Springsteen’s Introspective Brilliance Rocks onto the Big Screen in Lieu of a Concert Tour
Rock-n-roll legend Bruce Springsteen has appeared in films before. From dancing with Courtney Cox in his own music video, to chiming in on different rockumentaries, to making a hilarious cameo in “High Fidelity,” the Boss is no stranger to the screen. This is not even to mention the nearly three hundred movie soundtracks that he has appeared on—winning an Oscar for his original song “Streets of Philadelphia” in 1993 and more recently having a film made directly about his music in 2019’s “Blinded By The Light.”
On October 25th, Springsteen invites his audience to enjoy a new kind of filmic experience to compliment his music. Springsteen’s latest album, “Western Stars,” came out in May, and like all of the rocker’s work, it is ruggedly poetic and grippingly suggestive of something that feels fundamentally American. Instead of going on a tour to promote this album, though, Springsteen is releasing a film to accompany it.
A Documentary-Music Video that Expands Upon Bruce Springsteen’s Latest Album
“Western Stars” (the film) is a cinematic endeavor that combines many different kinds of footage and stories, all set to the music from Springsteen’s latest record. It is partially an elongated music video that goes on for the album’s entire twelve tracks. At the same time, it is also a documentary, using found-footage and voice over narration to create a commentary about Springsteen’s life and career. Then again, it is also a concert video, as it incorporates live performances from several Bruce shows.
A conglomeration of mediums and modes, “Western Stars” is a unique project. Given its motley style, the film is very hard to pin as a particular art form. It is just as musical as it is cinematic—a visual album with Springsteen as the glue holding everything together.
A Nostalgic Directorial Collaboration Rooted in Springsteen’s Earliest Years
Springsteen himself directed the movie alongside longtime collaborator Thom Zimny. In addition to Springsteen’s brilliant lyric-writing abilities, the singer also published a memoir in 2016 and curated his own Broadway performance in 2017. Both of these projects were highly esteemed, demonstrating that he knows how to communicate a story or message in more than just a musical medium.
Zimny, on the other hand, is a filmmaker first and foremost. He has been with Bruce since 2001, when he directed the concert video, “Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: Live In New York City.” Since then they have worked together on numerous documentaries and music videos. “Western Stars” however, is a first for both of them—an unprecedented blend of all the cinematic forms they’ve worked in so far.
“Western Stars” debuted at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this year, and it received positive reviews. It is praised for the way it captures and expands upon everything Springsteen says on the album. Although the musician hails from New Jersey, the film has an appropriately Western energy, with desert-country imagery that compliments the songs’ themes regarding growing up, growing old, and navigating your inner-American frontier through solemn ballads and explosive hard rock.
We are at points of transition in the worlds of vehicles and entertainment. On both fronts, the past few years have given us unprecedented change. For vehicles, the now practical concept of self-driving cars opens up the possibility of getting around without a human operator behind the wheel. Meanwhile, for entertainment, the rise of streaming services and cord cutting has changed the way we consume media on a mobile basis.
These two evolutions may seem unconnected right now. However, both concepts are still in their infancy. Given recent history, entertainment companies are currently dead set on finding the latest platform to create and distribute their content on, and self-driving vehicles have seemingly limitless potential. It is clear that these two innovative concepts will intersect, potentially in the near future.
With no one operating a car, traveling becomes an experience of little beyond being a passenger. Whether it is doing a daily commute or taking a cross-country road trip, “driving” no longer requires attention and awareness. Being in a car becomes a slot of time where people are essentially trapped in the confines of a small space with no responsibilities. It is the perfect time for catching up on news, entertainment, or communication.
While it might be easy to imagine people in self-driving cars perpetually staring at their smart phones or laptops, there is the possibility that entertainment companies could collaborate with vehicle manufacturers to change the very design of vehicles and make car-riding a transmedia experience.
A Completely new Lifestyle built around Time in Transit
What this would look like is unclear, but one can imagine a car surrounded in screens—on the backs of seats, propped on dashboards, and even over some of the windows, making entertainment accessibly (maybe even unavoidably) built into a vehicle’s architecture. Many companies are gearing up for the potential. Finnish company FlexSound is pioneering “augmented audio” devices that can produce movie theater quality audio by imbedding transducers into car seats and headrests, allowing the occupant to feel the sound directly, for example.
The potential does not stop there, though. Consuming media exclusively in a car offers a very particular experience, one that companies could capitalize on with originality. Virtual reality simulations are one of the latest breakthroughs in entertainment tech. Currently, virtual reality occupies a vague area somewhere between film and video games. Despite its growing popularity, VR is yet to find an exact home in the day-to-day lives of consumers.
Perhaps self-driving cars can provide that stable home for VR. With the help of technology, media equipped vehicles could change the very landscape that one is driving through everyday. With screens disguised as windshields, a boring commute could become an adventure through some of the world’s most interesting places. Perhaps the commute could even be through different worlds. Hypothetically, by hooking your Tesla up with a Disney or Warner Brothers package, you could find yourself driving across a Star Wars planet, Gotham City, or some other fictional place every single day.
Who will lead in the Contest to provide Entertainment Solutions for a Newly Liberated Population?
Of course, VR could offer more than just moving through these places. There could be narratives involved. During your drive across Gotham City, the Joker could pop out of an alley, or you could find yourself in a car chase with the Batmobile. On the other hand, your car could become a Disney World ride, and driving your kids to school could become a Millennium Falcon or Buzz Lightyear adventure that involves shooting down enemy ships in a distant galaxy.
The possibilities are endless. Of course, it will all be a façade, but so is every form of visual entertainment. Ever since Thomas Edison created the Kinetoscope in 1897 to produce the first motion pictures, we have been happily living in a world filled with enthralling illusions.
The future of entertainment is unclear, but self-driving cars merging with media outlets is one distant idea that has already crossed the minds of industry executives. If self-driving cars become more popular over the next decade, it is possible that we will see this conglomeration / convergence take effect. Perhaps Uber and Lyft will do away with their drivers and start producing movies instead. Or maybe they will team up with Netflix, Amazon, or Apple+ to have a constant stream of content. Or maybe instead of Ubers and Lyfts altogether, we will get around in Disney Taxis or join in on Universal Studios Carpools. Again, the possibilities are endless. What’s your take?
Number 1: 1917 is an upcoming war film directed by Sam Mendes and co-written by Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns. It stars George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, with Colin Firth, and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Fourth: Available via AppleTV+ starting on November 1 (free if you recently purchased qualifying Apple products) the Documentary showcases the majestic lives of an Elephant herd.
A Decade in the Making, showing how Predecessor was a Premonition Foretold
The trailer for “Venom” director Ruben Fleischer’s new movie starts out with a feeling of prestige. Over intense music, we see shots of an impressive cast as text introduces Academy Award nominees Woody Harrelson, Jessie Eisenberg, and Abigail Breslin, and Academy Award winner Emma Stone. Just when you start to think you are watching an ad for the latest star-studded, Oscar-bait drama, you realize that the lineup feels somewhat familiar.
Suddenly the dramatic music comes to a halt as the shot of Emma Stone widens to reveal her loading, aiming, and firing a grenade launcher at a walking corpse. Music starts up again, but this time it is Ice Cube’s Click Clack-Get Back as the characters wade through a field of zombies towards a deteriorating Whitehouse.
Suddenly, we know where we are… We are back in Zombieland!
“Zombieland: Double Tap” is a follow-up to the 2009 zombie-horror-comedy “Zombieland.” It has been ten years since the first movie hit theaters and surprised audiences with its humor and fresh take on the genre. Fortunately, despite how long it has taken to produce a sequel, the aforementioned original cast and director are back in their rightful places for the new film.
In addition to Fleischer returning to the director’s chair and Harrelson, Eisenberg, Breslin, and Stone reprising their roles, writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are also coming back for “Double Tap.” Since the first film came out, Reese and Wernick have become contemporary comedy legends, having written both of the “Deadpool” movies.
Joining the writing staff for “Double Tap” is also “The Expendables” and “Godzilla” screenwriter Dave Callaham. “Double Tap” will be the first of many upcoming blockbuster projects for Callaham. Over the next few years, he is lined up to write for “Wonder-Woman: 1984,” “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2,” and Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”
Photo / Sony Pictures Entertainment
Stellar Cast and Creative Team should produce Entertaining Bulls-eye
If the creative minds behind “Zombieland: Double Tap” are any signifier, the movie will not lack in humor or action. Like the first “Zombieland,” the sequel’s story takes place in a post-apocalyptic America, centering on a quartet of survivors who have come to depend on each other as a motley, makeshift family.
This time around, the characters are seeking refuge in middle-America, combating new kinds of zombies and encountering other survivors in the process. Joining the cast to play these other survivors are Zoey Deutch, Avan Jogia, Rosario Dawson, Luke Wilson, and Thomas Middleditch. The movie will also have a couple cameos from the likes of Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd.
Of course, comedy has noticeably changed since 2009. Ten years ago, the most talked about comedies were “Step Brothers,” “The Hangover,” and “Pineapple Express.” Will Farrell’s absurdist humor was still at its peak and Seth Rogen’s stoner bromance style felt fresh. These icons led the genre in a very goofy direction at the turn of the decade.
Today, however, audiences have shown that they want something a bit more socially telling. Viewers desire either genre parodies such as “Deadpool” or “Shazam!” or they want political satires that cross over into dramas such as “Vice” or “The Big Short.”
This raises the question of whether something as silly as rednecks and nerds killing zombies in over-the-top violent fashions will still be suitable for contemporary audiences?
Photo / Sony Pictures Entertainment
More Apropos in 2019 than 2009?
In response to that valid query, perhaps we can look at the first “Zombieland” not as a product of 2009, but rather as a film that was ahead of its time. After all, the movie is a parody of a specific horror sub-genre and it blends comedy with action quite well, leaving viewers feeling as if they laughed, but also enjoyed a solid zombie movie in its own right.
Lastly, “Zombieland” is not without its own pinch of satire, as it characterizes certain America stereotypes and pokes fun at low-mimetic people by placing them in high-stakes situations. As previously described, the trailer begins with the characters fighting zombies on the Whitehouse lawn. In the next scene, Woody Harrelson’s hickish character is sitting in the oval office, explaining how he would make a good president. While such jokes could be excused as mere gags ten years ago, they now have a touch of real-world relevance.
In total, “Zombieland: Double Tap” promises to be the thrilling, yet gut-busting action comedy that we are expecting. Like its 2009 predecessor, it will cross boundaries and use humor to deliver a message while winking at the audience in the process. In 2019, though, that message may be more divisive or potent, ultimately making the wink a whole lot less subtle.
“Scandalous” Documentary Film Reveals the Corrupt History Behind the National Enquirer, Entertains with a point about Fake News
The promotional poster for Magnolia Pictures and Mark Landsman’s new documentary shows off in giant bold letters the alluring tagline, “Sex, Drugs, and UFOs.” Billowing around the words are a bunch of newspaper front pages, each with an infamous headline such as “Flying Saucers Are Real,” “I Saw O.J. At The Murder Scene,” or “Elvis: The Untold Story.”
If one even notices the title of the film printed in smaller letters in enormous tagline’s shadows, one might expect that “Scandalous” is a movie about conspiracy theories or some great national collusion that ties all of these pop-culture headlines together in some absurd way. However, beneath the title on the poster, seemingly hidden, is the film’s subtitle. It reads “The Untold Story Of The National Enquirer.”
For sixty years, the National Enquirer has been an American news source reporting on the latest events in pop-culture gossip, catering their articles to the average everyday American who is voyeuristically intrigued in the lives of celebrities and public figures. As Landsman’s documentary shows, however, the National Enquirer toed an unsteady line between information and entertainment, using borderline unethical or illegal reporting techniques to get the full scoop, and then milking that scoop for all its worth in order to sell more copies.
Poster Photo / Magnolia Pictures
Living Squarely in a Gray Area and Embracing Ambiguity
Thus, despite the way the film is marketed on the poster, “Scandalous” is not about conspiracy theories, but rather about a single pseudo-news source that changed the game of reporting by promoting stories that were overblown and exaggerated for the American public.
It is actually a strangely relevant topic in today’s world. Obviously, the National Enquirer still exists—James Cohen of Hudson News recently purchased the company—and it probably still partakes in some of the ethical ambiguities covered in the film. On a larger scale, though, today’s political debates regarding fake news give “Scandalous” a timely twist. Did the National Enquirer ever explicitly produce fake news in their articles? Perhaps not. But did they ever overstate certain details and indulge in stories for the sake of gaining readers’ attention? Most certainly. Then again, what newspaper hasn’t?
There is somewhat of a paradox here, for when the National Enquirer bends the rules in order to get a story, it comes off as an egregious affront. At the same time, though, when a more esteemed news source such as The New York Times or the Washington Post goes undercover to retrieve information, they are usually applauded for exercising freedom of the press. Sometimes Steven Spielberg even commends them with an Oscar nominated movie starring Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep.
Perhaps it is the fact that the National Enquirer is not usually publishing stories that are pertinent to the American people’s safety or enlightenment. Exercising freedom of the press may be admired when it is for investigating an issue of national importance, but not so much when it is investigating a celebrity couple’s latest fight. Then, it just comes off as a paparazzi-like invasion of privacy.
Photo / Magnolia Pictures
For a cinephile, it is also hard to watch a film like “Scandalous” and wonder where the documentary itself falls on that line between information and entertainment. Documentaries, existing somewhere betwixt feature films or news reports, are neither entirely fictional nor restricted to objectivity. Typically, they are didactic in some way, but also artistic and meant to be please the audience to a certain degree. While we are watching “Scandalous” criticize the National Enquirer’s techniques and rhetoric, we may find ourselves questioning what kinds of stylistic choices or intentional omissions Mark Landsman made when curating the film.
The National Enquirer’s history is not all black and white. In their questionable form of journalism, they actually ended up uncovering and reporting on some pertinent information over the years. Do these occasional revelations really justify the source’s tactics? On the other hand, though, do they really need to justify themselves? After all, they do claim to be a newspaper.
“Scandalous” might not be the fake news story that we were expecting right now, and despite the criticism it offers, it may not be entirely innocent or objective in its own right. Nevertheless, it is subtly timely. Enough so that we just might learn something pertinent about journalism, history, and ethics along the way. Or we might just choose to enjoy it as an interesting exposé about a fascinating news source that reported on some of the biggest stories in pop-culture across the second half of the twentieth century. When it comes to watching a documentary film, the choice is up to the viewer.
“Paradise Hills” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. After the festival, Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired it for distribution.
Samuel Goldwyn Films Brings Feminist Thriller From Sundance To Theaters on October 25th
The movie touts a novice creative team but an impressive cast of young actresses. Behind the camera is director Alice Waddington and behind the story are screenwriters Brian DeLeeuw and Nacho Vigalondo, none of whom have many noticeable credits to their names. The cast, however, has a few more familiar faces. It features Emma Roberts as the main character alongside Awkwafina, Danielle Macdonald, Milla Jovoich, and Eiza González.
The storyline focuses on a dystopian-like boarding school on an island. Young women wake up on this island and find themselves part of a social experiment, one that emotionally reforms them into becoming conformant members of their surroundings. Beneath the school’s idyllic surface, however, there is something threatening at hand, putting the girls in grave danger.
Mediocre Script, but Set & Costume Designs Save the Day
It sounds fascinating enough—almost like a modern YA-thriller rendition of the old British TV show, “The Prisoner.” Unfortunately, the script received heavy criticism at Sundance for having uncanny dialogue and numerous plot holes. What saved the film in most critics’ eyes were the set and costume designs.
Laia Colet and Sol Saban respectfully did the film’s set design and decoration, and Alberto Valcárcel created the costumes. Together, they built a colorful world for the characters to live in. Aesthetically, it is somewhat Hunger Games-like with flamboyant outfits, unique hairstyles, and a constant futuristic feeling of lavishness. It is more than enough to grip the audience from a visual perspective.
A Win for Feminism, But Will its Delivery Suffice?
Another area where the film received some praise was for its feminism. While the script may have been a bit hollow, the female characters have an impressive degree of complexity. Critics recognized that the women in “Paradise Hills” went beyond simple archetypes, and offered an array of original voices. Given the film industry’s current climate with #MeToo and its systemic underrepresentation of female characters on screen, it is important to see this kind of depth given to a primarily female cast, especially under the influence of a female director and in a genre that is far from a chick-flick.
However, despite whatever political angles one takes or how progressive a movie is behind the scenes, films must speak for themselves as pieces of art and entertainment. If “Paradise Hills” fails on those fronts, then its more powerful layers may go unnoticed, and sadly, it may end up forgotten despite its best qualities.
Norman Rockwell Harmony Voyage leads to Dangers from Within
The trailer for director Michael Goi and writer Anthony Jaswinski’s new film “Mary,” starts out feeling quite wholesome, as a father played by Gary Oldman buys an old sailboat from a shipyard with the intention of getting into the charter-boat business. First, however, he takes his family on a bonding voyage across the sea. Initially, looks like a hopeful, albeit a little sappy, family drama that will leave you feeling inspired and optimistic.
Once the ship is out at sea, though, and the family is alone on open waters, things start to get strange. The family’s youngest daughter named Mary starts talking to an imaginary friend aboard the ship, and soon enough, this imaginary relationship leads her to do sadistic things. The young girl becomes a threat to the family as they realize that the old ship is cursed and that everyone who has sailed it before has ended up engulfed in tragedy.
So no, “Mary” is not the pleasant melodrama that we might have been expecting or even hoping for. Instead it is yet another horror movie, and while the ship setting looks somewhat original, the possessed little girl trope and the cursed old relic convention cannot help but render the film a little clichéd.
The cursed ship in “Mary” is not an ocean liner or even a yacht. It is a small, manual sailboat that probably has no more than a single room beneath the deck. This setting gives the film a terrifically claustrophobic feel, which could further the horror aspect, but we have to question how much can actually be done within such a small setting.
After a while, it is very possible that the confined space will lose its suspense. The film really seems to be banking on the ship setting as its most distinguishing aspect, as even the trailer heavily explicates the fact that there is nowhere to run on a ship. Meanwhile, Gary Oldman’s character, the captain and family patriarch, must consider weather he should keep sailing forward or turn around, creating an internal struggle between ambition and safety that could lead to madness or strife—yet another horror movie cliché.
Can we really blame the writers or the Oscar winning Gary Oldman for what “Mary” is, though? For everything it does that has been done before, it at least makes an effort to be original in how it scares and intrigues its audience. However, the horror genre right now requires more than just scariness. Unless it is a Jordan Peele kind of social commentary or something deeply nostalgia like “It: Chapter Two,” it is very difficult for a horror film to stand out.
So if you want a fun-house horror movie to get you in the Halloween spirit with jump scares and general creepiness, “Mary” will probably do the trick. But, if you are looking for something that will garner critical acclaim or immense originality, you may want to take your money elsewhere, perhaps away from horror altogether and over to whatever movie follows through on that gripping family melodrama exposition.
Ang Lee’s Newest Direction is an Attempt to Elevate a Clichéd Genre…
No two movies from visionary director Ang Lee are quite the same. One moment he is making a modern martial arts classic, the next, an introspective superhero movie, and after that, a heart wrenching romance about two gay cowboys. If there is one commonality across his entire filmography it is that every movie is ambitious. Thus, we knew from the get-go that his new film “Gemini Man” was unlikely to be a standard shoot-em-up action movie. The sight of a twenty-three year old looking Will Smith acting in the trailer confirmed this.
Skydance Media, the company behind the latest Mission Impossible and Terminator movies is producing Gemini Man. The film falls in with their impressive line of action movies that tout A-List stars in the leading roles, except this time, there are two leading men, but still only one A-List star.
In “Gemini Man,” Will Smith plays two versions of the same character. One of them is a middle-aged man who fits the actor’s natural current look. The other one, however, is a young adult that looks like Will Smith out of his “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” days… well, that plus a touch of CGI makeup.
Can VFX Extend the Reach of Will Smith via Digital Clone?
CGI has definitely come a long way since the turn of the millennium, but the human eye has also learned to recognize when things are off. Thus, generating a human face, especially one as recognizable as Will Smith’s, with computer technology is one of the trickiest tasks for a visual effects artist.
With the help of over seven-hundred people on the VFX team, “Gemini Man’s” young Will Smith was created through motion capture animation. Smith would perform all of the young character’s scenes wearing sensors on his face, and then the VFX team would animate over his face to essentially de-age the actor while preserving the performance. It is a technique made popular by Andy Serkis’ performance as Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and has more more recently been boldly used to recreate Peter Cushing’s Grand Moff Tarkin in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”
Attempts to create human beings out of CGI and motion capture are not without their critics. Especially when the CGI human being is based off someone whose look the audience knows, it becomes easy to tell when the slightest detail is off. Digitized images have a certain over-polished, almost plastic look to them. So when the image is trying to resemble something as organic as a human face, it is very difficult to fool the viewer.
We cannot deny that there is a something just a little prosthetic looking about the young Will Smith in “Gemini Man.” Then again, maybe that is just due to the fact that we know what Will Smith actually looked like at twenty-three and our knowledge of the on-screen face being artificial forces us to seek out the blemishes.
will Will Save You from Yourself? Hubris Implies only a Hero’s Clone can Beat the Hero
Narratively in the movie, the young Will Smith is a clone of the older Will Smith, whose blood was used for an experiment against his knowing twenty-five years ago. In the present, the two Will Smiths are both hit-men pinned against one another. When they learn that they are the same person, though, the situation becomes far more complicated.
The movie’s first trailer made it look like a flat out Will Smith versus Will Smith story, a sci-fi action flick about one version of the self against another in the vein of Rian Jonson’s 2011 “Looper.” However, the second trailer reveals more about the man behind the cloning, the young Will Smith’s mentor and the older Will Smith’s former boss. While there will still be plenty of Smith on Smith action, this crime-boss character, played by Clive Owen, will likely be the archvillain, and perhaps we will witness the two Smiths teaming up to take him down in the end.
Even if there is something a little uncanny about seeing a CGI Will Smith, with Ang Lee behind the camera, an enormous VFX department, and an impressive cast of writers including David Benioff, Billy Ray, and Darren Lemke, “Gemini Man” is bound to be an interesting ride, so much so, that we may be able to look past the digital imperfections to appreciate what it is in all of its originality.
Pedro Almodóvar is one of the most acclaimed Spanish filmmakers of the modern era. An Academy Award winning screenwriter and a nominee for best director, Almodóvar worked from the bottom-up, starting out poor and making independent films reflective of Spain’s counter-culture.
Now, Almodóvar may be more established, but he still implements his signature indie style and personal narratives into his project. This is more apparent than ever before in his latest film “Pain & Glory,” which tells the story of a fictional movie director reflecting on his long life and prosperous career.
The autobiographical inferences are countless in “Pain & Glory,” as the film is not only about Spanish cinema, but also deals with family, friendship, and a middle-aged perspective on life—the last of which may especially hit home for Almodóvar, who just turned seventy this past week.
Photo / Sony Pictures Classics
Penelope Crúz joins Banderas for possible renaissance accolades
Leading the film’s strong Latinx cast featuring Penelope Crúz, Asier Etxeandia, and Leonardo Sbaraglia, it is Antonio Banderas, who might be on the verge a mini-renaissance due to his starring role in Netflix’s much anticipated “The Laundromat.”
Banderas’ performance in “Pain & Glory” has already received praise, winning him Best Actor at this year’s prestigious Cannes Film Festival. At the Festival, “Pain & Glory” also won the Cannes Soundtrack Award for composer Alberto Iglesias’ score and Almodóvar received nominations for the Palme d’Or and Queer Palm Awards.
Coming from Spain, “Pain & Glory” is of course entirely in Spanish—its original title is “Dolor y Gloria.” An English subtitled version will debut in the U.S. this Friday. Although foreign language films do not always prosper in American theaters, perhaps the star power and hype around “Pain & Glory” will make it stand out. It is an exciting film that could even get some Oscar recognition, but at the very least, it is a fascinating form of self-expression from one of Spain’s most celebrated filmmakers alive today.
Say what you want about radical engineer Elon Musk, but his companies have certainly produced some very innovative products over the years. None are perhaps as revolutionary as Tesla’s line-up of wildly popular and stylish electric vehicles that require no gasoline.
This past weekend, a beacon of progressive light shone through the clouds as two gas stations on different sides of the world got rid of all their fuel pumps and transitioned entirely to EV charging stations. One of the gas stations is in Norway and it is a branch of the global Circle K convenience store company. The other is a local gas station in Takoma Park, Maryland called RS Automotives.
This is significant, not due to the world adding two more charging stations, there are many already and Tesla’s network of stations is truly remarkable. The news here, however, is that these are stations that have decided to abandon gas, oil and, presumably, gasoline-based auto maintenance for EV charging and convenience. This is a trend that, hopefully, will accelerate.
In the wake of the UN 2019 Climate Action Summit, these initiatives are but small victories in the fight for environmental reformation. Nonetheless, we can take these updates as signs of individual improvement and solace. Either they are money-driven transformations reflective of more people turning to electric vehicles, or they are examples of non-money driven actions that we may need businesses to make in order to shift consumers in the superior, ecologically sensitive direction.
While gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles have been around for a while with popular older models such as the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight, Tesla stands as the first widely popular electric car that runs on zero fluids excluding the windshield-wiper fluid (or tiny amounts for cooling batteries). Instead of filling it up with gas, you charge it up like a phone.
Admittedly, charging up a Tesla can, in some situations, take a while— close to an hour if fully discharged and topped off (Tesla suggests 80% maximum at any time to promote battery health and longevity). Although over half a million Teslas have been sold since their first all-electric Model-S debuted in 2012, some people still assume that the time it takes to charge one up is Tesla’s greatest weakness.
The “Range Anxiety” debate is not new, and not entirely real
This “weakness” is part propaganda, part wishful thinking and part scare tactic. The reality is, pumping gas also takes time and if you add in a bathroom break and a short stop to grab a drink to go, a supercharger can approximate, with ease, the turn-around time. Not to mention the peace of mind that comes with using a fill-up (charge up) as a break from driving rather than a hurried gas smelling pit-stop.
Charging stations have been popping up more frequently across the country and the world in the last few years. Tesla, Volkswagon and some venture capital-based start-ups have made initiatives to put up tens of thousands more EV charging stations along highways and roads.
This trend can be seen as a canary in the coal mine moment for the demise of fossil fuel based transportation and, ultimately, the fossil fuel based economic model. The looming climate crisis, breaking out virtually every day into the news, is but one reason to cheer this development. There are many more and many CitCM moments to come.
Daring Satire? Or Comic Relief during not-so-funny times?
It seems pretty reliable that Taika Waititi’s Nazi-themed “Jojo Rabbit” will go down as the most daring satire to come out in 2019. With relatively heavy marketing and a recognizable name attached to it, it is also likely that “Jojo Rabbit” will draw in a large audience and become quite popular. After all, the movie has already earned a lot of buzz due to its success at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this month.
However, the film market is happily large enough to accommodate more than just one socially telling film per year, and because of that, there are more movies than just “Jojo Rabbit” coming out that attempt to provide social-commentary through humor.
Photo / IFC Films
One of these movies is “The Day Shall Come” from “Four Lions” director and writer Christopher Morris, starring the familiar Anna Kendrick and the virtually unknown Marchánt Davis. Shot in the Dominican Republic over the past couple years, this satirical film was kept under the radar through most of its production, but it had its premiere at the South By Southwest film festival earlier this year, and is now getting a wide release under IFC Films’ distribution.
“The Day Shall Come” is a hard film to summarize. Like Boots Riley’s “Sorry To Bother You” or Joe Talbot’s “The Last Black Man In San Francisco,” the movie communicates messages about many systemic issues in our society by using a wacky, borderline surreal narrative.
Marchánt Davis plays Moses, the poor black religious leader of an Israelite commune in south Florida. His eccentric and radical teachings eventually get attention from the FBI, who, instead of properly investigating or trying Moses for whatever crimes he may have committed, devise a plan to prey on his lack of privilege and secretly get him involved in actual crime. Under this plan, the bureau can justify bringing Moses down.
Little known flick tries to break through with humor
Anna Kendrick plays the young FBI agent that the bureau puts in control of this project. While Kendrick’s character is somewhat a voice of reason within the bureau, she is but a rookie, and thus is subject to the outrageous demands of her superior agents, a bunch of old white men that the film makes out to be oafish and incompetent.
So far, there have not been many ads for “The Day Shall Come.” Unfortunately, that may translate to not many people going to see it. However, the little amount of marketing that has gone around for the film sells it as, “a weaponized comedy about homeland security” that is “based on a hundred true stories.”
Going off of these taglines, “The Day Shall Come” evidently hits a number of timely subjects. No, Davis’ Moses is not a real person and the story of the FBI deceiving an Israelite commune in Miami is nothing but fiction. Nevertheless, the narrative is true in the sense that people in power actually do carry out some pretty outrageous acts in order to maintain control. In that sense, one may assume that movie may dabbles too far into the realm of ungrounded conspiracy theories, but rest assured, it does so only as a conscious allegorical hyperbole, a narrative technique meant to be taken symbolically and not literally.
Photo / IFC Films
Likewise, by calling the film “weaponized” and directly pointing out that the comedy comes at the expense of national security, it is clear that “The Day Shall Come” is an intentional protest movie. The film is rife with jabs against government officials and it is not subtle in the political message it is trying to send regarding the dangers of certain entities holding too much authority.
This straightforwardness does not take away from the movie’s overall complexity, though. After all, Moses and his commune come off just as crazy as the FBI does in the film. Therefore, despite the explicit satire, the final message remains ambiguous. Perhaps Morris is trying to champion the idea of giving power to the people, while also recognizing the complicatedness that comes with preserving some kind of order in a place as vastly populated and diverse as the United States.
So far, the movie has received mixed reactions from critics and audiences. Most everyone agrees that the movie is hilarious, but some may find it too overt or experimental. Overall, this is not actually too surprising. “The Day Shall Come” seems like a movie that was made for ambivalent reception, for it is not really meant to please everyone—it is meant to humor and inspire, and perhaps even teach the audience something between the lines and behind the laughs.
Natural Magic of the Unseen and Wonders beneath our feet
Louie
Schwartzberg’s documentaries have always had to do with
seeing the world through different lenses. From his independent shorts
“Mysteries of the Unseen World” and “Moving Art: Forests”
to his Disney-backed butterfly doc “Wings of Life,” Schwartzberg has been
opening audience’s eyes to visual beauties hidden in plain sight.
His latest film, “Fantastic Fungi” takes this motif to the next
level, as Schwartzberg not only uses his distinct visual style deliver a
message, but that message itself is actually about our world beneath the
surface and our minds beyond our senses.
The topic, of course, is mushrooms, or rather fungi of all sorts,
the plantlike organisms that sprout from the earth and extend beneath our feet
in all different directions. As Schwartzberg documents, fungi are of unparalleled
importance to the natural world, and if used correctly, they could also help
people improve their perception of life on the inside and out.
The movie starts out standard enough, with Schwartzberg’s signature
time-lapses, landscape shots, and animations illustrating the awesome lives of
mushrooms in the wild. Over interviews with ecologists, journalists,
nutritionists, and more, the film shows how fungi’s roots are all connected beneath
the surface, creating an enormous active network of billion-year-old ecological
information that humans only understand the very beginning of.
Fungi’s potential is thus unpredictable. The natural sophistication
of mushrooms could make them an inherent resource for health, sustainability,
medicine, nutrition, and more. Their relationship with people is a beautiful
example of humans not just learning about, but learning from a different form
of life in its untouched place on earth.
Despite the intriguing topic, though, this first part of the movie
still feels kind of like a simple National Geographic special or something cut
out of a “Planet Earth” episode. “Fantastic Fungi” really distinguishes itself
in its second and third acts. After Schwartzberg introduces us to fungi in the
wild, he then delves into the ways humans use the organism for their own
advantage.
Here, the film obviously looks at the ways mushrooms can be used as
food and medicine, but it also talks about the ways that fungi preserve water
and adapt efficiently, making them potentially valuable resources in creating
revolutionary environmental progress.
Additionally, the film digs into the psychedelic
aspects of mushroom consumption, interviewing mental health councilors and
patients who use fungi as therapeutic tools. This is where the film becomes
meta, as the experience of taking psychedelic mushrooms is meant to play with
perception and ultimately make people feel extra clam or enlightened.
Maybe there’s more to Fungi if we Become One with them?
Perhaps gratuitously, this raises the question of what it would be
like to watch “Fantastic Fungi” under the influence of these mushrooms. Certain
films, particularly movies with intricate colors or visuals, are known for
being extra interesting when watched on psychedelics. Because “Fantastic Fungi”
has some very cool, high-resolution visuals as well as an illuminating message,
one could expect that watching the film with a mushroom-tinted consciousness might
be a transcendent existential experience. Given the subject matter, we cannot
help but wonder whether or not this was aesthetically intentional all along.
The film was featured at the Maui Film Festival’s Celestial Cinema
screenings. Along with Louie Schwartzberg as the movie’s director, Brie
Larson narrates the film and Mark
Monroe of “Before the Flood” and “The Cove” wrote the screenplay.
Monroe has written many documentaries that have to do with environmentalism and
the human body, most notably perhaps the Oscar-winning “Icarus,” which started
as a film about athletic doping in Russia, but eventually escaladed into a political
thriller.
“Fantastic Fungi” looks like it will be leaving politics at the
doorstep, though. Except for maybe a brief conversations regarding the legality
of psychedelics, the film looks will probably be a happy and hopeful movie, one
that not only teaches us an interesting lesson in ecology, but like a mushroom
trip itself, will open up our minds to possibilities we never considered
before.
For the past eighty years, generations of Americans have grown up knowing the face of Judy Garland as the young Dorothy Gale in Victor Flemmings’ classic fantasy film “The Wizard of Oz.” Few, however, know the story of the actress after the cameras went off, after she tapped those ruby slippers together, returned home, and the credits rolled on her happy Kansas prairie ending.
English director Rupert Goold is finally shedding light on the actress’ career after “The Wizard of Oz” in his new biopic, “Judy.” Goold is best known for his work in theater—for which he has many more directorial credits than he does in film—and therefore, “Judy” is employing a certain theatricality to it, focusing on Garland’s life less as an actress, but more as an singer at London’s famous Talk of the Town nightclub.
The movie will be a period piece just as much as it will be a biopic, taking place in the late sixties, a flashy, spectacle of a time for London’s entertainment industry. Thematically, the movie looks like it will spend lots of time dealing with nostalgia, being a retro-story in its own right about the sixties while also focusing on Garland a full generation after “Oz” put her in the spotlight.
Helping create this nostalgic energy is production designer Kave Quinn of “Trainspotting” and “Woman in Black,” and costume designer Jany Temime of “Skyfall” and the Harry Potter franchise. Evidently, the movie’s aesthetics are in good hands.
In front of the camera, Academy Award winning actress Renèe Zellweger is playing the title character. The aged version of Garland featured in the movie is long past her prime. At the film’s point in her life, she has been married four times and she is trying to re-enter the spotlight for the sake of making enough money to stay with her children. The film’s 1968 setting also corresponds with the year before the actress died of a drug overdose. It is unclear whether or not the narrative will actually include the main character’s death, but regardless, it seems promising that given the timeline, it will not offer the most innocent portrait of Judy Garland.
Thankfully, Zellweger’s life and career is not as dark or intense as Garland’s was towards the end. Nevertheless, there is something fitting about this casting decision. It would be unfair to say that Zellweger’s career has gone downhill in recent years, but she certainly had a youthful peak in the late nineties and early two-thousands. The actress made a name for herself in 1996’s “Jerry McGuire” and in 2002 and 2003 respectively, the Academy nominated her for Best Actress for her performances in “Brigit Jones’ Diary” and “Chicago.” She then won Best Supporting Actress in 2004 for “Cold Mountain.”
Since then, she has done respectable and consistent work. But while her public image has successfully avoided any pitfalls, Zellweger has not really been talked about all that much in the present decade. She went from an up-and-coming star to just another working actress in the business. Maybe “Judy” will offer her a comeback. Either way, her current situation kind of makes her a perfect fit for playing an older Garland trying to bounce back after the height of her career.
In a current market where Freddy Mercury, Elton John, and Mötley Crüe are getting their own movies, Judy Garland is perhaps not the most expected subject for the next musical-themed biopic. However, it follows suit to a decent degree, and for fans of classical-era Hollywood or the bygone genre of show tune music, “Judy” may be a more appealing picture than any of these rock-and-roll flicks.
The movie may not exactly draw in young people at first, but audiences will naturally follow quality, so if the film is up to snuff, then it may introduce Garland to a whole new generation as more than just the blue-dressed girl from Kansas, but as a star who truly went over the rainbow, and crash-landed just south of the pot of gold.
Number 1: 1917 is an upcoming war film directed by Sam Mendes and co-written by Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns. It stars George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, with Colin Firth, and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Fourth: Available via AppleTV+ starting on November 1 (free if you recently purchased qualifying Apple products) the Documentary showcases the majestic lives of an Elephant herd.
On 11-1-19, Apple will start streaming original shows worldwide, to over 100 countries and have a subscription fee of $4.99 per month. For the uncertain there will also be a seven day free trail period.
Using the Apple TV app, It will be possible to view shows on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, Apple TV and also online at tv.apple.com. Some of the previously announced shows that will be available initially will be “The Morning Show”(see trailer above), “Dickinson”, “See”, “For All Mankind” and “The Elephant Queen”. New original shows, movies and documentaries will be added each month, according to Apple.
Some of the originals to be added monthly include:
“Helpsters,” a new children’s series from the makers of “Sesame Street,” stars Cody and a team of vibrant monsters who love to help solve problems. It all starts with a plan.
“Snoopy in Space,” a new original from Peanuts Worldwide and DHX Media, takes viewers on a journey with Snoopy as he follows his dreams to become an astronaut. Together, Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the Peanuts crew take command of the International Space Station and explore the moon and beyond.
“Ghostwriter,” a reinvention of the beloved original series, follows four kids who are brought together by a mysterious ghost in a neighborhood bookstore, and must team up to release fictional characters from works of literature.
“The Elephant Queen,” an acclaimed documentary film and cinematic love letter to a species on the verge of extinction, follows a majestic matriarch elephant and her herd on an epic journey of life, loss and homecoming.
Oprah Winfrey joins the world’s most compelling authors in conversation as she builds a vibrant, global book club community and other projects to connect with people around the world and share meaningful ways to create positive change.
Following data provided by Apple:
More Apple TV+ originals will be added to the Apple TV app each month, including:
“Truth Be Told,” a gripping new series starring Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer and Emmy Award winner Aaron Paul, explores America’s obsession with true crime podcasts and navigates urgent concerns about privacy, media and race.
“Little America,” inspired by the true stories featured in Epic Magazine, brings to life the funny, romantic, heartfelt, inspiring and surprising stories of immigrants in America.
“The Banker,” a feature film inspired by a true story, stars Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson as two African American entrepreneurs who try to circumvent the racial limitations of the 1950s and quietly provide housing loans to the African American community in Jim Crow Texas. Nia Long and Nicholas Hoult also star.
“Hala,” a feature film and official selection of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, follows a high school senior struggling to balance being a suburban teenager with her traditional Muslim upbringing.
Starting today, viewers can watch trailers and add Apple TV+ series and movies to Up Next on the Apple TV app, so they can be notified when the first episodes become available. At launch, most Apple TV+ series will premiere with three episodes, with one new episode to roll out each week, while full seasons of some series will be available all at once.
Audiences worldwide can enjoy Apple TV+ originals subtitled and/or dubbed in nearly 40 languages, including Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (SDH) or closed captions. Apple TV+ series and movies will also be available with audio descriptions in eight languages.
Apple TV+ is one of Apple’s newest services, joining Apple Arcade, the world’s first game subscription service featuring over 100 new and exclusive games; Apple News+, which brings together over 300 magazines, newspapers and digital publishers within the Apple News app; Apple Music, the home of over 50 million songs, thousands of playlists and daily selections from the world’s best music experts; Apple Card, a new kind of credit card created by Apple and designed to help customers lead a healthier financial life; Apple Pay, the most popular mobile contactless payment system in the world that gives customers an easy, secure and private way to pay using their Apple devices; as well as the App Store and iCloud.
Pricing and Availability
Apple TV+ will be available on the Apple TV app for $4.99 (US) per month with a seven-day free trial starting November 1 on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K, Apple TV HD, Apple TV (3rd generation), iPod touch and Mac. To subscribe to Apple TV+, customers must update to iOS 12.3 or later, tvOS 12.3 or later and macOS Catalina. The subscription will automatically renew at $4.99 per month at the end of the seven-day free trial.
Apple TV+ will also be available on the Apple TV app on select 2018, 2019 and newer Samsung smart TVs, and on Amazon Fire TV, LG, Roku, Sony and VIZIO platforms in the future.
Customers can also subscribe to and watch Apple TV+ at tv.apple.com in Safari, Chrome and Firefox.
Customers with AirPlay 2-enabled Samsung, LG and VIZIO smart TVs must update to iOS 12.3 or later or macOS Catalina to play or mirror Apple TV+ originals from the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac directly to their smart TVs. Customers with eligible Sony smart TVs will be able to enjoy AirPlay 2 support later this year.
Customers who purchase any new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch starting September 10 can enjoy one year of Apple TV+ for free. Beginning November 1, customers can initiate the one-year free offer in the Apple TV app on the device running the latest software. Customers have three months after device activation to claim the offer, or if the device was purchased and activated before the launch of Apple TV+, they will have three months starting November 1. The subscription will automatically renew at $4.99 per month after one year. Customers can cancel at any time in Settings at least one day before each renewal date. Customers who cancel during the offer period will forfeit the remainder of their offer. This limited time offer applies to both new and refurbished models, including devices from the iPhone Upgrade Program, is not restricted to any specific sales channel (e.g., Apple Store, resellers) and will be available in all countries where Apple TV+ will launch. Up to six family members can share one Apple TV+ subscription and watch using their own Apple ID and password. Only one one-year offer is available per family, regardless of the number of devices purchased.
In this, the Final Article in a Series Featuring all the Winners, See Photos of the Top Three Awards for the Categories: Other and Series
Pushing creativity to the limits of the imagination – or just taking what feels interesting and puting together later into a series. In volume 10, the final installment of our coverage, the categories that go above and beyond, so to speak, are shown.
Established in 2007, IPPAWARDS have featured the worlds best iPhone photographers and photos since the iPhone’s inception. The deadline to enter the next years program is March 2020, so, use these great images as inspiration to take your best shot. Who knows, it might be you taking the Grand Prize in 2020!
First Place Winner, Other : Neri Rivas
First place Other photo shot in Busan, South Korea, on an iPhone X by Sari Sutton – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Sari Sutton – IPPAWARDS
”Sari likes to explore the intersection between the natural and human-constructed, industrial elements of the landscape through her photography. She has a keen interest in abstract composition and the conceptual. Her photographic practice includes art, landscape, street, social and environmental documentary. She is a member of the ‘Unexposed Collective’ of Australian women/ non-binary street photographers and her work has been shown in a number of group exhibitions.”
”I loved the playful surrealist symbolism of this modest painted building, visually merging architecture and nature, physical object and void, in an unpretentious yet conceptually very clever way.”
Second Place, Other : Kirill Voynovskiy
Second place Other photo shot in Maryland, USA, on an iPhone 7 by Dyllon Wolf – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Dyllon Wolf – IPPAWARDS
”I am a 19 year old college student from Maryland studying Biology and Psychology at the University of Utah. Photography has always been a major interest of mine and I have been taking photos with my iPhone ever since I got my first one in 2013. I love using knowledge from my college classes to find and compose unique photos of ordinary things that I wouldn’t have found interesting before.”
”We received a large package with an absurd amount of this brown packing paper and my younger brother and I decided to get creative with it.”
Third Place, Other : Caren Drysdale
Third place Other photo shot in Rancho Cucamonga, California, on an iPhone 6 Plus by Caren Drysdale – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Caren Drysdale – IPPAWARDS
”My interest in Mobile Photography began several years ago when I purchased an iPhone 5. It is reassuring to know that I always have a camera with me, and I enjoy being able to quickly capture moments with my phone. I also find it amazing how much you can accomplish making art with your photos using all of the various apps packed into a mobile device.”
”I shot this photo in a local restaurant, I was captivated by the beautiful woman seated at the table across from us. She was preparing to leave, and her table was cluttered with dirty dishes, but I focused on the bright, shimmering fabric and the shiny gold sandals she was wearing.”
Third Place, Series : Larisa Baricheva
Third place Series photos shot in Lobitos Beach, Peru, on an iPhone 7 by Larisa Baricheva – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Larisa Baricheva – IPPAWARDS
”I’m a Russian-Jewish woman and I was born 74 years ago in Moscow, Russia, but for the last 52 years I have lived in Peru. I love nature, its shapes and colors, its textures and combinations. I search tirelessly for beauty. I’m passionate about photography with my iPhone camera and I travel a lot through Peru, discovering a new world every time.”
”I live in Milan and during the weekend I often go back to the lake to spend time with my parents. One of my favorite things to do is to take the ferry boat across the lake with no definite destination. I spend hours going back and forth with the sole purpose of observing passengers. Series look capivated by the beauty of the landscape. In one of these solitary journeys of mine I focused on this man, as he reminded me of my father’s fragility.”
Second Place, Series : Dimpy Bhalotia
Second place Series photos shot in Bombay and Tamil Nadu on an iPhone X by Dimpy Bhalotia – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Dimpy Bhalotia – IPPAWARDS
”Street photography may just be one way of seeing and capturing the world for many for us, but for Dimpy Bhalotia, it’s both the toughest and purest form of creative photography. It requires patience, a keen sense of observation, and perfect timing to capture the “decisive moment”. The stories captured are not works of fiction. This, she says, makes it the “most truthful art in the world.”
First Place, Series : Carol Allen Storey
First place Series photos shot in Kaese, Uganda on an iPhone 8 by Carol Allen Storey – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Carol Allen Storey – IPPAWARDS
”A native New Yorker, Storey resides in London. Carol Allen-Storey is an award-winning photojournalist specialising in chronicling complex humanitarian and social issues. Her imagery illuminating people’s dignity and quest for survival reflects the unique trust and respect she engenders with her subjects.”
”These intimate portraits focus on how adolescents cope with being HIV positive. Amidst these chilling narratives, extraordinary stories of hope and glimpses of heroism in their quest to pursue their dreams emerged.
The Latest Central Subject In The Celebrity, Activist, Bio-Pic Documentary Trend…
When it comes to cinema, documentary is not a distinct genre per-se. It is a mode in and of itself, a unique filmic language with its own rolodex of forms, tropes, and trends. Thus, it is hard to look at documentary as a whole and pick out the medium’s exact kinds of iconographic shifts. Most documentaries attempt to be didactic, and teach the audience something concrete through their narratives. Usually that something is culturally relevant.
A handful of recent documentaries have been looking to the past in order to say something about the present. “Apollo 11”, “Leaving Neverland”, and “Woodstock: Three Days That Changed A Generation” are just a few examples of docs that came out in the past year that have dug deep into the stories of previous generations.
On top of that, audiences have shown a fascination in celebrity stories with documentaries such as Won’t You Be My Neighbor about Fred Rogers and Amazing Grace about Aretha Franklin garnering success in 2018.
Lastly, documentaries about identity and social justice, particularly in light of the current political climate, have been ubiquitous. Netflix’s Knock Down The House and Magnolia Picture’s RBG have both been examples of films about strong females rising above all odds to inspire, empower, and evoke change.
With all of these popular trends at hand, it was only a matter of time before a documentary came out that combined them all. Perhaps the right subject or story just needed to come along.
Encapsulating her Unique and Meaningful Life and Career
Linda Ronstadt was a celebrity and musical sensation across the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. In addition to being a brilliant singer-songwriter, Ronstadt was an activist, using her music and influence during the Civil Rights era to stand up for the rights of many marginalized groups. In particular, she advocated for gay, feminist, Latinx, and immigrant rights and spoke out against oppressive policies in the second half of the twentieth century.
Additionally, Ronstadt was also an actress and record producer, influencing the entertainment industry in a highly patriarchal period of its history. Now, Linda Ronstadt adds to her impressive resume being the central subject of the new documentary, “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice”.
Photo / Greenwich Entertainment
Greenwich Entertainment and CNN Films are set to release “The Sound of My Voice” in select theaters beginning September 6th. Rob Epstein and Jeffery Friedman directed the film, the same duo that created “Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt” back in 1989. “Stories from the Quilt” chronicled the lives of people affected by the AIDS virus in the days before the 1987 gay-rights march on Washington. Clearly, the directors are not new to telling controversial stories and championing important subjects.
“The Sound of My Voice” promises to be just as enthralling and inspiring as Epstein and Friefman’s previous collaboration, but with a large dose of upbeat, Linda Ronstadt energy. The film will focus on Ronstadt’s bravery and initiative, how she stood up to adversary, overcame roadblocks, and helped other women achieve success and recognition in music.
These stories are told primarily through interviews with other musicians who knew and worked with Ronstadt during her prime. Footage of Ronstadt herself, in concert and making both personal and public appearances across her decades in the spotlight.
At the same time, it seems like the film will also be a celebration of Ronstadt’s amazing career. While Linda Ronstadt involved herself in many very heavy topics over the years, she remains a great artist at her core. The belief that she is a superb singer is unanimously held, and all politics aside, everyone can enjoy her music. At times the songs were sad, at times they were introspective, but at other times they were uplifting, soulful, and happy.
If the film does not lose sight of this, it will leave viewers appreciating Ronstadt in her entirety, as a musician, and as a singer; as a songwriter, as an actress, as a producer and as an activist; as sensation, and as an icon; as a woman.
In this, the Ninth Article in a Series Featuring all the Winners, See Photos of the Top Three Awards for the Categories: People and Sunset
People and Sunsets. Two of the most loved categories for snatching photos while traveling or just in the neighborhood. Once again some incredible moments caught with humor and humanity and an eye for the aesthetic.
The top photos in these two categories are clearly extreme examples of being in the right place at the right time. But don’t overlook the “honorable mentions” either. The two mosaic galleries below show how high the competitive artistry was and how difficult it must have been to choose.
Established in 2007, IPPAWARDS have featured the worlds best iPhone photographers and photos since the iPhone’s inception. The deadline to enter the next years program is March 2020, so, use these great images as inspiration to take your best shot. Who knows, it might be you taking the Grand Prize in 2020!
First Place Winner, People : Wei Xiong
First place People photo shot in China on an iPhone X by Wei Xiong – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Wei Xiong – IPPAWARDS
”A mobile phone photographer from Huangpi district, Wuhan, China. Although Huangpi is a small town, it is the sky city of him. He lives, works and takes photos with his mobile phone here, to keep memory, time, ordinary life and simple happiness forever.”
Second Place, Children : Christine L. Mace
Second place People photo shot in Cuba on an iPhone SE by Christine L. Mace – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Christine L. Mace – IPPAWARDS
”Christine L. Mace is a New York City based artist, who has worked in fashion, film and graphic design. She received an undergraduate degree in Fashion Marketing and a MA in Fashion Studies from Parsons The New School for Design. Mace’s photography has appeared in many publications. Recently, her work was a part of the Furies, Fairies, Visionaries exhibition curated by Alice Gray Stites at Pen + Brush gallery in New York City.”
”Dominoes in Havana was captured at the Solar de Aguilar in Havana, Cuba. The building is a mere memory of what it once was, from the wrought iron curving around the grand stair case at the entrance of the building to the non-functioning fountain in the courtyard. Six families occupy the Solar de Aguilar and every afternoon the residents gather in front of the grand staircase to play dominoes. On this particular afternoon, I captured these four neighbors engaged in a friendly game.”
Mosaic Gallery, Honorable Mentions: People
[gdgallery_gallery id_gallery=”24″]
Third Place, People : Valeria Cammareri
Third place People photo shot in Lake Maggiore, Italy, on an iPhone X by Valeria Cammareri – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Valeria Cammareri – IPPAWARDS
”I am Italian, born in Sicily , South of the Country, and raised in the North, in a little town on the Lake Maggiore where my parents still live. I currently live in Milan where I work as a pediatrician. I didn’t cultivate any particular interest for photography until 2012, when I bought my first iPhone . Since then I have been using it to write the visual diary of my daily emotions.”
”I live in Milan and during the weekend I often go back to the lake to spend time with my parents. One of my favorite things to do is to take the ferry boat across the lake with no definite destination. I spend hours going back and forth with the sole purpose of observing passengers. People look capivated by the beauty of the landscape. In one of these solitary journeys of mine I focused on this man, as he reminded me of my father’s fragility.”
First Place, Sunset : Sreekumar Krishnan
First place Sunset photo shot in Bangalore, India, on an iPhone 6S by Sreekumar Krishnan – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Sreekumar Krishnan – IPPAWARDS
”Sreekumar Krishnan is an award winning professional photographer and teacher of photography based in Bangalore, India. His work Indian Sunshine was digitally displayed at the Louvre in France and National Geographic featured his photograph, “the mystical birds of Bharatpur” as Shot of the day. His works have also been displayed at various art galleries in Bangalore. When he is not shooting, he teaches meditation.”
”The evening sky marred by some solitary clouds provided a perfect backdrop to this shot. This is the statue of Lord Ram, Hindu God, shot in the outskirts of Bangalore just before sunset.”
Second Place, Sunset : Shirley Xu
Second place Sunset photo shot in the Baltic Sea on an iPhone 6 by Shirley Xu – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Shirley Xu – IPPAWARDS
”I am a professional photographer and photography teacher. Last year was my gap year, I left my job as an editor for a website and went to Finland, Norway, Sweden, Greece, Italy, Spain, The Czech Republic, Egypt and India. During this trip, I saw many beautiful views and took lots of photos, I also very lucky to see the northern lights many times.”
”While floating on the ice breaker I saw this marvelous sunset on the Baltic Sea.”
Mosaic Gallery, Honorable Mentions: Sunset
[gdgallery_gallery id_gallery=”25″]
Third Place, Sunset : Chuangcheng Jin
Third place Sunset photo shot in Shantou, Guangdong, on an iPhone 6 by Chuangcheng Jin – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Chuangcheng Jin – IPPAWARDS
”I’ve been passionate about mobile photography since 2014. My interest in photography brings me a lot of inspiration. I like to record the enthusiastic and moving parts of life by taking photos so that they can tell the stories of life.”
”This was taken by the river in my hometown of Shantou, China. The sunset passed through the leaves and reflected on the river, like a painting.”
In this, the Eighth Article in a Series Featuring all the Winners, See Photos of the Top Three Awards for the Categories: Still Life and Travel
Creativity comes in all forms at all times. Having a camera in your pocket and being able to follow the flow of your mood can bring unexpected results. Sometimes even brilliant unexpected results. In the Still life and Travel categories there are some results that are truly fortuitous, even surprising.
Don’t overlook the “honorable mentions” either. The two mosaic galleries below show how high the competitive artistry was and how difficult it must have been to choose.
Established in 2007, IPPAWARDS have featured the worlds best iPhone photographers and photos since the iPhone’s inception. The deadline to enter the next years program is March 2020, so, use these great images as inspiration to take your best shot. Who knows, it might be you taking the Grand Prize in 2020!
First Place Winner, Still Life : Clarita Phiri Beierdoerffer
First place Still Life photo shot in Germany on an iPhone SE by Clarita Phiri Beierdoerffer – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Clarita Phiri Beierdoerffer – IPPAWARDS
”Clarita – Maria Phiri – Beierdoerffer, is a Zambia born photographer whose style centers on identity, bravery and emotional exploration. In her photography, Clarita works to reveal her identity and being seen simply as one is, or is not. Her abstract work often includes solitary figures and objects, magnifying her journey of exploration and soul searching.”
”This photo is one of a series where I wanted to document moments where I felt particular emotions and I took a picture whether I felt like it or not.”
Second Place, Still Life : Daniel Kafalas
Second place Still Life photo shot in Manhattan, New York, on an iPhone X by Daniel Kafalas – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Daniel Kafalas – IPPAWARDS
”Coming from an advertising background, I am inspired by the creative New York City life that moves around me. Aways trying to capture the scene that is unseen.”
Mosaic Gallery, Honorable Mentions: Still Life
[gdgallery_gallery id_gallery=”22″]
Third Place, Still Life : Elena Bolshakova
Third place Still Life photo shot in Russia on an iPhone SE by Elena Bolshakova – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Elena Bolshakova – IPPAWARDS
”For me photography is the magic of the process, thus it requires full emotional dive into the object, be it landscape or fork on the table. I’m inspired by extraordinary things that extend the frontier of the consciousness and create enormous amount of different meanings. It is very exciting to look around for such things in our daily routine, to hunt them, to expose them to light, and through photography to put your own emotions into them.”
”This is part of the “Theater of Dissapearance” exhibition by Adrián Villar Rojas in NYC MoMA. The surreal nature of the exhibit was very inspiring. I spent a long time walking around the exhibit carefully observing details of each sculpture, trying to imagine what it would be like living in their characters. The sun was projecting hard shadows on the sculpture of banquet tables making various items that were placed on tables to appear simple and complete. I wanted to keep this moment in my memory for a long time.”
First Place, Travel : Liu Bo
First place Travel photo shot in Da Nang, Vietnam, on an iPhone 8 Plus by Liu Bo – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Liu Bo – IPPAWARDS
”I started my career as a freelance photographer after my half year of travel with my iPhone. I like to observe this world and when I have something to say deep in my heart photography is the only way. It’s easy to catch those moments in my life with a small mobile in hand. I hope that my pictures let people feel what I feel when I press the shutter.”
”It was a cloudy day. I noticed a man with a small boat floating up and down in the sea when I was walking on the beach. Something occurred to me in that moment, I thought, I want to get closer so I walked in until salty seawater flooded my chest. The man, the boat, and me. I felt a connection in that moment, people are so small between heaven and earth.”
Second Place, Travel : James Cowlin
Second place Travel photo shot in the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes on an iPhone XS Max by James Cowlin – IPPAWARDS
Photo of James Cowlin – IPPAWARDS
”James Cowlin is a professional photographer specializing in landscape, nature and travel photography. He has traveled extensively in the western United States capturing images of the natural world ranging from broad panoramics to intimate close-ups. His current project is documenting US Route 89 from Canada to Mexico featuring seven of America’s most beautiful National Parks. He has been using an iPhone for several years as a vital tool in his photography practice.”
”The photograph was taken at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes near Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley National Park. A bus load of tourist had just arrived and people were walking out into the dunes. The bright light of midday accented the dunes and the colorful clothes of the tourists.”
Third place Travel photo shot in Lake Cartagena, Colombia, on an iPhone 7 Plus by Alfonso Ordosgoitia – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Alfonso Ordosgoitia – IPPAWARDS
”Alfonso Ordosgoitia is a New York-based / Colombian born artist and the founder of Goitia Studio, a multi-media art laboratory. Exploring different creative platforms – Photography, Music, and Video being its main focus – Ordosgoitia has developed a strong artistic identity that has led him to his most extensive and autobiographical project: Embodiment – an immersive body of work about time, space and energy.”
”In this photo that I took in Cartagena – Colombia, I was exploring the contrast between the colonial architecture of the city, next to a “Palanquera” : a Colombian touristic symbol that represents the group of runaway African slaves, now known for selling fruits on the streets with colorful dresses – A “costume” that disguises the episodes of slavery caused by the Spanish colonization.”
In this, the Seventh Article in a Series Featuring all the Winners, See Photos of the Top Three Awards for the Categories: Trees and Lifestyle –
With photo submissions from over 140 countries around the world it is no surprise that some amazing shots were captured in incredible locations. – Bayan Ulgi, Mongolia, for example – The authenticity of the subject matter is on clear display and there is something about the light…
Naturally, unbelievable photos can happen anywhere, anytime, which is the beauty of having a camera that is always with you. Don’t overlook the “honorable mentions” either. The two mosaic galleries below show how high the competitive artistry was and how difficult it must have been to choose.
Established in 2007, IPPAWARDS have featured the worlds best iPhone photographers and photos since the iPhone’s inception. The deadline to enter the next years program is March 2020, so, use these great images as inspiration to take your best shot. Who knows, it might be you taking the Grand Prize in 2020!
First Place Winner, Trees : Christian Helwig
First place Trees photo shot in Rügen, Baltic Sea, on an iPhone 6S by Christian Helwig – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Christian Helwig – IPPAWARDS
”My name is Christian Helwig, I am 51 years old, I was born in Hamburg, Germany. Living in Berlin, Germany, married, father of two. I am working as a technical consultant in the banking sector. I’ve been taking pictures since I was 16 years old, having used only SLR until my first iPhone, the 4s. I always liked the easiness, the handling, the always-with-me in the iPhone.”
”This was taken on the island of Rügen, which is a german island in the Baltic Sea. The spot where I took the picture is on the northernmost coast of the island, close to the little village Schwarbe. There was a strong wind from the sea behind me with some snow, and the wind and the flakes produced this kind of “shadow” on the “lee” of the trees. Everything was very black and white, except the smaller bushlike trees in the back that were a little brown.”
Second Place, Trees : Neil Bennett
Second place Trees photo shot in Puglia, Italy, on an iPhone X by Neil Bennett – IPPAWARDS
”Neil Bennett is a professional photographer and picture editor living in Sydney, Australia. He is from the UK originally and has worked in newspapers for 30 years on assignments or managing photographers – his career has taken him all over the world to New York, Ethiopia, Washington, Australia and Europe.”
”An early morning walk as the late summer fog weaves it way through old olive trees in Puglia, Italy. As the sun rose I went for a walk through the olive grove, hunting for an early morning coffee in the photographer’s golden hour.”
Mosaic Gallery, Honorable Mentions: Trees
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Third Place, Trees : Zhang Xiaojun
Third place Trees photo shot in Songyang, China, on an iPhone 7 Plus by Zhang Xiaojun – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Zhang Xiaojun – IPPAWARDS
”I am a travel planner and mobile phone photographer in Shanghai. I like to photograph the relationship between people and nature, and architecture and people during my travels. I think the best camera is your eyes.”
”It was a forest around an old village. In the morning magical plants crept out of the earth, the sky got brighter and brighter, the green leaves were a little transparent and a new ray of sunlight was pouring into all the gaps.”
First Place, Lifestyle : Biao Peng
First place Lifestyle photo shot in Wuban, Hubei, China, on an iPhone 6S by Biao Peng – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Biao Peng – IPPAWARDS
”Biao Peng is a graphic designer from Hubei Province, China, graduated from Hubei Institute of Fine Arts, like write poems and photography.”
”A man fishing by the lake, it feels like it came out of the movie called “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and I wrote a poem at the time：半山融水雾，深树隐渔翁。君钓江中鲤，吾观落日红。”
Second Place, Lifestyle : Lenny Yueng
Second place Lifestyle photo shot in Hongkou, Shanghai, on an iPhone 7 by Lenny Yueng
Mosaic Gallery, Honorable Mentions: Lifestyle
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Third Place, Lifestyle : Hleb Drazdou
Third place Lifestyle photo shot in Lake Bobruysk, Belarus, on an iPhone X by Hleb Drazdou – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Hleb Drazdou – IPPAWARDS
”I’m a instablogger from Minsk, Belarus and amateur photographer. I love to show our post-soviet reality at it’s best. In my blog, I tell about my life here in text and photos.”
”This is the former room of my grandfather in my grandparents’ house in Bobruysk, Belarus. Now he is dead and my grandmother has decorated it in his memory in a typical old soviet rural style which used to be chic and gorgeous when she was a child in the poor countryside after WWII. Nowadays we don’t have such interiors in our houses, and it is a kind of museum of those times: all those covered pillows, the abundance of carpets (on the walls as well), austere, neat and tidy.”
Standard “Fallen” Thriller Plot but with Artful Execution and Quality Cameos…
The third installment in what has become the “Fallen” franchise, is not going to surprise anyone with the plot. Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) saves the president (Morgan Freeman) from a drone attack assassination attempt, and is then himself framed as the would-be assassin.
Of course, he is innocent (he’s Mike Banning, after all) and must find the true killer(s) to exonerate himself.
However, before you give up on this film, at least watch the trailer(s). Why? Because the attention to detail is pretty spectacular, the acting is at least a slight cut-above and the cameos by Freeman and Nick Nolte and Jada Pickett Smith lend the film the air of a suspense thriller from a time when that was taken more seriously than the usual computer-driven super-hero-esque style of recent times.
Gerard Butler, once more, has his patented unique sort-of macho good-guy charisma that renders Banning a believable hero that you find yourself rooting for, even if you don’t have a clue why.
Without giving too much away (it’s all in the trailers anyway) Nolte is perfectly, and somewhat humorously, cast as Banning’s hermit survivalist wild-man Dad. This makes for comic relief without resorting to goofy gags or nonsense that worked so well in “Hobbs & Shaw”.
LionsGate has released two full trailers and a bonus clip, likely reasoning that seeing more of what the film has to offer in the way of on-screen execution is more likely to drive ticket sales than a synopsis that reads like a dozen (or more) similar films, including the first two from the “Fallen” franchise itself.
Projected to take the top spot at the box office this weekend, if you are in the mood for a well made, craftsmanlike update to a tried and true plot, you’ll probably start thinking of popcorn once you have seen all three trailers.
In this, the Sixth Article in a Series Featuring all the Winners, See Photos of the Top Three Awards for the Categories: News / Events and Floral
Once again, these photos show the dynamic advantages of a small, light, powerful camera in your pocket. Particularly for News / Events where “right time / right place” is essential, but even floral involves a process where unique and natural occurrences must be seen, and captured, at a precise time and place. And you don’t have to wait for the “iPhone 14xs” to produce high quality images, in fact, some of the winners used an iPhone 6s, such as Lianyu Lu, or 7, like Silveira, not necessarily iPhone 8 or XS Max.
In all the winning photos, in every category, it is the emotion and the beauty that has the power to transport the viewer into another world. Don’t overlook the “honorable mentions” either. The two mosaic galleries below show how high the competitive artistry was and how difficult it must have been to choose.
Established in 2007, IPPAWARDS have featured the worlds best iPhone photographers and photos since the iPhone’s inception. The deadline to enter the next years program is March 2020, so, use these great images as inspiration to take your best shot. Who knows, it might be you taking the Grand Prize in 2020!
First Place Winner, News/Events : Lianyu Lu
First place News/Events photo shot in Meizhou, China, on an iPhone 6S by Lianyu Lu – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Lianyu Lu – IPPAWARDS
”Lianyu Lu is a mobile phone photographer, videographer and colorist who prefers to use a mobile phone to record interesting moments in daily life.”
”This photo was taken at the Lantern Festival in Buzhai Town. It is the tradition of this small southern town to hold a dragon dance performance for Lantern Festival that dates back to the Qing Dynasty. It is a spectacular scene with the fire dragon being lifted by more than 30 adults while it dances and fireworks are set off from its body. Thousands of people came to watch the event and to pray for their family to be safe and healthy for the New Year.”
Second place News/Events photo shot in Aleppo, Syria, on an iPhone X by Yanan Li – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Yanan Li – IPPAWARDS
”This photo was taken in an abandoned house in Aleppo, Syria. In the Syrian civil war, almost the entire city of Aleppo became a ruin of war and there was hardly a building left intact. In January 2018, I walked into many rooms in the ruins. I found that lives were abruptly stopped by the war, and many rooms still retained the pre-war look.”
Mosaic Gallery, Honorable Mentions: News/Events
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Third Place, News/Events : Gabriel Ribeiro
Third place News/Events photo shot in Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, on an iPhone 8 by Gabriel Ribeiro – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Gabriel Ribeiro – IPPAWARDS
”Gabriel Ribeiro is a photographer and videomaker in Campo Grande, MS. His main interest in photography is to record ephemeral moments that, by virtue of chance, happen daily.”
I photographed this wedding with my father in Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul. During the religious ceremony, each person kneels to hold a prayer with all present for the purpose of blessing the wedding.
First Place, Floral : Dan Liu
First place Floral photo shot in Joshua Tree National Park, California, on an iPhone XS Max by Dan Liu – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Dan Liu – IPPAWARDS
”Dan Liu, a professional photographer living in China. I have been traveling around the world to more than 40 countries to conduct humanities and landscape photography projects, in which I focus on exploring and recording the independent features of different social and natural groups, as well as the relationship between them.”
”In Joshua Tree National Park in the United States, there is a valley called the Cholla Cactus Garden which is covered by a large number of Teddy-Bear Chollas. This species of Cholla grows freely under the scorching sun, unafraid of the heat and dryness.”
Second Place, Floral : Ted Silveira
Second place Floral photo shot in Santa Cruz, California, on an iPhone 7 by Ted Silveira – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Ted Silveira – IPPAWARDS
”Ted Silveira started in film photography (rangefinder), moved to digital photography (mirrorless), and is now an enthusiastically unprofessional mobile photographer. Less gear, more photos, more fun.”
”I’ve taken quite a few photos of this agave plant, which is tucked away in the corner of a courtyard in downtown Santa Cruz, and every time I walk by it, I take another. The close-up view, especially in black & white, seems to draw out a part of the agave’s beauty that’s easy to miss in real life when it’s surrounded by flowers and sidewalks and benches.”
Mosaic Gallery, Honorable Mentions: Floral
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Third Place, Floral : Guoxi Chen
Third place Floral photo shot in Shenzhen, China, on an iPhone X by Chuangcheng Jin – IPPAWARDS
Photo of Chuangcheng Jin – IPPAWARDS
”I’ve been passionate about mobile photography since 2014. My interest in photography brings me a lot of inspiration. I like to record the enthusiastic and moving parts of life by taking photos so that they can tell the stories of life.”
”During a trip to Shenzhen, China I was captivated by these volcanic rock steps hidden in a secluded corner, embraced by strikingly red flowers on both sides.”
