IN VIAGGIO: THE TRAVELS OF POPE FRANCIS (2023, doc)

March 31, 2023

Greetings again from the darkness. More than one billion people identify as Catholic, and since 2013, the head of the Church has been Pope Francis. He’s originally from Argentina and is the first Pope from the Americas. Of course, one need not be a practicing Catholic to respect and appreciate the mission and impact of this man … and his commitment to improving humanity. Director Gianfranco Rosi received an Oscar nomination for his 2016 documentary, FIRE AT SEA, and here he utilizes archival footage and clips to chronicle the Pope’s focus on certain topics: poverty, immigration, his anti-war stance, and his pleadings for solidarity amongst Earth’s residents.

The film begins by informing that Pope Francis, in his first nine years as Pope, took 37 trips while visiting 53 different countries in order to spread the messages (noted above) that are so close to his heart. When we see him speak to the globalization of indifference, we can’t help but acknowledge his insight. At each stop, throngs line the road to get a quick glimpse, or perhaps even a touch from the man they view as being on a mission from God. He preaches for the need for a culture of solidarity where countries, politicians, and citizens work together for a better world.

This is a man who has forsaken many of the creature comforts afforded his predecessors, and instead turns his attention to those people and groups marginalized by society. This really hits hard as he rides towards a massive mural of Che Guevara. Pope Francis speaks to an unforgivable pattern of war, and pushes what should be a pattern of peace. He is now 86 years old, and we see a man filled with Peace, Love, and Understanding. One need not be Catholic to see these admirable traits and his commitment. Director Rosi’s film is not so much a Pope’s travel journal, but more an intimate portrait of a man so committed to his mission and purpose that he rarely slows down, even with some physical limitations due to age. We see Pope Francis do that in which he excels … providing hope for a better life, a better world, a better tomorrow.

**As this is posted, Pope Francis has been hospitalized for a respiratory infection.

Magnolia Pictures will release IN VIAGGIO: THE TRAVELS OF POPE FRANCIS 
in theaters and VOD March 31, 2023

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Posted by David Ferguson

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS? (2023, doc)

March 23, 2023

Greetings again from the darkness. “What goes up, must come down” … those are the opening lyrics to “Spinning Wheel”, a huge hit for the brass-rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears. The lyrics are meant to convey the cycles of life, but they also reflect the meteoric rise and fall of the band itself. John Scheinfeld is a knowledgeable and passionate documentarian behind profiles of such acclaimed musicians as Herb Alpert, Brian Wilson, Sergio Mendes, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, Bette Midler, Rick Nelson, Rosemary Clooney, John Coltrane, Andy Williams, and Dean Martin. He’s a natural choice to provide the answers to the titular question.

A 9-piece jazz-rock band hitting the charts big time is not something that could have been predicted in the late 1960’s. Scheinfeld opens the film with clips of the band live on stage in Bulgaria in 1970 as David Clayton-Thomas belts out “Spinning Wheel”. We learn they were the first American rock band to perform behind the Iron Curtain, and we also learn there is more to the story. Much more. At the time, the United States was in the Vietnam War and social and political unrest and upheaval were occurring regularly. There is every indication that the State Department invoked a strategy of using a popular band to ease tensions in communist countries. It was the legal and visa issues of Canadian singer Clayton-Thomas that provided the opening the State Department needed to pressure the band to undertake the tour with the goal of softening the U.S. reputation as a bullying military force.

Ultimately, it was a tour that turned most everyone on all sides against the band. Romanian concert goers initially enjoyed the ‘freeing’ aspect of the band’s music, but soon the police used dogs to break up the crowds and end the celebration. When the band returned home, the counterculture couldn’t forgive them for the tour in communist territory, and the conservative right couldn’t forgive them for being against the Vietnam War. Everyone was upset at Blood, Sweat & Tears.

We get a bit of the band’s history in that it was founded by Al Kooper in 1967 when they introduced a new sound, however, after the first album, it was determined a new singer was preferred and a very brief audition from Clayton-Thomas secured the job for him. The rest of the band consisted of Jim Fielder on bass, Bobby Colomby on drums, Steve Katz on guitar, Dick Halligan multiple instruments, Jerry Hyman on horns, Fred Lipsius on sax, and trumpeters Chuck Winfiled and Lew Soloff. For the most part, the band members were not politically outspoken. The exception was Steve Katz who was adamantly opposed to the foreign land tour. It was the band’s second album that changed everything. Three huge hits – “And When I Die”, “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy”, and “Spinning Wheel” – helped them win Album of the Year over the now classic Abbey Road from The Beatles.

Scheinfeld solves another mystery when he explains why, listed as headliners, the band was not featured in the “Woodstock” documentary. Not surprisingly, the answer involves money, and of course, the band members now look back on their manager’s decision with some regret. But there is more to the story of the band’s faded glory than the communist block tour. An early Las Vegas residency, though a much sought-after gig these days, garnered the label “square” for the band … this despite performances at the Fillmore and MSG. Although the band never regained the popularity of that second album, they did have subsequent hits that included “Hi-De-Ho” (written by Carole King) and “Go Down Gamblin’”. Perhaps most shocking is that more than 65 hours of concert footage was shot on the Iron Curtain tour, yet the State Department shelved the documentary project, likely for political reasons given the police and military activity against concert goers. Bonus points to Scheinfeld for solving a couple of long-term musical mysteries here, and also for including some “Bullwinkle” clips.

Abramorama will release the film in theaters beginning March 24th. 

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Posted by David Ferguson

KUBRICK BY KUBRICK (2023, doc)

March 22, 2023

Greetings again from the darkness. The throngs of us who are not artistic geniuses ae always fascinated with insight and analysis from those few who are. And when said genius is renowned for eschewing interviews and most any chance to discuss the work, we become all the more intrigued. Such is the case with Oscar-winning director Stanley Kubrick. Although he passed away in 1999, Kubrick’s filmography features many classics that are studied in film schools today: THE KILLING (1956), PATHS OF GLORY (1957), SPARTACUS (1960), LOLITA (1962), DOCTOR STRANGELOVE: OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB (1964), 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968), A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971), BARRY LYNDON (1975), THE SHINING (1980), FULL METAL JACKET (1987), and EYES WIDE SHUT (1999).

Gregory Monro is a biographer and documentarian (JERRY LEWIS: THE MAN BEHIND THE CLOWN, 2016) and as the structure for this profile of Kubrick, he uses the recordings made by French film critic Michel Ciment during his conversations with Kubrick spanning nearly 20 years. Ciment used the recordings as the basis for his seminal 1982 biography on Kubrick, and Monro adds familiar clips from the well-known films, as well as recognizable set pieces and interviews from faces you’ll surely recognize. These include a young Malcolm McDowell, a thoughtful Jack Nicholson, an annoyed Sterling Hayden, renowned author Arthur C Clarke (2001 interview), a frustrated Marisa Berenson, a forthcoming R Lee Ermey, and megastar Tom Cruise. Most of these folks worked with Kubrick.

Since most of us have not previously heard the recordings, it’s the voice of Kubrick that draws us in and keeps us tuned in. The truth is, we’ve heard from many of his collaborators over the years, yet we’ve heard little from the man himself … until now. Still, although we hear him talking, a natural defensiveness seems to prevent him going too deep on his inspirations, motivations, or objectives. He does speak often of “conflict”, and we see two types in his film: war (PATHS OF GLORY, SPARTACUS, FULL METAL JACKET, DOCTOR STRANGELOVE), and personal (all of the others, including crossover with the war films).

With his reputation as a perfectionist, we are a bit surprised at how open Kubrick seemed to be with spontaneity. On one hand, we have Oscar-winning composer Leonard Rosenman (BARRY LYNDON) recalling tempers boiling over when Kubrick made the orchestra re-do the piece more than 100 times. On the other hand, he allowed actors like Peter Sellers and Jack Nicholson to bring their own spin to roles. Kubrick was a New Yorker who relocated to London, where we learn he ran his world, both professional and personal.

This is one for those cinephiles who never miss a chance to discover even a morsel of insight into the greats of cinema. We can’t help but recall the 2015 documentary Hitchcock/Truffaut, although the master of suspense seemed much more willing to share thoughts on his craft than what we get here with Kubrick. None of this should be surprising from the guy who created and filmed the maze in THE SHINING.

Available VOD beginning March 21, 2023

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Posted by David Ferguson

BACK TO THE DRIVE-IN (2023, doc)

March 14, 2023

Greetings again from the darkness. As one who spent many evenings in my childhood and teen years lounging in a vehicle as the clunky metal speaker hung from the car window crackling with the dialogue and sound effects from that night’s movie, I was anxious for a dose of the nostalgia that April Wright’s documentary was sure to inspire. However, rather than a feel-good flashback to better days, Ms. Wright deals head-on with the challenges faced by those devoted few brave souls keeping the drive-in tradition alive.

Covering eleven theaters across eight states, the film allows the owners to use their own words in describing the difficulties in running a drive-in. We hear that the pandemic was a boon for business at many of these venues, as people were desperate to get out of the house for entertainment, yet needed to maintain the required social distancing. Drive-ins became the perfect family outing, and a first-time experience for so many (especially kids).

But will the ‘drive-in renaissance’ endure? That’s really the question at hand, and after two hours of listening to owners bemoan the difficulties, it’s hard to hold out much hope. To ensure we get the full picture, the visited drive-ins cover Texas, Ohio, Nebraska, Maryland, New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, and California. They cover such diverse areas as Cape Cod, rural Texas, the Midwest, and San Bernadino County in California. The oldest was founded in 1952 (and purchased in 1984), while the newest was opened as the pandemic began. Most are family businesses, some handed down from previous generations.

So who wouldn’t love to run a theater in the great outdoors where families come to spend time together, kids play, snacks are encouraged, and customers are treated to the joy of movie watching – usually a double feature? Consistently we heard the same issues from each of the owners and manager: proper staffing is nearly impossible, the full parking lots have openings since the pandemic has eased, the availability of first run movies has been negatively impacted by streaming services, maintenance of equipment is always difficult, and too many customers are downright rude these days. If that’s not enough, the Cape Cod theater deals with “the F-word” … no, not that one. Instead, it’s the weather – specifically “og” (they refuse to pronounce the F). Yep, poor weather causes visibility issues from inside a vehicle, so even Mother Nature can be an adversary.

Sure, I was often jealous of the families that got to flip down the tailgate on their station wagon or pickup truck, but this movie doesn’t focus on the thrill of watching a double feature of THE BIG LEBOWSKI and COOL HAND LUKE (as one of the massive neon marquees advertised). This is about the fading culture of drive-ins. We learn one of the profiled owners has already sold off his theater to a land developer for more than his revenue would be for the next 25 years! While watching, I kept thinking that the piano music was intrusive and the editing was a bit choppy, but I was left with the feeling of a Greek tragedy … nice folks sadly losing a grip on the last bit of rope holding up an industry. Was it, as one owner says, “nice while it lasted”, or is there still hope that future generations will get to hop out of the car and head to the concession stand during intermission?

On digital and On Demand (Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu) beginning March 14, 2023

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Posted by David Ferguson

OSCAR Nominated Shorts – Documentary (2022 releases)

March 3, 2023

Greetings again from the darkness. Every year this is one of my favorite categories. Typically, these filmmakers are committed to a subject and have very little money to work with, making their work easily categorized as passion projects. This year is no exception, and once again we are amazed at the wide range of topics and subjects covered: the transformation of an angry war veteran, true love at an elephant sanctuary in India, a profile of a key player during the Watergate era, the effects of climate change on walruses in the Arctic, and a father-daughter video project covering 16 years. Below is my breakdown of this year’s nominees:

THE ELEPHANT WHISPERERS

Director Kartiki Gonsalves introduces us to Bomman and Bellie, indigenous Kattunauakans working together to care for Raghu, an elephant rescued as an injured orphan in Tamil Nadu, India in 2019. The elephant preserve where they live and work is run by the Forest Department, and Bomman’s hut is right next to the stall where Raghu sleeps.

The love they share for Raghu soon develops into a romance between Bomman and Bellie. They talk to Raghu, train him, feed him, bathe him, play with him, and even tuck him in bed at night. Later when they also become caregivers for 5-month-old Baby Ammu, we can see the similarities to raising human children. Both elephants make it into the wedding day pictures of Bomman and Bellie, but when Raghu is re-assigned to other caregivers, we witness the grieving of the couple, as well as that of Ammu, who has lost a friend and role model. The 41-minute film serves to show how animals and people can live off the same forest and share a love.

HAULOUT (UK, Russia) 25 min

For the first few minutes, we aren’t sure what we are watching. Maxim is huddled in a rustic cabin on the shore of the Russian Arctic. He eats canned good (from the can), boils his water, and recycles his cigarettes. One morning he awakens to the grunting and groaning noises occurring outside. What follows is a stunning and spectacular shot of tens of thousands of walruses huddled on the beach by his hut.

It turns out Maxim is a Marine Biologist, and he spends 43 days observing this annual ritual of walruses as part of a 10 year study. Although the walruses show up every year, the effects of climate change are obvious. There is no longer ice for them to rest on during the trek. This exhausts the creatures, causing the death toll to increase each year. Co-directors (and brother and sister) Maxim Arbugaev and Evgenia Arbugaeva deliver a beautiful (considering the harsh conditions) 25-minute film, and a stark reminder of how animals are being forced to adapt to the changes.

HOW DO YOU MEASURE A YEAR

We must admire Jay Rosenblatt’s foresight as a father. It’s a simple idea, yet brilliant in it’s lasting impact. Beginning on his daughter Ella’s second birthday, Mr. Rosenblatt maintained a tradition of videotaping an “interview” with her each year. This tradition, or ritual, continued through her 18th birthday. The result bounces between predictable, stunning, sad, joyful, and touching … all in a condensed 29-minute run time.

To watch the progression of a precocious two-year old and three-year old toddler obsessing over a lollypop and make-up to a poised eighteen-year old on the brink of independence is fascinating. As a parent, we recognize the many stages … some so cute, others so challenging … each to be treasured.

Dad’s questions include: What do you want to do when you grow up? What are you afraid of? What is power? What are dreams? What is most important to you? You get the idea. He wants to document her progression as a person and as a thinker. In addition to the lollypop and desire to wear make-up, Ella’s singing voice develops beautifully as she grows into a 12-year-old who has learned sign language, and a 13-year-old fresh off her Bat Mitzvah. We see her with braces on her teeth, and as a 14-year-old toting the burden of her age. It’s those last couple of years that really give us hope for Ella’s future, and an insight into what the project has meant.

As a teenager, what would you have told your 25-year-old self?

THE MARTHA MITCHELL EFFECT

Fifty years have passed, yet the Watergate scandal continues to provide us with stories. Co-directors Anne Alvergue and Debra McClutchy turn their attention to one of the fascinating figures of the era in this 40 minute short. Martha Mitchell was the wife of Richard Nixon’s campaign manager and subsequent Attorney General, John Mitchell. Outspoken Martha was a colorful personality and characterized as “a menace” by Nixon himself.

The directors utilize archival footage and news reels to show how Martha became a media darling during one of the most closed-off administrations in recent history. Reporters such as Helen Thomas and Connie Chung bring a media perspective, as do the numerous newscast clips shown. However, things took a pretty dark turn for this charming lady, and her story provides a stark reminder of just how corrupt and extreme the Nixon administration became.

Once news of the Watergate break-in hit the news, Martha seemed to vanish from the public eye. Her story is that she was held captive, basically kidnapped, as the administration advanced a public character assassination on her. When the secret tapes were revealed, and Martha discovered her husband had conspired with Nixon on the break-in, she became a high-profile whistleblower, After Nixon’s resignation, Martha became a celebrity, frequently seen on talk shows. Cast by many as a ‘crazy’ lady, the “Martha Mitchell effect” became the description for those whose ‘delusions’ turned out to be true. The recent TV miniseries “Gaslit” also focused on Martha Mitchell, who died in 1976 from a blood disease.

STRANGER AT THE GATE

Should you ever doubt that kindness and understanding can make a difference, please watch this film from director Joshua Seftel (WAR, INC, 2008). The 29 minute run time may just rejuvenate your faith in human beings to change their attitude and be accepting of those they once distrusted.

As a Marine, Richard “Mac” McKinney was trained to hate and kill Muslims. He was informed that they were terrorists out to destroy his country, and September 11, 2001 was all the proof he needed. A simple question from his young daughter Emily convinced him he needed to act, so he plotted to bomb the Islamic Culture Center of Muncie (Indiana). So this former Marine, a trained killer and hater, headed to the mosque to obtain the “proof” he needed to convince his daughter that his actions were righteous.

A funny thing happened. Mac was treated kindly by the folks there. They asked him questions and guided him to a better understanding. Now this didn’t happen overnight. A shift in beliefs never occurs quickly. However, their treatment of Mac not only (unknowingly) saved their own lives, it saved his as well. He may have been trained to not think of his war targets as human beings, but he found them to show him more humanity than he’d ever known. It’s chilling to see Emily ponder what it would have been like to have a mass murderer as a father, and mostly we are inspired to see good people work so diligently at accepting someone who initially showed them nothing but hatred. Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai is one of the producers of the film.

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Posted by David Ferguson

BOYCOTT (2023, doc)

March 2, 2023

Greetings again from the darkness. It’s pretty obvious these times are quite tumultuous when it comes to political views, as well as social and religious beliefs. Of course, differences of opinions have always existed, however the focus by media attention has created new types of monsters … the vocal types who yell into microphones and cameras about how anyone who disagrees with their extreme view is a danger. Most of us understand that the real danger lurks in the things that get decided ‘quietly’ … legislation that impacts people just trying to live their lives and do their jobs.

Documentarian Julia Bacha presents an extraordinary look at this exact topic … legislation that restricts civil liberties guaranteed by the Constitution. We are informed that 33 states passed some form of legislation outlawing the boycotting of Israel, and punishing individuals and companies that don’t abide. Three specific cases are presented: a newspaper editor in Arkansas, a speech pathologist in Texas, and a lawyer in Arizona. Through this, we learn a great deal about how legislation affects those with viewpoints outside the accepted norm.

Bahia Amawi is a speech pathologist and mother of five in Austin Texas. She is also Palestinian. She refused to sign a document promising to never boycott Israel, and was subsequently fired from her position. Alan Leveritt is the founder and publisher of “Arkansas Times”, a free community paper that survives on advertising revenue. He refused to sign a document promising to never boycott Israel, and his advertising revenue from state colleges and organizations immediately stopped. Mikkel Jordahl was part of a state-sponsored program in Sedona, Arizona offering legal representation for inmates. He refused to sign a document promising to never boycott Israel, and he was fired. Jordahl began offering free counsel while his case made its way through the courts.

Brian Hauss, an ACLU lawyer labels this as a First Amendment issue, and explains that boycotts (whether politically motivated or even something as foolish as a fan boycotting a sport or team) have long been a crucial part of this country’s freedom, and a legal way to debate controversial issues. The 1955 Montgomery bus boycott lasted more than one year, and was a protest against racially segregated seating. This consumer-led boycott resulted in change for fairness and equity.

The difference here is that the legislation is politically driven to support Israel, a United States ally, in its occupation of Palestine. This tangled web brings antisemitism and political favoritism into the same argument. The BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) is a Palestinian movement with the intent to pressure Israel regarding its Palestinian occupation. The support of Israel may make sense for the federal government, but for a Palestinian mother living in the U.S. to lose her job because she won’t give up her right to boycott the Israeli presence seems to make little sense.

Ms. Bacha’s documentary is so effective because three smart people are able to clearly vocalize how this legislation requires them to carry an unfair burden. Watching Arkansas state senator Bart Hester explain his stance is painful and ludicrous, and offers little support for our trusting of politicians to understand issues prior to voting. This is certainly not a Republican versus Democrat issue, and it’s a solid reminder of Americans’ right to debate and disagree. Most of us agree that antisemitism is despicable, but freedoms are the fiber of the country. The use of music here is often annoying, but a tremendous amount of information is packed into these 70 minutes. It’s quite an education.

Premiering March 1, 2023 on AppleTV and Prime Video

WATCH THE DIRECTOR DISCUSS THE FILM

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Posted by David Ferguson

TURN EVERY PAGE – THE ADVENTURES OF ROBERT CARO AND ROBERT GOTTLIEB (2022, doc)

December 29, 2022

Greetings again from the darkness. Writing well is difficult. Very few are really good at, even though many of us try. Editing well is difficult. Very few of us put much effort into it and it shows. Documentarian Lizzy Gottlieb uses her inside track to provide a fascinating look at the relationship between writing and editing at the highest level. Her father, Robert Gottlieb, is one of the most renowned literary editors of the past 50 years, and his relationship with Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist-turned-biographer/author, Robert Caro, goes under the microscope. The result is an insightful peek behind the curtain of their process.

Ms. Gottlieb spent five years on the film, and the two subjects set the ground rules … they refused to be interviewed together in the same room. Because of this, the film begins with each man providing their own personal profile, dating back to their childhood and how they began honing their particular set of skills. Mr. Caro speaks to his newspaper background and how he transitioned into the years long process writing his 1974 classic, “The Power Broker”, a massive biography of Robert Moses and the development of New York City. Ms. Gottlieb provides a contemporary point by noting the book’s COVID resurgence, as it’s frequently seen on the bookshelves of folks during Zoom interviews.

Mr. Gottlieb recalls his first interview and job at Simon and Schuster, and how he worked his way up to Editor-in-Chief at the publishing house, prior to holding the same position at Knopf Publishing, and The New Yorker. Estimating that he has edited between 600 and 700 books, it’s fascinating to hear his recollections on coming up with the ‘22’ for Joseph Heller’s classic, “Catch-22”. Gottlieb also edited such fine writers as Michael Crichton and Toni Morrison, while also fine-tuning a most unusual personal collection unrelated to books.

Most importantly, we get the sense of Mr. Caro’s incredible dedication to deep research in the segment about his multi-volume biographical series, “The Years of Lyndon Johnson.” It’s a bit stunning to witness Caro show his process of utilizing actual carbon paper for copies of all the work he types out on his Smith-Corona. He makes no apologies for being old school in his approach to work.

Ms. Gottlieb’s goal was to document the two men finishing up Caro’s final volume of the LBJ series. Both men are in the 80’s and have worked together on 5 books spanning 50 years … and though the film does end, the final book remains a work in progress. Caro’s literary agent Lynn Nesbit admits the two men’s relationship has been contentious at times, and they’ve been known to have some colorful battles over punctuation … especially semicolons.

This is not a true bio of either man, but rather an expose’ of their working relationship and the painstaking process of completing a book. Their shared commitment to the highest level of work speaks to the pride, ego, and intelligence of each. One of my favorite lines comes from Mr. Gottlieb when he states, “He does the work. I do the cleanup.” The director does finally succeed in getting the two men on camera in the same room for editing … with one big catch. And that comes, of course, after a frantic hunt for a number 2 pencil.

The film opens on December 30, 2022

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Posted by David Ferguson

ALL THAT BREATHES (2022, doc)

December 12, 2022

Greetings again from the darkness. The expert photography and artistic approach taken by Shaunak Sen in his documentary is quite something to behold, even as the message may be a bit heavy-handed. His opening shot perfectly captures all of this, as a sea of rats scrounges for food through the trash while the headlights of an approaching car drive home the point that it’s the humans who have thrown things out of balance.

Most of the film is focused on two brothers, Nadeem and Saud, who have dedicated much of their lives to wildlife rescue … especially as it relates to Kite Birds. Now you may consider yourself a nature lover and even an environmentalist, but these two have reportedly treated over 20,000 birds. That’s what I mean by dedication!

Documentarian Sen has crafted a film that is simultaneously neither and both a nature and climate change film. New Delhi is one of the world’s most overpopulated and polluted cities. The film is meant to remind us that all creatures must breathe the same air, and when that air is so bad that birds drop from the sky, it can be assumed that the other beings of the area – people, rats, dogs, cows, pigs, mosquitoes – are also being negatively impacted.

These brothers believe that their efforts may have a spiritual or religious payoff, but mostly they believe one should make the difference they are able to make, even if that difference is to the Kite birds flying above. We also understand that it’s humans who have corrupted the air and land, and are the force behind wars being fought. Despite all, it’s nature that persists, even if society may not. Sen’s film may be a bit long, but he ensures all viewers understand.

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Posted by David Ferguson

GOOD NIGHT OPPY (2022, doc)

November 3, 2022

Greetings again from the darkness. “Check out the brain on Brad!” There may or may not have been a ‘Brad’ on the NASA team we follow in Ryan White’s documentary, however Samuel L Jackson’s famous line from PULP FICTION certainly holds true for the rest of the team that helped execute the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission. A brief overview outlines the attempts to gain approval, followed by the design and planning and testing to ensure the window for launch was met. See, the launch was scheduled according to a planetary alignment that only occurs every 26 months. A late arrival would have been costly, and possibly ended the program before it really started.

The mission was to send a rover to Mars and have it procure samples from around the red planet in hopes of finding evidence of water, which would likely mean proof of past life. We see some of the design stage as the engineers note the human characteristics, though most movie fans will immediately notice physical similarities to WALL-E. The team created two “twin” robotic rovers named “Spirit” and “Opportunity”. The expectation was that each would have a 90-day lifespan and send scientifically significant data back. The race was on to meet the launch date in 2003, and the two rovers were launched three weeks apart – and to different areas of the planet.

After the 6-and-a-half-month flight time to travel 300 million miles, the two rovers were successfully landed, which only kicked off some of the challenges back on Earth in mission control. It’s here, and with the numerous interviews of team members, that we really get a sense of the emotions running through these folks who had invested so much time and energy into making the mission a reality. Computer engineered reenactments (stunning work from Industrial Light & Magic) help us visualize what happened on Mars, while the archival footage from inside the NASA control room conveys the palpable tension as they helplessly wait for the next signal to arrive.

Although Mr. White’s documentary centers on scientific achievement, much of the focus lands on the human element. We are there to witness first the relief, and then the jubilation as that first signal from Mars is received. Scientists, designers, engineers, and drivers all experience the rollercoaster of emotions driven by the intense camaraderie and teamwork involved. Should you ever doubt whether the smartest people on the planet experience human emotions, you need only look at the faces as daily ‘wake-up songs’ are played, including “Roam” by the B-52s, “SOS” by Abba, “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwolf. Additionally, after the 90-day window has closed, the annual “cocktail napkin” records each team members prediction about rover survival over the coming year.

Emotions and accomplishments go hand in hand for these NASA types, as do the challenges presented by harsh winters and dust storms that put west Texas to shame. It’s remarkable that Spirit lasted more than 7 years, and Oppy (the “lucky rover”) went for 15, before finally being shut down while Billie Holiday sang “I’ll be Seeing You.” Wisely, director White ends on a high not with the 2020 launch of the new rover, Perseverance. What an inspiring trip this is.

Opens in US theaters on November 4, 2022 and on Prime Video November 23.

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Posted by David Ferguson

LOUIS ARMSTRONG’S BLACK & BLUES (2022, doc)

October 27, 2022

Greetings again from the darkness. It’s likely that the vast majority of folks ten years of age and older have heard, and are familiar with, Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World”, “Hello Dolly”, and “When the Saints Go Marching In”. In director Sacha Jenkins’ homage to this icon of American music, Wynton Marsalis states Armstrong deserves even more credit for his influence in jazz. The film offers an in-depth look at Armstrong’s life through his own personal archives – a library of audio tapes and years of meticulous scrapbooking.

We learn of his ties to both New Orleans, where he was raised in poverty, and Queens, where he lived much of his adult life. Of course, he frequently encountered prejudices and racism – often unable to sleep or eat at the establishments where he was performing. Even many blacks criticized him for not being more active in the Civil Rights Movement. Armstrong’s approach was to donate to causes rather than preach, as he knew the power his words would carry. As a kid, he delivered coal to brothels, and it was at age 13 in an orphanage where he received his first horn. Later, he originated scat and his improvisation influenced others, while hitting those high notes became his calling card.

Known to most as either “Satchmo” or “Pops”, Armstrong’s musical instincts and talent were second to none. It’s fascinating to hear James Baldwin state that the first time he liked the “Star Spangled Banner” was when he heard Armstrong play it. We learn of his four wives, though only two are mentioned by name: Lil, the piano player was his first, while Lucille was his last. His personality made Armstrong a hit on TV talk shows and in Hollywood movies. However, the most impactful moments may be watching him prove how music can cross racial barriers as evidenced by his time on stage with Jack Teagarden and Danny Kaye. Louis Armstrong’s sparkling eyes and magnetic smile invited us in, but it’s his music that takes over … even 50 years after his death.

Jenkins’ informative documentary is filled with beautiful music and premieres on Apple TV+ beginning October 28, 2022

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Posted by David Ferguson

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