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Posted Film Reviews

And We Go Green

Review by Carlos A. Stecher

Through the haze of carbon dioxide racecar emissions, a new series of motor racing has risen, Formula E.

The concept of an electric car racing series was started by Alejandro Agag, Antonio Tajani, and Jean Todt over lunch in Paris. Electricity, and therefore zero-emission, as a means of propulsion is a natural progression away from fossil fuel. 

“We need to find a green Formula One. That’s where the big business of the future is going to be.”

Alejandro Agag, founder of Formula E and current chairman of Formula E Holdings

Since the inception of motorsports in the 1950s, the evolution of the sport has seen carburetors and manual transmissions give way to fuel injection and semi-automatic gearboxes, and now to electric motors.

Familiar automakers such as Audi, Jaguar, Nissan, and BMW are now backing the Formula E series. Automotive racing heavyweights Mercedes-Benz and Porsche have signed on for season six. 

The key to Formula E starts with the electric racing motors which are charged by zero-emission generators. This fully eliminates the all the harmful emissions an internal combustion racing engine would normally produce. All the teams are bound to the same electrical equipment, but the software used to manage the electricity in each car is the variable between teams.

Directed by Fisher Stevens and Malcolm Venville, And We Go Green chronicles the rivalry between the top Formula E drivers, most of which used to race in Formula 1. Jean-Eric Vergne, a.k.a. “JEV”, is the Lewis Hamilton of Formula E. Along with Sam Bird, Lucas Di Grassi, Andre Lotterer, and Nelson Piquet, Jr., they represent the top drivers in the series.

The series format started in 2014 with two cars per team. At a point in the race, the car would pit and the driver would switch to a fully charged second car and continue the race. Then in 2018, the Gen. 2 battery was developed so only one racecar is now needed to complete the required number of laps on a single charge.

Oscar winner, Leonardo DiCaprio, a long-time critic of climate change, has a keen interest in the future of electric motorsports. He served as executive producer and appears in one part of the documentary learning the process of Formula E. He even gets to taste the environmentally friendly and human safe glycol that powers the zero-emission generators to charge the electric racing motors!

This documentary shows the possibilities of zero emission racing technology while still capturing the romance of the sport. A must see for anyone interested in green technology and auto racing.

Raquel’s thoughts: And We Go Green legitimizes a growing, environmentally minded faction of an otherwise unsustainable sport. It caters more to car enthusiasts than environmentalists but there is still a lot to take away from this fascinating documentary.

And We Go Green premieres today on Hulu.

Carlos A. Stecher is a dedicated automobile enthusiast who is lamenting the death of the manual transmission. Follow him on Instagram @LiveFastLookGood and on his blog Live Fast Look Good.

Posted 1 Comment on Working Man Film Reviews

Working Man

“Politicians say they’re going to help us. Fuck that. The thing is a person needs a job to survive but you need work to feel like you’re worth something.”

Benny Mendez (J. Salome Martinez)

Allery Parkes (Peter Gerety) finds comfort in his daily routine. He packs up his thermos with coffee and lunch box with a simple meal, walks to the local plant and does the job he’s been doing faithfully for the past 25 years. Unfortunately for Allery, everything is about to change.

It’s the last day before the plant officially closes for good. No longer having a job is something that Allery just can’t process. The thing is, Allery is still reeling from the loss of his son Gabe. He and his wife Iola (Talia Shire) have been going through the motions, trying to get through each day. Allery’s job is the one constant in his life. It gives him a sense of purpose. And he’s not about to let it go.

So Allery goes back to work. He breaks into the plant and starts cleaning. His former coworkers think he’s nuts. But one coworker, Walter (Billy Brown), thinks Allery might be onto something. As Allery and Walter develop a bond, the work together to revive the plant. The other coworkers become curious and join in. This quiet, unassuming man is about to find his voice and reconnect with the part of himself he had lost with the death of his son.

“It’s just something I need to do.”

Allery Parkes (Peter Gerety)

Directed by Robert Jury, Working Man is a small film with a big message. It offers deep insight into the life of the American laborer. This way of life has been dwindling with the rise of globalization and corporate greed. These people have been a significant driving force in our current political climate. 

Jury’s film explores the closing of American factories and the subsequent upheaval that this causes in small communities. The main character’s identity and self worth is wrapped up into his life as a working man. There’s something to be said about having a sense of purpose in your life. Going to work, doing a good job and feeling like you’ve accomplished something. There’s value in this that goes beyond monetary compensation. For Allery, the routine and the reliability is a security blanket. It’s also a way for him to avoid dealing with his own personal issues.

At first the film seemed predictable. I enjoyed the slow build to what I thought was an inevitable conclusion. But it took an unexpected turn which I thought made it more interesting. Peter Gerety’s reserved performance as the film’s unlikely hero is compelling. He matches so well with Billy Brown who plays Walter, a much more intense hero who shakes things up in the story. Talia Shire’s role reminded me a bit of Adrian in the Rocky films. The character of Benny Mendez, played by J. Salome Martinez, delivers the film’s ideology. There is a diverse cast with various ages, races and genders (including one minor transgender character) represented.

The story is set in the Rust Belt and filmed in the Chicago suburbs. About the film, Robert Jury said, “my greatest hope for Working Man is to create a curiosity, a dialogue, and a meaningful connection with folks – regardless of personal beliefs or alliances. Loss, grief, recovery, and love are universal. The time feels right.”

Working Man is now available on DVD and video on demand. 

Posted Documentaries

Shadows of Freedom

Amos Carlen and Aline Robichaud’s new documentary Shadows of Freedom tells the story of the organized Jewish resistance movement in Algiers during WWII and its involvement in Operation Torch, an Allied invasion of French North Africa in 1940. Over the years more information about Jewish resistance has come to light. But the Algerian story is not one that is often discussed. It’s been swept under the rug because this event, an attack on the Vichy French in an effort to support the Free French, is considered low point in French history. The history of Operation Torch has also been eclipsed by other more celebrated invasions including the one on Normandy. However, Operation Torch, which was part of the Anglo-American alliance, was key to giving Allied forces an advantage in future battles with Nazy Germany.

Shadows of Freedom serves an important role in enlightening and informing its audience about Jewish persecution in Algiers as well as the staged coup that successfully ousted Vichy Admiral François Darlan. The resistance movement was made up of young Jewish French men, motivated by persecution to fight back. The documentary offers archival interview footage of various key players in the movement. Several experts, professors, policy makers and historians, offer key insights into this little known movement. The history of Jews during WWII often focuses on the Holocaust and rightly so. However, it’s important to know, understand and appreciate how Jews fought back against oppression.

Shadows of Freedom is informative and enlightening but doesn’t offer anything beyond the usual documentary fare. Archival footage, talking heads, narration and talking head interviews make up the basic structure. The history of Operation Torch itself is convoluted and hard to follow. If you’re interested in WWII history and want to learn something new, Shadows of Freedom will be worth a watch.

Shadows of Freedom is available on VOD through iTunes, Google Play and other platforms.

Posted Film Reviews

Our Mothers/Nuestras madres

Sometimes you have to reopen a wound and let it bleed before it can fully heal. In director César Díaz’s new drama Our Mothers/Nuestras madres, the trauma of the Guatemalan Civil War is brought to light four decades later. The film addresses the emotional damage that the Guatemalan genocide caused those who were left behind. Guerilla fighters were brutally killed and buried in unmarked graves. Their wives were imprisoned, tortured and raped.

Ernesto (Armando Espitia), a young and idealistic anthropologist, is devoting his life’s work to reunited the dead with the living. His motivations go far beyond mere benevolence. Ernesto’s own father was one of the many fighters who went missing. As he searches for his father’s grave site, his mother, Cristina (Emma Dib), refuses to participate and keeps the story of her trauma closely guarded. In the search for his father, Ernesto is about to uncover the truth about himself.

“In Guatemalan Indian oral tradition things must be spoken for them to exist. When a newcomer arrives in a village, that person is told what happened at this place so that it is never forgotten.”

Director César Díaz

Our Mothers/Nuestras madres channels the grief of a hurting nation. The film is set in 2018 when war crimes of the late ’70s and early ’80s were finally being brought to trial. The story is inspired by filmmaker César Díaz’s own journey to learn about his father, a guerilla fighter who died during the Civil War. While a male protagonist and a male filmmaker guide the story, the film is essentially about the women, survivors of the Guatemalan genocide who were tortured and raped and left without the closure needed to properly mourn a lost loved one. Don’t be put off by the heavy subject matter. Our Mothers/Nuestras madres is more hopeful than it is depressing. There is a sense throughout the story that these characters are finally going to heal their emotional wounds and move forward with their lives.

Our Mothers/Nuestras madres is available through virtual cinemas nationwide. Visit the official website for more information.

Posted 1 Comment on Phoenix, Oregon Film Reviews

Phoenix, Oregon

You’re never too old to reinvent yourself. Bobby (James Le Gros), a middle-aged bartender, hasn’t quite figured this out yet. He’s spent too many years of his life just coasting by. After the sudden death of his mother and the dissolution of his marriage, Bobby has spent his time working the bar at a local restaurant and chipping away at his work-in-progress, a graphic novel memoir. When his old crush Tanya (Lisa Edelstein) pops back into his life, he’s too timid to whisk her away from her suitor, a debonair investor named Mario (Reynaldo Gallegos).

Bobby has become complacent, a bit too comfortable in his situation. He’s sitting on a nest egg of $50k but chooses to live in his airstream trailer and continues to work for the morale killing, tip stealing boss Kyle (Diedrich Bader). But his buddy Carlos (Jesse Borrego), a talented chef who works at the restaurant, has an idea. They should invest their money into a new concept: a local bowling alley/pizzeria that offers more than just cheap entertainment and greasy fare. Bobby suddenly finds a new purpose in life. Will he realize his dream and get the girl? Or will he just go back to his usual humdrum life?

“Are we all just a bunch of ones and zeros?”

Written and directed by Gary Lundgren, Phoenix, Oregon is a heartfelt exploration of self-reinvention, friendship and love. It’s for anyone who felt that age was a roadblock to forging a new path in life. It also champions the notion that you don’t have to accept your situation as it is, that you can always take steps, no matter how big or small, to live a happier and more fulfilling life. Phoenix, Oregon is a small city in the southern part of the state but within the context of the film, Phoenix, which is also referenced in the name of the bowling alley-pizzeria, Rising Phoenix, is symbolic of rebirth. Of shedding the old and starting anew.

This film really checked off a lot of boxes for me. The focus on middle-aged characters looking to reinvent themselves really resonated with me. I’m getting very close to middle age and am growing tired of watching films about young people starting their lives. Also, there are so many films now with diverse casts, which is fantastic, but the Latinx community is still largely missing from that equation. I was grateful to see so many Latinx actors/characters in this film including the main character of Carlos, played by Jesse Borrego, who is a supremely talented chef and is tired of wasting his talents on a soul crushing job. He’s more than just a buddy character who serves to support the protagonist. I really enjoyed the performances overall. Le Gros and Edelstein have great chemistry. Bader is hilarious as the evil restaurant manager Kyle. Another win for me was the graphic novel conceit. Throughout the film, Bobby’s hand drawn illustrations flashback to his old life, giving the viewer a sense of who he is and where he’s come from through the lens of some terrific graphic novel art.

“It’s a bizarre day when you realize you’re middle-aged, especially when you were just in your prime with your whole life in front of you. Somehow we fool ourselves into thinking we have more time than we do.”

Director Gary Lundgren

Phoenix, Oregon will lift your spirits. Seek this one out. You won’t be sorry you did.

This film is available to watch online through a theatre at home platform which allows viewers to choose which independent theatre to support with their ticket purchase. Visit the official website for more information.

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