Behind the Candelabra

Behind the Candelabra is a Home Box Office movie about the estranged life of Liberace. Liberace was portrayed in the movie as a man lost in his own world of sexual deviancy, and denial of his own sexuality. The movie is flawed, and this is why I am recommending it from a different critical lens.

If you believe the movie version of the life of Liberace, there was not much to admire. He was self-absorbed and used men repeatedly until he grew tired of them. His lavish lifestyle was repugnant. He enjoyed a lifestyle that glamorized wealth. He lived in a den of lies. People were not friends, they were acquaintances. His manager's role was to ensure this lifestyle went on uninterrupted, as best he could throughout Liberace's career.

Whether this was true or not, it is how the movie was delivered. That's the key to watching the movie. First, the stars portraying all the major roles are heterosexual. Scott Bakula, Michael Douglas, and Matt Damon headline the movie. This demonstrates HBO's motivation was profit, and not to help us understand the complexity of Liberace. Having these 3 actors play the roles is similar to Al Jolson wearing black face to portray African-Americans in the 1920s.

Do we really need heterosexual stars to relay the story of Liberace? How ironic when you think about the era that the movie is set in. The late 70s and 80s when gays were ostracized for seeking medical care for HIV. It is a slap in the face to ask the audience to sincerely reflect upon this time, when the main characters lack the depth themselves to understand the problem. Watching Damon and Douglas feels uncomfortable. Where they acting or perpetuating a stereotype? It is kind of surprising especially from Damon, who is the first to advocate for such causes of decency.

So why recommend the movie? Watch the movie and realize what was lost in opportunity. The director should have given insight into root cause and effect. Liberace was bullied as a child. He was chased by tabloids long before the movie suggests. (Dating back to his first lawsuit in the 1950s) This form of harassment was the reason for the lies and deceit. He had to protect his assets by pretending to be a heterosexual. This was the reason for his behavior. This was a lost opportunity. Instead, the movie choose to have a Wolf on Wall Street approach to telling the story.

Liberace was a complicated part of Hollywood history. The movie demonstrates that Hollywood still has a way to go regarding civil rights for people who are in the LGBTQ community. Low pay and and underground cinema are still the norm. When Hollywood casts stars like Damon and Douglas to tell a story, they send a message that gay men were not good enough to play the roles. In a sense, the story of Liberace is showcased by the discrimination in castings. Make millions by keeping a secret, or come out and have Matt Damon make the millions for you. That's why this movie is so powerful.

Evil Genius - (Lack there of....)

Evil Genius is a documentary on Netflix about a very strange incident in Erie Pa. The incident I am speaking to is a bank robbery that happened in the early 2000's. There were many complexities including a beheading to distract law enforcement. The documentary is a continuation of Netflix's fascination with complex criminal justice cases. The series in my opinion is flawed and dangerous on many fronts.

The documentary focuses on one woman, the supposed "Evil Genius." It is clear by the marketing and branding that the producers want us to believe the main character is evil, and that people can be entrapped by her evil. In a sense, people somehow lack free will, and gravitate towards evil. Somehow, Erie Pa had an evil force in it's mist without ever realizing it existed. I am pretty sure the community knew about the suspect. However, the direction of the documentary is that evil lurks, and we somehow never knew it was there....

There is a danger to this simplicity. Many people watching this documentary will come to the conclusion that we live in a world of good v. evil, versus a world of circumstance and environment. The documentary is void of humanity. Instead, it lowers our intelligence. It oversimplifies the good v. evil analogy.

Documentaries are supposed to be about the documentation about the event versus the emotions of the event. The series manipulates the viewer with clever sound bites from our media, and melodramatic music. The artwork on the poster is evil. Law and Order type graphics throughout the entire documentary. I was waiting for the 'bum bum bum bum" music from the show at times. The purpose of these type of cinematic props is to convince the audience this woman was surely "evil." This is not a documentary, it is a commentary.

Another critical lens could have taken this series in an entirely different direction. Erie Pennsylvania had a Mental Health crisis. People struggling with Mental Health were most likely medicated, versus therapeutically treated. In fact, I found it interesting after watching the documentary how much efforts have shifted in Erie Pa. So much that the local United Way shifted  funding to early intervention and mental health related services in 2018 for children in this region. (http://www.goerie.com/news/20180121/erie-united-way-wont-renew-dozens-of-agency-grants)
Erie Pa. ignored their most vulnerable population and paid a heavy price. That is the lesson to be learned.

Evil Genius is not the correct title for this documentary. It should have been titled, "Mental Health Crisis in Erie Pa." Even the local law enforcement lacked the proper understanding of mental health. They let a man get his head blown off while clearly he was asking for help. There was so much to learn from this tragic event and the people involved in such acts. We as a society should be asking, "What are the antecedents for deviant behavior?" Instead, we attribute it to good v. evil. This cheapens our approach to mental health in my opinion.

The good v. evil analogy is similar to the recent outrage of our President calling a gang "animals." Labels strip away at our humanity. My suggestion, see for yourself. Watch the documentary and imagine if it was titled, "Mental Health Crisis in Erie" with the subtext, "Community Experiences Tragic Event Due to the lack of Mental Health Screenings and Services." Eliminate the music, and melodrama, and we could of had one heck of a learning experience about how our country can prevent the tragic events we witness every day that traumatize our nation. The bottom line, lost opportunity for learning Netflix. Shame on you....(And I love your documentaries)

Patient 17

Patient 17 is an interesting documentary regarding evidence that an advanced life form may be monitoring us. It is the story of a surgeon, who claims to remove highly advanced implants from humans. The implants are embedded by Aliens without our knowing, until our body begins to reject the technology via illness and pain. This technology is part of a larger story regarding abductions from non humans that are monitoring the earth.

For some, the documentary is a stretch. After all, a doctor armed with a patient, a scalpel, black lights and a stud finder may seem to be a bit odd. What comes to question right away is the authenticity of the claims. However, the implants are examined and some of the components are very complicated and not of this earth. This leads the viewer to ask, "how did this unknown technology become implanted into the victims?"

Documentaries like this, when viewed with an open mind help us ask questions about their own existence. They will questions whether other civilizations exist outside of our solar system. If they exists, are they friendly, more advanced, or studying our situation on earth. Al great questions that lead us to a path of enlightenment that advanced civilizations may already be here.

Batman and Bill

Batman and Bill is a documentary that is currently on Hulu. Without giving to much away, it is a story behind the creation of Batman. A story that ironically is inspired by Batman himself. We find ourselves immersed into a world of intrigue uncovered by Marc Tyler Nobleman. He is a self-created hero of sorts. He discovers a mystery that Bob Kane, who we have credited for the creation of Batman had a very large secret. He lied until his death about the creation of Batman.

Next, we enter a world of corporate maneuvering because Marc discovers that another family is heir to the Batman throne. This has huge implications for Warner Brothers and the entire franchise. While not stated clearly, there really isn't any heir to the throne when Bob Kane passes. In a sense, the discovery of an heir means the franchise has to share the wealth.

While disjointed at times, the documentary clearly shows the underbelly of comics. It is a huge franchise and makes billions for corporations. This movie quickly becomes a David v. Goliath scenario. What helps right the wrongs of the pass is the victim, Bill Finger. His life is one of darkness and sadness that impacts his family. I could not help but wonder if there is a connection to his life and the future generations struggling to come to terms with their father and grandfather's lack of credibility.

There are many hidden stories within the documentary that make it interesting. The subplots include people in Hollywood that give us hope that we can right the wrongs of the past. Kevin Smith from Comic Book Men is an example of right versus might. The truth will come out in the end and you will notice future Batman projects will have evidence of this documentary that will last a lifetime.


(Authors Note: As I researched the documentary, I noticed Warner Brothers released the documentary. Keep that in mind as you watch.)

Duck Soup

I recently watched Duck Soup which is one of the best pictures the Marx Brothers made in 1933. As most films that I admire in the 1930s, this movie reflects a time of nationalism and economic decline. The impending doom of war can be seen many years prior to World War II. This movie captures what somehow the history books fails to acknowledge. That is, war is a creation of men with wildly nationalistic tendencies.
  
The movie was honest and reflected a political environment that was hostile to critical thinking. For this reason, it was a failure at the box office at the time. People were insulted by their humor. In fact Italy banned the movie under their fascist leader Mussolini. Groucho famously says, "And remember while you're out there risking life and limb through shot and shell, we'll be in here thinking what a sucker you are." which was a direct shot at Hitler and Mussolini. It seems the comical genius of the Marx Brothers was a reflection of the truth that lie ahead.

I could not help but reflect upon our current political atmosphere. What's old is new again. The satire of global events in the 1930s is hauntingly similar to today's current events. The cynicism of geopolitical events back then are the same as today. It would seem that the Marx Brothers tapped into themes that reoccur throughout history. When there are economic inequalities, dictatorships thrive on the false premise of restoring glory and order for the masses.

From an entertainment point of view, this is a very funny movie. Fast moving dialog, site gags that were ahead of their time, and insults galore. Groucho was the Mel Brooks and Dave Chappelle of his generation. He uses the fine line of social commentary as humor. The double entendres are cleverly masked so that the censors miss what is truly being said. This is the magic of the Marx Brothers. When you put into context the restraints they had back then, they cleverly work around censorship.  

The bottom line is that Duck Soup is a movie that captures the 1930s and reminds us that history lessons are for the taking when we watch movies from our past with a critical lens. This is why Duck Soup belongs in a short list of movies during this time that examined the world with honesty, and irreverent humor. And, if you have not seen the movie, be sure to watch it.

Dave Chappelle Netflix/Dave Chappelle Show

In my opinion, Dave Chappelle provides that unique combination of comedy and social commentary in his productions. His work is important on many fronts. He touches upon taboos that scare whites from affluent backgrounds while reaching those that foster beliefs of social justice. Some may consider his humor to be inappropriate when it comes to some issues regarding social justice, however that is to the contrary. Those that mislabel his work fail to connect to the irony provided as a backdrop to his humor.
His television show on Comedy Central broke many television stereotypes of African Americans. At the time his show premiered, Cosby had cleaned up negative self images of African-Americans. Chappelle, reversed the Cosby effect by challenging conventional wisdom regarding African American stereotypes. His show allowed an African-American to reflect honestly about race and inequality while using humor as a backdrop. So many characters reflected negative stereotypes instead of sweeping them under the carpet like Cosby had tried to do.

The show reached huge numbers, and then Dave disappeared for 10 years. While many speculated why he left his craft, he never felt the need to explain to anyone his reasons for taking time for himself. I truly respect that his absence remained a mystery. Dave has been slowly reintroducing himself to the millennials. His most recent work is 2 episodes on Netflix. The shows are live comedy shows. There are no comedy sketches like his previous television show. We just get Dave with a live audience. However his humor is just as irreverent as the TV show.

In the first episode, he discusses a wide range of issues. His fame seems to be a backdrop for some of the skits. My favorite comedy bit is O.J. Simpson. He splits up O.J. into 2 eras. He draws some comedic analogies with O.J. that are introspective and funny. Within this episode he also jokes about another African-American legend, Bill Cosby. He has an ability to reflect that their guilt is inconsequential to their body of work. In a sense, they are the first African-Americans to benefit from wealth and status when it comes to our nation's criminal justice system. Such a subtle play on history. I thought it was genius. The second episode is filmed in Austin Texas. Again, Dave uses humor to discuss topics that many simply would avoid.  He can cross cultural lines that many comedians do not have the ability to do in their performances. He can talk and joke about sexuality, misogynist behavior, race and culture using analogies that are honest and funny. They also make some uncomfortable and cause them to reflect upon their own values. This is why Chappelle matters. His humor uses high level thinking to get across viewpoints using low brow humor. Simply put, Chappelle's humor makes us think about our thoughts and actions, which is why I recommend his body of work.

Mr. Church

Mr. Church is a hidden gem from 2016 starring Eddie Murphy. (My take on Eddie Murphy is that I have always felt he has a wide range as an actor that has gone untapped. I think this movie allows him to stretch a bit from what we are use to seeing him do on the big screen, and he was excellent in this movie.)

Mr. Church is a movie about an individual (Church) that takes on a short term assignment to help a single parent family. The family is small consisting of a mom and daughter. The mom has breast cancer and she is uncertain how long she has to live. You immediately get immersed into the story because we are not sure what motivates Mr. Church to help this family. This is what makes the movie work throughout the entire film. The main character appears without explanation, leaving us to guess what is intrinsically motivating this man to help the family.

This movie reminded me of a quote from my mom I would learn as a child,  "everybody has a story." It was a lesson on how to understand empathy. Stories about people's past are how we learn about ourselves. The human conditions we encounter can be complex, surreal,  and often complicated. People have many layers, especially with complicated pasts. We can learn from their stories if we take the time to get to know them. This is a core theme in this movie.  If you enjoy learning what makes a person "tick", than Mr. Church is gong to be a great film for you to experience.

We learn about Mr. Church, by his examples of generosity. Yet his generosity causes us to have doubts, because we are taught to doubt the context of human kindness through imperfections. We can mistrust someone for having generous thoughts and actions by looking for imperfections, and this is why I absolutely love the simplicity of this movie. I found myself second guessing, and looking for subplots based on my life experiences when I tried to figure out why Mr. Church is so generous to this family.

The movie is simple. We follow Mr. Church through the eyes of Charlie. (The daughter as she grows up) The ending is poetic. Simple yet complex. I truly believe we learn about Mr. Church, and his life can explain some scenarios in our nation that we can not understand. Mr. Church was guarded about his personal life for many reasons. The scenarios running through my mind throughout this movie were not even close to the ending. The ending was a reminder for me that human relationships can be impacted by factors that are hidden and personal. Yet those experiences can bring out the best of us. This is what makes Mr. Church a cerebral viewing experience.