Paper Heart

a kate west review
directed by Nicholas Jasenovec
written by Charlyne Yi and Nicholas Jasenovec

Winner of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, "Paper Heart" is a documentary (of sorts) about love. Charlyne Yi (experienced stand up comedian) does not believe in such fantasies. Or so she claims. But she wants to find out more, so she journeys across America, interviewing folks about their different definitions of l'amour. And naturally everyone has a different answer for her.

The movie blends reality and fantasy (such as actor Jake Johnson playing Director Nicholas Jasenovec, who actually exists and is actually the director) and while this may be confusing to some, it does give the film a definite sweet charm and appeal. Yi is the wide-eyed non-believer, quizzing everyone from children in a playground to hard core Harley Davidson bikers. The interviews are candid and touching and while they don't necessarily offer real insight into true love, they are hopeful stories of that amazing thing that happens when you finally meet just the right person in just the right way. And even more delightful, much of the lovers' stories are acted out by paper puppets, with half-finished backgrounds, adding to the theme of childlike wonder.

In the course of the film, Yi eventually meets Michael Cera ("Arrested Development", "Juno", "Superbad") and in spite of her many protests, ends up liking him after all. Their courtship is played out under the camera's scrutiny, part scripted, part real, as the two really fall for each other. There are a lot of cute moments as the couple attempts to elude the cameras and later try to make their love work in spite of the intrusion. Cera is his usual subtle, quirky self, delivering lines in that uniquely funny style of his and his youthfulness is the perfect match for Yi's immaturity. It's a simple story about a personal quest for love and who among us can't relate to that? It's the perfect length too. Any longer and one might become impatient with Yi's childishness. But in the end, her naivety leads her to a pure love.

"Paper Heart" is a sweet movie, which fulfills our childhood fantasies of romance, acts it out with paper puppets and tries to figure it all out for us. Exactly what is the difference between what looks good on paper and the reality of love? You might not find the answer to that, but you will enjoy looking. The moral of the story then has to be that one should always be open to love, because you will inevitably find it in a place you least expect. So stay positive, friends.

Watch the Trailer Here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmVQLmaA0fQ Read more!

Sizzle

Sizzle -
a global warming comedy
a kate west review
directed by Randy Olson
written by Randy Olson & Ifeanyi Njoku
World Premiere - Los Angeles Outfest
at Fairfax Theater
7907 Beverly Blvd. L.A.
www.sizzlethemovie.com

The movie "Sizzle" is a cinematic hodgepodge of styles: comedy, documentary and science, all in an attempt to illuminate global warming. Director/writer Randy Olson is a bonafide scientist (Marine Biologist) who chose to leave science for film school at USC. His previous films include "Rediagnosing the Oceans" and "Flock of Dodos" (about evolution). In "Sizzle" he counters Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" with a mix of fantasy and a dose of skepticism.

The premise is that he, Olson as a scientist, wants to make a different type of movie about global warming and recruits (pretend) producers Mitch Silpa and Brian Clark who bring him argumentative crew members (Alex Thomas and Ifeanyi Njoku). Using real scientists and fake actors, his mix of fantasy and fact-driven reality can be confusing. For instance, Clark, Silpa and Thomas are the actors playing actors and film crew. Some of them use their real names and some do not. Real creators Olson and Njoku play themselves (Olson) and fake crew members (Njoku). He even enlists his own mother, Muffy Moose, to play his mother. Make sense yet?

The scientists are real, covering the spectrum of both the pro and the con regarding the severity of environmental impact. The alarmists include Dr. Jerry Meehl, Dr. Richard Somerville, Dr. Megan Owen, Julia Bovey and Dr. Naomi Oreskes (who was featured in Al Gore's documentary) and the skeptics include Dr. Pat Michaels, Dr. Steve Hayward, Dr. Fred Singer, Dr. Bill Gray, Dr. Marc Morano and Dr. George Chillingarian. The latter skeptic, Dr. Chilli let's call him, is such a character himself that it further blurs the fantasy/reality line. With a flamboyant mustache and attitude, his outrageousness rivals that of the fake producers.

In addition, Olson has an editing problem. So many scenes are needlessly repetitive. For instance, he interviews a scientist and his pretend cameraman (Thomas) disputes the facts; Olson shows frustration and follows up with several interviews in the exact same manner. Then about two-thirds into the film, Olson presumably finally listens to his sound man (Njoku) who tells him to put a human face on global warming, inspiring them to visit New Orleans and show the still-visible carnage of Hurricane Katrina. While obviously moving, this happens a little too far into the movie and again, goes on a little too long.

The scenes with Brian Clark and Mitch Silpa as flaky novice Hollywood producers are hilarious as the real Silpa and Clark are professional improvisers (www.groundlings.com) and darn good at it too. However, Olson is unfortunately not as talented, and thus is not a strong enough presence to keep viewer interest for an entire feature. His science is interesting, but even after a stint at USC, he is not the consummate filmmaker, having produced a film riddled with editing and believability problems. As a general audience, we appreciate the attempt at fun, but Olson does not quite understand how to maintain a coherent story line, choosing instead to throw everything in but the kitchen sink.

The overall impression is one of chaos, with Olson constantly seeming to wrestle with how to convey his confusion (he does present both pro and con, after all). One ill-directed dream sequence of a literal wrestle (with a polar bear) adds little to the film. His dramatic arguments are written to be funny and are amusing, but the reality/fantasy transitions are just not sharp enough to make a well polished film. In the editing room scene, where Olson is getting advice on focus, one wishes this had really happened behind the scenes in order to be translated into a gratifying whole.

In spite of some spots of entertainment and thought-provoking facts, the film plays as a work-in-progress. It just isn't there. Kudos for the attempt at enlightenment, and if it shifts someones global perspective, that would be great. But sadly, it is just not cinematically logical. And why it premiered at theme-structured Los Angeles Outfest is yet another mysterious facet of the experience. Read more!

Some Reservations

30 Days - FX
created & narrated by
Morgan Spurlock
a kate west reflection

The ground-breaking documentary "Super Size Me" turned the fast food industry upside down when Director/Creator Morgan Spurlock devoted 30 days of eating nothing but McDonald's food. The resulting alarming and terrible health problems shocked audiences into giving up their Big Macs (at least temporarily) and cut short the month-long dare. His doctors forbade him to continue.

Not only did Spurlock get his message through loud and clear, but he was inspired to start a spin-off television series, "30 Days", in which someone spends 30 days doing something contrary to their nature or beliefs in an effort to walk in someone else's shoes or just sharing a life experience like working as a coal miner or a living as a disabled person for a whole month. Past shows also include a Christian living in a Muslim household and a Pro-Lifer living with gay parents and even a month in the life of a heartbreaking immigrant family. Regular people are the new protagonists, although Spurlock still does the occasional month and all shows end up showing us an aspect of our society we never thought about before.

The most poignant episode to date has to be Morgan Spurlock's 30 days on a Native American reservation. We're all familiar with America's sordid history: slavery, WWII interments and of course Native American genocide. But to most of us, all that exists in the past and present day atrocities are more along the international lines of Middle East turbulence, African genocides and the September 11 attacks that may or may not have anything to do with the Middle East turbulence (go ahead and guess). But what we don't think about is the fact that there are still left over reservations in this country in dire straits and even when we do think about them, it's usually not out of concern for the people's welfare.

Morgan Spurlock spends 30 days with the Navajo Nation on a reservation with no running water and very few jobs. In Gallup, New Mexico, he lives with a family heavily involved in the rodeo circuit whose endearing grandmother speaks no English and still lives in the traditional way. The entire population (over 20,000 in 2000) has only 25 available jobs compared to the hundreds of jobs in similar neighboring Texan cities. The young people are fast losing the language and as Spurlock tries to learn the native tongue from a local teacher, she tears up telling him she doubts her children would carry on that tradition.

Although gambling is against their spiritual beliefs, the Navajo have little choice but to cave in to the allure of Indian Gaming. Casinos will bring in much needed money to this desperately cash-poor section of Americans. It's not ideal, but the reservations just do not provide a proper standard of living. After hundreds of years of abuse, we are still neglecting our indigenous people, the most forgotten segment of our nation. So many Native Americans suffer from poverty, drug abuse and alcoholism, that there does not seem to be an easy way out of such a long period of neglect. In spite of all this, amazingly enough, Spurlock also found that (at least within the host family) there still exists deep respect for our environment and a universal spiritualism promoting peace with our surroundings. He experiences a profound vision in a sweat lodge and is revived in both spirit and soul. After a tough transition back to the concrete cities, he resolves to keep part of that adventure intact and continues to practice earthly prayers.

A simplistically short viewpoint, to be sure, but the show reaches a vast audience as quite the devastating look at our society. And Morgan Spurlock's obvious affection and emotional ties to the people he meets are particularly effective. No one should be able to watch without a subtle shift in perception. Hopefully, we'll all be properly shamed into finally trying to be part of the solution. It's out there somewhere. By the way, if you are moved to help out, be sure to contact a reputable organization, as there are a few unscrupulous outfits preying on bleeding hearts. Do your research first. Peace.


Watch video segments of all seasons/episodes here:
http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/30days

The movie that started it all:
Super Size Me

More inspiration:
Dances with Wolves - Extended Cut (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

Little Big Man

Black Elk Speaks, New Edition

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West

Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two

Trail of Tears


Read more!

Marathon Movie

Spirit of the Marathon

a kate west recommendation

A range of racing experiences, from the amateur to the elite, every emotion is covered in "Spirit of the Marathon". One veteran marathoner said he doesn’t feel a runner’s high until the run is actually over and then mentioned that by the time he gets to the start line (which can take a good 20 minutes) and actually starts running a few miles, the elite runners have finished, gotten their medals, driven home, showered and turned on their TIVO. Who are these superhuman finish-in-a-mere-two-hours running gods? Thank God we are able to follow normal mortals, with reasonable marathoning expectations. The encore presentation was sold out, the theater packed, with everyone cheering and crying by the end. What is it about watching someone cross a finish line that speaks to the soul?

After this fantastic cinematic experience (and an unforgettable and inspirational score by Jeff Beal), you will realize that it really is a mental challenge. At some point the human body just can’t physically go beyond a certain mileage and since the Marathon goes beyond that, what gets you through it is the mental training. You are your own competition, battling common sense and the laws of physics. Yes, it should be fun, but it isn’t always. It’s a triumph of will and the very real ability to make your own motivational personal movie in your head. So maybe it’s not something you want to do, but something you have to do. There is nothing else on earth that challenges the common individual this way. You can't wait to see if you can accomplish it.

It's all in the title. It is the spirit and will of the everyman. If the goal is merely to finish, then anyone can be trained to run a marathon, as opposed to say, crazy triathlons with ridiculous mileage. It is something attainable and still tantalizingly impossible. Professionals mixing with the non-athletic. Explains why there are hundreds of thousands of people registering for every marathon.

Encore showing in February!

http://www.marathonmovie.com/











And of course what happens after .... Read more!

An Inconvenient Truth

An Inconvenient Truth
a kate west reflection
www.climatecrisis.net





If you haven't seen former Vice President Al Gore's movie by now, God help you when you're baking in the record-breaking heat each summer and freezing in unprecedented colder and colder winters. Our dependency on domestic and foreign oil will be our undoing as America consistently fails to be the environmental leader we know we should be. Other nations have adopted "green" standards and as the wealthiest superpower, we should have done so as well, a long time ago. Solar and wind power are only two options. More hybrid cars, more fuel alternatives - these are all no-brainers! To have to fight against corporate lobbyists who deny their countrymen the freedom to help the planet is criminal. Yes, global warming is real. The rest of the world is already well aware of it.

The movie is in documentary style, with charts and graphs and lectures by Al Gore and a team of scientists and it's all fascinating. And important. Hopefully, most of us already know most of this already - melting glaciers, disappearing species, more droughts, fires, heat waves, hurricanes and all kinds of other natural disasters coming our way. It's not too late to help the next generation though. Start today.

For more info, catch "The Green" on the Sundance Channel (www.sundancechannel.com) and "Planet Earth" on the Discovery Channel (dsc.discovery.com).

Listen to Al Gore - this time he really knows what he's talking about. You know that this, along with universal health care, will be the main political issues next election, right?

Directed by
Davis Guggenheim

Produced by
Lawrence Bender .... producer
Scott Z. Burns .... producer
Lesley Chilcott .... co-producer
Lesley Chilcott .... line producer
Davis Guggenheim .... executive producer
Jeffrey D. Ivers .... executive producer (as Jeff Ivers)
Laurie Lennard .... producer (as Laurie David)
Jeff Skoll .... executive producer
Ricky Strauss .... executive producer
Diane Weyermann .... executive producer Read more!

The Kid Stays In The Picture

The Kid Stays In The Picture
Film and Book
a kate west favorite






In 1994, Robert Evans wrote "The Kid Stays in the Picture", a tell-all autobiography chronicling his mercurial rise to head of Paramount Pictures. Most fans enjoy the book-on-tape version, narrated by Evans himself, so they can hear his film noir gravelly voice reflect on things like different versions of truth ("Your side, my side and the truth. ")

To the delight of all, the book was turned into an innovative documentary of the same name in 2002. Nanette Burstein and Brett Morgen put together a fascinating cinematic look at the inner life of an old school Hollywood Producer. Leaving in all Evans' phrasing and dialogue from the book, they cleverly add film clips, old interviews and still pictures interspersed with the strength of the Evans personality. It works wonderfully and the whole thing is riveting.

First of all, the life of Robert Evans is that of a fairy tale. A young executive type tries to break into acting. One of his first major roles is in the 1957 film "A Sun Also Rises", starring Tyrone Power and matinee idol Errol Flynn. Directed by Henry King, the production doesn't go well for Evans at first, as the entire production cast and crew (with the exception of Errol Flynn who just laughs and laughs) want him fired and even send a telegram to the studio. But he gets to stay after all the day that studio head Darryl Zanuck walks on set and announces, "The kid stays in the picture and anybody who doesn't like it can quit!'" That was also the day that Evans decided he wanted to be that guy - a producer, not an actor.

Around that same time, Norma Shearer spots the young former model lounging by a pool and casts him as her late husband, the formerly powerful producer, Irving Thalberg in "Man of a Thousand Faces", starring James Cagney as the versatile Lon Chaney. Perfect casting. Evans does well in both films and is also on his way to become one of Hollywood' most famous producers. Hired by Charles Bluhdorn to run Paramount Pictures, Evans life will never be the same. The "Godfather" sagas, "Chinatown" and "Rosemary's Baby" are but a few of the epic films he mounted on screen.

To add to his bliss, he and his true love Ali McGraw (he produced "Love Story" for her) were happy for a time in his Beverly Hills Woodland Estate before she ran off with Steve McQueen (her co-star in "The Getaway"). Countless other women would enter his life, giving him his well-earned womanizer reputation. He had powerful friends too - to name but a few - Henry Kissinger and a mysterious close friend, Sidney Korshak, one of the most feared lawyers in the country who somehow knows how to get things done. Otherwise impossible things. Best not to ask.

Evans did start on a downward spiral, delving into cocaine and losing and winning back his beloved Woodland home. But it all turns out alright in the end, thanks to his buddy Jack Nicholson, who begs back the house for him. It's a fascinating life and a fascinating narration. Anyone remotely curious about Hollywood will love this saga. Old Hollywood at it's most powerful. Don't miss the surprise in the end credits either, you get me? So now you've got your choice of book, audio book, film and great soundtrack. What are you waiting for?

Cue satisfying Hollywood ending.
Slow Fade.

Catch the documentary?
Sure:
The Kid Stays in the Picture

Start with the book?
You bet:
KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE, THE Read more!