CFDBNYC Out and About

BLKNWS: Terms and Conditions is a film that transcend media in all spaces. The feature debut by Kahlil Joseph uses archival footage, scripted scenes, news reporting and interviews to tell the story of being Black in a world where capitalism, erasure and revisionist theory threatening the culture. The mixed media concept is a ode to old news reels and reporting that used to be in the theatres in the early 20th century. Kahlil Joseph’s approach here was to educate and explain the global black experience from the past to the future. Clips from social media apps and interviews of renown scholars give the audience the definition of being black and the importance of culture pretaining to black folks. There are several themes in the film that is addressed such as the importance of the black dollar. This theme is highlighted due to the upcoming holiday shopping season especially Black Friday. Another theme is the theology of W.E.B Du Bois and the early ideology of black civil rights where separation was vital to the uplifting of black Americans. The idea is sprinkled throughout the film. Another theme is the experience in American cities such as Philadelphia, Detroit and New York City. The exploration of black people who are Americans and keeps fighting just for civil rights is shown in conjunction with Africa’s own struggles to keep it own identity. The images of black revolutionaries shows up from time to time to emphasize that the job is not done. The second half of the film focus on the creation of BLKNWS and the philosophy behind it. Using scripted scenes to dramatized Du Bois later years, Joseph tries to get insight onto why Du Bois is still influential after his death. The historical narrative of Du Bois segway into Ghana’s struggles to maintain independence. The Encyclopedia named Africana that he wanted to work on before his death is shown prominently in the film like a bridge that connects Africans to African Americans. As we watch various news reports on Ghana with visions of Marcus Garvey in the background, you are reminded that one African country struggles is the same as African Americans struggles. The scenes that depict a female reporter trying to write a story is brilliant and the narrative is fantastic. Seeing black women talking about the past and future along with romance is a good combination and point that the film gets across. The music selection is brilliant as we get soul, jazz and afrofuturistic sounds that compliments the film well. The interactions with the characters as they look for any meaning of what’s happening in black culture. The clips of interviews and newsreels are good but can be a little distracting. BLKNWS: Terms and Conditions is a unapologetic black film or should we say capsule that is created to preserve the present for the future to understand what previous generations done and the meaning behind them. Kahlil Joseph did a great job of combining mixed media with a curated script that allows us to watch black culture in its purest form. Everything in the film represents brings a vision that needed. We applaud the effort and hopefully the film gets more coverage because it’s really good.

PeachesGoesBananas
We got to watch the documentary Peaches Goes Bananas which is the second documentary on the trailblazing queer icon, Peaches this year. The first one titled Teaches of Peaches was focused on her tour centered around her landmark album “Teaches Of Peaches”. This documentary directed by legendary award winning documentarian Marie Losier sees Peaches in her most vulnerable state. Each phase that we watch was a glimpse into the reason behind the music. The film starts with a concert where you see flying projectile of genitalia from the crowd and vice versa however Peaches winds down and realizes she’s not a young woman anymore so she tries to rest. This is one of the themes that the film address along with her music: ageism. Age is prominent in the film when Peaches realizes she slowed down on touring and going after shows. Another theme in the film is her relationship with her sister with Multiple Sclerosis. Throughout the film you watch Peaches bounces back and forth between her public persona to her private life with her sister where she helps the aide with everything her sister needs. It’s a emotional piece where you see that musicians even those who always working on their music are always around for their loved ones no matter the distance. Losier was close enough to capture Peaches in her quiet moments and the film shows how despite her travels she still thinks about her journey from teaching to music. The inspiration that move her to her calling is another piece of the film that’s great. It’s because the flashbacks of her earlier years highlights her reasoning into her art. Peaches Goes Bananas is a in depth conversation with two people chronicling one’s journey from young to old and the in between is a graffiti stained bridge between the two. The documentary works best when Peaches is off stage and being a great girlfriend and caring family member which shows who she is behind the costumes. The concert footage is great too but can be a bit overwhelming with everything happening simultaneously. The flashbacks to her childhood and early jobs are great pieces to connect to her present. The home life scenes are also great too. It is also carefully edited to help the audience guide through Peaches life and not be confused or lost. Marie Losier crafted this film to highlight the history of the brand that is Peaches but also why she’s been around for 30 years. Another flashpoint is her practicing Opera where she breaks boundaries playing the lead which would go to men. Her approach is so intricate due to her attention to detail which highlights the ageism theme where she’s never too old to try something different. Overall this is a great art piece that highlight the subject well and doesn’t have you drown in self centered celebration. Peaches is a musician where this documentary reminds us that artists are not just human but always pushing boundaries while being a regular person. Great work by Losier.

The man who saves the world is a documentary about Patrick McCollum, a journeyman who lives in the US and is prophesied by indigenous tribes that he will unite the tribes together and save the Amazon. The documentary starts off when the director Gabe Polsky goes out to find Patrick at his home in California where he’s renovating parts of his property. Gabe starts this journey because a colleague of his recommend Patrick’s story and he should do a documentary on his life. Once Gabe thinks about it and looks into interviewing Patrick is where life that Gabe gets wacky and weird at the same time. Patrick McCollum isn’t just a man with tall tales, he is according to a sacred prophecy by indigenous elders in the Amazon to unite them and save the Amazon. Before anyone can comprehend what was said the journey to understand how this came to be begins and the audience is taken on a tour between South and North America then to India. The documentary is a interesting take on world relations. Gabe challenges everything that Patrick says and bring in different individuals to fact check including indigenous people who are part of the tribes that Patrick is trying to save. Watching it is a experience that one needs a map because of the many lives Patrick have over the last 40 plus years and the film dive into some of them but of course the important ones relate to his encounters with the tribes of the Amazon. Gabe who is also wrote and produced the film created a way to understand how Patrick works very digestible however there are scenes that even following the film can be confusing.

The film seems to be presented in a way to introduce the world to Patrick but also to how tribes of the Amazon operate and communicate among themselves and the outside world. It looks good at first but as the film progress the characters become more absurd and withdrawn from the constant questions which shows the tribes as aloof. Seeing Jane Goddall in one of her final appearances on film seems to break up the weird sequences in the film due to her even kneel tone and assurances to preserving natural habitation and wildlife. While her scenes are great they are scattered and throws off the continuation of what Gabe is trying to do which to debunk everything that Patrick says. There were the film thrives when the two of them disagree on certain topics only to recognize that everything is happening according to what Patrick believes in. The film has its peaks and valleys but throughout the process there seem to be a common good among those in the film which is the Amazon and its survival. Watching the sequences of Patrick’s past was great in telling his back story the film doesn’t go in depth on his family what they think about his journey also there isn’t much mentioned on his income to maintain his lifestyle. Maybe that was the point of the film which is to keep most of Patrick’s life secret as possible but showcase what he seems as destiny in other parts.

The Man Who Saves The World is a great idea especially for a documentary rather than a biopic or narrative film because of the plot being everywhere and not focused on a central idea. However it is quite entertaining and amusing to see Western civilization trying to understand how indigenous tribes operates only to recognize that they will always be outsiders no matter their commitment is. In the end that is the goal of the film to understand what is happening even though it may be weird, absurd and possibly insane. A solid introduction for those learning about indigenous tribes and spiritual skills but for those who want a entertaining information film to get them through what’s going on in the world today.

The Man Who Saves The World is produced, written and directed by Gabe Polsky.  Featuring Patrick McCollum and Jane Goddall. Executive produced by Peter Farrelly, Danny McBride, David Gordon Green, Jody Hill and Brandon James. Distributing by Area23a Films.

October 5th. We got to the opportunity to cover the B. Frank Film Festival which is a independent film festival that caters to those local creators who need a space to showcase their skills in Manhattan. A one day affair where there a couple of film blocks, a couple of panels and a feature film to highlight what’s next in film and television. It starting off from checking out the film shorts block which was titled truth teller. the block consist of the following films talk yo shit, inertia, Joss, matame(murder me) and the hunter’s lament. we did not see the first film talk yo shit but we started with inertia which is about a young man taking his grandfather with dementia on one final ride before he is put to rest. the film directed by Juan Diego silva-zuniga is well put together and the script is brilliant as you see the emotional connect between the living and the near dead where the man have a relationship with his grandfather that he feels no one in the family have and this is where the film gets interesting as well as funny as you see the two go into several scenarios before we get to the climatic ending. The scene in the movie theater is where the film gets its name because the back and forth between the young man and a patron is funny yet sad. The next couple of scenes is okay but they slow down the momentum of the film. However the film picks up towards the end and the acting showcases what happens when one is disconnecting from reality. Next was Joss which is a short film based in China about a young girl who challenges her family traditions by questioning them and meeting a homeless individual who shows her what a woman in rural China really is. Directed and written by Anxin Xie which is also a student film is brilliantly vivid with color and imagery. The dialogue which is subtitled still make the audience read without losing a place in the film. Even though its one of the shortest film of the festival it showcases how even in modern times that women are secondary and not heard in the patriarch ways of certain countries. Continuing the marathon is Matame which means Murder Me in Spanish. Directed and starring Pau Canivell who displays his family and friends into the world of drag Queens and what happens when the impersonation is over and reality sets in. The film have a great soundtrack with uptempo beats and haunting lyrics. The acting is completely organic as the director use unknown actors to give his characters life and they did in the most provocative way imaginable. One of the films that we seen that was hard to dissect because you never know if you was in reality or fantasy. Even if you thought that everything the drag queen did was real the ending covers it nicely with a ode to the introduction of the film. The Hunter’s Lament was the final film of the film block and was best of the block. A film that deliberately cater to the modern epidemic that is mass school shootings. A gun salesman is back to work after being a victim to gun violence. The beginning of the film is completely riveting as the scene shifts between the man and the gun shop owner. From there the film may or may not let the cat out of the bag as the man shows a child how to hunt but when the child is not what he’s told and when he doesn’t then the kid eventually comes around to shoot. The first film block was impressive and suspenseful. We loved the films we caught and hopefully see more of the directors in the future. The panel featuring the Maneaters crew which is a TV pilot based in New York but a dystopic version of it where the patriarchy is mostly men and women are suppressed and doesn’t have a voice in the world. It is a dark comedy wrapped inside a politically charged satire. The clips that were displayed was great. They showed different layers to the show from friendships to misogynistic to comedy and back to the foundation of the show which is the friendships. The panel was more of a conversation of filming a pilot in New York and the process that comes with writing such a politically charged comedy. The women on the panel were all part of the process and discuss their trials and tribulations of shooting to editing to scoring the clips. There were some funny moments throughout the panel and some interesting topic discussions as well. We realize that even though the pilot is not out yet the premise of it have a great foundation.

From there was another short film block this time called Boundary Pushers. The films definitely fit the title well because all five of them pushed the envelope as far as it can go. Revisions started the block and set the tone. The film is about a artist chasing success and every time she’s in a corporate setting a piece of her identity is taken away until she becomes unrecognizable. Directed by Sebastian Macotela and written by Jay Bailey the two students bridged commercialism and artistic pride as close as possible. They recognized how artists can suffer under pressure of monetary gains. Seeing how the boundary of financial success can be pushed forward Revisions show that it is not all great. Almost Ten is a animation short that was not just boundary pushing, it was the best short of the bunch. A three minute where a young fish leaves home to go to school only to be threatened at gunpoint then she turns the tables on the robber. It was very funny and hilarious. Using animation to display how twisted the world can be the director and writer nailed it perfectly. The end credits are a ode to several series like Family Guy, American Dad and the Simpsons. Like we said super hilarious and hope there is a extension of the series. Water weight is a film where a high school athlete struggles to lose weight for a match and the process that comes with losing weight. The actor who played the athlete exactly went through the rigorous program to lose weight. The next film is Thank you for the ride, Aileen which is probably have one of the most disturbing endings you would see in a short film or any film for that matter. The short revolves around Aileen who is a struggling teacher who becomes a rideshare driver during a teacher’s strike whose world is shaken to the core by picking up a fellow teacher whose facade isnt what it is. There are scenes towards the end that will shock you. The acting in this one is pretty good as we witness the characters go from calm to distress to relief. Hopefully this gets turn into a long form version because the story is too good to be short. The last film of the block was A Clown Story where a woman takes a NYC train crosstown to meet up with her date only to encounter a clown who may be dangerous or eccentric. The journey is a nice ode to the NYC Transit system where everyone is a character and in some story whether they know it or not. The train is the real star here as we see different locations where the characters interact each other in so many different ways that it goes from comedy to drama fast. The story may be not be the greatest but the characters fill in the depth what the story lacks.

The closeout film which happened to be the feature of the festival is Beautiful, Pam. A story about a queer sex worker who is in a life crisis and go around right some of their wrongs in life only to feel that maybe that it not enough and there is one way to make everything right. Starring Tom Ciorciari as Pam who goes through this journey as a sex worker trying to find themselves is quite a role. Peter Konsevitch as Beetle who is Pam’s friend and fellow drug user pushes the boundary to no end with his actions and feelings towards Pam, Pam’s family and even himself. Beetle is the main antagonist in the film because of his brutal reality. Pam is the main character and the reason for so many stories to intertwine but in the end it still about Pam. Tom Ciociari and Peter Konsevitch played their characters to perfection and feed off each other emotions in certain scenes. It was a classic duel between two actors using the other for emotional gain. A great script by director J.R. Stokes who started this story almost a decade ago and got the opportunity to fulfill the film and get it out there. It was a good way to close out the festival. For a first time experience it was great to see so many independent filmmakers getting the opportunity to showcase what they have and hopefully in turn get someone to invest in their dreams.

The Queen Of Manhattan which is a biopic of sorts. It follows the story of legendary adult film icon Vanessa Del Rio from the 70s to the early eighties. By using Times Square as the backdrop for the illegal activities that took place in that era, the film gives the viewer a look at how the industry and the people who got into it were controlled. Drugs were rampant. Sex was lawless and unregulated also this was during the height of the AIDS epidemic. No tests. No evaluation just sex on film and everyone got paid. Featuring Esai Morales, Drea de Matteo and Vivian Lamolli as Vanessa Del Rio, the film starts from her days being a streetwalker and almost getting arrested for doing so into going to her boss who uses Vanessa and her friend to be in short films. Director Thomas Mignone who work on Vanessa’s story for several years got the opportunity to distribute and finish the film and to us it was worth it. Everything about Queen Of Manhattan is consistent with the period from the language to the clothing to even the city life. Watching it puts you in a time warp and makes you think how people continue to have reckless sex lives during the AIDS epidemic especially with no screening. We watch Vanessa go through several emotions throughout the movie and each emotion we see Vivian gets better with her performance. Several of the Sopranos cast are scattered throughout the film and each one shows they still the chops to go another round in the iconic series. David Proval who played Richie in the Sopranos is a focal point in Queen where it’s his money financing all the porn that Manhattan produces. From there Drea is his right hand who keeps the girls in check and sees that they paid but as we see in the film she do have a breaking point. Another great performance is Taryn Manning who seems to have the strung out white girl role down to a science. She fits her role well and even gives the movie a soft touch with her carefree ways of living even though she gets beating up during it. Another role played by Shane West is well played due to the time period. A gay man who is effected by the early AIDS epidemic and trying to take down crime that he sees fit. He definitely give the film a sense of urgency because every scene he’s in you think it’s a race against him losing his boyfriend. The script was really heavy on 80s news clippings since you see organized crime running rampant and police never having control of the area so federal law enforcement comes in. It seem cliche at first but you realize it is needed when the directors of porn are being intimidating by their bosses. The Queen of Manhattan is a interesting take on what it looks and feel like in New York City in 1980 and it’s refreshing given the main character backstory. Mignone definitely manage to get Vanessa’s story out here and did a great job in bringing old fans and connoisseurs alike to revisit the wild seventies and eighties while remembering one of porn’s earliest superstars.

Nova Twins – Parasites and Butterflies.
The third album from Nova Twins is in your face punk rock with a mix of feminity in. From the opening track Glory the guitars and drums starts off booming and the twins start wailing, you know that you’re in for a wild ride. Glory sets the tone of the entire album: Wild, Hyper, Knowing one’s identity and of course girl anthems. The next track Piranha shows that no one safe from the twins especially when the chorus kicks in. “Something in the water” showcases the strength of the twins in their chorus selection. The guitars and keyboards clash in this song perfectly. Monsters is up next and since it was the single release to introduce the album it is a great pop record with an adventurous sound and great lyrics. Not too cheesy but enough to tease the fans for more. Soprano and Drip are the next two tracks that describe the first half of the album brilliantly: High energy and hyperactive. Even though Rich Costey produced the entire album you can tell he give them free reign to express their lyrical output and instrumental range. From there N.O.V.A. hits and the energy turns up a notch. Lyrically this is the best song off the whole album. The girls definitely let their imagination run wild and from there their expression gets bolder and stronger. A example of this is Parallel Universe where the girls definitely talks bold and the music behind them backs it up, The most frenetic song on the album is this one and it works so well. Very uptempo and can be easily played in any club (or bar for that matter) Parallel Universe is one of the better songs of the album.
When you towards the end of the album the energy is still turn up but the songs loses some steam lyric wise when Hide and Seek plays as if the album is on auto pilot and gets cruises from there. After that the last three songs are consistent with winding down. The album is a constant rage fest for those who want to do so all day for ones who do so accordingly this is not the album for them. As great as Nova Twins are it seems with Parasites and Butterflies they’re on the cusp on breaking out overseas here in the States but not there yet. This is a great building block to work on for the next album where their sound by that time will be more refined and well rounded. A great effort here but maybe left undesired for some. I would probably say this is definitely one of the better UK imports of this year and continues the tradition of modern day UK punk. The songs to watch for are: Glory, Parallel Universe, N.O.V.A, Monsters and Drip. The rest are avoidable and mostly for one listen only. If you looking for a rating here I’ll say it’s eight out of ten.

We got to check out 40 Acres, the post apocalyptic thriller directed by R.T Thorne and written by Thorne and Lora Campbell. The film stars Danielle Deadwylder in the lead, Michael Greyeyes, Kataem O’Connor as a family who are descendants of African American farmers who settled in Canada after the first Civil War and now face a army of flesh eating people intent on stealing their home. From that tagline alone we got excited about the film and realized we in for something different.

The opening of the film starts the family fighting off a military group who wants their food ration. From there you knew this film was going to be action until the end and it delivered with some drama in between. The narrative of the film is more about survival, it’s about trust and family. You can tell the screenwriting was very detailed in American history and it’s relationship with Canada(not the present day) The dialogue between Hailey (Deadwylder) and Galen(Greyeyes) after the opening standoff is great and Kataem O’Connor as Emanuel aka Manny is the focal point for most of the themes in the film. His mannerisms throughout the film is spectacular because you can see he’s still learning about himself while fighting off cannibals. As the film progress Manny gets enamored with a girl at the lake who towards the middle of the film becomes the reason of trouble laying ahead for Manny’s family. There were great acting along with the brilliant action sequences. For example Raine played by Leenah Robinson have some of the best lines in the film and becomes a funny character in certain spots of the film. The use of the farmland and wooden hills of Ontario is great for this film. The similarities between this film and the other flesh eating films is minimal but needed and the discrepancy is minimal. The fact this film lead is a black woman is a big step where people can see themselves fighting off cannibals is a different emotion because of the lack of leads in horror films is great.

Overall 40 Acres is a great film to see for the adults and for those drive in dates especially in the middle of July. Highly recommended by the staff here. Enjoy the film on VOD or in a limited theatre run.