Only 8 minutes. An aspiring film maker takes a look at stereotypes of black women in America. Most interestingly she recreates a 1950s experiment where black children are presented black and white dolls and are asked which they prefer.. most choosing the white one.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=17fEy0q6yqc

Having already seen Manderlay (a follow up) this film was kind of a let down to know how it would all evolve.

Both films were done in a really unique style reminiscent of a theatrical production. They are set on a white canvas and use a minimalist set that allows the entire town to be captured in one frame.

This film follows a platoon of real soldiers around Falluja in the winter of 2004.

The soldiers spoke candidly about how they felt about the war, the death of a friend and how they felt about the Iraqi people. It was a refreshing contrast to the political vitriol we see thrown around on television. We don’t have any way of telling whether the opinions expressed are representative, but they were those of real people and that’s something we don’t often see.

In one scene the platoon’s convoy is hit by a roadside bomb, on camera. It looked like everyone was alright, but it really brought home how dangerous it is over there.

A real link:
http://www.occupationdreamland.com

Anthony Hopkins managed a very convincing portrayal despite bearing almost no resemblance to Dick Nixon. Paul Sorvino as Henry Kissenger and Joan Allen as Pat Nixon were also stellar.

A really interesting look at a controversial figure. I especially enjoyed how Stone used Nixon’s obsession with Kennedy and other elites to motivate his decisions that were likely too complex to explain on film otherwise.

Seriously terrible. However, it was interesting to see that such a movie was allowed to be made.

Lots of singing and roller skating and lots of tron-style light halos.

In fairness, I was chatting and carving a pumpkin while watching, not dropping a bunch of acid or something.

Ongoing photos of my friends and I playing this game can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kgdavis/sets/72157594145451974/

This game is a ton of fun. While it gets a bit tired hearing “I love rock and roll”, watching people try it for the first time is hilarious. People I’ve watched play so far (with accompanying grades):

Matt: A-
Sar: B
Gavin: C
Al: C
Deirdre: D+ (rocking out a bit too hard detracted from playing notes correctly unfortunately)
Em: D+ (would have been higher if I’d taken style points into consideration)
Steph: F
Sandra: F-

Myself? after considerable time at the plastic guitar I think I’m deserving of a C+. I’ve completed a few tracks on ‘hard’. It should be noted that with any practice everyone (except maybe our friends in the F category) would surpass me in short order.

It wasn’t really what expected. I was thinking it would be a story that takes place in this environment rather than a documentary.

A very interesting look into a part of the world whose existence is rarely acknowledged.

My one complaint, if you could call it that, would be that children seemed very coached. Perhaps it was years of Zana living with them that made them question some things about their environment, but I’m not sure how someone that hadn’t seen any different would know to be outraged. TV maybe?

Great combination of physical and situational comedy. The introduction was especially enjoyable when they take a shot at western culture, comparing it to the lifestyle of the central character, an African bushman (I’m not sure on the current politically correct term).

This is truly the Citizen Kane of japanese-zombie-alien-rock and roll movies. I had a bunch of my friends over and watched this cinematic triumph today. It’s not really for people who might have trouble buying into Zombies (empowered by aliens somehow) being dispatched by magical guitar picks, but extremly enjoyable for those who can buy into this minor suspension of reality.

Interesting: looking on IMDB I noticed that..
Credited cast:
Guitar Wolf .... Himself
Drum Wolf .... Himself
Bass Wolf .... Himself

?!