MOVIE: 'Waiting For Superman'
MOVIE: 'Rango'
A thorough documentary takes a journalistic look at an issue by investigating it from all possible angles, removing the emotional component from the discussion and using the gathered information to draw a logical conclusion. A popular and successful documentary heightens an emotional issue by emphasizing the plight of the downtrodden while demonizing the oppressors, all while making their point of view easily understandable to the masses. Waiting for Superman is a fantastic example of a documentary which attempts to be thorough while being successful and wildly engaging.
Of course, it helps that director and writer Davis Guggenheim has two other films under his belt (It Might Get Loud and An Inconvenient Truth) that join Waiting for Superman on the list of 100 highest-grossing documentaries of all time. Rather than solve global warming, this time around Guggenheim tries to tackle an equally frustrating issue: educational reform in America.
The title of Waiting for Superman comes by way of an anecdote from educational reformer Geoffrey Canada. He relates that the saddest day of his childhood growing up in Harlem was the day his mother told him Superman wasn’t real. He began to cry, not at the dispelling of the myth, but at the fact that no one was going to show up who was strong enough to put a stop to everything that was wrong with his neighborhood. Little did Canada know at the time, but he has since become “Superman” to the kids in his old neighborhood.
The film opens up with Anthony, an inner city kid living in Washington, D.C. who lost his father to drugs and has been raised by his grandmother. Anthony wants nothing more than to go to a good school and get a solid education. This simple scene sets up the reoccurring argument at the core of Waiting for “Superman”: our children can and want to learn, but the system fails many of them.
While Guggenheim himself provides the voiceover throughout, he introduces clips from a similar documentary about teachers he filmed ten years ago (The First Year). His present-day self drives past his local public schools to drop off his own kids at a private school. He admits that not everyone is so fortunate as to have the choice. And so begins the tracking of various students in America and their struggles in the education system. There is the aforementioned Anthony, as well as Daisy from Los Angeles, Francisco from the Bronx and Bianca from Harlem. To show that not only inner city kids have school systems that need to be reformed, the film also follows Emily and her family, who live in Red Wood City, California, a suburb in Silicon Valley.
Waiting for Superman focuses on each of these kids and their families as they attempt to seek admission into chartering or preparatory schools. The problem is, there are far too few spaces for all of the applicants, and so a state-mandated lottery must be held for admission. The film slowly builds momentum towards the fateful moment where the children learn the outcome of their educational future. More on that in a moment.
Aside from the emotional involvement with the students and their families, Waiting for “Superman” brings the plight of the educational system into the spotlight through various interviews, news clips and statistics. The speakers are passionate and engaging, especially the above-mentioned Geoffrey Canada (who is the type of teacher that every student should have at least once in their educational experience). Clips from past Presidential promises to reform education roll across the screen as a parade of failures. My personal favorite is the George W. Bush quote, “As yesterday’s positive report card shows, childrens (sic) do learn.”
The statistics are shown in an animated manner (literally), as cartoon charts and figures accompany the narration. Some that still stick with me are the fact that America has more than doubled the amount of money spent per student since 1971, while performance in math and reading has flat lined (adjusted for inflation). The worst reading scores reside in America's capital, with only 12% reaching proficiency level. A statistic that elicited some self-deprecating laughter was a poll that placed America’s best students at 23 out of 29 developed countries, but #1 in perceived performance and confidence.
Guggenheim stresses the importance of teachers throughout Waiting for “Superman,” particularly the teachers who are actually good at their jobs. The film has drawn criticism that it demonizes teachers and union leaders, but it’s really the stagnant system that is the focus here. Issues of tenure and teachers’ rights preclude discussing changes to the system, even when those changes could involve higher pay for the teachers themselves. The point that Guggenheim stresses is that while adults in the education system continue to seek what works best for them, the ones who are left to suffer are the children.
While each of the kids in this documentary exist to make you emotionally invested, they also represent the faceless masses of students across this country who are in the same position. The last few scenes of Waiting for “Superman” show the various families sitting in cafeterias, waiting for the lottery drawing. Of course, we are pulling for each of them to get accepted as we watch the available spaces slowly dwindle.
For students like Emily, who got into her preparatory school, and Anthony from D.C., who at first was placed on a waiting list, but was later called to confirm his admission to a private school, some stories have a happy ending. But for every student admitted, there are many others who are not so lucky. Daisy, Francisco and Bianca are among those who must continue to struggle in sub-par schools.
MOVIE: 'Rango'
As a general rule, animated films are family films. The cost of animation is simply too high for a studio to invest in anything other than the lowest-common denominator fare. It’s rare that any studio other than Pixar will craft an animated feature that not only appeals to kids, but has the wits and edginess that will also charm adults. Rango is one of those rarities. Director Gore Verbinski skillfully blends the broad slapstick of animated creatures having goofy adventures with smart movie references, gorgeous visuals, and impressive animation.
An unnamed chameleon (voiced by Johnny Depp) finds himself stranded in the Mojave Desert after his terrarium falls off his human family’s car. Rather than try to find his way home (he’s not a dog), the chameleon desperately hunts for water and his search leads him to the Western-style town of Dirt. Once there, his instincts as an actor/writer/director kick in and he decides to assume a new identity: Rango, meanest reptile in the west. The gullible townsfolk believe him and after he accidentally defeats a hawk, he’s made sheriff by the Noah Cross-esque mayor (Ned Beatty).
Rango proudly wears its Chinatown inspiration on its sleeve. The major conflict in the film is that Dirt is almost out of water, which functions not only as a refreshing beverage, but as the town’s currency. Every Wednesday, the town lines up to do an intricate line dance in order to appease the mighty desert faucet, which is now only pumping mud. After the water reserve is stolen from the bank, Rango gathers up a possum posse and seeks to reclaim the reserve (neglecting to mention that he stupidly helped the supposed thieves tunnel their way into the vault).
Everything in Rango is done with a great deal of charm. There’s plenty of slapstick and a little bit of bathroom humor, but I find these aspects far less grating when they’re coupled with a desire to be strange. The script has no problem giving its characters SAT-level vocabulary or providing the love interest (Isla Fisher) with a malfunctioning defense mechanism. Verbinski makes room for the broad comedy that everyone will enjoy and a bunch of movie references and wordplay jokes that only adults will get.
What’s wonderful about Rango is how it deftly balances the light, silly humor with the darker, more thoughtful aspects of the story. There’s pathos to Rango’s story as he struggles to make his own identity and there’s smart commentary about the nature of authenticity against the backdrop of Hollywood’s facade of the west. But then you’ll see a hawk inserting quarters into a vending machine or Rango quickly explaining that camouflaging is “an art not a science,” and the movie continues on at its brisk pace. Only when it reaches the third act does the story begin to feel a bit drawn out and in need of some trimming.
However, the length isn’t too much of a problem because Verbinski has created such a delightful world. All of the voice acting is terrific, but Depp in particular does tremendous work with his Rango voice and you can really hear him throwing himself into the performance. The animation of the characters is equally outstanding. The cast is comprised of southwestern fauna such as reptiles, amphibians (“Ain’t no shame in that.”), and rodents, and Verbinski doesn’t try to make them look cuddly. He understands that giving them big, expressive eyes will make them relatable to the audience, and then he can let the animators do impressive work when it comes to how their skin shifts and moves. And it’s all tied together with some gorgeous visuals, which should comes as no surprise when you consider that cinematographer Roger Deakins (True Grit) served as a visual consultant on the picture.
Rango proves there’s room for studios other than Pixar (and to a lesser extent, DreamWorks) to make CGI animation that’s kid-tested and adult-approved. I applaud Paramount for taking a chance on an oddball premise populated by ugly-looking-but-still-adorable-in-their-own-weird-way characters. I love how the film blends silliness with smarts. If The Far Side creator Gary Larson ever wrote a script for a Hollywood movie, it might resemble Rango, and that’s one of the highest compliments I can give.
MOVIE: 'Desert Flower'
Review: Desert Flower is a once-in-a-lifetime story. This is not your typical fashion movie, packed with narcissism and eating disorders. Waris Dirie’s powerful life, which she detailed in her biography of the same name, tugs right at your heart, whether or not you’re interested in the modeling world. Directed by German filmmaker Sherry Horman, Desert Flower is a superbly told story with unapologetic conviction, noticeable fire, and the purest intentions of moving your soul.
Despite creaky transitions from high-fashion modeling to the deserts of Somalia, Desert Flower has a clear, engaging direction. Each scene blends into the next, whether it’s the horrors of female circumcision or a young girl surviving the brutality of living in the third world; Horman gives the viewer a vivid journey.
Ethiopian model Liya Kebede stars as Waris. One might think a model playing another model in a biopic isn’t much of a stretch. However, Kebede gives a breakthrough performance, leaving the glamour on the catwalk. Her walk, her talk, and the vulnerable look in her eyes are everything a great performance is made of; she has certainly earned the right to be called an actress.
The film also includes the always polished Anthony Mackie as her potential boyfriend and Sally Hawkins as her kooky roommate.
Desert Flower is not your typical “message” flick. Being that the main focus is female circumcision, no matter how great the film is, some audiences will not want to see it. Most importantly, this is Dirie’s life—she is not condemning the culture, only asking for education and evolution. The most serious moment is the reenactment of Dirie being circumcised as a three-year old girl, which is difficult to watch. As in 2009’s Precious, the abuse is recounted with compassion and cinematic sensitivity.
Presented by National Geographic Entertainment, this is the first must-see movie of the year. With complaints that not enough black films were released in 2010, we have already started the new year on a high note with Desert Flower. Hopefully by this time next year, the creators of this unforgettable flick will get the recognition they deserve during awards season.
Desert Flower opens in select cities Friday, March 18.
By: Clay Cane
MOVIE: 'The Rite'
Summary: Loosely based on a true story, The Rite tells the tale of Michael Kovak (Colin O’Donoghue). Raised in a funeral home with a religious father, Kovak has two choices: to be a priest or a mortician. He goes with the priesthood, but doubts his faith. Kovak is forced to live in Italy, where he witnesses an exorcism by an older priest (Anthony Hopkins). Will it make him believe?
Review: Anthony Hopkins is one of the greatest actors to have ever lived. But none of the greats could’ve made this poorly crafted, lethargic, unoriginal gush of foolishness work onscreen. The Rite struggles on every level, and, with the exception of a few good one-liners from Hopkins, the film evokes no emotion—neither suspense nor laughter, as horror films sometimes do.
Ever since 1973’s The Exorcist, Hollywood has been obsessed with reinventing the exorcism storyline. It’s always a brunette girl contorting and cursing with holy water splashed on her face. This premise was a one-hit wonder and Oscar gold in the ’70s, but has rarely resonated well with audiences since then.
Directed by Mikael Håfström, The Rite stumbles along with a monotone Colin O’Donoghue as a sceptical soon-to-be priest. Within the first 20 minutes, you can predict the ending. By the end of the nearly two hours, will the priest find Christ or become an atheist? Take a wild Hollywood guess.
Everything else in between is schlock dressed as “horror.” The cheap scares consist of mules with red eyes, colourful frogs as demons and religious imagery tainted by the “devil.”
Moreover, there is an uncomfortable agenda-driven religious message enforced in The Rite that I am sure the likes of Fox News will appreciate it. Agendas in film work for well-done movies; this film is the opposite.
The Rite is all wrong. I have faith this flick will be plagued with bad reviews and a strong opening weekend but vanish in the following weeks.
The Rite is in theatres.
By: Clay Cane
MOVIE: 'Johnny Mad Dog'
Summary: In a film based on the novel by Emmanuel Dongala, cross-dressing child soldiers high on drugs are fighting a war in an unknown African country.
Review: Johnny Mad Dog is a brutal, haunting film that is based on the real-life phenomenon of children being recruited as soldiers in wars across Africa. Child soldiers are not unique to Africa, but what is unique to the largest continent in the world is the history of colonization, which has sparked massive civil wars. The movie tackles the horror of war and childhood, acknowledging that these villains are victims of circumstance.
The highlight of Johnny Mad Dog is the acting; this is a showcase for undiscovered talent. These unknown actors are so real you almost feel as if you’re watching an episode of Frontline. There is a rage in their eyes, a stress in their facial movements that makes them look possessed. However, there is a reason that the performances resonate so strongly — many of the actors were former child soldiers, and the movie was filmed right in Liberia, where a war like this took place. I’m not sure how healthy it is for teen actors to relive this horror for the cameras, but the French director Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire said it was “therapy” for the kids. Christopher Minie, who plays the leader of the pack, Johnny Mad Dog, carries the film. This is an actor moviegoers can only hope to see more of.
Sauvaire captures the visuals and highlights the actors, but unlike City of God, the storyline here doesn’t have much polish. Many of the scenes just cut to more blood and gore, similar to a horror film. The characters aren’t fleshed-out enough, which leaves the viewer wanting more. The anticlimactic ending, one of those “it’s your interpretation” scenarios, feels like a bust, but it doesn’t ruin the whole film.
One aspect that is never discussed is the reason why many of the soldiers are cross-dressing. One kills in a wedding dress, another rocks a Nicki Minaj-like wig, and some wear masks. According to a 2003 article from Slate.com, “Cross-dressing is a military mind game, a tactic that instils fear in their rivals. It also makes the soldiers feel more invincible. This belief is founded on a regional superstition which holds that soldiers can ‘confuse the enemy’s bullets’ by assuming two identities simultaneously.”
More than anything, Johnny Mad Dog will help continue a conversation on the terror child soldiers’ face in countries like Liberia, Uganda and Sudan. It’s a film that I would recommend– it’s educational, truthful and important.
Johnny Mad Dog is out now.
By: Clay Cane
MOVIE: 'Tupac'
It’s official! The 2Pac film starts filming this summer in Los Angeles, New York, Georgia and Las Vegas. Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Brooklyn’s Finest), the movie will be distributed by Morgan Creek and appropriately titled TUPAC. However, there is no word on the cast and who play the legendary hip-hop icon.
Anthony Mackie is a name in the mix but he told he said back in December, “I am sure Fuqua has a very precise vision that he has for that film. So, I don’t know. I haven’t talked to him. I have not seen him. The first I’d heard of it was a few weeks ago. It is still early in the process, I don’t even know if they have a script. By the time it comes around I will probably be too old, but Black don’t crack!”
Speaking of Mackie, this brother is steadily working. According to reports, he is in talks to star in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter for 20th Century Fox — yep, a Vampire film based on Abe Lincoln. Mackie would play Lincoln’s best friend.
Exactly 14 years ago today, John Singleton’s Rosewood opened nationwide. The Warner Bros. film was Singleton’s fourth movie, and his most political. Previously he’d had big hits with urban classics like Poetic Justice and Boyz N The Hood, but Rosewood was far from urban—it was set in the Jim Crow South. The cast included Jon Voight, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, and Esther Rolle in her last role before she passed.
Rosewood is based on the true story of the January 1923 massacre in Rosewood, Florida. Poor whites in nearby towns were jealous that Rosewood, a primarily Black town, was so prosperous. After word spread of an unsupported allegation that a Black man had raped a white woman, angry mobs of whites gathered to destroy Rosewood—and they did. In real life, numerous lynchings occurred (including the cutting off of pieces of dead Black bodies as “souvenirs”), and Rosewood was burned to the ground.
Over 60 years later, CNN reported on the history of Rosewood, which inspired Singleton to turn the Rosewood story into a film.
Unfortunately, Rosewood did not perform well at the box office. The flick only grossed a little over $13 million. Nonetheless, it was an educational and emotional movie that highlighted a piece of ignored history: life in the Jim Crow South.
Check out the vintage trailer below!
ROSEWOOD
MOVIE: “The Bodyguard” Remake Confirmed: Will Miley Cyrus Play Whitney’s Character?
Almost two years ago, it was reported that Whitney Houston’s mega-successful 1992 film The Bodyguard was up for a remake. Supposedly, Miley Cyrus would play Whitney’s character, the high-strung singing diva. Hugh Jackman would play Kevin Costner’s character of the trusty bodyguard. Thankfully, we never saw that film come to life.
Now, it is reporting that Warner Bros. is officially remaking The Bodyguard but with social-media and Iraq War twists:
"The new version is similar, including the love story, but here the bodyguard will be a former Iraq war veteran who gets the job protecting the star as his first gig after leaving the Army. He discovers that the world of Twitter, Google Maps, and TMZ has made access to celebrities easier than ever, making the job more difficult than ever. The goal is to take a young female singer with global appeal and give her the platform that The Bodyguard did Houston.”
It would be no shocker if Miley’s name popped back up to play Nippy’s role, Rachel Marron. The past few years of Miley’s career have been about taking her to the “next level.” But, why not let The Bodyguard rest about a decade more or so? The flick isn’t even 20 years old. Isn’t it a little soon to dust off the Queen of the Night headpiece and revamp “I Will Always Love You”?