One could argue that there is nothing more reprehensible than entrepreneurs profiting off of individuals under the guise of offering guaranteed salvation. Jesus Camp offers a look into a world in which greed hounds profit from a business that essentially brainwashes young, innocent children into believing that they are soldiers of the faith. Becky Fisher, who runs the camp, describes:
I can go into a playground of kids that don't know anything about Christianity, lead them to the Lord in a matter of, just no time at all, and just moments later they can be seeing visions and hearing the voice of God, because they're so open. They are so usable in Christianity.
In a most un-Kierkegaardian custom, belief in God is not a choice for the children in this community. They are indoctrinated to “just have faith” from a young age. Anyone who questions that belief is seen as a pariah, which would be as if anyone who questioned the government was dubbed unpatriotic (obviously a very dangerous proposition).
Not learning how to engage in a debate. (via Cinema de Merde)
It seems as though that is how the Evangelical community engages in politics. It is not difficult to comprehend why they are behind certain Right Wing principles, such as anti-choice, anti-stem cell research, and anti-evolution. While those positions may seem reprehensible, it’s what they believe in. Yet they accept, and even embrace, the entire Right Wing package, regardless of how unchristian it is; hawkish foreign policy, pro death penalty, and unrestricted gun rights. The reason for that lack of skepticism may be based in the fact that from a young age they are taught to just accept whatever those in power tell them.
This is particularly troubling considering Ted Haggard, the former president of the National Association of Evangelicals, who evidently used to speak with George W. Bush and his advisers on a weekly basis. Mr. Haggard comes off as a cocksure believer in Jesus Camp (refer to video below). Considering the frequency that he spoke with the former commander-in-chief, he probably had considerable influence over our nation’s policy. However, in a testament to the fact that this way of life noxiously drives repression, shortly after the release of Jesus Camp, former gay prostitute Mike Jones alleged that “Pastor Ted” paid him for sex at regular intervals over a three-year period and had also purchased and used crystal meth.
Skepticism is a vital mechanism for developing a healthy intellect. There’s no telling what kind of effect this indoctrination will have on these children. It certainly isn’t helping them to value, let alone develop, any sense of critical thought. It’s bad enough that these children are subject to such blatant brainwashing, but the fact that they are also mainly homeschooled should be downright criminal.
The filmmakers offer a dissenting voice in the form of Mike Papantonio, a talkshow host on the Air America radio network. However, his perspective is not even necessary. The Evangelical protagonists featured in the film come across in a negative light by virtue of their own words, despite the fact that the filmmakers claim that Jesus Camp does not have any agenda.
Becky Fischer doesn’t even let these kids read about that evil pagan warlock Harry Potter! I hope they at least think for themselves on that front.
The NY Times reports that Joe Berliner was granted a stay to the subpoenia issued on May 6 that would have forced the filmmaker to turn over more than 600 hours of unused footage from his film Crude to the Chevron corporation.
Crude documents a lawsuit against Chevron on behalf of the Ecuadorian people, who claim that the oil giant polluted their country's water. Chevron is seeking access to the footage that didn’t make the final cut of the film because they believe it may help them as they try to have the lawsuit dismissed.
In an interview with the Times, Maura Wogan, Mr. Berlinger’s counsel, said that if her client had not been granted this stay, “he would have been forced to turn over this material before the appeal was heard – he would have, in effect, lost his right to an appeal.”
A trial date has not yet been set for the expedited appeal, but one is expected by mid-July.
This is essentially the story of Thierry Guetta, an ebullient Frenchman with a penchant for videography whose life completely changed when he serendipitously discovered his cousin, Invader, creating colorful tile mosaics of vintage video game characters meant for illicit installation on the streets of Paris. This opened the door to a world that Guetta would entrench himself in for the next decade.
Guetta forced his way deep into the street art subculture, and captured mesmerizing footage of street artist icons Shepard Fairey (who gained mainstream attention thanks to his Barack Obama “HOPE” portrait) and British artist Banksy (who has remained an enigma despite the fact that his oeuvre has fetched a fortune and captured the imagination of people across the world). Guetta proved to be an invaluable asset to the community, acting not only as a videographer to document the illicit installations, but also as an assistant, chauffeur, navigator, and lookout.
Midway through the film, the focus changes onto Guetta himself, who takes on the moniker Mr. Brainwash and masterminds an art show of his own under Banksy’s commission. While many docs change their focus midway through, they often lose their sense of balance as a result. Exit Through the Gift Shop manages to shift it’s spotlight in a way that harmonizes the film as a whole – evoking questions about the meaning, value, and commercialization of art in general.
Mr. Brainwash prepares for his exhibition, titled “Life is Beautiful,” with the mindset of quantity over quality. Much of his work was produced by mindlessly spray painting canvases or scanning and photoshoping existing images, all executed by an army of minions. Some of his pieces so closely resemble the work of his inspirations that Mr. B comes across as a copycat creator. Yet, with some clever marketing, he defied the odds. He made the cover of LA Weekly in June of 2008, had over 7,000 people attend his “Life is Beautiful” show on its opening night, and in the end, he netted nearly a million dollars in sales.
Banksy clearly gave rise to Mr. Brainwash. While Guetta claims he put everything he had into the exhibition (he even refinanced his mortgage) it seems likely that Banksy put some of his own capital into the project, ensuring that Mr. B could afford the smoke and mirrors to dupe the Los Angeles scene. Once could argue that Banksy has such an adept understanding of the art world that he knew he would be able to ensure that Mr. Brainwash would be a success, and therefore essentially scripted the end of this documentary by playing on the credulous nature of art connoisseurs.
“I can’t believe you morons actually buy this shit” via WebUrbanist
Banksy himself has shown contempt with commercialization in the past, including the above piece which he published to his website shortly after some of his own pieces were auctioned by Sotheby’s in Feb 2007. So it’s not unimaginable that he would direct a film that denigrates the idea of making money off of street art. From The NY Times:
Asked whether a film that takes shots at the commercialization of street art would devalue his own work, Banksy wrote: “It seemed fitting that a film questioning the art world was paid for with proceeds directly from the art world. Maybe it should have been called ‘Don’t Bite the Hand that Feeds You.’ ”
There is widespread speculation regarding the validity and scope of the film being a hoax. Perhaps most intriguing is the theory of blogger Rebecca Cannon, who postulated that:
If Guetta is a hoax, there also exists the possibility that these artworks are actually produced by Banksy himself, in a style deliberately intended to suggest inferior artistic skill. Should the hoax ever be proven, and Banksy’s hand revealed to be the creator of the works, a further hoax on the art world may unfold in which Banksy is found to have tricked collectors into passing-up the opportunity to purchase his works for so little, rather than having paid too much for Guetta’s.
Considering the fact that Banksy has kept his identity unknown for years, it is unlikely that the full truth regarding this film will ever be unmasked. In the end, it’s inconsequential. Hoax or not, Exit Through the Gift Shop is, it’s a thoroughly entertaining film.
Joe Berlinger’s Crude (2009), which details a lawsuit between the Ecuadorian people and the oil corporation Chevron over the pollution of the Amazon Rain Forest, has found itself to be in the middle of a contentious lawsuit. Chevron recently brought suit against Berlinger, demanding to see all of the footage that didn't make it into the final cut of the film. Reuters reports that on May 6th, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered Berlinger to turn over 600 hours of raw footage from the cutting room floor to Chevron.
A still from Crude
The original case unfolded 17 years ago in Ecuadorian courts. Chevron (then Texaco) was found accountable for environmental damage in the country, and as a result faced liabilities of up to $27 billion. Chevron now believes that the unseen documentary footage may contain evidence of various transgressions on the part of the Ecuadorean legal team that may enable them to seek arbitration. Berlinger’s footage could be used as evidence against the Ecuadorians.
At issue here are one’s rights as a journalist. As an investigative documentary filmmaker, Berlinger should be granted Reporters’ Privilege under the First Amendment. Berlinger’s attorney, Maura Wogan, said that the ruling threatens "great harm to documentary filmmakers and investigative reporters everywhere."
… An outcry from the documentary film community ensued, including a May 7 NY Times ArtsBeat blog post featuring quotations from an outspoken Michael Moore and a May 12 open letter from the International Documentary Association, signed by the IDA’s Board of Directors and over 150 filmmakers, including Alex Gibney, Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock. An excerpt:
While we commend Judge Kaplan for stating "that the qualified journalists' privilege applies to Berlinger's raw footage", we are nonetheless dismayed both by Chevron's attempts to go on a "fishing expedition" into the edit rooms and production offices of a fellow documentary filmmaker without any particular cause or agenda, and the judge's allowance of said intentions. What's next, phone records and e-mails?
… The Times reports that last Friday, May 21, Berlinger was granted an appeal by Federal Appeals Court Judge Denny Chin. A court date was set for June 8.
The line from the IDA letter regarding phone records and emails concisely highlights the issue at hand. A filmmakers footage is akin to a reporter's notebook. It is private, and it should be protected by the law.
The implications of this case can not be overestimated. If the footage from filmmakers can be open to a subpoena this easily, it will make certain documentary filmmakers think twice about undertaking range of projects of a political nature and it may intimidate whistle-blowers from coming forward to expose illegal activities. The doc film community eagerly awaits the developments of the trial.
It Might Get Loud focuses on the careers and stylings of Jack White, The Edge, and Jimmy Page. The film is mildly entertaining, but only to the nerdiest of rock fans. It has the feel of a well-produced VH1 special.
The best part of the film is at the end, when the trio is jamming to "The Weight" by The Band. The Edge says, "Oh, I've been playing the wrong chord the whole time. It's not E minor. It's B minor." To which Jimmy Page replies, "Is it? Oh shit." Other than that splash of realism, it's an awkward affair.
Trivial Tidbits:
It Might Get Loud premiered at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival
The neglected genre of experimental film has been acknowledged in Visionaries, a documentary that recently saw its debut at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. This retrospective, directed by Oscar winning director Chuck Workman, showcases many of the icons of the movement and features over 100 clips of influential films.
Workman, who has made a career out of creating the montages seen during the Academy Awards, brings the mystifying genre to life by weaving together film excerpts and interviews with various filmmakers, including; Kenneth Anger (donning a NY Rangers jersey); Hollywood patriarch Robert Downey Sr. (a clip from Pound, featuring a 5-year-old Robert Jr., was a crowd pleasing moment); Austrian filmmaker Peter Kubelka; prominent critic Amy Taubin; Ken Jacobs (who started the experimentally-focused Cinema department at then Harpur College (now Binghamton University) in 1969); avant-garde cinema historian P. Adams Sitney; surrealist Palme d’Or winner David Lynch (briefly); and American filmmaker Su Friedrich (who was in attendance for the Q&A following the screening). Brilliant vintage interviews of the late, great Stan Brakhage, Andy Warhol, and Norman Mailer were some of the most compelling moments in the film.
Following the screening, Workman talked about how grateful he was that the featured filmmakers gave him permission to use clips of their films, despite the fact that they would be taken out of their context. Workman did a great job of delving into some of the techniques and motivations of the filmmakers, which all shared a common anti-Hollywood sentiment and style.
"The godfather of American avant-garde cinema," Jonas Mekas, was highlighted in the second half of the film. His work in founding the New York-based Anthology Film Archives has been indispensable in the conservation of experimental films. Preservation is a concern within this art form, particularly considering how unprofitable experimental films tend to be. However, while the early portion of the film was a balanced retrospective, this final portion feels like a standalone short film dedicated to Mekas. This may have been better suited as a much shorter epilogue at the end of the film rather than the focus of the last chunky chapter, which only ended up throwing the film off balance.
While the content of Visionaries was incredibly inspirational, the documentary itself was flawed. Workman frequently employed a scrolling text across the top of the screen that fought for the audience’s attention. A voice-over would’ve been more appropriate, rather than forcing the audience to decide between watching Meshes of the Afternoon and reading a racing Maya Deren quote.
Su Friedrich, Chuck Workman, and Jon Gartenberg speaking after the screening
In the end, the content of Visionaries is inspiring. Workman should be praised for introducing this widely unknown movement to a wider audience. However, the construction of the film itself leaves something to be desired. Visionaries may be likened to a mundane book on the Dadaist Art Movement – after skimming the book, praise would be given to the artists, not the editors or even the book itself.
Trivial Tidbits:
Avant-garde icon Stan Brakhage was professor to Matt Stone and Trey Parker (of South Park fame) during his tenure at the University of Colorado
Andy Warhol's Sleep (1963) is a film which consists of a long take of his close friend sleeping for over 5 hours
British news outlet The Guardian recently pointed to a study that argues wildlife documentaries may infringe on animals' right to privacy. The author of the study, Brett Mills, is a lecturer in film studies at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. He notes, "we can never really know if animals are giving consent, but they do often engage in forms of behavior which suggest they'd rather not encounter humans." His rationing seems flawed. Those animals that avoid human contact probably just have good survival instincts.
That being said, there is a worthy issue here. Filmmakers need to develop minimally invasive methods such as the use of hidden and minute cameras not only in order to protect the privacy of creatures, but also to ensure an accurate representation of what happens behind closed cave doors. Accuracy is vital because the footage can be used as research that may be used to help the animals in the future. But in the end, there are more pressing issues to take up - if anything, Mills should be fighting against those animal prisons that attract human gawkers throughout the world.
Trivial Tidbits:
According to Box Office Mojo, March of the Penguins is the highest grossing wildlife doc, grossing a total of $77,437,223 after an opening weekend of $137,492 in 4 theaters
