REEL INJUN

the filmmaker, a cree, relates a story from his youth in canada.  they watched cowboy & indian films in the church basement, and all rooted for the cowboys.  as he said, "we didn't know WE were the indians".  everyone views "indians" as horse riders in the american west.  the director rides through current native american communities of the west in a rez car. this scenes are interspersed with clips from iconic films, interviews with native americans, and footage of the geographic regions that were classically shown in the films.    i enjoyed seeing so many locations that i've visited, such as the black hills and monument valley,...oh, and haight ashbury--the new location for indians (when all the hippies dressed indian).  stereotypes abound--the noble indian, the savage, the drunk, "the best injun is a dead injun".  the film discusses how jewish and italian actors played the native american roles.  then, speak of john wayne and his actions against the indians!  there are some cute clips from cartoons also:  bugs bunny shooting 1 little, 2 little, 3 little indians.  i think one of the big impacts from film is that the indians always lost--what must that look like to a generation of young native american children growing up.  the film maker shows some stereotypical film to current day young native american children to see their reactions.  its a very powerful scene.  and..........who knew THIS?  iron eyes cody....that iconic indian who shed a tear because of the way americans littered nature.....he was SICILIAN!  he BECAME indian, appearing in over 100 films as an indian.  even his son lives as a native american today.  billy jack was one of the first films that changed the look and stereotype--the indians started to fight back and we rooted for THEM. in the 70's, the indians actually DID fight back against the US military at wounded knee.  th that's when marlon brando sent the native american woman to not accept his oscar for "the godfather" at the academy awards show.  finally, the film "smoke signals" opened the door for native americans making films about and for native americans.  they discuss one that i'll have to look for, "atanarjuat", written, directed and acted entirely by first nation.  i know this post is significantly longer than my others.  since my days at the arch, maybe since i first saw that indian pull up in his canoe and shed that tear, i've been intrigued by the native american view of the earth.  i think it's tragic that the progress of our country included such destruction of that culture.  i really enjoyed this film and i look forward to seeking out others like this.  film is powerful; it certainly determined what the common culture would see and believe regarding the native americans.

28. JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI

jiro, 85 yrs old, a sushi master, started in the business at 10 yrs old.  he makes the best sushi in the world at his michelen 3 star restaurant.  it is the only 3 star business with only 10 seats and a restroom outside the dining room.  jiro treats sushi as an art, finessing the finest flavors of the fresh ingredients bought at the market each day.  he uses only the best of the best of all ingredients.  i learned that octopus should be massaged for 5 hrs before its served!  a 20 sushi tasting menu, a sushi concerto, if you will, could take as little as 15 min to eat and cost at least 30,000 yen (almost $300 american).  there are long clips of the fish market and its interesting to see how the proper one is chosen.  jiro's oldest son is obligated to take over his father's business, but maybe had no idea that dad would work this long.  younger brother started his own business several years ago.  while his food is also very good, it is a more relaxed atmosphere.  many of the interviews in the film talked of how intimidating jiro can be.  i also always though sushi was rolled, but they form the rice by hand and lay the protein over it and coat with the sauce.  they have the shape of a little lobster tail, and are eaten in 1 bite.  its imperative to eat the sushi as soon as it is prepared, when the perfect temperature of all the ingredients is met.  additionally, he makes sushi for his female guests slightly smaller, so that both men and women are done chewing at the same time.  every attention to detail. i feel i learned a lot about the culture as well as the production of fine sushi.  3 michelen stars means its worth visiting the country just to go to the restaurant.  jiro's books about a month in advance.  sushi, anyone?

27. BECOMING CHAZ

we all remember her....little chastity bono, daughter of sonny and cher.  she appeared many times on their tv show.  chastity grew up, apparently never feeling quite right in her body.  she came out as a lesbian in her late teens, which was very difficult for momma cher.  later in life, chastity made the decision to become chaz and started the process of gender modification.  we see him, with long time girlfriend jenny, making changes and dealing with life, while always cognizant of his very public persona.  i learned a little about transgender.  we see him get "top surgery", meaning removal of the breasts.  we hear him discuss "bottom surgery", for which he is still ambivalent, due to the imperfections of the procedures.  when a female becomes male, the testosterone caused the clitoris to swell to 2-3 inches and this then becomes the pleasure organ, although it can't do everything a male penis can do.  we see jenny and chaz deal with changes in their relationship, due to the "surge of testosterone".  we see interviews with friends and family of chaz, including, most intriguingly, cher.  chaz feels all man, although mom cher still tends to refer to "her".  chaz is now engaged in helping transgender youth lead happier lives, something he feels quite sad about missing out on.  i say, way to go, chaz, and best wishes.

26. HAPPY PEOPLE: A YEAR IN THE TAIGA

werner herzog directed and narrates this film depicting the life of the people of the of Bakhtia in the Siberian tiaga ( a conifer forest) through the four seasons of the year.   i struggled throughout the film to determine why it was called "happy people".  this is a village of 300 people, so isolated it can only be reached by helicopter or boat.  they live by the traditions they have always known, which means that everything they have or do comes by their own hands, (except for a chain saw and snowmobile).  we see them making their own skis, and canoes, building shelters, fishing with nets, gardening and harvesting, with the primary focus always on the lives of the trappers, who work through 3 seasons to make and store the goods that will provide for them through the winter sable trapping season.  there is really no time when they LOOK happy; though there are comments that when they are out trapping, the world is theirs.....no rules, no constrictions, living life on their terms.  perhaps that makes for a HAPPY PEOPLE.  really, i think it is just plain and simple, life.  these people probably don't know anything else beyond them, since there is no phone or running water.  (i did wonder what the population thought when werner herzog and the film crew documented their lives for a year.)  the winter environment is harsh for the trappers, who each has his own defined trapping territory.  each builds a series of huts, a day's journey apart, so there is shelter at the end of the day.  man and his dog, trapping, collecting, eating frozen fish and a store of bread.  HAPPY PEOPLE?

25 on the 25th OF TWO MINDS

of two minds; bi-polar disorder.  the film is created by a woman who's sister suffered with bi-polar to the extreme of suicide.  she wanted to understand the pain a person feels when they live in that world of extremes.  several people with bi-polar were followed and interviewed.  they actually are a collection of very talented and beautiful people, making the point that the highs of the manic phase are creative and powerful.  its the lows of the depression that create so much of the suffering.  several described feeling "so tired" and having to put on a good face.  these people are all successful, with support networks of family and friends.  many have kept lifetime journals.  most have considered suicide more than once, some regularly.  it seems scary.  many were relieved when they actually had a diagnosis to explain their struggle.  most made a point that they didn't want to BE bi-polar, just as a person with cancer is NOT cancer.  it is a medical diagnosis, it determines the way the person lives, but it isn't ALL they are.  the women and men in this film live productive lives.  they actually all seem to live very good lives, financially speaking.  one made the comment that she would like to be in a "normal" brain for one day; just as i might like to experience the good part of a bi-polar brain for a day; that other side, however, i think i will leave to the film.

24. SOMM

the film follows the journey of 4 young men in their quest to become master sommeliers--wine stewards, knowledgeable in all aspects of wine service, tasting and food pairing.  becoming a master sommelier requires passing the 3 day, 3 part master exam.  this world is INTENSE.  the test consists of a tasting--3 reds and 3 whites. they discuss the notes of each wine, narrowing it down to the vintner, the region the grapes were grown, the year!  the list of words and phrases to describe wine is exhaustingly long.  the next piece is service and the final portion is theory.  in the past 40 years that the test has existed, only 170 people in the world have passed it.  many take it several times.  preparing for this test affects all parts of the lives of these men and their families.  i don't know a lot about wine, but i've always appreciated that there is a lot to know.  saying that is such a gross understatement!  i had no concept of just HOW MUCH there is to know.  of course, each of the men had different study styles and different personalities.  it was fun to get to the end, having predicted to myself who might and might not be successful with the test, and see just how close i was.  i won't spoil the outcome for anyone who might see the film.  i enjoyed this film very much.  i should go have a glass of wine.  it makes me wonder what words these guys would use to describe the reisling in a blue bottle that mary buys at aldi's....the only wine i really ever drink.....

23. GOD SAVE OUR SHOES

shoes!  women love shoes!  apparently, men love women's shoes also.  confirmed by research, feet and sex are intertwined.  the way a foot slips into a shoe resembles the way a penis slips into the vagina.  the shape of a woman's foot in a stiletto is the shape a foot takes during orgasm.  that information came at the end of this film, which showed HUNDREDS of shoes and dozens of women showing their shoe collections and talking at length about their desire for shoes.  one woman had 900+ pr!  they spend several hundred to several thousand dollars for their shoes.  high heels are power tools.  and, most admit that they are NOT comfortable.  many admit that a particular pair of shoes can only be worn to sit in.  several shoe designers were interviewed as well.  i found it interesting that manalo blahnik, who's shoes were made famous by "sex in the city", was wearing SNEAKERS!  weapons of mass seduction.  objects of desire.  symbols of femininity and empowerment.  shoes tap into emotions of both men and women.  an escape from daily life.  a fantasy.  should i go buy a pair of heels?...probably  will i?  sadly, but realistically, no

22. WHEN STRANGERS CLICK

this film interviews 5 different people who talk about the relationships they experienced via the internet.   kim thinks she's only interested in someone who lives near her, but ends up meeting and marrying a man from prague.  the second story is a guy who grew up in montana; ryan, the gay son of christian parents who is amazed to find that there is a whole world of people like him out there. dave discusses the many women he met and dated before falling in love with and marrying.  oh, a side note....he's only 5 feet tall.  4th was beth, just turned 30 and depressed where her life was.  andy was a 47yo divorced father of 3.  an unlikely couple, to be sure, but now married with 2 children.  the final story was the one where i actually heard about something i'd never known about.  bara lives on an a relatively isolated island in sweden.  depressed about losing his job and his company, he turned to the internet and a site called second life....a person can make an avatar of themself and live and love in the virtual world.  in this world, he owned a successful bar, played guitar and met fans.  one of them was a love connection with the avatar of a woman from park hill, mo.  in an odd twist, his virtual person got a real life recording contract, which brought him to new york, thus allowing him to meet the real life woman in missouri.  there is an odd twist with this one!  so......second life.........you apparently can do anything you want on here, including sex?  the stories were interesting enough; the people compelling in how they shared their stories.  does it make me want to try to find love on the internet?..................no    but, i'm glad it works for so many.  it seems it takes someone willing to take a leap of faith in many instances.

21. THE TENTS

the film documents the fashion industry.  in the years prior to '94, designers showed their lines at random nyc locations, meaning their guests had to drive uptown, downtown and all around town.  apparently there were many issues with elevators and unsafe locations as well.  in an effort to consolidate the shows into a more organized system, the cfd (council for fashion design) chose to erect tents in bryant park.  all the designers showed in this location; spring and fall.  we see behind the scenes; hear interviews with many designers, editors and stylists.  i learned the impact of these shows on all those involved.  by 2010, the tents were no longer serving the need, since SO many more people were attending the events.  this year saw that last fashion week in "the tents" of bryant park; fashion week is currently held in lincoln center.  i think one of my most enjoyable juxtapositions in this film is carolina herrera and betsy johnson.  the footage flips back and forth between the two designers, who are on the opposite ends of the fashion spectrum.  since i've long been a fan of project runway, i have learned some of the ins and outs from that show, so those parts weren't totally new to me.  also because of that show, i have a basic knowledge of many of the fashion players, so it was fun to hear their views and often see footage of them in early years.  all in all, fashion week is here to stay, bigger every year.  does it effect me and my life in any possible way?......no, it doesn't. 

20. MOVING ART: FORESTS

stunning!  i don't know exactly how much i LEARNED with this little film, other than to be reminded of the various things i learned when i was lucky enough to visit these places in person.  i'm reminded of the cool mist you feel when standing by a waterfall; the furry green tree limbs in the forest; ferns; ocean tide; forest shadows; the frothy white of waterfalls.  i almost feel as revived as i do when i'm actually IN big nature, as i refer to it.   i did refer to google to find this is apparantly one of many films by louie schwartzberg--a name i just learned.  it is filmed through the seasons in olympic national park and in and the redwood coast in california.  i only know the location from the film description on netflix. i'm fortunate to have been at both these locations, but only during one season of the year.  the arial views cannot be accomplished in person.  the color is brilliant; orange and red in the autumn; the brightest, freshest green in spring.  there is very cool time lapse of clouds over mountains through a day, which reminds me of a few times that joe did cloud time lapse on a few of our trips. the night sky time lapse shows the abundance of stars in the changing sky.

19. MARILYN IN MANHATTAN

this short little film regards marilyn's life following her great success in hollywood, her divorce from joe dimaggio,  and a covert move to new york city.
even though her success in film was huge, she wanted to me "an actress"; not of the dumb blonde type, but with what she considered true acting.  she got herself admitting to the actor's studio, under the tutelage of lee strasburg.  in fact, she lived in the family home.  she shared family time, as well, with milton greene, who took amazing candid stills of her.  while in new york, she and milton started a production company for the purpose of reworking her career into serious films.  along the line, she met and married arthur miller, whose intellect she admired.  essentially, arthur was a jealous guy and micromanaged her affairs to such a degree that he somewhat forced marilyn to say goodbye to milton.  she eventually returned to los angeles and the effects of aging, prescription drugs and champagne took their toll until her ultimate death.  the film is full of interviews with her "people" from the new york days, most specifically lee strassburg's daughter and milton greene's wife and son and interjected with photos and family films, never before seen.  marilyn monroe is a fascinating woman and, to my mind, its nearly impossible not to watch her.  in fact, susan strasburg tells a story of walking in new york with a disguised marilyn and no one on the streets noticing her.  then, one day marilyn says to her, "do you want to see how they react to marilyn monroe" and susan describes a visible 'light turning on' and passersby immediately recognizing and responding to the star.  i never really knew that marilyn monroe lived in new york or aspired to be a dramatic actress.

1-18. it begins......my goal to document something i learn each day; the majority through netflix documentaries

Saturday, January 18, 2014

a documentary a day

I'm going to try this again.  blogging.  i had a wonderful christmas season.  each year, i think there is so much extra to fit into an already busy schedule that i will cut back.  but, i don't.  this year, we had a really nice celebration at ruth and rick's; then christmas day with jkl & board games; jam came on the sunday after christmas until new year's day and we had a very good time.  well, one of my gifts was a smart tv with a netflix button.  thank you k.  i thought i would enjoy watching documentaries.  there are SO many!  k helped me make my queue and i determined that i would try and watch a documentary/day.  i figure even if i get through the year and don't exactly watch one a day, maybe i will have something like 20/month or so.  

today is the middle of 1/18.  i have a list of 16 films.  jam tells me that i should blog about them, or maybe what i learn.  i'm just not such a good documentarian myself, but this will be my attempt to get something written.  the first post will be somewhat short on some details, since i watched these films over the past 16 days but i didn't write anything on paper other than the titles.  therefore, i'm relying on my memory........ha/smile

blackfish--this is about the orca whales that sea world bases its success on.  there have been a lot of comments about this film.  the film was prompted by the death of a trainer.  there have been others, but sea world insists they were trainer errors.  the film shows a different story.  in the end, i felt that i was happy to have seen sea world many years ago, because i don't feel like i could ever go again; i'm just not sure i can get the heartbreaking sounds of mother orcas being separated from their babies.  and, of course, the film begs the question of whether wild animals should be caged, especially for the purposes of money-generating entertainment.

3 stars--this is a film about the michelin star rating for restaurants and the importance that being awarded a star can make to a business.  1 star is a local favorite; 2 is a national delight and 3 is international.  as with all businesses, there is so much to know under the surface.  i enjoyed it overall, though it got a little tedious to me in the middle.

first position young children trying out for a limited number of spots with ballet companies.  it described the expense, the training, the parent goals and struggles and that of the children.  this is a competitive field and who knew it went on like this?  not me

 craigslist joe  joe decides to spend 30 days getting his needs met solely from craigslist.  i like the premise, but i have to say that i didn't feel it was really just by chance regarding some of the options he experienced.  he made his way from southern california to northern california, across the u.s. to new york, down to florida, over to new orleans, back to san fran for a meeting wtih craigslist founder and then back to his home on new years eve to be met by his family and friends.  as i said, its an interesting concept; just not sure i feel it was totally real.

a matter of taste, serving up paul lebradt this young talented chef has a difficult time staying employed.  he has standards and dreams.  he has a vision and its hard for him to work within someone else's.  in the end, he makes his way to a 3 star rating and can be considered a success.  the film chronicles the "along the way" days.

style wars  graffiti artists in the early 80's in NYC.  there are those who paint out of art or angst.  they have a story to tell with their work and use the NYC trains as the canvas.  there are others who just want to "tag" as many places as they can, often the other's art.  then there is the police department, who discuss the expense of managing all this grafitti'd equipment.  in the end, mayor koch's idea of razor wire protected train yards with guard dogs keeps the trains clean and the artists begin to appear in galleries, with some earning money for their work.

eames, the architect and the painter  now i know a lot more about how the eames chair, and other eames items, were developed.  he divorced his first wife and moved to venice beach in california, where he married and partnered with his love, the painter.  together they built a wildly successful design company.  the chair was the signature piece, but there were all sorts of items come out of that firm.  after his death, his wife (who had been the more silent partner) stepped up and continued to successfully run the place.

8.   helvetica  a film about a font.  who knew?  at the time it was made, helvetica was celebrating 50 yrs.  developed in sweden, it became the font that was used for everything--traffic signs, so many logos (like target), everywhere.  before that, a lot of advertising was hand drawn and all over the place.  helvetica standardized the world of text.  then, as things happen, the world changed and, especially in marketing, helvetica was seen as stodgy.  there is an interesting discussion about how we view a product/service based on the font used to promote.

bill cunningham new york   i really enjoyed this film and this man.  he lives the simplest life, in a small room at carnegie hall--no kitchen, no bathroom, surrounded by file cabinets of all his photos and negatives.  he has filmed fashion all his life.  in his ny times column, he featured trends, as he observes and photographs them on the streets of ny.  while he attends galas and premieres and all that, he finds FASHION the celebrity, not the person wearing the clothes. "he who seeks beauty will find it".  he just seems so kind and sincere and delightful........oh, and he's like 80 yrs old.

the restauranteur  i have to say, i don't have a lot of thoughts on this.  i got bored and i have very little recollection about it.  mostly, they were developing a new restaurant......so it was interesting from the standpoint of all the decisions that go into a high end place.  but, it just didn't move along enough.  i was interested in the sepments about how dishes are developed and all the thought given to plating and presentation.

becoming santa  the filmmaker is a little burnt out on christmas, though his mother always had made it a special time.  but, she'd dead now, as is his dad, though he finds a photo of his dad as a department store santa.  so, he decides to try that out and re-find his spirit.  he bleaches his hair and beard (he already has the right body type), gets a quality, custom santa suit, goes to santa school and does a lot of santa gigs.  in the end, he realizes being santa is hard.  but, more importantly to the film, he realizes you just can't LOOK like santa, you have to BE santa.  there are several interviews with other santas.  the most successful are santa all the time, since children find santa to be one of the most important people in their world.  i really enjoyed this film.

12.  happy  a 2 way look at being happy.  there is scientific data about what goes on in the brain of a happy person.  then there are interviews from many locations in the world.  denmark, the happiest place in the world; japan, home of the highest per capita suicides; okinawa, the highest per capita of people 100+ years old; slums of calcutta.......all discussing why they are happy.  the film was released in conjunction wtih "world happy day".

greenwich village--the music that defined a ...  i watched this the night i came home from seeing "inside llewyn davis" at the theater.  i really didn't know a lot about the music evolution that occurred in the early 60's in greenwich village; now i know a little more.  mostly folk artists sang the songs of others in small venues.  along the line, they started to write their own songs; songs that described the world.  bob dylan came along around the end of this beginning.  i already wish i remembered more from this film; i know i enjoyed the music clips and so many of the artists talking about their lives at the time.

a model for matisse  french subtitled.  a young woman, a nurse, assisted matisse after a serious surgery toward the end of his life.  she then posed for many of his art.  she didn't think he was so talented, because his pictures didn't look lifelike like she was used to.  he valued her honesty and they developed a strong friendship.  she went on to become a dominican nun, which was hard for him, as he didn't have the access to her that he'd grown used to.  her order didn't have a chapel in the south of france and he determined to build one.  this caused her issues with her superiors, but she was involved in all aspects of the design, with him.  the chapel was too modern for many, as it is truly matisse.  you can see photos of it online.  the chapel at vence.  i enjoyed this so much!  there is a lot of footage of matisse and the interview with the now aged nun are delightful.

birders, the central park effect  so i knew this was going to be about birdwatchers.  what i didn't know was that central park collects up to 200 species during the migration season.  this is about a quarter of the birds on the continent.  there is a woman with breast cancer, who leads groups of birders a few times/wk for $8.  she knows so much.  those birders interviewed in the film describe how birding makes such a difference in their lives.

16.  nenette  also subtitled from french, and relatively short, the camera watches nenette, a 40+yr old orangutan in a french zoo.  she has 4 children and currently lives iwth her son.  there is very little dialog; mostly the camera just captures visitors to the zoo and what they say while watching her, and keepers as they describe her.  mostly what you get from this film is how we attribute our human emotions on to the animals.  and, if they are as "people-like" as we ponder they are, should they be housed in zoos?  as one says, if there were a lot more of her, she would be out free in a jungle.  its because of the scarcity of her species that she has spent her life in the zoo.  something to think about, for sure.

MORE THAN HONEY

This film was interesting; lots of closeups of bees, making me wonder about the filming.  these bee breeders are so totally comfortable around the bees that they don't even always wear protective gear.  they stand there and talk to the camera with hordes of bees buzzing around.  i learned that 80% of the world almonds are grown in california.  there are miles of orchards that can only be pollinated by bees.  this takes a LOT of bees, but the food for the bees is only available for about 2 weeks, until the flowers fade.  think of it.  then, the bees would die.  so, the breeders travel their bees from state to state, following the flowering of  various crops that require pollination.  transporting the bees is difficult, too, because they can't fly away to escape their own filth; therefore, the bees can only be transported, at the most, a day and a half before they have to be allowed to fly from their hives.  additionally, bees are susceptible now to various illness, infection and parasites.  so, most of them are, at times, fed sugar water laced with antibiotics.   african bees, which we all feared, actually have proven to be hardier and purer, though much more aggressive.  some breeders only deal in this strain now and these bees don't need chemical maintenance.  we need bees and we need them to stay healthy.  the weird thing about this film was that during many portions of it, people spoke other languages, like german and chinese, with no subtitles.  i never quite figured out if the english voice over in subsequent segments was interpreting what was said in the foreign language, OR if the viewer was just missing out on some information.  so, i'm not sure if i learned all there was to learn from this film, but i can end by saying i always knew bees were important to pollination, but i now possess a much deeper appreciation regarding the bees of the world.

18.  THE SECRET DISCO REVOLUTION

this is a fun film, full of interviews and music/dance clips from the days of disco.  this was a time of music that i mostly disregarded, as i'm forever locked into my classic rock and roll roots.  the film presents the theory that disco was a form of protest, liberating gays, blacks and women.  there is an expert woman, who shares her ideas on how this is so.  i really don't think its giving away much  (since the entire film has a satire air to it) to know that at the end, when the question of protest is asked of various disco stars and moguls, blank faces abound.  their overall response?  disco was fun; it was hedonistic excess; it was a party.  it started slowly in the early 70's and was played only in clubs until first hitting the radio waves in '74.  donna summer is the queen of the disco revolution.  more and more stations played the music and numbers of clubs exploded.  the film, "saturday night fever", '77, brought the sensation to the mainstream public in a huge way.  by '79, a disco demolition was held in kominsky park in chicago.  a stadium full of people, wearing "disco sucks" shirts, brought their albums in for a mass explosion on the field.  not long after, "my sharonna" topped the billboard charts and it was, once again, rock & roll that ruled the air.