Untold - The Girfiend Who Didn't Exist

Untold - The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist is the kind of documentary that makes the hair on your skin stand. Most who watch it will feel uncomfortable at some point in the 2-Part Series. It is an intriguing tale of misfortune that is unimaginable, even by today's standards. 

This is the story of Manti Te'o. A Polynesian football player at Notre Dame. He came from a small Hawaiian island. A bit naive, he was catfished online at a time when catfishing was not as frequent as it is today. The deception lasted over 2 years before he was told it was a hoax. 

There is a lot of depth crammed into this 2-hour miniseries. This documentary will leave little doubt that journalistic integrity went out the window many years ago.

Without going into too much detail, this is a story about how easy it is to judge a situation before we have all the facts. It also gives rare insight into how easily we can be manipulated by social and conventional media. I remember this event that happened many years ago, and I honestly was mad at myself as I most likely allowed the media's reporting to impact my own opinion about what really happened.

Overall, this documentary is a warning about where we were, where we are, and where we are heading as a society regarding fact-finding and media manipulation. The old phrase, "Never judge a book by its cover certainly applies to this short series. 

The United States Versus Billie Holliday

 The United States Versus Billie Holliday is a new entry for movies that chronicle historical injustices to African-Americans. What I notice immediately about this movie is the difference between an African-American directing the movie versus a caucasian director. The style and format for comprehending the African-American experience are different. It speaks to a different lens compared to past movies produced and influence by "white guilt." What I mean by that is most films like Freedom Writers weave a story around the White Hero, versus the emphasis being on the depth of the injustice itself. There are complexities to the time machine of injustice that rarely get captured. This movie goes deeper. It has more depth. 

A great example is this movie provides a fresh take on "Uncle Tom." There are nuances throughout the movie that African-Americans took advantage of Billie Holliday. One, in particular, is a government agent that shoots up with Billie and makes love to her as a way to befriend her for the benefit of the Federal Government. Think about the moral compass it takes to do this to a person or lack thereof should I say. There were complexities that existed during the segregated world of entertainment. This was a fresh and realistic take on history I have not seen in previous movies. 

The movie also tackles the issues of neglect, subjugation, physical and verbal abuse. Billie Holliday's pain from addiction comes from a very dark place and the ingredients were there since she was raped at age 10. Her mother was a prostitute. She could not love as she wanted to and provide for Billie the emotional support a child needs. Billie witnessed lynching as a child.  If you think addicts are evil or weak, try to understand the origins of addiction. Addicts self-medicate the wounds brought about by a life that is cursed by injustice.

The movie captures the roots of the Federal Government using the drug war to strategize how to keep African-Americans in suffrage. Harry Anslinger was the protagonist. He would use African-Americans to entrap Billie. Powerful scenes regarding how men conspire to punish and entrap Billie. She fights back because her fame allows her to fight back. One has to remember the victims that did not have the resources to fight back. A powerful testament to the power structures beginning to develop. The drug was a front for something greater than we realize. It's the new Jim Crow. It's important for people to understand as history repeats itself with the Crack epidemic in the '80s. 

The most haunting nuance is the government's rationale to go after Billie was due to her song, "Strange Fruit."Such a powerful song during a time when songs generally lacked depth. Music back then was meant to safely provide entertainment. Then this comes along:

Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swingin' in the Southern breeze
Strange fruit hangin' from the poplar trees

The KKK after the Civil War raged war in the south against African-Americans by using lynching as a format for sending a message. Many political figures supported or looked the other way. Lynchings were public and oftentimes attended by adults and their children. Lynchings happened in the thousands at their prime. To this day, the United States has not introduced Federal Legislation outlawing lynching. Hopefully, this movie will provide the inspiration to end this dark chapter in American History.  

As an accompanying piece to this movie, watch the Oprah Winfrey special. Oprah provides insight into the actress that portrayed Billie Holliday. There are many aspects to her preparation for the movie that speaks to the American Experience today. Pay attention to Andra Day during the awards season this year. If she fails to win an Oscar for this performance, it would be another shining example of how Hollywood awards are an injustice the past 50 years regarding the lack of African-American representation. 

(Author's Note - This movie is timely. Please encourage friends and relatives that are deniers of history to watch this movie. The failure to understand history is the reason why people are so angry about the Black Lives Matter movement. When we learn about the history of intolerance, it allows for a conversation to happen that could not happen before.) 

Feast of the Seven Fishes

Period pieces in Cinema are important as they document a period in time. as long as the production team works diligently to get it right. I found this to be true for a movie I watched recently known as, Feast of the Seven Fishes. 

I watched this quite honestly because I grew up in Central New York in an Italian family celebrating the Feast of the Seven Fishes. I was thinking it would be a cute movie that would bring me back to my youth. It was all that and more. What surprised me about the movie was the director truly captured the dynamics of the Northeast during the early 1980s. It was surprisingly an accurate portrayal of the division among working-class Catholics and white-collar Protestants. Subtle, but it there for us to witness. 

The houses that the Catholics were living in were substandard. However, they managed to make them a home. Rich in traditions that their contemporaries did not have in the affluent neighborhoods. This is told through the eyes of the main character. He is smitten with a young lady from the rich part of town. She is enamored by the traditions of Christmas Eve. Her mother is very wary and concerned with this relationship. The setting is a coal mining town near Philadelphia. This could be any small community in the Northeast back in the early 80s. What struck me as very accurate was the imagery of the homes, and how the director caught a moment in time. I thought I was witnessing my own youth. This is how many small communities were divided 40 years ago.

The other thing that Italian-Americans will appreciate in this movie is the cultural references that have slowly disappeared over the years. The "nonny" is spot on how many grandmothers were that came over from Italy. They only want their kids and grandkids to marry Catholic girls, preferably Italian ones. The wooden spoon references will bring back many fond memories for sure. 

What this movie does very well is to create a time capsule. This movie captures the traditions and culture of a period of time that is unique to the Northeastern United States. Multiple generations of northeastern residents that have moved all over the United States will enjoy this movie, as it honors a time that no longer exists. This is so important as our society changes quickly. Whether you are from the Northeast or not, this is one heck of a film to learn about the Feast of the Seven Fishes, and why it was important so long ago. 

 

Criminal Justice Reform Double Feature - Who Killed Garrett Phillips - The Confession Killer

We are taught in schools that our country is a nation of justice for all. We look at other countries and demonize their lack of just laws and rules of governance. The world is a hostile place, and for many people, they do live under oppressive regimes. There are however many social-democratic societies that have better criminal justice systems.  

To understand the problems in our country, I am recommending two documentaries. The first one is Who Killed Garrett Phillips. This is a unique story set in the farthest region of Upstate New York. The second one is the Confession Killer which is set in Texas. The reason I like the choices are that each movie is set in a state that has different political spectrums, yet injustice can happen anywhere in our country. 

Injustice is built in our court system. The most common injustice discussed is the issue of race. Yes, this is a large part of the problem. However, there is so much more to injustice in our country. For example, the election of key positions causes political consequences for individuals caught in the crossfire of getting elected. (You will see this in both movies) 

Another problem in this country is the "thin blue line." An unspoken rule that mistakes cannot be challenged at all levels. Local law enforcement has rules. Cross that line, and you can be taken to task, attacked, and jailed. It is random, caused by the systems in place. 

The biggest problem is the lack of protection for people that are in the crosshairs of local law enforcement. Once you are sent to prison, injustices do not correct themselves. If they do, the victims could be long gone due to the length of time an investigation takes place. It is set up this way for a reason. People will forget the event over time, and the political consequences are not as severe. The system protects the oppressors of injustice.  

Both documentaries are a wake-up call. While watching them, think about the lessons taught in school. Truth and transparency are not characteristic of our current system. The burden of proof can quickly revert to the victim that is falsely prosecuted. The biggest problem is we think it is limited to certain individuals. It can happen to anyone of us. There are so many twists and turns in the documentaries, each one should shake the viewer to their core. Finally, here is the big question, after watching these documentaries, what will you do to increase awareness about the injustice caused by systems that fail to protect the very citizens it claims to protects? 

The Report - Morality - EIT's - Finding the Truth

Cerebral Cinema is a blog that is dedicated to cinematic experiences that encourage discussion and debate about our current reality. Each year, I have explored movies that challenge us to question the government and systems in our society. This year, Amazon pictures released the Report. The Report is a movie that explores our government's policy regarding Enhanced Interrogation Techniques. The movie explores well beyond basic questions about the morality of waterboarding. What I found interesting is the theme of systemic transparency, and how long it takes for the truth to prevail.

The movie explores the CIA and deep state operatives. It sheds light on bi-partisan misconceptions. The use of torture was kept a secret by the Bush and Obama administrations. For all of the accolades, President Obama has received for his sense of decency, this will be the first movie that provides an assertion that all Presidents make key mistakes in their administration. How history chooses to expose their mistakes is what can mislead our sense of justice. President Obama has been criticized for the ethics of his Drone warfare strategy. This movie sheds some light on his willingness to work with the CIA to ignore criticisms of torture. The movie goes so far as to suggest he avoided publicly releasing criticisms to gain the CIA's support for reelection.

This is the problem with the two-party system. Both sides are corrupted by the process. We are taught to vilify one party more than our own affiliations. The system currently in place is over two hundred years old. It is easy for corruption to manipulate the realities that exist. It takes years before the citizenry knows the truth.

The movie credits Feinstein and McCain for enacting legislation to help prevent such a strategy moving forward. There was a lost opportunity at the end of the film to further discussion of a key talking point. We already had laws to prevent torture. What assurance can we have that history will not repeat itself?

The Report is a reminder about the value of Civics classes. I have been a critic for 20 years about the dangers of standardized curriculums and testing. The lack of opportunities for our children to discuss and analyze transparency and truthfulness is a detriment to our society. Teaching critical thinking skills is the responsibility of parents and guardians of truthfulness. The Report provides the foundation for future discussions at the dinner table. Unfortunately, this movie will most likely not be shown and discussed in High Schools across the nation. A misstep in education that will hopefully change in the years to follow.

Minority Report - Precognitive Detective Work May Already Be Here

Back in 2002, Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg teamed up to bring us a science fiction thriller that is worth a fresh look. The movie itself, has aged quite well. This is a science fiction story from Philip K. Dick that warns us of the dangers of precognitive technology. While the movie is full of action, there is a great story that is more relevant today, than it was when the movie first came out. The technology that is part of the plot was not on the radar, however times have changed since its release.
The plot centers around the idea of the possibility that crimes can be solved using precognitive technology. This new technology could be life changing for future victims of crimes, as it would thwart the worst crime of all, the loss of life. Every idea has a beginning. In the movie, a new crime division is piloted in Washington DC which had one of the highest murder rates in the nation.  Thanks to the pilot project, murders have not occurred for 6 years. However, there is more than meets the eye regarding the ethics of the pilot program.
While there are plot twists and turns, the foundation of Minority Report is the ethics of such technology being used to solve crimes. I have always felt this is Tom Cruise's best movie. While he carries the action scenes with ease, he has to carry the burden of the technology throughout the movie. This involves him being more complex than we are use to seeing him in films. He was chosen to lead this unit for a reason. We travel on a journey, thinking we are going to see another movie with the "cocky" Tom Cruise we are use to seeing, however in this movie he is flawed. This serves the movie very well and his casting for this part was brilliant in my opinion.
The movie resonates more today. There is a connection to the 2016 election that many may not realize. Since 2002, the Russians and many tech firms have been mining our data for years to create precognitive models. Without exploring the ethics of such models, our current situation is hauntingly similar to the ethics that is the backdrop for this film. Once the technology exists, who manages the ethics behind such usage? Will tech firms and governments ultimately use it for the wrong reasons. Of course they will and we have the evidence now.
The 2016 election is about the usage of precognitive technology to rig elections. We are led to believe that it is about one side or the other colluding with the Russians.It is more complicated than we are led to believe.  In my opinion, this is why we have not seen indictments or impeachment proceedings. Doing so, brings out the truth about companies have create precognitive models for manipulating our elections. And, both parties tried to use the technology for their own benefit.
Ever wonder why your friends and families have such a strong reaction to social media posts about each party? Those posts are based on studies of our behavior via data mining. It is quite fascinating to think that precognitive technology already exists. Your friends and relatives have predetermined algorithms ready to strike at an moment to shore up a vote for certain party or candidate. Check it out for yourself the next time you are on social media. Watch how your friends share mindless posts constantly to get another person to support a point of view. They never question the origins of the post. Instead they embrace and support the leanings by trying to convince others to feel the same way. 
Science fiction tries to warn us about a future in which technology is used in manner that is unethical. Minority Report is a great example how a bold prediction in 2002 can come to fruition today. Precognitive technology is here folks, and we may want to heed the warnings from this movie.

Rocketman - A Lesson About Trauma

Rocketman was not a commercial success at the box office. It was most likely a flop due to the subject matter. The critical lens of what makes a movie "great" is sensationalism. Movies with depth tend to fail. In my opinion, the depth of Rocketman hurt the box office. I am not this movie is what fans wanted, however I found it to be quite a powerful story.
The primary plot is not about Elton's music, it is about his childhood, and the impact it had on his life. It is deeply personal, most likely impacted by Elton John himself, who produced the movie. I never knew much about Elton John going in to watch the movie. I thought it would be about his music, rise to fame, or outlandish costumes. Instead, the story was centered on Elton's early childhood experiences. He had two parents that lacked any type of attachment to their son. The only attachment bonding that existed in his childhood came from his grandmother. Elton's father was cold, and verbally abusive. He never loved his son. His mother could be emotionally unattached, and selfish. This would be the construct of how Elton saw his world.
Rocketman is a great example that abuse does not have to be physical. Parents can be verbally and psychologically abusive. The idea that verbal abuse is less serious than physical abuse is a myth. The movie also clears up is people on the surface can be successful, while living with the torment of abuse. That torment leads to addiction issues and self harm. Elton struggled most of his adult life with the emotional abuse of his childhood.
Another subtle theme is how early childhood experiences impact our choices for adult relationships. Elton was looking for love. Love that he did not have from his parents. His quest to be loved led to abusive relationships. In order for Elton to be successful in love, he had to understand his past. This is a foundation for Trauma Informed Care. Our past impacts the present and the future. A powerful statement from a movie I thought was about the limelight. Instead, it was about the person, and anyone watching this movie with an open mind will be impacted by it's message.