The Munsters - Lessons In Race Relations

Growing up, I loved the Munsters. A simple television show that was comically based on the Universal Monsters of the 1930s and 40s.  Curiously, as many shows in the 60s, the Munsters blended social commentary cleverly into the show without many realizing it at the time.

The producers of the show decided to have the Munsters be a family similar to the Beavers and many typical sitcom families of this era. However the show had a subtle difference. The neighbors and community  marginalized the Munsters because they "looked" different. Somehow, the Munsters would never realize the intolerance towards them in the show. However the viewers were subjected to the insecurities of people meeting the Munsters for the first time.

Every week, the Munsters provided examples for children that being different was ok. The show reflected the time period it was created. In the 1960's, neighborhoods were becoming integrated, and people were sharply mistrustful of the "new" family on the block if they were different. Schools were being integrated along with neighborhoods. The United States was going through a transition that was both difficult and violent.

I included a documentary of the film with this review. It provides insight into the show and how groundbreaking it was back in the 60s. As a child, little did I know the show was such a treasure.

Addicted to Plastic

Earlier this year, I went to the coast of Maine with my children. Typical of beachcombers, we went hunting for shells. Part of our search was smell shiny pellets which I thought were shells. We would shift through the water and sand to find these oddly shaped particles. Oddly enough, I did not give them a second thought until I saw the documentary I am writing about today.

Addicted to Plastics is a very detail oriented documentary regarding the impact of plastics on our global and local economy. Extremely detailed and possibly, a warning that we need to examine our use of plastics. Plastics today, may have reached levels that lead reached in our environment during the late 60s and early 70s.

To understand the significance of the is documentary, I had the benefit of watching the episode of Cosmos that explained the significance of lead in our environment. We were literally damaging our existence with high lead levels to the point that it could have been potentially irreversible. Lead had the ability to possibly mutate our genes and change the cognitive abilities of humans if it was left unchecked.

While watching this documentary, I could not help be find comparisons to the lead problems of our past. One could conclude that a failure to honestly reflect the dangers of plastics in our ecosystem, human DNA and abilities could be permanently damaged. It is a huge problem that is not garnering the attention it deserves.

What made the documentary meaningful to me was the examination of our oceans. The vastness of our oceans, it would be hard to imagine that we could saturate our oceans in such a short period of time. Plastic pollution has saturated our oceans with waste to the point that it is not debatable. It is in our food chain, and we are consuming plastic waste.

Another part of the documentary is the social-economic impact of recycling plastics in many world economies. The impact of plastic is diverse and different on many world economies. Some of the best solutions to plastics are coming from remote parts of the world that had to ban or greatly reduce plastics our of necessity.

The solution is not going to be reducing our dependence on plastic. It most likely is not going to change unless we come up with another safer alternative. The solution from this documentary that seems to be most prominent is recycling. What is mind blowing is that dormant capsulated landfills may one day be turned into profitable resources. It would seem that capitalism is finding a was to make recycling profitable. The delicate balance of social responsibility and capitalism seem to be the solution to the problem.  Overall, the production value of this film can be disjointed. However the content makes up for the production values that are lacking at times. Overall, a great documentary that could change our habits regarding our addiction to plastics

The Wolf of Wall Street - Understanding Scorsese's Anthropological Skills

I finally sat down and watched the Wolf of Wall Street. Before I write my review, I should disclose I am a huge fan of Martin Scorsese. The bar is set very high when it comes to viewing a Scorsese film. Since the early days of Mean Streets, to his popular films of today, Martin Scorsese offers films that entertain and provide. More importantly, for future generations, his films provide anthropological evidence of the time periods set as the background for us to explore. His attention to detail of the characters and themes are simply spot on.

Scorsese always places a value on history. For example, Mean Streets is an important period piece. Watching this movie, you can understand what NYC was like in the 70's. Parts of NYC were virtually uninhabitable. Yet, people learned how to survive and adapt to a very hostile living environment. When we fast forward to today, and ask tough questions about the Police, Law Enforcement, and Judicial inequities, one can watch Mean Streets and understand a different time in NYC when justice had different inequities that led to a greater amount of violence than their is today. How do we as a society measure those gains? Learning from the past could help temper the debates and protests by provided a historical balance to the discussion.

This is why I love many of Scorsese's films. He spends a lot of time on getting the historical aspect of his films to be accurate portrayals by the actors. His use of sex, drugs, and violence in film is to provide an insight into a character's moral sense of being. Joe Pesci and Robert DeNiro gave some amazing performances in some of Scorcese's earlier movies. Their characters were period pieces.

The Wolf of Wall Street is a very good attempt at a character analysis of greed. Leonardo DiCaprio is the new gatekeeper of Scorsese's recent attempts at film. Sometimes, I am skeptical of the casting of DiCaprio by Scorsese. However, he is today's DeNiro and Pesci. The portrayal of Jordan Belfort is simply spot on. Some may watch the movie and think that Scorsese over dramatized the sex and drugs. However, if you know the real story of Belfort's antics on Wall Street, you would think again.

The movie is again, one of Scorsese's analysis of a time period in the United States that is not very flattering. An expose of how the system is ripe with fraud and abuse when it came to securities and stock trades. Quite simply, one should watch the movie with a critical lens that this is a story that repeats itself daily in our country. The disparities of rich and poor come at an expense. People are taken advantage of every day in the United States. Wall Street is leveraging the middle class. When prices are low or high, it is not always about supply and demand as we are taught in school.

I could not help to reflect upon our recent drop on Oil and Gas prices. There will be winners and losers. A temporary gain for the average citizen for a few hundred dollars. Then, oil will become a commodity that is used against us. One percent of the population will benefit from the rise in prices. They will make millions. The Wolf of Wall Street is a reflection upon a very greedy system of buy and sell that exists in our global economy. In a perfect world, his films would also inform and educate his audiences to question reality. Unfortunately, his use of violence, sex, and drugs seems to be the center of discussion. Take the time to view his movies, and analyze with a critical lens what Scorsese is trying to capture on film. For each film, is a period piece into American History for future generations to watch and explore with great debate.

"30 for 30" Muhammad and Larry

I just love ESPY film documentaries. I am hoping to review some for teachers, parents, and educators in the future that provide an excellent insight into history. My first film is Muhammad and Larry. This is a documentary of the 1980 fight between Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes. Like so many of the Ali fights, Larry Holmes is demonized because of the popularity of Muhammad Ali. The movie provides a backdrop similar to documentaries on Joe Frazier and Sonny Liston. Ali was given a pass for his cruelty by the media. If you ever get a chance, there are some earlier documentaries that explain Ali's past abuse of opponents. Muhammad would cleverly, use race and other deficits to psychologically destroy an opponent.

What makes this documentary fascinating is you have to know the history of Ali to appreciate what is a critical theme of this documentary. This movie is about corporate greed. Greed so immense, that the cost of a legendary icon's life is inconsequential to money. Mohammad Ali is clearly unfit to fight. Medically he is ineligible based on Medical Tests. What is incredible is that the movie producers are documenting the brain's decline from previous fights. Literally, Ali's speech is slurred and his physical abilities are declining. All while his friends and family watch the decline without objection. It is just shocking to me that his past Doctor from when he was younger was the only person on record to tell Ali, you are risking death to continue boxing.

Another backdrop is Larry Holmes. He was Ali's former sparring partner. He knows Ali has declined and there is something wrong with the fighter he once sparred. He wants the fight to end and the brutal beating he gives Ali is due to the referee's unwillingness to stop the fight. How it ends is pitiful. A few years later, Ali would be documented with Parkinson's Disease. Fight induced? One has to wonder if the greed of fight promoters limited Muhammad Ali for the coming decades. All in all, a great documentary.

Carl Panzram - The Spirit of Hatred and Vengeance

Carl Panzram - The Spirit of Hatred and Vengeance is a documentary that came out in 2012 about a serial killer. There are great moments to this documentary. That's why I am recommending it for viewing. However, the critical lens needed for watching the documentary is to include additional filters for your viewing, while taking some production values and casting them aside.

Here is what I mean: The film is distracted by the "boogey man" voice associated with Carl Panzram. It is too theatrical. Next, the film provides "evil" film sequences to accompany the autobiography. It would have been much better if the producers withheld from distractions such as the additional footage they included. It would have been better served to allow the viewer to provide visual imagery through narration within their own minds. The goal of this film is to ultimately explain "good v. evil." Instead, I enjoyed the potential to explain how evil is created by systems within our society. The movie can not balance nature v. nurture very well in explaining Panzer's actions.

It is apparent to me that the producer wanted us to lack empathy for Panzer. Scenes of abuse which was so lengthy was attributed to "evil." Even when historical analysis is given that is of substance, the "Panzer Evil Voice" helps to distract some of the counterpoints.

The value of the movie is the insight from a serial killer in his own words what constructed his violence. This movie could have been a greater indictment of Judeo-Christian values and how they impacted the criminal justice systems over a hundred years ago. The environment that Panzer grew up with was ironically just as cruel as his murders. There was sort of disconnect to this theme at times.

What we can learn from this movie from a modern perspective is that systems in the safety net left unmonitored can come back to haunt us as a society. The "Serial Killer" is an American cultural icon. Other developed countries have less serial killers. Why is that? Carl Panzer tried to give us insight into why that is by opening up and sharing his story. Most Serial Killers are silent about their past. For this reason, I recommend this movie, with filters of decency come from the viewing of this film.

Authors Notes: Panzer served sentences in Oregon and Upstate New York. Both communities have a dark past regarding prison abuse. As I watched, I wondered how many people in both states know the history of their prison systems.

Take a Second Look at Sherlock Holmes - Game of Shadows

I gave Sherlock Holmes Game of Shadows a second look this weekend. Wrapped into the movie is an important theme that was subtle. The movie asks us to consider the evil intentions of powerful individuals to change the landscape of our society. In the case of the movie, Professor Moriarity is a powerful person in London society. He is a wise secretive figure. Admired by many. No one would guess of his secret life hidden in a game of shadows.

Sherlock Holmes understands the complexity of his persona. He has linked him to numerous events that were unsolved. He knows that behind the persona lies an evil man. What I enjoyed about the movie is the geopolitical themes. Professor Moriarty uses the geopolitical theme of Nationalism to distract people from his actions. Very profound. What the movie cleverly challenges us to consider is that powerful individuals can use geopolitical themes to their advantage.

If you think about the logic of Professor Moriarity, he is not that unusual. Powerful individuals can take advantage of geopolitical themes without any worry of loss of life. A quest for control can consume an individual to justify evil as a necessary means to meet their selfish goals. Fast forward to today's geopolitical themes. Many powerful people are profiting from the war on terror, financial disasters in banking, and social policy changes. Are these individuals any different than Professor Moriarity? 

The Flash v. Gotham on TV - An Analysis

Two great DC comics are currently on TV this fall. The Flash on the CW and Gotham on Fox. Both shows are intriguing and very well done. The greatest difference that I can see is that the CW's Flash is bucking the trend of Dark interpretations of comic book story lines. It is refreshing to see a balance between serious and campy themes with the Flash. Gotham continues the Dark Knight trilogies' interpretation of a darker Batman. The show is on a weird time slot. 8pm is early for some of the show's themes and darker interpretations of Gotham. Another problem I have with Gotham is that the timelines seem skewed. Bruce Wayne is much younger than the characters we have read about as kids. Many of the characters, including the villains will be in their 40s by the time Bruce Wayne becomes Batman. Even  with the plot twists, Gotham is still very good.

The Flash has stuck to the original script. A bit campy, but intriguing how they are interpretation the death of Barry Allen's mom plays a role in the show. The show is slowly developing the story line of the yellow flash which is Barry's nemesis. The incorporation of metahumans and subplots from the comic book are cleverly interwoven into each episode.

While I might seem biased towards the Flash, both shows are very strong. I favor the Flash a bit for keeping some of the innocence of comics when it has become more fashionable to be dark. Similar to the Avengers Movie, the Flash allows itself to have some fun.

Human Lampshade - A Holocaust Mystery

When I was a child, I could remember saying, "Keep it up, I will make a lamp shade outta you." Never understanding the phrase, we as kids just said it in the school yard. Looking back, I like most kids probably thought it sounded cool.

Fast forward 40 years and I stumbled upon a documentary that astonished me. It would seem, that the phrase was rooted from the Holocaust. A deeply troubling phrase that reflected the atrocities of World War II.

For those who are unaware, as I was as a child, the phrase is historical linked. Ilse Koch was a accused of War Crimes for using human skin as souvenirs. She was a secretary and guard at a concentration camp. She stood trial and was given a lighter sentence due to the absence of evidence. This injustice created a world wide search to prove that she indeed created articles of human skin for her enjoyment, including her most prized possession, the human lamp shade.

This documentary explains the historical background of Ilse Koch. The plot is indeed complex and fascinating. I truly recommend the story to history lovers, teachers, and parents. After forty years, I learned the horror of a childhood phrase. A phrase I had no idea what it meant. For words, while meaningful can harm, without a child even realizing it. That is the lesson for our world today.