“Mentors have a way of seeing more of our faults than we would like. It’s the only way we grow.” – Padmé Amidala I really love Star Wars. Full disclosure. And Star Wars: Brotherhood by Mike Chen is an important cornerstone in the constantly expanding Star Wars series from Del Rey/Random House. After Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm, a controversial decision was made to … [Read more...] about Enhancing the Past, Twenty Years Later
Film Analysis
The Twists of Turning Red
I had the distinct pleasure the other day of sitting down to watch Pixar/Disney's new feature called Turning Red. Now why was it a distinct pleasure? Because my guest for the screening was my 8-year-old godchild. She happens to be the daughter of Moroccan and Arabic parents. She has a very outsized personality and a vocabulary to match. She had seen the film once before me and … [Read more...] about The Twists of Turning Red
The Odessa Steps 1905, 1925, 2022
The best film you've probably never seen comes from 1925 and has never been more relevant than today. In 1905, Russian sailors mutinied on a battleship because of their deplorable living conditions under the officers of Czar Nicholas II. After being forced to eat rotten meat they took over the ship and threw the Russian Czar's officers overboard. In that same year, … [Read more...] about The Odessa Steps 1905, 1925, 2022
Dopesick Reaches Back to Try to Tell a New Story
I never need to see Citizen Kane again. After teaching it for 20+ years, I’m done. I first saw Citizen Kane in 1991. It was, of course, number one on the American Film Institute's (AFI) top movie list and as a film enthusiast I thought it was important to see it and find out why. I sat down with a friend and she angrily exclaimed at the end of the film that it was probably the … [Read more...] about Dopesick Reaches Back to Try to Tell a New Story
Don’t Look Up! Getting the climate conversation started in Media Literacy
We cannot solve the climate crisis if we don’t discuss it. And the fossil fuel industry knows this. Big Carbon understands that if society takes the climate crisis seriously, it’s the end of their business model. To delay climate action and regulation of their industry, Big Carbon plays the long game to generate climate silence and inaction through public relations and … [Read more...] about Don’t Look Up! Getting the climate conversation started in Media Literacy
“Africa, I Will Fleece You” —Media’s Power & Influence
“Does a crime against humanity exist only when the victims are white,” asks the Cameroonian filmmaker Jean-Marie Teno in his first feature-length documentary, Africa, I Will Fleece You(original title, Afrique, je the plumerai). I first came across the 90 minute film last Fall in a French course, and I was immediately enthralled. Released in 1992, Africa, I Will Fleece You … [Read more...] about “Africa, I Will Fleece You” —Media’s Power & Influence