Many thanks to producer David for this weeks NA Films Monday Movie suggestion. I've been waiting and waiting for Miss Representation to make it's way to my hometown, or at least DVD. This film falls into a category that has only recently become part of my film collection, the parent section. I certainly would have enjoyed this film before becoming a parent, but having an almost three year old daughter in my care, I'm even more aware of the representation of women in the media (and in the world of children's toys), and this documentary provides a fantastic summary of how horrible this representation currently is.
From Wikipedia:
The film interweaves stories from teenage girls with provocative interviews to give an inside look at the media and its message. The film’s motto,
“You can't be what you can't see,” underscores an implicit message that
young women need and want positive role models,
and that the media has thus far neglected its unique opportunity to
provide them. The film includes a social action campaign to address
change in policy, education and call for socially responsible business.
John recommended the American independent film Visioneers on Thursdays show. If the below trailer intrigues you at all, then you will enjoy this film. It's an odd one, but quite good.
And we're back! After a week of fevers and trips to the ER with the kids and myself, the sickness has left the house.
While laid up and enjoying some NyQuil last week, I re-watched a few classic films from my collection, including this weeks NA Films Monday Movie, Ace in the Hole. It may have been made over 60 years ago, and was regarded as quite cynical at the time, but I think this film is still as relevant as Network or A Face in the Crowd.
Kirk Douglas plays a Chuck Tatum, a reporter who has hopped from job to job while maintaining a steady diet of booze. He finally lands in a small newspaper in New Mexico and spends a quiet, sober year as a beat reporter. It all changed when a local man gets trapped in a cave collapse. Tatum smells and opportunity and sets about exploiting this tragedy for all it's worth. The original title for the film (chosen by the distributor) was The Big Carnival, which is exactly what the situation turns into.
Yes, even in 1951 the media was capable of exploiting a tragedy for it's own financial gain.
Sickness prevented me from posting the Monday movie until today, but I picked quite a controversial one to make up for it. Adam mentioned this film ages ago on No Agenda (I have no idea which one) and I just finally caught it on DVD through a friend. It is called House of Numbers. Here is the description from the films website:
"In House of Numbers: Anatomy of an Epidemic, an AIDS film like no other, the HIV/AIDS story is being rewritten. This is the first film to present the uncensored POVs of virtually all the major players; in their own settings, in their own words. It rocks the foundation upon which all conventional wisdom regarding HIV/AIDS is based. House of Numbers could well be the opening volley in a battle to bring sanity and clarity to an epidemic gone awry."
If you have not read anything about this film, then I suggest watching it first and making up your own mind. Once you have seen it, there is a plethora of interesting articles on the web.
On Sunday's show, Adam discussed the NYPD case against Essam Attia, a street artist in NYC. Mr. Attia has been putting up fake NYPD signs warning citizens about drones. He now faces "56 counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument, grand larceny possession of stolen property and weapons possession". Ridiculous and tragic all at the same time.
On that note, this weeks NA Films Monday Movie is my favorite film of 2010, Exit Through the Gift Shop. It is perhaps the best documentary on street art made so far. I say that mainly because of the amount of on the street footage of so many street artists that the film contains. The last 20 minutes or so also contain some insanely insightful commentary on the nature of art in general.
Adam spent a bit of time deconstructing the production company behind the upcoming documentary Chasing Ice. 12.5.12 Update:
I missed John discussing the upcoming broadcast on Link TV of the Robert Greenwald documentary about the Koch Brothers, Koch Brothers Exposed.
Chasing Ice Trailer:
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