Soundtrack for a Revolution

By: Vanessa Aron

Soundtrack for a Revolution was astounding and powerful. Focusing on the songs of the civil rights movement of the 50’s and 60’s, majority of these songs have been passed down through the history of slavery and still hold relevance even today. The original footage from the times and events was very moving and the personal stories were moving and sometimes gut-wrenching. It is amazing to see an entire generation rise up for a greater good and equally as amazing to see the violence enacted against these activists. Soundtrack for a Revolution was eye opening. Enough said.

You can see Soundtrack for a Revolution this fall when it plays on PBS. Check out http://www.soundtrackforarevolutionfilm.com/Home.html for listing info.

Hipsters

By Vanessa Aron

Hipsters: off the bat, this movie was nothing short of awesome.
1. I sat in 2nd row closest to the screen…and I still think it’s my favorite movie from this year’s festival. Even with weird neck pain.
2. It’s a Russian musical. I had no idea.
3. The colors, the costume design and the set design = excellent.
4. Not to be nerdy, but the cinematography was also amazing.
5. I don’t own a lot of movies, but I’d own this one. Just go see it.

The Joneses

By Vanessa Aron

Consumerism is a fascinating subject. And it’s a subject that always boils back to status. We buy things because there is a status symbol associated with it. Argue with me if you want, but that’s how it goes. It’s why we by fancy jeans, flashy cars and the latest and greatest anything and everything. If it wasn’t for the status associated with the product, we’d all be walking around in matching burlap sacks.

The Joneses is a humorous and at time, in my opinion, creepy movie that shows the influence of materialism in our lives. Starring Demi Moore and David Duchovny (a last name I fail miserably at saying), The Joneses follows a ‘family’ of business men and women who transplanted themselves into a community to push products. As with most trends, goods that have been marketed properly to a targeted consumer base will move and spread like wildfire. And the community in which the Jones family lives, these products become the latest and greatest must have trends.

From an outsider’s perspective, The Jones family is perfect. The marriage is flawless, the kids are popular, and the house and yard are well manicured. Yet inside the ‘family’ there are more personal problems that unravel as the film progresses. Other problems throughout the community begin to unravel as well. The Joneses is a great movie that reminds us all, in a funny and sad way, what we do with our cash.

Out of Place

By Vanessa Aron

Out of Place was on my radar since I picked up my film guide. Surfing on Lake Erie sounds bizarre, yet there is a vast underground community chasing waves up and down the coast of Lake Erie. I have always heard about the surfers at Edgewater but I have never had a chance to see them first hand. AND now I know that is because I am usually not a beach dweller in November.

Out of Place is a local hero film and boy did they pull in the crowd when I saw it last Friday night. The documentary follows several stories which overlap generations of surfers. Shockingly, many, but not all of these surfers are not from the Midwest, but speak highly of the lake’s surfing conditions. There has to be a passion to want to surf in frigid temperatures, in storm or rain storms and going days without sleep so one can work and also surf. Out of Place told many great, personal stories and told of the tight-knit community that has formed around thrill seeking on the lake. The music/soundtrack was also excellent and filled with all local acts! This is one film worth seeking out wherever possible. http://outofplacemovie.com/

Dear Lemon Lima

By: Vanessa Aron

Messy Magazine was the media sponsor for Dear Lemon Lima. This movie was set in Alaska and follows 13 year old Vanessa Lemor. Vanessa lives for one thing, to re-win the heart of Phillip Georgey, her young love that ran off to Paris for a semester and then returned wanting nothing to do with her. To regain his interest, Vanessa transfers schools and enters “Snowstorm Survivor Competition” – a competition Phillip won the previous year.

While entering the competition may be to win Phillip’s heart back, Vanessa gains true friends, confidence and learns whether or not she really needs Phillip in her life. You know everything most 13 year olds are dealing with. Who cannot relate to the awkward early teens or contending for the heart of a love? Scattered with sketches and teen-year doodling, found in Vanessa’s dairy (Lemon Lima), the film felt whimsical and very day-dreamy. The soundtrack was excellent and overall I’d have to use the word ‘cutesy’ to describe Dear Lemon Lima. http://www.dearlemonlimamovie.com/

Colony

Colony

Lauren Kirk

When I read the blurb for the film colony I was intrigued. I had heard about a shortage of honeybees in passing but never paid much attention to it or how it could possibly affect me. Or anyone else for that matter. I think a lot of times society has been preconditioned to think only about what is in front of them and not what came before it. This is what colony pointed out to me. By focusing on the beekeepers the documentary showed that colony collapse (the name for the disappearance of bees from their hives) can ruin not only the livelihood of the keepers, but also damage crops and affect our food supply and prices. A group of beekeepers are asked to meet with Bayer to discuss research on their pesticides to determine what can be done to try to thwart these disappearances of so many hives.

Pesticides may not be solely responsible for colony collapse; it could be a virus or just a natural cycle for these honeybees. The problem is, scientists and novices alike, cannot find a cause or an explanation. Seeing families argue over broken contracts and seeing empty hive upon empty hive was a bit unsettling. As was the tired faces of these men who have been doing this their whole lives that have no answers as to why this is happening to their bees. Also, seeing the amount of pesticides sprayed on crops, with piles of empty jugs tied to a rope after spraying really grossed me out. An uplifting fact is that Bayer is working and meeting with beekeepers to see what can be done and hopefully they will make some changes. Agriculture is a fascinating field and we all, myself included, need to stop and thing about what the back story is to the food we eat and where it comes from. Bees are smart and devoted to their cause and so many crops depend on them to survive and thrive. Hopefully, scientists will find the cause of colony collapse and a way to combat it.

Father and Guns

Father and Guns

Scott Guye

Father and Guns" (De Pere en Flic) is a police comedy in the most basic sense of the term. The film revolves around the dysfunctional relationship between a father and son. Jacques and Marc Larouche - interpreted by Michel Cote and Louis-Jose Houde - are both members of an investigative police team. The story develops as a fellow officer is kidnapped by a gang under investigation - forcing the duo to go undercover in the roles of ...father and son. The anger that Marc and Jacques portray for each other in their roles as police officers is equally displayed when they attend a relationship outing for troubled father/son pairs - both pretending and honestly yelling their way through a one funny situation after another.
With a rather limited budget, Director Emile Gaudreault has delivered a fun story full of comedy and an interesting plot. After a very successful opening in Canada - the film is currently Canada's highest grossing French-language film, Sony Pictures has already purchased rights to remake the film for American audiences. Audiences for the Cleveland Film Festival opening of "Father and Guns" were treated to a pre-screening reception at Shaker Square and a Q&A session following the film with actor Patrick Drolet who played a supporting role in the film.

Warrior Champions

Warrior Champions

Anita Petric

To be quite honest Warrior Champions was my second choice out of the movies I had picked out to see that day. I was running late and the line for the movie I was originally going to see was already filing into the theater just as I was arriving there. And I am so glad it worked out that way.
Warrior Champions is a story about four American soldiers who had either lost limbs or had suffered paralysis while serving their time in Iraq and the journey that follows long after they are home. Instead of giving into the sadness and depression that goes hand in hand with these kind of injuries,all of the soldiers found a sport they were good at and trained until they were good enough to compete for a spot in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. All four of these soldiers were inspiring but Scott Winkler stood out to me more than the rest . He completely lost the use of both of his legs and ended up spending a year in a sports clinic where he discovered shot put and how good he was at it. He might not have the use of his legs but he is in better shape and has a better outlook on life than anybody else I know. He lives his life having fun without any regrets and travels around the globe to visit other young wounded soldiers and helps them get over the shock of their injuries and find a place in the world. That to me is a hero. I never knew the Paralympic Games existed before this movie and now I can't wait to learn more about it and the stories behind all of the people competing.

Rachel Is

Rachel Is
Lauren Kirk

Rachel Is I saw Rachel Is on Saturday afternoon at CIFF and I am so glad that I did. Rachel is a 21 year old developmentally disabled girl living in Pittsburg with her mother, Jane. Her sister, Charlotte directed the piece and the entire film is so intimate as a result. All three invite the camera and essentially the audience into their lives. The focus of the film is essentially on where Rachel will be living after she graduates from school, she wants to move out of her mother's house, yet Jane does not want her to live anywhere but a group home. Shared living options are tested and do not work out, so Jane intensifies the search for a home where Rachel can live with her peers and lead a normal life. Rachel is hilarious and warm, yet I could tell that the demands she unknowingly imposes could be harrowing for a caretaker. Throughout the film, Jane is almost unflinching. Stoic even. Her quiet strength and patience with Rachel was truly inspiring. So was her passion for finding the best care for her daughter in a system that often overlooks developmentally challenged adults. Watching Jane as she remains calm while Rachel screams in the doctor's office can only be described as amazing. Some people lose patience quickly over a minor tear, and here Jane remains strong. You can see the love that all three have for each other and none of it is forced or faked for the camera. Even when it is obvious that Rachel is annoying Jane, I never got the sense of resentment. Charlotte did a great job directing this film, getting her point across, and showcasing her sister. I was particularly struck and moved by a point where she stated: "when I was 16 I realized it was time for me to stop apologizing for Rachel. She was just Rachel." Just because Rachel has a disability, it does not make her a freak, nor is anyone else with one. I think society probably often forgets this. Rachel Is was a great film about love, family, support, and also made me very aware of the limits of services for the disabled.

Ingredients – The Movie

By Vanessa Aron

There is almost too much to say about the movie Ingredients. It really is one of those films that you have to check out for yourself to really grasp the entire concept of what the writer and director are trying to convey.

Ingredients is a film that focuses on the local farming communities, the politics of farming, and the slow food movement. With everything going green and buzz words like ‘sustainable’ and ‘eco’ being tossed around, this movie really gets below the surface and into the mud of the situation. PUN INTENDED.

You know, dirt isn’t a bad thing, however our society has made it out to be something we must avoid, something we need to wash away, something our food does not come from. Well, Ingredients hates to break the news to you, but that’s where pretty much everything comes from; unless it’s coming from an animal. The farmers cultivating said ground are less than 10% of the US population. And this minuscule percentage is responsible for providing the entire nation with food. That’s a lot of food. That’s a lot of pressure.

Americans spend less money on food than they do healthcare and prescriptions each year. Yet, they are quick to complain about the high prices of food, and are also in poor health. It’s a mind-boggling conundrum. Thankfully, there is a slow turn toward more local food, all-natural food and more sustainable practices of food cultivation.

This is one movie that I could go on and on about. It was entertaining and eye-opening. For more information on the film check out http://www.ingredientsfilm.com/.

Turtle: The Incredible Journey

Turtle: The Incredible Journey

Lauren Kirk

I could watch Animal Planet, the Discovery, or the National Geographic for hours. And sometimes I do. Don’t judge. So when I saw that Turtle: The Incredible Journey was being shown at this years CIFF I knew it was a definite must see for me. On Sunday afternoon there wasn’t an empty seat in the theater. Little kids and parents, adults and teens all turned out to see this great documentary. I was lucky enough to get a seat even though it was all the way in the very front row, I was just happy to be in.
Turtle: The Incredible Journey follows a loggerhead turtle from her birth on a Florida beach to her amazing journey down the Gulf Stream and her ultimate return back to the same Florida beach to give birth. I don’t know if it is more amazing that the crew was able to follow this one turtle for so long or that she survived all that she went through. Seeing her pull herself out of a detour, avoid predators and oil slicks, and a fisherman’s hook just amazed me at how resilient these creatures are.
The camera work was amazing and seeing this journey that is so hidden from humans, yet so critical to the survival of this species, makes this documentary truly a treat for animal and science lovers. The underlying message of conservation and protection is clear throughout the film, yet never is it overbearing. The film’s community sponsorship was with the Cleveland Metroparks who also provided some information on protecting Ohio’s turtles. The loggerhead turtle is an incredible animal that goes through so much to ensure her part in keeping her species alive. This documentary shows that protection and conservation is needed so these journeys can continue.

For more information go to: http://www.saveourseas.org/