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Kyle writesThe Call of the Wild: Reviews of “Core of the World” and “Sibel”
This month CHIRP volunteer Kyle Sanders attended the 2018 Chicago International Film Festival and reported on what he discovered there...
Man vs. Nature/Nature vs. Nurture--humanity can't seem to shake these concepts. We try to rise above nature, yet find ourselves called back to it time and time again.
And why is that? Authors like Jack London or Stephen Crane would tell you that nature is indifferent to everything, including the human race; but then again, civilization can be just as cold and harsh. Two films presented at this year's Chicago International Film Festival showed us two characters who took a walk on the wild side to find themselves (due to festival restrictions, the following will be capsule reviews only):
KSanders writesThe Truth Hurts: Reviews of “[Censored],” “Father the Flame” & “United Skates”
This month CHIRP volunteer Kyle Sanders is attending the 2018 Chicago Interntional Film Festival and reporting on what he discovers there...
In a world of "fake news," it's refreshing to see a resurgence of documentaries. Be it a study of an influential icon such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg or Fred Rogers, or the shocking yet true string of incidents that lead to Three Identical Strangers, 2018 has seen several releases of high-profile documentaries making huge gains at the box office. At this year's Chicago International Film Festival, over twenty entries were included on the roster, including (due to festival restrictions, the following are "cluster reviews" only):
[Censored]: Australian filmmaker Sari Braithwaite began as a mission of liberating hundreds of censored clips deemed too immoral by the Australian government. Braithwaite personally viewed each scrap of celluloid (ranging from 1951 to 1978), collected on individual reels and completely devoid of story. What she found startled her, and it wasn't long before she realized some shocking truths about herself as a liberal filmmaker watching continuous loops of cut scenes (and as she points out, these clips were mostly directed by men, for men, with scenes representing male fantasies and desire).
KSanders writesTo the Criminal Belongs the Spoils: Reviews of “Ash is the Purest White” & “Birds of Passage”
This month CHIRP volunteer Kyle Sanders is attending the 2018 Chicago Interntional Film Festival and reporting on what he discovers there...
Crime never pays. Oh sure, it can give you a taste of power and riches, but there is always a constant struggle to maintain such control: you're always having to watch your back or sleep with one eye open to fend off anyone trying to knock you off the throne, be it the authorities, a rival crime lord, or even your own friends or family. It seems the higher you rise up, the further you descend into a hell of your own making. Is there a way out? Is there a way to start over? It can depend on the choices you make for yourself. Two films that provide us possible options screened at this year's Chicago International Film Festival provide us two different outcomes (due to festival restrictions, the following are "capsule reviews" of said films):
Ash is the Purest White: A devoted girlfriend lands herself in prison after covering for her Jianghu crime lord boyfriend. Five years later she is released, only to find that her lover has moved on and the gang world she was comfortably living in has very much changed. Determined to survive, she will use her tenacious wit to climb back to the top. Jia Zhangke directs this gripping crime drama that has surprising moments of humor and stunning cinematography showcasing China's metropolitan and rural landscapes.
KSanders writesCHIRP Radio Goes to the 2018 Chicago International Film Festival!
written by Kyle Sanders
Movie critic Roger Ebert put it best when he said "We are put on this planet only once, and to limit ourselves to the familiar is a crime against our minds." It's a quote I've unknowingly followed for years, specifically when it comes to movies. I love movies. And when you've seen as many films as I have, you tend to venture outside your comfort zone and search beyond the familiar to find a flick you've never seen before. Personally speaking, that which is unfamiliar to me are foreign films.
Of course, I've seen many of the classic international motion pictures that every film studies course recommends as essential viewing: The Grand Illusion, Seven Samurai, La Dolce Vita, Black Orpheus, Raise the Red Lantern and so on and so forth. But just like today's new releases of American cinema, who's to say what current foreign films will end up a classic? This is why each year during the month of October, I look forward to the Chicago International Film Festival.
KSanders writesMovie Review: “Urgh! A Music War”
written by Kyle Sanders
Earlier this spring, I got the chance to see Grace Jones: Bloodlight & Bami, a candid look into the artistry and personal life of Grace Jones. While the familial moments show a softer, rarely seen side of the iconoclastic singer, it's the inclusion of her live performances in various cities that really sell the documentary (or should I say, "rockumentary"?) about what drives Jones the most: fusing her striking physicality and unusual vocals into performance art.
It showcases both truth in spectacle and soul, the former being what has often defined Jones throughout her career, the latter rarely ever exposed to the public. In other words, there's a context behind the art--what often drives the performer on the stage is something far more persuasive off of it.
Urgh! A Music War on the other hand, does not appear to have any context. A concert film released in 1982, it features over two dozen musical acts widely ranging from punk to reggae, performing around the globe. The lineup is inconsistently arranged, as each artist/group is given one song to perform, aside from The Police (perhaps the most commercially successful of all the acts), who bookend the film with two songs and an encore performance featuring some of the other featured bands.
As far as rockumentaries go, Urgh! doesn't contribute anything new to the medium. There's nothing historically remarkable as compared to the likes of Woodstock, Gimme Shelter, or Monterey Pop. It doesn't provide enough of a showcase for the actual musicians either, unable to flesh out significant artists such as in Stop Making Sense (Talking Heads) or The Last Waltz (The Band). And as pointed out in Jeff Stafford's Streamline article, even the title is a tad confusing, as the so-called "music war" mentioned would suggest a Battle of the Bands-esque event offering some sort of competitive conquest. And while no particular band or artist comes out solely victorious, Urgh! A Music War does triumph in one particular battlefield: nostalgia.