Crips and Bloods: Made in America

First Hit: Powerful and interesting film providing a background and context to a 40 year battle.

15,000 people dead, more than the number of people killed in the British / Irish conflict, yet there are no heads of state going in to facilitate a resolution let alone the Governor of the State of California. 70% of the children in this community are growing up in a home without a male (father) presence.

The film tells a compelling story about how this area of Los Angeles grew after World War II with the infusion of blacks from the south to fill the need of manning the factories which were set up by Goodyear, GM, Firestone, Ford and Chrysler but then the work sector changed to one aligned with aerospace the factory jobs started leaving.

The oppression of the community by the LA Police Department and Mayor Sam Yorty along with the exclusion of the blacks from clubs like the Cub and Boy Scouts led to the development of other clubs. The film digs into these subjects and uses interviews, by the men who suffered under this exclusion, to explore how these clubs turned into gangs.

The interviews provide a compelling and strong backdrop and perspective on life in this part of LA.

The director effectively used these interviews along with old film clips and lots of old photos to paint the picture. I loved the opening sequence of this film as well. If you liked the opening sequence of “Star Wars” with the huge ship coming into the picture from an overhead perspective, then you will like the opening sequence in this film – I thought it was clever and gives a perspective as to how big LA is and how within this massive city is a section that is and has been at war with itself and us for 40 years.

Overall: I grew up on LA and recall the “Watts Riots” and the riots as a result of the “Rodney King” beating and this film put a much better context to this area in South LA. It was really worth the price of admission and the people of this community are paying the price with their lives.

Religulous

First Hit: I liked the premise and the questioning of religions and belief. It’s something I’ve done a lot of over the years.

To see a film that dares to ask bold questions to believers of different faiths was refreshing and poignant. Bill Maher takes on religions and the beliefs (stories) that make up aspects of various religions.

On one hand I thought many of the questions were direct and insightful and on the other hand many times the questions came with a smugness that reflected his lack of listening. There was a lack of earnestness to his probing as if he already knew the answer. Yet there were times I could sense his real curiosity as to why some people believed the way they believed.

There are moments in the film that made my eyes role, like the daily re-enactment of the crucifixion at a religious park in Florida, and there were parts holding my curiosity, like when he was at the Dome of the Rock.

What didn’t work overall was that Maher didn’t let people finish sentences; he was condescending and rude to a number of his interviewees. He didn’t let people develop their stories and his eye rolling at times was very tiring. Many of Bill’s own questions about people’s beliefs are one’s that I’ve held, yet he demeaned himself and this film by his own prejudices. Real curiosity would have gone a long way.

Overall: I liked this film in numerous ways but as it wound down I felt that Maher cheated himself and us to an honest inquiry about others and their beliefs.

Dalai Lama Renaissance

First Hit: Wonderful film showing how people can learn to let go of their expectations so that growth and progress can unfold – a renaissance if you will.

This documentary is about a group of 40 individuals living in the United States who put together a group called Synthesis whose goal was to take these innovative and visionary thinkers from different disciplines and work with the Dalai Lama to create world transformation.

The instigators of Synthesis scheduled a 5 day session with H.H. Dalai Lama in Dharamsala as a way to include him and a way to jump start the ideas they expected to come up with. This was an extremely high expectation.

The group also felt as if the Dalai Lama would provide the kind of catalyst and global view and attention needed to make the proposed changes come to fruition. As the group began to open discussions on the first day, the impact of their journey to Dharamsala India and their egos got in the way. Arguments started immediately amongst individuals and between groups.

An example of this dissention was when the witnesses, who were invited to watch the event, wanted to join in the discussion and were told that wasn’t their role and that their opinion didn’t matter. Each day the Dalai Lama would come in and talk about what people really want and what allows others to experience happiness.

With a subtle and a gentle guiding hand the Dalai Lama began creating the kind of space allowing each person to grow individually. There was one grand proposal laid before the Dalai Lama which was to create a boycott of Chinese goods until there was freedom for Tibetans.

And although the Dalai Lama said he might consider it, he also made it clear that anything that harmed others, even the Chinese, was not in the spirit of his movement. In the end, the real renaissance was that each individual learned more about who they were, how their egos got in the way, and how they might make changes in their own world and their disciplines in accordance to the spirit of synthesis.

The narration by Harrison Ford must have been very well executed because it never interfered with the dialogue of the group and felt integrated with the film. Although the participants complained about the arduous task of getting Dharamsala, I found this to be an interesting aspect because it show them riding in a First Class (Indian) train cars and a very nice bus. In India no one, except the top 2% of the Indian population, could have traveled that well.

Overall: For anyone who is interested in seeing how powerful it is to lose an ego and gain the strength through transformation, this film is a fine example.

Man On Wire

First Hit: An incredible story about a bold, interesting, risk taking man who performed an amazing feat.

I recall seeing pictures on television and in the newspaper about Philippe Petit’s incredible tightrope walk between the World Trade Center (WTC) towers in 1974.

This film lays the groundwork about how he got the idea (sitting in a dentist’s office waiting room) to the actual execution and the living of the dream.

During the ride, viewers learn a lot about Philippe, his girlfriend Annie Allix, his long time French friends, and the motley crew of people thrown together to assist him on this adventure. There is actual footage of Philippe walking between the spires of Notre Dame Cathedral, Sydney Harbor Bridge, and photos of the WTC walk.

Also there are funny and interesting reenactments of events along with current interviews of the team. The end result was a life changing event for many of these people especially Philippe, Annie and his best friend Jean-Louis.

One of the added benefits of this film was the archival film about the building of the WTC which, after their destruction in 2001, provides a different set of memories.

Seeing Philippe break into an open smile while walking on the wire between the towers one “gets” he is where he is supposed to be, living his dream.

James Marsh directed this wonderful film with curious sensitivity. And the open interviews with Philippe and the team only add to this amazing event and man.

Overall: This was a funny, interesting, and insightful film to an amazing man doing some amazing things.

American Teen

First Hit: An amazingly frank and wonderful look at teens in their senior year.

Five Warsaw Indiana teens are profiled in this documentary about their significant events and decisions while in their senior year.

Granted Warsaw is a relatively small town and the ethnic diversity of this film could create questions as to how relevant it is, but I imagine that in Warsaw there aren’t a lot of different cultures represented. Regardless, the struggles of these teens cut across cultural backgrounds and are refreshingly honest. The teens in this film cut across a spectrum.

There is Megan who is the rich, bossy, arrogant, and mean girl who is homecoming queen and is known by all and the queen of the class. She lashes back at friends and fellow students who cross her or don’t follow her lead. Then you begin to get a glimpse of the pressure on her to get into Notre Dame by her father and how scared she is of not making the grade.

You also get a hint of her sadness around her older sister’s suicide. Colin, the basketball star, who appears to be a one-trick-pony through basketball but there are moments of something more. It was so sad and hard to hear his father say, you either get a scholarship or it’s the Army (which he is adamantly against). Although, his family isn’t rich, it appeared they weren’t all that bad off but nowhere was there any dialog about how his family might support him getting into college.

There is Jake the geek with a face full of pimples who is obsessed with having a girlfriend which will define him. He sees himself as a looser and invisible to himself and the world. In one pointed scene while his girlfriend, who has cheated on him, tells him that they need to see other people, he lifts his head from the table and says: “there’s a lot of grease on the table now.”

There is Mitch, the likable popular jock, who begins to learn he is something more than the nice popular guy; he has a spirit and soul which he begins to discover with Hannah.

Then there is Hannah. This film could have been all about her. She is quirky, dynamic, eclectic, interesting and full of spirit. Hannah wants out of Warsaw, she doesn’t want a life like her parents or anyone else in Warsaw, and she dances to her own drummer. She lives with her grandmother because her mother is in and out of a institution due to her depression and her father travels for work.

Hannah becomes devastated when her long time boyfriend breaks up with her right after having sex for the first time. She doesn’t go to school for weeks and is walking a knife’s edge. She gets back into school, graduates and stands up to her parents who tell her she shouldn’t go to California and that “she’s not special” when everyone in the audience knows she is an amazing energy force.

Nanette Burstein directed this very insightful and interesting film. It was nice at the end to have a quick follow-up as to what each person has done 18 months after graduation. I appreciated the fearlessness the subjects showed while being filmed.

Overall: This a great film for teens and adults of teens to see.