list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Africa Unite on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Africa_Unite/325558/default.aspx Title: Africa Unite
Year: 2008
Director: Stephanie Black
Plot: Africa Unite is a singular and masterfully executed film that is at once concert tribute, Marley family travelogue, and humanitarian documentary, igniting the screen with the spirit of world-renowned reggae icon BOB MARLEY in its every frame. In commemoration of Bob’s 60th birthday, Africa Unite is centered on the Marleys’ first-time-ever family trip to Ethiopia in 2005. Includes rare footage of world-renowned reggae icon Bob Marley. There in the capital city of Addis Ababa three generations of Marleys take part in a 12-hour concert attended by more than 300,000 people from around the world, with the ultimate purpose of inspiring the young generations of Africa to unite for the future of their continent. Features exuberant on-stage spots as well as a soundtrack brimming with Bob Marley studio classics. Includes appearances by UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador / actor Danny Glover, world music sensation and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo, Bob Marley’s mother Mrs. Booker, and Princess Mary, granddaughter of Emperor Haile Selassie. ~Palm Pictures
Times Tagged: 44
Number of Lists: 9
Number of blog posts: 15
Number of discussion threads: 5
SpoutRating: 2
]]>Sat, 22 Aug 2009 22:38:40 GMTAfrica Unite2008Stephanie Black<i>Africa Unite</i> is a singular and masterfully executed film that is at once concert tribute, Marley family travelogue, and humanitarian documentary, igniting the screen with the spirit of world-renowned reggae icon BOB MARLEY in its every frame. In commemoration of Bob’s 60th birthday, Africa Unite is centered on the Marleys’ first-time-ever family trip to Ethiopia in 2005. Includes rare footage of world-renowned reggae icon Bob Marley. There in the capital city of Addis Ababa three generations of Marleys take part in a 12-hour concert attended by more than 300,000 people from around the world, with the ultimate purpose of inspiring the young generations of Africa to unite for the future of their continent. Features exuberant on-stage spots as well as a soundtrack brimming with Bob Marley studio classics. Includes appearances by UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador / actor Danny Glover, world music sensation and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo, Bob Marley’s mother Mrs. Booker, and Princess Mary, granddaughter of Emperor Haile Selassie. ~Palm Pictures44Tag Target (>10)91552http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/u50593jew10.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Africa_Unite/325558/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_Best_Movie_Lists_DVD_giveaway/563/39354/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Dr_Gor
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 1/10/2009 11:26:46 PM
Body: [quote user="spout"] Win five DVDs from indie studio Palm Pictures.It's easy: Reply to this thread with one of your Spout lists. Choose a list you like. "Want to see it" lists serve a purpose, but let's face it -- nobody reads them for fun. Some good list examples are Man-made Disasters, Top 5 Movies about Friendship, or Post-Collegiate Existential Dilemmas. Never made a list before? Click the "Add to lists" link at the top of this page. There you can title a list, then add movies to it by clicking the "Add to lists" link on the movie pages. Send any questions about building lists to all@spout.com. Check back here on 1/16 to see if you've won! The DVDs 1. 13 Tzameti - Watch the trailer. A young man is caught in a perverse gambling match, and he'll need more than luck to survive. It's on Leeroy's list The Secret Society. 2. Clean - Watch the trailer. When a TV host's husband OD's, she attempts to escape her own addiction. It's on puhnner's list See this one. 3. Wondrous Oblivion - Watch the trailer. A coming-of-age story set in 1960s London. A boy has to choose between loyalty to his friends and the acceptance of his prejudiced neighbors. 4. The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things - Watch the trailer. A young boy bounces among foster homes and into the care of his drug-addict/prostitute mother. Included on Queer Cinema's list Transvestism in film. 5. Africa Unite or You're Gonna Miss Me - Winners get to choose the film that looks more interesting. Africa Unite: A Celebration of Bob Marley's Vision is a concert film and humanitarian documentary. Watch the trailer. You're Gonna Miss Me: A film about Roky Erickson looks at Roky's far-reaching influence on rock music and his struggle with schizophrenia. On FilmCouch's list The Tortured Artist. Watch the trailer. [/quote] Here is a list of mine that is short and sweet... List of Extreme Films by Extreme Cinema - Movie & Film Lists - Spout
]]>Sun, 11 Jan 2009 04:26:46 GMTDr_GorFilmgaming1/10/2009 11:26:46 PM[quote user="spout"] Win five DVDs from indie studio Palm Pictures.It's easy: Reply to this thread with one of your Spout lists. Choose a list you like. "Want to see it" lists serve a purpose, but let's face it -- nobody reads them for fun. Some good list examples are Man-made Disasters, Top 5 Movies about Friendship, or Post-Collegiate Existential Dilemmas. Never made a list before? Click the "Add to lists" link at the top of this page. There you can title a list, then add movies to it by clicking the "Add to lists" link on the movie pages. Send any questions about building lists to all@spout.com. Check back here on 1/16 to see if you've won! The DVDs 1. 13 Tzameti - Watch the trailer. A young man is caught in a perverse gambling match, and he'll need more than luck to survive. It's on Leeroy's list The Secret Society. 2. Clean - Watch the trailer. When a TV host's husband OD's, she attempts to escape her own addiction. It's on puhnner's list See this one. 3. Wondrous Oblivion - Watch the trailer. A coming-of-age story set in 1960s London. A boy has to choose between loyalty to his friends and the acceptance of his prejudiced neighbors. 4. The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things - Watch the trailer. A young boy bounces among foster homes and into the care of his drug-addict/prostitute mother. Included on Queer Cinema's list Transvestism in film. 5. Africa Unite or You're Gonna Miss Me - Winners get to choose the film that looks more interesting. Africa Unite: A Celebration of Bob Marley's Vision is a concert film and humanitarian documentary. Watch the trailer. You're Gonna Miss Me: A film about Roky Erickson looks at Roky's far-reaching influence on rock music and his struggle with schizophrenia. On FilmCouch's list The Tortured Artist. Watch the trailer. [/quote] Here is a list of mine that is short and sweet... List of Extreme Films by Extreme Cinema - Movie &amp; Film Lists - Spout http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_Best_Movie_Lists_DVD_giveaway/563/39217/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: laurakewl
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 1/7/2009 4:45:15 PM
Body: [quote user="spout"] Win five DVDs from indie studio Palm Pictures.It's easy: Reply to this thread with one of your Spout lists. Choose a list you like. "Want to see it" lists serve a purpose, but let's face it -- nobody reads them for fun. Some good list examples are Man-made Disasters, Top 5 Movies about Friendship, or Post-Collegiate Existential Dilemmas. Never made a list before? Click the "Add to lists" link at the top of this page. There you can title a list, then add movies to it by clicking the "Add to lists" link on the movie pages. Send any questions about building lists to all@spout.com. Check back here on 1/16 to see if you've won! The DVDs 1. 13 Tzameti - Watch the trailer. A young man is caught in a perverse gambling match, and he'll need more than luck to survive. It's on Leeroy's list The Secret Society. 2. Clean - Watch the trailer. When a TV host's husband OD's, she attempts to escape her own addiction. It's on puhnner's list See this one. 3. Wondrous Oblivion - Watch the trailer. A coming-of-age story set in 1960s London. A boy has to choose between loyalty to his friends and the acceptance of his prejudiced neighbors. 4. The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things - Watch the trailer. A young boy bounces among foster homes and into the care of his drug-addict/prostitute mother. Included on Queer Cinema's list Transvestism in film. 5. Africa Unite or You're Gonna Miss Me - Winners get to choose the film that looks more interesting. Africa Unite: A Celebration of Bob Marley's Vision is a concert film and humanitarian documentary. Watch the trailer. You're Gonna Miss Me: A film about Roky Erickson looks at Roky's far-reaching influence on rock music and his struggle with schizophrenia. On FilmCouch's list The Tortured Artist. Watch the trailer. [/quote]
]]>Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:45:15 GMTlaurakewlFilmgaming1/7/2009 4:45:15 PM[quote user="spout"] Win five DVDs from indie studio Palm Pictures.It's easy: Reply to this thread with one of your Spout lists. Choose a list you like. "Want to see it" lists serve a purpose, but let's face it -- nobody reads them for fun. Some good list examples are Man-made Disasters, Top 5 Movies about Friendship, or Post-Collegiate Existential Dilemmas. Never made a list before? Click the "Add to lists" link at the top of this page. There you can title a list, then add movies to it by clicking the "Add to lists" link on the movie pages. Send any questions about building lists to all@spout.com. Check back here on 1/16 to see if you've won! The DVDs 1. 13 Tzameti - Watch the trailer. A young man is caught in a perverse gambling match, and he'll need more than luck to survive. It's on Leeroy's list The Secret Society. 2. Clean - Watch the trailer. When a TV host's husband OD's, she attempts to escape her own addiction. It's on puhnner's list See this one. 3. Wondrous Oblivion - Watch the trailer. A coming-of-age story set in 1960s London. A boy has to choose between loyalty to his friends and the acceptance of his prejudiced neighbors. 4. The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things - Watch the trailer. A young boy bounces among foster homes and into the care of his drug-addict/prostitute mother. Included on Queer Cinema's list Transvestism in film. 5. Africa Unite or You're Gonna Miss Me - Winners get to choose the film that looks more interesting. Africa Unite: A Celebration of Bob Marley's Vision is a concert film and humanitarian documentary. Watch the trailer. You're Gonna Miss Me: A film about Roky Erickson looks at Roky's far-reaching influence on rock music and his struggle with schizophrenia. On FilmCouch's list The Tortured Artist. Watch the trailer. [/quote] http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Best_Movie_Lists_DVD_giveaway/563/39094/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: spout
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 1/5/2009 12:23:44 PM
Body: Want to win five DVD's? It's easy: Reply to this thread with one of your Spout lists. Choose a list you like. "Want to see it" lists serve a purpose, but let's face it -- nobody reads them for fun. Some good list examples are Man-made Disasters, Top 5 Movies about Friendship, or Post-Collegiate Existential Dilemmas. Never made a list before? Click the "Add to lists" link at the top of this page. There you can title a list, then add movies to it by clicking the "Add to lists" link on the movie pages. Send any questions about building lists to all@spout.com. Check back here on 1/16 to see if you've won! The DVDs 1. 13 Tzameti - Watch the trailer. A young man is caught in a perverse gambling match, and he'll need more than luck to survive. It's on Leeroy's list The Secret Society. 2. Clean - Watch the trailer. When a TV host's husband OD's, she attempts to escape her own addiction. It's on puhnner's list See this one. 3. Wondrous Oblivion - Watch the trailer. A coming-of-age story set in 1960s London. A boy has to choose between loyalty to his friends and the acceptance of his prejudiced neighbors. 4. The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things - Watch the trailer. A young boy bounces among foster homes and into the care of his drug-addict/prostitute mother. Included on Queer Cinema's list Transvestism in film. 5. Africa Unite or You're Gonna Miss Me - Winners get to choose the film that looks more interesting. Africa Unite: A Celebration of Bob Marley's Vision is a concert film and humanitarian documentary. Watch the trailer. You're Gonna Miss Me: A film about Roky Erickson looks at Roky's far-reaching influence on rock music and his struggle with schizophrenia. On FilmCouch's list The Tortured Artist. Watch the trailer.
]]>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:23:44 GMTspoutFilmgaming1/5/2009 12:23:44 PMWant to win five DVD's? It's easy: Reply to this thread with one of your Spout lists. Choose a list you like. "Want to see it" lists serve a purpose, but let's face it -- nobody reads them for fun. Some good list examples are Man-made Disasters, Top 5 Movies about Friendship, or Post-Collegiate Existential Dilemmas. Never made a list before? Click the "Add to lists" link at the top of this page. There you can title a list, then add movies to it by clicking the "Add to lists" link on the movie pages. Send any questions about building lists to all@spout.com. Check back here on 1/16 to see if you've won! The DVDs 1. 13 Tzameti - Watch the trailer. A young man is caught in a perverse gambling match, and he'll need more than luck to survive. It's on Leeroy's list The Secret Society. 2. Clean - Watch the trailer. When a TV host's husband OD's, she attempts to escape her own addiction. It's on puhnner's list See this one. 3. Wondrous Oblivion - Watch the trailer. A coming-of-age story set in 1960s London. A boy has to choose between loyalty to his friends and the acceptance of his prejudiced neighbors. 4. The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things - Watch the trailer. A young boy bounces among foster homes and into the care of his drug-addict/prostitute mother. Included on Queer Cinema's list Transvestism in film. 5. Africa Unite or You're Gonna Miss Me - Winners get to choose the film that looks more interesting. Africa Unite: A Celebration of Bob Marley's Vision is a concert film and humanitarian documentary. Watch the trailer. You're Gonna Miss Me: A film about Roky Erickson looks at Roky's far-reaching influence on rock music and his struggle with schizophrenia. On FilmCouch's list The Tortured Artist. Watch the trailer. http://www.spout.com/blogs/vhsparrow/archive/2008/6/25/31675.aspx Post By: vhsparrow
Post To: vhsparrow Blog
Post Date: 6/25/2008 3:18:14 PM
Body: This film is a strange confab of celebrity travel souvenir and retrospective of the Rastafarian movement on the occasion of Bob Marley’s 60th birthday. Much of the surviving Marley clan is featured here — Ziggy, Rita, Cedelia, Damian and Julian — there’s music and interviews. And more interviews — interviews with lots of people who just happened to show up for Bob’s birthday celebration down in Ethiopia. There’s Danny Glover, Angelique Kidjo, Lauren Hill and others but the participants here seem to be fighting over Marley’s legacy as much as celebrating it. But the title of the film is ‘Africa Unite’ and NOT ‘A Posthumous Celebration of Bob Marley’s 60th Birthday’. Though the film doesn’t come together as a cohesive narratve or a document of an important event, it does feature a few good, informative moments for people unfamiliar with Marley and/or the Rastafarian movement. Notably, Haile Selassie’s 1963 address to the U.N. and the pan-African movement are addressed after the 2nd half-hour, the same speech that Marley put to music and recorded as the song “War“. But the relationship of these celebrities and the search for human rights, cultural development and education get somewhat muddled as the filmmakers wander back and forth from hotel conference-rooms to the streets of Addis Ababa apparently seeking some sort of grilled-cheese manifestation of the departed musician. There’s plenty of archival footage and information about Haile Selassie, but those who are really interested in the subculture and Marley’s impact might do better to see Jeremy Marre’s ‘Rebel Music‘ (2001), Awake Zion (2005), The Promised Ship (2000) or any of the many Wailers concert videos.
]]>Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:18:14 GMTvhsparrowvhsparrow Blog6/25/2008 3:18:14 PMThis film is a strange confab of celebrity travel souvenir and retrospective of the Rastafarian movement on the occasion of Bob Marley&rsquo;s 60th birthday. Much of the surviving Marley clan is featured here &mdash; Ziggy, Rita, Cedelia, Damian and Julian &mdash; there&rsquo;s music and interviews. And more interviews &mdash; interviews with lots of people who just happened to show up for Bob&rsquo;s birthday celebration down in Ethiopia. There&rsquo;s Danny Glover, Angelique Kidjo, Lauren Hill and others but the participants here seem to be fighting over Marley&rsquo;s legacy as much as celebrating it. But the title of the film is &lsquo;Africa Unite&rsquo; and NOT &lsquo;A Posthumous Celebration of Bob Marley&rsquo;s 60th Birthday&rsquo;. Though the film doesn&rsquo;t come together as a cohesive narratve or a document of an important event, it does feature a few good, informative moments for people unfamiliar with Marley and/or the Rastafarian movement. Notably, Haile Selassie&rsquo;s 1963 address to the U.N. and the pan-African movement are addressed after the 2nd half-hour, the same speech that Marley put to music and recorded as the song &ldquo;War&ldquo;. But the relationship of these celebrities and the search for human rights, cultural development and education get somewhat muddled as the filmmakers wander back and forth from hotel conference-rooms to the streets of Addis Ababa apparently seeking some sort of grilled-cheese manifestation of the departed musician. There&rsquo;s plenty of archival footage and information about Haile Selassie, but those who are really interested in the subculture and Marley&rsquo;s impact might do better to see Jeremy Marre&rsquo;s &lsquo;Rebel Music&lsquo; (2001), Awake Zion (2005), The Promised Ship (2000) or any of the many Wailers concert videos. http://www.spout.com/blogs/smooth_j/archive/2008/6/2/30361.aspx Post By: Smooth_J
Post To: Smooth_J Blog
Post Date: 6/2/2008 9:50:45 PM
Body: It should be duly mentioned that I have a very deep respect for the intentions of this film. Africa needs to get out of the gutter and start cooperating with each other, and stop thinking that they are helpless and need western support. It is a perfectly relevant message, and the film gets it across pretty well...I just didn't like the movie. As a film, it cannot seem to decide what it is. It attempts to be a tribute to Bob Marley. It attempts to document how important Ethiopia is for the Rastafarian faith. It nobly tries to be a humanitarian doc worthy of a social studies class in trying to portray very U.N., very P.C. ideas towards the ultimate benefits of the unification of Africa. But unfortunately, it doesn't really deliver fully on any of these fronts, making it difficult to really respect the film. There are some powerful ideas present, and some very cool ideas put forth by the students shown for only about half of the film. But the fact that the students are really only present and shown in half of the film really demonstrates how indecisive the movie really is; it needs to at least stick with a topic long enough to make the viewer care about it if they are not already a bleeding-heart African activist. The film does have a lot of interests to keep in mind: it needs to please the people who will buy the film simply for the fact that it has Bob Marley footage, it needs to please humanitarian activists in presenting it's "Africa Unite" ideas, and it needs to provide at least basic information on the Rasta religion that every idea in the film is so deeply rooted in. The film achieves its greatest successes when chronicling the history and importance of the Rastafarian religion in showing a 70 year-old Jamaican man and his pilgrimage to Ethiopia to see the concert. This man, a strong looking old man with long, gray, fuzzy dreadlocks, gets the most sympathy and important screen time of anyone exemplified in the entire movie. It is especially touching when he comes to the church of his religion, and cries whilst reciting a psalm that they say back in Jamaica. As for the actual film-making, it is an extremely sloppy movie. For some reason, director Stephanie Black feels the need to use some sort of slow-shutter or slow-motion on the camera for about 50% of the film. It is almost agonizingly frustrating, since it doesn't even heighten the "cool" effect of ANY of the sequences, it just makes the film look like a crappy home movie. Also, many of the discussions and debates between the young kids are cut very short, not providing enough time to really see the insight and passion that is so clearly present in each and every one of them. Even the interviews with Damien and Ziggy are cut tragically short, and you really don't see much of them personally throughout the movie--most of their screen time is just in their musical performances. The presence of the very graceful Danny Glover is welcomed in a few infuriatingly short scenes; however, I do realize that his overall presence would take a lot away from the film as a whole. The musical performances are outstanding, even if you're not a huge fan of reggae music, but even they are cut short at the worst times, making the movie very hard to actually get into, since you feel as though it would be so much more interesting just to watch the concert footage. In summation, I would like to mention the one scene in the film that I found to be quite beautiful and very memorable, and it comes towards the end. It consists of black-and-white archival footage of Bob Marley sitting on a rock in some seemingly remote spring, with various shots of a small cascading waterfall. Bob seems to just be reflecting, taking the world in, and then smiles and runs over to the camera. Narration about his legacy is played the entire time, as Bob sits on a rock and (FINALLY) is shown smoking a joint. It is a potent, evocative sequence, the one scene in the film that I found to truly demonstrate his undying legacy. Too bad most of the film was squeamish and uninteresting.
]]>Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:50:45 GMTSmooth_JSmooth_J Blog6/2/2008 9:50:45 PMIt should be duly mentioned that I have a very deep respect for the intentions of this film. Africa needs to get out of the gutter and start cooperating with each other, and stop thinking that they are helpless and need western support. It is a perfectly relevant message, and the film gets it across pretty well...I just didn't like the movie. As a film, it cannot seem to decide what it is. It attempts to be a tribute to Bob Marley. It attempts to document how important Ethiopia is for the Rastafarian faith. It nobly tries to be a humanitarian doc worthy of a social studies class in trying to portray very U.N., very P.C. ideas towards the ultimate benefits of the unification of Africa. But unfortunately, it doesn't really deliver fully on any of these fronts, making it difficult to really respect the film. There are some powerful ideas present, and some very cool ideas put forth by the students shown for only about half of the film. But the fact that the students are really only present and shown in half of the film really demonstrates how indecisive the movie really is; it needs to at least stick with a topic long enough to make the viewer care about it if they are not already a bleeding-heart African activist. The film does have a lot of interests to keep in mind: it needs to please the people who will buy the film simply for the fact that it has Bob Marley footage, it needs to please humanitarian activists in presenting it's "Africa Unite" ideas, and it needs to provide at least basic information on the Rasta religion that every idea in the film is so deeply rooted in. The film achieves its greatest successes when chronicling the history and importance of the Rastafarian religion in showing a 70 year-old Jamaican man and his pilgrimage to Ethiopia to see the concert. This man, a strong looking old man with long, gray, fuzzy dreadlocks, gets the most sympathy and important screen time of anyone exemplified in the entire movie. It is especially touching when he comes to the church of his religion, and cries whilst reciting a psalm that they say back in Jamaica. As for the actual film-making, it is an extremely sloppy movie. For some reason, director Stephanie Black feels the need to use some sort of slow-shutter or slow-motion on the camera for about 50% of the film. It is almost agonizingly frustrating, since it doesn't even heighten the "cool" effect of ANY of the sequences, it just makes the film look like a crappy home movie. Also, many of the discussions and debates between the young kids are cut very short, not providing enough time to really see the insight and passion that is so clearly present in each and every one of them. Even the interviews with Damien and Ziggy are cut tragically short, and you really don't see much of them personally throughout the movie--most of their screen time is just in their musical performances. The presence of the very graceful Danny Glover is welcomed in a few infuriatingly short scenes; however, I do realize that his overall presence would take a lot away from the film as a whole. The musical performances are outstanding, even if you're not a huge fan of reggae music, but even they are cut short at the worst times, making the movie very hard to actually get into, since you feel as though it would be so much more interesting just to watch the concert footage. In summation, I would like to mention the one scene in the film that I found to be quite beautiful and very memorable, and it comes towards the end. It consists of black-and-white archival footage of Bob Marley sitting on a rock in some seemingly remote spring, with various shots of a small cascading waterfall. Bob seems to just be reflecting, taking the world in, and then smiles and runs over to the camera. Narration about his legacy is played the entire time, as Bob sits on a rock and (FINALLY) is shown smoking a joint. It is a potent, evocative sequence, the one scene in the film that I found to truly demonstrate his undying legacy. Too bad most of the film was squeamish and uninteresting. http://www.spout.com/groups/Spout_Mavens/Re_Africa_Unite/366/29421/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: kungfu-koala
Post To: Spout Mavens
Post Date: 5/18/2008 2:33:03 PM
Body: Africa Unite (2007) Normally the mention of Africa in conversation invokes many different visuals. All the childhood dreams of actually going to Africa to see the amazing people and beautiful wildlife have now been overshadowed by the current affairs of the continent. A continent that continues to suffer from decades of exploitation by the wealthy. Where humans have been sacrificed for the pursuit of profit and now ad campaigns selling products in order to help people be socially conscious. Read more on my film blog
]]>Sun, 18 May 2008 18:33:03 GMTkungfu-koalaSpout Mavens5/18/2008 2:33:03 PMAfrica Unite (2007) Normally the mention of Africa in conversation invokes many different visuals. All the childhood dreams of actually going to Africa to see the amazing people and beautiful wildlife have now been overshadowed by the current affairs of the continent. A continent that continues to suffer from decades of exploitation by the wealthy. Where humans have been sacrificed for the pursuit of profit and now ad campaigns selling products in order to help people be socially conscious. Read more on my film blog http://www.spout.com/blogs/kungfu-koala/archive/2008/5/18/29418.aspx Post By: kungfu-koala
Post To: kungfu-koala Blog
Post Date: 5/18/2008 2:21:15 PM
Body: Normally the mention of Africa in conversation invokes many different visuals. All the childhood dreams of actually going to Africa to see the amazing people and beautiful wildlife have now been overshadowed by the current affairs of the continent. A continent that continues to suffer from decades of exploitation by the wealthy. Where humans have been sacrificed for the pursuit of profit and now ad campaigns selling products in order to help people be socially conscious. Stephanie Black a director of Life and Debt and H-2 Worker shares her vision of a continent that continues to take on an uphill battle to unify the nations of Africa in order to free Africans and provide them with a promising future. Stephanie follows the Marley family on their first trip to the capital of Ethiopia for the celebration of their father Bob Marley's 60th birthday and to perform in the concert Africa Unite. A concert providing inspiration to bring Africa together to fight against the struggles it faces and to remember a dream of Emperor Haile Salessie I. The film begins to tell a story of Bob Marley's dream through his family members and the songs they perform of his during the concert. A few interviews from the Wailers provides a great insight to Bob's vision and a journey with the family through the capital shares how much of an inspiration Bob was to his family and a generation of Rastafarian's. While on this journey the family is accompanied by an elderly Rastafarian who never dreamed of actually visiting Zion. Through his enthusiasm the story of being a Rasta is revealed through the history of Emperor Haile Salessie I who stood against the wealthiest nations to ensure his people would be free of colonialism. Unfortunately, at times the movie feel some of the more important messages of the story are over-shadowed by the fame of Bob Marley. The message of a generation who is inspired by new musicians such as Angelique Kidjo and the lyrics of the late Bob Marley. But, ultimately have to bring Unity to their people in order to solve Africa's problems. A story that speaks of these issues, but only touches the surface. Was this a tactic to draw a larger crowd by focusing on Bob Marley's birthday celebration? Maybe. However, the inspiring story of Emperor Haile Salessie I and the compelling speeches he delivered shed light on what it means to be a Rastafarian and a glimpse into what inspires a new generation of Africans. Even though the story only touches the surface of Africa's issues it does offer inspiration to a continent that continues to suffer under the wealthiest of nations and corporations. A youthful voice working to create a better future with inspiring words from A story of a fight towards unity, peace, freedom, and equality amongst the nations of the world. An inspiring concert and a generation who wishes to no longer ignore the injustices of the World Bank, corporations, and nations of wealth. A country that wishes to truly be free and to take responsibility for their own actions as a unified nation. A continent that inspired artists such as Bob Marley to raise their voice on issues ignored by most and end up in the back sections of newspapers around the world. All-in-all Stephanie Black tells an inspiring story of hope that spans for generations. A story that will eventually unfold with great triumph and move a continent from oppression to the forefront of global politics and equality. Africa Unite may over-shadow major issues with a celebrity icon, but shares a great vision that should be seen.
]]>Sun, 18 May 2008 18:21:15 GMTkungfu-koalakungfu-koala Blog5/18/2008 2:21:15 PMNormally the mention of Africa in conversation invokes many different visuals. All the childhood dreams of actually going to Africa to see the amazing people and beautiful wildlife have now been overshadowed by the current affairs of the continent. A continent that continues to suffer from decades of exploitation by the wealthy. Where humans have been sacrificed for the pursuit of profit and now ad campaigns selling products in order to help people be socially conscious. Stephanie Black a director of Life and Debt and H-2 Worker shares her vision of a continent that continues to take on an uphill battle to unify the nations of Africa in order to free Africans and provide them with a promising future. Stephanie follows the Marley family on their first trip to the capital of Ethiopia for the celebration of their father Bob Marley's 60th birthday and to perform in the concert Africa Unite. A concert providing inspiration to bring Africa together to fight against the struggles it faces and to remember a dream of Emperor Haile Salessie I. The film begins to tell a story of Bob Marley's dream through his family members and the songs they perform of his during the concert. A few interviews from the Wailers provides a great insight to Bob's vision and a journey with the family through the capital shares how much of an inspiration Bob was to his family and a generation of Rastafarian's. While on this journey the family is accompanied by an elderly Rastafarian who never dreamed of actually visiting Zion. Through his enthusiasm the story of being a Rasta is revealed through the history of Emperor Haile Salessie I who stood against the wealthiest nations to ensure his people would be free of colonialism. Unfortunately, at times the movie feel some of the more important messages of the story are over-shadowed by the fame of Bob Marley. The message of a generation who is inspired by new musicians such as Angelique Kidjo and the lyrics of the late Bob Marley. But, ultimately have to bring Unity to their people in order to solve Africa's problems. A story that speaks of these issues, but only touches the surface. Was this a tactic to draw a larger crowd by focusing on Bob Marley's birthday celebration? Maybe. However, the inspiring story of Emperor Haile Salessie I and the compelling speeches he delivered shed light on what it means to be a Rastafarian and a glimpse into what inspires a new generation of Africans. Even though the story only touches the surface of Africa's issues it does offer inspiration to a continent that continues to suffer under the wealthiest of nations and corporations. A youthful voice working to create a better future with inspiring words from A story of a fight towards unity, peace, freedom, and equality amongst the nations of the world. An inspiring concert and a generation who wishes to no longer ignore the injustices of the World Bank, corporations, and nations of wealth. A country that wishes to truly be free and to take responsibility for their own actions as a unified nation. A continent that inspired artists such as Bob Marley to raise their voice on issues ignored by most and end up in the back sections of newspapers around the world. All-in-all Stephanie Black tells an inspiring story of hope that spans for generations. A story that will eventually unfold with great triumph and move a continent from oppression to the forefront of global politics and equality. Africa Unite may over-shadow major issues with a celebrity icon, but shares a great vision that should be seen. http://www.spout.com/blogs/minerwerks/archive/2008/5/4/28159.aspx Post By: minerwerks
Post To: minerwerks Blog
Post Date: 5/4/2008 7:04:21 PM
Body: The overdue reviews of two DVDs sent to me by Spout: "Out of Balance" and "Africa Unite." At a recent film screening I attended, an audience questioned the cast and crew, "Was that a movie or a message?"The surprisingly appropriate reply from an actor was, "What is a movie BUT a message?" In recent years, we have seen the venues for self-expression blossom, and among the various clutter out there, determined people with a message have found ways to break through. Two documentaries I viewed rely to some extent on the portable camera to collect material for their stories.The first of these is "Out of Balance," subtitled as "ExxonMobil's Impact on Climate Change." Writer/Director/Narrator Tom Jackson takes viewers through the basics of climate science and global warming before moving on to the corporate actions of ExxonMobil to vaunt public image and profits over public responsibility. The documentary relies on the modern approach epitomized by the works of Michael Moore, with the documentarian taking a central role in the proceedings and linking his personal story to a larger issue. Unlike Michael Moore, however, Jackson hasn't succeeded in developing a structure that engages the viewer's emotions. Outside of the open and close, the bulk of the film is a standard talking-head/fact-and-figure affair, admittedly with a strong roster of participants.What I appreciated about this doc was the early section that addresses the studies and data that lead to scientists' conclusions about global warming. This part does succeed in making the material accessible. The rest of the film unfortunately couldn't maintain my attention. When judging a documentary, I struggle with the question of how much my personal opinions of the subject should play into my critique. I'd hate to discourage people who have good ideas, but I am also offended by the idea of giving a pass on shoddy work because it means well. Ultimately, I believe a political documentary should strive to engage viewers who hold opposing viewpoints, and to reach those people, facts, figures and style must be extremely well thought out. This is not to say a film can't be partisan, but a conscious choice to do this suggests a filmmaker knows he is likely to be criticized and should be prepared. Unfortunately, "Out of Balance" just barely rises above the norm for the grassroots political docs exemplified by Robert Greenwald's "Outfoxed" and "Uncovered: The War on Iraq." Most of the auxiliary graphics are extremely basic and illustrations are poorly integrated with the interviews. In the end, "Out of Balance" is just average, and therefore probably will only reach sympathetic audiences.A slightly better example of documentary is "Africa Unite," billed as "A Celebration of Bob Marley's Vision." At first glance, this appeared to be a record of a 2005 concert that both commemorated Bob Marley's 60th birthday and encouraged the uniting of the African nations. The film actually succeeds, oddly enough, by relegating the concert to a lower priority in the mix.Early on, "Africa Unite" follows several delegates and attendees that made their way to Ethiopia for a conference on African unity. As the film slides sideways into the issue, it becomes a compelling chronicle on the history of Rastafari, the movement made famous worldwide by Bob Marley. While not explicitly a Rasta documentary, "Africa Unite" operates from the viewpoint of the Rastas, who believe in the divinity of Haile Selassie, former ruler of Ethiopia, as he was the sole native ruler on a continent that had fallen prey to European colonialism. The film's view of Ethiopia is reverential, dwelling on the spiritual significance of the country and some locations within. These angles are most compellingly personified in a 70 year-old named Bongo Tawney, who makes his way to the celebration from Jamaica. The filmmaker also makes clear the connections between Selassie and the political content in Bob Marley's music. In possibly the best sequence, we see how a speech by Selassie inspired one of Marley's most famous songs, seamlessly transitioning to the contemporary concert where one of Marley's sons continues the performance.In the quest for the positive message, "Africa Unite" tends to ignore the unrest that pervades many parts of the continent. In a way, I can't blame the film, because ultimately, the people who travelled to Ethiopia - itself an unstable country - came to honestly seek answers and guidance on how to be good neighbors. The goal is not to convince the uncertain or profile the hurdles the activists face. The film is about the vision.The vision is persuasive, but unfortunately, not all elements of "Africa Unite" are working together positively. Several different types of cameras captured the modern-day footage of the events, and occasionally this clash is incredibly distracting. Adding to the disconnect are many handheld shots that indicate a complete lack of skill on the behalf of the camera operator. Many of the decent shots are marred by a horrible strobe-like effect that makes movements blurry and jumpy. This is something that should simply never be applied to handheld footage. The effect continues in many of the concert scenes, exaggerated by scattershot cutting. At one point, I felt sorry for UN Goodwill Ambassador Danny Glover being shot handheld, in profile, with a strobe effect applied. To make matters worse, a flickering lightbulb could be seen over his shoulder. His family probably has home movies that blow this away.Being someone who doesn't really get into reggae music or Bob Marley, I have to admit that I found "Africa Unite" more interesting than expected. This is probably due to the fact that there is more political content than musical content. For those disappointed by hearing this, the screener DVD promises the regular version will include 45 minutes of the concert as a bonus. But I also warn anyone looking for a cogent analysis of the political environment in Africa. It's only alluded to occasionally here. The message, you see, is hope.
]]>Sun, 04 May 2008 23:04:21 GMTminerwerksminerwerks Blog5/4/2008 7:04:21 PMThe overdue reviews of two DVDs sent to me by Spout: "Out of Balance" and "Africa Unite." At a recent film screening I attended, an audience questioned the cast and crew, "Was that a movie or a message?"The surprisingly appropriate reply from an actor was, "What is a movie BUT a message?" In recent years, we have seen the venues for self-expression blossom, and among the various clutter out there, determined people with a message have found ways to break through. Two documentaries I viewed rely to some extent on the portable camera to collect material for their stories.The first of these is "Out of Balance," subtitled as "ExxonMobil's Impact on Climate Change." Writer/Director/Narrator Tom Jackson takes viewers through the basics of climate science and global warming before moving on to the corporate actions of ExxonMobil to vaunt public image and profits over public responsibility. The documentary relies on the modern approach epitomized by the works of Michael Moore, with the documentarian taking a central role in the proceedings and linking his personal story to a larger issue. Unlike Michael Moore, however, Jackson hasn't succeeded in developing a structure that engages the viewer's emotions. Outside of the open and close, the bulk of the film is a standard talking-head/fact-and-figure affair, admittedly with a strong roster of participants.What I appreciated about this doc was the early section that addresses the studies and data that lead to scientists' conclusions about global warming. This part does succeed in making the material accessible. The rest of the film unfortunately couldn't maintain my attention. When judging a documentary, I struggle with the question of how much my personal opinions of the subject should play into my critique. I'd hate to discourage people who have good ideas, but I am also offended by the idea of giving a pass on shoddy work because it means well. Ultimately, I believe a political documentary should strive to engage viewers who hold opposing viewpoints, and to reach those people, facts, figures and style must be extremely well thought out. This is not to say a film can't be partisan, but a conscious choice to do this suggests a filmmaker knows he is likely to be criticized and should be prepared. Unfortunately, "Out of Balance" just barely rises above the norm for the grassroots political docs exemplified by Robert Greenwald's "Outfoxed" and "Uncovered: The War on Iraq." Most of the auxiliary graphics are extremely basic and illustrations are poorly integrated with the interviews. In the end, "Out of Balance" is just average, and therefore probably will only reach sympathetic audiences.A slightly better example of documentary is "Africa Unite," billed as "A Celebration of Bob Marley's Vision." At first glance, this appeared to be a record of a 2005 concert that both commemorated Bob Marley's 60th birthday and encouraged the uniting of the African nations. The film actually succeeds, oddly enough, by relegating the concert to a lower priority in the mix.Early on, "Africa Unite" follows several delegates and attendees that made their way to Ethiopia for a conference on African unity. As the film slides sideways into the issue, it becomes a compelling chronicle on the history of Rastafari, the movement made famous worldwide by Bob Marley. While not explicitly a Rasta documentary, "Africa Unite" operates from the viewpoint of the Rastas, who believe in the divinity of Haile Selassie, former ruler of Ethiopia, as he was the sole native ruler on a continent that had fallen prey to European colonialism. The film's view of Ethiopia is reverential, dwelling on the spiritual significance of the country and some locations within. These angles are most compellingly personified in a 70 year-old named Bongo Tawney, who makes his way to the celebration from Jamaica. The filmmaker also makes clear the connections between Selassie and the political content in Bob Marley's music. In possibly the best sequence, we see how a speech by Selassie inspired one of Marley's most famous songs, seamlessly transitioning to the contemporary concert where one of Marley's sons continues the performance.In the quest for the positive message, "Africa Unite" tends to ignore the unrest that pervades many parts of the continent. In a way, I can't blame the film, because ultimately, the people who travelled to Ethiopia - itself an unstable country - came to honestly seek answers and guidance on how to be good neighbors. The goal is not to convince the uncertain or profile the hurdles the activists face. The film is about the vision.The vision is persuasive, but unfortunately, not all elements of "Africa Unite" are working together positively. Several different types of cameras captured the modern-day footage of the events, and occasionally this clash is incredibly distracting. Adding to the disconnect are many handheld shots that indicate a complete lack of skill on the behalf of the camera operator. Many of the decent shots are marred by a horrible strobe-like effect that makes movements blurry and jumpy. This is something that should simply never be applied to handheld footage. The effect continues in many of the concert scenes, exaggerated by scattershot cutting. At one point, I felt sorry for UN Goodwill Ambassador Danny Glover being shot handheld, in profile, with a strobe effect applied. To make matters worse, a flickering lightbulb could be seen over his shoulder. His family probably has home movies that blow this away.Being someone who doesn't really get into reggae music or Bob Marley, I have to admit that I found "Africa Unite" more interesting than expected. This is probably due to the fact that there is more political content than musical content. For those disappointed by hearing this, the screener DVD promises the regular version will include 45 minutes of the concert as a bonus. But I also warn anyone looking for a cogent analysis of the political environment in Africa. It's only alluded to occasionally here. The message, you see, is hope. http://www.spout.com/blogs/bigjefflebowski/archive/2008/3/31/26795.aspx Post By: BigJeffLebowski
Post To: BigJeffLebowski Blog
Post Date: 3/31/2008 5:19:50 PM
Body: Africa Unite is a film with noble intentions and a wealth of entertaining and enlightening material. As a documentary, it is a distilation of the annual summit of the same name, during which the musical and political legacy of Bob Marley is celebrated through song and symposium. Every year, ambassadors from across the world gather -- this particular time in Ethiopia, the birthplace of the Rastafari movement -- to engage in academic discourse with the intent of unifying the countries of Africa into one autonomous unit not unlike the United States of America. This goal was the main ideological message of Bob Marley's music, and as such, the summit is held in his honor and features renditions of his songs by a multitude of reggae's current luminaries, including his sons. That Bob Marley's message was inextricable from his music is sometimes lost on generations of casual fans who only know his songs from commercials and the "Legend" compilation. But to be sure, Marley was a tireless crusader for the reclaiming of Africa from the European nations who colonized it. Before Africa was divided by and distributed among the European powers in 1884, Ethiopia spanned the entire continent; following European encroachment, Ethiopia remained the only independent country in Africa, successfully defending itself against Italian invasion in 1896. In 1930, Haile Selassie I was crowned emperor of Ethiopia and gave voice to the movement of black Africans against imperial European rule. A descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Haile Selassie -- later known as Ras Tafari Mekonnen -- was believed by Rastafarians to be Jah, the true descendent of God and member of the Holy Trinity, and as such, Ethiopia was believed to be Zion. This is worth noting not only for historical purposes, but also because for many of those attending Africa Unite, the journey signified not only an academic symposium or a music festival, but a religious pilgrimage to the land granted them directly from God. This is best illustrated in the scenes following Bongo Tawney, a Rastafarian who travels for the first time to his motherland for the festival. To follow him from his home in Jamaica -- where as a youth he met Haile Selassie -- to the religious shrines of Ethiopia, one realizes the significance of Africa Unite. The music, which is likely to be the draw for most viewers, is merely at the service of the political and religious determinism at work within these procedings. "They say Rome was not built in a day," states Dr. Tajudeen Abdulrahim in one of the many political debates, "but the Romans were there to build it. Nobody will build this continent for us, we will build it for ourselves." And so it becomes apparent that Africa Unite is designed to make history, not simply to recognize it. The people who came did so not because they were fans of the musicians but because they felt it was their duty and their right to speak up against a social, political, and religious injustice which is still perpetrated to this day. That their individual voices can be heard and their plight discussed in depth is why Africa Unite succeeds as an event. As a film, however, it does suffer from wanting to have its cake and eat it too. In an effort to preserve the flavor of the event itself, director Stephanie Black jumps back and forth freely from musical performances to archival newsreels to roundtable discussions to travelogues of those in attendance. It gives you a great sense of the sheer scope of Africa Unite. But ultimately, because the film tries to cover so much ground in less than an hour and a half, it spreads itself a bit too thin and subsequently fails to fully satisfy as either a concert film or as an informative documentary. Of course, had Black chosen to document only the musical performances, the intent of Africa Unite would have been almost entirely lost. Conversely, a documentary about Africa's history or a less truncated record of the discussions and workshops presented at the symposium would appeal to a much smaller audience and would fail to spread the message of African unity very far beyond those who already champion such a goal. As such, it's hard to fault an eighty-nine minute film for failing to provide the full breadth of a multi day extravaganza. Perhaps we should just consider the words of Bongo Tawney: "I don't want nothing else from Rasta. I just put away the worldly things and put away the difference and just live love with people."
]]>Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:19:50 GMTBigJeffLebowskiBigJeffLebowski Blog3/31/2008 5:19:50 PMAfrica Unite is a film with noble intentions and a wealth of entertaining and enlightening material. As a documentary, it is a distilation of the annual summit of the same name, during which the musical and political legacy of Bob Marley is celebrated through song and symposium. Every year, ambassadors from across the world gather -- this particular time in Ethiopia, the birthplace of the Rastafari movement -- to engage in academic discourse with the intent of unifying the countries of Africa into one autonomous unit not unlike the United States of America. This goal was the main ideological message of Bob Marley's music, and as such, the summit is held in his honor and features renditions of his songs by a multitude of reggae's current luminaries, including his sons. That Bob Marley's message was inextricable from his music is sometimes lost on generations of casual fans who only know his songs from commercials and the "Legend" compilation. But to be sure, Marley was a tireless crusader for the reclaiming of Africa from the European nations who colonized it. Before Africa was divided by and distributed among the European powers in 1884, Ethiopia spanned the entire continent; following European encroachment, Ethiopia remained the only independent country in Africa, successfully defending itself against Italian invasion in 1896. In 1930, Haile Selassie I was crowned emperor of Ethiopia and gave voice to the movement of black Africans against imperial European rule. A descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Haile Selassie -- later known as Ras Tafari Mekonnen -- was believed by Rastafarians to be Jah, the true descendent of God and member of the Holy Trinity, and as such, Ethiopia was believed to be Zion. This is worth noting not only for historical purposes, but also because for many of those attending Africa Unite, the journey signified not only an academic symposium or a music festival, but a religious pilgrimage to the land granted them directly from God. This is best illustrated in the scenes following Bongo Tawney, a Rastafarian who travels for the first time to his motherland for the festival. To follow him from his home in Jamaica -- where as a youth he met Haile Selassie -- to the religious shrines of Ethiopia, one realizes the significance of Africa Unite. The music, which is likely to be the draw for most viewers, is merely at the service of the political and religious determinism at work within these procedings. "They say Rome was not built in a day," states Dr. Tajudeen Abdulrahim in one of the many political debates, "but the Romans were there to build it. Nobody will build this continent for us, we will build it for ourselves." And so it becomes apparent that Africa Unite is designed to make history, not simply to recognize it. The people who came did so not because they were fans of the musicians but because they felt it was their duty and their right to speak up against a social, political, and religious injustice which is still perpetrated to this day. That their individual voices can be heard and their plight discussed in depth is why Africa Unite succeeds as an event. As a film, however, it does suffer from wanting to have its cake and eat it too. In an effort to preserve the flavor of the event itself, director Stephanie Black jumps back and forth freely from musical performances to archival newsreels to roundtable discussions to travelogues of those in attendance. It gives you a great sense of the sheer scope of Africa Unite. But ultimately, because the film tries to cover so much ground in less than an hour and a half, it spreads itself a bit too thin and subsequently fails to fully satisfy as either a concert film or as an informative documentary. Of course, had Black chosen to document only the musical performances, the intent of Africa Unite would have been almost entirely lost. Conversely, a documentary about Africa's history or a less truncated record of the discussions and workshops presented at the symposium would appeal to a much smaller audience and would fail to spread the message of African unity very far beyond those who already champion such a goal. As such, it's hard to fault an eighty-nine minute film for failing to provide the full breadth of a multi day extravaganza. Perhaps we should just consider the words of Bongo Tawney: "I don't want nothing else from Rasta. I just put away the worldly things and put away the difference and just live love with people." http://www.spout.com/blogs/joem18b/archive/2008/3/28/26734.aspx Post By: joem18b
Post To: joem18b Blog
Post Date: 3/28/2008 10:03:51 PM
Body: Before beginning this review, a tip of the hat to sun dogs, aka parhelia, those common bright circular spots on a solar halo. Sun dogs are "an atmospheric optical phenomenon primarily associated with the reflection or refraction of sunlight by small ice crystals making up cirrus or cirrostratus clouds." Also, a little love for the Arizona Sundogs in the Central Hockey League and for a few favorite dog movies: snow dogs, rain dogs, desert dogs, moon dogs, straw dogs, stray dogs, reservoir dogs, dish dogs, lawn dogs, dead dogs, rabid dogs, chilly dogs, sleeping dogs, miracle dogs, road dogs, old dogs, dealing dogs, tap dogs, angry dogs, war dogs, catwalk dogs, deck dogs, top dogs, lost dogs, trinity dogs, urinoir dogs, bad dogs, barking dogs, fence dogs, devil dogs, gift dogs, good dogs, hot dogs, performing dogs, sea dogs, restricted dogs, society dogs, trained dogs, tokyo dogs, training dogs, wild dogs, zombie dogs, prairie dogs, and a dog's dog. And to note that Kingston is overrun with dogs. Dogs of all colors but of similar size. Dogs tough in body and in spirit; wary dogs, but not as wary as the cats; and hungry without exception. No other Caribbean island that I know of, and that includes the DR, has such a wealth of stray dogs. I don't remember seeing any at all on Trinidad or Barbados. There might be a thesis for someone in this. So. Sun Dogs. A documentary filmed in Jamaica, Minnesota, and Scotland. Stray dogs and huskies. Scenery. Socially responsible slum scenes. More scenery. Talking heads. Easy-listening and upbeat get-the-juices-flowing we're-having-fun it's-sunny-and-warm-down-here trust-what-you're watching Jamaican music. Accents. When is the last time you heard white folks talkin with heavy Jamaican accents? It's fun. More scenery. 90 minutes. First time out for the director of the film and for the director of photography. The director of photography did a swell job. About cynical movie reviews: The world is full of cynicism. It leaks into our lives. We can't avoid it. The demands of the 24/7 newscycle breed it, for example. In the world of cinema, a director starts out to make a movie - something caring and responsible, but also fun - a movie about saving a few strays, canine and human - a movie that might give Jamaica a little boost that it can surely use - and invariably some sorehead comes along and eyeballs the whole project and all the good work that it entails, and treats it as if it were some hack job with a (barely) hidden personal commercial agenda. If this sort of thing disturbs you as much as it does me, read no farther. Or further. But again, that beginning: Jamaica. Lush. A paradise. Happy tourists. But lots of poor Jamaicans. One of the poorest countries in the world. Wouldn't it be cool to gather up some stray dogs from the slums of Kingston and train them as sled dogs? There is a line between silly/stupid/entertaining and silly/stupid/toxic. Which side of that line are we on here? Assorted talking heads ensue, alternately dour and avuncular. "No harm done, no humans or animals injured during the making of this documentary. You will be entertained." Or, "Brudda, if you want a movie about the social ills of Jamaica, don't queue up a movie about dog sleds on wheels." Or is it that the first ten minutes of this movie are just utterly wrong? Is the director tone deaf? Is she oblivious to the dissonance created by juxtaposing a bunch of comfortable white guys talking about a crazy-but-fun idea with the sights and sounds of a nation of seriously freeped-up black Jamaicans? Saving a few strays who are left to represent the poor of the island by doing a little cart-pulling? Is this film like a movie made in a veteran's hospital, forgetting the amputees and brain-damaged patients while focusing on the pigeon-racing project out back? Is it like working for PETA in the middle of a holocaust? That is, is this a priority thing? Not to say that you can't collect stamps during a genocide, but if you want to make a philately documentary, please leave the death camps out of it. Whoa. Let's not go off the deep end here. Instead, let's just ignore the intro and restart 10 minutes in. But, no. At 20 minutes, we're back into it. The dogs go to school. Segue to problems with the education of children in Jamaica. Talking heads. But, hey, a lot of great closeups and, as mentioned above, I realize that I can't remember ever hearing heavy in-country Jamaican accents falling from Caucasian lips. It's like grandma acting rasta. Different. And horseback riding. Diverting. So just watch the damn movie and worry about the poor later? Take the ride? Dog interest, musher training, social conditions on the island, sledding as sport, Carribean history. A Jamaican pu pu platter of subjects. Sigh. I paused the movie to take a minute to find out who is who or whom here and why I should care, and why instead of righting social wrongs these old white guys are fooling around with dog sleds on wheels. In other words, sadly, I decided to follow the money. Some years ago, businessman Danny Melville (a guy with a John McCain vibe, I thought), the first old white guy to speak in the movie, tripped over a metal frame with wheels in a fabrication shop in Edmonton, Canada, while shopping for dune buggies. An employee in the shop told him that the thing was a snowless dog sled. Warm-weather dog sledding is picking up around the world because of global warming - rig racing, canicross, dog scootering, bikejoring - an ecological silver lining. Refer to my reviw of Out of Balance for more good news along these lines. Anyway, the notion of a Jamaican dog sled team came to Melville on the spot, as he tells it. With the success and noteriety of the Jamaican bobsled team in mind (Cool Runnings, the Calgary Olympics), Melville swung into action. We see him for the first time in Sun Dogs at the beginning of the movie, his idea implemented, dogcarts in action. Following that quick, upbeat, life-is-good montage of beautiful scenery and happy poverty-stricken island inhabitants that I noted, with a rousing Jamaican beat urging us to jump up and dance, Melville speaks with great earnestness about this crazy sled-dog idea of his, and then Jimmy Buffet pops up to endorse him, with a quick cut to Buffett performing in front of a crowd of ten thousand or so, to remind us that this isn't some washed-up bum we're listening to, so pay attention. Then quick shots of endearing mutts in harness, with folks cheering them along in some unknown sunny context, a woman getting her shirt autographed by Buffet, dog urinating on tourist, so forth. Melville, sitting by the dog pens in a casual open-necked shirt, a personable sincere old duffer with a neat white beard, tells us that his plans include touring dog teams, sled racing, and promoting Jamaica to the hilt. "Sustainable" teams, that is, which means that they're to pay their own way, mutts or not. Melville tells us that he also had the idea of making a movie about the dogs, the day after he had the idea of starting the sled dog project - a feature-length cartoon, maybe, with Jamaican mutts racing against Russian Mafia huskies, something for Disney Pixar to implement. That would work! Samples of such a cartoon are cut in throughout Sun Dogs. Behind Melville in the frame, folks mill about in a country setting. Jamaica must project itself into the world, the dog sleds will help, so forth, Melville tells us. He's a loquacious guy. Brand Jamaica. 2.5 million visitors a year. More shots of happy people, turquoise water. But then serious talk by the government's national image-and-identity advisor: the country and the people don't benefit from the tourist proceeds; annual revenues are funneled into the pockets of others, others who remain unnamed by the advisor onscreen; we presume that offshore leisure-based corporations and the upper-tier Jamaican rich figure into this. Next a serious word from the executive director of Jamaicans for Justice, Dr. Carolyn Gomes. "We're the best at what we do, be it criminality or murder." Deadpan. Next a serious word from a member of the bobsled team. Then serious words from Wilmot Perkins, talk-show host and perhaps the strongest public voice regarding the dysfunctional understanding, behavior, and social problems between races on the island. Gist: Jamaicans are bright, energetic, full of promise, but led astray. Shots of bright, energetic, but glowering poor citizens in the slums. Then all of this again, with similar but different words. Melville deplores the situation along with the rest. The music has become exceedingly somber by now. Somber. Then Melville explains that the dog sled project is just another zany idea of his, so that people will shake their heads and say Jamaica! (Ok, this makes no sense, but the man is just riffing.) And people will say, Why didn't I think of that! (That is, "Melville has scored another win.") Now the music picks up again. Jamaica! And with the music appears a shot of the sign at the entrance to Melville's Chukka Cove. Adventure Tours. Experience the Real Jamaica! Danny Melville's dad bought Tropical Battery back when Jamaica was protected from U.S. companies by high tariffs. The company manufactured vehicle batteries and enjoyed a monopoly on the island. When the tariffs began to be removed, the Melvilles left the island, with only Danny remaining to run the business, which in due course went downhill as the competition moved in. Melville also purchased 50 acres of undeveloped land in St. Ann in the early 80s and subsequently started an equestrian center at Chukka Cove. He hoped to lure dressage and polo enthusiasts away from Argentina and the UK, but failed. At this point he contacted his sons, away at school in Florida, and told them that he could sell everything or they could come back and help him try to save the businesses. Andrew and Mark returned to the island and joined the company. Long story short: the battery company switched from manufacture to import and bounced back, and the family got into the soft adventure business. If you've ever been on a cruise, you're familiar with soft adventures. You get a great price on the cruise itself, but hopefully you've factored additional costs into your vacation budget, because at each port you're confronted with a variety of extra fun activities, each at a sometimes-fancy price. If you've tubed or taken a canopy tour or rode a horse on Jamaica or in the Dominican or Belize or various other locations, there's a good chance you've paid the Melvilles something for the privilege. Expansion. Gaming machines. Evolving relationships with cruise lines. 500 or so horses. 500 or so employees. Over a billion a year in revenues from a number of interlocking companies shared with long-time business partners, and that's not counting the auto-supply business. See, the thing is, I'm sitting here remembering the ruined wreck of a home at the edge of the Yaque river where it curls through Santiago in the Dominican Republic. Santiago is the DR's second-largest city. On December 11 in the early morning, as hurricane Olga brushed the island, Tavera dam workers upriver decided to open all six floodgates, fearing a dam failure that could kill thousands in Santiago. This sent 1.6 million gallons of water/second into the river.The lives of the family of ten living in the house that I visited were snuffed out by the water roaring downstream in the dead of night. And the members of that family weren't the only casualties. For months after that night, folks have come to the edge of the cliff above, standing along Av. Mirador del Yaque to look down on the wreckage below. For many of the poor, it was no more than luck that they lived far enough from the river's edge to escape drowning. This was the second time in the year that this happened. I spoke to more than one upper-class resident of Santiago who, privately of course, were not sorry to see the mostly ramshackle buildings along the river washed away, along with the poor living in them. If a movie, documentary or otherwise, wants to add footage meant to raise the consciousness of viewers about the plight of so many in the Caribbean, whether the film be documentary or drama or cartoon or science-fiction flick about life on Venus, I for one will cut it some slack. I will not say "Ok, I get it. Move on." However, if the footage is doing no more than wrapping one more big-business vacuum cleaner for middle-class dollars in a flag of righteousness, then burn the film. I found plenty to savor in Sun Dogs: young men conversing quietly in a lilting Jamaican English that almost required subtitles; the enlistment of Newton, a poor young man living in a tin shack, to be a musher; Newton applying for a passport; Newton visiting Twig, Minnesota in the winter, to see snow for the first time and to learn about real dog sleds and sledding; Newton eating a fig newton; Jamaican music in the snowy north; Newton learning to drive and later taking his boss' car without permission, totaling it, and being banished, sent back to sit on the plank in front of his shack; the enlistment of Devon Anderson, then, to train as Jamaica's first musher, getting the dog sled 101 crash course from sledding experts from Twig; serious Scots commenting seriously on Anderson, over to Scotland from his island to theirs to compete in his first sled race and to win the "Came the Farthest" prize; Anderson at the end of his race exhausted with one dog from his team out of harness and on the sled tucked into an emergency dog bag; first class photography, great color, great closeups; driving around Jamaica on the wrong side of the road; a call to renowned dog sled trainer Alan Stewart in Scotland; and, of course, the recruitment and training of the dogs. Several dogs picked out at the pound. The dogs' names appear onscreen in big yellow letters - so that you can remember to ask for them when you come down? Scenes of the dogs being introduced to the dogcarts and other wheeled conveyances that they will pull. Benji the scared hound. The biggest dog, who doesn't relate to the other dogs. I remember hearing once that if a dog doesn't learn social skills early, it can't learn them later. Guess that doesn't apply to this big dog, because apparently he does, after first gnawing one or two of his mates. The last movie that I reviewed as a Spout Maven was Africa Unite, a Palm Pictures documentary in which the Marley family journeys from Jamaica to Africa in search of peace and/or treasure. Sun Dogs is also a Palm Pictures documentary, wherein stray dogs replace the Marleys but remain in Kingston. Chris Blackwell, the founder and head of Palm Pictures, and David Koh, head of acquisitions and production, negotiated the financial terms of the movie with Andrea Stewart and Danny Melville. Stewart produced as well as directed. Blackwell, Koh, Leigh Ingleby, and Melville were the executive producers (i.e., they put up the money). Palm Pictures nailed down all worldwide rights to the movie. The rumor is that the third film in this Jamaican documentary trilogy, nearing completion, is Spawn of Love, about the homeless illegitimate children fathered by rich white men vacationing at island resorts and sneaking away from their spouses at night for a few moments of forbidden love. Sign me up for the trifecta! Blackwell also founded Island Records back in 1960 (he's 71) and signed up an unknown Bob Marley, earning a reputation as the man responsible for the popularity of reggae. I didn't deal with the question of personal financial gain in the case of the Marleys and Africa Unite, although some other reviewers did. At the time, I was more interested in the dynamics of holding a conference meant to be liberal and democratic in an illiberal country. If I had examined the financial aspects of Africa Unite and the movie's effect on future iterations of the event, I might have mentioned that after the first edition of it in Addis Ababa, in October, a Ghanaian delegation came to Jamaica to discuss business opportunities between the two countries. Alexander Melville attended the talks and the second Africa Unite was held in Ghana four months later. However, I'm not aware of any other particular connections between Melville and Blackwell, which might argue for taking Sun Dogs as a fun movie and letting it go at that. Danny Melville started Chukka Caribbean Adventures in 1983. It's now the largest land-based nature adventure tour provider in the region, offering more than thirty tours in Jamaica, The Bahamas, Belize, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The business sells more than a quarter of a million adventure tours to cruise and hotel guests every year, including canopy tours over the jungle, mountain-to-sea cycling, river kayaking, a horseback ride and swim, and a Bob Marley retrospective bus trip. Plus, of course, the Jamaica dog sled Experience. "With a commitment to deliver the highest quality tours with well-trained guides and stringent safety standards, Chukka takes pride in showcasing the natural beauty of the Caribbean through unique and sensational experiences and providing opportunities for local residents and businesses." (chukkacaribbean.com) Chukka Cove, where it all started, caters to horse lovers who stay on the estate's landscaped grounds, near the stables. There are six two-bedroom villas, each suitable for four guests, each with a veranda, plank floors, and the feel of Old-Country gentry. Meals are prepared for you on-site. Nickering, and presumably barking, can be heard through open bedroom windows in the moonlight. The Melvilles are businessmen and make no bones about the fact. When Danny had the sleddog idea, he approached the thing as a money-making proposition from the start and is clear about that throughout the film. "It's good business," he says. (N.b., I'm paraphrasing these quotes from memory and notes.) "We've got an unexploited brand. If we can be successful, like the Jamaican bobsled team, the tourists will become ambassadors for us." (Here in the movie a quick clip of the bobsled team, stars of the 1988 Calgary Olympics.) "You know, you have to believe in it and dive into it wholeheartedly. Tourists will go home and say, 'I went dog sledding in Jamaica!' Of course I hope to make a profit: the Jamaica Dog Sled Experience. Our dogs come from the local pound - because, you know, if Jamaica didn't have the image of being crime-ridden, violent, and poor, it would fly. So, dog sleds pulled by strays, after they've been neutered and vaccinated for rabies, that's the good news. Listen, after Devon's first race, we were in the Indian newspaper. We were in the Australian newspaper." Tourists trot past on Melville horses. Guests first receive an orientation on sled-dog racing and how the Jamaican team was formed. They also get a lecture on the stray situation in Jamaica. (A percentage of the tour fee goes to the JSPCA.) Finally, visitors get to meet, hug and pet the dogs and learn their personal stories before receiving instruction on mushing technique and heading out on the three-kilometer trail around Chukka Cove Farm. "This is going to help the dogs because you'll soon have everybody wanting to get a dog to train them to pull a sled or cart," says musher Anderson, standing with dogs milling around his ankles. "And eventually, we'll get rid of the stray dogs on the street." 20 down and 35,000 to go. "The Jamaica Dog Sled Encounter at Chukka Caribbean Adventures, home to the only dog sled team and dog sled tours in the Caribbean, is offering children between 6 and 12 years a complimentary Jamaica Dog sled Encounter, with one child free per paying adult. The tour includes a visit to Dunn's River Falls, and to Island Village for shopping, plus complimentary lunch at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville." Bottom line on the movie, if not the tour: If you're more interested in the dogs in particular, or the mushers learning about and training with the dogs, or social and economic conditions on the island, or the physical aspects of the island itself, or the sport of dog sledding, or Caribbean history in general, to the exclusion of interest in the other elements of the movie, then you will not get much of what you crave and will probably feel impatient, dissatisfied, and that your time has been misspent. On the other hand, if your interest runs to the conception, inception, nuture, and support of a fledgling business, then the dogs, mushers, and scenery provide a little spice, or spoonfuls of sugar, to the business; that is, as aids in getting you to hear, learn, and internalize the root message, or hook. Stewart might have been making her first feature-length film, but her backers knew exactly what they wanted and what they needed from the film and there is no doubt that they vetted her work every step of the way to make sure that they got what they wanted. A little local color; a story line that takes you out behind your resort hotel room and not to the Iditarod; a little upbeat music; a break from the intensity of Rick Steves; a story arc of "Dogs learn to pull sled -> Come down and ride on one," not "Dogs learn to pull sled -> Compete and win/lose." I thought about calling the director about this movie and asking her where her head was at when she made it, and how much "input" she got from Melville and Blackwell and Koh, and Leigh Ingleby (audio-visual interests and arts funding), but I didn't because I'm conflict-shy and a question like that might really piss her off. Instead, I called Dr. Gomes at Jamaicans For Justice. She impressed me in the movie and I felt that I could trust her answers. I missed her twice at her office but she was kind enough to return my calls. After a few introductory niceties, I asked her if she had seen Sun Dogs. She had. I told her that I was calling with one question in mind, namely, that although the film raised some questions about social justice and poverty in Jamaica, it struck me more simply as a commercial for one more "Caribbean adventure" from a large leisure company, an adventure which, so far as I could tell at present, hasn't materially aided the poor of the country. So, Were the sun dogs in fact, in her view, of some use as a pro-social force on the island? It took a while for me to get all that out. She listened in silence and her reply, as it struck me, was stony. She said that she had consented to be interviewed for the film and that she had answered the questions put to her to the best of her ability. Period. No love shown by Dr. Gomes for the sun dogs. So come on down for a ride ($100 adults, $76 children, or $352 plus tax for a family of four if you don't find a coupon to use in advance, or buy a package of adventures). The dogs pull in, say, $1000 an hour, ten hours a day, 350 days a year, two sites. A modest $7 mil a year. Overhead costs: kibble. An unknown percentage of the net returned to the JSPCA, which from the looks of it hasn't been spending it on glitz at the pound. The ride is a nice addition to the many adventures in many locales that help put the Melville enterprises over the billion-a-year mark. We can hope that Newton is not still sitting on his plank down at his tin shack. If you do decide to go on down and stay at Chukka Cove Farm, you'll know what to expect after watching this movie. The north-central coast of Jamaica. Turquoise ocean. Lush hills. Magnificent waterfalls. Cool mountain rivers. The poor of the island changing your sheets and refilling your wine glass at dinner. Good. I got all the way through the review without using the word "infomercial."
]]>Sat, 29 Mar 2008 02:03:51 GMTjoem18bjoem18b Blog3/28/2008 10:03:51 PMBefore beginning this review, a tip of the hat to sun dogs, aka parhelia, those common bright circular spots on a solar halo. Sun dogs are "an atmospheric optical phenomenon primarily associated with the reflection or refraction of sunlight by small ice crystals making up cirrus or cirrostratus clouds." Also, a little love for the Arizona Sundogs in the Central Hockey League and for a few favorite dog movies: snow dogs, rain dogs, desert dogs, moon dogs, straw dogs, stray dogs, reservoir dogs, dish dogs, lawn dogs, dead dogs, rabid dogs, chilly dogs, sleeping dogs, miracle dogs, road dogs, old dogs, dealing dogs, tap dogs, angry dogs, war dogs, catwalk dogs, deck dogs, top dogs, lost dogs, trinity dogs, urinoir dogs, bad dogs, barking dogs, fence dogs, devil dogs, gift dogs, good dogs, hot dogs, performing dogs, sea dogs, restricted dogs, society dogs, trained dogs, tokyo dogs, training dogs, wild dogs, zombie dogs, prairie dogs, and a dog's dog. And to note that Kingston is overrun with dogs. Dogs of all colors but of similar size. Dogs tough in body and in spirit; wary dogs, but not as wary as the cats; and hungry without exception. No other Caribbean island that I know of, and that includes the DR, has such a wealth of stray dogs. I don't remember seeing any at all on Trinidad or Barbados. There might be a thesis for someone in this. So. Sun Dogs. A documentary filmed in Jamaica, Minnesota, and Scotland. Stray dogs and huskies. Scenery. Socially responsible slum scenes. More scenery. Talking heads. Easy-listening and upbeat get-the-juices-flowing we're-having-fun it's-sunny-and-warm-down-here trust-what-you're watching Jamaican music. Accents. When is the last time you heard white folks talkin with heavy Jamaican accents? It's fun. More scenery. 90 minutes. First time out for the director of the film and for the director of photography. The director of photography did a swell job. About cynical movie reviews: The world is full of cynicism. It leaks into our lives. We can't avoid it. The demands of the 24/7 newscycle breed it, for example. In the world of cinema, a director starts out to make a movie - something caring and responsible, but also fun - a movie about saving a few strays, canine and human - a movie that might give Jamaica a little boost that it can surely use - and invariably some sorehead comes along and eyeballs the whole project and all the good work that it entails, and treats it as if it were some hack job with a (barely) hidden personal commercial agenda. If this sort of thing disturbs you as much as it does me, read no farther. Or further. But again, that beginning: Jamaica. Lush. A paradise. Happy tourists. But lots of poor Jamaicans. One of the poorest countries in the world. Wouldn't it be cool to gather up some stray dogs from the slums of Kingston and train them as sled dogs? There is a line between silly/stupid/entertaining and silly/stupid/toxic. Which side of that line are we on here? Assorted talking heads ensue, alternately dour and avuncular. "No harm done, no humans or animals injured during the making of this documentary. You will be entertained." Or, "Brudda, if you want a movie about the social ills of Jamaica, don't queue up a movie about dog sleds on wheels." Or is it that the first ten minutes of this movie are just utterly wrong? Is the director tone deaf? Is she oblivious to the dissonance created by juxtaposing a bunch of comfortable white guys talking about a crazy-but-fun idea with the sights and sounds of a nation of seriously freeped-up black Jamaicans? Saving a few strays who are left to represent the poor of the island by doing a little cart-pulling? Is this film like a movie made in a veteran's hospital, forgetting the amputees and brain-damaged patients while focusing on the pigeon-racing project out back? Is it like working for PETA in the middle of a holocaust? That is, is this a priority thing? Not to say that you can't collect stamps during a genocide, but if you want to make a philately documentary, please leave the death camps out of it. Whoa. Let's not go off the deep end here. Instead, let's just ignore the intro and restart 10 minutes in. But, no. At 20 minutes, we're back into it. The dogs go to school. Segue to problems with the education of children in Jamaica. Talking heads. But, hey, a lot of great closeups and, as mentioned above, I realize that I can't remember ever hearing heavy in-country Jamaican accents falling from Caucasian lips. It's like grandma acting rasta. Different. And horseback riding. Diverting. So just watch the damn movie and worry about the poor later? Take the ride? Dog interest, musher training, social conditions on the island, sledding as sport, Carribean history. A Jamaican pu pu platter of subjects. Sigh. I paused the movie to take a minute to find out who is who or whom here and why I should care, and why instead of righting social wrongs these old white guys are fooling around with dog sleds on wheels. In other words, sadly, I decided to follow the money. Some years ago, businessman Danny Melville (a guy with a John McCain vibe, I thought), the first old white guy to speak in the movie, tripped over a metal frame with wheels in a fabrication shop in Edmonton, Canada, while shopping for dune buggies. An employee in the shop told him that the thing was a snowless dog sled. Warm-weather dog sledding is picking up around the world because of global warming - rig racing, canicross, dog scootering, bikejoring - an ecological silver lining. Refer to my reviw of Out of Balance for more good news along these lines. Anyway, the notion of a Jamaican dog sled team came to Melville on the spot, as he tells it. With the success and noteriety of the Jamaican bobsled team in mind (Cool Runnings, the Calgary Olympics), Melville swung into action. We see him for the first time in Sun Dogs at the beginning of the movie, his idea implemented, dogcarts in action. Following that quick, upbeat, life-is-good montage of beautiful scenery and happy poverty-stricken island inhabitants that I noted, with a rousing Jamaican beat urging us to jump up and dance, Melville speaks with great earnestness about this crazy sled-dog idea of his, and then Jimmy Buffet pops up to endorse him, with a quick cut to Buffett performing in front of a crowd of ten thousand or so, to remind us that this isn't some washed-up bum we're listening to, so pay attention. Then quick shots of endearing mutts in harness, with folks cheering them along in some unknown sunny context, a woman getting her shirt autographed by Buffet, dog urinating on tourist, so forth. Melville, sitting by the dog pens in a casual open-necked shirt, a personable sincere old duffer with a neat white beard, tells us that his plans include touring dog teams, sled racing, and promoting Jamaica to the hilt. "Sustainable" teams, that is, which means that they're to pay their own way, mutts or not. Melville tells us that he also had the idea of making a movie about the dogs, the day after he had the idea of starting the sled dog project - a feature-length cartoon, maybe, with Jamaican mutts racing against Russian Mafia huskies, something for Disney Pixar to implement. That would work! Samples of such a cartoon are cut in throughout Sun Dogs. Behind Melville in the frame, folks mill about in a country setting. Jamaica must project itself into the world, the dog sleds will help, so forth, Melville tells us. He's a loquacious guy. Brand Jamaica. 2.5 million visitors a year. More shots of happy people, turquoise water. But then serious talk by the government's national image-and-identity advisor: the country and the people don't benefit from the tourist proceeds; annual revenues are funneled into the pockets of others, others who remain unnamed by the advisor onscreen; we presume that offshore leisure-based corporations and the upper-tier Jamaican rich figure into this. Next a serious word from the executive director of Jamaicans for Justice, Dr. Carolyn Gomes. "We're the best at what we do, be it criminality or murder." Deadpan. Next a serious word from a member of the bobsled team. Then serious words from Wilmot Perkins, talk-show host and perhaps the strongest public voice regarding the dysfunctional understanding, behavior, and social problems between races on the island. Gist: Jamaicans are bright, energetic, full of promise, but led astray. Shots of bright, energetic, but glowering poor citizens in the slums. Then all of this again, with similar but different words. Melville deplores the situation along with the rest. The music has become exceedingly somber by now. Somber. Then Melville explains that the dog sled project is just another zany idea of his, so that people will shake their heads and say Jamaica! (Ok, this makes no sense, but the man is just riffing.) And people will say, Why didn't I think of that! (That is, "Melville has scored another win.") Now the music picks up again. Jamaica! And with the music appears a shot of the sign at the entrance to Melville's Chukka Cove. Adventure Tours. Experience the Real Jamaica! Danny Melville's dad bought Tropical Battery back when Jamaica was protected from U.S. companies by high tariffs. The company manufactured vehicle batteries and enjoyed a monopoly on the island. When the tariffs began to be removed, the Melvilles left the island, with only Danny remaining to run the business, which in due course went downhill as the competition moved in. Melville also purchased 50 acres of undeveloped land in St. Ann in the early 80s and subsequently started an equestrian center at Chukka Cove. He hoped to lure dressage and polo enthusiasts away from Argentina and the UK, but failed. At this point he contacted his sons, away at school in Florida, and told them that he could sell everything or they could come back and help him try to save the businesses. Andrew and Mark returned to the island and joined the company. Long story short: the battery company switched from manufacture to import and bounced back, and the family got into the soft adventure business. If you've ever been on a cruise, you're familiar with soft adventures. You get a great price on the cruise itself, but hopefully you've factored additional costs into your vacation budget, because at each port you're confronted with a variety of extra fun activities, each at a sometimes-fancy price. If you've tubed or taken a canopy tour or rode a horse on Jamaica or in the Dominican or Belize or various other locations, there's a good chance you've paid the Melvilles something for the privilege. Expansion. Gaming machines. Evolving relationships with cruise lines. 500 or so horses. 500 or so employees. Over a billion a year in revenues from a number of interlocking companies shared with long-time business partners, and that's not counting the auto-supply business. See, the thing is, I'm sitting here remembering the ruined wreck of a home at the edge of the Yaque river where it curls through Santiago in the Dominican Republic. Santiago is the DR's second-largest city. On December 11 in the early morning, as hurricane Olga brushed the island, Tavera dam workers upriver decided to open all six floodgates, fearing a dam failure that could kill thousands in Santiago. This sent 1.6 million gallons of water/second into the river.The lives of the family of ten living in the house that I visited were snuffed out by the water roaring downstream in the dead of night. And the members of that family weren't the only casualties. For months after that night, folks have come to the edge of the cliff above, standing along Av. Mirador del Yaque to look down on the wreckage below. For many of the poor, it was no more than luck that they lived far enough from the river's edge to escape drowning. This was the second time in the year that this happened. I spoke to more than one upper-class resident of Santiago who, privately of course, were not sorry to see the mostly ramshackle buildings along the river washed away, along with the poor living in them. If a movie, documentary or otherwise, wants to add footage meant to raise the consciousness of viewers about the plight of so many in the Caribbean, whether the film be documentary or drama or cartoon or science-fiction flick about life on Venus, I for one will cut it some slack. I will not say "Ok, I get it. Move on." However, if the footage is doing no more than wrapping one more big-business vacuum cleaner for middle-class dollars in a flag of righteousness, then burn the film. I found plenty to savor in Sun Dogs: young men conversing quietly in a lilting Jamaican English that almost required subtitles; the enlistment of Newton, a poor young man living in a tin shack, to be a musher; Newton applying for a passport; Newton visiting Twig, Minnesota in the winter, to see snow for the first time and to learn about real dog sleds and sledding; Newton eating a fig newton; Jamaican music in the snowy north; Newton learning to drive and later taking his boss' car without permission, totaling it, and being banished, sent back to sit on the plank in front of his shack; the enlistment of Devon Anderson, then, to train as Jamaica's first musher, getting the dog sled 101 crash course from sledding experts from Twig; serious Scots commenting seriously on Anderson, over to Scotland from his island to theirs to compete in his first sled race and to win the "Came the Farthest" prize; Anderson at the end of his race exhausted with one dog from his team out of harness and on the sled tucked into an emergency dog bag; first class photography, great color, great closeups; driving around Jamaica on the wrong side of the road; a call to renowned dog sled trainer Alan Stewart in Scotland; and, of course, the recruitment and training of the dogs. Several dogs picked out at the pound. The dogs' names appear onscreen in big yellow letters - so that you can remember to ask for them when you come down? Scenes of the dogs being introduced to the dogcarts and other wheeled conveyances that they will pull. Benji the scared hound. The biggest dog, who doesn't relate to the other dogs. I remember hearing once that if a dog doesn't learn social skills early, it can't learn them later. Guess that doesn't apply to this big dog, because apparently he does, after first gnawing one or two of his mates. The last movie that I reviewed as a Spout Maven was Africa Unite, a Palm Pictures documentary in which the Marley family journeys from Jamaica to Africa in search of peace and/or treasure. Sun Dogs is also a Palm Pictures documentary, wherein stray dogs replace the Marleys but remain in Kingston. Chris Blackwell, the founder and head of Palm Pictures, and David Koh, head of acquisitions and production, negotiated the financial terms of the movie with Andrea Stewart and Danny Melville. Stewart produced as well as directed. Blackwell, Koh, Leigh Ingleby, and Melville were the executive producers (i.e., they put up the money). Palm Pictures nailed down all worldwide rights to the movie. The rumor is that the third film in this Jamaican documentary trilogy, nearing completion, is Spawn of Love, about the homeless illegitimate children fathered by rich white men vacationing at island resorts and sneaking away from their spouses at night for a few moments of forbidden love. Sign me up for the trifecta! Blackwell also founded Island Records back in 1960 (he's 71) and signed up an unknown Bob Marley, earning a reputation as the man responsible for the popularity of reggae. I didn't deal with the question of personal financial gain in the case of the Marleys and Africa Unite, although some other reviewers did. At the time, I was more interested in the dynamics of holding a conference meant to be liberal and democratic in an illiberal country. If I had examined the financial aspects of Africa Unite and the movie's effect on future iterations of the event, I might have mentioned that after the first edition of it in Addis Ababa, in October, a Ghanaian delegation came to Jamaica to discuss business opportunities between the two countries. Alexander Melville attended the talks and the second Africa Unite was held in Ghana four months later. However, I'm not aware of any other particular connections between Melville and Blackwell, which might argue for taking Sun Dogs as a fun movie and letting it go at that. Danny Melville started Chukka Caribbean Adventures in 1983. It's now the largest land-based nature adventure tour provider in the region, offering more than thirty tours in Jamaica, The Bahamas, Belize, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The business sells more than a quarter of a million adventure tours to cruise and hotel guests every year, including canopy tours over the jungle, mountain-to-sea cycling, river kayaking, a horseback ride and swim, and a Bob Marley retrospective bus trip. Plus, of course, the Jamaica dog sled Experience. "With a commitment to deliver the highest quality tours with well-trained guides and stringent safety standards, Chukka takes pride in showcasing the natural beauty of the Caribbean through unique and sensational experiences and providing opportunities for local residents and businesses." (chukkacaribbean.com) Chukka Cove, where it all started, caters to horse lovers who stay on the estate's landscaped grounds, near the stables. There are six two-bedroom villas, each suitable for four guests, each with a veranda, plank floors, and the feel of Old-Country gentry. Meals are prepared for you on-site. Nickering, and presumably barking, can be heard through open bedroom windows in the moonlight. The Melvilles are businessmen and make no bones about the fact. When Danny had the sleddog idea, he approached the thing as a money-making proposition from the start and is clear about that throughout the film. "It's good business," he says. (N.b., I'm paraphrasing these quotes from memory and notes.) "We've got an unexploited brand. If we can be successful, like the Jamaican bobsled team, the tourists will become ambassadors for us." (Here in the movie a quick clip of the bobsled team, stars of the 1988 Calgary Olympics.) "You know, you have to believe in it and dive into it wholeheartedly. Tourists will go home and say, 'I went dog sledding in Jamaica!' Of course I hope to make a profit: the Jamaica Dog Sled Experience. Our dogs come from the local pound - because, you know, if Jamaica didn't have the image of being crime-ridden, violent, and poor, it would fly. So, dog sleds pulled by strays, after they've been neutered and vaccinated for rabies, that's the good news. Listen, after Devon's first race, we were in the Indian newspaper. We were in the Australian newspaper." Tourists trot past on Melville horses. Guests first receive an orientation on sled-dog racing and how the Jamaican team was formed. They also get a lecture on the stray situation in Jamaica. (A percentage of the tour fee goes to the JSPCA.) Finally, visitors get to meet, hug and pet the dogs and learn their personal stories before receiving instruction on mushing technique and heading out on the three-kilometer trail around Chukka Cove Farm. "This is going to help the dogs because you'll soon have everybody wanting to get a dog to train them to pull a sled or cart," says musher Anderson, standing with dogs milling around his ankles. "And eventually, we'll get rid of the stray dogs on the street." 20 down and 35,000 to go. "The Jamaica Dog Sled Encounter at Chukka Caribbean Adventures, home to the only dog sled team and dog sled tours in the Caribbean, is offering children between 6 and 12 years a complimentary Jamaica Dog sled Encounter, with one child free per paying adult. The tour includes a visit to Dunn's River Falls, and to Island Village for shopping, plus complimentary lunch at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville." Bottom line on the movie, if not the tour: If you're more interested in the dogs in particular, or the mushers learning about and training with the dogs, or social and economic conditions on the island, or the physical aspects of the island itself, or the sport of dog sledding, or Caribbean history in general, to the exclusion of interest in the other elements of the movie, then you will not get much of what you crave and will probably feel impatient, dissatisfied, and that your time has been misspent. On the other hand, if your interest runs to the conception, inception, nuture, and support of a fledgling business, then the dogs, mushers, and scenery provide a little spice, or spoonfuls of sugar, to the business; that is, as aids in getting you to hear, learn, and internalize the root message, or hook. Stewart might have been making her first feature-length film, but her backers knew exactly what they wanted and what they needed from the film and there is no doubt that they vetted her work every step of the way to make sure that they got what they wanted. A little local color; a story line that takes you out behind your resort hotel room and not to the Iditarod; a little upbeat music; a break from the intensity of Rick Steves; a story arc of "Dogs learn to pull sled -&gt; Come down and ride on one," not "Dogs learn to pull sled -&gt; Compete and win/lose." I thought about calling the director about this movie and asking her where her head was at when she made it, and how much "input" she got from Melville and Blackwell and Koh, and Leigh Ingleby (audio-visual interests and arts funding), but I didn't because I'm conflict-shy and a question like that might really piss her off. Instead, I called Dr. Gomes at Jamaicans For Justice. She impressed me in the movie and I felt that I could trust her answers. I missed her twice at her office but she was kind enough to return my calls. After a few introductory niceties, I asked her if she had seen Sun Dogs. She had. I told her that I was calling with one question in mind, namely, that although the film raised some questions about social justice and poverty in Jamaica, it struck me more simply as a commercial for one more "Caribbean adventure" from a large leisure company, an adventure which, so far as I could tell at present, hasn't materially aided the poor of the country. So, Were the sun dogs in fact, in her view, of some use as a pro-social force on the island? It took a while for me to get all that out. She listened in silence and her reply, as it struck me, was stony. She said that she had consented to be interviewed for the film and that she had answered the questions put to her to the best of her ability. Period. No love shown by Dr. Gomes for the sun dogs. So come on down for a ride ($100 adults, $76 children, or $352 plus tax for a family of four if you don't find a coupon to use in advance, or buy a package of adventures). The dogs pull in, say, $1000 an hour, ten hours a day, 350 days a year, two sites. A modest $7 mil a year. Overhead costs: kibble. An unknown percentage of the net returned to the JSPCA, which from the looks of it hasn't been spending it on glitz at the pound. The ride is a nice addition to the many adventures in many locales that help put the Melville enterprises over the billion-a-year mark. We can hope that Newton is not still sitting on his plank down at his tin shack. If you do decide to go on down and stay at Chukka Cove Farm, you'll know what to expect after watching this movie. The north-central coast of Jamaica. Turquoise ocean. Lush hills. Magnificent waterfalls. Cool mountain rivers. The poor of the island changing your sheets and refilling your wine glass at dinner. Good. I got all the way through the review without using the word "infomercial." http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/love/MemberTagFilms.aspxlove
Number of films tagged: 12478

Number of people who tagged: 338

Number of times used: 1480

]]>Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:28:29 GMT124783381480Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/family/MemberTagFilms.aspxfamily
Number of films tagged: 6289

Number of people who tagged: 227

Number of times used: 1139

]]>Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:00:49 GMT62892271139Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/music/MemberTagFilms.aspxmusic
Number of films tagged: 4341

Number of people who tagged: 144

Number of times used: 481

]]>Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:51:44 GMT4341144481Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/documentary/MemberTagFilms.aspxdocumentary
Number of films tagged: 402

Number of people who tagged: 127

Number of times used: 496

]]>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:11:06 GMT402127496Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/religion/MemberTagFilms.aspxreligion
Number of films tagged: 1123

Number of people who tagged: 67

Number of times used: 176

]]>Thu, 03 Dec 2009 03:31:00 GMT112367176Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/revolution/MemberTagFilms.aspxrevolution
Number of films tagged: 1036

Number of people who tagged: 42

Number of times used: 68

]]>Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:32:33 GMT10364268Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/freedom/MemberTagFilms.aspxfreedom
Number of films tagged: 454

Number of people who tagged: 38

Number of times used: 60

]]>Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:55:18 GMT4543860Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/church/MemberTagFilms.aspxchurch
Number of films tagged: 469

Number of people who tagged: 26

Number of times used: 51

]]>Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:20:56 GMT4692651Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/africa/MemberTagFilms.aspxafrica
Number of films tagged: 490

Number of people who tagged: 25

Number of times used: 60

]]>Wed, 07 Oct 2009 04:19:34 GMT4902560Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/youth/MemberTagFilms.aspxyouth
Number of films tagged: 895

Number of people who tagged: 25

Number of times used: 67

]]>Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:18:01 GMT8952567Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/reunion/MemberTagFilms.aspxreunion
Number of films tagged: 943

Number of people who tagged: 23

Number of times used: 45

]]>Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:13:22 GMT9432345Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/ambition/MemberTagFilms.aspxambition
Number of films tagged: 429

Number of people who tagged: 22

Number of times used: 39

]]>Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:18:42 GMT4292239Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/concert/MemberTagFilms.aspxconcert
Number of films tagged: 3615

Number of people who tagged: 22

Number of times used: 96

]]>Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:01:54 GMT36152296Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/jamaica/MemberTagFilms.aspxjamaica
Number of films tagged: 25

Number of people who tagged: 8

Number of times used: 9

]]>Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:22:47 GMT2589Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/colonialism/MemberTagFilms.aspxcolonialism
Number of films tagged: 176

Number of people who tagged: 7

Number of times used: 10

]]>Tue, 12 May 2009 13:09:30 GMT176710Tag