The Secret Life of Movie Characters #monday #meme #womeninfilm #amnesty

Last Monday was a big ol' fraud, as Dale at Smurfin the Web had us all trekking through fake, phony and fraudulent territory. If you think living your life is hard to keep up with this week though, imagine having to manage two lives! That’s what this week’s Monday Movie Meme is all about -- one person being different people in different places. Not necessarily like Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in “Face Off” nor like some kind of Bipolar disorder, but, more-so like Robin Williams in “Mrs. Doubtfire” -- maybe. So, this week's topic is: Double Trouble.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies featuring people who lead secret lives. Also, make sure to visit the blogs of fellow Monday Movie Meme participants. Here is my selection for this week’s Double Trouble theme.

Marzieh, played by Marzieh Vafamehr in “My Tehran for Sale,” is an actress banned from performing in theater, so she rehearses secret performances with an underground acting troupe. As the story progresses in this film, Marzieh seeks to find creative freedom by moving to Australia with her boyfriend, Saman. Political, financial and personal challenges, however, cause this woman to wonder why the cost of spiritual or professional fulfillment is so high, as she fights in a quest to pursue her artistic goals.

I chose this one movie for my list because although the film is set in Iran, it was made by an Australian based filmmaker named Granaz Moussavi, who was, however born in Tehran. She and actress Marzieh Vafamehr have more in common than being from Iran -- both of them are women directors who made short films before embarking on a feature length film -- one that brought them a lot of trouble back home. “My Tehran for Sale” was banned from being shown in Iran but locals still managed to watch it, by way of illegal distribution. I guess you could call that justified movie piracy for a cause if you want to look at it that way.

In October 2011, Marzieh Vafamehr was sentenced to one year in prison and 90 lashes for appearing in “My Tehran for Sale” with a shaved head and without a hijab. These charges from Iranian officials are due to Vafamehr being in an Australian film that is critical of the Islamic regime, with her head uncovered. Vafamehr’s sentence has since been reduced to three months and the lashes were overturned by an appeals court.

However controversial some people may view “My Tehran for Sale” to be, the film has still managed to gain support at film festivals and from arts and non-profit organizations including the South Australian Film Corporation and Amnesty International. I watched this movie at a one-time screening in Philadelphia and while wasn’t too keen on the atmosphere where it was presented, for a few different reasons, I am glad that I convinced myself to go check it out on one cold and rainy evening.

For those who still prefer a list of films for this week’s Monday Movie Meme, however, here is an honorable mention for the Double Trouble theme:
Disclaimer: I still have yet to watch this movie, but it is sitting in my rental queue, so it should be coming around the mountain one of these days.

The Driver, played by Ryan Gosling in “Drive,” works as a mechanic and movie stuntman while also moonlighting as a getaway driver for people pulling heists. This man is a jack-of-all-trades but interestingly enough, all of his jobs kinda compliment each other. I mean, he can using the skills from his day job to transport criminals and if a car breaks down, he can fix it no matter if this is on the set of a film studio or on the street following a robbery. The Driver seems to be able to compartmentalize his separate lives very well, until he gets tangled up with a married woman who lives in his apartment building.

Which double-life-managing movie characters come to YOUR mind?

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Why is Ben Affleck the star of GOP Debt Ceiling Debates? #sunday #weekend #movies

Did you know that congressman Kevin McCarthy once showed a scene from the crime drama, “The Town” during a debt ceiling debate, to convince House Republicans to support John Boehner’s plan to extend the country's debt limit? I had no idea, having just learned about this, since I rarely follow politics that much. So, I’m curious about one thing -- what place do fictional movies have in helping our nations’ leaders make decisions about how the country functions?

Yes, it’s nice to know that cinema is powerful enough to gain attention of, and maybe even influence, members of congress. The part of the movie shown during the debate was a scene where Doug MacRay asks his friend to help him hurt some people.

If the legislature is showing films at their meetings in Washington, should filmmakers be flattered or weirded out by this? Even Ben Affleck found the July 2011 GOP debate screening of “The Town” to be a bit strange. Still, he recommends that they at least show something “more appropriate” such as “The Company Men,” if they’re going to be watching his movies in Washington.

Unlike “The Town,” which is about violent bank robbers, “The Company Men,” starring Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper and Tommy Lee Jones tells the story of three men whose lives take an unexpected turn when corporate downsizing renders them jobless. It’s funny -- thanks to the GOP and their interest in how “The Town” relates to their arguments regarding U.S. debt, I learned about a new movie that I never even knew existed until today.

So I suppose, Kevin McCarthy’s screening -- however inappropriate some may believe it was, the clip not only got more people talking about Ben Affleck and “The Town” but also led to “The Company Men” getting extra attention -- because it’s surely going on one of my movie rental lists!

Do YOU think it’s appropriate for legislators to reference films when debating important matters that affect our country’s future?

Have YOU seen “The Company Men”? If so, is it a better movie than “The Town”?

P.S.

Hey folks, guess what.....

You’re viewing The Madlab Post at its new address: www.madlabpost.com

That’s right. No more typing in long URLs. Out with the old www.madlabonline.blogspot.com and in with the new www.madlabpost.com !

A different address but it's still the same ol' blog.

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Film Director Darnell Martin will Go Broke Before Sacrificing Her Vision #IWD #womensday #womeninfilm #indiefilm

In honor of International Women's Day, join me in celebrating contributions that one woman has made to the film industry -- Darnell Martin. Today's post may also serve as a starting point for subsequent features on women in film, in celebration of Women's History Month. That is still yet to be determined. Enjoy!

About 30 days ago, I had no idea who Darnell Martin was until reading a slideshow on people who are viewed as game changers in Hollywood. How could I not know about “Cadillac Records,” starring Adrien Brody, Beyonce and Jeffrey Wright but not be familiar with the woman who directed this film? Then again, all I knew about “Cadillac Records” was that it is a movie where Beyonce plays the legendary blues singer, Etta James. I've never been a fan of Etta James’ music and had no interest in watching this movie.

It does not take long to understand, however, why Darnell Martin is a force to be reckoned with for at the very least, her way of doing business and making films. While working in film labs as a technician and at camera rental companies the 80s, she applied for film school and was rejected -- three times.

The third rejection from NYU came while Martin happened to be working as an assistant cameraman on “Do the Right Thing,” directed by Spike Lee. She was later accepted into NYU’s graduate film program after Spike Lee made a call to the school, on her behalf. Martin’s short film “Suspect” also granted her directing fellowship at the Sundance Institute and she wrote a feature length script that received a $2 million dollar offer from New Line Cinema during the early 90s.

As lucrative as the offer may seem to any first-time writer or director, however, Darnell Martin turned it down because she believe this deal did not provide adequate an time frame for her to make a good film. All the while, Martin was facing eviction and had no food in her apartment. Still, she refused $2 million from a well known movie studio, just like she once refused someone’s suggestion to change the characters in her script from Latino to Black.

Martin later accepted an offer of $5.5 million with a longer production schedule from Columbia Pictures, for her script, which became the 1994 romantic comedy, “I Like It Like That,” starring Lauren Vélez (from “Dexter” on Showtime) and John Seda (“Selena”; “Gladiator”). The film is about a woman who suddenly has to figure out how to support her family after the breadwinner of their household is arrested for looting during a blackout. “I Like It Like That” was well received, garnering Martin an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Feature.

Darnell Martin, who has since directed the 2001 drama “Prison Song,” the 2005 TV movie "Their Eyes Were Watching God," starring Halle Berry and continues to direct television episodes for dozens of TV shows including “Grimm” on NBC and “The Mentalist” on CBS, will not compromise any aspect of her work for anyone.

“I'll take my name off my films before I let people change them.”-- Darnell Martin in the L.A. Times

Can YOU name any Female movie directors?

Seriously, off of the top of your head. No Cheating Allowed!

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