The documentary was wonderfully put together, produced and directed by the Kennedys' daughter Rory. The film featured interviews with Ethel and her children along with lots of original video and photos. The best treat of the movie was getting to know Ethel, a feisty, strong, vibrant woman who played a special role in history and helped instill a passion for social justice among her children. Definitely worth a watch.
This weekend, I picked a movie to see from the Milwaukee Film Festival. While it wasn't one of the films I originally put on my list, Ethel turned out to be a really special treat. I was a history major in college, but I must have skipped over the whole Robert Kennedy lesson. Robert Kennedy was married to a woman named Ethel? They had eleven children? Woof, almost a baker's dozen.
The documentary was wonderfully put together, produced and directed by the Kennedys' daughter Rory. The film featured interviews with Ethel and her children along with lots of original video and photos. The best treat of the movie was getting to know Ethel, a feisty, strong, vibrant woman who played a special role in history and helped instill a passion for social justice among her children. Definitely worth a watch.
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The Milwaukee Film Festival, one of my favorite events of the year, starts this weekend! The festival will go from September 27th through October 11th and will include over 200 films from around the world. I've been impressed with the festival's selection the past two years, and a few films have caught my eye this year as well. Though I'll have a really hard time in the final selection of which movies to actually see (time and budget restraints will limit to me to 2 movies max), I'm intrigued by two "art as activism" films from the West Bank and from China.
Five Broken Cameras: Described as "a modest, rigorous, and moving work of art" by The New York Times, this personal documentary follows Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat and his family through their West Bank hometown. Shot over five years by Burnat and completed with Israeli filmmaker Guy Davidi, this award-winning work of cinematic activism depicts both family life and non-violent protest as bulldozers start razing olive trees and destroying the lives of those around Burnat. Never Sorry (see the trailer here) Art isn't just a means of personal expression for China's Ai Weiwei. He uses it to cultivate joy, explore the public consciousness, and ignite political action. The subversive nature of his work has led Chinese authorities to shut down his blog, beat him, bulldoze his newly built studio, and hold him under secret detention. Unprecedented access allows the viewer to witness it all firsthand and explore his creative process. If you're in the Milwaukee area, check out the featured films and schedule here. Tickets run $10 for adults, $9 for seniors/students and $8 for film festival members. Can't wait!! I'll continue to climb trying to reach the top, but no one knows where the top is!
Now I know I just featured a film here, but this one was just too good not to share. Jiro is the greatest sushi chef in the world. The first sushi chef and the oldest person to receive three michelin stars for his restaurant. And the 85 year old's small sushi restaurant just happens to be in a Tokyo subway and has only ten seats. Jiro follows the same routine every day, believing that only by repeating the same tasks over and over can he reach perfection. One of his apprentices explains that he had to make a dish over 200 times before it was considered good enough to serve to customers. 200 times. This movie was beautiful and wonderful, probably one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. It seemed that everyone featured and involved in the film was driven by a love for their craft, a desire to be the best they could be. One of the most repeated lines in the film was "I'm not doing this for the money." The cinematography and the score elevate Jiro's work (and the work of his sons and apprentices) to a symphony. My favorite scene in the movie featured Jiro's self-proclaimed-anti-establishment-tuna-supplier. The tuna supplier chooses his fish at a live auction in some type of warehouse, and the scene turns in to a kind of dance between the auctioneers and the tuna suppliers. That's the level of amaziness of this film -- a simple not-essential-to-the-plot scene features an anti-establishment tuna supplier AND a bloody, gritty warehouse turned dramatic stage. HIghly recommend checking this movie out (you can do it on Netflix instant watch!). I give it 5 out of 5 stars. The whole universe depends on everything fitting together just right. If one piece busts, even the smallest piece, the entire universe will get busted.
I am really looking forward to seeing this movie. The trailer has a super magical feel to it, doesn't it? The movie is about a six-year-old girl named Hushpuppy who lives in a southern Delta community (the Bathtub) with her father (Wink). When her father gets sick, the universe unravels -- global warming essentially sets in allowing prehistoric creatures named "aurochs" to escape the polar ice caps. As flooding begins, Hushpuppy sets out on an epic quest to find her mother. That plot line mixed with the music, acting, and cinematography makes me super excited to see this. I have a slight obsession with Wes Anderson movies. The cinematography, the quirky characters, the colors, the soundtracks -- I just love them. I saw his most recent movie, Moonrise Kingdom, a few weeks ago with Paul. This movie is now tied for my favorite Wes Anderson movie along with Royal Tenanbaums and Fantastic Mr. Fox. Moonrise Kingdom feels like a young adult adventure book come to life, in complete Wes Anderson style.
When the heroine runs away from home, she brings a suitcase full of books with her that she stole from the town library. She scores points for running away in true book-lover style. The audience gets a peek at the books as the heroine reads them throughout the film. Wes Anderson hired a few animators to bring the books to life, and you can watch the clip narrated by the film's librarian/narrator. They remind me of books I loved to read when I was 12, and books I still love to read when I pretend I'm 12. Paul and I may be basing our Halloween costumes off of this movie. Maybe. And it may be because the costumes can can have a dog tied in to them. Maybe. Take a wild guess as to who we will be. |