Movies for a New Year's Revolution

I considered making a list of heartwarming, feel good movies to help us get through the pre-dystopian blues (and you can certainly find them here.) But after a month of that kind of distraction, I feel it’s time to move on. If you’re ready for a change too, this list might be just what you need – Movies for a Revolution. 

If you’re like me, the best remedy is doing something about it. These movies leave you with a feeling of hope. President Snow (of Hunger Games ) warned us about hope, “A little is good. A lot is dangerous” – because it can ignite a revolution. Right now our country could use a lot of hope. If you’re ready to see things blown up, these films provide the arsenal. But if you’re ready for a revolution - at least a revolution of the heart – allow these films to ignite the force in you and prepare you for the work ahead.

One way to get prepared is to arm yourself with the facts of what is going on in our world.

1) In The Hunger Games series, we observe how the government controls the people through the corporate owned media. They instill fear and divide the people of the 12 districts by having them fight each other in the hunger games. Meanwhile, the citizens of the Capital live in gluttony by exploiting the resources and labor of the 12 districts, while the working class struggles to get enough to eat.

America’s corporate-owned media planted fear in us that made us ripe for a populist demagogue. They did that by broadcasting a stream of violent images of terrorist acts, drug cartel wars, and every conceivable crime done by a Mexican or person of color. They used illegal immigrants as scapegoats, blaming them for our lack of jobs, while the CEOs got million dollar bonuses for sending our manufacturing jobs overseas to exploit cheap (sometimes slave) labor. We need to heed Peta’s advice and “Remember who the real enemy is,” so we are fighting the right battle. Katniss shows us that our strength lies in love.

2) Like I wrote in my previous review, “Mad Max: Fury Road” is the ultimate action flick - a total adrenaline rush of continual action, one long explosive car chase. It is a practical effect picture. Everything you see on the screen is real. Real people driving those trucks, real trucks rolling over and crashing in the Libyan desert. The production had military advisers for the battles.

This prophetic action movie briefs us on the consequences of pursuing profit over the common good. The barren wasteland resembles the scarred land that mining companies leave behind. Our country is at the cusp of a dystopian system where greedy corporations will have complete control over the one thing we all need to survive – water. The first steps have already been taken. Nestle bottled up California’s water during a severe drought. They are now bottling what’s left of the clean water in Michigan to sell to the people of Flint whose water was poisoned by corporate meddling. Nestle is currently setting up operations in drought-ridden Phoenix to bottle Arizona’s CAP water (water that was transported 326 miles from Colorado at a great environmental cost) so they can sell our own water back to us. The chairman of Nestle, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, told his board that water isn’t a human right, that it should be privatized. As fossil fuel companies continue to deplete our water supply to extract coal and gas, they are creating a water shortage. Some countries are already in the midst of water wars like those in Mad Max. Imagine having to rely on greedy corporations to divvy out our drinking water.

Every-man Max and the young War Boy Nux learn from the mothers what is really worth fighting for: fair distribution of water and a future for their children where their sons aren’t raised as fodder for old men’s wars. The movie demonstrates how to get our warriors to fight for what is right – by showing empathy for their suffering and uniting with them over "righteous causes."

The movie inspires us to plant the seeds of change in our communities. The shot of the matriarch unwrapping the heritage seeds is a great visual metaphor for planting the seeds of a more sustainable way. Change is fostered by demonstrating successful practices - much like the water harvesting systems initiated by Brad Lancaster. (Look him up. He didn’t win the local genius award for nothing.)  Curb cuts (that irrigate street-side trees) used to be illegal in Tucson. Now water-harvesting features are required at new apartment complexes. As Nux says, "It looks like hope."

3) Rogue One: A Star Wars Story casts a laser beam on how a small group of dedicated people can make a big difference when the Force (I’ll call it love) is with them. It shows how taking a risk to do the right thing can inspire others to follow suit. Revolutions are built on hope!

A real-life example is the Water Protectors at Standing Rock. The peaceful Water Protectors are putting their lives on the line to stand up to Energy Transfer Partners' (Sunoco) attempts to build an oil pipeline under the Missouri River that supplies water to 17 million Americans.  (Look it up. These pipelines explode and leak all the time...) A small group of matriarchs from the Standing Rock Sioux tribe started this prayerful, non-violent action out of love for their children and Mother Earth. Despite sparse media coverage, over 300 indigenous tribes have joined them. After watching drone footage of police brutally attacking unarmed protesters, two thousand vets deployed to Standing Rock to defend them and our water. Thanks to the Water Protectors the permit to drill under the Missouri River has been denied. That is the hope I was writing about! But it's not too late to join the fight. Trump signed an executive order to restart the pipeline, so the fight continues.

UPDATE:

STANDING ROCK SIOUX TRIBE PREVAILS AS FEDERAL JUDGE STRIKES DOWN DAPL PERMITS - March 25, 2020

Hopefully these Sci Fi flicks will inspire the peaceful warriors in us all to take up the good fight, even if that just means trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle: not buying bottled water, bringing reusable shopping bags to the store, being mindful of water use, driving less, buying local, keeping up with what is happening in our government, signing petitions, and pulling money out of banks that support the pipeline... To quote Yoda, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” (Sorry, that’s another movie.) 

I would greatly recommend The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story for an inspiring New Year's marathon. Wishing you a Happy New Year full of hope and love. 

Movie Blessings! 

Jana Segal-Stormont

www.reelinspiration.blogspot.com


If you would like to read more about my adventures in transitioning to a more sustainable lifestyle, visit my other blog: http://www.sustainablelivingtucson.org/

Our Desert Community Plants the Seeds for a New Doc

I apologize for not keeping up with my Reel Inspiration reviews for the past few months - even though there have been several meaningful films that really touched my heart.  I started writing reviews to help promote inspiring, thought provoking movies. I especially felt drawn to films that spoke to the important issues of our time.  In the process, I learned so much! I was inspired to start a new blog that has taken up much of my attention:
 www.sustainablelivingtucson.org. 

Since Dan and I started blogging about our journey to a more sustainable lifestyle we have had the opportunity to come in contact with so many inspiring community groups cultivating an oasis of sustainability here in Tucson.

Emma demonstrates how to shore up a catchment basin.

Tohono O’odham Community Action (TOCA) is reviving their cultural traditions by having tribal elders mentor youth on their native foods. Friends of Tucson’s Birthplace re-built the Mission Garden, a living museum, to demonstrate how to grow crops from pre-Columbian to those that Father Kino established in that location.  Native Seeds/SEARCH 

maintains community food traditions by preserving diverse and heritage seeds. Manzo Elementary, Changemaker High and City High tend to the next generation of desert gardeners. Through their community garden programs, the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona doesn’t just feed the hungry, but teaches them to grow food for themselves. Iskashitaa Refugee Network assists refugees in becoming self-sufficient (and reduces food waste) by harvesting fruit that would otherwise go unpicked. Dunbar Springs neighborhood worked to make their street an example of an edible, urban forest irrigated by rainwater. Watershed Management Group is building a community that works together to restore Tucson’s aquifer by implementing rainwater harvesting techniques and desert landscaping in people's yards, gardens, streets and businesses. These groups (among others) are gleaning from Tucson’s rich cultural history ways to live in harmony with the desert. This is truly an exciting time to be a part of this vibrant community!

Shooting the first segment with Brad Lancaster at Dunbar Springs

I decided to make a documentary about the accomplishments of these communities with the hope that it would inspire others. So I approached activist/ documentarian Evan Grae Davis with the idea. Evan had just read Edible Baja Arizona’s article about Tucson being the first US city to be designated a UNESCO World City of Gastronomy for the same advancements. He was excited to tell our story!

Our last shoot was for the rainwater harvesting segment featuring Watershed Management Group. Dan and I have planted our roots into the WMG community. In addition to being members of their co-op, Dan recently got the good news that he was accepted into their docent training program!  We love being a part of a community that is working to restore our groundwater and get our rivers flowing again.

Here we are shooting in Jason and Connie Carder's yard. (See Jason working alongside of Emma in the pic above.) They had 3 roadside catchment basins (wow!) and berms installed to control the runoff after their house had been flooded during a recent storm.

Happy owner Connie Carder

Co-op members Grant and Carrie Stratton share why they volunteer

Where's Waldo...uh...Dan? 

Emma helps a co-op volunteer arrange rocks 

Two hard workers: workshop instructor Emma Stahl-Wert and my baby Dan

Purslane!!!

A little patch of purslane ignited a conversation about edible weeds. Later in the day, Dan heard someone call out, "Don't step on the purslane!" A woman after my own heart! It's so great to work alongside kindred spirits who feel as passionate as we do about getting our rivers flowing again and protecting purslane!

Movie blessings!
Jana Segal-Stormont

Reel Inspiration: 10 Years of Movie Blessings

A blast from the past: The Reel Vision Flmmakers Conference. Photo by Wendy Reichenthal.

Recently I happened on to the first review I ever posted on this blog about an empowering little film called “Akeela and the Bee.” Can you believe it’s been 10 years since I posted that first review on the Reel Inspiration blog?

This blog was actually a small aspect of Reel Inspiration. Our mission was to encourage and promote the production and theatrical success of diverse films with entertaining, powerful stories that uplift, challenge, give hope or inspire human consciousness. We encouraged filmmakers by hosting the Reel Vision Filmmakers Conference, film contests, and by promoting their films through our “Reel Members” e-mail list. The idea was that our members would forward the reviews to their film-loving friends. You know…you tell two friends and they tell two friends and together we create a market for meaningful films. We signed up most of our members at the community screenings of our contest finalists. My favorite was the Family Arts Festival. My kids would help me run the zoetrope activity. Then our volunteers, Michael and Sarah, would take over so we could enjoy the fest! The festival is gone now along with most of the e-mail members. 

This blog wasn’t even up yet when we promoted our first film. It was 2004 and the board was on the lookout for a new indie film, when we got wind of “What the Bleep Do We Know.” It was kind of an odd choice because it wasn’t quite a narrative film. It was kind of a mish-mash of documentary, narrative and animation. But the producer was breaking new ground by approaching managers individually and asking them to screen his film. The film would be promoted entirely through word of mouth and an email campaign. “It won’t cost the theater a dime. What do you have to lose?!” he pitched. 

Founding Members: Wendy, Michelle and Jana.
Wendy designed our logo and the poster above.
Michelle came up with our name! 

We were delighted when we heard that “What the Bleep” was on its way to Tucson. It was just the opportunity we needed to see if our marketing plan could work, so we signed on. We sent out e-mails, we put up posters, and we posted board member Wendy’s review on our make-shift website. I made it a point to tell at least five people a day about the film at the coffee shop where I hung out. I did the same thing at my church on Sundays. Eventually, my pastor asked me about it. He began announcing the screenings at the pulpit. When I stopped keeping track, it had already screened for 39 weeks in Tucson! This metaphysical film was a phenomenon in this new age community.

It hasn’t always been that easy to see the impact of our reviews. There were times I got discouraged because I didn't feel like I was making a difference at all. I had to be reminded that it wasn’t about me, it was about the filmmakers and the movies. Like the time Reel Inspiration was featured on Arizona Illustrated. I had been up all night digging through my closet looking for something that still fit and wouldn’t make me look fat on camera. During the interview a mosquito hovered around me. Loopy from lack of sleep, I unconsciously started scratching the itchy bites. It looked like I had the shakes on camera. Not one of my shinier moments. This gave them ample time to highlight the other Reel Inspiration representatives, including contest finalist Justin Mashouf. They showed a nice clip of his powerful short, “Morning Submission” about why Muslims pray. As a direct result of that segment, two Muslim women wearing hijabs were inspired to attend the Reel Vision Filmmakers Conference. 

I am honored to have a platform to promote filmmakers with powerful messages. In 2010 when border issues were really heating up here in Tucson, I received an invitation to the premiere of LuisCarlos Davis’s doc, “389 Miles: Living the Border.” Sensing that his doc could create more understanding of the plight of undocumented immigrants, I encouraged him to screen it as much as possible. I was able to put out a call to the Reel Inspiration community and my facebook friends to host screenings. LuisCarlos became an outspoken advocate for the undocumented, travelling the globe to speak on border issues. (See the entire movie, "389 Miles: Living the Border" for free.)

It hasn’t always been easy to tell if the reviews were reaching anyone. Once I got so discouraged that I stopped writing them for a while. But I actually missed it. It was the films themselves that motivated me to return. "Searching for Sugar Man," (Most Inspiring Film 2012), told the story of  Rodriguez, a Dylan-style rock poet, who disappeared after his one album flopped. Unbeknownst to him, his album became the sound track for apartheid. Just by following his path, he made a huge difference.

Whenever I’m in need of inspiration I can watch Pai’s quest in “Whale Rider” – the movie that set me on my path to start Reel Inspiration. And I am grateful for that journey. To date, I have written 178 articles on films! The Loft Cinema is practically my home away from home. (I saw at least 40 of my "Most Inspiring Films" at the Loft!)  Movies have made such a difference in my life. I especially feel drawn to films that address the challenges of our times. The reviews give me a chance to talk about issues that are important to me. This eventually led to me branching out to a blog on sustainability. Documentaries like “The Anthropologist," and "Ours Is the Land," that I saw at the Arizona International Film Festival, continue to ignite my passion and motivate my work on social justice and sustainability. 

My first blog review in 2006: "Akeela and the Bee"

Akeela’s spelling coach quotes Marianne Williamson, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure....As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people the permission to do the same."  Let it shine on in films that inspire all of us.

Movie blessings! 

Jana Segal-Stormont

www.reelinspiration.blogspot.com

“Indivisible: Love Knows No Borders” is a great example of how powerful films can be – how a film can change people’s perceptions, open their hearts, and inspire action. I’m delighted to continue a Reel Inspiration tradition by putting a call out to our community. Please, support these brave Dreamers by hosting a screening of “Indivisible” at your club, organization, or anywhere with a movie or TV screen. Find out how to arrange for a screening at:  http://www.indivisiblefilm.com/

Interested in being a part of the Reel Inspiration community? If you would like to get reviews e-mailed to you, or suggest a movie to be reviewed, or write one yourself, please, e-mail me at: reelinspiration@hotmail.com

Interstellar: Exploring the Wonder of Science

“Interstellar,” touches on a dire concern of our time: the denial of science. As a result, the earth has become unable to sustain human life since all the crops (except for one variety of corn) have been wiped out by the blight. The last of our resources have been expended in growing corn. Our public school system has been reduced to crowd control and survival skills. Director Christopher Nolan and screenwriter Jonathan Nolan bring out the human side through the relationship between corn farmer/former astronaut Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) and his daughter, Murph (Mackenzie Foy). It’s not enough that he’s dealing with the imminent demise of the world, Cooper is called into the principal's office. But this time it isn't about his son getting into a fight. His science geek daughter, Murph, is reprimanded for insisting that there was once a space program. History has been rewritten to exclude the moon landing because it is thought of as a waste of time, effort, and resources. NASA was dropped with the economic collapse. Cooper mourns the loss, “We used to look up at the sky and wonder about our place in the stars, now we just look down and wonder about our place in the earth.”

Fortunately, NASA went underground and may be humanity’s only hope. Cooper is forced to make a heart wrenching decision between staying to comfort his children during their last days, or heading to space on the slim chance that he can find another planet that is habitable.  Murph is left with only a broken watch to await his return. 

Theoretical physicist Kip Thorne

We watch breathlessly as the crew blasts off into space. It is almost as if time is nonlinear as we shoot through the wormhole to explore another galaxy with them. Nolan seems to challenge the recent political travesty that science is expendable by staying true to the physical laws. Theoretical Physicist Kip Thorne was more than just a consultant on the set. He was brought in from the inception to develop the treatment with producer Lynda Obst (of "Contact").

Thorne worked closely with the VFX to help them visualize black holes in space. Their simulations were based on the equations he provided.

“Interstellar,” is a testament to the importance of science and the space program. But it transcends physical dimensions with lofty ideas and wonder.

Movie blessings! 

Jana Segal

www.reelinspiration.blogspot.com