review of “media that matters” films

a heavy load of pre-break assignments, essays and research studies makes re-purposing more forgivable. or at least i hope so. the following are mini-reviews of films from the "media that matters" film festival...

p.s. a quick note to the programmers. i kind of wish there wasn't a submission fee. anything that increases barriers to sharing independent creative work is an issue that, for lack of a better word, "matters"


Review of “Media that Matters” Films
http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/

SOMETHING OTHER THAN OTHER (http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/5/something_other_than_other/)

Did Barack Obama commission this? Multi-raciality (look mom, I invented a new word!) is quickly becoming the normative state in North America post-Boomer personal identification. This tender story soft sells an increasingly difficult decision facing parents - the mandatory categorization of race at birth. The film smartly substitutes what could have been a typical cloying soundtrack for the emotional musicality of warm parental voices aspiring for the better days of a post-racial future.


A GIRL NAMED KAI (http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/5/a_girl_named_kai/)

A hyperkinetic, supersaturated personal biography of a youth working through gender identification issues in filmic form. The combination of never-stay-still images and hypnotic music creates a highly immersive mood that helps the viewer become involved in the fragmentary nature of gender formation. Aside from the inevitable romantic rupture that always seems to motivate these types of work, it was engaging in both style and content.


POPangada: THE ART AND SUBVERSION OF RON ENGLISH (http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/4/popaganda_the_art_and_subversion_of_ron_english/)

I’ve never been much of a fan of people who are excessively self-congratulatory. This DIY-style film focused on the subversive guerilla advertising of Ron English. Although the ads are clever and have enough aesthetic parity to bewitch unaware viewers into looking at them at face value, English comes across as a bit too proud of his art. Has this faux advertising raised awareness? Probably in the towns where he displayed his work. But more importantly, has it changed people’s behaviors? Until there is proof, I would prefer a wee bit more humility. For those who like this kind of stuff, please see the British graffiti artist Banksy. A bit more satirical and a whole lot less unnecessary ‘tude.