An author in a creative crisis is sitting in front of his computer screen and trying to make a film out of random doodles. He hesitates over the title of the film and finally decides on the name Adaptation. With the help of artificial intelligence, the doodles are molded into one form or another and the actual theme is slowly revealed - the perception of the human body depending on whether it is clothed or naked. Artificial intelligence is a great invention, but during the process we realize that it is not just a technical aid, but a serious and intrusive co-creator of the process. Can the author adapt to it?
A recent look at gender and racial diversity in film shows some signs of progress. However, white men still make up the vast majority of actors and directors in top-grossing films.
It surely isn't for everybody and could certainly offend some folks, but Troll Hunter takes a different approach to representing religion in a film.
In the film adaptation, director Jon M. Chu turns each musical number into a massive show stopper, with grand set pieces and a wealth of diverse dancers. Yet, in this attempt to show reverence for the people of the Washington Heights barrio, Chu, or maybe more specifically those in charge of casting, left out a crucial part of the community, Afro-Latinos.
Stevan Lee Mraovitch’s film is a beautiful tribute to family, found family, and the lengths people will go to support their loved ones.
“And I think to myself….what a wonderful world”. Louis Armstrong sang about this notion via his classic 1967 song, an ode to witnessing elements of our life that should be but some reminders of exactly what that concluding line of each verse indicates. Now we see our contemporary realities and, just being honest, it makes a sentiment like this seem SO overtly far away….perhaps even impossible….to accept or believe could be. It sounds harsh, but again, so much of what is occurring speaks not to beauty, but bedlam.
