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.