LET THE CHURCH SAY AMEN

LET THE CHURCH SAY AMEN - 2004

RATED - NR but probably G

RATINGS - 4 Amazon (5/5), 362 Netflix (2.6/5), 24 IMDB (6.1/10).

STARRING - The church members themselves and directed by Academy Award-nominated David Petersen.

AWARDS - OFFICIAL SELECTION - 2004 Sundance Film Festival other film festival awards.

THEMES - Spirituality, reconciliation, hope, justice.

STORY - This highly acclaimed documentary takes place in a small, storefront Black Pentecostal Church in Washington, D.C. in the shadow of the Capitol. While geographically close, the worlds of these two institutions are light years apart. This week our government has proposed hundreds of billions of bailout funds for Wall Street. In the film, church members pass the 'plate' to raise $200 so one of the members can repair their car to get to work. The film follows four members of the church for a year as they pursue their dreams and hopes. Each one faces significant challenges, both of the external variety and those of the self-imposed consequences. It also shows the church going into the community. While they are most of very modest, perhaps even impoverished means, they care as much for others in the community as they do for themselves. They offer free clothes, food shelves, shelter, medical care and counseling and, of course, spiritual healing to everyone regardless of whether they join the church or not. There is nothing subtle about their faith, that it is Jesus who has changed their lives and gives them strength for living each day. Whether you agree with them, you can't help but love these people who are so authentic and genuine in their care for each other and their community. They don't play church. They live it in a way most of haven't experienced who live in nice, neat suburban areas. Director David Petersen does a great job of letting them tell their own story without either glamorizing or putting it down. Perhaps our legislators should visit this church instead of the big cathedrals. It might help to keep life in perspective. Enjoy. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 09/20/2008.

LINKS - AMAZON, NETFLIX, IMDB, CT REVIEW, THE FILM MOVEMENT.

KANDAHAR

KANDAHAR - 2001

RATED - NR but probably G.

RATINGS - 25 Amazon (3.5/5), 42,647 (3.3/5), 2,582 IMDB (6.7/10), Roger Ebert (3.5/4).

THEMES - Injustice, Gender Discrimination, Evil.

AWARDS - Many film festival nominations and several wins.

STORY - This is more of a docudrama than a film with a plot and satisfying ending along with character development. Roger Ebert says it well: "KANDAHAR does not provide deeply drawn characters, memorable dialogue or an exciting climax. Its traffic is in images..." It is the images that stick. This was made before 9/11 to show the persecution of women in Afghanistan. It is partially based on a true story involving Nelofer Pazira (Nafas), an Afghan-born Canadian journalist. In the film she has received a letter from her sister who was left behind when the family evacuated Russian-controlled Afghanistan. Her sister, now living under the rule of the Taliban, no longer wants to go on living and has given a date, the lunar eclipse, when she will commit suicide. The letter was delayed in getting to Nafas and she has arrived at the Iranian-Afghan border with only three days until the eclipse. As a woman, she is not free to travel alone into Afghanistan. She must arrange for some male assistance. The rest of the film is about her journey to find her sister. Along the way she meets a Black American disguised as an Afghan medical doctor, a Red Cross camp helping land mine victims who have lost legs. The image of the doctor (he doesn't know she is from Canada initially) asking questions of Nafas thru a third party and being separated by a sheet with a hole to examine her ears, eyes and mouth would be humorous, if not true. A Red Cross helicopter makes a 'leg drop', parachuting artificial legs to the camp below and we are overwhelmed by the image of several dozen amputees with crutches literally racing each other to get a pair of legs. The image of a her young male guide (10-12 years old) pulling a ring off a skeleton in the desert and trying to sell it to her is wrenching. Once again, we are struck by the incredible cruelty that the human race is capable of inflicting on one another, simply because of race or gender. You will probably not remember the plot but you will remember the images, images the reinforce the knowledge that there is both good and evil in this world and we must counter evil wherever we find it. A sobering film. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 09/13/2008.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, ROGER EBERT.

THE PRISONER OF SHARK ISLAND

THE PRISONER OF SHARK ISLAND - 1936

RATED - NR but probably PG.

RATINGS - 5 Amazon (4/5), 793 Netflix (3.3/5), 472 IMDB (7.4/10).

STARRING - Directed by JOHN FORD with Warner Baxter & Gloria Stuart.

THEMES - Justice.

STORY - The film begins with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth jumping on to the stage and making his escape out the back of the theater. In jumping from the balcony, Booth breaks his leg and soon needs medical attention. In the movie he asks for directions to a local doctor and appears unannounced at the home of Dr. Samuel Mudd, who, of course (without the Internet & cable TV) has not yet heard of the assassination. He treats Booth and keeps him overnight until he can travel again. The authorities trace Booth's escape to Mudd's estate and arrest him for being an accomplice. He is tried in what appears to be somewhat of a kangaroo court and sent to Shark Island Prison in the Florida Keys. He tried to escape once, unsuccessfully. A violent outbreak of Yellow Fever in which he heroically saves the lives of many of the prisoners while risking his own, convinces his accusers to rethink his guilt. The question is whether Dr. Mudd was an innocent bystander as the movie depicts or was he, in fact, part of the Booth conspiracy. This movie is well done and entertaining and is a terrific introduction to the whole story of John Wilkes Booth and the conspiracy theories. Like the JFK assassination debate, was this a lone gunman or a conspiracy much larger? A fascinating subject. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 09/07/2008.

LINKS - AMAZON, IDMB, TCM(Spoilers), WIKIPEDIA

THE LAST HURRAH

THE LAST HURRAH - 1958

RATED - NR but probably G/PG.

RATINGS - 15 Amazon (4/5), 8,591 Netflix (3.6/5), 815 IMDB (7.4/10).

STARRING - Spencer Tracy, Basil Rathbone.

AWARDS - Nominated for 1959 BAFTA Best Foreign Actor (Tracy).

THEMES - Politics, relationships.

STORY - The films begins with Mayor Frank Skeffington (Tracy) coming down the staircase of his large home and stopping to put a fresh flower in the vase under the picture of his deceased wife. He is soon joined in his large home office by his loyal staff who prepare him for the day's activities and getting ready to run for a fifth term. Soon he opens the door and one by one visits with the hundreds of people that have lined up outside his home to see him, a daily event. He's an old time politician, taking in every event in the city that concerns his people. He's got the people on his side but not the establishment whom he regularly 'blackmails' to get things done for 'his' people. They decide to go after him in this election and put up their own candidate backed by the local paper. It's a fresh, young man who knows how to use the 'new' medium called TV. What follows is classic Tracy with humor and drama as the contest turns into a horse race. The film is widely thought to be based on the life of Boston mayor James Curley. If you like Tracy, politics and a good story, this is worth the time. If, as they say, all politics is local, then this is a classic political film. Terrific acting by all involved and a heart wrenching ending. Enjoy. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 09/06/2008.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, TCM(Spoilers)

RECOUNT

RECOUNT - 2008

RATED - NR but probably PG-13 for language. The 'f' word is used quite a bit.

RATINGS - 7 Amazon (4/5), 16,343 Netflix (3.8/5), 2,286 IMDB (7.7/10),

AWARDS - Nominated for 6 Prime Time Emmy's.

STARRING - Kevin Spacey, Tom Wilkinson, Bob Balaban, Denis Leary and Laura Dern. All of them were nominated for individual Emmy's.

THEMES - Justice, democracy, politics, winning at all costs.

STORY - We all know the outcome of the 2000 Presidential race so why would you want to watch this HBO made for TV movie? Like watching a movie about a sporting event or athlete where you know the end, it's about the game itself. This film is about the Florida recount in 2000 as seen mainly through the person of Ron Klain, Al Gore's former Chief of Staff who was dispatched to Florida to head up the Democratic team pursuing the recount. The acting is terrific and so is the writing. Since the event is so recent and all the players are still living, getting the story straight was important and it seems that they did. Even knowing the ending, this movie draws you in so that you almost forget what happened as you follow the events and drama within the inner circle of each party as they fight for Florida's 25 electoral votes and the Presidency. It's really a story about democracy and how it does and doesn't work, about our legal system and how it does and doesn't work and whether a Republic like ours can survive a crisis like that. Whether you think the system works, depends, of course, on what side you were on but our country did survive and I think some credit must be given to the parties involved, particularly Al Gore as the underdog, who could have gotten their supporters all riled up and created a very ugly situation. There were hardly any demonstrations by Democrats. Gore also called off the pursuit in the end when he could have continued to the further detriment of the country. It seems that there was a tangible case of 'Country First'. It is also a reminder that we still don't have this voting thing figured out in our country. We can put the proverbial man or woman on the moon but can't develop a consistent, reliable national voting system for national elections. Maybe there's a case for letting each state and precinct determine its own way, but in an election that affects every one of us, I'd like to think we were all playing by the same rules. This is another outstanding docudrama by HBO. Enjoy during this election year. Who knows, maybe it will be deja vu all over again. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 09/06/2008.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB