Meryl Streep narrates “To the Arctic,” the story of twin polar bear cubs and their mother that is a great family film. And I have a copy to give away.
It’s an extraordinary journey to the top of the world and a compelling tale of survival in the changing Arctic wilderness they call home. Captivating and intimate IMAX® footage brings audiences up-close and personal with this family’s struggle in a frigid environment of melting ice, immense glaciers, spectacular waterfalls and majestic snow-bound peaks. The vistas and wildlife are breathtaking and the story of the mother and her cubs fighting for survival is touching. And the soundtrack features songs by Sir Paul McCartney.
It’s now available on DVD and Blu-Ray. The Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack features a 3D hi-definition, a hi-definition and a standard definition copy of the film; and the single disc DVD features a standard definition copy. Both the Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack and the single disc DVD include UltraViolet, which allows consumers to download and instantly stream the standard definition theatrical version of the film to a wide range of devices including computers and compatible tablets, smartphones, game consoles, Internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players.
To enter, send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com and tell me why you’d like to visit the Arctic. Don’t forget to include your address (US addresses only). I’ll pick a winner at random on April 7. Good luck!
Greedy Lying Bastards is a documentary that takes on two problems — the pernicious impact of industry on the environment and the effect of those changes on communities and the even more pressing problem of the pernicious impact of a small group of corporate executives on politicians and the laws they enact and enforce. As the title makes clear, this is a powerful attack that does not pull any punches or pretend to be objective. It’s no longer an inconvenient truth. It is a question of our survival being put at risk by a few wealthy people who are so determined to get even wealthier that they are either in denial about the consequences or just do not care. The case it makes is dramatic and disturbing.
The late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan used to say that “everyone is entitled to his own opinion but no one is entitled to his own facts.” In this film, documentarian Craig Rosebraugh shows how a very small group of unfathomably wealthy industrialists create research and lobbying organizations designed to appear objective and broadly supported but in reality with no commitment to scientific data or to public policy. The most telling information in this film concerns the lack of transparency and accountability of organizations that have such a pervasive impact on legislation and policy. Washington insiders are already very familiar with the story of the Bush administration’s suppression of the most significant scientific report on climate change under the direction of an oil industry lobbyist serving a brief time in the government and allowing his former (and future) employers to edit the report’s findings. But seeing the details of the story in the context of a widespread and chillingly effective program by the Koch brothers and others is very compelling.
It would be nice to have some updates about the most recent campaign and Obama administration. . And while Rosebraugh has some good footage (thanks to a sneaky photo-pen) from the no-cameras-allowed Exxon shareholder meeting, he fails to connect the dots between what these executives do with corporate money and the true owners of the company — the shareholders, mostly through intermediaries like pension funds and mutual funds. As the comic strip character Pogo said when he discovered trash in a once-pristine river, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
The “what you can do” section at the end should include more than just contacting elected officials, who need the corporate money to win elections. Capitalism is as much at risk from this failure of accountability as the environment. Perhaps that point could be made in Part 2.
Parents should know that this film has brief strong language and scenes of environmental devastation.
Family discussion: Who is in the best position to counter the messages sent by corporate-funded organizations to politicians? Where do you get your most trustworthy information about these issues? How do you know?
If you like this, try: “An Inconvenient Truth,” “FLOW: For Love of Water,” and “End of the Line”
New Aspire Series About African-American Faith Leaders: The Scroll
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 8:00 am
The Scroll is a new series from director Parrish Smith shown on Magic Johnson’s Aspire Network featuring intimate, inspiring interviews with more than 50 African-American clergy.
Some of the faith leaders featured in the documentary are: Bishop T. D. Jakes, Rev. Al Sharpton Jr., Rev. Bernice A. King, Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant,Bishop Noel Jones, Pastor Floyd H. Flake, Bishop Kenneth Ulmer, Bishop Charles E. Blake, Rev. Dr. Della Reese Lett, Bishop Paul S. Morton, Pastor A.R. Bernard, and Bishop Joseph L. Garlington.
Smith generously took some time to talk to me about the series.
What surprised you most about making “The Scroll?”
How long it took to make it! It was supposed to take one year, but it took three years to get access to the ministers, to get through their staff. We got rejected, we would fax and call and and email and talk to assistants and they would say “who are you?” We got no’s for a long time. After a while, the yeses started to come through but the process took a long time.
What made them reluctant to participate?
Ministers and pastors have bulls eyes on their backs. People have bad intentions and want to exploit them. A lot of people see pastors as crooks. One pastor gets caught in a scandal and all of a sudden all pastors are bad. So many ministers are protective. And there’s the scheduling problem as well. They have traveling ministries and the scheduling is difficult. But the primary problem is they don’t know who you are, and that’s understandable.
Were some of them concerned that revealing too much about themselves would interfere with their ministry?
Not necessarily. We interviewed a few people we did not use because they weren’t being open and forthcoming. But mos of them were.
What makes somebody a great preacher?
A minister told me that “a great sermon is the one you need at that particular time.” A great preacher is subjective. But perhaps he tells a story about how he overcame obstacles. And perhaps you are sitting in the congregation going through something and it hits you at that time and hits other people at that time. A great preacher is someone who can deliver a great message and a timely message from the heart. But it comes from God; it doesn’t come from them. They move themselves out of the way and let it flow through them to the congregation.
What is the importance of music in the church?
Music is a form of ministry, another form of prayer. I know some people who really don’t get much out of church or out of the sermon, but they do from song. Particularly in an African-American church, that tradition of music is historical in our culture. Old gospel spirituals, old hymns, have been with us for a long time. It’s a huge element in church.
Is humor important in ministry?
Yes and no. Humor can help deliver a message. But some people just want a strong, powerful message, very direct. Some people think if it’s humorous, it’s not too strong. I like it. I think it helps to ease what they’re saying. I know ministers who use humor and some who don’t.
What do you think about congregations taking advantage of new technologies to reach people?
If you stay home and watch church, you’re missing the fellowship. If you’re at home watching it online you’re missing the camaraderie that you get in church. But you have to change with the times. You have to evolve and transcend the technology. You can reach people who can’t come to church. They can watch and still get the message.
How can churches reach out to younger people?
Some churches and some denominations are more traditional, like many AME churches. They can lose the younger audience. But if the pastor is young and the service is more upbeat, they can appeal to a younger crowd. I was raised in a church that was very traditional. I got very bored with church. I went to college and didn’t go to church. It wasn’t until I heard Kirk Franklin and more modern gospel that it brought me back to church, a church that wasn’t as structured and traditional, with shorter services. The message was still there but the organ was replaced with more upbeat music. That brought me back.
What do you want people to take away from watching this series?
It’s all about faith and hope. We all go through trials and tribulations in life. Hurricane Sandy, Katrina, the shooting in Connecticut, natural disasters and personal challenges. “The Scroll” is about faith to help us Ministers are often unsung heroes. We are distracted by the small percentage who are in the media for their mistakes instead of focusing on the good that most of them do. Ministers are very smart, they’re great orators, and they give so much. We don’t see them teaching children and going to hospitals and inspiring people every day, all the things that they do. We see them on Sunday but they do so much more. And “The Scroll” is a homage to my father, who was a pastor.
ALDEN FILMS is distributing a new 7-DVD special on the Holocaust that is an important resources for schools, libraries, and families. For a limited time, the set includes two extra DVDs:
WHAT FIRE CAN’T BURN, a tale of a childhood lost to Thereseinstadt
BETWEEN BERLIN AND JERUSALEM, an interpretation of present-day attitudes to Jews and Israel in post-Holocaust Germany.
AMBULANCE — the classic trigger film of the Holocaust, depicting the use of disguised ambulances as killing vans of Jewish children
CHILDREN OF THE EXODUS — the uplifting film of child survivors of the Holocaust who miraculously sailed to Israel on the actual ship Exodus
LEGACY OF ANNE FRANK — a young girl hiding with her family wrote a diary that is still a testament to hope during the Holocaust. This film features her father, Otto Frank, and Miep Gies, who hid the Frank family.
MEMORANDUM — the survivors of Bergen Belsen concentration camp return to the scene of their torment
POLAND/KOLBUSZOWA — a look back at the world of the Shtetl, which was destroyed by the Holocaust
SIGHET, SIGHET — Elie Wiesel’s haunting return to his hometown in Hungary, where the town’s Jews were rounded up and sent to Auschwitz, never to return
Today — and every day — we salute the vision and courage of Rosa Parks, not just for what she did one day in being arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus to a white passenger, but for a lifetime of commitment to the cause of equality. Contrary to what many people have written and said about her, the decision to break the law and get arrested was not an impulsive one and it was not because she was tired that day. It was a deliberate strategy from an active member of the local NAACP to challenge the barbarity of the laws enforcing segregation. Her modesty and grace made her a good choice but we should not forget her strength and sacrifice in the cause of justice. We can best honor her example by finding your way to bring greater justice to the world.
The US Postal Service has issued a new stamp in her honor.
