This was a film I had prepared in January of 2016 for the Diocesan Convention of Delaware hosted by my church. It’s a documentary about some of the people and missions of the church for those who made not know. The work was made a bit easier thanks to my interview subjects and the amount of materials I had access to. Enjoy!
It’s a simple joke but a profound artistic statement, cinema solely for the purpose of making an audience laugh.
Since the advent of the internet the news cycle has gotten woefully short, which is part of why I unearth this video on my site nearly a year after I was asked to add English subtitles to it.
The video is of Brazilian woman of indigenous descent, Silvia Nobre Waiãpi, reacting with visceral, righteous indignation at the fact that a two-year-old was beheaded in a town square and this person did so with impunity. To best of my ability to search there is still no resolution to this case.
It’s a harrowing reminder that struggles against gross injustice for indigenous populations is not just an American concern, it’s a global one. It’s not something that will be addressed adequately with one series of protests or rallying cries. These peoples still struggle everywhere just to be afforded basic human dignities and rights. Sharing this video, even though it’s supposedly “old news” by this point, is the very least I can to to increase awareness and continue dialogue.
What the world needs now is Stranger Things. Since Netflix can’t see fit to give that to us now, the next best thing we have are the kids in music videos. I recently wrote of Noah Schnapp’s appearance in an amazing video. Then I read Finn Wolfhard is now in a video, and I inadvertently watched an older one first. So here are both of them!
Facts “Retro Oceans”
Pup “Sleep in the Heat”
DISCLAIMER: It’s a sad dog movie.
Yesterday, I introduced a new category for this site in order to free up Saturday for newer or more varied short films. I like this word better as a choice rather than what Oxford chose this year, which I think of as a non-word that signals we’ve entered an age of Post-Intelligence if we truly embrace it.
Anyhow, Dictionary chose this based on the spike in searches in the US. No doubt linked to a certain campaign featuring a certain guy. To create an accompanying film they got Robert Reich to play on the style of his Facebook videos and he discusses the word well, in context, and with some snazzy whiteboard illustrations. Enjoy!
Introduction
I originally had these all set up as Short Film Saturday posts. However, I found that would severely limit my selections, so since these have being firsts in common I decided on a new category. Enjoy!
How is This a First?
Film is projected at last!
The film is cut at last, and in stunning fashion, it is used in an effort to depict violence. So much for that being a modern problem.
Yesterday was Thanksgiving and one could argue that it’s perennially the most ironic of American holidays, but particularly this year with the political climate and the DAPL standoff.
Then the news hit of the passing of Florence Henderson and the world of TV and film shook anew. If you check on her filmography the fulcrum is The Brady Bunch. However, she always embraced it and always had fun with it as some of these clips will prove.
When The Brady Bunch came to the silver screen in tongue-and-cheek fashion (the only way possible) Florence was there playing grandma. Her version of a grandma was a far “groovier chick”that Carol could hope to be just contrast her to Shelley Long’s hilarious caricature.
Here’s the opening that featured her. And Yes, RuPaul is also in this movie.
For the 1993 MTV Movie Awards she and members of The Brady Bunch did spoofs of the films nominated. Here is The Bodyguard.
She also did this brilliant spoof of A Few Good Men.
Florence was one of the most stellar examples of someone who far outperformed her material. If that was hard to see in the original show, her takes later on more than prove it. Enjoy, and rest in peace, Florence Henderson.
In closing, if you need some catharsis, and haven’t seen John Oliver’s “ode” to the year, do yourself some good today.
Color, like sound, came to film well before many realize. Initially the only way to bring color to film was hand tinting, which debuted as a technique in 1895.
Sure it’s been around the web but the succinctness of this form rejection checklist is enviable for a script-reader even if it isn’t always constructive for the writer. It is, and could be a tremendous object lesson for screenwriters about dealing with rejection and the varying degrees of feedback they might get. Start from this and work in increasing degrees to interact further and polish the concept. Make use of it if needed and check out Open Culture for more gems like this!
The Movie Rat 