rbsteury's Reviews

Painkiller (2023)

4/10

19 August 2023

The opening true stories in each episode from family members lost in this terrible chapter of medical history is heartbreaking, but it is right down the toilet from there. My spouse and I could only stomach two episodes. The idea that one all-knowing person, who appears to be a low level government investigator, knows the whole story of the dispicable Sacklers is idiotic. The frequent appearance of Arthur Sackler's ghost is bizarre. I was a family physician for 40 years and never saw a single drug company rep that resembled the characters of Britt or Shannon.

How could Matthew Broderick lower himself to be in this farce? As others have said, if you want to see a somewhat legitimate story of the disgraceful Sacklers, and all the years of work it took to bring them to some semblance of justice, watch Dopesick.

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Ice Merchants (2022)

8/10

Thoughtful, innovative and beautiful

11 February 2023

This short about a father and son living in a tiny cabin anchored on the side of an immense and icy mountain-side cliff is totally absorbing. There is no spoken word but the music is great. Father and son eke out their existence by taking ice to the village far below by jumping off their porch and parachuting down, then they come back up using a rope system. Since I am somewhat acrophobic, parts were a little difficult for me to watch (the son sitting on a swing thousands of feet above the ground - oh my!) but the basic colored line drawings were so engaging and gorgeous that one could not finish the film.

At first the ending is somewhat open to interpretation. Watching it a second and third time I picked up the hints scattered along the way as to what was happening that I had not fully grasped on my first viewing. I so appreciate being able to watch it on The New Yorker Screening Room.

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God's Country (II) (2022)

5/10

Honorable Issues, Dispicable Actions

1 August 2022

Warning: Spoilers

I saw "God's Country" at the Traverse City Film Festival on its closing day. I initially was going to skip it due to its poor reviews on this site and others, but a number of different people told me "It's great" so my wife and I decided to see it. I should have listened to my first instinct.

Thandiwe Newton is in almost every scene. I have always liked her acting even if she has never been in a really good film, and the same holds true here. She is introduced as Sandra, a lone and lonely, petite women living in remote Montana. We learn she and her mother moved here from New Orleans. She is grieving the very recent death of her mother and is also angry at the patriarchy and racism that she sees in her work as a professor at a small nearby university. She lives in a modern, lovely house in the middle of the beautiful Montana wilderness.

Sandra soon begins to be bullied by two young adult brothers - Nathan, belligerent but sometimes thoughtful and Samuel, clearly violent and evil. They trespass on her property to go up in the hills hunting. Sandra tells them to stop and soon an arrow lodges into her front door. She calls local law enforcement saying she does "not feel safe." It turns out he is the only officer in "300 sq miles", and one who is not very effective. He warns Nathan and Samuel to be respectful and abide by the law but tells Sandra that there is little he can do.

(SPOILERS AHEAD)

So Sandra takes the law into her own hands, quickly escalating the conflict beyond any reason. And (big coincidence #1) it turns out that Nathan & Samuel are friends of her department head Arthur, who is also her closest neighbor (she can see his house using binoculars - big coincidence #2) And, by the way, Arthur sexually molested a young student of color (Gretchen) with whom Sandra is friendly at the university (big coincidence #3) Even though Sandra implied to Gretchen (when she revealed her molestation to Sandra) that their conversation would stay between them, she quickly spills the beans to Arthur in a threatening manner.

Meanwhile either Nathan or Samuel kill Sandra's dog (off-screen) and also a young deer (perhaps on her or on Arthur's property - it is not clear). The non-sensical violence escalates from that point forward. In the end Sandra murders both Nathan (who was the more reasonable of the two) and his brother Samuel. She clearly did it with "malice aforethought" even though they never physically harmed her. Then she calmly sits on the front porch drinking a beer while waiting to be arrested and imprisoned for the rest of her life - or even executed (which is still legal in Montana).

All of this takes place in about a week's time. We also find out (big coincidence #4) that Sandra was a policewoman in New Orleans (without a hint as to how she became a professor of public speaking.) And we find out (by occasional odd scenes of water dripping while hearing thunder) that Sandra quit the force due to her observation of police and government racism during hurricane Katrina (big coincidence #5). I mention all these disparate facts to show what an improbable construct underlies the whole film.

So yes, it was tense and thrilling in the beginning, but soon made one want to laugh at why any intelligent person would make the choices Sandra made. And to illustrate how morally corrupt this plot is when it attempts to make us sympathize with and justify the cold-blooded murder of two people (only one of which was likely the instigator) for killing a dog, a fawn and property damage.

It appears the screenwriters wanted to address many issues - racism, misogyny, bullying and the elite/redneck divide. And I have heard that the directors asked (at a Q&A that I could not attend) "What would Clint Eastwood do and why are we judging Sandra differently?". Well, to my memory Clint (not my favorite person but...) did not murder anyone without warning for being bullies. The people he purposefully killed were killers themselves. That is western justice. This film does not achieve that level of morality.

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Mama Bears (2022)

9/10

The Parents of "Mama Bears" Struggle with Their Faith vs LGBTQ Issues and Love Wins Out

29 July 2022

My wife & I were lucky enough to see Mama Bears at the Traverse City Film Festival last evening. What a wonderful & enlightening documentary that shows the bravery of Christian parents who find their children are LGBTQ in some fashion. Mama Bears is a "network of groups, websites, special projects & resources dedicated to supporting, educating and empowering parents of LGBTQ kids and the LGBTQ community". This fascinating film follows professing Christian parents or LGBQT individuals who struggle with a faith which often condemns their children and themselves. For all of them, their faith is very important but the reality of their own or their child's biology cannot be denied. As one parent said, when science and faith are contradictory then one needs to re-examine both to find the truth.

To me, the most fascinating and educational individual in the film is Kai Shappley who was born as a male but told her mother Kimberly at the age of 2 1/2 that she was a girl. With incredible wisdom, Kimberly allowed her to express her femaleness and by the time we see her she is a beautiful, intelligent and not-so-little-in-wisdom girl going to grade school in Texas. The travails of Kai and her mother as the deal with Texas's bathroom bills etc. Is heartbreaking, even thought they ultimately come out victorious. Of course the Gov. Abbott of Texas is still trying to make living in Texas near impossible for trans children.

Another admirable person followed by the film is Sara Cunningham, the Christian mother of a gay son. She started Free Mom Hugs, an organization that does just what its name says at Gay Pride parades and other events across the nation. Jesus said the world would know Christians by their love and these people exemplify those words.

DIrector Daresha Kyi was present for the Q&A and said the film would eventually be shown on PBS's Independent Lens so the general public can see it. She is goin g to screen the film in churches hoping to broaden their congregants views and help to find acceptance and love. And she is hopeful (but not very optimistic) that even Texas Governor Abbott will view it.

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Eli, a Dog in Prison (2021)

9/10

Come for the Puppies, Leave with Compassion for the Men

27 July 2022

This documentary, lovingly shot by directors Jason B. Kohl and Nora Mandray, who also was the cinematographer, was viewed by my family at the Traverse City Film Festival yesterday. It is a simple story that follows three prisoners incarcerated in Michigan who take on the job of training Eli, a lovable but rambunctious Labrador puppy, into a disciplined helper dog. They have almost a year to complete the task which requires the three men to attend to the puppy 24/7. Along the way they, as well as Eli, learn life lessons. There are the requisite "adorable" shots but in the end the most impactful aspects of the film are the men and the changes that occur in them.

All three men are in prison for crimes involving human death and such crimes are, in Michigan, heavily penalized with little leeway for mercy. The fact that at the end of Eli's training two of the men, who demonstrate sorrow for their actions and an understanding of the harm they have caused, still have many years to serve is frustrating in that our prison system shows little flexibility and mercy. Their children are growing up without them and one wonders if that will not perpetrate more brokenness. (and, "Yes", I realize the people whose death they caused also face similar issues.) The answer is not easy.

Director Kohl was at the film's showing, as was Eli and his family (so "NO" the dog does not die at the end of the story). As he answered questions in the Q&A you could sense Kohl's concern and compassion for the men involved and our broken prison system. "Eli" is available on some streaming services. If you love dogs (and humans) this is a must-see.

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Bad Axe (2022)

9/10

An engrossing documentary that rings true.

27 July 2022

My wife and I saw this yesterday at the Traverse City Film Festival (TCFF). We live in rural Michigan on the other side of the state from Bad Axe but our little town could be theirs (except we don't have a Walmart, thank God.) But the sentiment of many in Bad Axe is pretty much the same as our town.

As a member of the Cambodian-Mexican family that director & cinematographer David Siev is documenting, he lovingly shot this intimate story of the travails of his family during the COVID years in an area that suspected Asian families, especially those that were public about their sympathies. Family members were shown including their flaws and moments of anger and despair. I think this was a very honest film.

And how wonderful it was to see the entire family at the TCFF showing. It is impressive that their restaurant /bar (which so struggled during the quarantine) is doing better than ever and is embraced by most in their community. David has returned the love. (And you gotta love how feisty David's sister, Jaclyn, is throughout the difficult times for all of them.)

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The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks (2022)

9/10

A whole new understanding of Rosa Parks.

27 July 2022

We saw this fascinating documentary at the Traverse CIty Film Festival today. What a revelation. Living in Michigan most of my life I saw Mrs. Parks as someone who performed a brave act in 1955 when she refused to give up her seat and move to the back of the bus as requested by the driver on the segregated municipal bus line of Montgomery, Alabama. She was arrested and that initiated the famous Montgomery Bus Boycott. But to learn that she was a civil rights activist both before that incident and for her whole life thereafter was startling. And to find out that she lived in poverty for many years after moving to Detroit, with male civil rights activists being unwilling to employ her, sheds light on the patriarchal structure of even the black civil rights leaders of that time. This film is an engrossing story of a humble and non-assuming female activist, directed and shot in stylish fashion by directors Johanna Hamilton and Yoruba Richen.

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Pachinko (2022– )

7/10

So Disappointing

30 April 2022

I really wanted to love this series. I liked the novel a lot and was expecting changes in the film from such a sprawling, multi-generational novel. But what a mess the series turned out to be. Jumping from time to time, leaving out an entire generation, adding an entire episode about an earthquake which led nowhere... what disastrous choices. And all those plot threads that went no where... What happened to Noa? What happened to Isak? What happened to Isak and Sunja's baby? What happened to Yoseb? Where did Solomon come from (his entire parental generation is written out? Why were Hana and her mother so estranged?. And an entire episode devoted to an earthquake not in the novel and that advanced the story line very little. And what happened to WWII? And the last 15 or 20 mins of the finale... what the hell?

The only reason I gave it a "7" was the wonderful acting of Youn Yuh-jung and, to a lessor extent, Jin Ha.

I understand that book-to-film adaptations are usually disappointing but they should at least be coherent. I tried to explain what was happening to my wife who did not read the book but at times I was lost. Little wonder that she said the series was completely perplexing. So disappointing.

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A Woman's Work: The NFL's Cheerleader Problem (2019)

7/10

Interesting but incomplete

19 June 2021

This documentary of, basically, two NFL cheerleaders legally fighting back against alleged unpaid wages, poor work conditions, sexual harrassment, etc. There is little doubt that most of these accusations are true but the fact that so few are willing to stand with these two hurts their cause. The film focuses on these two women (and then in the end a brief segment on a third that was fired for posting supposedly salacious pics on-line which really did not fit the rest of the film - bad choice I think.) The law suits drag on for years.

In the end.both my wife and I were frustrated that the settlement of one case was left unclear and none of the others (additional suits were filed against other teams with no details given) were settled. An issue was made as to how many of one squad's past cheerleaders would opt in or out of a settlement but we never heard the final number. The film was informative and made the point that big business rides roughshod over the little guy but the lack of completeness of the arc of the story was very frustrating. Also frustrating was the story jumping between the Oakland and the Buffalo cheerleaders without clear definition.

Technically, the audio was uneven and some of the fill-in footage became repetitive. But overall it was adequate. It was a worthwhile but could have been more professional.

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White Eye (2019)

7/10

So Many Questions...

25 April 2021

Warning: Spoilers

Interesting in terms of how it would turn out but ends on a perplexing note. Why destroy the bike? Is it a sign of regret? Is it a reference to the Judeo-Christian story of dividing the baby in half (1 Kings 3:16-28)?

And why the recurring pickup of a prostitute (we assume)? What does that add to the story? Why "cut off the baby carrier"? And I get that the film wants to comment on immigrants who were no longer legally in Israel but what did that really add that those of us in America have not heard many times over? And the whole thing about needing to file a report that the bike was stolen when the police are right there seems silly.

For me, it is hard to believe this is one of the 5 best live action shorts up for an Academy Award.

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The Soul of America (2020 TV Movie)

9/10

Provides a Needed Perspective

6 February 2021

John Meacham is an amazing and brilliant person - a product of the South who sees an America that has repeatedly failed to fulfill its promises of "liberty and justice for all." And an America that has almost constantly struggled between its "better angels" and worst impulses. Showing us that today's divisions are not new, the film is both reassuring and depressing. Meacham highlights a few of the United States failures (the struggle for women's suffrage, the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, McCarthyism, and the fight to pass Civil Rights legislation in the 1960s) and shows how we sometimes listened to our better angels to address them. All of these events were familiar to me but Meacham brought new insight into them as we follow him while he lectures, teaches and addresses the film audience directly.

My wife and I were blown away with the impact of this film in such a time as this (writing this one month past Jan. 6th 2021). It is a shame it is only available to those with an HBO subscription of some type. I hope it will soon be released on DVD or a less costly streaming services.

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Burden (I) (2018)

8/10

Very entertaining and worth watching - especially for people of faith.

27 February 2020

I saw this film at the 1918 Traverse City Film Festival. I am so glad it is finally being released, even if not very widely. "Burden" was moving and suspenseful - all the more because the events depicted are pretty close to the actual events. And it had people of color taking charge of the situation and displaying the courageous love of Christ - no rescue by a white liberal from the North.

Whitaker was remarkable, as was Garrett Hedlund as Burden, Andrea Riseborough as his partner and Tom Wilkinson (always wonderful) as the hate-filled leader of the local Klan. Hopefully it will be released on streaming so many people can see it as it appears it will have a limited release in theaters. It is also a shame it is rated "R" for language and some violence, as it is a film all young people would benefit from seeing.

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Farmsteaders (2018)

8/10

Lyrical, grounded story of the struggle to do what you love

2 January 2020

This short documentary shot over 5 years tells of a family struggling to survive on their small family farm. The work required of them is incredible and they seem to be only one small catastrophe from having it all crash down. Why would they do this? Nick Nolan loves the land he inherited from his family and is bound to it by the memories of his childhood. (Having been reared on a 90 acre farm like this one, I share those memories.) His spouse has boughten into the dream as well, despite one blow to their ability to survive after another. Their four kids are adorable and seem to be growing up with the same solid, hard values as did Nick.

The photography is exquisite and Director Shaena Mallett has successfully captured the rhythms and seasons of life on this hardscrabble farm. My only frustration is the lack of any final outcome... which is, I suppose, yet to be determined. God bless our small family farms... the few that still exist.

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Hillbilly (II) (2018)

9/10

Think you understand Appalachia because you read "Hillbilly Elegy"... ?

6 August 2018

Filmmakers Sally Rubin and Ashley York go to Kentucky (from LA) to visit York's family and consider the changes in her attitudes and life since she left for college. York was reared there and clearly loves her family (and they her) despite a huge difference in their world views. Aside from interviewing her family members they also sought input from thinkers and artists from Appalachia, and their input is both informative and moving.

Of course, being filmed in the fall of 2016, the Trump issue is everywhere. Rubin and York try to understand why York's family is, almost without exception, wildly supportive of the Republican ticket despite voting for President Obama previously.

But the best part of the film is its examination of the media treatment of "hillbillies" over the last century or so. The stereotypes presented continue to negatively effect how we see this diffuse area of the country and their millions of residents. From the movie "Deliverance" to TV's "Hee Haw", they are often portrayed as either dangerous or stupid and both.

Other facets addressed include Appalachia's reaction to the rising LGBTQ movement and Black Appalachians. I saw this at the Traverse City Film Festival and both showings were almost immediately sold out. It was indeed one of the best documentaries shown there, winning the Founders Award for Documentary Filmmaking. See it where ever you can.

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Knightfall (2017–2019)

3/10

Who wrote this?

24 June 2018

While handsomely filmed, the script/plot for this series is nothing short of ludicrous. Using 21st century morals, the story paints a ridiculous picture of 14th century France.

The last two episodes were tortuous, with the physiologic impossibility of someone living as long as one of the characters did after being stabbed through the heart raising the melodrama to farcical heights. The "deathbed" scene in the last episode with lovers whispering vapid words to each other is absurd beyond belief. I had to fast forward through it which I cannot remember ever doing before. One would think The History Channel would have better things to broadcast than this dreck.

I am mad at myself for thinking it would be worthwhile in the end. It was not.

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7 Chinese Brothers (2015)

2/10

Tedius beyond description

1 August 2015

As I overheard someone going out of its showing at the Traverse City Film Festival saying "That was fricking torture." A story about an unlikable slacker going nowhere, the movie is filled with people uttering painfully unfunny lines. At first the packed theater politely laughed and by the end of this pointless 75 minutes the audience was dead silent (or asleep). I won't dwell on the plot because there is none. Sorry if I sound angry but it was a wasted evening and $24 for my wife and me.

How sad that Olympia Dukakis has let herself sink to the level of appearing in a movie this banal. Jason Schwartzman's pug Arrow is the only star that earned his pay.

Stay away. (2/10)

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Rich Hill (2014)

5/10

Wanted to Like It But Just Couldn't

3 August 2014

My wife and I both looked forward to seeing this at the Traverse CIty Film Festival. Living in an impoverished area of Michigan makes us have first-hand compassion for those who have so little. But this movie seemed to us to be little more than a repetitive and depressing look at families going nowhere. There was absolutely no arc in the documentary study of 3 young boys who ended up with little more knowledge or ability to cope at the end of the film than when it started. No one seemed any wiser or less clueless.

The film follows 3 young boys (why not at least one girl??) and, unfortunately, two are clearly psychiatrically challenged. Only Andrew seems to have some ability to logically analyze his sad situation and the failures of the adults around him. Harley is "scary" unbalanced emotionally with huge outbursts of violence (especially so, when one sees him fondling knives in a store and knowing he will soon be legally able to purchase guns). Appachey is very similar. Both have completely unrealistic expectations of their future.

It is hard for me to understand that the filmmakers say they come from this area and know this poverty firsthand. I see the working (and non-working) poor everyday as a physician who sees such patients. There are a few who resemble these boys and their families but most do not. When viewers see the families in this film continuously chugging down high-caffeine drink (and with the adults, beer), and chain- smoking, while playing video games day and night, it makes it pretty hard to be sympathetic. The poor in my practice hunt, fish, spend time with their kids, and basically do the best they can. These parents lay in bed all day and call the truant officers when their kids become too much for them. The images presented here just seems so far from the reality I have seen in my patients living in poverty.

And, as I said, no arc and no story is being told except that these people are living an existence they are unlikely to ever escape. We were very disappointed.

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Silver Bells (2013 Video)

7/10

A little cheesy but fun

21 December 2013

Each year I search for a Christmas movie with a Christian slant appropriate for the youth in the youth group my wife and I voluntarily lead. We've done all the big ones ("The Nativity Story", "It's a Wonderful LIfe") and some smaller gems ( "The Ultimate Gift" and the wonderful, under-appreciated "Noelle") but other than those we often are desperate for something that is not a completely cheesy Hallmark type movie with a nod towards the Christ story. Last year I used clips from old "ER's" which always had emotional and impact-full Christmas episodes.

This movie is a little cheesy but lots of fun. For me, living in central-western Michigan, it has the allure of being shot in and around Grand Rapids with several local venues being shown. It is also a big plug for the Salvation Army, which is a very deserving organization (and also K- Mart which is, altruistically speaking, less deserving.)

The story revolves around a local, hyper-competitive sports reporter (Will Dalton played a little over-the-top by Bruce Boxleitner) and his family consisting of his spouse and two children (his son Jason is played by Kenton Duty who does a great job.) Antonio Fargas as Melvin Lowell, a Major in the Salvation Army is also very winning.

Will gets in trouble by carelessly but accidentally injuring a ref in his son's high school basketball game when he vociferously protests the ref's decision. This ultimately loses the game for his son, who quits the team in humiliation, and their father-son relationship suffers. In addition the referee presses charges for his (minor) injuries and Bruce must do humiliating (for him) community service by bell ringing at a Salvation Army kettle. Further, because his embarrassingly uncontrolled behavior has gone viral on social media, he loses his anchor spot at his work. There are some very funny developments and under the tutelage of Major Lowell the "go-for-the-win" Bruce begins to realize Christmas means more than who has the best home decorations or even who can raise the most money at his Christmas kettle.

There is also a side story about a Central Michigan University football player who has just won the Heisman trophy. Obviously, this part of the plot is a complete fantasy given the big money and politics involved in who wins the Heisman. Somebody involved in this film is pretty clearly a CMU alum as there are Central Michigan banners up all over the place and nary a Michigan State University or University of Michigan appearance. I am an alum of both MSU and U of M but good for the little guys!

The Christian content is gentle but central to the theme, so those who object to such proselytizing may dislike this film. But the main theme is very humanitarian and charitable, focusing on what Christmas SHOULD be about rather than what it so often is.

Silver Bells was obviously shot on a very low budget and apparently released direct-to-video, and that sometimes shows. But it was indeed filmed during the winter season and the snowy scenes look very real. Some actors deliver their lines more convincingly than others but overall the acting did not make me roll my eyes. For an evening of smiles and basic truths being re-enforced, you could do a lot worse.

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A Place at the Table (2012)

9/10

Sobering but entertaining with wonderful people profiled

2 March 2013

My wife and I downloaded this from iTunes today and were so impacted by the film. The film follows several people of different races and backgrounds, urban to the South to the mountains of Colorado. All are working (as the film goes on) but none make enough to buy enough food to be sure it will last all month. Many of them do not even qualify for food stamps/bridge cards. The fact that the poor and hungry have little lobbying impact in Washington compared to the gigantic agribusiness flood of money is clearly part of the reason we see this dilemma where the richest large nation fails miserably in keeping its working poor feed. Please see this film if you care about this issue. Many of your opinions may turn out to be misconceptions founded on stereotypes.

As for Marc Newman's criticism, the idea that charity organizations like food kitchens and food banks sponsored by churches (yes, those clips of devoted pastors and churches were kept in and were very impressive) could solve this problem is ludicrous. We are talking about 50 million people and 13 million children. As my pastor (who is VERY conservative) says... the problem is overwhelming. There is no way volunteer and charitable organizations can meet the demand, and for Mr. Newman to suggest it could makes me wonder if he has ever worked at trying to get food to the poor. Many of us have done so and we know how huge this problem is... far beyond the resources of the faith community. As was noted in this documentary, the government once before almost totally eliminated hunger (in the late 70's) when both Democrats and Republicans (including Ronald Reagan) made it a priority. The government could do it again if it desired.

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Compliance (2012)

8/10

Unpleasant to watch but important

3 August 2012

I saw this today at the Traverse City Film Festival. About 1/4 of the audience walked out before the film ended. I do not disagree that the movie is difficult to watch, but I think you can hardly review a movie where you walked out without seeing the entire film. This film makes an important and real point... that many of us will, when listening to what we assume to be an authority figure, do things which we know are wrong. It also has two characters who say in one way or another "No, I will not do this." Bravo for them and may each of us feel empowered to do the same, if not by our own ethical standards, then by viewing this movie and realizing how devastating the consequences can be.

One would like to be able to say "No one could be so stupid" but the fact that this type of event (involving, reportedly, even more degrading assaultive behavior than portrayed in this film) has happened repeatedly in this country (over 70, according to the closing credits) shows that wish to be untrue. I hope every young person will view this film and be brave enough to refuse any authority figure who makes demands on them which seem to go beyond the bounds of the law and good sense.

And don't ever talk to a law officer in detail without your attorney being present (and no, I am not a lawyer.)

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Ethel (2012)

9/10

Engaging Biography of a Woman with Few Faults

3 August 2012

I just saw this at the Traverse City Film Festival. I am not a Kennedy aficionado, having some reservation about the morals of the family. But what I learned about Ethel made me admire her as possibly one of the great political wives of my time. Directed by her youngest child, Rory, the film primarily consists of an interview of Ethel and input in similar fashion from her remaining children.

Ethel is a delight; funny and insightful. Supplemented with a great deal of historical footage, it is obvious how much she loved Robert and how she influenced first him and then, after his assassination, their children. Her life was devoted to her husband, her family, her strong faith and her feeling that she had an obligation to give back to her country for her high-born status. But in addition to this, she could be acerbic, comedic and at times outrageous resulting in several political embarrassments for Robert when he was yet living. She makes few apologies. She is a real national treasure and this film gives a great appreciation for her life of quiet dignity and service. Don't miss it.

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If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (2011)

9/10

A Surprisingly Well-Balanced Study of Social Activism

25 August 2011

I saw this film this July at the Traverse City Film Festival. Actually, I was dragged there by my daughter (who is much more of an activist concerning environmental issues than am I.) I generally avoid environmental documentaries because many times they paint a very black and white view of the issues. This film is an engrossing and gratifying exception.

The film follows former Earth Liberation Front (ELF) activist Daniel McGowan from his arrest by the FBI as an "environmental terrorist" through his legal efforts to avoid a life sentence. Even though his actions only resulted in destruction of property without loss of life or even physical harm to living creatures, the government was determined to make an example of Daniel and a few others of the formerly close-knit group. For many years they had no leads in ELF's membership and the crimes (destroying -- primarily by arson -- ranger stations and businesses that they considered destructive to the environment). They only cracked the case 5 years after the organization had disbanded by treating it as a "cold case." At that time, the FBI serendipitously uncovered information which led to the identification of one of the more hard-core and less altruistic members of the group who then turned informant on the rest of the members, which resulted in his doing no jail time at all while his fellow conspirators faced life sentences. Unfair, but not uncommon in our system of "justice."

Daniel McGowan is a city-raised young man from New York who became infatuated with environmental activists, participating in their peaceful and legal protests. Upon seeing the foolish and counterproductive hard-nosed repression of those protests by government and police agencies, he decided to throw his lot in with others in ELF and resorted to property damage to make corporations and the government "feel the pain" of their policies.

Here is where the documentary becomes wonderfully balanced, allowing the pursuing government agencies their frustrations and those property owners who had been attacked to voice the disruption and anxiety that ELF caused in their life. At times, ELF acted on faulty information which resulted in businesses being attacked who were completely innocent of the policies ELF felt were destructive to the earth.

Daniel himself comes off as idealistic and frustrated, but often misguided and gullible. As his life progresses, he becomes wiser about some of his decisions and regretful of the destruction in which he participated and how the consequences of that destruction was often (but not always) negative to the environmental movement. However, after his arrest he would not testify against his fellow ELF members (one of the few) and therefore received some of the harshest punishment. One can find some sympathy for him, especially with the idea that he was equated in the justice system with terrorists such as Timothy McVeigh or the 9/11 terrorists, although he never physically harmed any living being.

But the prosecutors are also portrayed in a generally positive light, with one saying at the end of the film (to paraphrase) that he was old enough to understand that not everything is black and white... that life is much more complicated than that. He said that once he understood where Daniel came from and why he believed as he did, he could understand why he might make the decisions he did, wrong-headed as they were. Such enlightenment being shown by our government officials is somewhat unusual.

The co-directer, Sam Cullman, who held a Q&A after the screening at Traverse City, said this is "A" story of ELF, and not "The" story, and I think that is well-stated. The organization probably has many stories as each member had his or her own motivations.

The larger question remains... if faced with a resistant and unresponsive establishment, how is change effected? This film adds to that discussion in a balanced and educational, but compelling way, making it one of the best docs about tactics used by social and environmental movements. 9/10

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The Loving Story (2011)

9/10

Wonderful Documentary Made Primarily from Old Archival Materials

30 July 2011

I just saw "The Loving Story" this afternoon at the Traverse City Film Festival. The film is moving and inspirational, illustrating that sometimes even poor and minimally educated people can obtain justice within our court system. The story is straightforward and the ending is known, but the still photos and interview footage (some just recently discovered) of Richard and Mildred Loving shows a very genuine and touching relationship between them and their 3 children. Their quiet dignity in the face of racist laws and attitudes is inspirational. The ACLU once again is shown to be a force for justice to which people without money or power can turn.

We were not lucky enough to have the Loving's daughter Peggy present (as was the case for aegriffin at Tribeca) but the director and writers Nancy Buirski and Susie Ruth Powell were here for a Q&A. Their story of how this documentary came to be is entertaining and emotional. The idea that this film should have been used (as suggested by another reviewer) as an "opportunity to investigate the legal process" leaves me puzzled. Unless one is an attorney, the film presents as much about the legal process as one would reasonably want to know. It is not a legal treatise, but rather a story of a couple in love who would not back down from what is right, and an affirmation that the US legal system can (in time) bring about a just outcome on some occasions.

Everyone I saw it with gave this documentary their highest rating. You will not regret the time spent viewing this heart-warming slice of civil rights history. Kudos to Ms. Buirski & Powell.

And Ms. Buirski did mention that the documentary will be shown on HBO in February 2012. I certainly plan to watch it again at that time. 9/10

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The Penny (2010)

3/10

I Wanted It To Be Good

16 July 2011

Warning: Spoilers

My wife and I watched this on DVD tonight hoping against hope that it would be on the level of "Facing the Giants" or even "To Save a Life." As Christian youth group leaders, it would be great to have another movie to recommend to our youth as a realistic portrayal of how difficult living life without Christ can be or one that assists them in their Christian life by bringing a deeper understanding of how God works in our life.

Unfortunately, the film was not a good experience. We stuck it through till the end but only with difficulty. I am amazed at the film's present rating on IMDb (7.9) and would have to think that there is some funny business there. There is no way this movie can hold its own among any other movies rated in the high 7's of which I am familiar.

The tortured story starts with the death of a cop (in a completely unconvincing scene) many years previously which apparently lead to the dead cop's partner (Tom Lodewyck as Jack Carter) leaving the police force and becoming a mailman. (The movie skips ahead here -- a decade? -- but some people apparently age -- like Carter's kids -- and some do not -- like Carter himself who looks exactly the same.)

There are all kinds of story lines scattered the rest of the way, most of them totally unconvincing. Some of them are a wife who is ill with a chronic cough (and, by the way, that story line is never resolved and is mentioned ever so briefly in the last third of the movie), a daughter who feels unloved but whose relationship with her father is quite suddenly (and unconvincingly) repaired in the last reel, an exceedingly bitter husband getting a divorce from an unfaithful but repentant wife to whom he shows not the slightest ounce of grace or forgiveness (not even when the film has ended), a kid who survived the initial shooting but is a video-game playing bum, and a "bad" girl (we know because she wears way too much makeup) who steals money and in the end gets her just deserts by being killed in an auto accident (that's the Christian spirit). Most of the teens in the movie are mean thugs or shallow idiots... obviously writer/director Nathan Webster does not think our youth are a very good bunch.

All of these story lines are somehow connected by a bent penny that plays a key role in the final showdown. But what that has to do with any Christian message is pretty far-fetched. Something about (after Jack gazes up into the sky with a radiant smile) "Some call it fate or destiny. Others just bad luck or even coincidence. Me... I call it Providence, because that's who it is." Real heavy, man. That will bring in a lot of believers. In fact, the only way we know these people are Christians is that occasionally they pray before meals or bedtime (with their kids), read the Bible before going to bed, and say things like "God has a plan." But then, they can castigate a receptionist at their physician's office of ripping them off for all the tests being ordered on their wife (as if the receptionist were to blame)... no problem with that lack of charity or understanding.

For those interested in the Christian theology that (I think) the movie was trying to put forward, it is of the "Everything happens for a reason" variety. If you really believe that popular maxim that recently every pro athlete and movie star allows to glibly flow from their mouth (and is found nowhere in the Bible) you should read Chapter 6 of Larry Osborne's wonderful little book "10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe."

The one good thing about the movie was the acting of Molly Kunz as Jack's daughter. She steals every scene she is in and is about the only actor in this movie who delivers lines as someone would actually say them in real life, rather than as stiff as 3 day old toast.

I guess I will show my youth group "To Save a Life Again." 3/10 rbsteury (Sheridan, MI) 16 July 2011

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Antychryst (2002)

2/10

Hopelessly Pretentious

20 October 2010

A thoroughly unlikeable and unpleasant "short" that drags on for almost a half hour. The plot (or what is submitted as a plot) deserves about three or four minutes and the rest is tedium.

If you can not figure out where this is going in the first three minutes you have no imagination. The four characters are completely superficially portrayed but behave as if theta were quoting Shakespeare. I kept watching (for what seemed like hours) thinking there must be some redeeming surprise ending. (Don't hold your breath)

Do yourself a favor and don't waste your time on this exercise in the banal.

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