Continue reading »]]> I won’t hide it: I’m New York City born-and-bred. Concrete was my cradle, and carbon-monoxide-tinged air my mother’s milk (a strained analogy, but apt). Which is to say that I know squat about life on the farm. Don’t know how reap, don’t know how to herd, don’t even think of approaching me about animal husbandry. When I want produce, I get myself to the supermarket two blocks away; when I want milk, I want to pour a glass, not squeeze a teat. Bottom line: There may be grit under my fingernails, but it’s the asphalt captured from clawing my way to survival in these mean, mean streets. And that’s just the way I like it.

So when our sponsor, Samsung, came up with the following video…

…I have to admit I felt deeply for the office drones. I know how I’d be feeling if I was cast out of my element to that extreme, and I’m just glad those guys brought their Galaxy Tabs along to help them cope.

Much to my surprise, though, it turns out that not everyone here in the five boroughs shares my genetic deficiencies in the field of agriculture. Turns out there are people city-wide who have taken relatively small plots of earth bared from the metropolis’ concrete heart and turned them into veritable cornucopias of hearty produce. And when GreenThumb, the city office that oversees these urban farms, invited me out to the Bronx to witness their annual harvest celebration, I had to go and have a look. Here’s what I found:

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World Enough and Crime: Racecar Lightning McQueen (left, voiced by Owen Wilson) and loveable tow-truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy, center) are dragooned into international espionage by dashing super spy Finn McMissile (Michael Caine, right) in CARS 2.

Kids love cars, and kids love CARS — that seems to be the calculation behind Pixar’s latest animated offering, CARS 2. Abandoning the original film’s theme that celebrated the romance of exploring off-the-beaten-superhighway U.S, director John Lasseter and crew have devised an espionage plotline for this sequel, with cocky racecar Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and kids’-fave country-bumpkin tow-truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy, a.k.a. Daniel Lawrence Whitney) embarking on a whirlwind world tour to compete in an international racing competition, and finding themselves dragooned into a deadly conspiracy being battled by suave superspy Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and his sexy (check out those steel-belted radials!) partner Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer). With beautifully crafted settings and numerous, exquisitely choreographed action sequences, does CARS 2 overcome the problems found in the first installment, a film that many feel is Pixar’s weakest effort? Join Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons as they examine the movie.

Also in this episode: Steve offers his thoughts on Woody Allen’s hit fantasy/comedy, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, Dan discusses the level of human misery he’ll inflict for the sake of saving a few lousy bucks, and the gang discusses the inscrutable artistry of Michael Bay.

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History Repeats: Gael Garcia Bernal faces a conflict between art and politics in EVEN THE RAIN.

Columbus did not land in Bolivia. But a Spanish film crew has chosen that country to shoot their historic recreation of that event — and how some priests fought against the subsequent enslavement of the natives — because, well, it’s cheaper. That initial bit of convenient exploitation is only the start of the parallels in EVEN THE RAIN, a film in which the 2000 Bolivian “Water War” — in which the citizenry fought against the privatization of their water supplies — coincides with the filming of an historical epic, forcing everyone involved, including the driven director played by Gael Garcia Bernal and a cynical producer played by Luis Tosar, to confront how far a dedication to one’s art applies in the face of genuine, human turmoil.

The complex scenario mixes reenactments of 15th century conquest, behind-the-scenes drama of the film’s cast and crew, and a gritty envisioning of the battle over a prime element of life. It was written by Scottish author Paul Laverty (Ken Loach’s BREAD AND ROSES and THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY), and directed by Spanish director Iciar Bollain (TAKE MY EYES, MATAHARIS). I was lucky enough to speak to both of them for this episode — click on the player to hear the interviews.

EVEN THE RAIN
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eventherainmovie.com

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To Infinity and Way, Way Beyond: Atomic waste's final resting place in INTO ETERNITY.

It is truly the gift that keeps on giving: The stockpile of nuclear waste that we continue to generate, year in and year out, useless for any practical purpose, but still deadly. In Finland, they think they’ve come up with a solution — it’s called Onkalo (literally Finnish for “hiding place”), a massive, man-made cave meant to store 250,000 tons of radioactive refuse for 100,000 years. The two-fold problem: In a world where the pyramids are only 4500 years old, and the oldest cave drawings date back to only 30,000 years, how can anyone be sure that this dangerous stockpile will remain secure over 100 millenia, and how can we prevent future generations — by either accident or design — from gaining access to the cache?

Conceptual artist Michael Madsen attempts to confront the dilemma in INTO ETERNITY, a mesmerizing, thoughtful documentary that takes audiences down into the still-in-progress Onkalo dig and introduces us to the people responsible for its construction and maintenance. Framed as cautionary fable for future generations, the film attempts to conceptualize the notion of a danger that persists into posterity, and to explore the challenges in dealing with such a legacy.

Click on the player to hear my interview with Michael Madsen.

This Episode is Brought to You by
PAUL
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INTO ETERNITY
Trailer

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intoeternitythemovie.com

Continue reading »]]> In case you were keeping track, yes, this episode of the Cinefantastique Post-Mortem should have posted last week. Life intervened, but the topics discussed are evergreen, anyway, so enjoy. The newest episode of the PM shall follow, almost immediately.

This week’s edition of the Cinefantastique Post-Mortem Podcast delves into the immersive cinematic world of James Cameron’s AVATAR: THE SPECIAL EDITION, whose re-release in theatres gives audiences a chance to enjoy what 3-D can be, when it’s not slapped on in post-production. Also on the table: the upcoming documentary, 2001: BEYOND THE INFINITE — THE MAKING OF A MASTERPIECE, in which Oscar-winning effects expert Douglas Trumbull, himself a veteran of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, will delve behind the scenes of Stanley Kubrick’s science fiction masterpiece .

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Sweet, Summer Memories...

It’s a special Labor Day edition of the Cinefantastique Podcast. Eschewing the usual round-up of news and reviews, Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski provide their assessment on the best and worst that this summer had to offer. What tops the list: SPLICE, INCEPTION, PREDATORS, or IRON MAN 2? And what lies at the bottom of the barrel: JONAH HEX, PIRANHA 3D, THE LAST AIRBENDER, or FURRY VENGEANCE? Also explored are such riveting questions as: What film is most likely to forget its own title? Which actor took on the most challenging script? What was the worst pro-ecology movie?

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The Whale Hunters Hunted: Sea Shepherd challenges a Japanese whaling vessel

Paul Watson dropped out of Greenpeace because he felt they weren’t doing enough to protect whales from fleets hunting in supposedly protected seas. He founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and over the years has become the bane of whalers — Japanese in particular — by employing confrontational tactics that start at stink bombs (did somebody have a bad experience in high school?), run through fouling props, and don’ t rule out rammings, if necessary. Are they controversial? Well, Greenpeace doesn’t like dealing with them. Does it make for a riveting documentary? Yup, no question.

In AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, director Dan Stone (exec producer of Animal Planet’s WHALE WARS, which also focuses on Sea Shepherd) follows Watson and forty-six volunteers as they track down and challenge a fleet of Japanese whalers hunting in the protected waters of the Antarctic — the “edge of the world” mentioned in the title. With two ships, one built to handle the treacherous, icy waters but not capable of much speed, the other fast enough but lacking the ruggedness; a bunch of amateurs for a crew; and tracking equipment that’s largely a notch up from a game of Marco Polo, Watson dares to take on ships larger and more formidable, and Stone has found the material for a dramatic, beautifully photographed demonstration of how some people are willing to risk their lives to protect an endangered species.

I was able to talk to Stone and his cinematographer, James Joyner. They were willing to clue me in on why one shouldn’t necessarily trust a Japanese vessel labeled “Research,” and how there are few safe ports in the world for those who would entertain extreme measures to come to the aid of the dwindling whale population.

Click on the player above to hear the interview.

Trailer

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www.whalecampaign.com

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Sea Shepherd on TV

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The Killing Waters: Looking down on THE COVE

Who the hell didn’t love FLIPPER? Cute ‘n’ cuddly (and how many sea creatures do you know get to claim those adjectives?), the titular bottle-nose dolphin of the classic sixties TV show was a real Up with People kinda mammal. You may not remember any of the specific episodes (didn’t most of them have to do with Bud and Sandy being held hostage by bank robbers?), but the image of fun-loving Flipper gliding through the water, dancing on the surface, and just plain grooving on life was indelibly printed on many a child’s memory (mine included).

Flash forward forty-plus years. In Taiji, Japan, dolphins are herded into an isolated cove.  The best get sold to sea parks and aquariums, the rest are killed for their meat, while Ric O’Barry, the man who captured and trained the original Flippers (there were five of them), resolves to expose the atrocity to the world. THE COVE — directed by photographer, environmental activist, and Oceanic Preservation Society co-founder Louie Psihoyos — tells the tale of O’Barry’s quest to get the goods on the Taiji fishermen, a quest that takes an unexpectedly global turn when it’s discovered that dolphin meat, including that  coming from the cove, is tainted with lethal levels of mercury.

Psihoyos knows how to build a story, and the film — as most of the publicity points out — plays like a real-life OCEAN’S ELEVEN. He’s also passionate about his environmental cause, and our conversation as a result was an interesting mix that covered the film itself and its underlying issues. Click on the player above to hear the interview.

Trailer

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www.thecovemovie.com

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Wanted for Excessive Adorableness!

]]> http://mightymoviepodcast.com/blog/2009/07/31/louie-psihoyos-on-the-cove/feed/ 0 Activism,Al Gore,An Inconvenient Truth,Controversy,Death,Documentary,Drama,Earth,Environment,Indie Who the hell didn't love FLIPPER? Cute 'n' cuddly (and how many sea creatures do you know get to claim those adjectives?), the titular bottle-nose dolphin of the classic sixties TV show was a real Up with People kinda mammal. Who the hell didn't love FLIPPER? Cute 'n' cuddly (and how many sea creatures do you know get to claim those adjectives?), the titular bottle-nose dolphin of the classic sixties TV show was a real Up with People kinda mammal. You may not remember any of the specific episodes (didn't most of them have to do with Bud and Sandy being held hostage by bank robbers?), but the image of fun-loving Flipper gliding through the water, dancing on the surface, and just plain grooving on life was indelibly printed on many a child's memory (mine included). Flash forward forty-plus years. In Taiji, Japan, dolphins are herded into an isolated cove.  The best get sold to sea parks and aquariums, the rest are killed for their meat, while Ric O'Barry, the man who captured and trained the original Flippers (there were five of them), resolves to expose the atrocity to the world. THE COVE -- directed by photographer, environmental activist, and Oceanic Preservation Society co-founder Louie Psihoyos -- tells the tale of O'Barry's quest to get the goods on the Taiji fishermen, a quest that takes an unexpectedly global turn when it's discovered that dolphin meat, including that  coming from the cove, is tainted with lethal levels of mercury. Psihoyos knows how to build a story, and the film -- as most of the publicity points out -- plays like a real-life OCEAN'S ELEVEN. He's also passionate about his environmental cause, and our conversation as a result was an interesting mix that covered the film itself and its underlying issues. Click on the player above to hear the interview. Trailer [youtube pS5BIFTamvI nolink] www.thecovemovie.com IMDB Listing Subscribe to MMP on iTunes Sign Up for E-Mail Updates [amazonify]B00000F61N[/amazonify] Wanted for Excessive Adorableness! Dan Persons no http://mightymoviepodcast.com/blog/2009/03/24/episode-00-a-sea-change-an-interview-with-filmmakers-barbara-ettinger-sven-huseby/ http://mightymoviepodcast.com/blog/2009/03/24/episode-00-a-sea-change-an-interview-with-filmmakers-barbara-ettinger-sven-huseby/#comments Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:11:43 +0000 Dan Persons http://mightymoviepodcast.com/blog/?p=17

Continue reading »]]> Okay, this may just be a test run to see if the entire podcast mechanism is up & running, but don’t say we don’t deliver value even then! In this, essentially our pilot episode, we feature an interesting few minutes with Barbara Ettinger and Sven Huseby, environmental activists and filmmakers whose documentary about the threat of oceanic acidification, A Sea Change, recently opened.

As a bonus, here’s the Air America interview with Ettinger and Huseby:

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Coming up, first week of April: The official, debut episode of Mighty Movie Podcast. Subscribe now and receive news of the Big Premiere! (Well… It’s big to me.)

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