Capture of Culture- A Ballerina's Tale

And it ends with the phrase- Dreams Do Come True.




In 2015, Misty Copeland became the first African American woman to be promoted to a Principal Dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. She has created such a huge appreciation for the art in the general public by making everyone feel welcome at her performances. Young women look up to her as a trail blazer and role model. And no one thought she would be able to do it. After suffering an injury, Copeland thought her career would be over, but her drive brought her back and made her bigger than ever before. Copeland started ballet at age 13 and took to it like a swan to water (get it?!). By age 15, Misty was an award winning dancer and had begun her journey in becoming one of the top dancers in the world. After training with a former ABT dancer, Misty joined the ABT company, and in 2007 she became a soloist for ABT. As her rise to stardom came forth, Misty became the first African American woman to perform as the lead role in the Firebird- a well renowned stage ballet. In 2014, she became the first African American woman in a professional setting to perform as the lead role in Swan Lake, one of the most famous ballets known. Misty struggled through her pain and went on to be a endorser for large brands such as Under Armor and Dr. Pepper.




I have always loved dance documentaries. These beautiful people with fantastic bodies and control have such power in their presence and drive that I can never dare to hope to achieve. I know little to nothing about dance, but I do know what it looks like when someone is doing something they were born to do, and that is why I find Misty's story so compelling. Her struggle to feel like she belonged in the dance world and her issues with self confidence are things that anyone can relate to. And, like all our favorite heroes, she was able to arise triumphant above all adversities. To a young woman, I would say Misty is someone that we can all look up to, and this documentary shows how many already do.

Stream of the Week- North & South

"I believe I've seen hell. It's white. It's snow white."




After uprooting his entire family from the south to the north, Mr. Hale's daughter, Margret, is having a bit of trouble learning the ways of their new home of Milton. Upon her first day in Milton, Margret runs into a Mr. Thornton, owner of one of the many cotton mills in Milton. Her first impression of him is very poor as she watches him beat a worker for smoking on the factory floor, endangering all the other workers. Margret learns that this Mr. Thornton is her father's first pupil in Milton and from there, their stories are intertwined. Margret does not fit into the society of Milton which has the two extremes of classes- Masters and Workers. Margret very quickly befriends one of Thornton's workers named Bessie. Bessie's father is the union leader of the workers, and his plan is to lead a strike against the cotton mills in order to get higher wages and fairer working conditions. The workers spend four weeks on strike before they have to break in order to fill the cotton orders and get enough pay to feed their family. During that time, Margret is on both sides. Her society is in that of the victims of the strike, but her friends are participating. She attempts to get Mr. Thornton to see the other side in hopes that she can secure the jobs that the workers need. The money isn't coming in for either side, and Margret's mother's health is failing fast leaving her in the society of people who do not like her loud opinions and the heart of a woman who does not know her own way.




The last five minutes of this film are worth every second of the four episodes that this story takes. By examining the cotton industry and worker life during this time period and mixing it with a very Pride and Prejudice type of romantic line, North & South is a very well crafted mini series. With fantastic performances by Thorin Oakenshield, Mr. Bates, and Elizabeth Darcy this film is a great way to spend a lazy day with in the comfort of your own Netflix que.

Capture of Culture- Beltracchi: The Art of Forgery

He claims he could paint anyone and anything.




Wolfgang Beltracchi and his wife Helena have been working as a team forging works from great classical artists since the late 1970s. By finding gaps in the work of artists or missing pieces, he adopts their style of painting and creates a work of art that his wife can then give to a dealer to sell for millions of dollars. Soon he was able to afford multiple homes and a fantastic lifestyle all while having the dealers and buyers believing he was caring for an old collection and piecing it out. Wolfgang Beltracchi began painting at a young age watching his father paint. As he became a student, he quickly realized that people wanted copies of the classics and masterpieces not original works from unknown street artists. His plan was set. By buying up old canvases, Beltracchi was able to work with materials that were more time period accurate to the artists he was faking. With one slip, Beltracchi's works were all called into question. On one piece, white titanium paint was used causing a test to show that the painting was not authentic. Beltracchi and his wife were sentenced to 6 years in a German prison while still being allowed to work outside of the prison during the day as artists.




Throughout the film, Beltracchi emphasizes that he distances himself from his work; he is not "passionate" about the work, but does it as a living. Many do not consider the paintings that he did as art because they were presented under false pretenses, but to me they are even greater works of art because they could not be entirely original. They deserve quite a lot of recognition. The documentary, however, does paint Beltracchi as a rebel against the system which many people gravitate towards as a hero. The documentary is extensive and chalk full of excellent interviews from all involved in the discovery of the crime. It's a great watch even for people who don't know much about the art world like myself and who just want a little bit of fun.

Stream of the Week- View from the Top

Never let anything get in the way of your dreams. (Unless that it is Mark Ruffalo).




All her life Donna knew she was born for bigger and better things than her little hometown of Silver Springs Nevada. After being dumped by her high school sweetheart, Donna sees a talk show interview with famous flight attendant and author, Sally Weston. Inspired by Sally's story, Donna decides to become a flight attendant and travel the world even though she's never been on a plain in her life. She gets hired by the local airline and falls in love with the travel. This airline though only goes two places and services only drunks and gamblers. With a few friends, Donna decides to go to a flight attendant program recruitment for Royalty Airlines. Donna is drafted into the program and undergoes rigorous training to become a flight attendant. As they turn in their final exams, Donna is sure that she has aced her tests and is set for a job in New York. The test scores, however, get screwed up sending her to Royalty Express which is based in Cleveland. It's not what Donna wants but it becomes a fun experience for her as she runs into an old flame from Nevada- Ted. Donna and Ted becomes very much in love, but when Donna gets a surprise visit from a friend in the flight attendant school, Donna begins to realize she was meant for better things. Upon reexamining her test, Donna discovers that someone switched her code with theirs ensuring that she didn't get placed where she was supposed to. After retaking the test, Donna is transferred to New York with the international flights she wants. But, it just isn't making her happy. Ted made her happy.




Romantic Comedy. 'Nough said. Eric Wald, the author of this screenplay, wrote this film while in a screenwriting program where it was snatched up and produced. The director, Bruno Barreto directed mostly foreign films prior to View from the top. With a cast of funny women who also have soft sides, this film is a great girls night flick. It's not too heavy and is predictable in a sweet way.

Capture of Culture- Being Ginger

"This has been really good for me, I think."




Scott spent his entire life hating his red hair because it set him apart from all of the people he passed on the streets or all the other kids he had classes with. It made him different, and any attention he would receive would be negative. As a graduate student living in Europe, however, Scott noticed that the red haired stigma was even worse. People did not find red headed males attractive. Scott set out to find why that was true. He started his project with the hopes of finding a woman who would be attracted to a redhead so he could ask her out. With a basic interview setup in a local park, Scott asked girls that he found attractive if they would be interviewed on their thoughts on red hair. Several said yes- only one said she found redheads attractive. With finding a girl being on the top of his list, Scott friended her on Facebook and asked her out on a date which he assumed was successful. The girl, however, did not see it that way and ignored him when asked for a second date. This left Scott feeling worthless and brought up many of the memories he had of being bullied in school for his hair color. After a failed attempt at romance, however, Scott found a convention for red haired people to congregate and enjoy each other's company. Scott sent them part of his documentary and set up a flight. It was here where Scott discovered that redheads can be attractive, and he should be proud to be so rare.




This documentary feels more like a documentary about making a documentary about being a redhead than an actual documentary on being a redhead. Lots of the footage deals with him showing his edited work to audiences and asking their opinions. He shows them the work as he is doing it, which is I'm sure how it is done in "real life", but on screen is a bit confusing. The focus is obviously Scott's low self esteem, but with that there is an entire story about the red hair stereotype. The film brings together all the utterances of those stereotypes and shows how ridiculous they are.

Stream of the Week- We Need to Talk About Kevin

"I used to think I knew, but now I'm not so sure."




When Kevin was born, he screamed in his mother's, Eva, arms. He didn't stop screaming. For his entire childhood, Kevin found ways to manipulate his mother. He was father's golden boy, but he was Eva's frustration and fear. Kevin knew how to get under her skin and torture her while making the rest of the world see him as a "normal" boy. By the time Kevin was a teen, he had habits that seemed out of the ordinary, but Eva had spent so long expecting the worst from him that she didn't know what to see as ordinary or just as Kevin. Unfazed, Eva's husband Franklin doted on Kevin. He taught him archery and spent time with him. Kevin's time with Eva was spent in silence and judgment. When events started to happen around the house that were out of the ordinary or violent in some manner, Eva knew it was Kevin. But if the guinea pig went missing or if drain cleaner got left out and hurt Eva's other child, little Celia, Franklin wouldn't hear her suspicions. At the height of her success in business and happiness in her personal life, Eva gets notified that an event has happened at her son's high school. For the rest of her life, Eva will be persecuted. She will be hated by neighbors and live in a world of constant harassment. He house will be vandalized, her groceries ransacked, her job in jeopardy. Eva can't help but wonder if it is her sins that she is paying for or Kevin's.




That is not an accurate description of this film. I can't put into words how terrified I was of each corner turned or each cut between angles. I can't not explain how it felt sitting on the edge of my seat in fear, shock, and awe while having adrenaline running through me. This is not a film you will enjoy. This is a film you will be afraid of, and for that reason it is fantastic. Without showing anything utterly gruesome and bloody (save for one minor scene used for story completion), this film was able to communicate huge ideas and feelings. From a director of mostly shorts, Lynne Ramsay knows how to make me feel so unsafe even though I'm hiding under the covers in my parent's house with my laptop. The performances by Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller are absolutely haunting. There's no other word for it. Like a reference to Hamlet, Eva will always be washing red from her hands. Like a reference to pop culture, Kevin wants his fifteen minutes. I am in awe of what this accomplished. You will not like it. I did not like it. But like Nightcrawler, I am astounded by the story and visuals to the point of adoration for the films themselves. I won't be sleeping tonight.

Hail, Caesar!

"If something is easy, is it wrong?"




Eddie Mannix runs the Capitol Pictures lot in Hollywood California during the Golden Age of motion pictures. It is his job to make sure the actors and actresses attached to his company's name remain completely flawless in the eyes of the public. He runs the projects in the studio making sure each one is on track and is on call to fix every problem. While attempting to keep his projects on schedule, the lead actor from the studio's biggest production- Hail, Caesar- gets kidnapped by the communist party. Baird Whitlock, the star of the picture, is driven out to a secret location by the ocean and locked up in a house where some of the party members are meeting. A ransom note is sent and Eddie is left to deal with it. Meanwhile, an airplane manufacturing company is looking to hire Eddie to run their staff. The hours would be better and the work less taxing, but to Eddie there is nothing like the rush of being in charge of the big lot full of its crazies.




It's rather difficult to explain the plot of this incredibly complex, well planned, and extremely satirical film. It's chalk full of funny moments, but it's not for everyone. The lead character of Eddie Mannix is a very relatable man who does his best to make everyone happy. He is a good father, a God fearing man, and a hard worker. The people who work with him, however, are all over the place. Actors like Baird Whitlock have very loose lifestyles keeping Mannix on his toes as he is constantly juggling the entire lot. This film, however, has a lot to say about religion in a satirical sense. It examines the hilarity which is the debate between faiths and political practices in a way that is not obtrusive or distasteful. I can't explain this film, but I love every second of it's quirky humor and Hollywood charm.

Stream of the Week- The Very Thought of You

"Iceland, huh?"




After buying a ticket to the cheapest destination, American Martha finds herself going to London. While boarding her flight, Martha runs into Daniel, a record executive flying home. Daniel is used to getting any girl he wants all the time, so when Martha ignores him he falls hard. He offers her a hotel room at the most expensive hotel in London with no strings attached only that she call him in the morning. As she's leaving the airport, she runs into Laurence a bridge teacher who happens to be one of Daniel's best friends who was there to pick him up. Completely enamored with Laurence, Martha finds her way into spending the rest of the day with Laurence. She's the one who has fallen this time. The next day, after Laurence discovers that Martha is staying in a room paid for by Daniel, Martha runs into Frank- the final friend in this band of brothers. Knowing that Daniel is hooked on Martha, Frank attempts to make her fall in love with him, but she's so lost in her thoughts of Laurence who ran after discovering how she got her room. All three have no met and fallen in love with Martha, but none of them know that the others have met her as well. After discovering the connection between all three men, Martha confronts them all with the hopes that Laurence will run after her when she's gone. All Laurence has to do is buy the cheapest next flight out of London to anywhere.




It's a romantic comedy set in London, yes I had to watch it. With an interesting concept at the helm, this film follows a gimmick that is funny to the audience while still being completely too coincidental to be realistic. It is entertaining enough to fill up some time of your nightly Netflix time and does hold some laughs. Plus- they have accents. Real accents. What more could you want?