From the very first opening shot, one knew immediately that RESIDUE* was going to be a brilliant, cinematic work of art.  Graduate of USC School of Cinematic Arts, first-time film director Merawi Gerima took his time in shooting the establishing shots — a series of slightly veiled, sometimes muffled sounds ranging from a protest evolving in slow motion and a police presence, to a street performer entertaining a crowd of spectators. Fulfilling the directorial vision, cinematographer Mark Jeevaratnam captured every nuanced moment in this 90-minute film, sometimes employing the shaky look associated with a handheld camera. The low lighting used in parts of the film was entrancing, creating shadows, which augmented the occasional disembodied, muffled voices. Those moments are skillfully supported by assistance from Alex J. Bledsoe on sound and Cam Poles, who co-supervised the music. These kinetic cinematic elements could perhaps be symbolic of the lead character of Jay’s ongoing disappointing discoveries. At first, the connective tissue was not immediately clear, but became so as we move further and further into the film.

The story line revolves around a young filmmaker named Jay, brilliantly portrayed by Obinna Nwachukwu, who, after many years in Los Angeles, returns to his old neighborhood in Washington, D.C. to gather up research for a film he plans to make about growing up on Q Street. His first order of business in returning is to visit his parents who still live in the same home in which he grew up. They are not happy with what’s happening to their neighborhood, which is becoming gentrified, with  long-time African-American residents selling their properties to white developers. Despite receiving lucrative offers, they stand tight and refuse to sell. Jay is greeted warmly by his parents and says, “It’s good to be home.” In a symbolically telling moment, a white couple allows their dog to poop on his parents’ front lawn. Jay’s mother scolds them and they reply, “We’ll clean it up” but mom says, “But it always leaves a residue.” Jay’s overriding desire is to reconnect with Demetrius, his best childhood friend. He asks a number of people who knew him from the past, but no one seems to know what became of him. Director Gerima’s script seamlessly moves back and forth in time delicately blending the protagonist’s present experience as compared to his past.  

Jay continues to meet with residents of “Q Street” meticulously taking notes that he will turn into a screenplay. In one of the tender flashback scenes, Jay is in the woods with his friend Demetrius and they talk about how relaxing it is to hear the birds chirp and savor the sweet smell of the woods. The two young boys playfully wrestle and the bond between them is quite evident. It also becomes quite evident that Jay’s childhood memories of what it was like growing up in his neighborhood do not connect to what he is seeing today. In addition to the gentrification, he is basically unable to reconnect with his childhood friends who seem to be scattered in different directions. This is a heartfelt story of someone who finds that the childhood he knew has virtually disappeared and the emptiness that his discoveries engender.

Director Gerima has meticulously assembled a sterling cast starting with Obinna Nwachukwu in the lead role.  He gives an Oscar-worthy performance mining through the myriad emotions the character experiences as he discovers the changes to his childhood neighborhood.  His understated, but searing performance, is reminiscent of the characterizations delivered by such Hollywood giants as Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman or Robert DeNiro. Other cast members include, JaCari Dye, Jamal Graham, Dennis Lindsey, Derron Scott, Julian Selman, Taline Stewart, Melody A. Tally, and Ramon Thompson — all of whom deliver pitch perfect performances — so perfect and so fully actuated that it almost feels as though they are improvising — a tribute to great direction.

It took a small village to create RESIDUE, starting with the superb writer/director/editor, a gifted production team, and a talented cast.  This outstanding cinematic journey is now streaming on Netflix.

*RESIDUE made it’s world premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival, receiving the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature and the Acting Award for star Obinna Nwachukwu. The film is also an official selection of the 77th Venice International Film Festival’s Giornate degli Autori. Gerima is the son of Haile Gerima, a famous Ethiopian filmmaker noted for the L.S. Rebellion film movement.

The post Director/Writer Merawi Gerima’s Captivating RESIDUE — Streaming on Netflix appeared first on Traveling Archive.

With Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Jamie Foxx in lead roles, how could anything go wrong in this action, sci-fi thriller written by first-time screenwriter ​Mattson Tomlin and directed by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost?  In a word – plenty.

It’s 3:00 am in New Orleans, nicely captured by cinematographer Michael Simmonds. The drug dealers are hard at work selling a shiny new pill which, when taken, endows the recipient with super powers. At $500 a pop, this magic bullet is not stable and while it could gift you with superhuman strength allowing you to lift a car up over your head, or turn you into a super hero where bullets bounce off your cheeks, or render you invisible, or enable you to sprint at almost 50 miles per hour, the pill is unstable and, as Colson Baker, a.k.a. ​Rapper Machine Gun Kelly, demonstrates, after taking the pill he turns into a flaming torch.  I guess you could say you pays the price and you takes your chances.

Frank, a LAPD officer played by Gordon-Levitt, arrives on the scene and busts a young girl named Robin, who is a drug pusher/wannabe Rapper, played by Dominique Fishback.  They then become partners in the pursuit of the major supplier.  Every once in a while throughout the film, she breaks out in a Rap riff germane to a particular situation and becomes a pivotal character in the ensuing silly action.  In order to level the playing field with the bad guys, Frank takes a pill and taps into his hidden strength.  Yes, there are shades of Bradley Cooper’s starring role in the well-done Limitless, which also involved taking a pill – giving new meaning to “on the pill.” Sorry.  Couldn’t resist that. There are also vague, superficial similarities to Marvel and DC Comics super heroes.

Enter now Jamie Foxx as Art, a former army major whose daughter has been kidnapped by the sinister, cartoonish bad guys played by  Rodrigo Santoro and Amy Landecker, leaders in Teleios, the outfit peddling Power. Their creepy plan is to mass produce the Power Pill and create an indestructible militia that could take over the world.  It seems that Art’s daughter Tracy, played by Kyanna Simone Simpson, has special antibodies in her blood that allows her to achieve the same effects of the Power pill without actually taking it.  She is currently being held captive on a cavernous cargo ship turned into a massive floating laboratory with endless winding corridors and secret hatches controlled by a highly intricate set of computers, let’s say on the scale of NASA or the CIA.  Art is determined to rescue his daughter and in a flashback remembers the two of them in a car when his daughter is dragged away by the bad guys thus beginning his unrelenting determination to rescue her.  So, the three of them – Frank, Art, and Robin make their way to the ship and lo and behold, she figures out how to work the unbelievably intricate computer system controlling the doors and hatches, giving Frank and Art blow-by-blow instructions on how to retrieve Tracy without getting caught.

Having rescued her, now the four of them have to get off the ship alive and thus, popping a pill, Art becomes a version of the Hulk and a big punch-out ensues.   And, like any good fairytale, the good guys win, the bad guys are dead, and Robin, the former drug dealer, gets to cut her first rap single.  Other members of the supporting cast include, Allen Maldonado, Casey Neistat, Tait Fletcher, Colson Baker, Michael Thomas, Andrene Ward-Hammond, Yoshi Sudarso, and a cameo guest performance by Courtney B. Vance, who delivers one of the most believable moments in the film.

While it might sound good on paper, the film is weighted down by predictable clichés, and rather absurd plot points.  It’s a wonder that despite the poor script, and intermittent unfocused direction, that the three principal characters gave creditable performances – especially Fox and Fishback.  Gordon-Levitt, who is usually solid in creating characters, did have a bit of a challenge in maintaining consistency throughout the R Rated, 1 hour and 51 minutes of an action film that ultimately falls flat.

The post Film Review: “Project Power” – An Exercise in Clichés Now Streaming on Netflix appeared first on Traveling Archive.

The storyline in “The Fundamentals of Caring” is not original. Written and directed by Rob Burnett, it is based on the novel “The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving” by Jonathan Evison.  We saw a similar treatment of the subject of a severely handicapped person, whose caretaker changes his life, as well as his own, in “The Intouchables,” a French film dealing with that theme, as did the subsequent “The Upside,” the American version of that film. One might ask why was this theme repeated successfully in three different films? The reason is a similarity in the humanity of the characters.  Based on actual events, we witness the angst of two deeply troubled people, each of whom experiences renewal and redemption through each other.

In “The Fundamentals of Caring,” released by Netflix in 2016, Ben, stirringly played by Paul Rudd, is a lost man. He is a father who is no longer a father, a writer who no longer writes, with a wife who no longer wishes to be his wife. Faced with his tattered life, Ben decides to train as a caregiver and after completing a six-week session, applies for his first job as caretaker to Trevor, a severely handicapped young man with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, brilliantly played by Craig Roberts. His no-nonsense English mom Elsa, skillfully played by Jennifer Ehle, is both a registered caregiver and manager of a local bank.

On interviewing Ben, she is uncertain as to whether or not she should hire him because her 18-year-old would be his first case. Confined to a wheelchair, potty mouth Trevor, is angry, frustrated sexually, and tries to intimidate the applicant by rattling off unpleasant requirements of the job. Ben stays centered even when Trevor taunts him, “You’ll have to wipe the shit from my ass,” replying, “I’ll do whatever is necessary.” Satisfied, he tells his mom to hire him. In the beginning, the relationship is not easy. Trevor is angry most of the time, barking orders, and sticks to a rigid daily schedule. He occasionally feigns choking which scares the hell out of Ben, who later does an one-upsmanship. Realizing that his ward is living a life of not-so-quiet desperation, he proposes a road trip. At first Trevor’s mom says no because of the amount of meds he’s on as well as his sleep apnea machine. However, with assurances from Ben that he will take excellent care of him, she relents and off they go in the handicap van to visit The World’s Deepest Pit.

During the first part of the trip, Trevor remains rigid and the verbal fencing between them continues. He remains unwilling to try any new foods and definitely turns down a Slim-Jim (beef jerky.) Ben tries to get him to eat French toast instead of his daily waffles, but to no avail. That is about to change as while stopping at a diner, they spot a sexy young girl named Dot, perfectly played by Selena Gomez, a run-away who is trying to hitch a ride. Trevor is clearly attracted to her and Ben tells him to offer her a lift, which he chickens out of doing. Back in the car, a short time later, they encounter her again, and this time she climbs into the car with them. She’s rather sardonic, smokes, and matches Trevor’s potty mouth with a preponderance of “F-bombs.” Behind the mutual rough exteriors, the seeds of young love are sprouting.

Next up is a pregnant young woman named Peaches, beautifully characterized by Megan Ferguson, who is standing next to her stalled car. She is on the way to her mother’s home to have the baby and she shares that her husband is on his second tour in the military. Ben invites her to join them and now the four of them are off to their destination. On the way, Trevor shares that his father left when he was three-years-old when he found out about his disorder and that the only communication has been letters that he never opened. They all encourage a visit to the car dealership where his dad Bob (Frederick Weller) works. It is not a successful encounter as the dad says that he never wrote those letters and that Trevor’s mom did. He offers money, which disgusts his son who turns his wheelchair around and leaves angrily, demanding to go home. However, the girls persuade him that they have to see the big hole and off they go.

One evening, in a motel, Trevor works up the nerve to ask Dot to have dinner with him. It’s a charming scene of two teenagers having dinner and chatting away. In another scene, Ben and Trevor arrive at the site of the biggest bovine in the world. Unfortunately, the beast is upstairs there is no elevator.  Ben becomes indignant and accuses the owner of violating the Americans With Disabilities Act and that he was going to report him. The owner figures out a solution, which involved carrying the wheelchair up a narrow flight of stairs and thus Trevor saw this gargantuan cow.

Things are going smoothly when Peaches suddenly goes into labor with the outcome successfully in Ben’s hands. The new mom and her baby are whisked off by ambulance to the nearest hospital and Dot reunites with her father, played by Bobby Cannavale. He had had been following the van throughout the trip, with Ben thinking it was a process server hired by his wife.

In an earlier conversation, Ben asked his charge what he wants to do more than anything. His answer was “I’d like to pee standing up.” The resolution of that dream is one that will have you cheering. And, in my opinion, is why we have seen a variation on this theme several times. We all need something to cheer about, don’t you think?

The post “The Fundamentals of Caring” — An Uplifting Film Streaming on Netflix appeared first on Traveling Archive.

It’s not necessary for me to say that we are living in difficult times – times that tax our ability to adjust to a life heretofore unknown to us.  Like many of you, watching movies has been a way to escape from this dreadful reality into another world – one devoid of the challenges we are currently facing.  With my regular private press screenings cancelled due to the COVID-19, Netflix and Amazon have become my “go to” streaming services for content, which has enabled me to continue to review films.  My play reviews will be resumed once theatres are once again live.

While scrolling through the films offered on Netflix, I came across Uncorked – an innocent, charming, slice-of-life film in which director/writer Prentice Penny, (HBO’s “Insecure”) makes his feature film debut.  The story is an intimate look at the family dynamic of a Memphis family.  The dad, well played by gifted actor, Courtney B. Vance, is the proprietor of a barbecue joint passed down from his dad.  It is his expectation that his son, Elijah, played with a quiet intensity by Mamoudou Athie, has a different dream on how to spend his life.  He works part time in a liquor store and really impresses the owner with his vast knowledge of the different complexities of wine, which lovers of the grape will especially enjoy.  A few of his descriptions range from aroma or bouquet, body, crisp, oaky, to fruity, tannic, flavor intensity, and finish.  His father doesn’t take him seriously as he and the family associate sommeliers with upper class rich people and except for his mother Sylvia, beautifully fleshed out by Niecy Nash, treats Elijah’s ambition as almost a joke.

Elijah knows this is his calling and wants to train to be a Master Sommelier, which involves going to school.  He is conflicted as he doesn’t want to disappoint his father but at the same time wants to follow his dream, a dream basically accessible to people of a different social different class.  Quietly, Elijah is accepted into a school that trains Sommeliers.  While at a bar one night, he meets the beautiful Tanya, well played by Sasha Compère, who becomes the source of ongoing encouragement.  Eventually, Elijah is accepted into a very prestigious school in Paris and with the help of his supportive mother, convinces her husband that their son must follow his dream, and raises enough money to cover his expenses.  Paris doesn’t work out financially he must make changes in his life to continue his studies. The second half of the film presents Elijah with a tragedy that results in a life-changing choice, one that he willingly undertakes – at least for the present time.

Uncorked is not a perfect film and there are definitely flaws – especially in the lighting (uncredited) which would be more suited to a mystery or horror film. I found myself waiting for something “bad” to happen, but the “bad” that finally takes place is in the family dynamic rather than a mysterious, scary entity.  The other problem is although Athie delivers a heartfelt performance, it required digging into more layers of his character other than the somber, intensity that we mostly see.  Perhaps that should be laid in the hands of Penny who might have shaped his performance so that we could see other layers of his character.  Again, his performance is quite compelling but could have been even more compelling if he delved into other aspects of Elijah.  Other key cast who give credible performances, include, Lashun Pollard, (Dorothy,) Michael Mobley (Marion,) and Robert Cox (Harold.)

This kind of a family drama is always on a slippery slope as it could have very easily fallen into a soap opera, but even with its flaws, like an inexpensive bottle of wine, there are redeeming characteristics in this human-interest story that will give you a a satisfactory “finish.”

The post “Uncorked” A Netflix Original Film With Wine as the Backdrop appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Streaming Movies With…
Lady Beverly Cohn

As we all painfully know, going to the movies is a memory from the not so distant past, although it feels like forever ago.  In my desire to keep readers informed of films to watch, I have turned to Netflix and Amazon as my sources.  Some of them have current release dates, while others have older ones.

The first film, which is streaming on Netflix, falls into the latter category and is titled “One of Us,” a no holds barred documentary feature illuminating the intricate, almost police state of the Hasidic Jews living in Brooklyn. Originally released in 2017, the film was produced and directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, former members of that biotic community, and illuminates the severe consequences to anyone wishing to leave the safety of that non-secular “state.”

The story of “One of Us” revolves around three people who endured the relentless psychological abuse that the Community inflicts upon a member wishing to leave that “sanctuary” — Ari Hershkositz, Luzder Twersy, and Etty Ausch, whose story is particularly heartbreaking.  As marriages are arranged by parents, with guidance from the rabbis and elders of the Community, she married a man she had only seen a few times. It turned out that her husband was violent to her and abusive to their five children.  Despite enormous pressure from her extended family, and the wise men of the Community, Etty had enough and removing her wig to reveal her own hair, as well as changing her style of dressing to a less severe one, she decided to get a divorce and cut ties to that lifestyle.  That was not an easy task, as the local courts are stacked in favor of men.  The elders of the Community, who rule with an unrelenting iron hand, found lawyers who would side with the Hasidic beliefs.  Etty secured a divorce but was now faced with a custody battle.

During the trial, she was asked questions that really should have no bearing on her being a good mother, but ranged from the type of clothing she wears down to the color of her stockings.  As shocking as it is, it comes as no surprise that she loses custody of her children who are then farmed out to different family members.  When asked when she would be allowed to see her children, the judge tells her that she could write to them in six weeks.   Eventually, she is allowed visiting rights and leaves them with “Continue to be awesome you.”

Ari was a victim of sexual abuse that the Community conspired to cover up.  He tried to mitigate the trauma of those experiences by turning to cocaine and actually overdosed twice.  His family sent him to rehab at Lifeskills of South Florida, but he slipped more than once.  At the time of this filming, he was clean and sober and was taking it “one day at a time.”  Ari was astonished that when he got a short haircut and cut off his payos — the curls that hang down from each side of the temple — friends who had known him since childhood, shunned him.  It’s as if you are either with us or you’re against us.  In one really heart-wrenching scene, he calls his mother to say that he cut his hair and will no longer be religious.  After a long pause, she says, “Ok” and doesn’t speak to him again for almost a year.  Another issue was lack of a general education.  Studies are primarily limited to the teachings of the Torah so that basic skills such as math are underdeveloped.

Like the others, Luzer came to the understanding that he could no longer live under the draconian rules of the Community.  He secured a divorce, left his wife and children, and moved to California to pursue his dream of becoming an actor.  Living in a trailer, he supports himself as an Uber driver. Earlier, while still dressed in the traditional Hasidic garb, he tried to audition as a Hasidic man who acts, but it didn’t quite work out.

Members of the community take care of each other so you are never in need of food if you’re sick, or need financial assistance, or childcare.  Those are very seductive perks and from the scenes of women socializing with each other, they appear to be happy.  They are all dressed exactly the same, including white head coverings.  There are also scenes of crying young women having their beautiful hair cut off to be replaced by wigs.  The joy of music and dancing is demonstrated in one scene where dozens of men are circle dancing to lively Kletzmer music as the women watch through a window behind a closed door.  Perhaps that speaks volumes.

Recovering Hasidics receive support from ex-Haredi organizations such as Footsteps and the film shows touching scenes of social worker Chani Getti counseling people in their difficult transition. Gone is the Community support and perceived love they received since they were born. Gone are their childhood friends and in some cases, gone also is communication with their parents. But, these three courageous young people were willing to give it all up to follow their own hearts.

Technically, the production values are quite superb. Through almost one-third of the film, cinematographers Jenni Morello and Alex Takats shot the scenes in soft focus and shadows so that you don’t see the principals, but only hear their voices and see only snippets of their entire presence. T. Griffin’s music beautifully augments the ongoing action.

If there is a shred of defense for what is perpetrated against people wishing to live a secular life, it could be in the knowledge that the Hasidic Jewish movement began with survivors of the Holocaust, which witnessed the murder of six million Jews.  One can understand the need for a safe, cloistered haven. But still, tyranny by any other name is still tyranny. This Community, which commands that you abide by their unbending set of rules, denies the very freedoms for which the war was fought.

Presented by: Netflix
Distribution:  Netflix
Production Company: Loki Films

Written & Directed by:  Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady
Producers:  Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady, & Liz F. Mason
Cinematography: Jenni Morello & Alex Takats
Music: T. Griffin
Participants: Ari Hershkositz, Luzder Twersy, Etty Ausch, & Chani Getter

Language:  English & Hebrew
Genre:  Documentary Feature Film
Running Time:  95 minutes
Rating:  Unrated

The post “One of Us” – A Searing Look into Brooklyn’s Hasidic Community appeared first on Traveling Archive.

No Contest Contest

I didn’t think it was possible. There is a reality TV where the judges are as nice and genteel as can be and still manage to keep the pressure on; where the contestants help each other to do their best even if helping the other person eats up their own time; where there is no prize money and yet the contestants give it all they’ve got for a mere recognition. There is tension. There is drama. There is comedy. And there is clean fun.

I was having this ordinary conversation with Peggy, a classmate in church, and somehow the discussion led to this TV show. Suddenly her eyes sparkled and she got really excited sharing it. Another person overheard our talk and she too joined in with excitement.

Who would have thought that people would be so excited about such a subject? It turns out that more and more people I talked to were also “secretly” watching this show in Netflix. I couldn’t believe it. It actually has a cult following.

So I decided to check out what the fuss was all about. Wouldn’t you know it? I started watching one episode after another. I got hooked! Imagine — a macho man like me, enjoying this “sissy” activity — hard to believe, huh? I rarely bake and I am not familiar with some of the jargon (ie. “over proofed” or “more savory than salty”) — yet, I was glued to the show. I got into the different personalities of the contestants. I was sad when people were cut off from the winning circle. And I love the creativity.

And this is my point: With all the sex, violence, horror, decrepit and shallow drama that Netflix dishes out, this refreshing show gives me hope for Netflix. Here we have congenial personalities and clean witty humor.  What a nice escape. Perhaps a downside to watching this is you get really hungry even though you can’t smell, touch or taste the food. If you’ve got a diet problem, move on. This show may not help.

By now you should know the title of the show, right? Right? Good.

TGIF people!

Psssst! …  it’s the Great British Baking Show.

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Peter Paul of S Pasadena, CA for sharing this joke.

Rodney’s Puns

Funny Video

The Future Politician

Shared by Vanessa of Whittier, CA

Parting Shot

Thanks to Naomi of N Hollywood, CA who shared this:

The post At the Auction House appeared first on Traveling Archive.