Hollywood films have played a large part in forming and changing the public's attitude on many social issues, often prompting political action. They have often failed as films when dealing with these…
1998
Running time: N/A
Hollywood films have played a large part in forming and changing the public's attitude on many social issues, often prompting political action. They have often failed as films when dealing with these controversial issues in a cliched or propagandistic way. Where they have usually succeeded is in portraying individual lives caught up in the conflicts and pressures resulting from violent changes in society. To Kill A Mocking Bird deals with racial prejudice in a small Alabama town in the thirties, long before the great upheavals of the civil rights movement of the sixties.
Running time: N/A
It's one thing to be a fan. You watch the show, know characters, and maybe hum the tune when Captain Kirk battles lizard man. But what makes a "Trekkie"? And more particularly, how have fans of Star Trek turned this show into a phenomenon? Roger Nygard's revealing look at Trek devotees may just have the answers to this widespread marvel, as we are escorted by Denise Crosby (Lt. Tasha Yar of Star Trek: The Next Generation) through a unique world of sparkling and unusual personalities. Encounters include a man whose name was legally changed to James T.
Running time: N/A
Hey! Why is they all talking so funny? What is that, Japanese? Hungarian? What the #@*! is going on?'' Well, I guess the answer to all would be, ''YES!'' If you see only one film at Cinequest this year (and shame on you if you do!), make it Griffin Lamachy's Joe Flies. It's sure to warp your mind. Take for instance the fact that Eddie has this idea for a film that he's trying to get across to his friends but doesn't quite seem to know what he's talking about. Imagine also that Eddie's apathetic co horts sit in this cafe all day and speak 12 different languages, including Pig Latin.
Running time: N/A
I learned about sex the old-fashioned way: from kids in the schoolyard. Today, kids learn about sex from Eddie Murphy movies and Ricki Lake. It's a frightening thought that some kids' first look at a gay person will be on a Jerry Springer show talking about ''Lesbian Moms Who Wear Leather'' and ''Gay Men Who Dress Like Barbie.'' It's Elementary takes a close look at schools that are teaching students of all ages about gay lifestyles. Most films have taken the view from the parents' standpoint (''Should this be taught in schools?'').
Running time: N/A
Florencia is a television reporter in the near future in Santiago, Chile. Her assignment is to cover the ensuing mayhem that has taken over the country during the election campaign. Amidst the chaos, Florencia meets Pedro, a terrorist searching for democracy. Allowed to follow and film Pedro and his girlfriend as they take over a radio station to broadcast a political message, Florencia captures a murder on video. Faced with a growing affection for Pedro, Florencia finds herself torn between a breaking story and her conscience.
Running time: N/A
Anais Nin and Henry Miller are not exactly household words, but for the aficionados, their writing remains among the landmarks of erotic literature. Not only was it impossible to imagine a movie being made from their books at the time they were written, but also the books themselves couldn't be sold in the United States. Philip Kaufman's personal vision brings this love affair to the screen and depicts Miller and Nin's romance in the Paris of the 1930s and their artistic and sexual relationships, not only with each other, but also with Miller's then-wife June.
Running time: N/A
Regardless of how you feel about ''street people,'' Brent Sims' depiction about homeless teenagers and young adults in New Orleans will open your eyes to a world few of us have experienced and even fewer want to. Gutter Punks is a fascinating look at a social phenomenon that exists in every large American city (and even some smaller ones), one that troubles mainstream society and challenges its traditions and illusions. The reasons for their homelessness include the usual spectrum from abuse to drugs, mental illness and pervasive poverty.
Running time: N/A
Hold your horses! We've been wrong about them all along. The Jesse James gang wasn't a band of desperados, but a conglomeration of dispossessed small farmers and natural-born populists. In fact, it wasn't their choice to be outlaws, but a tag hung on them by ''the establishment.'' Philip Kaufman's classic film tells the REAL story of the gang. In fact, it shows that Jesse James wasn't even the brains of the pack, but that Cole Younger made the decisions. James gained his reputation based on his short-temper and outbursts, which eventually led to the gang's downfall.
Running time: N/A
Back East, the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain decided that their ''obviously'' gay employees were ''failing to comply with normal heterosexual values'' and fired them. With no laws to protect gays and lesbians in the workplace, many businesses can, and do, the very same thing everyday. Out at Work shows the growing struggle amongst those who are out in both friendly and dangerously unfriendly work environments. Cheryl Summerville, a cook at an Atlanta Cracker Barrel, decides to educate the public and protests outside the restaurants.
Running time: N/A
David Morse, best known as one of the young doctors on the 1980s television medical drama St. Elsewhere and most recently seen playing Jodie Foster's father in Contact, takes on a very different role in George B. You decide if George, an odd -job man for hire, is blessed with saintly patience and an overly positive outlook on life, or cursed with a slowness from too many head blows. The subtleties of Morse's performance provide plenty of room for interpretation. In either case, George is a man on his way up.