesting to see a Mister Freedom film undertake our modern political issues.

My Brother in Blog.

My Brother in Rhyme is now my Brother in Blog.

As I have been slipping in recent Months, Tejay's blog is a great place to go as I get my act together... http://12elveam.blogspot.com/

Reading Tejay's blog, has got my blogging spirit back up. More posts to come!

Masterpiece

Jean-Jacques Beineix's Diva... Everything I love in a film.

Canoa (Directed by Felipe Cazals)

"This 1976 Mexican feature is based on a reportedly real incident which took place in 1968. When a group of hikers happen upon a village governed by a paranoid and fanatical priest, they are labeled as communists and desecrators and are lynched by the bespelled townspeople." - Allmovie.com

Canoa hit me harder than most films.

After a recent run in with a serial killer in the corn fields in Indiana, I personally know that shit can hit the fan... Quickly. I realized that I, and anybody, could be one of those hikers.

On a less personal level, I was impressed director Felipe Cazals' use of various modes of narration throughout the film. At times, the film is shot like a mockumentary and several participants from the incident give a "tour" of Canoa to viewers. Other times, the film progresses in a traditional vouyeristic approach and the characters do not acknowledge the camera at all. Cazal skillfully blended the change of narrative into a solid product that tells an emotional story from both sides.

I feel that a general American Audience will not appreciate this film. For some, It comes off as a chessy 70s exploitation flick. However, I believe if this film was remade to tell the story of an American Civil Rights atrocity it would grab the attention of American Audiences.

2012, its back...

Yahoo news recently posted an exclusive trailer of the 2012 film. I posted the first trailer from this film a few months back, but it was taken off youtube in no time.

This new trailer shows the film will contain biblical references including, blatant nods at Noah's ark and a crack between Adam and God's fingers in the Sistine chapel.

Another interesting addition to film's trailer is the Black President. In 1998's "Deep Impact", Morgan Freeman played the President of the United States. Both "2012" and "Deep Impact" are considered disaster movies. It is clear; If the President is black, the world must be coming to an end! Psuedo-Racist innuendos aside, I wonder will the black President be used as political commentary? If so, will it be negative or positive?

I think one of the most obvious shortcomings of the film is its similarities to "War of the Worlds." Like WOTW, the main character is a Father trying to save his family as the World nears destruction. Do we need another WOTW?

As I've said before, I personally want 2 hours of sheer destruction. Why not pull a "Pyscho" and kill the main character in the beginning of the film? Imagine "Koyaanisqatsi" with burning landmarks throughout the world and mass panic. I believe that is what we are all waiting to see, but will never see....... until 2012.

Mikey and Nikey (Directed by Elaine May)

This past month, I saw a drought in my cinema experience. I honestly did not see a movie interesting enough to propel me to write about it.

Mikey and Nicky was the Indian Rain Dance i needed to get me writing again.

The real life friendship of Peter Faulk and John Cassavetes is easily translated into this film. I think half of the reason this film is so great, is because these two are really good friends and the improvisation feels genuine. At times, the film comes off more as a documentary rather than a fictional film.

John Cassavetes plays Nicky, a gangster on the run from the mob after some bad business. Mikey, played by Peter Faulk, comes to his rescue and seemingly tries to help him get out of the city before the mob catches up to him. However, early on it is implied that Mikey might have some Ulterior motives and might be setting him up.

This film serves as a classic study of a friendship on thin ice. The dialogue in this film beautifully paints each characters psyche and paints the characters history together while completely remaining in the moment. No corny flashbacks in this film. The relationship between the two main characters reminds me of a couple of my own personal relationships. In particular, the film reminds me of my friend Ramon and I and also my friend Austin and I.

Ramon and I have been in a similar situation... details will be spared. During our situation, Ramon was in Nicky's shoes and I was in Mikey's. Although, the outcome of the film is far different than what happened in our situation, walking the thin ice in a relationship is very stressful. But I am happy to say that the ice froze over and Ramon remains one of my closest friends to this day. Crew.

Next week I have an old friend, Austin, coming to visit. I am stoked. When we were in high school we would get together with our friend Wahid and freestyle all day and night. We would hit up B boy (break dancing) events and ride around Atlanta admiring local graffiti. Perhaps it is the fact that Austin and I are both Leos, but every now and then we would brawl. I mean seriously brawl. But Wahid was always there to break it up... When we look back we always laugh, but i think that is a major part of why we have so much love for each other. It is a fact, tumultuous relationships are more interesting than calm "average" relationships. This is evident in Mikey and Nicky as you watch the two characters go from being best friends to worst enemies like the weather patterns. It is just so damn interesting...