Views Of The World

Movie: Render: Spanning time with Ani Difranco

Summary: Join Ani D, her band, and members of the extended Righteous Babe family as they criss-cross the country in this long-awaited, one-of-a-kind portrait of the Little Folksinger at work. Drawing on material from as far back as 1997, the film focuses on her 2000 and 2001 tours, taking you way behind the scenes — you’ll watch a new song take shape and learn the stories behind some favorite older ones. Featured are two brand new Ani songs and previously unreleased live versions of many of her classics. As dynamic, thought-provoking and fun as one of her concerts, Render gives you a sneak peek into Ani’s life and music in her own words, on her own terms.

My Thoughts: I’ve been in awe of ani for many years, and seeing her in concert has always been a fantastic experience for me. This was the first time I’ve seen any of her videos, and while I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, I absolutely love this video. I read some comments on IMDB about the person’s dissatisfaction with the director of the film – they didn’t like the swirling jumpy shots, the focus on other members of the ani music family. I can’t really comment about the filming itself, since I just don’t watch enough videos to really have an opinion, but I have to say that overall the videoing seems to match the mood that is being created.

As for the content, it is so much more than merely footage of concerts that I was expecting. It is ani, there is plenty of music, and making music, but more importantly this video gives a deeper insight into what shaped some of her songs, and into why and how certain things have become so important to her. I love learning these things about her. I knew bits and pieces of it, or guessed some of it based on the things she’d say, the songs she’d write, but this video definitely fills in some pieces for me.

And it makes it more clear to me what it must be like to be up there singing, taking some chances, saying some things that are not necessarily popular. Now that she has what I’ve heard referred to as a cult following (I didn’t get my membership card – I guess it is on its way!), she has a tremendous amount of influence, and I imagine that is a double-edged sword. It is important to get it right, to express it clearly, and yet it is also a fantastic opportunity to shed some light on what is more often swept under the rug.

Plus it completely explains some comments I’ve heard that ani complains about all the screaming during her show. You see it and experience it from the perspective of the musician. I imagine there are mixed feelings about this – you’re there for the fans and because of the fans. At what point do you give up your own needs for their experience? Ever? Always? Sometimes? I have never experienced a tension at her shows in that sense, but I certainly have seen it now on this video.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes or loves ani, or is just curious about what makes the little folk singer tick.

Movie: The Road To Guantanamo

Summary: In 2001, four Pakistani Britons, Ruhal Ahmed, Asif Iqbal and Shafiq Rasul and another friend, Monir, travel to Pakistan for a wedding and in a urge of idealism, decide to see the situation of war torn Afganistan which is being bombed by the American forces in retaliation for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Once there, with the loss of Monir in the wartime chaos, they are captured by Northern Alliance fighters. They are then handed them over the American forces who transport them to the prison camps at the Guantanamo Bay base in Cuba. What follows is three years of relentless imprisonment, interrogations and torture to make them submit to blatantly wrong confessions to being terrorists. In the midst of this abuse, the three struggle to keep their spirits up in that face of this grave injustice.

My Reaction: I can’t say that most of the information in the movie was a surprise to me. I’m deeply cynical about the military, about politics, about the motivations for these wars, and I have read enough and heard enough that there was no surprise that any of this happened and is happening still. I have felt sick at the thought of Guantanamo Bay (and the other prison camps), at the U.S. policies of torture, of the suspension of any semblance of recognizing that people, all people, are owed basic rights. Yet it was still fairly abstract, the knowledge I had.

So it wasn’t new information to me, other than the particulars about the “Tipton Three,” but it definitely had a big impact on me. It was made real, and it was made personal, and it will be that much harder to put aside the knowledge of what is going on in this world.

Those three kids took a risk, partially out of idealism, and partially out of the recklessness of youth, and they paid a price that is unimaginable. The land of the free is selective in who is granted “freedom”.

I am not much of a movie watcher, but a couple of my friends are really into documentaries. They have finally influenced me to start watching them. Of course I have a lot to catch up on.

Their lists are very long.

I tend to forget to take the time to watch movies, even ones I mean to watch, so this is going to be a challenge for me, and an ongoing process. I signed up for netflix, and the first movie came last week. “The Road To Guantanamo”.

I watched it tonight, but I’ll talk about it later.

My plan for this blog is to keep track of the movies I’ve watched and to write my initial thoughts on them. It might become a place for my friends to add to my list of movies-to-watch. We’ll see.