Social media has indeed made wonders to many people whether in writing or in taking photos. Today, there are a growing number of people active on social networking sites who have become so creative while using Instagram.
If there’s one unique and well though of project on this famous photo sharing site, it has to be that of a French artist named Thomas Jullien. Thomas created a short film that featured 852 Instagram photos not of his own but from the site’s users. The photos covered several important cities including Berlin, Paris, New York and Sydney making the short film into a world tour.
According to Thomas Jullien, his goal was to “create structure out of chaos” and he did achieve that with his crowd source film. He believes that Instagram is a great resource for all types of photos but just lacks structure.
The short stop-motion kind of film was amazingly done and displayed photos of similar tourist spots in four international cities in split seconds such that it brings the viewer to different places around the world. [Read more…]
Michael Moore and Fahrenheit
After finishing Fahrenheit 9/11 in 20004, Michael Moore still had no US distributor. He sought out Harry Weinstein at Miramax, which is owned by Disney. Weinstein agreed to back the movie, but he needed the approval of his superiors at Disney. The CEO of Disney, Michael Eisner, vetoed the distribution of the film. Miramax still held the rights to Fahrenheit 9/11, but could not distribute it.
By the time Michael Eisner vetoed the distribution of the film, Miramax had already given Michael Moore $6 million. This was to be bridge financing that Miramax would recover when the film’s distribution rights were sold. The $6 million more than covered the costs of making Fahrenheit 9/11. Moore hardly had any expenditure for the film. No one but himself was paid a salary and much of the footage he obtained at little or no cost from film libraries. After seeing a rough cut of the film, Weinstein asked Eisner to reconsider his decision. After getting a report on the content, Eisner declared that Disney would not change its position on distributing the movie. [Read more…]
Movie Review: Breast Men
Let’s face it, people are obsessed with looking good. We go to the gym to sculpt our bodies, put creams and chemicals on our face to slow down the effects of aging. We get face lifts to remove wrinkles, and tummy tucks to make sure we’ve got flat abs. But if there’s one cosmetic surgery procedure that have truly charged the face of the aesthetics profession and even culture itself it will have to be breast augmentation, or putting silicone breast implants on women to make them feel more “adequate” where it counts – the breasts. [Read more…]
FTA: Protest and Time Travel with Jane and Don
JULY 1972
In July of 1972, US bombers were working to crush Quong Tri from above as the South Vietnamese embarked on what was to become a failed two-month effort to wrest control of the northern Binh Dinh province. Plus, Jane Fonda was in country.
Barbarella wore fatigues and boonie hats. She straddled Charlie’s anti-aircraft guns–the same kind that fired shots at those planes over Quong Tri. The Oscar-winner from Klute went from being Henry’s girl to being Hanoi Jane. She even took to the airwaves, with NVA assistance, to decry America’s military activity.
That happened about a week after the release of a Francine Parker documentary, FTA. FTA is an acronym with at least four potential meanings. It was “f*ck the army”, “free the army” and “Free Theater Association”.  It could also mean “freedom, travel and adventure” (perks touted by army recruiters at the time).
The documentary tracks a travelling anti-war road show featuring Jane Fonda and her Klute co-star, Donald Sutherland. This folk-singing, joke-telling collection of performers put on a series of shows near military installations and attracted a large number of soldiers–including many who were openly expressing their discontent with the war. American Independent Pictures distributed FTA. It had been in theaters for a week when Fonda’s controversial date with Charlie began to claim headlines.
AIP summarily pulled FTA from the theaters in the wake of the Fonda controversy. Some people say that AIP just didn’t want the hassles that would come by being associated with Fonda. Others claim that threats from increasingly unpopular White House were behind the decision.
Regardless of the reason, FTA disappeared from theaters. They didn’t just lock the prints away. Someone had them destroyed. FTA vanished. The only people to see the movie for years were those with bootleg copies.
Eventually, a complete print showed up somewhere, allowing for a 2009 DVD release.
OCTOBER 2010
Today, we’re stuck in another seemingly endless land war in Asia. Circumstances are radically different but just like then, there’s a large component of the population who’d like to see the combat end.
This time, though, Hollywood isn’t talking about it the way they did forty years ago. Sure, you’ll hear occasional comments from the best-known left-leaning creatives from time to time, but no one is bringing an anti-war vaudeville show to the towns near military bases.
After watching this documentary, I’m not sure that we’re missing much.
FTA consists of two different elements. The movie is a fifty-fifty split between interviews of US soldiers who felt a strong distaste for US activity in Vietnam and the group’s campy stage show.
The interviews are interesting. It’s amazing to see enlisted Marines decry violence in the name of imperialism and to express their doubts and disappointment. None of them says anything earth-shattering, but hearing from them provides the viewer with a clear glimpse of the period and the concerns of those who were charged with the responsibility to carry out an ultimately failed plan of attacks.
The unhappy soldiers and Marines aren’t necessarily spot-on in terms of their analysis, but they got the basics right about Vietnam. They saw the writing on the wall long before the last chopper pulled away from the embassy.
The other half of the movie, the part that documents the actual FTA touring show, is almost unwatchable. Fonda and Company wanted to create a counterpoint to the Bob Hope USO shows of the day. Instead, they did something that looks, sounds and feels a lot like something put together by a bad junior college theater class with a vaguely politically aware high school student serving as head writer.
The folksy songs are catchy, but in an irritating way. The jokes and jibes are delivered earnestly, but they’re dull and obvious. The skits won’t make you smile.
The hearts are in the right place. Whether you agree of disagree with the sentiments of FTA, you can tell that those involved felt like they were doing the right thing. They believed.
They just didn’t have a very good show.
Sutherland is the sole exception. If anyone comes out of FTA looking good, it’s Sutherland.  He has one inspired bit as a sportscaster announcing a firefight between US and NVA forces. He also brings some pathos to the affair with a reading from “Johnny Got His Gun”.
There’s a chance that earlier FTA shows may have been better than those from the Pacific Rim show featured in the movie. An interview with Fonda included on the DVD release reveals that the group originally featured Peter Boyle and Howard Hesseman.
They parted ways when Fonda decided to tackle the issue of the group’s racial composition, responding to a black/white cast imbalance. She says the cast changes helped FTA to connect with the black GIs. That may be true, but it’s too bad Hesseman and Boyle couldn’t still be a part of the act.
In terms of moviemaking, FTA is a very straightforward documentary. There’s no omniscient narration and no one really speaks over the footage. There are a few smart shots and the camera finds occasional artifacts that do a good job of underlining key points. Parker’s primary gift to viewers is a snapshot of a time that’s quite different than today.
I can’t imagine Sean Penn and Will.I.Am embarking on a tour outside of US military installations today. I can’t visualize them sitting down for rap sessions with soldiers or coming right out and making unmistakably strong statements about the Army and its policies. Today, the Dixie Chicks can lose half of a career by expressing disappointment in a President. Jane Fonda will always be Hanoi Jane to a large percentage of the population. Getting as loud and as straightforward as the FTA team is bad career mojo.
The DVD’s interview with Fonda circa 2009 is a must-watch. In it, she admits to a political immaturity in the early 70s and there are moments when you can tell that the beliefs of “the movement” that fueled FTA still move her.
Best “Hard Times” Movies
Looking for a good “feel bad then feel good” movie? I know that sounds kinda wrong but you know what I mean…movies that are about the hard times in life…at the end of the day, despite the grimness of these movies, you tend to feel a glimmer of hope. This could be due to the fact that you know that somehow, some way, there will be a rainbow at the end of the road. Whatever the reason, I think that this would be a good time to watch one of these movies – and then celebrate your life afterwards.
The Grapes of Wrath
Definitely a good portrayal of how harsh life can be. This movie is actually a documentary cum poem based on John Steinbeck’s novel of the same name. If you have not read the novel (I can’t imagine why not!), the gist of the story is that a farming family from Oklahoma migrates to California to find work. The actors (Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell) are excellent and brings the novel to life. An old movie but very much relevant to today.
Cinderella Man
This movie is more recent and it certainly was a hit when it was released. The story is based on the life story of Jim Braddock, played by Russell Crowe, and how he struggled with the fact that he could not provide for his wife (Renee Zellweger) and children. He gets a chance to do so by fighting in the boxing ring. The movie is a good mix of emotions, sports, and relationships.
The Pursuit of Happyness
If you cannot appreciate this movie, then I don’t know what to do with you! Will Smith did a superb job playing the role of the lead character. Who can forget scenes wherein he and his son were living on the streets?