Review: "The Future of Food Takes" on Frankenfood

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 40 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Future of Food (2004)

Running time: 88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Deborah Koons Garcia

PRODUCERS: Catherine Lynn Butler and Deborah Koons Garcia

CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Chater

EDITOR: Vivien Hillgrove

 

DOCUMENTARY - Food 

 

First, let me say that the documentary, The Future of Food, is essential viewing for anyone who eats – from high school students to senior citizens. If you have the intellectual capacity to understand the nightly news, you can get this film. This is an excellent example of a documentary that takes a very complicated subject and simplifies it so that it is of practical use to the viewer.

 

The Future of Food takes a look at the shadowy relationship between agriculture, big business (in the form of chemical companies that dominate the pesticide and herbicide industries and the seed industry), and government (in the form of Congressmen who take campaign contributions – really bribes – from those industries in order to pass legislation favorable to corporations). Director Deborah Koons Garcia takes an in depth examination of biotechnology, specifically genetically modified organisms, GMO (such as plant cells), and genetically engineering, GE, food.

 

The film also goes into the history of agriculture, and then shows how the birth of agri-business and the agricultural industry changed how humans had been cultivating crops for millennia. The agricultural industry dumped historical methods, which were time-proven safe, for new and potentially dangerous methods of cultivation without pause for examination and scientific study.

 

In Europe, where the national governments forbid the importation of GMO’s, such food is known as “frankenfood,” after the name Frankenstein. Some will remember the furor in the late 90’s and early 21st century that erupted when consumers and consumer advocates learned that genetically engineered corn was showing up in most processed corn foodstuffs such as corn chips, breakfast cereal, and taco shells. Scientists are unsure of what genetically modify food will do to people – good or bad. The GMO industry in the U.S. (and with the consent of Congress, the Courts, and the Presidency) isn’t willing to wait for scientific research of humans eating genetically engineered food.

 

Garcia’s film also looks at how big business’s GE practices have hurt family farmers through litigation and patent law. She also gives us a glance into how GE food and genetically altered seeds are finding their way oversees. Garcia has made a riveting documentary that takes advantage of her extensive research, archival footage, and wide-ranging interviews with farmers, farming advocates, and scientists.

 

The film’s weakness is a lack of commentary from the other side, which is likely because GMO companies, in particular Monsanto, which makes “RoundUp” herbicide, are on receiving end of this documentary’s criticisms and likely declined to participate. The film’s last 20 minutes are mostly spent on feel-good images and interviews that seem tacked on and a jarring divergence from the body of this documentary.

 

It’s as if after giving us a vision of food Hell, the filmmakers want to give us a wishy-washy assurance that everything will be OK. Still, The Future of Food is a must-watch, since you could be serving genetically modified food for dinner.

 

8 of 10 

A 

 

Saturday, February 18, 2006

 

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Drawn Together Movie on DVD April 20th

THE MOST TITILLATING AND SALACIOUS ANIMATED MOVIE OF ALL TIME IS FINALLY HERE!"

THE DRAWN TOGETHER MOVIE: THE MOVIE!"

THE FIRST FILM BASED ON THE CULT ANIMATED SERIES "DRAWN TOGETHER," AVAILABLE ON DVD AND DOWNLOAD-TO-OWN ON TUESDAY, APRIL 20

Original Cast Returns And Features "Family Guy's" Seth MacFarlane As The Voice Of I.S.R.A.E.L.

COMEDY CENTRAL Records To Release For The First Time. The “Drawn Together Soundtrack” CD On Tuesday, April 20

Watch The Red Band And Theatrical Trailers, View Outrageous Bonus Material, Launch The Full Episode Player (Watch Every Episode From All Three Seasons), Play The I.S.R.A.E.L. ATTACK! Flash Game
And More, Available At www.thedrawntogethermovie.com

"The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!" Screening At Anaheim Comic Con On Saturday, April 17. From 7:00-9:00 P.M. PT With Select Cast Members And Creators, Writers And Executive Producers Matt Silverstein and Dave Jeser

Get drawn in all over again. From the warped minds of creators, writers and executive producers Matt Silverstein and Dave Jeser, comes the most reprehensible and most guilty-pleasure movie of all time – "The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie! http://www.thedrawntogethermovie.com/" This is the first animated film based on the "Drawn Together" series featuring the entire original cast and "Family Guy's" Seth MacFarlane as the voice of I.S.R.A.E.L.

"The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!" DVD will be released by COMEDY CENTRAL Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment on Tuesday, April 20. It will be also available on download-to-own platforms in HD and SD including iTunes (pre-order 4/5), Xbox LIVE Marketplace, Zune, Sony PlayStation Store, and Amazon Video on Demand. For the first time, COMEDY CENTRAL Records will release the “Drawn Together Soundtrack” CD on Tuesday, April 20.

“The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!” stars the incorrigible cast of the most offensive animated reality show ever to air and this time they’re starring in their very own feature-length movie! When the mystery-solving musician Foxxy Love notices she and her fellow housemates can curse without being bleeped – something they’ve never been able to do before – she realizes their show has been canceled. Determined to get back on the air, the gang travels to Make-A-Point-Land in order to get a point (and get back on the air). With more depravity than could have ever been shown on TV, this is the definitive "Drawn Together" experience.

"The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!" DVD features over one hour of bonus features including: “Anatomy of An Animated Sex Scene,” an in-depth investigation into the genesis of the soon-to-be infamous 3-D sex scene; “Re-Animating Drawn Together: From the Small Screen to The Slightly Bigger Screen,” a technical piece focusing on the production/animation end of the project; “Drawn Together: The Legacy,” a faux-serious reflection on the show’s impact and lasting cultural relevance; “Drawn Together: True Confessionals,” intimate interviews with the actors and co-creators about the show and the dawn of the movie; “Drawn Together Minisodes,” a fond remembrance of all the loveable characters from the series hosted by The Jew Producer; “D.I.Y 3-D Glasses,” step-by-step instructions on how to create your own 3-D glasses; and deleted scenes.

In addition, "The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!" will be available on Tuesday, April 20 on download-to-own platforms in HD and SD including iTunes, Xbox LIVE Marketplace, Zune, Sony PlayStation Store, and Amazon Video on Demand. On Monday, April 5, fans will have the opportunity to pre-order it on iTunes with “Re-Animating Drawn Together: From the Small Screen to The Slightly Bigger Screen,” a nine minute bonus feature available only with the purchase of the movie.

Also available for the first time is the soundtrack to the hit series “Drawn Together.” COMEDY CENTRAL Records will release the “Drawn Together Soundtrack” CD on April 20 with music from fan favorites including “La La Labia,” “Black Chick’s Tongue,” “Suck My Taint” and many more. The album contains songs from all of the seasons including the new movie in their raw, uncensored glory.

Log onto www.thedrawntogethermovie.com to watch the red band and theatrical trailers, view outrageous bonus material, launch the full episode player (watch every episode from all three seasons), play the I.S.R.A.E.L. ATTACK! flash game and more. Users can also become a fan of the movie on Facebook .

The "The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!" screening will be held at Anaheim Comic Con on Saturday, April 17 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. PT at the Anaheim Convention Center, immediately following the closing of the show floor. Join creators Silverstein and Jeser and select cast members as they discuss their new film and host a Q&A with fans.

"Drawn Together " premiered on COMEDY CENTRAL in October 2004 and aired for three seasons and 36 episodes. The series presented a world in which cartoon characters from various genres of animation were brought together to live under one roof. The characters left their animated "reality" and entered a new world where their cartoon universes collide with a bang, combining different styles of animation and different personalities, all "drawn together." This was COMEDY CENTRAL's first original animated series that was drawn traditionally and in 2-D digital ink and paint animation.

The eight stars/housemates represent iconic archetypes from the world of animation and include: Captain Hero, a not-so-moral do-gooder reminiscent of the Saturday morning TV super heroes of the 70s; Clara, a 20-year-old sweet and naive fairy-tale princess; Toot Braunstein, a black-and-white pudgy heart throb from the 20s; Foxxy Love, a sexy mystery-solving musician; Spanky Ham, a foul-mouthed Internet download pig; Ling-Ling, an adorable Asian trading card mini-monster; Wooldoor Sockbat, a wacky Saturday morning whatchamacallit; and Xandir, a strong young gay video game warrior.

Iron Man 2 Site is Live (A Bits & Bites Extra)

www.IRONMANMOVIE.com

VIZ Cinema Presents Second "TokyoScope Talks" Next Week

TOKYOSCOPE TALK VOL. 2: MECHA MANIA – FOUR DECADES OF ROBOT ANIME

VIZ CINEMA HOSTS A UNIQUE PRESENTATION ON THE HISTORY OF SCI-FI ROBOT ANIME AND PRESENTS GUNDAM TRIPLE FEATURE IN SPECIAL ALL-DAY MOVIE MARATHON

VIZ Cinema is pleased to offer a fun-packed weekend of anime as it welcomes Patrick Macias, Editor-in-Chief of OTAKU USA, on Friday April 9th for the latest in his ongoing series of TokyoScope Talks on Japanese cinema and pop media. On Saturday, April 10th, VIZ Cinema offers a special Gundam Movie Marathon. Three feature films featuring the iconic robot will be screened in the theatre, which features 35mm and digital projection and a THX®-certified sound system.

TokyoScope Talk Vol. 2: MECHA MANIA: Four Decades of Slam-Bang Sci-Fi Robot Anime comes to VIZ Cinema on Friday, April 9th at 7:00pm. Tickets are $8.00. Also co-hosting the event will be author and critic Tomohiro Machiyama, who together with Macias wrote Cruising Anime City, (published by Stone Bridge Press) a highly detailed travel guide about Tokyo otaku culture and the anime phenomenon.

“From Astro Boy and Tetsujin 28 to Gundam and Voltron to Transformers and Gurren Lagann, giant robots and other fantastic machines and technology, or mecha, are instantly recognizable mainstays of anime,” says Macias. “There’s also a lot of cultural iconography intertwined with these machines and their operators, often presented as heroic warriors in the samurai warrior tradition. I look forward to tracing the nearly 50 year history and evolution of mecha along with some often humorous stories and latest examples. And don’t miss an awesome raffle giveaway featuring some tear-jerking treasures for super mecha fans!”

VIZ Cinema’s Weeknight Anime People makes a special weekend stop with an day-long triple feature of Gundam! General ticket price: $10:00; Combo tickets are $25:00. No further discounts will apply.

Gundam Movie Marathon, Saturday, April 10th – One Day Only!

Mobile Suit Gundam Movie I, 11:00am
Mobile Suit Gundam Movie II: Soldiers of Sorrow, 1:35pm
Mobile Suit Gundam Movie III: Encounters in Space, 4:05pm

VIZ Cinema’s Weeknight Anime People makes a special weekend stop with an afternoon of Gundam! In the year 0079 of the Universal Century, the Earth Federation and its space colonies are engaged in an apocalyptic war. The rebellious Duchy of Zeon, using humanoid fighting machines called Mobile Suits, has all but vanquished the Federation. Now the Federation’s last hope is the prototype Mobile Suit, Gundam. When a twist of fate makes young civilian Amuro Ray the sole-pilot of Gundam, Amuro’s own battle begins – a struggle not only for the Federation’s survival, but for his own. General ticket price: $10:00; Combo tickets are $25:00. No further discounts will apply.

VIZ Cinema is the nation’s first movie theatre devoted exclusively to Japanese film and anime. The 143-seat subterranean theatre is located in the basement of the NEW PEOPLE building and features plush seating, digital as well as 35mm projection, and a THX®-certified sound system.

NEW PEOPLE offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan and is the creative vision of the J-Pop Center Project and VIZ Pictures, a distributor and producer of Japanese live action film. Located at 1746 Post Street, the 20,000 square foot structure features a striking 3-floor transparent glass façade that frames a fun and exotic new environment to engage the imagination into the 21st Century. A dedicated web site is also now available at: http://www.newpeopleworld.com/.

Review: John Singleton's "Baby Boy" Returns to Singleton's Cinematic Roots

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 23 (of 2001) by Leroy Douresseaux

Baby Boy (2001)
Running time: 130 minutes (2 hours, 10 minutes)

MPAA – R for strong sexuality, language, violence and some drug use
WRITER/PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: John Singleton
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Charles E. Mills (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Bruce Cannon

DRAMA with elements of crime and romance

Starring: Tyrese, Taraji P. Henson, Omar Gooding, Tamara LeSeon Bass, Candy Ann Brown, A.J. Johnson, Ving Rhames, Snoop Dogg, Mo’Nique, Angell Conwell, Kareem J. Grimes, Kaylan Bolton and Kylan Bolton

Jody (Tyrese Gibson) is a 20-year-old black man living with his mother (Candy Ann Brown). He is the father of two children by two different women. The relationship with one of the baby mama’s, Yvette (Taraji P. Henson) is the romantic focus of the film. Jody’s mother has an openly sexual relationship with Melvin (Ving Rhames), himself a former banger; he is a muscular Mandingo and Jody’s mother doesn’t have to call Tyrone when she needs some good, strong lovin.’ B’leive ‘dat!

Jody’s homey, Sweet Pea (Omar Gooding) is lost and also unemployed; he is desperate for meaning in and a purpose for his life. As he relationship with Yvette deteriorates, her old flame, a recently released convict named Rodney (rapper Snoop Dogg) shows up, literally gunning for Jody’s life.

Directed by John Singleton (Shaft), Baby Boy is more a slice of social studies than entertainment. It belongs to Singleton’s South Central Los Angeles milieu that he introduced in Boyz N the Hood, but it is thematically similar to the Boyz follow up, Poetic Justice.

The film opens with Jody dreaming that he’s an adult still in the womb; it is a visually jarring set piece that conveys the troubled state of Jody’s mind. It’s not long before we also realize that Jody’s life is frozen. He going nowhere, spending his days hustling, watching television, and involved in sexual escapades with many women.

He resents his mother’s relationship with Melvin, but Melvin is very familiar with the type of “li’l nigga” that Jody is because Melvin was himself once of a similar type. Jody has a twisted view of his relationship with his baby mamas. He tells Yvette that he lies to her about his philandering because he loves her too much to hurt her with the truth that he is a man whore. He uses the other women for sex because they’re, in his words, “tricks,” but he really loves Yvette because she is the mother of his son. His other baby mama, Peanut (Tamara LaSeon Bass), a girl whose own mother seems to be well to do, is less tolerant of Jody and dismisses him. In fact, when his relationship with Yvette collapses, Jody tries to seduce Peanut, but she quickly lets him know that she intends on treating him like an on-call sex toy. For Jody, Peanut treating him like an object jars Jody.

The film has only two characters as fathers – Jody and Melvin; in fact, fathers are conspicuously absent from this film. Melvin is estranged from his own children; his eldest son informs Jody off screen that Melvin beat his mother. Jody isn’t much better; his children are merely vestiges of his fornicating rather than the result of some kind of manhood. Jody’s own father is rarely spoken of, and Jody could have been hatched from an egg for all the knowledge of being a human father he obviously does not possess.

One of the themes here seems imply that Jody can’t be a father because he never had one to show him what it means to be a father and a man. That was Singleton’s dominant theme in Boyz, much to the delight of conservative i.e. Republican critics and fans of the movie. However, if a boy who did not know his own father himself grows to be a bad father, the reason is not necessarily because he didn’t have a dad.

Jody is selfish, spoiled, and manipulative. It’s difficult to tell what part his mother played in his personality, as there isn’t much back-story to her other than that she threw Jody’s older brother out of the house. Someone killed him, and Jody believes his mother throwing the brother out led to that. We also learn that mom has had lots of boyfriends.

As stated earlier, this film is more social studies than entertainment. Singleton seems to be saying to his audience, see how these people are. Or it may be that it is easy for him to make a movie about a subject with which he is very familiar. The film aims at making some kind of point, but Singleton stumbles to a tacked on and predictable ending. Maybe, the film’s resolution is “real” or “how it is on the streets,” but this is drama and it demands some kind of structure and purpose.

Singleton doesn’t have to provide pat answers to solve social “problems.” There are no easy answers to social issues, but the demand for resolutions comes with the territory of making socially relevant films. Singleton overly relies on the visceral impact of profanity-laden dialogue and animalistic, confrontational sex. He’s onto something, having tackled an important issue, but he reduces his movie to a series of blunt, angry scenes. Maybe, he doesn’t know the power and danger of the subject with which he plays. He certainly doesn’t realize the dramatic potential of his subject. He wastes Snoop Dogg’s Rodney character, not to speak of under utilized Ving Rhames.

Boyz in the Hood had a good story that was universal in both its appeals and its themes. Singleton hasn’t been able to duplicate that quality of story since then. He has an idea of how to make really good films, but it’s a shame we have to keep waiting for his arrival as a really good filmmaker. He’ll become one when he takes a social issue and makes a film with a good story that clearly conveys its message to the audience.

Powerful and forceful, Baby boy is a diamond in the rough despite it structural shortcomings. There is enough good there that makes it worthy of considerable critical analysis. It’s a bold, brazen, adventurous movie. While stopping short of being great, it has more substance than most films today, so Baby Boy is worth your time.

6 of 10
B

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Review: "Madea's Family Reunion" a Black Family Film Classic

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 48 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion (2006)
Opening date: Friday, February 24, 2006
MPAA – PG-13 for mature thematic material, domestic violence, and sex and drug references
DIRECTOR: Tyler Perry
WRITER: Tyler Perry (based upon his play)
PRODUCERS: Reuben Cannon and Tyler Perry
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Toyomichi Kurita
EDITOR: John Carter

COMEDY/DRAMA/ROMANCE

Starring: Tyler Perry, Lisa Arrindell Anderson, Rochelle Aytes, Lynn Whitfield, Blair Underwood, Boris Kodjoe, Keke Palmer, Henry Simmons, Mablean Ephriam, Cicely Tyson, and Maya Angelou

Southern matriarch Madea (Tyler Perry) is normally an unstoppable force, but she finds her hands full with a court ordered foster child, Nikki (Keke Palmer). Then, Madea also has to contend with planning a family reunion. That’s not enough on her plate, however; her nieces, sisters Lisa (Rochelle Aytes) and Vanessa (Lisa Arrindell Anderson), are having relationship problems. Lisa is engaged to marry Carlos (Blair Underwood), a wealthy investment banker who constantly hits and abuses her. Vanessa has finally found a good man Frankie (Boris Kodjoe), but she can’t quite bring herself to trust him no matter how good he is. Most of that distrust is based on her relationship with her and Lisa’s mother, Victoria (Lynn Whitfield), a desperate gold digger who is willing to marry Lisa off to an abusive husband like Carlos just so that he can take care of both Lisa and her. With the family reunion and dark secrets coming out of every clash between Victoria and her daughters, Madea has to use all her tricks to organize the reunion and hope God can cover the rest.

Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion is technically a better composed film than the previous adaptation of one Perry’s plays to screen, Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Family Reunion is not as funny as Dairy, although there are lots of laughs, in particularly the scenes between Madea and her foster child Nikki. However, the emphasis here is on the various relationship combinations involving Victoria, Lisa, Vanessa, Frankie, and/or Carlos, and boy, are there fireworks. The combination of soap opera hysteria and melodramatic theatrics is not only over-the-top, but also often just too damn much. The conflicts, feuds, personal demons, etc. may not match up to the commotion that is sometimes real life, but the story here is a bit of a spectacle even for film.

Still, some of it rings true. Tyler Perry’s plays are what’s known by some as “Black Gospel Theatre,” in which characters, mostly poor and working class black folk, beset by all manner of personal setbacks, dilemmas, tribulations, obstacles, etc. have to fight their way out using both inner strength and their faith in (the Christian) God, with an emphasis on both healing and faith. This might put some off, especially those who aren’t particularly religious, but this kind of Christian and prayer oriented African-American drama appeals to many working class Americans, especially blacks, but increasingly whites.

The two film adaptations, like the plays, focus on female characters, but the message is universal. While women make up a large part of Madea’s Family Reunion’s audience, men can find messages and teachings aimed at them. Perry uses Madea as comic relief, but the character isn’t a clown. She spouts wisdom, most of it very practical and useful, between feeding her guests and arguing with Cousin Joe (Perry). This makes the film half-comedy and half-religious inflected drama.

The cast of Family reunion might overact (Lynn Whitfield in particular), and some may not be really good actresses (Lisa Arrindell Anderson), but they make the occasionally overheated drama and often-inflamed dramatics work. It’s palatable; one can feel that Blair Underwood (a very good actor short on work because he’s black) is ready to strike out at anyone who gets in his way. So Madea’s Family Reunion might be a crazy family drama, and it does go overboard; still, its good intentions don’t pave a road to hell, and the movie just works.

Besides, there’s always Madea herself for a good time, and maybe that’s what Madea’s Family Reunion needed – more Madea. I don’t know why playing fat-lady drag appeals to so many black comedians, but like Martin Lawrence in the Big Momma’s House franchise, Tyler Perry does it well. Family Reunion is at its best when Madea is being politically incorrect and giving more mouthy adolescents some good old-fashioned beatings; that would have meant an even better film. So here is one call for more Madea. Maybe next time.

7 of 10
A-

Saturday, March 4, 2006

Original "Clash of the Titans" B-Movie Fun

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 98 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Clash of the Titans (1981)
Running time: 118 minutes (1 hour, 58 minutes)
DIRECTOR: Desmond Davis
WRITER: Beverley Cross
PRODUCERS: Ray Harryhausen and Charles H. Schneer
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ted Moore (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Timothy Gee

FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE/FAMILY/ROMANCE

Starring: Harry Hamlin, Judi Bowker, Burgess Meredith, Laurence Olivier, Clair Bloom, Maggie Smith, Ursula Andress, Sian Phillips and Neil McCarthy

Since the original, classic, black and white film, King Kong, special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen was known for his meticulous use of stop-motion photography. This was the method of photographing models one frame at a time, from 25 to 35 frames for every one second of film that gave the models the illusion of life. Before computer-generated imagery (CGI), this was how fantastic creatures were given life in films. The special effects crew of The Empire Strikes Back made extensive use of the method for several scenes on the ice planet of Hoth. Harryhausen’s most famous and best example of his use of the technique is the famous skeleton fighters from Jason and the Argonauts.

Clash of the Titans, a big-budget spectacular back from the early 80’s, was Harryhausen’s last film before his retirement from filmmaking. The tale borrowed liberally from Greek mythology, and the master Harryhausen brought many wonderful creations to life for the film, my favorite being the gorgon, Medusa.

Perseus (Harry Hamlin) must find a way to defeat the Kraken (another Harryhausen creation) before his betrothed Andromeda (Judi Bowker) is sacrificed to the creature for the appeasement of a jealous goddess. With his trusty winged steed, Pegasus (more Harryhausen), Perseus sets off to obtain the head of Medusa, whose face turns men who gaze upon it to stone. It is the only thing that will stop the Kraken from snacking on his virginal bride-to-be.

Though the effects look dated, Clash of the Titans is fun, family-oriented fantasy. It’s exciting and adventuresome in a quaint sort of way, and it has never lost its charm. The combination of Greek myth, a cast that includes revered British actors, fantasy and fantastic creatures, with a B-movie pace makes this a delightful film treat for the young at heart.

6 of 10
B