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ajscarpino
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The Birth of a Nation (2016)
The rebellion that was forgotten will now be remembered forever.
I had the opportunity to watch this film at Sundance this year and after the screening Nate Parker gave a speech that I will never forget.
I didn't learn about the Nat Turner Rebellion until I was in college and hearing that there was going to be a film was very exciting. I was 22 and learning about Nat Turner. 22 years on this earth without knowing about a man's ability to fight back for his life and the lives of everyone he knew.
This movie is about standing up against what's wrong and through his incredible performance, Nate Parker tells that story with passion and determination.
The film brought the realities of Nat Turner's life-time to life. You aren't watching a movie about Nat Turner, but rather, you are watching Nat Turner himself live the excruciating pain and tragedy of the south during the early 1800s. This movie represents our countries beginnings and the title is a reference to the infamous film made in 1915. 100 years later and we have made progress, but our country still has a long way to go.
What I enjoyed most about this movie was the message that Nate Parker wants you to walk away with. During his speech after the screening he said, "This film tells the fatalist to sit down, and the optimist to stand up." For those of you that aren't aware, Fatalism is "the view that we are powerless to do anything other than what we actually do."
So stop being the fatalist. Stand up and go make a change in this world.
Green Room (2015)
Intense, frightening, and cathartic. Green Room has it all.
A punk band that needs cash and then arriving at the wrong-place at the wrong-time.
It is the most frightening, action-packed thriller that I have seen this year so far. Out of all of the films I had the opportunity to watch at Sundance, this one stuck with me the most. When you watch this film you are trapped with no escape for you or the characters. And I say "when" because you really need to watch this movie.
The Sundance Programmer that introduced Director Jeremy Saulnier, told us that the movie was, "PUNK AS S**T!!" We all laughed because we didn't really know what he meant; and then the film started. IF you don't already know what a green room is, it's a place in a theater back-stage where the performers can relax and have their own safe-space. Green Room takes the place of safety, and rips it apart during the 94 minutes of pure terrifying ecstasy. It will take you to the edge of your seat and then throw you to the other side of the room.
The director has an incredible talent of telling the story as it unfolds. Trust me when I say this: You've never seen anything like Green Room before.