film

Review: Iranian Film "About Elly" -- A Middle Class Enjoying Itself Is Engulfed In Change

Stephen Holden New York Times
Director Ashgar Farhadi achieved international recognition with the complex and brilliant film A Separation. About Elly was made earlier, won Best Picture at Tribeca in 2009, and has taken six years to work its way back to the U.S. If possible, and now in the midst of the nuclear deal, this devastating film is better and more relevant. Farhadi depicts the strains between strict Islamic traditions and modernism within Iran's affluent, sophisticated middle classss.

film

Why So Many Celebrities are Scientologists: "Going Clear", Revealing New HBO Doc, Holds Clues

Eileen Jones In These Times
One explanation of why do many celebrities are Scientologists is hidden in plain sight: The way the cult mirrors the star-obsessed, profit-driven culture of Hollywood. "Going Clear" also posits the rest of the answer: Stars stick with Scientology because of the meticulously kept notes, recordings and videos from E-meter "auditing" sessions that are central to the religion's practice, and make for ideal blackmail material.

Friday Nite Videos -- March 27, 2015

Portside
Tom Lehrer -- We'll All Go Together When We Go. Detroit Man Beaten by Police Speaks Out. Boom Bust Boom Trailer. New York Subway's Danny Small. SEC's Andrew Bowden at Stanford – A Regulator for Sale?

film

Film Review: "Taxi" – A Ridealong Career Selfie From Banned Iranian Director, Jafar Panahi, Takes Top Prize at Berlin

Peter Bradshaw The Guardian
“Taxi” is Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s third film since he was arrested in 2010 and charged with making anti-government propaganda. He was barred from making films for 20 years, from leaving the country and from speaking to the foreign media. He got around some of these restrictions this time by filming inside a taxi driving through the streets of Tehran, producing a beautifully humane fable. "Taxi" took the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival.

Friday Nite Videos -- March 20, 2015

Portside
Where Right Wing Conspiracies Come From. Burned at McDonald's. Documentary: Peace Officer. Buffett's $1B March Madness Bet. LBJ & the Voting Rights Act.

Documentary: Peace Officer

Peace Officer is a documentary about the increasingly militarized state of American police as told through the story of “Dub” Lawrence, a former sheriff who established and trained his rural state’s first SWAT team only to see that same unit kill his son-in-law.

film

Silencing “India’s Daughter”

Andrea Denhoed The New Yorker
"India’s Daughter", Leslee Udwin's stirring documentation of the brutal rape and murder of Jyoti Singh, has been banned by the Indian government claiming the film is an international conspiracy to defame India and incites violence against women. The efforts to suppress the film are backfiring, creating what is being called an 'Arab spring for gender equality in India'.

film

Review: Oscar-Nominated Russian Film "Leviathan" -- Man vs. System

Masha Gessen The New York Review of Books
The great trial of Job is reborn in Andrey Zvyagintsev’s magnificent Russian film, Leviathan. Compellingly told and stunningly shot, the film is also not subtle. The bad guys—the trinity of the government, the court, and the church—are pure evil. They are Leviathan itself, the Biblical monster that cannot be caught or tamed or killed. The film contended at Cannes, won a Golden Globe, was nominated for an Oscar, but last month was snubbed at the Russian film awards.

Friday Nite Videos -- March 6, 2015

Portside
Common, John Legend - Glory. X: Malcolm's Final Years. Movie -- Merchants of Doubt. The Ancient Ocean on Mars. School to Prison Pipeline.

Movie -- Merchants of Doubt

Inspired by the acclaimed book by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway, Merchants of Doubt takes audiences on a satirically comedic, yet illuminating ride into the heart of conjuring American spin. Filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the curtain on a secretive group of highly charismatic, silver- tongued pundits-for-hire who present themselves in the media as scientific authorities – yet have the contrary aim of spreading maximum confusion about well-studied public threats ranging from toxic chemicals to pharmaceuticals to climate change.

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