FILM FRIDAY THE ILLUSIONIST

my film friday is the illusionist starring edward norton and jessica beil. it's a lovely movie, very subtle and clever and well-acted. it's also beautiful to watch. it's a film about illusions and magic and how we see what we choose to see, or want to see. it's also a beautiful love story. i watched this movie in the theater when it came out and really enjoyed it and watched it again on television this weekend. settle in on a cold night and watch this one...it's worth it. oxoxo

FILM FRIDAY WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS

i was really looking forward to seeing we steal secrets: the story of wikileaks. it's my film friday pick for a few reasons: 1. nothwithstanding this movie, alex gibney is a really good filmmaker(taxi to the darkside, client 9, gonzo) 2. wikileaks is an organization that lends itself to scrutiny, controversy and mystery. 3. julian assange 4. any info and backstory on bradley manning is worth at least the 2hrs of your free time.

i'm not going to review the film, though i will say i was confused about the first part of the title---we steal secrets---because it implies wikileaks steals secrets, which i knew even before watching the movie wasn't true. alex gibney gets his title from a phrase spoken by ex-CIA/NSA director michael hayden, who is talking about the united states and it's covert operatives. he says "we steal secrets." meaning the us government steals secrets. it has nothing to do with the story of wikileaks. super misleading.

but if you want to 1. watch a compelling, well-made, though possibly innaccurate movie 2. know more about wikileaks 3. see footage of a young julian assange with a ponytail 4. be even more interested in the government's case against bradley/chelsea manning, then watch this movie.

but if you do watch it, do yourself a favor and read through some of the wikileaks annotated transcripts of the film, which is equally as fascinating, if not more than gibney's movie.

wikileaks also did talking points for the upcoming dreamworks film 'the fifth estate' which you can read here.

FILM FRIDAY THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN

my uncle is visiting us and he's a bluegrass harmonica player. it's been such a treat to wake up in the morning to the wailing of a bluegrass harp! so in honor of my 87-year-old uncle, my film friday pick is a german film called 'the broken circle breakdown.'   the movie is a festival favorite and comes out nov. 1.   the soundtrack is amazing and the film is worth seeing for the music alone.
film clips!

enjoy. xoxo, annette

FILM FRIDAY PERFECTION

okay another plug for our film perfection because it's screening this sunday, the 20th, in santa monica at the laemmle 4 plex @1pm. it's part of the reel recovery film festival, so come say hi and support indie filmmakers.  blessings, annette

FILM FRIDAY LOVE

 

my teachers.

today's film friday comes on wednesday because i've been at a retreat with my buddhist teacher thich nhat hanh. he is a true leader, a true peace activist, a lover of all life; people, animals, plants and this planet. please do yourself a favor and watch this video. it's a gift to the world.

FILM FRIDAY STELLA MCCARTNEY

writing can be a lonely experience and when i'm stuck, i'm always on the lookout for inspiration.
most of the time i find it in unexpected places and circumstances; an overheard conversation, a new song, a photograph, a great movie, but truth be told, i am very inspired by fashion.

today's film friday isn't a traditional movie, it's stella mccartney's 2014 runway show. stella continually pushes the boundaries of what's possible in fashion, both because of who she is(an ethical designer) and because of her incredible innovations with textile development. she is finding new ways to create fabrics and products that do not require animals to be killed for fashion, and her faux leathers and suedes feel amazing and are incredible looking.

enjoy part or all of the show! xoxo blessings, annette

FILM FRIDAY APOLLO 13

houston, we have a problem.

we watched this movie again over the weekend in the waiting room of our car dealership. jeez it's good. we actually waited an extra 1/2 hour in the waiting room to watch the whole thing.

here is another space movie that's coming out, a thriller, with george clooney and sandra bullock. too much grunting in the trailer for me but it looks scary and alfonso cuaron is a fantastic director.

so what is it about space movies that makes them perfect for great storytelling? uncharted territories? hero's journey? unknown antagonists? danger? man vs. nature? life/death stakes? all of the above?
and how do we incorporate these storytelling elements inherent in space exploration films into other genres? xoxoxo

FILM FRIDAY THE MOTH - ALAN RABINOWITZ

storytelling takes many forms and though i'm a fan of the visual medium, the written word and spoken word are equally amazing and powerful.

here's one of the best audio story pieces i've ever heard. it's from the spoken word series, 'the moth' which is a series that originated in nyc and is now performed all over the world.

it's a true story by the late dr. alan rabinowitz, founder & CEO of panthera, a non-profit that protects large wild cats, and it is unforgettable, inspiring and beautiful.

do yourself a favor...settle into a comfy chair, turn off your cell phone and be transported to the magical jungles of the amazon, you'll never forget this experience, i promise!

xoxo, blessings annette

FILM FRIDAY 12 YEARS A SLAVE

i am looking forward to seeing steve mcqueen's newest film '12 years a slave'.

mcqueen's movies('shame' and 'hunger') are brutal and i'm sure mcqueen doesn't hold back depicting the horrors of slavery. but he's also the perfect director to bring depth, beauty and honesty to a subject as complicated as human trafficking. some of the scenes might be a bit much for my tender eyes and heart, i hate to see people hurt and victimized, but slavery is also a reality of our country's history. we stole people from their homes and enslaved them. we brutalized them. we sold them and displaced them. this is a truth of our nation. and as uncomfortable as it is to know and watch this, the truth is always better exposed.

'12 years a slave' comes out this fall. keep your eyes open for it. blessings xoxo, annette

FILM FRIDAY PERFECTION INTERVIEW

today's friday pick is our own film 'perfection. writer/director/actress christina beck cut together this interview she and i did during shooting, where we talked about the making of this lovely film. in this interview christina and i discuss story, and the themes of our movie, which if you resonate with them, please retweet and repost on your fb page, blogs, etc...it's great to have support!

'perfection' is screening in nyc september 28th at the quad cinema. hope you enjoy our behind-the-scenes interview. watch more interviews with the filmmakers here and here. xoxo blessings, annette

FILM FRIDAY UNDEFEATED

another documentary is my film friday pick. undefeated is a study in great characters, tension and and high stakes. this movie won an academy award. a classic story well-told. watch it here. xo, annette

FILM FRIDAY 80'S DOUBLE FEATURE

film friday pick is going waaaaaay back......

my brother-in-law keva rosenfeld, directed his first film in 1984. it's an amazing high school documentary called 'all american high' and it's screening saturday night in santa monica with amy heckerling's classic high school film 'fast times at ridgemont high'.  both directors will be at the screening.

there's nothing more to say about these two films except that to see them together on the big screen will be, in the words of jeff spicoli, "awesome! totally awesome!"

PLASTICS = NO GOOD

so it's 2013 and it's time to wake up to the reality that plastics suck. they really do. they break down into little particles and get mixed up in our soils and our waterways and poison living things. birds think the colorful pieces are are food and they die with stomachs full of plastic. plastics mess up our lakes, parks, forests and oceans....and they are made from petroleum. how bad can a product get?

but there are people and companies doing something about it. and we can too. never use plastic bags, bring your own silverware to fast food places(better yet, don't eat fast food), buy products that don't use plastic, and support companies that make things with recycled plastics. it's time to change. it's time to give up the old habits. it's time to use our god-given talents and abilities to make this world a better, safer, healthier place for all living beings. xox blessings, annette

photos from photographer & environmental hero chris jordan

FILM FRIDAY STRANGER THINGS

when i was in nyc for the ifp lab with our film 'perfection', our fellow ifp lab filmmakers ron and eleanor were working on a most lovely movie called 'stranger things'.

lucky for everyone...it's now available on demand and through itunes and amazon!

it's a beautiful, truthful movie about loss and connection, and eleanor and ron are thoughtful, intelligent filmmakers...so please support independent films and filmmakers by watching their movie. enjoy my film friday pick. xoxo, annette

FILM FRIDAY MUGABE AND THE WHITE AFRICAN

my film friday pick is yet another documentary!  because of what's happening right now in zimbabwe with robert mugabe's re-election, i thought this a fitting pick. 'mugabe and the white african'.

'mugabe and the white african' is a film that received much acclaim and deservedly so. it follows mike campbell and his family, white africans, who have farmed their land for over 50 years. the film exposes the land resettlement and reform program in zimbabwe and how mugabe is taking farm land from white africans to give to black peasants. it's a documentary that raises as many questions as it answers, and i've researched a bit of history and this land resettlement process has a long and complicated past. the british colonized southern rhodesia in late 1800's mainly for exploitation of africa's mineral rights. during this period, white farmers purchased(took) much of the fertile tribal land away from the africans who'd lived and farmed that land for generations. these tribes did not hold title to their land, as most indigenous cultures do not, and they had no access to banking and loans to compete with influx of money coming from england. when mugabe came to power in 1980's he wanted this 'stolen' land re-distributed to the african peasants. it became a battle that ultimately resulted in violence and destruction. this documentary raises the question, who took land from whom? see for yourself, watch the entire film here. or here. let me know what you think. xoxo, am

FILM FRIDAY BLACKFISH

this is from the website for blackfish,  my film friday pick: "blackfish tells the story of tilikum, a performing killer whale that killed several people while in captivity. along the way, director-producer gabriela cowperthwaite compiles shocking footage and emotional interviews to explore the creature’s extraordinary nature, the species’ cruel treatment in captivity, the lives and losses of the trainers and the pressures brought to bear by the multi-billion dollar sea-park industry.

this emotionally wrenching, tautly structured story challenges us to consider our relationship to nature and reveals how little we humans have learned from these highly intelligent and enormously sentient fellow mammals."

please support this movie. another indie film that needs our help & our money and time. thanks so much and please share this on fb and twitter!!! blessings, annette

FILM FRIDAY THE HOUSE I LIVE IN

okay today's film friday(sorry it's sunday) is the incredible documentary entitled 'the house i live in.' it's a stark and honest look at america's war on drugs. it's a movie about social justice as viewed through the criminal justice system, specifically the war on drugs and it's one of the best documentaries i've seen lately. it's also an important film, so please watch it and pass the word on to others. 'the house i live in ' isn't about how bad drugs are, or about the legal incarceration of criminals, it's not even about good vs. evil, it's a story about justice. and money. and injustice and broken systems. here's an interview with the talented director eugene jarecki and another one from a sundance interview with jarecki. let me know what you think about this week's film friday pick. blessings, annette

FILM FRIDAY FORKS OVER KNIVES

forks over knives is this week's friday pick. although most of my film friday picks are traditional docs and features, the information in this film is vitally important given the state of our planet and our bodies. i am currently on a retreat; an amazing juice & water fast retreat in northern california, and most of my days are filled with meditation, watching educational, nutritional videos and learning about cooking and wellness. i'm meeting people who are becoming really healthy and a doctor & yoga teacher in their late 60's still working, creating and living amazing, healthy lives. needless to say, i'm having a blast!

forks over knives is one of the most important health-related films i've seen thus far. i say this because it is science-based. the film explains how most degenerative diseases can be eradicated and/or reversed through diet. i know it's a bold claim, and many people poo-poo it as a solution to serious health problems, but the two doctors in the documentary, dr. t. colin campbell and dr. caldwell esselstyn, provide the hard science behind these claims. the film is based on their works: dr. t. colin cambell's the china study, which is regarded as the most comprehensive nutritional study ever done on diet and disease, and dr. esselstyn's prevent and reverse heart disease. the china study is a must read  for anyone interested in health or interested in healing from illness, and prevent and reverse heart disease is a must read for anyone diagnosed with heart disease! also read dr. t. colin campbell's newest book whole: rethinking the science of nutrition.

forks over knives focuses on the real information via scientific studies on nutrition and disease. the film is also a fascinating look at big agriculture, lobbyists, the USDA, FDA and the food industry. but the best way to sum up this film is from the forks over knives website itself:  "the science is clear. if you want to be healthy, change your diet."  blessings, xoxo annette

FILM FRIDAY MUD

loved this movie! mud. the camerawork is gorgeous, the acting lovely. please go see this indie film. xo, annette

FILM FRIDAY I AM BRADLEY MANNING

this is not a full movie, but it's such and important 'film'. nothing more for me to say. please retweet/post on fb. thank you. xoxoxox blessings, annette