#cinematographer on roller skates

[johngarfieldtribute]

JULIE & JIMMY

The masterful cinematographer, James “Jimmy” Wong Howe was born in China on August 28, 1899. His collaborations with Julie were on a total of eight films. The photo above is from their first, THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL with Jimmy leaning over Julie and director, Busby Berkeley watching the action through the camera’s viewfinder.

The other boxing film they worked on was BODY AND SOUL shown above.

Jimmy had a restaurant and here Claude Rains and Julie get kitchen privileges. Then they reap the rewards!

An ad for Jimmy’s restaurant above.

Producer Bob Roberts, Julie, director, John Berry chat during the making of the 1951 film, HE RAN ALL THE WAY.

The Garfields catch a bite with Howe. They seem riveted by whatever Jimmy is telling them.

The cinematographer was a true artist and here he gives attention to the detail of Julie’s makeup for BODY AND SOUL.

Cast and crew share a laugh behind the scenes of BODY AND SOUL. Costar Lilli Palmer is pictured right of Julie and Jimmy is to the right of Ms. Palmer behind the couch.

In interviews, Jimmy often told about one of the methods he used to get inside the ring with the fighters on BODY AND SOUL. He was a human camera dolly having crew members push him around while he used a hand held camera WEARING ROLLER SKATES! Here’s Jimmy in action catching the action.

Here’s a great video about Howe working on his craft. Many of Julie’s films are featured.

James Wong Howe won Oscars for his work on THE ROSE TATOO and HUD and was a nominee eight times. He was the cinematographer for these John Garfield films:

THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL (1939)

DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS (1939)

DUST BE MY DESTINY (1939)

*SATURDAY’S CHILDREN (1940)

OUT OF THE FOG (1941)

AIR FORCE (1943)

BODY AND SOUL (1947)

HE RAN ALL THE WAY (1951)

*Jimmy and director, Vincent Sherman teamed up for a joke at Julie’s expense. Learn about what they did in this post.

[volixia669]

Some musicals you joke were made on crack. (Stares at Moulin Rouge) And then there's musicals you KNOW were made on crack. (Stares at Cats, Starlight Express)

[tcm]

John Garfield: Actor, Boxer and the Film That Got Away By Raquel Stecher

From an early age, John Garfield found an outlet for his athleticism and creativity in both boxing and acting. These two things would be intrinsically linked throughout Garfield’s career as a Hollywood actor. Garfield was the son of Jewish immigrants living in the Lower East Side of New York City. His mother died when he was 7 years old. He soon spent many of his formative years in rough neighborhoods, where he began to spar with local kids, joined street gangs and even became a gang leader. His father put in him in the Bronx’s PS 45, known as a school for problem children.

At PS 45, principal Angelo Patri encouraged Garfield to take up boxing as a means to channel his aggression and also drama so he could work on his confidence. Garfield excelled at both. He worked his way up the amateur boxing ranks and even became a semi-finalist in a Golden Gloves tournament. But his true calling was acting. He soon became part of the theatre collective called The Group where he developed his talents. Hollywood soon came calling and it was a short while before he became a leading man at one of the biggest movie studios. However, his film career was prefaced by a life-altering disappointment.

Garfield’s good friend, playwright Clifford Odets, was so impressed with Garfield’s acting chops that he was inspired to write a play with him in mind. The play was Golden Boy, a melodrama about a struggling young violinist who becomes a boxer to make ends meet. Garfield played the lead role of Joe Bonaparte in a Group Theatre production. Odets story hit Broadway with Luther Adler as the lead and then Columbia Pictures secured the movie rights. Many actors were considered for the part but director Rouben Mamoulian had two in mind: Richard Carlson and William Holden. Carlson was otherwise unavailable, and the part went to William Holden. Under the tutelage of his co-star Barbara Stanwyck, this would prove to be Holden’s breakout role. For Garfield, missing out on GOLDEN BOY (’39) left a bad taste in his mouth. It was a defeat, but it wasn’t the end of the battle.

Garfield soon signed with Warner Bros. studios and made the trek from New York City to Hollywood to begin the next phase in his acting career. His first film, FOUR DAUGHTERS (’38), was a crowd pleaser and a critical success. It earned Garfield an Academy Award nomination and his studio quickly revised his contract to make him a leading man. The powers that be got to work on Garfield’s second picture, a film custom-made to build him up as a leading man. THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL (’39) combined two elements that worked well at the time: gangsters and boxing. Garfield starred as a boxer who had been too drunk to remember whether he had committed a major crime. While on the lam, he adopts a new identity and stumbles upon a home for wayward boys where he must come to terms with his past and his future.

Starring alongside Garfield were the Dead End Kids as well as Claude Rains, who was hopelessly miscast as a New York City detective. The film was directed by Busby Berkeley who was better known for his meticulously choreographed musical numbers in major pre-Code productions. For THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL, Berkeley opted for realism over choreography and allowed Garfield and other trained boxers to navigate their way inside the ring. As a result, the boxing scenes in the film are authentic and set the bar for future boxing films to come. And while the movie itself was not a success, it proved that Garfield could carry a picture as a leading man.

After seven years at Warner Bros., a few loan outs, including the opportunity to star in the film noir classic THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (’46), Garfield decided that he wouldn’t renew his studio contract. He became one of the first Hollywood actors to go freelance, opting to work individually with studios like Fox and MGM or with independent production companies. Producer Bob Roberts and Garfield joined forces to found Roberts Pictures Inc. which worked closely with Enterprise Studios to develop and distribution feature films. Their first project together was another boxing movie: BODY AND SOUL (’47). This would prove to be one of Garfield’s finest and most gratifying performances.

Originally, Roberts and Garfield had intended for the film to be a biopic of Barney Ross, a champion prize fighter who fought his way out of a heroin addiction. Unfortunately, the censors would not allow for a story about drug addiction, so instead they enlisted Abraham Polonsky to write an original screenplay. Polonsky crafted a quality script, partly based on Garfield’s own story as a Jewish immigrant growing up in New York City and partly based on Odets’ Golden Boy. The script told the story of a boxer who is driven to succeed in order to support his family but soon becomes the pawn of a corrupt promoter. Polonsky’s anti-capitalist message spoke to the devastating effects of greed. BODY AND SOUL also upped the ante with even more authentic scenes in the boxing ring.

Alongside Garfield was renowned black actor Canada Lee, who was a former welterweight boxer himself. He plays Garfield’s opponent, friend and a tragic victim of the boxing world’s corruption. Cinematographer James Wong Howe, crouched on roller skates, was maneuvered within the ring to capture the action as it happened. The finished film was praised by many. Both Garfield’s performance and Polonsky’s script earned Academy Award nominations. With BODY AND SOUL, Garfield got the boxing story he missed out on with GOLDEN BOY. In the wise words of New York Post writer Archer Winsten: “It’s a striking commentary on Hollywood and its waste of talents that Garfield, an actor who was perfectly capable of doing this job nine years ago when he first left the New York stage, should have had to wait so long and impersonate so many variously repetitious types before he could realize his full capabilities.”

[oldhollywoodfilms]

Cinematographer James Wong Howe captured the raw intensity of the boxing action in Body and Soul (1947) by using a handheld camera and wearing roller skates (a crew member pushed him around the ring)

Howe felt that moviegoers had become used to shaky camera work from World War II newsreels and that audiences viewed this type of cinematography as more authentic than old Hollywood's usually glossy productions. 

Howe told Roger Ebert in 1970, "When I shot the John Garfield boxing scene in Body and Soul, I wore roller skates and used a handheld camera so I could move faster and stay closer to the action. Was that a gimmick? Not if it helped the film."

[mccarricks]

( brittany o’grady / demi woman ) WESLEY McCARRICK is 23 years old and is a SENIOR at thales university. SHE is majoring in FILM and is known for being THE MAVERICK as THEY can be HUMOROUS and OPEN-MINDED as well as DITZY and IMPULSIVE. every time i see HER/THEM, THEY remind me of PURPLE SKY IN THE DESERT, SKATING AS FAST AS YOU CAN TO FEEL THE WIND ON YOU, A JOKE TOLD WITH A TOOTHY GRIN.

hero’s back w character no. 2 and yet......

full name: wesley ‘wes’ elaine mccarrick

birthdate: february 2, 1997

age: 23

gender: demi woman

pronouns: she/her/they/them

zodiac: aquarius

nationality: american

ethnicity: black (louisiana creole) and white (irish)

hometown: santa fe, nm

languages: english, intermediate spanish

family:

theodore mccarrick, father

elaine barlow, mother

ruby mccarrick, older brother

delphine mccarrick, older sister

sherri barlow, maternal grandmother

many cousins

orientation: bisexual biromantic, pref. towards women/nb people but will date men

religion: agnostic

height: 5 ft 4 in

distinguishing features: eyebrows, hair, lips

character inspo: ilana wexler (broad city), harley quinn (dc comics), phoebe buffay (friends), prob more

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃

TRIGGERS: divorce, mentions of crime, drug and alcohol use

the youngest child of ted and elaine mccarrick, wes was a kid who is full of life. she’s the kind of kid who did things to make you smile, and it usually worked. she was warm and inviting, a little naive, but she had a strong support system.

her parents divorce when she’s six, she doesn’t quite understand it but her dad moves out, and her grandma and multiple cousins move in. it’s a lively household, between her mom, who works as a nurse, and her siblings, and her cousins, it was never really quiet and there was never a lot of room.

despite the split, her parents maintain that their children have a relationship with both of them, and truthfully, wes is a daddy’s girl. she and her dad were cut from the same cloth, happy go lucky, fun loving, a bit silly, he’s the one who introduces her to movies. it’s their thing, watching and critiquing them together, and it’s not whatever is in theatres either. they went for all times of filmmaking, new wave, surrealist, and more.

it really stuck with wes, who herself had begun making movies, mostly horror/fantasy/scifi stuff with her friends-- she writes and directs and occasionally, she’ll don a costume and star in them. they’re silly little things, but her family always sat down for her “premieres.”

her formative years are marked with plenty of things, sports, deaths of distant family members, a cousin or two who gets caught in the wrong crowd and ends up in jail, and throughout this, wes remains a rock for her family.

she’s in high school, and she gets into the eclectic crowd, the outcasts, the weirdos, the ones who smoked under the bridge, and partied out in an abandoned trailer near the desert. these freaks were her freaks. they accepted her with open arms, as she them.  

she chooses thales because she always wants to see the east coast, and frankly, as much as she loves her family, she wants to be free of them. and they have a fantastic film program. so!

she meets steven in their first film class together, and they’re fast friends, despite her usual weariness of YET another film bro, steven proves to be a good egg. so she thinks. she finds out through him talking that he might not be the most faithful to his girlfriend, and as much as she doesn’t like meddling, she thinks it’s only right to let clarissa, who she doesn’t really know well, know. however, before there’s a chance, everything happens-- now she’s stuck wondering if she should reveal the truth, or let sleeping dogs lie.

nana is different, nana and her dated her sophomore year, nana’s freshman year. it wasn’t serious. but they were fond of each other. they eventually break up, but they stay friendly, waving to each other in the halls, chatting at parties.

both the disappearance and the murder is weird for wes, who by all accounts, isn’t great at dealing with bad shit. she prefers to laugh about things. laugh about everything. because if she doesn’t laugh, she’ll cry.

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

wes is a mess, a free-spirit, a walking contradiction. she’s very independent minded, the kind of person who does things without thinking so much about the consequences, this leads her into trouble sometimes. like nicking something from a convenience store, or stealing a stop sign as a prank. she’s definitely the kind to goof off and not exactly dedicate her full attention to something. and while she’s in genuinely good spirits on most occasions, she has a staunch ‘no asshole’ policy. the type to defend the underdogs, and go after bullies. she’ll punch you with a smile on her face, and yet it ends up being more unnerving than you realize. she’s a bit of a ditz, as well, never the best at school, but can talk your ear off about the going ons of the world. she’s a lovable dumbass, for sure, and loyal to a tee once you get her as a friend.

𝐓𝐈𝐃𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐒

horror movie fan! her favorites are some of the oldies, like dracula and  the bride of frankenstein! and some new ones! big fan of jordan peele’s work, as well as ari aster’s! but mostly really advocates for women directors and directors of color!

also does roller derby! she picked this up her first year at thales and fell in love with it, i can’t think of a name for her yet, but she’s a blocker, won’t hesitate to elbow some dick at the bar

kinda a tomboy? she’s always been! she’s rough and tumble and not afraid to get down and dirty with someone, i.e. will join those football games on the quad or crawl through the mud for a scene to shoot

doesn’t know if she wants to be a director/writer or a cinematographer honestly.... she loves the technical aspects of film as much as the making the stories

definition of a bruh girl, says it a whole lot, but also just if you tell her you love her, she’ll just roll her eyes and be like you’re an idiot (which means she loves you too) she’ll be affectionate if she’s close to you

kinda a wh*re oops....... texts multiple girls at a time and doesn’t want to hurt any of their feelings she doesn’t know how she keeps ending up in these situations... also a bisexual disaster

a stoner as well..... always has a massive jar of weed

unclear whether she lives on campus or off campus but if she does live off campus she has a pet turtle named elsa lanchester after the bride of frankenstein actress

a drummer! she’s in a band (name tbd) she started drumming at a young age and found it was a good way to manage her aggression

doesn’t really do well with emotions, so she’ll either be like there, there, or try to make jokes.... she really said kids can you lighten up

walking meme... such a walking meme... doesn’t know so many things she’s like a cute puppy with no thoughts head empty but she’s so fun to be around

life of the party.... nana she came fr ur spot and she took it and she’s not sorry but she does miss u a lot

doesn’t rly feel like she’s allowed to be upset anyways bc some people have it...... way worse.... can u say Imposter syndrome

kind of an enabler...... will be that person to push u to try things but not in a peer pressurey way, more like if u are unsure abt sending a text she says do it

wears fun earrings and socks! think lollipops or gummy bears or found objects like she collects that shit it’s her lifeline

boxes! she’s been boxing since she was abt 12, courtesy of her older brother (who is now a doctor thx ruby) and it’s a good way to exercise and release stress

𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

best friend -- two of a feather, cut from the same cloth, or complete opposites it doesnt matter to her (the abbi to her ilana)

roller derby friends -- she’s p close to the team, margs on her

makeup artist pal -- i think it would be neat fr someone to try and teach her makeup whether its normal or sfx bc she wants to look like a monster or smthn

she’s gullible, u take advantage of that -- u just tell her lies p much and she’s like yeah ok that sounds right

party friends

classmates

fwbs (f/m/nb) -- tbh she might have one or two of these but they literally are the def of pals who bone sometimes... like v good abt being like you good? u dont want more? cool me too

exes (f/m/nb) -- mostly dated women or nb people but def cld have had a guy

she smokes you out -- p much the only reason u hang out w her is bc she has good weed

someone she’s fought -- like fully decked in the face, prob said something that rubbed her the wrong way and it just devolved from there

people who dislike her -- she could definitely be seen as annoying bc shes loud and dorky and funny so ??

breaks someone out of their shell -- p self explanatory, pushes them to have fun, w everything happening shes rly like lifes too short to not take the opportunities around u

cousins! probably on her dad’s side! i figure she has some east coast fam 

anything? truly?

[penniesforthestorm]

Heaven’s Gate (1980)

***Disclosure: I watched the 154-minute theatrical cut, on a laptop, which feels like a disservice, but it was on Hulu and my curiosity got the better of me.

If, like me, you read a lot of film criticism, eventually, you’ll run into a discussion or a mention of Heaven’s Gate. What you glean from this context is something along these lines: this film ruined Michael Cimino’s career, bankrupted United Artists, marked the end of New Hollywood, and it’s way too long. (I’ve ranked these items in order of their relative objectivity.) For some, all of this would be a turn-off. For me, though, it only made me more curious, especially once I saw one or two mentions of it being a ‘flawed masterpiece’. I’m always intrigued by a big, wild artistic swing, even or perhaps especially if it’s close to a disaster. Lynch’s Dune, Apocalypse Now, High Plains Drifter-- I could go on. So when I decided to watch Heaven’s Gate, my main intent was to try and meet it on its own terms, using the same central questions I bring to any movie: What do I think the director is trying to do, do I think they succeed, and why or why not?

From the opening notes of the overture, I was immediately intrigued. The film’s score, composed by David Mansfield, is not the kind of triumphant, vaguely Teutonic classical theme we might associate with a John Ford Western. Nor is it a twangy fiddle-and-banjo affair. Instead, it has a distinctly Eastern European flavor, with plucked strings and minor tonalities. As it turns out, this is kind of the key to the whole film-- it’s not really a Western at all. It’s more like an epic Russian novel that just happens to take place on the American frontier. Through this lens, the massive scope of the project suddenly makes a lot more sense.

The score has a less abstract significance, as well-- Heaven’s Gate is set in 1890, when immigration to the U.S. from Eastern Europe was reaching its peak. Most of the film’s ‘population’, as it were, are Czech, Bulgarian, and Polish immigrants, who are targets of the nastiest kinds of nativist suspicion-- routinely named as ‘anarchists’ and accused of (among other things) having too many children. A private stockman’s association in Wyoming, headed by the oily Mr. Frank Canton (Sam Waterston, putting his talent for WASP-y, patrician disdain to excellent use), has effectively declared war on a particularly fractious county, alleging that its inhabitants routinely traffic in stolen cattle.

Before we get there, though, we’re treated to a dream. The film opens on an imposing stone edifice, shrouded in summer-morning mist, and pans down to reveal a young man in a fine suit, running pell-mell across the dewy courtyard. He soon meets up with a crowd of his fellows, a roistering band of black-clad youths (following behind an actual band playing the chorus of “Battle Hymn of the Republic”). It’s commencement, Harvard, 1870. Pretty girls wave from windows and giggle behind their lace gloves. The class speaker, named as W.C. Irvine (John Hurt) makes a show of astonishment on his way to the podium. Later, in the soft evening light, the graduates and their sweethearts twirl on the lawn to “The Blue Danube Waltz”. The camera twirls, too, bowing in and out from the circle of voluminous skirts. Our latecomer from the morning, who has been addressed as James (Kris Kristofferson), takes the arm of a lovely blonde, and they laugh in mutual delight. Quite suddenly, the dancing turns into a spirited brawl, with a few gallant punches thrown. Our young heroes are shown finally gathered together, noses bloody but eyes bright, facing toward a future in which they will help to civilize their vast nation. Or some such thing.

The film then flashes forward to a muddy yard outside a log cabin, where a cow has been butchered, its innards being excavated by the butcher and his family. Then the shadow of a hat creeps up along the bottom of the white sheet serving as an improvised wall. The butcher calls out, and takes a bullet to the head in response. Framed through the rip in the sheet is an elegant young man in dandyish grey (Christopher Walken). Later, we find out his name-- Nicholas Champion. He is an enforcer for the Association, referred to as a traitor by one of the men he apprehends. Meanwhile James, now Sheriff Averill, disembarks the train at the local station, and right away, we sense something is amiss. As he walks into the general store, a roughnecked man studiously avoids his eyes. Another man is examining a knife for sale, and the camera lingers on the bright flash of the blade.

This is the essence of Heaven’s Gate-- its focus is, overwhelmingly, on the visual details. The cinematographer is Vilmos Zsigmond (McCabe and Mrs. Miller, The Deer Hunter, Close Encounters of the Third Kind), and the color palette reminded me of the autochrome process used in some early photography-- lots of deep brown, grey, green, and purple. Smoke and mist and haze frequently drift over the scenery. Most of the film was shot on location in Glacier National Park in northern Montana, which made it deeply moving for me-- the bright turquoise hue of the lakes, the abundant wildflowers, the craggy mountain peaks. There’s another dance, introduced by a debonair young fiddler on roller skates (the film’s composer, David Mansfield)-- and then when the assembled citizens join in, we see that everyone’s on roller skates! It is kind of absurd, but in a thrilling way, at least for the majority of the runtime.

Unfortunately, however, this focus on setting the scene does lead to some neglect of the characters. It’s no fault of the actors. Kristofferson’s ramblin’-man grace is perfectly suited to the role of James Averill, Southern scion trying genuinely to be a figure of decency in the world. Walken’s striking, nervy energy animates the ambitious Nicholas Champion, who is increasingly unsure which side he wants to be on. John Hurt makes an entire three-course meal out of too little screentime-- going from W.C. Irvine, Harvard class clown, to being addressed contemptuously by Waterston as “Billy”, a sozzled, tragic cynic. Isabelle Huppert brings a fascinating steeliness to Ella Watson, the local madame who knows her business and knows it well. But (at least in this cut) those one-sentence summaries are about all the character development we get, and it’s a shame, because there are a lot of intriguing threads here.

Still, I came away from Heaven’s Gate feeling like I’d seen something important. It’s passionately made and often magnificent-- the first half is just one brilliant sequence after another. Sure, it staggers under its own weight a little bit, but it’s attempting the type of load one rarely sees. Someday I’ll have to hunt down a Director’s Cut (I know there are a few versions out there) and see it on a big screen. I know it’ll be worth it.

[artistdinzel]

letters@nytimes.com DiNZeL AUTOBIOGRAPHY... American Celebrity, Professional name: Jonathan Upshur (DiNZeL) Made In NYC movie? I am single, unmarried, born alone... Veteran/Celebrity/Star/Actor/Genius/Rockstar/Performer/Composer/Writer/Lyricist/Singer/Producer/Musician/Marching Band (RAIDERS)/Drummer/Guitarist/Pianist/Xylophonist/Dancer/Skater/Public Figure/Gymnast//Stuntman/Runner/Fallguy/Entertainer/Artist/Baseball Pitcher/Airplane Pilot/Boat Master/Driver/Motorcyclist/Stage, Arena and Television Performer/Videographer/Cinematographer/Photography/Model/Author... NYC recording studio talent from: New York, NY 21+ DiNZeL STORY and DINNER... My own original recipe... Sausage (1 Serving), Spices, Butter (Slice), Noodles (1 Cup), Sauce Salsiccia (1 Porzione), Spezie, Burro (Fetta), Noodles (1 Tazza), Salsa Italiano Salchicha (1 Porción), Especias, Mantequilla (Rebanada), Fideos (1 Taza), Salsa Española Sausage (1 Hāʻawi), Mea ʻala, Butter (Slice), Noodles (1 kīʻaha), Sauce Hawaiian ソーセージ（1食分）、スパイス、バター（スライス）、麺（1カップ）、ソースジャパニーズ Wurst (1 Portion), Gewürze, Butter (Scheibe), Nudeln (1 Tasse), Sauce Deutsch נקניק (מנה אחת), תבלינים, חמאה (פרוסה), אטריות (1 כוס), רוטב עברי

UFO a ball weird alien craft? Story of the century... DiNZeL story... From: DiNZeLs <DiN.ZeL@aol.com> To: DiNZeLa <shop@dinzels.com> Sent: May 01, 2022, 12:25:22 PM Subject: "DiNZeL DANCE MUSIC" https://youtu.be/6PLN7HoXc7I (SUBSCRIBE) https://www.backstage.com › dinzel "What does Dinzel mean?"

I am writing to introduce myself. I am Jonathan Upshur. My nickname is DiNZeL. I am a native-born New Yorker (A Brooklynite), living alone in my New York City private brand new  prestigious luxury residence, I am a single intelligent, and well-educated person.

As a child I was a Cub Scout and Boy Scout, I played Pitcher with the New York Yankee Little League. Later following my high school graduation, I joined The United States Marine Corps and received an Honorable discharge. I have been Honored by the United States Presidents several times for outstanding service during the past and present. I am an American Hero, Yankee and living Legend with a prominent family, name and education.

My unique screenname is "DiNZeL". I am a straight born alone New York native, American citizen mixed (Sicilian, European White, Spanish, German, American Indian...) 6' tall athletic, muscular, handsome, young good-looking man with short black, neat mixed hair. My birthday sign is Leo, my birthday is in August.

I dived and swam in Marine Corps swimming pool. I can sail a boat, swim with a canoe, helped repair NAS JAX NAVY BASE, Coast Cutter Maria Brea I also volunteed to help the Veteran Cemetery...

I also worked lighting at the Superbowl halftime show in Miami.

Other languages: Spanish, Italian, German, Russian, Hebrew

DiNZeL AUTOBIOGRAPHY, SCOUT, (HONORABLE) HONORED VETERAN, PILOT (AIRPLANE), DRIVER, FORKLIFT, DRIVER, STUNT DRIVER, DIVER, SWIMMER, MUSICIAN, SHOWMAN, CAT HANDLER (TRAINER), STAR, HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITY, DANCE, MARCHING BAND, DRUMMER, GUITAR, PERFORMER, BELLS, XYLOPHONE, COW BELL, CHIMES, ORCHESTRA, MISTER PERFECT, BASEBALL PITCHER, PARENT, MOTORCYCLE, BOATING, ATHLETIC, PROGRAMMER, MOUNTAIN CLIMBER, CAMERAMAN, EDITOR, ROLLERBLADE, ROLLER SKATE, SKATEBOARD, RIDER, COOKING, SINGER...

I graduated P.S. 200 located in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn (1977) and played bells on stage at the ceremony. Later I graduated Mark Twain IS 239 for the Gifted and Talented in 1980 (Coney Island, New York City), where I volunteered as a yearbook photographer.

Later, I graduated The College of New Jersey with a Bachelor of Arts degree, where I independently worked as a television studio engineer, cameraman, and lighting technician.

Now, I am an independent media owner with my own NYC recording studio and digital network: I am the best entertainment professional in the World.

I spend my time quietly creating my own original digital media, television and music products (with my own digital recording, computer equipment, products, studio and label) I enjoy producing new ideas and developing my unique concepts into stunning pictures, television scripts and design illustrations. This is where my graphic design education takes light and allows me to bring the World around me into a different and meaningful prospective to visually share color with others. 

When I am not busy working I enjoy a fine dinner, concert, watching theatre.

"United States Marine Corps calisthenics. Run in place Sit ups Pull ups Run March Work in a Arsenal cleaning a bunch of M16A2s PFC (e-2) Injuries Pool (diving, swimming in full gear (my uniform) Ran and completed the crusibal first Cleaning the squad bay Private showers Polished Boots and metal at night Constantly guarded weapons and my foot locker and my rack, my gear, my blanket, bag and pillow Attended graduation Guarded weight center met a congressman) Inspection (a Colonel) Honorable discharge in 1987 Ran Marines (I was lead runnner) Moved racks on camouflaged truck Parris Island Flew on a Boeing Ran off bus in the middle of the night… woke by Marines yelling to get off the bus (move out) where it all started for my basic training Linked up at reception center for haircuts, Boots, uniforms, rifle, canteen, bag, etc. Dined at chow hall Guarded chow hall with my rifle in the rain (a terrential storm, with deep water forming a hurricane with another marine buddy) Slept in a squad bay with approximately 30 other men Marines and 3 drill instructors Worked in office sitting at a desk answering the telephone Linked up for inspection fingernails and cleanliness after shower wrapped in a towel Squad bay lineup School circle front hatch left hand left knee right hand right knee, attention on drill instructor (school) Special hearing exam in a steel capsule for silence Special language exam Pugal Rifle range Commissary when I was discharged Bus ride home Walked home in the winter from the train station Ran and exercised in my USMC tee shirt. Marched Met girls (wms, woman Marine) at doctors office Wore a Cover and matching (dark green) uniform Woken by rifle range noise, harrier airplanes taking off and landing, drill instructor yelling lights in the early morning Woken in the middle of the night for (fire watch) Promoted to PFC (e-2) upon my discharge...

Brooklyn Played Basketball alone (jammed my finger) Racquetball Stickball Cleaned disco club Attended bible study class at church Boy scouts met a church basement Boy scouts camped and climbed bear mountain

Camp LANOAH Camp SHANADOAH

Mark Twain (Coney Island, New York) Boston ships scrimshaw Creative writing major Visual media major Photography Darkroom Gym uneven parallel bars, horse, ropes (climbing) Yearbook photographer

North Brunswick All night skate Kendall park Bowling caroler lanes Outdoor movie theater Playhouse games Motorcycles Cars Raceway park Shore (boats, swimming, boardwalk, games, rides) Cruising movie City five... 73 vega GT, Camaro, Mustang" . DiNZeLs.com

I am presently occupied as a professional American celebrity in New York City. Thank you. Sincerely, DiNZeL @_DiNZeL :-) ... CARE SHARE .. DISTRIBUTE FREELY! .

[jkottke]

The cinematography of James Wong Howe

Did you know that the Google Arts and Culture app does more than just match your selfies to better identify you on Google Image Search to fun portraits in museums that highlight the overwhelming representation of white men in museal collections? It's true. For instance, there's this fun little article on the life and career of cinematographer James Wong Howe:

James Wong Howe was born Wong Tung Jim in Guangzhou, China on August 28, 1899. Howe's father brought his young family to the US - what he described as the 'mountain of gold' - when Howe was 5 years old.

His first home was Pascoe, Washington, where his father opened a general store and became the first Chinese merchant in the town. As a child, Howe faced vicious racism. His first schoolteacher quit as she didn't want to teach a person of Chinese descent. His second teacher changed his name to be more anglicised, which is how he became 'James Wong Howe'.

Wong Howe pioneered the wide-angle lens, low key lighting (which earned him the nickname "Low Key Howe"), and deep focus. He was also one of the first cameramen to ever use a hand-held camera. But he also had some unusual approaches to the new technology of film....

Other ingenious techniques that Howe used included: shooting a boxing scene by rollerskating around the action; using the reflection of tin cans to light a scene up a hill without electric lights; shooting scenes while being pushed around in a wheelchair; and weighing down birds to make them land where he needed them to.

Howe photographed over a hundred films from the silent era to the seventies, including 1933's The Power and the Glory (basically one of a few films that have a claim to have been Citizen Kane before Citizen Kane), The Thin Man, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Body and Soul (the boxing movie he wore roller skates for), Picnic, and Funny Lady. He won the Oscar for cinematography for The Rose Tattoo and the gorgeous, unforgettable Hud.

Howe was 63 when he photographed this movie. It's relentlessly inventive without being showy. It looks like a Scorsese movie. Come to think of it--a lot of Howe's movies look like Scorsese movies.

It's worth poking around that Arts & Culture app. A lot of the stories could be better sourced and written, but they're overwhelmingly stories worth telling. Plus, you already downloaded the stupid thing onto your phone. Might as well try to learn something.

[rudiegonnafail]

Get to know me because I'm bored.

Name: Samantha Is my first name and my family calls me Sammie, but at school, work, and camp I go by my middle name, Nicole. My french teacher calls me Nicki. My last name is White.

Age: 16!

Height: 5'3", but both of my parents are tall so I have a feeling that my height will change.

Weight: lol bitch you thought

Ethnicity: My grandma (mom's mom) is Bohemian (second generation immigrant, bohemian is her first language), and my mom's dad has ancestors that came over on the mayflower and on that same side my great great great grandpa illegally eloped with a Native American woman. On my dad's side I am french and Dutch.

Religion: I am a Christian. I am a member of the United Methodist Church.

Hair Color: My natural hair is dark brown with natural highlights during the summer, but I've been bleaching my hair since 8th grade, and I occasionally dye it light pink/ peach.

Skin: Freckles on my face, but they're hard to see because of my acne. I've got a bunch of freckles on my arms and shoulders. Also a scar on my arm from when my neighbor's Great Dane puppy tried to hump me, self harm scars on my wrists, stomach, and hips, and a burn scar on the side of my calf from when I was a baby.

Country/ Nationality: USA! USA! USA!

State: The sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home, oh my old-

City: Louisville! Home of Muhammad Ali, The Kentucky Derby, and Jennifer Lawrence (among other great things). On a sad note, we have the highest homocide rate per capita yayy... :(

Family: I live with my happily married mom and dad, a 14 y/o brother and a just turned 11 y/o sister. Also my great grandmother's third cousin is Tom Cruise so that's pretty cool.

Pets: At the moment we have two dogs. A boy hound mix named Donner, and a girl mutt named Lily. Lily is part Dingo. My little sister has a super soft guinea pig name Reecie.

House: Suburbs with a lot of hiking trails and forests. Five bedroom, 2 full bathrooms, two half bathrooms, 3 stories, finished basement. My backyard is a hill so our main floor is our second floor but also ground floor and my second floor is actually the third floor and my basement is also a first floor. It's complicated. (I am not bragging about the size of my house it’s not even that big but my family is.)

School: duPont Manual High School. Best school in the state (magnet school, apply only) and also one half of the oldest high school rivalry in the country. ( I have so much school spirit it hurts.)

Grade: Junior, or 11th grade.

College?: Yes! I plan on getting my bachelor's degree in Magazine Media and a minor in philosophy at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, then going to grad school at The University of South Wales in Newport for a masters/ second degree in communications. 

Career Goals: I want to be a music journalist, but hopefully I'll be in a band and get to focus on making music full time.

Job: I am a swim instructor/ lifeguard at the YMCA. 

Extracurriculars: I used to be on the staff of On The Record, a local news magazine for the youth of Louisville. One of my articles won best feature in the state and we also won a pacemaker for our publication as a whole, but I left due to creative differences. I am in Y-Club, which is basically mock state government and mock United Nations conferences. I do loads of local volunteer work and volunteer at my church on a weekly basis. I also take a film photography class and love taking pictures, and I am working on my first EP.

Instruments: I play guitar, classical guitar, bass, piano, harmonica, and a bit of drums. I used to play violin for around 4 years. I have over 4 years of classical vocal training under my belt, and have been singing since I was around two years old. I also write my own music and my dream is to be in a band and get famous.

Hobbies: Music obviously, photography, roller skating, hiking, swimming, biking, makeup, shopping, I love driving, writing, blogging, podcasting, visual art.

Bands/artsists I like: My Spotify is iwaslostinyourmelodies go check it out. Also I talk about musicians on here all the time. Only doing this because the list would be way to long.

Visual Artists: Jenny Saville, Willem de Kooning, Auguste Rodin, Brandon Boyd, Andy Warhol, Vincent Van Goh, Salvador Dali.

Writers/ Poets (NOT counting lyricists): Dylan Thomas, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf, Mary Shelly, Mary Wollstonecraft, Arthur Miller, Edgar Allen Poe,William S. Burroughs, etc. 

Directors: Shane Meadows, Danny Boyle. 

Cinematographers: Danny Cohen. 

Photographers: Kevin Cummins, Kevin Carter, Robert Spencer (a good friend of mine): https://www.instagram.com/znrza/ 

Political Views: I am independant but lean left. I am not a communist!! and heavily support both free speech and religious freedom. 

Important: I love giving compliments and forming relationships with people so if I seem a bit strange it’s just because I’m being nice. I also love accents and geography, especially in the UK/ British Isles. I will talk about my home state and city to know end and am full of pride for my home. I use bitch as a term of endearment. 

Twitter: @nickiicoole

Wattpad: @snwhit02

Instagram: @nicki_coole

Soundcloud: Nicole White (Louisville Ky)

Email: nicole.white@manualjc.com

[letterniece8-blog]

Black Films and Artists Thrive at 2019 Tribeca Film Festival

By NNPA News Wire Film Critic Dwight Brown

The 18th annual Tribeca Film Festival featured films, docs, shorts, TV, tech seminars and immersive experiences. It was a 21st century gathering place for filmmakers, artists and fans.  

Black films, directors, actors and artists shared the glory and attention with other contemporaries who were proud to have TFF as an international venue. As the festival inches towards the two-decade mark, it’s only getting better and maturing like a fine wine.  

Black Films, Filmmakers, Actors and Artists

17 Blocks (****) Life expectancy in the U.S. averages out to around 79 years of age. That statistic skews much lower in this poignant and profound documentary about a Washington, D.C. family that’s on a different path. In 1999, nine-year old Emmanuel is given a movie camera. He uses it to chronicle the exploits of his mom, older brother, older sister and extended family. His lens captures the love in the air, the danger outside and the hope he brings to his family for a son who could be the first in their brood to go to college. Drugs, gangs and violence lurk. Emmanuel’s destiny takes a turn that will leave viewers spellbound. Over a 20-year period, this family’s dynamics, conflicts, breath throughs and tribulations are recorded like an urban allegory. The span of time is reminiscent of the Oscar-nominated drama Boyhood. The soul of a young man gets an enduring legacy thanks to the power of film.

The Apollo (***1/2) The Apollo Theater was always so much more than a performing arts venue. Since 1934, it’s been a community center, talent scout hub, training ground for countless artists and a mecca that is destined to be both a shrine and a progressive cultural home—for years to come. Director Roger Ross Williams helms this ambitious project, Lisa Cortes is a producer and the perceptive writing by Cassidy Hartmann and Roger Ross Williams pays respect to the hall’s past and its extended family. The footage is most exciting when it depicts performances by legendary artists (Ella, Duke, Dinah, Billie), Motown (Smokey, Supremes, Temptations) and comedians (Moms Mabley, Richard Pryor). Veterans (e.g. Patti Labelle) share their anecdotes. The late Ralph Cooper recollects starting Amateur Night. Rarely has a history lesson been so damn entertaining.  

Burning Cane (***) And what were you doing at age 17? Phillip Youmans was writing his first script, which he turned into this Southern Louisiana melodrama about a mother (Karen Kaia Livers) who deals with an alcoholic adult son (Dominique McClellan), his boy (Braelyn Kelly) and a recently widowed and stressed-out preacher (Wendell Pierce). The sun beats down on this luckless family, who grinds itself into a deeper and deeper hole. Youmans’ premise and maturity go well beyond his years. He puts his characters in an angst that hovers over the entire production. For tone and drama, he gets an A+. For storytelling, a B-. For tech elements a C. The gritty feel is reminiscent of a John Cassavetes movie. Youmans’ cinematography needs developing; camera placement is questionable as is the lighting. If the footage has a Beast of the Southern Wild synergy, it’s because this movie’s executive producer, Ben Zeitlin, was that film’s director. 

Devil’s Pie—D’Angelo (***1/2) Lots of musicians attract a following, but D’Angelo’s fans can be classified as an avid cult with extremely good taste in soul music. Part of the Grammy winner’s mystique centers around his 14-year-absence from recording (Voodoo in 2000; Black Messiah in 2014), which stunned his admirers. That mystery, his childhood, resurgence, live shows, recording sessions and musings are on view in this wonderfully crafted homage. Home movies and photos depict his upbringing, influential grandmother and days as his church’s organist. Personal anecdotes reveal his problems with alcohol and drugs. Attesting to his musical savvy and eccentricities are Questlove, Dave Chappelle and Erykah Badu. Though many put D’Angelo in his own niche (R&B, soul, funk, sexy songs with a hint of jazz), Prince’s influence is quite obvious when the singer wails. Thank documentarian Carina Bijlsma for the candid glimpse at a musical innovator who should be called a genius. Get ready to tap your toes and sing along to “Brown Sugar.” 

Gully (*1/2)  Music video director Nabil Elderkin steps into the deep end of feature filmmaking and flounders. His technique is solid, especially the ways he moves the camera (cinematographer Adriano Goldman) around on evocative shots of palm tree-lined streets in Los Angeles. However, he’s wasted his talent on a misguided script (Marcus Guillory) that focuses on three unlikable and aimless adolescents (Jacob Latimore, Charlie Plummer, Kelvin Harrison Jr.). The trio go from playing violent video games to assaulting people on the streets—without any obvious motivation. Yes, they each have troubled pasts, but nothing that warrants physical attacks. Never believable. Never compelling. Pointless. Kids have excuses for making bad decisions. Adults, like the ones who made this repulsive drivel, do not. 

Inna De Yard: The Soul of Jamaica (***) Showing admiration for reggae musicians from the ‘70s and ‘80s is this very inspiring doc’s goal. Shot largely in the hills above Kingston, British director Peter Webber gives a comeback platform to senior reggae stars like Ken Boothe, Winston McAnuff, Kiddus I, and Cedric Myton. Long past their heyday but still able to sell a song. Their stories of past triumphs are riveting and it’s a joy to watch them record again. They’re backed up by young musicians eager to play with their heroes. Judy Mowatt, legendary former Bob Marley backup singer, is a revelation. Reggae music, like Jamaica, is all about peace and love. That’s the takeaway. That’s what the audience will remember about this rousing, heartfelt documentary. 

A Kid from Coney Island (***) We’re well-acquainted with basketball’s most successful players who soared into fame and fortune (Kobe, Magic, Michael, Larry, LeBron). We’re less familiar with hoop dream athletes who struggled. Stephon Marbury grew up in the Coney Island projects, where the only choices for rising above the fray was becoming a rapper, drug dealer or basketball player. Obsessed with the sport from a young age, he was influenced by his dad and brothers and nurtured by his older sis and mom. Steph was destined for greatness. He became a city champion, college star, draft choice and NBA legend. Only fate tossed him curve balls. Under the prying eye of doc directors Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah, viewers watch a very talented man withstand the death of a parent, depression, a career that stalls and a surprisingly spiritual path to redemption. In this eye-opening and sobering documentary, we see how an eight-pound orange ball can take an inner-city kid to the other side of the world. More ups and downs and as exciting as the Cyclone roller coaster ride on Coney Island.

Lil’ Buck: Real Swan (***) The kids in Charles “Lil’ Buck” Riley’s low-income outer Memphis neighborhood flocked to the local roller rink at night and waited for the skating to stop and the dancing to begin. Jookin’ is the local dance form, akin to Crunking, Gangsta Walking and Michael Jackson’s stop-start-twirls. Lil’ Buck won a scholarship to a Memphis dance school, and added ballet to his mix. His blend of urban dance and classic technique is amazing to watch. Equally entrancing is this beguiling look at a young kid who blossoms as a person and a dancer. A career in L.A., performances with Yo-Yo Ma and touring the world are like a dream come true. Director Louis Wallecan doesn’t miss one step. Interviews with family, friends and admirers highlight a hybrid street dance, an art form created by an innovator who transcends life and description. 

Only (**1/2) What if? What if after the apocalypse a virus became a plague that only killed women? That’s the premise of writer/director Takashi Doscher’s ultra-modern and very scary sci-fi nightmare. The focus is on a couple, Eva (Freida Pinto, Slumdog Millionaire) and Will (Leslie Odom Jr., Hamilton) who survive indoors using hazmat suits to stave off danger. Every scene is as creepy as the premise. Nice performances from the two leads. Ugly cinematography (Sean Stiegemeier) done in shades of gray, greens and browns make footage dreary. Can’t say Dosher is an accomplished filmmaker—yet, but this movie hits a nerve. Also, coming from a male director there is a misogynist undertone that just doesn’t feel right. 

Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project (***) Saying she liked keepsakes is putting it mildly. Librarian, TV producer and political activist Marion Stokes had an obsession: capturing the news as it was depicted on TV. From 1979 (Iranian hostage crisis) to 2012 (Sandy Hook tragedy), she recorded newsfeeds from the networks on 70,000 VHS tapes. For an enlightening and somewhat somber history lesson, view this documentary to see how far society has evolved and what it has left in its wake. Documentarian Matt Wolf handpicks clips, adds in the essence of Stokes’ personality and interviews witnesses to her hobby. He creates a thought-provoking look at the upheavals, controversies and conflicts that have shaped this country. Racial and social issues come to the forefront.  

Roads (**1/2) Actor turned director and writer Sebastian Schipper (Run Lola Runand Victoria) examines immigration with this vibrant road movie. British teen Gyllen (Fionn Whitehead, Dunkirk) steals his stepfather’s RV while in Morocco and heads towards France to visit his father. Along the way, he picks up a fellow traveler, William (Stéphane Bak), who is from the Democratic Republic of Congo. It’s interesting to watch the way they are treated differently as they travel. Gyllen makes his anger known and is oblivious to danger. The more reserved William knows danger way too well and can smell it before it happens. Their divergent points of view and cultural differences speak more about race relations than a college course. A thoughtful script (Schipper and Oliver Ziegenbalg), nice performances from the teens. Final scenes that depict refugees’ confined lives in France are solemn. 

Skin (***1/2)  Tsotsi was the 2006 Oscar-Winner for Best Foreign Film and it chronicled the evolution of a hoodlum who seemed beyond redemption. This very daring and similar drama by writer/director Guy Nattiv is equally emancipating in its own way. Bryon Widner (Jamie Bell, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool), a twentysomething skinhead is bullied by his adoptive parents (Vera Farmiga, Bill Camp) who are violent white supremacists. Life changes for him when he meets a single mom (Danielle Macdonald, Patti Cake$). It takes an even greater turn when he comes under the watchful eye of social activist Darlye Jenkins (Mike Colter, Luke Cage), whose foundation, One People’s Project, specializes in converting neo-Nazis. This is possibly the biggest character arc you will ever see in a film. Tense, suspenseful, dramatic, romantic and cathartic. Excellent performances from all in this stick-to-your-ribs true story. Watching human garbage turn into human beings can be extremely gratifying. Excellent. 

What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali (***) Oscar-winner When We Were Kings focussed on Muhammad Ali’s “The Rumble in the Jungle” match. Does this doc have that much majesty? Almost. Director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) takes a more all-encompassing approach. Using never-before-seen archival footage, and with a great sense of pacing (editor Jake Pushinsky), Fuqua highlights Ali’s pinnacles and low points. He explores the champion’s social activism and personal life. Details about his entry into boxing, teenage years, relationships with Malcolm X and Sam Cooke are on the screen. The most surprising revelation is that Ali’s decision to flaunt a larger-than-life egocentric persona was influenced by the flamboyant wrestler Gorgeous George. Most of the memorable quotes come from Ali’s lips. It’s like he’s reaching back from the grave to remind us how brash and brave he was. Illuminating. 

Films of Note

After Parkland (****) Rarely if ever does a film put a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye for its entire length. Be prepared to be awed, humbled and inspired by the Parkland, Florida victims, survivors and activists. You’ve seen their faces on the news, now you get a close-up look at the people behind the headlines and the indomitable spirit they’ve collectively created that is bound to bring about change. The kids and adults are so bright and articulate that their words carry the film:  “Someone was hunting my classmates.” “Bullets shred anything in sight. Tissue, walls, desks, backpacks.” “We’re going to change the world.” Expert technique and sensitive filming by directors Emily Taguchi and Jake Lefferman make this an Oscar-caliber documentary.

Crown Vic  (***) The cop/crime/thriller genre gets a healthy dose of personal drama in this L.A.-based film noir that’s rough around the edges. First-time feature film director/writer Joel Souza pairs up two L.A.P.D. cops. The older crusty patrol officer Ray Mandel (Thomas Jane, Boogie Nights) shepherds the naive rookie Nick (Luke Kleintank, TV’s Bones) on an overnight shift. Meanwhile, two bank robbers/killers are on the loose. Mandel’s chilling words: “Take your badge off and put it in the glove box.” Their policing takes a turn towards the gutter. The beginning of the film is marred by too much dialogue in a claustrophobic patrol car, which kills momentum. Souza adds in a funny scene with a drunk lady, friction with undercover cops (Josh Hopkins, David Krumholtz) and a search for a missing kid to spice up the night. Jane is the glue and mortar. The dialogue is strong too. Mandel: ‘People Sleep peacefully in their beds at night because rough men do violence on their behalf.”  Someone call 911!

The Kill Team (**1/2) Dan Krauss made a doc about a true-life incident involving an infantryman in Afghanistan in 2010 who dealt with a commanding officer who was violent to innocent locals and his platoon too. He’s turned that project into a feature film, with varied results. Actor Nat Wolff plays the soldier and Alexander Skarsgård stars as the disturbed leader who doles out harsh reality to his men: “We kill people. That’s what we do. Do you have a problem with that?” The enlistee is in a quandary that could take his own life. How would you react? That intriguing premise saves the film. Edited down to 87 minutes (editor Franklin Peterson), the footage is never attractive (Stéphane Fontaine), the performances are only decent and the emotion never runs deep. Still, this film tells a powerful story.

Linda Ronstandt: The Sound of My Voice (***1/2) Singing in Linda Ronstandt’s family was as common as Sunday dinner, and she had the best voice, too. As a teen in a sibling folk group she developed a sense of harmony and a performance presence that kick-started her career in L.A. In the music industry, she stood out as a woman in a man’s world. She led her own band, made her own career decisions and went through a world-famous metamorphosis: Folk, pop, rock, soul, light opera, big band and Mexican folk music—she did it all. Directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman bless the footage with childhood photos, concert video and insights by Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Bonnie Raitt. The very well-read Ronstandt herself pipes in with anecdotes and philosophies that underline her intelligence shed light on her battle with Parkinson’s disease. A trip down memory lane, done to the tune of Grammy-winning songs by rock n’ roll’s first female superstar. A visual and audio retrospective that sticks with you. 

The Quiet One (***1/2) The meek shall inherit the earth—and other stuff. Bill Wyman, the quietest musician in the Rolling Stones, is a historian. Director Oliver Murray gives the group’s bass player all the room he needs to shed light on his role as the band’s sober member. Fortunately for Stones fans, he was an avid collector of footage, photos and other memorabilia. You could almost classify him as a hoarder, except his stunning collection is so damn neat and organized. He’s stockpiled his knick-knacks in the most orderly filing system with documentation so elaborate it would shame a librarian. Hearing him talk about his idols Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Muddy Water and Howlin’ Wolf is heart-warming. Behind-the scenes details about the Rolling Stones’ tragedies, fiascos and creative process are equally fascinating. Oddly, the film does not cover Wyman’s controversial relationship with a teenager. Special shout out to Tim Sidell’s gorgeous cinematography and Anne Perri’s astute editing. Wyman is a quiet treasure and so is this doc.  

Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation (***) “Well I came upon a child of God, He was walking along the road, And I asked him, Tell me where are you going, And this he told me…” Director Barak Goodman and his co-writer Don Kleszy take audiences behind the scenes of Woodstock to the muddy fields, horrible weather and peace/love vibe that became the legend of the occasion. It’s an event that has never been repeated successfully. Still, from the viewpoint of the common people who went, we get a new perception that those “highly” spiritual and heady days were more than a one-time phenomenon, they spawned a vibe that far outlived the concerts. On the stages, in this temporary city of 400,000 hippies, musicians like Richie Havens, CSN, Jimi Hendrix and the bunch look like heroes, though not as quite as gusty or adaptable as the venue’s stunned promoters: John Roberts and Joel Rosenman. Refreshing and a complete joy to watch in this day and age of hate mongering. 

Tribeca is building a solid reputation as a film festival that values diversity, inclusion and new voices. It’s a champ at spotlighting emerging talent from around the U.S. and the world. 

It’s no wonder black films, artists, their fans and others are supporting the fest with their work, participation and attendance. 

For more information about Tribeca Film Festival go to: https://www.tribecafilm.com

Visit NNPA News Wire Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com and BlackPressUSA.com.

This article originally appeared in the Charleston Chronicle. 

Source: https://www.blackpressusa.com/black-films-and-artists-thrive-at-2019-tribeca-film-festival/

[carolina-mic]

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"Roller Skate Funk" coming soon! Last year, I was barely able to stand up on skates. This song reflects the sheer joy I feel every time I lace up! Also, let's give a giant shout out to my stunt double, co-conspirator, and chief cinematographer @chelseasmolenski ! - - #rollerskatefunk #CarolinaMiC #funkmusic #funk #rollerrinkmusic #rollerskate #rollerskating #rollerskates #hornsection #saxophone #guitar #funkguitar #funmusic #perserverance #independentartist #independentmusic #nevergiveup #peace #love #understanding #smile #dancing (at Roller Garden) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9a-EY6DIwJ/?igshid=wbmrh2k1tc6a

[chicagoindiecritics]

New from Al and Linda Lerner on Movies and Shakers: Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)

This is a manic, frantic, film packed with wisecracks, violence and head-pounding music. It’s relentless. But, with Margo Robbie at the helm, females rule in some tantalizing moments. Robbie does a good job again of delivering her lines with that sassy Brooklyn accent that belies the fact there’s a very smart brain underneath that distinctive, colorful makeup.

The centerpiece of the narrative is ultra violent, including hand-to-hand combat. Harley shows again she can handle herself. In 2016’s Suicide Squad she used her looks to disarm opponents before landing the haymaker. But in Birds of Prey, director Cathy Yan and writer Christina Hodson create a more femme-centric character whose instinct for self-preservation keeps her focused on revenge. Harley may be crazy, but she’s no fool and she even makes some wild female friends along the way.

It’s a bit ironic that this movie opens at the beginning of the weekend when Joaquin Phoenix is a favorite to win an Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker.  Joker is still Harley’s heartthrob and a major player in this movie even though he’s never properly seen. We get a cartoon treatment of him at the beginning of the film and Harley has a caricature sketch of him on her wall she uses for knife throwing target practice.

Joker had been Harley’s obsession. She gave him love and obedience and as long as she was perceived to be his girl, she prowled Gotham with complete immunity. He was her protector, until he tossed her aside. Their love/hate relationship continues. She literally explodes their relationship to prove she’s no longer Joker’s Girl by blowing up a chemical plant where Joker and she first forged their toxic personalities and relationship. 

Immunity scuttled, all bets are off. Everyone who steered clear is now hell -bent on revenge. True to it’s comic book roots, when a new attacker appears, the screen momentarily freezes on their marked-up faces with text explaining why they want her dead. Some are gruesome, “Fed his brother to a hyena.” Others are political and funny, “Voted for Bernie.”

Gotham’s current King of Crime is Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor). He rules the grim, grimy city in a velvet sport coat and delights in skinning his victims alive. McGregor is not as strong as we think he should have been as the sneering, loathsome villain. But his constant shadow and trusted right- hand-man, gold-toothed Zsasz (Chris Messina), is much more menacing than MacGregor’s Roman.

To survive, Harley must form alliances. Her eventual partners are certainly diverse, but all female. There’s Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), the only super-powered member of the gang. Then add the Huntress ( Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a crossbow expert who uses her deadly talents to exact personal revenge on the mob boss who had her family murdered. Throw in a tough streetwise police detective, Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) and a savvy, sarcastic teenage pickpocket Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) and Harley has a new squad to take down the army sent to destroy them all. All these women have a common thread in their lives. They’ve been treated badly by men.

The Huntress with her cross-bow is the most ironic and mysterious of the lot. She comes off as an intriguingly subversive character. Imaginative that the director just has her show up at random moments throughout the film before identifying who she is and why she’s there.

Cinematographer Matthew Libatique saturates the color to the extreme to the point where it becomes a somewhat annoying distraction. Especially with all the day-go colors Harley wears and her stark white face. Her costumes are colorfully fun, too.

Food figures prominently, whether its Harley drowning her woes with a mouthful of spray cheese or tight shots showing her cherished egg, bacon and cheese sandwich being constructed on the grill.

There are some savage moments of torture and humiliation to make you feel uneasy. In one scene, Roman changes his mind about cutting a young girl’s face off while she’s still alive, which is supposed to lead to a funny punchline. In another squirm inducing moment, he orders a woman who laughed too loud to get up on a table and strip and dance. Yan and Hodson had no reason to include this scene. As a matter of fact they simply cut away and never resolve the situation. It’s smacks of nothing more than pandering.

On the plus side, the fight scenes are choreographed well. The staging of the fight moves looks like a lot of what you might see on WWE. Take-downs and body slams are in abundance, but mainly there are crotch kicks and baseball bat smashes in abundance. And Harley’s chase on roller skates literally cracks the whip. Director Yan throws in some fun touches during the constant battles, like when Montoya gets her hair tied back in place without missing a beat while bashing the bad guys.

But Harley is the star of this show, on screen almost every minute. Robbie has this anti-heroine’s persona just right, doing disgusting deeds with a big grin. She’s even cute! This is one colorful, bad ass female action adventure  with an ensemble that will be fun to follow again. We saw the film in Dolby and the sound design rocked our seats. Stay seated till the end of the credits and you’ll see DC, trying to prove it has a sense of humor, even poking fun at Marvel with a credits ending clip. Harley rules from beginning to end.  

Warner Bros. Pictures             109 Minutes                 R

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[tcm]

James Wong Howe: Cinematographer. Innovator. By Raquel Stecher

James Wong Howe, A.S.C. was simply a visionary. Greatly admired in the business, Howe’s talents as a cinematographer were highly sought after. Over his six-decade long career, Howe worked closely with a variety of directors on productions big and small and successfully navigated his way through major industry transitions including the advent of sound, color and the widescreen format. While Howe dabbled in directing, he preferred cinematography which he considered a more creative pursuit. 

He was nominated for 10 Academy Awards for Best Cinematography for films including ALGIERS (’38), ABE LINCOLN IN ILLINOIS (’40), THE NORTH STAR (’43), SECONDS (’66) and his final film FUNNY LADY (’75). He won twice, for THE ROSE TATTOO (’55) and HUD (’63). Among his favorite films to work on were THE THIN MAN (’34), VIVA VILLA! (’34), PICNIC (’55) and THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA (’58). But many, including himself, considered the pinnacle of his achievement to be HUD, a sweeping drama directed by Martin Ritt that included stunning shots of barren Texas landscape and one of the most poignant and beautifully shot endings in cinema history.

According to the TCM documentary directed by Daniel Raim, IMAGE MAKERS: THE ADVENTURES OF AMERICA'S PIONEER CINEMATOGRAPHERS (2019), Howe “practiced the art of the cinematographer as the highest form of storytelling and imbued it with his own engaging point of view.” Howe had a keen eye for expressive lighting and composition that accurately depicted the mood of any given story. He earned the nickname “Low-Key Howe” for his penchant for lighting that looked more natural on screen. In an interview, Howe said, “I like to cross light. I don’t like to have many shadows on the wall because every time you show one shadow it becomes another character. It intrudes upon the scene.” Howe taught himself deep focus, keeping the foreground, middle ground and background in focus and thus creating multi-layered shots. For Howe, the magic happened when the actors, director and cinematographer were all in sync with each other. He was insular in his training and didn’t watch many other films because he felt that inspiration should come from within.

Howe was an innovator from the very start, crafting new techniques that enhanced visuals while adding more emotional resonance to scenes. Many of Howe’s innovations were purely accidental. In his early days photographing actresses for studio portraits, he made Mary Miles Minter’s light blue eyes, which were difficult to photograph, darker by having her look at a piece of black velvet. Years later, while working on Howard Hawks’ WWII drama AIR FORCE (’43), a generator that was used for lighting stopped working. He was shooting a scene in which B-17s were landing on a burning field. He had his technicians wire flares while utilizing the headlights from the planes. The flickering lights and smoke from the flares resulted in a very dramatic shot that would not have been as effective had it been done with steady lights.

Often times his innovations involved some creative problem solving or experimentation. For Robert Rossen’s THE BRAVE BULLS (’51), Howe strapped the camera to the actors’ waist to create a unique point of view for the bullfighting sequences. According to the AFI, in order to film Ronald Colman shaking hands with himself in THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (’37), Howe used a 3X4 foot optical glass and a double whose head and shoulders were matted out with masking tape. Then he ran the film backwards and re-photographed with just Colman’s head and shoulders and everything else matted out. 

For director John Cromwell’s ABE LINCOLN IN ILLINOIS, scenes were shot utilizing the glow from torchlights, enhanced by reflectors that produced a naturally soft image. To capture the boxing sequences in Robert Rossen’s BODY AND SOUL (’47), Howe, a former boxer himself, used eight different cameras, one of which was a hand-held camera that Howe carried while squatting on roller skates while an assistant guided him around the ring for low-angle shots. To enhance the visuals on Alexander Mackendrick’s SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (’57), Howe added Vaseline to star Burt Lancaster’s thick-rimmed glasses to make them shine giving Lancaster a more menacing appearance.

Howe’s preference was to work in black-and-white. In an interview he said, “black and white is a medium you can do many things with thematically, with filters and so on. With color you’re restricted.” While working on the Technicolor film THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER (’38), he struggled to get the lighting right in the cave sequence. Howe defied Technicolor’s strict guidelines and shot the scene with less lighting than they had required. This resulted in a more natural look that producer David O. Selznick was pleased with. However, this angered Technicolor and Howe was barred from working on color films until 1949.

His mastery of black-and-white cinematography can especially be seen in his later work on films such as John Frankenheimer’s SECONDS. He employed 9mm fish-eye lens, used low f-stops and worked with the crew to create sets that appeared distorted and a bit offkilter. The black-and-white cinematography and the extreme angles ramp up the drama in this mind-bender of a film. For HUD, Ritt worried that Howe would not feel particularly inspired by mostly exterior shooting in a rather plain landscape. Ritt wanted to include more footage of clouds, but Howe saw the blank sky and open landscape as representative of the isolation the characters felt within the context of the story. The final scene was to be shot in a bedroom and was changed to an exterior shot that brilliantly captures the end of an era for the family. The door closes on the viewer just as the words “The End” appear on the screen. While we don’t know if this was Howe’s vision or Ritt’s, it does demonstrate how cinematography is key to evoking a message or theme to a viewer in an effective way.

[oldhollywoodfilms]

Cinematographer James Wong Howe wore roller skates to better capture the boxing action in the film noir Body and Soul (1947).