Robot and Frank is a delightful film set in the near future, close enough to the present to be familiar but far enough that gadgetry, especially robot technology, is highly advanced. It tells the story of Frank (Frank Langella), a retired jewel thief who now lives alone in a rural area. He specialized in robbing from very rich people and has served time in jail in the past. [Read more…]
Given the absurd levels of secrecy of the US government that has accelerated under the current administration, whistleblowers are one of the few ways we get to learn about government abuses. But they pay a severe price for doing so, having the government’s massive prosecutorial apparatus thrown at them, part of the government’s strategy to discourage others from following their lead. [Read more…]
NPR had a good report this morning on an issue that was discussed earlier (see here and here) that looked the dire straits that the visual special effects (VFX) industry is in, even though the films that they make possible make a ton of money. For example, Life of Pi has made $600 million dollars worldwide while Rhythm & Hues, the company that made it possible by producing the stunning effects and for which it won an Academy Award, has filed for bankruptcy. [Read more…]
This video makes a compelling case that the official story as told in the Star Wars saga was a lie to cover up the much darker truth of exactly who was behind that event and why they may have done it. [Read more…]
I watched this film last evening and it was good fun. It stars Will Ferrell as the incumbent congressman of a North Carolina district who is expecting to run unopposed until a misstep by him suggests weakness and prompts two wealthy brothers (thinly disguised versions of the real life Koch brothers) to back someone who will be beholden to them and allow them to transfer their sweatshops in China back to the US so that they can save shipping costs and thus increase their profits. [Read more…]
While not deep or demanding, this comedy touches on some serious issues and makes for enjoyable watching. It tells the story of seven aging English people each of whom is in the twilight of their lives and trying to come to terms with that brute fact. One has unresolved issues from his boyhood in India that he wants to settle before he dies, two are lonely and seek companionship, another feels useless and discarded after a lifetime spent working hard, a couple in a long loveless marriage sense that tensions are reaching breaking point, and a recent widow whose husband had made all the decisions in their lives now suddenly finds herself left to fend for herself in a modern technological world for which she is totally unprepared. [Read more…]
I have not seen the film Life of Pi and am probably not going to. I read Yann Martel’s book some years ago and what I liked most about it were the opening chapters of the boy Pi simultaneously following the religions of Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam, unbeknownst to his parents or to the clerics of the three religions, each of whom thought he was a devout follower of only their faith. Once the boy started on his ill-fated journey across the ocean, I lost interest while the film seems to have that as its main focus. [Read more…]
I didn’t watch the Oscars. I never watch these awards shows as they seem to me to be incredibly boring. But I did read about the fact that the company Rhythm & Hues that won the Academy Award for special effects for their work on the film Life of Pi had filed for bankruptcy, making the occasion bittersweet for them. [Read more…]
Growing up in the pre-internet (and indeed pre-VCR) age, one could only see films when they were still in the theaters and so had only one or two chances. So a great performance would have to be savored in one’s memories. The arrival of the VCR and videocassettes changed all that, giving new life and new audiences to old films. [Read more…]
Via reader Walter, I came across this excellent review by Richard Brody of D. W. Griffith’s 1915 film The Birth of a Nation. Like him, I was both appalled at the racism of the film (especially in the second half that traced the events following the Civil War and dealt with the period known as the Reconstruction), while impressed with the way the filmmaker used techniques to manipulate the viewer. If you want to see a clear demonstration of the power of film as a propaganda weapon in skilled hands that can tug the viewer to sympathize with people and views that are abhorrent, this is the film to see. [Read more…]