huey--my brotha--no disrespect, but martin lawrence (?), deliver us from eva(?)---umm, very valid topic, but more suited for it's own thread.

let's try to keep this one about foriegn or independent films.

thanks!!

this week i have:

Irreversible
Eat Drink Man Woman
and Read My Lips...

I'll report back once I've watched them.

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In the King of Prussia

The judge is played by Martin Sheen. The defendants play themselves. One of the defendents, Phil Berrigan, was a dear friend of mine (not to mention former cellmate) who sadly passed away reciently.

The Plowshares 8 Action was the first in a series of roughly 70 similar actions from 1980-2003. Prison sentences have varied for each plowshares-disarmament action. The sentences have ranged from suspended sentences to 18 years. The average sentence for plowshares activists has been between one and two years.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000JGDB/ref=cm_rev_all_1/104-7543358-9223955?v=glance&s=video&vi=customer-reviews



PLOWSHARES EIGHT:

September 9, 1980 Daniel Berrigan, Jesuit priest, author and poet from New York City; Philip Berrigan, father and co-founder of Jonah House in Baltimore, MD; Dean Hammer, member of the Covenant Peace Community in New Haven, CT; Elmer Maas, musician and former college teacher from New York City; Carl Kabat, Oblate priest and missionary; Anne Montgomery, Religious of the Sacred Heart sister and teacher from New York City; Molly Rush, mother and founder of the Thomas Merton Center in Pittsburgh and John Schuchardt, ex-marine, lawyer, father and member of Jonah House, entered the General Electric Nuclear Missile Re-entry Division in King of Prussia, PA where nose cones for the Mark 12A warheads were made.

They hammered on two nose cones, poured blood on documents and offered prayers for peace. They were arrested and initially charged with over ten different felony and misdemeanor counts. In February 1981, they underwent a jury trial in Norristown, Pennsylvania. During their trial they were denied a "justification defense" and could not present expert testimony. Due to the Court's suppression of individual testimony about the Mark 12A and U.S. nuclear war-fighting policies, four left the trial and returned to witness at G.E. They were re-arrested and returned to court. They were convicted by a jury of burglary, conspiracy and criminal mischief and sentenced to prison terms of five to ten years. They appealed and the Pennsylvania Superior Court reversed their s. conviction in February 1984. The State of Pennsylvania then appealed that decision. Following a ruling in the fall of 1985 by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in favor of the State on certain issues (including the exclusion of the justification defense), the case was returned to the Superior Court Appeals Panel. In December of 1987, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania refused their appeal, but ordered a re-sentencing. This ruling, however, was appealed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. In February 1989 the Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied a hearing of any further issues in the case, and on October 2, 1989 the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would not hear the Plowshares Eight Appeal.

On April 10, 1990 the Plowshares Eight were resentenced by the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas in Norristown and, with neither the prosecutor nor G.E. making any recommendations or asking reparations, paroled for up to 23 and 1/2 months in consideration of time already served in prison. Judge James Buckingham listened attentively to statements by defendants, attorney Ramsey Clark, Dr. Robert J. Lifton, and Professors Richard Falk and Howard Zinn, placing the "crime" in the context of the common plight of humanity, international law, America’s long tradition of dissent, and the primacy of individual conscience over entrenched political system.

For a chronology of plowshares actions: http://www.plowsharesactions.org/Chronology.html

"La vida te da sorpresas...
Sorpresas te da la vida...",
¡Ay, Dios!

Rubén Blades---Pedro Navaja

Plowshares Actions
The Nuclear Resister
School of the Americas Watch

[This message was edited by ricardomath on September 03, 2003 at 01:19 AM.]

quote:

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Originally posted by Nykkii:

Read My Lips...

I'll report back once I've watched them.

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read my lips was a good french film. wasn't over the top in any particular way, but wasn't horrible either. i'd say a good saturday afternoon type movie to watch.



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to keep a history of all of our INDIE recommendations in one place...

I'm adding YSSYS's post about 30 Years to Life:

quote:

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Originally posted by Yssys:
If you all live near a big city, like Dallas, NYC, LA, Miami you must go see this movie. It's called 30 years to Life. It was selected by the Sundance Movie Festival thingie. . If they don't have it in your city, demand it. We need more movies depicting ourselves on screen.
Check it out for yourselves, Timbaland did the soundtrack.
http://www.thirtyyearstolife.com/

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quote:

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Originally posted by Nykkii:
this week i have:

Irreversible
Eat Drink Man Woman
and Read My Lips...

I'll report back once I've watched them.

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Eat Drink Man Woman was suggested by Toumani, and one thing i'll say to anyone who might rent it--DO NOT WATCH THIS ON AN EMPTY STOMACH!



I had previously seen the movie Tortilla Soup (involving a Mexican family)which was based on Eat, Drink, Man Woman so I knew the story. It was interesting to see it with an Asian family at the foundation.

--Three grown women still live with their father who has one simple rule: Don't mess with his tradition and his lovingly prepared Sunday evening feast. What could be simpler?

great movie! if you watch Tortilla Soup or Eat, Drink, Man, Woman just be sure to eat first!!

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I've seen Brotherhood of the Wolf, i'm a cinematography freak, so i loved it.

Here are a couple other ones

Leon (The Professional in the U.S.) Make sure if you get the DVD you get the one called Leon and not the Professional, they actually changed it for U.S. screens.

The japanese (original) version of "The Ring", and also, "The Eye" Both of those movies are very scary.

I'm not really in the whole foreign/independent scene so that's all i've seen.

Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.
-Napoleon Bonaparte

Here's one. Has anyone here have seen "Bandit Queen?"

That movie was hardcore. Talk about the "thug life" in India. It's supposed to be based on the life of Phoolan Devi, aka the 'Bandit Queen' in India.

I'm not going to spoil it by talking about it, so go on and rent it if available.

Whale Rider--


EXCELLENT film!! If you haven't had the opportunity to see it, rent it! its a great family film to watch especially with your daughters, or any young female.

IMDB Plot Summary:

On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates back a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. From then on, Whangara chiefs, always the first-born, always male, have been considered Paikea's direct descendants. Pai, an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand tribe, believes she is destined to be the new chief. But her grandfather Koro is bound by tradition to pick a male leader. Pai loves Koro more than anyone in the world, but she must fight him and a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her destiny.

the value and worth you place on yourself will determine the people you will attract.

yuk! i thought "Brotherhood of the Wolf" sucked. stupid plot. but it did have some good martial art seens.
Talk to Her--very very good, a little bit disturbing. it makes you think.
Rabbit Proof Fence--one of my favorites, everyone should see it.
El Norte---very good, we are watching it in my spanish class right now.
Run Lola Run--its really cinemagraphically?-dont know how to spell-good. its really an interesting story.
Catfish in Black Bean Sauce--REALLY GOOD!!! its a great movie and a great story about an interracial couple.

OK. But the one everyone has to see is Bowling for Columbine. even though it came out nationwide, it was quickly pulled out of theatre and is still considered an independent film. this movie is amazing. so many truths about this country are revealed. thats why they pulled it. I suggest everyone see this movie with someone so discussion can follow.

Bringing back life to this old thread, are there any new independent or foreign films that anyone has seen lately?

I've haven't seen this for a while, but I love the soundtrack--"The Brothers McMullen" by Ed Burns.

It's not a new film. I watched it on DVD a months ago and it was good. The film was Tsotsi.
There is even a very good short on in the extras section.


http://www.tsotsi.com/english/index.php

I saw the highly underrated Quitting on IFC this morning.

It's a true story about an actor who becomes a drug addict and how those around him tried to help him back to normalcy. It's a captivating story made all the more interesting because all of the actors play themselves.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298238/usercomments

Saw "Killer of Sheep" back in March at the IFC Film Center(NY) it was a story of the economic struggles of a Black family in Los Angeles. The film was made in 1978 and was release in early 2007.

"MAYA" an Indian film about a young girl going through the rite of passage to womanhood which tragically involved her being deflowered by three priests of a particular sect.

There's a recent movie that I've worked on called "Wanga Woman." I've done the voiceover for the trailer.