While 1960s classic rockers often got political, their activism wasn’t always well-received. Paul Simon wasn’t a fan of John Lennon’s “Power to the People.” He was suspicious of John’s political involvement in general. Considering some of John’s later comments, Simon’s suspicions may have been confirmed.
Paul Simon said John Lennon’s ‘Power to the People’ was inferior to a song by The Chi-Lites
During a 1972 interview with Rolling Stone, Simon attacked John’s “Power to the People” for being both “poor” and “condescending.” “Did you hear the other record of ‘Power to the People?'” he asked. “There were two records called that.
“There was one record called, ‘(For God’s Sake) Give More Power to the People,'” he recalled. “It was a good record though. It really was a good record. I think it was The Chi-Lites. I like that record much better than Lennon’s record.
Paul Simon said John Lennon’s ‘Power to the People’ was inferior to a song by The Chi-Lites
During a 1972 interview with Rolling Stone, Simon attacked John’s “Power to the People” for being both “poor” and “condescending.” “Did you hear the other record of ‘Power to the People?'” he asked. “There were two records called that.
“There was one record called, ‘(For God’s Sake) Give More Power to the People,'” he recalled. “It was a good record though. It really was a good record. I think it was The Chi-Lites. I like that record much better than Lennon’s record.
- 10/3/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Tl;Dr:
John Lennon criticized politics in The Beatles’ “Revolution.” He said the different versions of the song were not consistent. Only one recording of the track was a hit.
John Lennon explained one of the lyrics from The Beatles’ “Revolution.” He said he wrote that line from The Beatles’ “Revolution” because he was a coward. In addition, he said he used the song to criticize some of the political activists of the era.
John Lennon said The Beatles’ ‘Revolution’ reflected his political ambivalence
The book Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon includes an interview John did with Tariq Ali in 1971. Ali is a communist activist. During the interview, Ali asked John if he was “knocking politics” in The Beatles’ “Revolution.”
“Oh, sure,” John said. “There’s two versions of the song ‘Revolution.’ Of course, the underground left picked up on the one that says, ‘Count me out.’ But the original version,...
John Lennon criticized politics in The Beatles’ “Revolution.” He said the different versions of the song were not consistent. Only one recording of the track was a hit.
John Lennon explained one of the lyrics from The Beatles’ “Revolution.” He said he wrote that line from The Beatles’ “Revolution” because he was a coward. In addition, he said he used the song to criticize some of the political activists of the era.
John Lennon said The Beatles’ ‘Revolution’ reflected his political ambivalence
The book Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon includes an interview John did with Tariq Ali in 1971. Ali is a communist activist. During the interview, Ali asked John if he was “knocking politics” in The Beatles’ “Revolution.”
“Oh, sure,” John said. “There’s two versions of the song ‘Revolution.’ Of course, the underground left picked up on the one that says, ‘Count me out.’ But the original version,...
- 7/5/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
A newly mixed and mastered version of John Lennon’s debut solo album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, has been released on Tidal alongside track-by-track commentary from Lennon.
An “Ultimate Collection,” featuring John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band as well as other Lennon tracks, outtakes, demos, studio jams, and more is available just for Tidal subscribers. The track-by-track commentary, which can be heard on the “Album Experience” version, is available to all listeners.
Lennon’s audio commentary was pulled from a variety of interviews the musician conducted over the years, including chats with Rolling Stone,...
An “Ultimate Collection,” featuring John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band as well as other Lennon tracks, outtakes, demos, studio jams, and more is available just for Tidal subscribers. The track-by-track commentary, which can be heard on the “Album Experience” version, is available to all listeners.
Lennon’s audio commentary was pulled from a variety of interviews the musician conducted over the years, including chats with Rolling Stone,...
- 4/23/2021
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Smithsonian Channel is set to launch in the UK – marking the European debut of the non-fiction channel.
The network will launch with a mix of U.S. series and local UK commissions. The latter includes When Tariq Ali Met Malcolm X, Mystic Britain, hosted by Clive Anderson and Hidden History author Mary-Ann Ochota, as well as a series with the American-born Julie Montague, Viscountess Hinchingbrooke.
David Royle, Chief Programming Officer, Smithsonian Networks, which is a joint venture between the Smithsonian Institute and Showtime, told Deadline that it would have a “modest but meaningful” UK commissioning strategy.
U.S. titles will include American In Colour, The Lost Tapes, The Green Book: Guide to Freedom and Aerial America.
The launch follows roll outs in markets including Canada, Singapore and Latin America.
“Smithsonian Channel has already resonated powerfully with audiences in Canada, Singapore and Latin America, so we can’t wait to bring our award-winning,...
The network will launch with a mix of U.S. series and local UK commissions. The latter includes When Tariq Ali Met Malcolm X, Mystic Britain, hosted by Clive Anderson and Hidden History author Mary-Ann Ochota, as well as a series with the American-born Julie Montague, Viscountess Hinchingbrooke.
David Royle, Chief Programming Officer, Smithsonian Networks, which is a joint venture between the Smithsonian Institute and Showtime, told Deadline that it would have a “modest but meaningful” UK commissioning strategy.
U.S. titles will include American In Colour, The Lost Tapes, The Green Book: Guide to Freedom and Aerial America.
The launch follows roll outs in markets including Canada, Singapore and Latin America.
“Smithsonian Channel has already resonated powerfully with audiences in Canada, Singapore and Latin America, so we can’t wait to bring our award-winning,...
- 2/7/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
The Smithsonian Channel is launching in the U.K. as a free-to-air service that will reach 19 million homes. It will carry shows from the U.S. such as “America in Color” and a slate of local originals including a documentary about Tariq Ali and Malcom X and a factual series fronted by Clive Anderson.
Smithsonian Channel is owned by Smithsonian Networks, which is a joint venture between Showtime and the Smithsonian Institution. The U.K. launch on Feb. 12 will be the most significant international move yet for the channel after earlier rollouts in Canada and Latin America.
“We know that internationally people respond to our programming and once we had some of those moves under our belt and saw we were getting a good reception, the U.K. was the big challenge,” David Royle, chief programming officer, Smithsonian Networks told Variety. “We’re already collaborating with a lot with U.
Smithsonian Channel is owned by Smithsonian Networks, which is a joint venture between Showtime and the Smithsonian Institution. The U.K. launch on Feb. 12 will be the most significant international move yet for the channel after earlier rollouts in Canada and Latin America.
“We know that internationally people respond to our programming and once we had some of those moves under our belt and saw we were getting a good reception, the U.K. was the big challenge,” David Royle, chief programming officer, Smithsonian Networks told Variety. “We’re already collaborating with a lot with U.
- 2/7/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
Let us play the “Name Game”, shall we? Since we all are part of the experience here at the entertainment website known as Sound on Sight maybe we should pay homage to our online destination by celebrating it in an unconventional manner? Specifically, we can recognize Sound on Sight by acknowledging movie names that contain the words “sound” and “sight” in their titles.
However you may perceive this experimentation as being rather gimmicky and silly please realize that this movie column is also a means to recognize a few movie titles that are unfamiliar or perhaps a first-time discovery to some of you out there that never heard some of these cinematic selections. There may be a couple of well-known films in the bunch but collectively the features being mentioned in Sound on Sight: Top 10 Random “Sound” and “Sight” Movie Titles are aptly presented based on the theme at hand.
However you may perceive this experimentation as being rather gimmicky and silly please realize that this movie column is also a means to recognize a few movie titles that are unfamiliar or perhaps a first-time discovery to some of you out there that never heard some of these cinematic selections. There may be a couple of well-known films in the bunch but collectively the features being mentioned in Sound on Sight: Top 10 Random “Sound” and “Sight” Movie Titles are aptly presented based on the theme at hand.
- 7/14/2014
- by Frank Ochieng
- SoundOnSight
Over three decades from the 70s to the 90s, Derek Jarman had carved out a reputation as Britain's leading experimental film-maker, an artist-poet of the screen who gave us films such as Sebastiane, Caravaggio and The Garden. This year marks the 20th anniversary of his death in 1994, and we are pleased to present an exclusive first showing of Andy Kimpton-Nye's new documentary about Jarman and his art, featuring Tilda Swinton, Peter Tatchell and Tariq Ali among others
Watch the trailer Continue reading...
Watch the trailer Continue reading...
- 4/11/2014
- by Guardian Staff
- The Guardian - Film News
Before his death in 1994, Derek Jarman had carved out a reputation as Britain's leading experimental film-maker, an artist-poet of the screen who gave us films such as Sebastiane, Caravaggio and Blue. On Friday theguardian.com/film launches an exclusive online premiere of Andy Kimpton-Nye's new documentary about Jarman and his art, featuring Tilda Swinton, Peter Tatchell and Tariq Ali among others Continue reading...
- 4/10/2014
- by Guardian Staff
- The Guardian - Film News
The 61st Sydney Film Festival today announced 32 films to be featured in this year.s event (June 4-15) in advance of the full program launch on May 7.
The line-up includes the world premiere of The Redfern Story, 19 Australian premieres, 13 features, 11 documentaries and an eight-film retrospective on maverick American filmmaker Robert Altman. Altman.s son, filmmaker Michael Altman, will attend festival and introduce several of the Altman screenings.
Darlene Johnson.s The Redfern Story chronicles the volatile birth of the first all-Indigenous theatre company, the National Black Theatre. It features interviews with indigenous media pioneer Lester Bostock, writer Gerry Bostock, actor Lillian Crombie, activist-academic Gary Foley, academic Marcia Langton, actors Rachael Maza, Bryan Brown and Bindi Williams. .We are pleased to present this sneak preview of 32 of the 180-plus films in this year.s program,. said Festival Director Nashen Moodley. .We have gathered a selection of the best films from the...
The line-up includes the world premiere of The Redfern Story, 19 Australian premieres, 13 features, 11 documentaries and an eight-film retrospective on maverick American filmmaker Robert Altman. Altman.s son, filmmaker Michael Altman, will attend festival and introduce several of the Altman screenings.
Darlene Johnson.s The Redfern Story chronicles the volatile birth of the first all-Indigenous theatre company, the National Black Theatre. It features interviews with indigenous media pioneer Lester Bostock, writer Gerry Bostock, actor Lillian Crombie, activist-academic Gary Foley, academic Marcia Langton, actors Rachael Maza, Bryan Brown and Bindi Williams. .We are pleased to present this sneak preview of 32 of the 180-plus films in this year.s program,. said Festival Director Nashen Moodley. .We have gathered a selection of the best films from the...
- 4/1/2014
- by Staff writer
- IF.com.au
Blu-ray and Digital Release Date: Oct. 15, 2013
Price: Blu-ray $49.99
Studio: Warner Home Video
Filmmaker Oliver Stone (Savages) looks at little-known 20th century events that shaped the history of America in the Showtime documentary series The Untold History of the United States.
For the TV show, Stone partnered with co-writers Matt Graham and Peter Kuznick, the American University Associate Professor of History and director of the Nuclear Studies Institute. The team drew on archival findings from around the world and declassified material to look at human events that went under-reported at their time. The Untold History looks at the period from the atomic bombing of Japan to the Cold War, the fall of Communism and today’s society.
The television series is told in 10 chapters, but the four Blu-ray discs also contain two unaired chapters and a companion documentary featuring Stone and author, philosopher, activist Tariq Ali, who worked with Stone on...
Price: Blu-ray $49.99
Studio: Warner Home Video
Filmmaker Oliver Stone (Savages) looks at little-known 20th century events that shaped the history of America in the Showtime documentary series The Untold History of the United States.
For the TV show, Stone partnered with co-writers Matt Graham and Peter Kuznick, the American University Associate Professor of History and director of the Nuclear Studies Institute. The team drew on archival findings from around the world and declassified material to look at human events that went under-reported at their time. The Untold History looks at the period from the atomic bombing of Japan to the Cold War, the fall of Communism and today’s society.
The television series is told in 10 chapters, but the four Blu-ray discs also contain two unaired chapters and a companion documentary featuring Stone and author, philosopher, activist Tariq Ali, who worked with Stone on...
- 8/16/2013
- by Sam
- Disc Dish
These past few months, I've grown weary trying to find albums that engage me from start to finish. In fact, I've yet to find one album in the past few months I can listen to top to bottom. I truly believe that we are back in the land of "singles." Not saying that a Blood on the Tracks, Dark Side of the Moon, Ok Computer, or (What's The Story) Morning Glory? isn't lurking in the shadows, but.... I'm old enough to have bought 45s back in the '60s when I was a young pup; my first was The Beatles' "Rain"/"Paperback Writer." In the land of digital, I'm happy to download one song from some new noteworthy act and let it fall into my enormous random shuffle playlist (over 8,700 songs and counting). And that "single" is not always the band or label's choice; in the age of iTunes, we...
- 7/3/2013
- by Dusty Wright
- www.culturecatch.com
This review was originally published in February. Mumia: Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey With Mumia Abdul-jamal never played theatrically in St. Louis (thankfully) and my review has been amended to include a look at the extras on the new DVD of the film.
Mumia: Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey With Mumia Abdul-jamal is a documentary from producer, director, cinematographer Stephen Vittoria about convicted cop killer and former Black Panther Mumia Abdul-Jamal (real name: Wesley Cook), an articulate, relatively intelligent radical with a distinctive speaking voice and a passion for public relations. Slickly produced, and with an excellent original score by Robert Guillory, the film is presented as a collective form of tribute to Mumia, with dozens of “witnesses” including Amy Goodman, Angela Davis, Dick Gregory, Ruby Dee, Cornel West, Peter Coyote, Lydia Barashango, Juan Gonzalez, and Linn Washington, all testifying on-camera to the brilliance of the subject’s writing skills.
Mumia: Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey With Mumia Abdul-jamal is a documentary from producer, director, cinematographer Stephen Vittoria about convicted cop killer and former Black Panther Mumia Abdul-Jamal (real name: Wesley Cook), an articulate, relatively intelligent radical with a distinctive speaking voice and a passion for public relations. Slickly produced, and with an excellent original score by Robert Guillory, the film is presented as a collective form of tribute to Mumia, with dozens of “witnesses” including Amy Goodman, Angela Davis, Dick Gregory, Ruby Dee, Cornel West, Peter Coyote, Lydia Barashango, Juan Gonzalez, and Linn Washington, all testifying on-camera to the brilliance of the subject’s writing skills.
- 6/18/2013
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
By Alex Simon
Mumia Abu-Jamal has been one of journalism’s most outspoken voices for nearly forty years. However, Mumia’s greatest fame has come not from his written work, but from the fact that he is one of the most famous state “employees” in the country: he has been in state prison since 1982, serving on death row until just over a year ago.
Born Wesley Cook in Philadelphia, Abu-Jamal made his name as a tireless writer and journalist during the racially-charged 1970s that often portrayed the City of Brotherly Love as anything but. With his intense coverage of the M.O.V.E. organization, a black empowerment group whose ongoing battle with the police and city hall came to a fiery end in 1985, Abu-Jamal became a constant thorn in the side of the city’s powerful establishment. Things came to a sudden head for Abu-Jamal himself on the evening...
Mumia Abu-Jamal has been one of journalism’s most outspoken voices for nearly forty years. However, Mumia’s greatest fame has come not from his written work, but from the fact that he is one of the most famous state “employees” in the country: he has been in state prison since 1982, serving on death row until just over a year ago.
Born Wesley Cook in Philadelphia, Abu-Jamal made his name as a tireless writer and journalist during the racially-charged 1970s that often portrayed the City of Brotherly Love as anything but. With his intense coverage of the M.O.V.E. organization, a black empowerment group whose ongoing battle with the police and city hall came to a fiery end in 1985, Abu-Jamal became a constant thorn in the side of the city’s powerful establishment. Things came to a sudden head for Abu-Jamal himself on the evening...
- 2/24/2013
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey With Mumia Abul-jamal is a documentary from producer, director, cinematographer Stephen Vittoria about convicted cop killer and former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal (real name: Wesley Cook), an articulate, relatively intelligent radical with a distinctive speaking voice and a passion for public relations. Slickly produced, and with an excellent original score by Robert Guillory, the film is presented as a collective form of tribute to Mumia, with dozens of “witnesses” including Amy Goodman, Angela Davis, Dick Gregory, Ruby Dee, Cornel West, Peter Coyote, Lydia Barashango, Juan Gonzalez, and Linn Washington, all testifying on-camera to the brilliance of the subject’s writing skills. Mumia himself is represented through archival footage, voice-over, prison visitation footage, and by an actor portraying the convicted killer moping in his prison cell.
Before viewing, I had never paid much attention to the Mumia Abu-Jamal case, but the film inspired me to do some research.
Before viewing, I had never paid much attention to the Mumia Abu-Jamal case, but the film inspired me to do some research.
- 2/5/2013
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Mumia Abu-Jamal
By Alex Simon
"Wrapped in the sweet, false escape of dreams, I hear the unmistakable sounds of meat being beaten by blackjack, of bootfalls, yells, curses; and it merges into the mind's movie-making machine, evoking distant memories of some of the Philadelphia Police Department's greatest hits--on me. "Get off that man, you fat, greasy, racist, redneck pig bitch muthafucka!" My tired eyes snap open; the cracks, thuds, "oofs!" come in all too clear. Damn. No dream. Another dawn, another beating on B-Block, another shackled inmate at Pennsylvania's Huntingdon prison pummeled into the concrete by a squadron of guards." -Mumia Abu-Jamal "B-Block Days & Nightmares"
Stephen Vittoria is that rare commodity in Hollywood today: a filmmaker with a conscience. To be more precise, a filmmaker with a strong political conscience. After making two feature films, Black and White (aka Lou, Pat & Joe D., 1987) and Hollywood Boulevard (1996), as well as...
By Alex Simon
"Wrapped in the sweet, false escape of dreams, I hear the unmistakable sounds of meat being beaten by blackjack, of bootfalls, yells, curses; and it merges into the mind's movie-making machine, evoking distant memories of some of the Philadelphia Police Department's greatest hits--on me. "Get off that man, you fat, greasy, racist, redneck pig bitch muthafucka!" My tired eyes snap open; the cracks, thuds, "oofs!" come in all too clear. Damn. No dream. Another dawn, another beating on B-Block, another shackled inmate at Pennsylvania's Huntingdon prison pummeled into the concrete by a squadron of guards." -Mumia Abu-Jamal "B-Block Days & Nightmares"
Stephen Vittoria is that rare commodity in Hollywood today: a filmmaker with a conscience. To be more precise, a filmmaker with a strong political conscience. After making two feature films, Black and White (aka Lou, Pat & Joe D., 1987) and Hollywood Boulevard (1996), as well as...
- 3/11/2012
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Comedian Alexei Sayle got heckled by his 90-year-old mother, who calls his memoirs 'a pack of lies', so it's no mystery where he gets his tireless revolutionary fury from
Alexei Sayle was always the scariest alternative comedian. Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson called themselves the Dangerous Brothers, but they were safe as houses next to this scouse skinhead. On The Young Ones, at the Comedy Store and in his own series Stuff, all those tirades about Thatcher, Oxbridge and Enver Hoxha rang not just funny, but insurrectionist. Now we know why. Sayle – according to his new memoir, Stalin Ate My Homework – was brought up believing in the violent overthrow of capitalism and mass murder as a political tool. His parents were doctrinaire communists, and young Lexi was raised to smash the bourgeois-fascist status quo.
Now 59, he's speaking about the memoir at the Edinburgh book festival and – while he's long left...
Alexei Sayle was always the scariest alternative comedian. Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson called themselves the Dangerous Brothers, but they were safe as houses next to this scouse skinhead. On The Young Ones, at the Comedy Store and in his own series Stuff, all those tirades about Thatcher, Oxbridge and Enver Hoxha rang not just funny, but insurrectionist. Now we know why. Sayle – according to his new memoir, Stalin Ate My Homework – was brought up believing in the violent overthrow of capitalism and mass murder as a political tool. His parents were doctrinaire communists, and young Lexi was raised to smash the bourgeois-fascist status quo.
Now 59, he's speaking about the memoir at the Edinburgh book festival and – while he's long left...
- 8/12/2011
- by Brian Logan
- The Guardian - Film News
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
When you eat as much fast food as I do, you hear a few things. There’s the urban legend that the disgruntled staff of popular chains take their revenge on rude customers by ejaculating into the tube of burger sauce or glazing the meat with a clump of freshly extracted bloody mucus. Years ago, I was told a story about a woman who bit into a quarterpounder with cheese, only to hear an unwelcome crunch. When she retracted the sandwich from her trap, she discovered that her teeth had unwittingly guillotined a dead mouse.
All of that may provoke revulsion, but there’s an even more unpleasant rumour spreading like wildfire throughout London society. Beware new food outlets, say the gossips; some of them are being set up by feckless wannabe businessman with no knowledge of the catering industry.
Like many I used to laugh...
When you eat as much fast food as I do, you hear a few things. There’s the urban legend that the disgruntled staff of popular chains take their revenge on rude customers by ejaculating into the tube of burger sauce or glazing the meat with a clump of freshly extracted bloody mucus. Years ago, I was told a story about a woman who bit into a quarterpounder with cheese, only to hear an unwelcome crunch. When she retracted the sandwich from her trap, she discovered that her teeth had unwittingly guillotined a dead mouse.
All of that may provoke revulsion, but there’s an even more unpleasant rumour spreading like wildfire throughout London society. Beware new food outlets, say the gossips; some of them are being set up by feckless wannabe businessman with no knowledge of the catering industry.
Like many I used to laugh...
- 7/14/2011
- by Ed Whitfield
- Obsessed with Film
New DVD Release - "South of the border" (documentary); with Tariq Ali, Raúl Castro and Hugo Chávez. Directed by Oliver Stone.
By Lita Robinson - November 16, 2010
Oliver Stone’s short film “South of the Border” documents the (in)famous director’s lovefest-of- a-tour across Leftist South America. His main focus is on Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela—or its dictator, depending on whom you ask. The thrust of this short, very one-sided film is simple: everything you think you know about Chavez and his comrades is wrong. Let Oliver show you the real story.
And show he does. Stone spends most of the film chatting with Chavez and constructing an elaborate explanation for how and why Venezuela, Brazil, Cuba, Argentina and other countries have ended up getting such a bad rap in America. Stone argues that the U.S. has exerted a type of neo-colonialism on these countries, through...
By Lita Robinson - November 16, 2010
Oliver Stone’s short film “South of the Border” documents the (in)famous director’s lovefest-of- a-tour across Leftist South America. His main focus is on Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela—or its dictator, depending on whom you ask. The thrust of this short, very one-sided film is simple: everything you think you know about Chavez and his comrades is wrong. Let Oliver show you the real story.
And show he does. Stone spends most of the film chatting with Chavez and constructing an elaborate explanation for how and why Venezuela, Brazil, Cuba, Argentina and other countries have ended up getting such a bad rap in America. Stone argues that the U.S. has exerted a type of neo-colonialism on these countries, through...
- 11/14/2010
- by Screen Comment
- Screen Comment
Happy Halloween! If I can start off on a scary — albeit a bit self-serving — note, if you’re looking for some spooky, creepy, frightening and sometimes a bit disgusting films to watch today, please visit Bad Lit’s short horror movie index page. Some great stuff in there if you click around. Now onto our regular links: If short horror movies are my “must see” link of the week, then my absolute Must Read link is j.j. murphy’s review of Andy Warhol’s recently preserved and unleashed Face, which focuses on the beautiful face of Edie Sedgwick. This film has sadly been out of circulation for 40 years. The Phantom of Pulp took a time out while making a documentary in Australia to take some awesome photos of a cemetery. Ella thinks that Kanye West is a filmmaker who should be considered on the same level as Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali.
- 10/31/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
'A graphic novel is like a film. There are close-ups and long-shots. You choose the location and the props. You do the make-up and the lighting and you get the characters to act.'
A couple of months ago Posy Simmonds found herself ensconced in a French hotel suite for 48 hours being interviewed, almost continuously, by TV and radio stations. She was talking about the film version of her graphic novel Tamara Drewe, which was then about to premiere at Cannes and is now about to open in London. Her French is very good, but she still brushed up on her vocabulary to anticipate a few likely questions. "I thought they'd ask what was my favourite scene and so I prepared two answers: the attempt to get the goats to mate – 'couplement des chèvres' – which in fact didn't make the final cut, and the 'lulling the spouse' scene – 'endormir l'épouse' – which did.
A couple of months ago Posy Simmonds found herself ensconced in a French hotel suite for 48 hours being interviewed, almost continuously, by TV and radio stations. She was talking about the film version of her graphic novel Tamara Drewe, which was then about to premiere at Cannes and is now about to open in London. Her French is very good, but she still brushed up on her vocabulary to anticipate a few likely questions. "I thought they'd ask what was my favourite scene and so I prepared two answers: the attempt to get the goats to mate – 'couplement des chèvres' – which in fact didn't make the final cut, and the 'lulling the spouse' scene – 'endormir l'épouse' – which did.
- 8/27/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
A documentary about Benazir Bhutto, which premiered in London last night, makes for gripping but troublingly partial viewing
"Zulfikar Ali Bhutto: Executed, 1979. Shahnawaz Bhutto: Murdered, 1985. Mir Murtaza Bhutto: Assassinated, 1996. Benazir Bhutto: Assassinated, 2007."
This chilling roll call, which appears on the front cover of Fatima Bhutto's politicial memoir, Songs of Blood and Sword, reads like a trailer for a Hollywood thriller – so incredulous, that it couldn't possibly be true. But you can't make this stuff up.
Murder, corruption, assassination, exile and family feuds: if ever there was a political story that makes for superbly gripping viewing, it's definitely the Bhutto story. And now it's finally been translated to screen in Bhutto, a documentary film put together by an American political-consultant-turned director and production team.
At a time when both Pakistan's flood calamity and precarious politics dominate the global media landscape, Bhutto provides a condensed and comprehensive glimpse...
"Zulfikar Ali Bhutto: Executed, 1979. Shahnawaz Bhutto: Murdered, 1985. Mir Murtaza Bhutto: Assassinated, 1996. Benazir Bhutto: Assassinated, 2007."
This chilling roll call, which appears on the front cover of Fatima Bhutto's politicial memoir, Songs of Blood and Sword, reads like a trailer for a Hollywood thriller – so incredulous, that it couldn't possibly be true. But you can't make this stuff up.
Murder, corruption, assassination, exile and family feuds: if ever there was a political story that makes for superbly gripping viewing, it's definitely the Bhutto story. And now it's finally been translated to screen in Bhutto, a documentary film put together by an American political-consultant-turned director and production team.
At a time when both Pakistan's flood calamity and precarious politics dominate the global media landscape, Bhutto provides a condensed and comprehensive glimpse...
- 8/27/2010
- by Huma Qureshi
- The Guardian - Film News
Oliver Stone's entertaining study of South America's socialist "revolution" South of the Border shows he's more Alan Partridge than Walter Cronkite. By Steve Rose
Oliver Stone's study of South America's socialist "revolution" is unashamedly partisan and unintentionally hilarious – both of which make it highly watchable. Full credit to the director for correcting the view perpetrated by the Us media: that the continent's new leftist presidents, particularly Venezuela's Hugo Chávez and Bolivia's Evo Morales, are "dictators" bent on America's destruction, rather than democratically elected leaders wresting their countries from the control of the Us and the International Monetary Fund. The case is forcefully presented, with the assistance of co-writer Tariq Ali. But having established the culpability of the media in this skewed perception, Stone goes on to shoot himself in the foot with a series of clumsy, sycophantic interviews. He thinks he's being Walter Cronkite but he's more Alan Partridge.
Oliver Stone's study of South America's socialist "revolution" is unashamedly partisan and unintentionally hilarious – both of which make it highly watchable. Full credit to the director for correcting the view perpetrated by the Us media: that the continent's new leftist presidents, particularly Venezuela's Hugo Chávez and Bolivia's Evo Morales, are "dictators" bent on America's destruction, rather than democratically elected leaders wresting their countries from the control of the Us and the International Monetary Fund. The case is forcefully presented, with the assistance of co-writer Tariq Ali. But having established the culpability of the media in this skewed perception, Stone goes on to shoot himself in the foot with a series of clumsy, sycophantic interviews. He thinks he's being Walter Cronkite but he's more Alan Partridge.
- 7/29/2010
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Director Oliver Stone and writer Tariq Ali talk about their new documentary, South of the Border, and tell us how they got involved with the project and the experience of getting it made. Plus, Stone talks about spending time with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, and what taste he has in films.
There’s a revolution underway in South America, but most of the world doesn’t know it. Oliver Stone sets out on a road trip across five countries to explore the social and political movements as well as the mainstream media’s misperception of South America while interviewing seven of its elected presidents. In casual conversations with Presidents Hugo Chávez (Venezuela), Evo Morales (Bolivia), Lula da Silva (Brazil), Cristina Kirchner (Argentina), as well as her husband and ex-President Nėstor Kirchner, Fernando Lugo (Paraguay), Rafael Correa (Ecuador), and Raúl Castro (Cuba), Stone gains unprecedented access and sheds new light upon...
There’s a revolution underway in South America, but most of the world doesn’t know it. Oliver Stone sets out on a road trip across five countries to explore the social and political movements as well as the mainstream media’s misperception of South America while interviewing seven of its elected presidents. In casual conversations with Presidents Hugo Chávez (Venezuela), Evo Morales (Bolivia), Lula da Silva (Brazil), Cristina Kirchner (Argentina), as well as her husband and ex-President Nėstor Kirchner, Fernando Lugo (Paraguay), Rafael Correa (Ecuador), and Raúl Castro (Cuba), Stone gains unprecedented access and sheds new light upon...
- 7/27/2010
- by helen.cowley@lovefilm.com (Helen Cowley)
- LOVEFiLM
Director Oliver Stone and writer Tariq Ali talk about their new documentary, South of the Border, and tell us how they got involved with the project and the experience of getting it made. Plus, Stone talks about spending time with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, and what taste he has in films.
There’s a revolution underway in South America, but most of the world doesn’t know it. Oliver Stone sets out on a road trip across five countries to explore the social and political movements as well as the mainstream media’s misperception of South America while interviewing seven of its elected presidents. In casual conversations with Presidents Hugo Chávez (Venezuela), Evo Morales (Bolivia), Lula da Silva (Brazil), Cristina Kirchner (Argentina), as well as her husband and ex-President Nėstor Kirchner, Fernando Lugo (Paraguay), Rafael Correa (Ecuador), and Raúl Castro (Cuba), Stone gains unprecedented access and sheds new light upon...
There’s a revolution underway in South America, but most of the world doesn’t know it. Oliver Stone sets out on a road trip across five countries to explore the social and political movements as well as the mainstream media’s misperception of South America while interviewing seven of its elected presidents. In casual conversations with Presidents Hugo Chávez (Venezuela), Evo Morales (Bolivia), Lula da Silva (Brazil), Cristina Kirchner (Argentina), as well as her husband and ex-President Nėstor Kirchner, Fernando Lugo (Paraguay), Rafael Correa (Ecuador), and Raúl Castro (Cuba), Stone gains unprecedented access and sheds new light upon...
- 7/27/2010
- by helen.cowley@lovefilm.com (Helen Cowley)
- LOVEFiLM
Eighteen months ago, Tariq Ali got a call from Oliver Stone: could he help with his new film? The result was a powerful documentary about Latin America – and a new friendship
Almost a year and a half ago I received a phone call from Paraguay. It was Oliver Stone. He had been reading Pirates of the Caribbean: Axis of Hope, my collection of essays on the changing politics of Latin America, and asked if I was familiar with his work. I was, especially the political films in which he challenged the fraudulent accounts of the Vietnam war that had gained currency during the B-movie years of Reagan's presidency.
Stone had actually fought in that war as a Us marine, which made it difficult for others to pigeonhole him as a namby-pamby pacifist. Many of his detractors had avoided the draft and were now making up for it by proclaiming...
Almost a year and a half ago I received a phone call from Paraguay. It was Oliver Stone. He had been reading Pirates of the Caribbean: Axis of Hope, my collection of essays on the changing politics of Latin America, and asked if I was familiar with his work. I was, especially the political films in which he challenged the fraudulent accounts of the Vietnam war that had gained currency during the B-movie years of Reagan's presidency.
Stone had actually fought in that war as a Us marine, which made it difficult for others to pigeonhole him as a namby-pamby pacifist. Many of his detractors had avoided the draft and were now making up for it by proclaiming...
- 7/26/2010
- by Tariq Ali
- The Guardian - Film News
Media coverage of the new Oliver Stone film displays just the kind of ignorance of Us/Latin American relations it decries
It's nice when you make a documentary about how the major media outlets misrepresent reality, and the media response to the film proves your point. In fact, the media's response to Oliver Stone's South of the Border, which I wrote with Tariq Ali, really completes a number of the film's arguments.
The first has to do with the sloppiness and lack of knowledge that characterise the debate over Us-Latin American relations, problems to which the major media regularly contribute. A number of reviews had trouble getting the presidents and countries straight. Perhaps the most poignant example was in the Washington Post, which ran a picture of Sacha Llorenti, Bolivia's minister of government, but identifying him as Evo Morales, the country's president. Llorenti is unknown in the Us, but...
It's nice when you make a documentary about how the major media outlets misrepresent reality, and the media response to the film proves your point. In fact, the media's response to Oliver Stone's South of the Border, which I wrote with Tariq Ali, really completes a number of the film's arguments.
The first has to do with the sloppiness and lack of knowledge that characterise the debate over Us-Latin American relations, problems to which the major media regularly contribute. A number of reviews had trouble getting the presidents and countries straight. Perhaps the most poignant example was in the Washington Post, which ran a picture of Sacha Llorenti, Bolivia's minister of government, but identifying him as Evo Morales, the country's president. Llorenti is unknown in the Us, but...
- 7/16/2010
- by Mark Weisbrot
- The Guardian - Film News
Chicago – Oliver Stone, bless him, still has a fire in his belly to tackle controversial subjects and shine a light into the dark corners that the American media skitters away from on a daily basis. Part travelogue, part enlightenment and all Stone, “South of the Border is eye-opening documentary on the South American people revolution.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Focusing primarily on the vilified (in this country and elsewhere) Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez, Stone digs into the American interests and involvement in the Chávez movement, where Venezuela’s rich oil fields are the goal, oil that capitalist interests can’t get their slick hands on due to the nationalization of the product by Chávez.
Going into the Chávez history, a history that includes the military, a media that was decidedly against his initial quest for power and a failed coup backed by the Bush administration, Stone shows the other side of how a...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Focusing primarily on the vilified (in this country and elsewhere) Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez, Stone digs into the American interests and involvement in the Chávez movement, where Venezuela’s rich oil fields are the goal, oil that capitalist interests can’t get their slick hands on due to the nationalization of the product by Chávez.
Going into the Chávez history, a history that includes the military, a media that was decidedly against his initial quest for power and a failed coup backed by the Bush administration, Stone shows the other side of how a...
- 7/9/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Quickcard Review
South of the Border
Directed by: Oliver Stone
Cast: Hugo Chavez, Raul Castro, Tariq Ali, Oliver Stone
Running Time: 1 hr 20 mins
Rating: R
Release Date: July 9, 2010 (limited)
Plot: In this documentary, Oliver Stone travels across South America and discusses that continent’s relationship with the United States with various elected leaders, including Hugo Chavez.
Who’S It For?: The liberals who are more inclined to listen to one filmmaker’s political ideas disguised as a historical profile piece.
Overall
Other names that work for the vaguely titled South of the Border? How about “Hangin’ With Hugo?” “Me and Hugo Down By The Schoolyard?” “Riding In Cars With South American Leaders?” Oliver Stone is a passionate filmmaker, especially when it comes to his own political agenda. Before George W. Bush was even freed from his worst job ever, Stone threw together a movie based on that man’s life.
South of the Border
Directed by: Oliver Stone
Cast: Hugo Chavez, Raul Castro, Tariq Ali, Oliver Stone
Running Time: 1 hr 20 mins
Rating: R
Release Date: July 9, 2010 (limited)
Plot: In this documentary, Oliver Stone travels across South America and discusses that continent’s relationship with the United States with various elected leaders, including Hugo Chavez.
Who’S It For?: The liberals who are more inclined to listen to one filmmaker’s political ideas disguised as a historical profile piece.
Overall
Other names that work for the vaguely titled South of the Border? How about “Hangin’ With Hugo?” “Me and Hugo Down By The Schoolyard?” “Riding In Cars With South American Leaders?” Oliver Stone is a passionate filmmaker, especially when it comes to his own political agenda. Before George W. Bush was even freed from his worst job ever, Stone threw together a movie based on that man’s life.
- 7/9/2010
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
Hugo Chavez, Oliver Stone, South of the Border The letter below was posted at the Center for Economic Policy and Research‘s website under the heading "Oliver Stone Responds to Attack from the New York Times‘ Larry Rohter." Rohter’s original piece on Stone’s just released (via Cinema Libre) South of the Border, "Oliver Stone’s Latin America," can be found here. South of the Border‘s chief focus is Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, but it also features interviews with several South American presidents, among them Argentina’s Cristina Kirchner, Paraguay’s Fernando Lugo, and Brazil’s Luiz Inacio da Silva, in addition to Cuban leader Raul Castro. Mark Weisbrot and Tariq Ali are South of the Border‘s screenwriters. More on the Rohter vs. Stone issue here. Oliver Stone, Mark Weisbrot, Tariq Ali Letter to the New York Times, June 27, 2010 Larry Rohter attacks our film, “South of the Border,...
- 6/28/2010
- by Anna Robinson
- Alt Film Guide
Cinema Libre has acquired North American rights to Oliver Stone's documentary "South of the Border," which chronicles the rise to power of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and other South American leaders.
The distributor plans to launch the film with a June 25 bow in New York City, followed by a July 2 opening in Los Angeles.
"Not only is it a genuine honor to work with one of the greatest American directors but his insightful documentary shows how these leaders of Latin America are being intentionally villanized by the Us mass media," Philippe Diaz, founder of Cinema Libre, said, "This unique dialogue needed the eye and the courage of a director like Stone to convince us that these leaders are fighting for a more humane society which means defending themselves against American corporate interests."
The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, was produced by Fernando Sulichin, Rob Wilson and Jose Ibanez.
The distributor plans to launch the film with a June 25 bow in New York City, followed by a July 2 opening in Los Angeles.
"Not only is it a genuine honor to work with one of the greatest American directors but his insightful documentary shows how these leaders of Latin America are being intentionally villanized by the Us mass media," Philippe Diaz, founder of Cinema Libre, said, "This unique dialogue needed the eye and the courage of a director like Stone to convince us that these leaders are fighting for a more humane society which means defending themselves against American corporate interests."
The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, was produced by Fernando Sulichin, Rob Wilson and Jose Ibanez.
- 3/24/2010
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
By Neil Pedley
If the old maxim "What I really want to do is direct" still holds true, this week's releases confirm that the filmmaking game is more open than ever. Anyone can have a crack at it; actors, teachers, digital artists, preachers. Perhaps you should have a go yourself. Hell, if Paul W.S. Anderson can get work doing it...
"The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela"
Offering up the most unlikely fairytale you're ever likely to see, Icelandic filmmaker Olaf de Fleur Johannesson draws on his documentary background with this endearing low-budget, semi-improvised Cinderella story. As a young Filipino lady-boy, the spunky, pre-op sex worker Raquela longs to be the belle of the ball as she trawls the Internet looking for love. When an American suitor pledges to be her Prince Charming and proposes a meeting in France, Raquela departs for her long-awaited date with destiny under the glittering Paris skyline.
If the old maxim "What I really want to do is direct" still holds true, this week's releases confirm that the filmmaking game is more open than ever. Anyone can have a crack at it; actors, teachers, digital artists, preachers. Perhaps you should have a go yourself. Hell, if Paul W.S. Anderson can get work doing it...
"The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela"
Offering up the most unlikely fairytale you're ever likely to see, Icelandic filmmaker Olaf de Fleur Johannesson draws on his documentary background with this endearing low-budget, semi-improvised Cinderella story. As a young Filipino lady-boy, the spunky, pre-op sex worker Raquela longs to be the belle of the ball as she trawls the Internet looking for love. When an American suitor pledges to be her Prince Charming and proposes a meeting in France, Raquela departs for her long-awaited date with destiny under the glittering Paris skyline.
- 9/22/2008
- by Neil Pedley
- ifc.com
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