“Running for president is kinda like being an astronaut. Until your orbiting space you really don’t know what it’s going to be like.” - David Axelrod

In the HBO documentary film By the People: The Election of Barack Obama filmmakers Amy Rice and Alicia Sands follow then presidential candidate Barack Obama into the unknown Axelrod describes above as he embarks as the underdog in one of the most exciting political races in American history.

The film begins in 2007 as Obama campaigns in preparation for the Iowa Caucuses and continues through the primaries and all the way up to the historical moment the long race was called. Some may compare this film to the documentary film The War Room where James Carville and George Stephanopoulos campaigned for Clinton in 92’, but there is one pretty big difference. Times have changed, campaign strategies have changed and expectations have changed, resulting in a race where we as Americans not only got involved, but seized the opportunity to define our individual beliefs. This time around, after a disastrous eight years, change became a chant and everyone felt invested in the future. The result is what this film captures beautifully - the people who made it happen - from an Obama supporter as young as 9 years-old to young adults just out of college to the seasoned politicos to small-town and big city America.

The filmmakers had incredible access and were able to get very close to Obama, his family and his campaign team, catching moments on the fly that you won’t see anywhere else. Obama’s team, campaign strategists David Axelrod, Robert Gibbs, David Plouffe, and speechwriter Jon Favreau are all caught with intimate verite and interviews, but there’s less of an emphasis on these folks in comparison to The War Room where the personalities behind Clinton shine in the end. At the center of this film is the community of people who banded together, which is appropriate given the way the Obama camp ran their campaign.

Interestingly, and maybe even somewhat politically, the film does not dwell on the negativity that came up during the campaign, although Jeremiah Wright, William Ayers were all addressed very matter of factly, which again, is in line with they way Obama addressed such concerns during the campaign. Also, I was surprised how quickly the film breezed through the McCain/Palin ticket. The film spent a great deal of time on the election race between Obama and Hilary, and so much less on McCain/Palin.

All in all, By The People: The Election of Barack Obama is a great documentary showing how our president connected to people and how the people connected to him.

This film is showing in New York at the Landmark Sunshine Cinemas tonight (4 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.). If you don’t have a chance to see it tonight, you’ll have to wait till November to see it on HBO. I’m glad I had a chance to see it on the big screen, but I plan to watch it again come November. I left the theater reminded of that amazing feeling I had last November as I witnessed strangers hugging in the street, taxicabs honking in unison and people for the first time in a long time genuinely feeling hope, and that’s a moment I like to remember.

Photo courtesy of Time

By The People: The Election of Barack Obama, an HBO Documentary brought to you by my friends at the Green Film Company is screening in New York this week. The film follows President Obama as he campaigns for the presidency, offering viewers an intimate portrait of the president and an inside look at the campaign trail, politics and the ever so long road to democracy.

The film is currently in limited release, but it’s playing at the Landmark Sunshine Theatre till Thursday.

Landmark Sunshine Cinema
143 East Houston Street, New York, NY - Map
11:15am  1:40  4:00  6:30  9:00pm

I’m planning to see it either tonight or tomorrow, so be on the lookout for a full review soon! If you’d like more updates on the film, become a fan of their Facebook page.

The latest film to stir my inner activist is The Cove, a film that once again proves documentaries can be informative, artistic and suspenseful while changing minds and stirring social change. It’s also a film that could only be made, and made well, by a team so driven by their mission to expose the reality and global impact of the murderous activities that kill 23,000 dolphins each year in a small cove in Taiji, Japan.

This film has it all including political corruption, cover-ups, exploitation and at the center of it all are the innocent dolphins that are captured and trained for entertainment, but why are they being killed? The Japanese fisherman and Japan’s representative of the International Whaling Commission would like us all to believe it’s a cultural thing, but if so why are they so desperate to shield anyone with a camera? It doesn’t make sense.

It’s revealed that one of the main suppliers to marine-themed parks like Sea World is a small little town in Japan called Taiji where from March to September dolphins are captured so trainers can pick the next “Flipper.” And the rest?  Killed, but not for food. Dolphin meat has dangerously high mercury levels, so high it could easily deform a child while in the womb. The fisherman would like the world to think that it’s a cultural practice to eat dolphin, but as the film reveals, most of Japan does not eat dolphin nor do they think it’s a good idea to do so. In fact, dolphin meat is often sold as whale meat because the Japanese people know mercury is a problem, which in itself is a whole other messed up issue. The fisherman and government continue to kill dolphins for money and to protect their own livelihood and political interests.

The Cove features many interviews with Ric O’Barry, Flipper’s trainer from the popular TV show, who has spent the past 35 years of his life trying to deconstruct the industry he was partially responsible for creating. He along with the Oceanic Preservation Society put together a crack team that uses old hollywood tricks and secret agent tactics to get to the place they need to film to expose the truth about what really happens in this cove. It’s fascinating and heartbreaking at the same time.

I left the theater thinking, “what can I do?” Well, I checked out the film’s site and there are a few things such as petitioning President Obama and voicing my concern, which can be done here. I also am making a pledge not to see dolphin shows. I know, it’s fun, but just knowing the industry behind it is a dealbreaker for me. But, really the best thing I can do for this cause is urging you all to see this film. It really opened up my eyes to a horrible practice that will severely impact our oceans.

Yesterday I braved the torrential downpour that nearly swallowed up the city to attend a screening of Stages, one of the many films featured in the New York International Latino Film Festival presented by HBO.

Stages is a feature-length documentary film following a group of older Puerto Rican women who are brought together with a group of inner city youths to create an original play from the stories of their lives.

Showing that life’s lessons do not stop after sixty, the film is a coming-of-age story and one about growing older intimately following each character as they learn, discover and grow through an open, guided creative theater workshop.  The older latin women and urban teenagers profiled share personal stories of hardship and happiness from their past, present and hopes for the future, and in turn relate universal feelings we all -regardless of age - experience in life. It was incredible to see people transformed by exploring their own stories, and the film ultimately left me with an even greater appreciation for community arts programs, truly important experiences for people of all ages, ethnicity, income, etc.

Stages was produced by a collective of talented artists at Meerkat Media and is screening once more during the festival at 5 p.m. Friday at the School of Visual Arts Theater on 23rd St. btw. 8th and 9th Ave. Please go check it out!

Additionally, the New York International Latino Film Festival continues through August 2, 2009. See the full line-up of films here.

One of my favorite movies is one I’m always surprised that very few people know of -The Last Days of Disco. There are so many reasons why I’ve seen this movie just about as many times as When Harry Met Sally and that’s saying a lot considering we all know how many times that one plays on TV.

The soundtrack is amazing, there’s a ton of dancing (but not in sappy Dirty Dancing kind of way), the screenplay is brilliant, the story’s based in New York, Chloe Sevingy, Kate Beckinsale and Tara Subkoff before they were famous, umm DISCO - it’s really an amazingly wonderful film. And, if you’ve seen the movie than you should know that the last scene is something I would love to re-enact on a New York subway.

Anyway, this film is finally making its way to the Criterion Collection, which makes me very happy since the DVD has been unavailable and out-of-print for five plus years. I also just discovered that the Film Society of Lincoln Center is hosting a screening with the director Whit Stillman on August 27th. Seriously, who’s with me?

The tagline of the HBO documentary film Prom Night in Mississippi is “nothing changes unless you do” five simple, powerful words that directly deliver the message of the film.  I’ve written about this documentary several times, mostly in anticipation, but finally I had a chance to see it for myself.

The film reveals racial segregation in small-town Charleston, Mississippi fifty years following laws banning the unjust practice.  There, the local high school hosts two proms - one black, one white. Actor Morgan Freeman who spent his childhood in Charleston revisits the town with an opportunity for the senior class of 2008. He will pay for prom if they integrate. Once the students have a platform to speak, they learn that the resistance to integrate comes from their parents who know no other nor are open to any other view but their long-withstanding prejudice beliefs.  It’s from there, the film explores the town deeply-rooted in racism and the anger that results when the black and white students come together and rise above.

The film features many different voices, but I found it interesting that there really was only one interview from a white parent unhappy about the prom and the fact that his daughter was in an inter-racial relationship. The other parents, refused to be filmed, and in fact at one point hired a lawyer to protect them from the cameras fearing their racist attitudes would be exposed and negativity would turn on them.

The film is fantastic and not only highlights existing racism in America, but also shows how community empowerment can make a difference.

The film can be viewed HBO On-Demand. Also, if you’re a teacher or non-profit organization and would like to use this film as an instructional tool, educational DVDs are available for pre-order August 1st to be delivered September 1st just in time for school!

Very Young Girls is a documentary film about the sex exploitation industry in New York, revealing misconceptions about the type of woman who sells her body and the serious yet highly ignored problem on urban streets today.

This may sound naive, but I had no idea so many prostitutes were girls as young as 12 years old. I suppose I never factored age into the equation, simply just assumed many were drug addicts “hoing” to support their addictions. I was wrong.  In fact, the Department of Justice estimates the most frequent age of entry into the commercial sex industry in the United States is 12-14 years old.

Using footage from actual pimps who filmed their rides with the idea that they may someday score a TV deal, filmmaker David Schisgall exposes the pimps for what they really are – dangerous and sleazy kidnappers who take girls from the streets and sweet-talk them into “making them money.” At the time, these girls feel special as if they’ve snagged an older boyfriend turned father figure who loves them. He may go by “daddy,” but he’s no father.

What this film does really well is give a voice to the survivors, young girls who left “the life” yet remain so lost, confused and conflicted about leaving their pimp despite the constant beatings, gang rapes, and abuse they endure. There are moments that are incredibly sad to watch, particularly the brutally honest and courageous interviews, but there are moments of hope and redemption as well, which make this film that more powerful.

Many of these women feel hopeless and alone. They want to get out, but fear their lives won’t be much different if they go back home. In New York, these girls can find refuge in Girls Educational & Mentoring Services (GEMS), a non-profit “committed to ending commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking of children by changing individual lives, transforming public perception, and revolutionizing the systems and policies that impact sexually exploited youth.”

It was really inspiring to see GEMS in action. It’s a small organization, but it’s making a difference in so many lives. Support is necessary when confronting such a problem, but changing, we learn, is a two-way street. With any sort of rehabilitation, these women have to meet GEMS halfway and make the commitment to change their lives. Throughout the film we see some succeed and some fail.

Very Young Girls is running on Showtime this month, but if you have access to Netflix you can watch this film instantly. I’d highly recommend it.

If you’d like to support GEMS, you can make a financial donation through Network for Good.

Sometimes it’s not always about the girl. Solid character development is crucial in any story. We want to understand, relate to actions, reflect, and if we’re left without answers we undoubtedly question. In the film 500 Days of Summer, which follows 500 days of a disastrous relationship, the audience is left perplexed by Summer, the indie muse portrayed by Zooey Deschanel. Upon appearance, we see a gorgeous dark-haired, blue-eyed girl who likes to keep the mood light, staying clear from seriousness. Yet, her actions speak to her closed, detached personality, quite possibly the result of her parent’s divorce.  Her actions show she doesn’t understand herself and it’s too much to demand that from her character, at least during the majority of the film. The end is another story, but I’ll get to that later.

However, the film is not about the girl as the title mysteriously indicates. It’s about Tom played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the other half of the relationship, as the narrative follows his actions scene-to-scene of his 500-day journey. From the very beginning we know the couple’s fate, but what’s more interesting are the hints of insecurity, expectations, distractions obvious in each moment of the relationship.

There’s a key scene that simply illustrates a common relationship mishap and what I took away as the point of the whole movie, which is our expectations versus reality. The scene does this cleverly with a split screen of actions in both worlds. How often do we expect something, but find ourselves in quite a different situation than we hoped?  You’d be lying if you said this has never happened to you.  In typical independent fashion, the film is glossed with stylized scenes – French New Wave, a Disney-esque musical song and dance, Summer as a 1950s Donna Reed type, but all these artistic interpretations have purpose, showing Tom’s romanticized, rose-colored point of view – not only with Summer, but with life.

Yes, there were flaws in this film. I thought the ending fell a little flat and that Summer’s transformation left something to be desired, but overall the film was enjoyable. It had many tender, funny, sad moments where I found myself smiling, laughing, empathizing, cringing, and relating. I got it and definitely recommend it for others to see.

Friday night I saw a screening of Trust Us, This is All Made Up, a documentary about two long-form comedy improvisers - TJ Jagodowski and David Pasquesi. The film was rather simple in that it focused on the duo rather than “the game” or any improv structural elements beyond the idea of trust and being in the moment. The film began with a brief history of their comedic partnership, followed by their pre-show routine and eventually their full 50-minute act and show cool down. I was rather impressed by the actual filming of the live theater piece, which felt more intimate than being at the theater itself.

As a 101 student at UCB (my graduation show is today, in fact), it was really cool to observe two professional improvisers take on the anxieties of a live show. At one point TJ said he likes to look into the eyes of the audience members right before beginning to remind himself that we’re all human beings. Yes! What I love about improv is it allows you to dissolve the filters we all put on ourselves. Anything goes as long as it’s showcased truthfully, but improv done well is based on trust and supporting your partner. Now if only life were more like that!

If you see one movie this week or month, watch Food, Inc., a 90-minute documentary on the disaster that is the American food industry. Nora wrote a great post about it this morning, but I went to a screening this afternoon and wow, all the issues became even more real to me.

I’ve read Fast Food Nation, Skinny Bitch, snippets of Michael Pollan, and am pretty much a vegetarian for it (and even then I’m not safe), but seeing the industry exposed for what it really is on screen was truly impactful, which is why I’m urging all of you to see this movie too!

I don’t know how anyone could not rethink their eating habits after seeing a chicken today compared to one 20 years ago.  Chickens are fed so many hormones that they’re three times the size of a free range, full-grown chicken of yesteryear. They’re also grown to such a large size in 49 days compared to 3 months, the previous norm. Tyson and the other three poultry manufactures who make up about 90 percent of the market share are pumping these chickens with hormones so they can cheaply produce as many as they can to make loads of money.

I could go on and one about every point in this film, but there’s one other thing that really struck me. I originally assumed that the industrialization of the food industry was somewhat of a good thing for farmers, a republican issue, but it’s not. In fact, government subsidization enacted by both parties has had more negative affects on farming than anything. Farmers are slaves to these multi-billion dollar companies who produce bigger, faster and fatter foods. They can’t save seeds, they have to invest their own money to process their product in a certain way and they get paid nothing for their efforts. The government, including the FDA, EPA and congress is also run by many of the very same people who previously held high ranks at these monopolistic companies. The money is running the show.

Nora also mentioned one thing that jolted me as well. I haven’t had fast food in probably five years, but I do remember trying to identify the putty-looking pieces in McDonalds burgers back in the day. It tasted like meat, but certainly didn’t look it. Well, that stuff I learned is actually a SPAM-like substance added to 70 percent of fast food hamburgers to serve as a meat filler. It’s cleansed with ammonia to combat traces of deadly E.Coli found in industrially-produced beef. Um, seriously? Why don’t they just serve up a shake of bleach on the side of those fries?

One thing I wished the film went into a bit more was the fact that beyond diabetes the U.S. is seeing more cases of autism, ADD, allergies and depression in children, and what we eat can be linked to such problems.

There are ways we can change the industry and that’s by taking our own eating habits more seriously. Shop at farmers markets, buy local, eliminate foods with high fructose corn syrup, etc. Little steps taken by amass of people can make a difference.

Anyway, enough preaching!  Just go see this film!