Rita is determined not to let her existence be guided by conventional morality. Giving birth to her children implies exercising her right to say "no": no to a mother who has never behaved like one; no to a father who has never recognized himself as such; no to the idea -let alone the possibility- of a family life. However, there is an attempt. Rita is unpredictable and that is why it is impossible to know if the attempt will succeed.
After serving his tour of duty in Iraq, a young American soldier who is ordered to return to the front lines as part of the military's controversial stop-loss policy opts instead to go AWOL in a thought-provoking military drama directed by Kimberly Peirce. Sgt. Brandon King (Ryan Philippe) is a decorated Iraq War veteran who once served his country with pride. After his tour of duty comes to an end, King returns to his Texas hometown and attempts to pick up where he once left off with a little help from his family, as well as long-time best friend and war buddy Steve Shriver (Channing Tatum). But just as Brandon, Steve, and the rest of their war buddies begin to settle back into civilian life, Uncle Sam comes calling on them once again. Suddenly ordered back into active duty, the disillusioned war veteran begins to question not just his ties to family and his longtime friendships, but his capacity for love and his sense of honor as well.
Expelled unfairly from Harvard, American Matt Buckner flees to England to his sister's home. Once there, he is befriended by her charming and dangerous brother-in-law, Pete Dunham, and introduced to the underworld of British football hooliganism. Matt learns to stand his ground through a friendship that develops against the backdrop of this secret and often violent world. Green Street Hooligans is a story of loyalty, trust and the sometimes brutal consequences of living close to the edge.
A real-life historical incident becomes the basis for this military thriller from director Kathryn Bigelow that's reminiscent of such submarine dramas as Das Boot (1981), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Crimson Tide (1995), and U-571 (2000). Harrison Ford stars as Captain Alexi Vostrikov, a Russian naval officer who's being given command of the Soviet Union's first nuclear submarine, K-19, at the height of the Cold War in 1961. The vessel's previous commander, Captain Mikhail Polenin (Liam Neeson) has been demoted to executive officer following a botched test and his outspoken assertions that the flagship is not yet ready for deployment, but he curbs his resentment and resolves to serve his new superior well. Polenin's concerns are well founded: parts are not yet installed, equipment is missing, and the ship's doctor is killed in an auto mishap. Political pressure forces Vostrikov to sail his crew into the North Atlantic anyway, for a missile fire test that serves as a warning to the U.S. that its enemy is now its technological equal. The test is a success, but a disastrous leak in the K-19's reactor cooling system soon threatens to create enough heat to detonate the craft's nuclear payload -- which would certainly be mistaken for the first salvo in a worldwide atomic exchange and spark the beginning of World War III. With no other option, Vostrikov orders his men to repair the damage in ten-minute shifts, irradiating them hopelessly. The conflict between the seemingly bureaucratic Communist Vostrikov and the more humane Polenin escalates, until a surprising twist reveals where both officers' loyalties truly lie.
Nearly a year before Barack Obama announced his candidacy for the presidency on February 10, 2007, filmmakers Amy Rice and Alicia Sams began to roll cameras on the young senator. Over the next 19 months, they found themselves traveling all across the country, chronicling the daily ups and downs of the campaign trail as experienced by Obama, his family, his staff and volunteers. While Obama's meteoric rise to the White House has been well documented in the press, few have witnessed the behind-the-scenes story of the passionate campaigners who helped a young African-American freshman senator attain the nation's highest office.
Rice conceived the idea of making a documentary about Obama long before the Illinois Senator announced his decision to run for president. Inspired by his oratorical skills and star appeal at the 2004 Democratic Convention, she set out to film his political career in 2006. Rice approached documentary producer Sams, who joined to co-direct and actor Edward Norton's production company, Class 5, agreed to produce the project. After Norton approached Obama's team with the idea, the senator agreed to grant the filmmakers what turned out to be unprecedented and exclusive access.
"Initially, it wasn't even about a presidential campaign; the idea was simply to examine the political experience of a promising young politician of our generation," says Norton, a two-time Oscar® nominee.
For Rice, the project had an even more personal dimension. She lost her older brother in the Sept. 11 attacks on the Twin Towers - an event that galvanized her political awakening. Then she saw Obama's 2004 convention speech on TV. Rice recalls, "That's when the idea of making a political documentary came into my mind."
Notes Sams, "It was clear that Obama was inspiring people to think differently about politics. We wanted to explore his impact and see where it would take both him and the country."
From this unique vantage point, By the People captures the boundless fervor of the campaign's volunteers, as well as the extraordinary skill and technical sophistication of its organizers. "I think people will look back on this campaign as one that was conducted with a real understanding of communication and organizing tools that were singular to that moment," says Norton. "It was an historic new read on how you could do an end run around conventional political methodology and strategies." By the People tracks Obama's halting progress from long-odds candidate to front-runner in the 2008 presidential race. It's a roller-coaster ride that includes all the victories and upsets that were followed by millions in the media, seen from within the Obama campaign: from thrilling wins and disappointing losses in key states, to controversies stemming from Obama's associations with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and domestic terrorist Bill Ayers; from the high of receiving his party's nomination over Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, to the low of losing his beloved grandmother the day before his final victory over Sen. John McCain on Election Day.
Young people were critical to Obama's success and their role is highlighted in this feature-length documentary. "I think if we're in a close race, these kids, they're going to win it for us," says David Axelrod, Obama's senior campaign strategist. "They think they're changing the world, and that's the best thing that they could do."
Among the young staffers highlighted are Polk County, Iowa organizer Ronnie Cho, who regularly calls his mother from the campaign trail - sometimes completely overcome with emotion - and a nine-year-old volunteer who works the phones, barely containing his frustration when the person he is calling appears unfamiliar with Obama's name. By the People culminates in the general election of November 2008, showing the Obama team glued to TV screens at campaign headquarters in Chicago, waiting with baited breath as results come in. Cheers fill the office as Ohio, then Iowa, go to Obama. His top speechwriter types on a laptop while talking to Obama on a cell phone, putting the finishing touches on an acceptance speech. Then, after the polls close in western states, news of Obama's victory finally breaks amid cheers and tears of joy, and the film follows David Axelrod and campaign manager David Plouffe in elevators, along hallways and past security checkpoints as they make their way to Obama's hotel room. History has been made.
In honor of the X-Factor Filmmaker Best Female-Directed Feature Film Contest (a catchier nickname beckons), I'll showcase all the films that make it into the bracket.
#1 - American Psycho - Done! #2 - Twilight - Done again! #3 - Deep Impact - Okay, not done. Let's get on that.
Available on Netflix: Deep Impact, directed by Mimi Leder
Mimi Leder (The Peacemaker) directed this science-fiction disaster drama about the possible extinction of human life after a comet is discovered headed toward Earth with the collision only one year away. Ambitious MSNBC reporter Jenny Lerner (Tea Leoni) stumbles onto the story, prompting a White House press conference. United States President Beck (Morgan Freeman) announces the government's solution: a team of astronauts will travel to the comet and destroy it. The team leader aboard the spaceship Messiah is Spurgeon Tanner (Robert Duvall), who was once the last man to walk on the moon. However, the mission fails, splitting off a chunk of the comet, now due to land in the Atlantic with the impact sending a 350-foot tidal wave flooding 650 miles inland, destroying New York and other cities. The larger part of the comet, hitting in Canada, will trigger an E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event), not unlike a "nuclear winter" as dust clouds block out the sun and bring life to an end. President Beck reveals Plan B: a cavernous underground retreat constructed to hold one million Americans, with most to be selected through a national lottery. Since teenage amateur astronomer Leo Biederman (Elijah Wood) discovered the comet, his family gets a pass to enter the cave, but his girlfriend Sarah (Leelee Sobieski) and her parents will be left behind. Meanwhile, still in space, Spurgeon Tanner devises a plan for a kamikaze-styled operation that could possibly save the Earth.
It's like March Madness, except I know all the teams!
X-Factor Filmmakers will be having a tournament-style vote on best female-directed movie of all time, and if you predict the winner, you could win a year of free Netflix.
As you may know, the percentage of women directors hovers around 9%, which is a ridiculous statistic in 2009 (or ever). It's not (just) that Hollywood is sexist—-if female directors brought in the big bucks on opening weekend, studio heads would certainly sit up and take notice, as might Oscar voters. But how to find out when these films are showing? Well... come here! (Update: Hmm, the same year I start this blog, the Academy nominates TWO female-directed movies for Best Picture! Coincidence?)
