Nicole Hughes
July 3, 2008 | 9:54 am EST
Andy Kondrat:
Judd Apatow fans are no doubt excitedly awaiting Pineapple Express, which opens tomorrow. What they might not know is that even though it is a Judd Apatow and a Seth Rogen film in many ways, it is also a David Gordon Green film, he’s the director. Which may lead you to the question - who is David Gordon Green?
Well to put it simply, David Gordon Green is a great independent film director. He knows how to capture the intricacies of everyday life, of love, of heartbreak, of disillusionment and even of fear in beautiful moving images. Specifically he’s directed 4 films already, his first one, George Washington, not only won the critics and festival circuit’s heart, it was made for only 42,000 dollars.
George Washington is the story of a group of kids in the rural south and the decisions they make and the consequences they face one summer. It’s set in a world of decay where innocence is a hard thing to keep a hold of. His cast is filled with first time actors, real kids from the area and they shine on screen, bringing an honesty to the film that I doubt any trained actor could. And in the Terrence Malick tradition, there is a haunting female narrator.
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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!
TakePart Gang:
Arrested in Development by Wendy Cohen
Is Google Making Us Dumber? by Blair Golson
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Nicole Hughes:
Top 5 Ways to Green Your July 4th
Greenopia: Eco-Guides For Your City
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Hypermiling Contest Winner Gets 124 Miles to the Gallon
Rise in Fuel Prices May Lead to Dirtier Energy Sources
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Jon Popham:
Red Tide in Yellow Sea Threatens Olympics
Mercedes-Benz Ditching Gasoline Cars by 2015
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Giulia Rozzi:
46664 Concert: Happy Birthday Nelson Mandela
Denise Richards Likes to Share
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Gina Telaroli:
Top 10 Movies for the 4th of July: For Patriots and Cynics!
The Radical and Beautiful Journey of Wall-E
When you aren’t busy grilling or watching fireworks you should definitely check out one of our Top 10 Movies for the 4th of July. Our list is perfect for both patriots and cynics as it showcases films that both celebrate the history of our country, sometimes question it and also highlight a need for change. Let us know if we missed your favorite and enjoy! Also be sure to check out our 4th of July TakePart links below:
takepart to support the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan wars this Independence Day.
takepart to learn how you can Take Action to encourage others to vote and speak their peace.
takepart to help keep the internet independent this Independence Day - Save the Internet!
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10. Election Day : A verite look at election day 2004 and how we vote in this country. With the upcoming election this film brings to light much that we should be discussing about what it means to be American. Also it premieres on PBS tonight : http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2008/electionday/
Social Action + Cinema Videos of the Day:
Cystic Fibrosis and The Thin Red Line
1) Current TV presents ‘Dying Young’
For the Cinema YouTube Video of the Day, Click here >>>
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3 things I love are the cinema, social action and YouTube! Now, once a day I cam going to combine all 3 in one awesome post by posting an awesome social action YouTube video and an awesome cinema related YouTube video (sometimes maybe I’ll even find one magical video that combines the two)
Like TakePart and Participant Productions, YouTube entertains and informs. With that I give you the
Social Action and Cinema YouTube Videos of the Day:
1) The Real News : US polar bear protection falls short
For the Cinema YouTube Video of the Day, Click here >>>
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There’s actually a lot of good stuff in the theaters today and below are the Top 5 New Releases in Theaters that Spur Social Action.
All of the films are playing in New York City but don’t worry if you don’t live here - click on the “take action” links below each trailer to find out when the film might be coming to your area.
1. Chop Shop : Ramin Bahrani’s examination of what life is life for a boy named Alejandro living and working in a piecemeal auto repair joint in Queens (a “chop shop”) says more about courage, family and childhood spirit than any film I’ve seen in a long time. Reminiscent of Kiarostami, the film says a lot about the systems that effect kids like Alejandro in urban environments without ever needing to address the subject directly.
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to see if Chop Shop is coming to a theater near you.
When Colin Farrell, star of Terrence Malick’s amazing film The New World, learned that his young son had Angelman Syndrome (AS) (he originally thought he had cerebral palsey), he decided that he wanted to make a difference. Since then, Farrell has become very involved with the Special Olympics and in 2007 he acted as a spokesperson for the 2007 games held in China.
Of his son James, Farrell has said that “It’s just different, but it’s not different to me. He has his own path. He’s just brilliant.”
and learn more about Angelman Syndrome and then again to learn how you can become more involved with the Special Olympics.
Below the fold are a video diary from Farrell’s time at the Special Olympics in 2007, a trailer for his latest film In Bruges and a trailer for my favorite Farrell Film, The New World.
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Seeing The Unforeseen at last years Human Rights Watch Film Festival reconfirmed for me how powerful documentaries can really be. Laura Dunn’s flawless portrait whisks you away to Austin, Texas directly into the murky battle between nature and ideas of development. The film follows a local developer, a legal battle over Austin’s beloved natural swimming spot Barton Springs and different families as they try to find affordable housing, often having to turn to new developments.
What makes the documentary stand out is that it shies away from being a film that simply makes the developer the bad guy.
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Brad Pitt was on Charlie Rose last week and when he wasn’t talking about his amazing film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford he was talking about his efforts to even the scale in New Orleans:
To learn more about Pitt’s organization Make It Right - click on over here : http://www.makeitrightnola.org/ Also on the Brad Pitt news front - apparently the actor is in talks with the great Terrence Malick to take a role in his next film Tree of Life. Pitt would replace Heath Ledger in the film which already has Sean Penn on board.As a Malick fan, any news that suggests he is moving forward on a project gets me super excited - and it’s that excitement that led me to post the two videos below - one is a trailer for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (which is definitely going on my top 10 list this year) and the other is a trailer for Malick’s 1998 film The Thin Red Line, because it’s one of the best anti-war films to be released in some time and with the news that 70 billion more dollars have been allocated for Iraq, it might be time to reflect on what exactly war entails.
