My No. 1 'Choice' Of The 100 Greatest Movies

This is the second part of my blog post about watching all of the films on the "Entertainment Weekly Guide to the 100 Greatest Movies" list in 2016.

In Part 1 of this blog post, I promised to reveal my No. 1 personal favorite. And that movie is (drum roll): 1984's "Choose Me." This small indie flick may seem like an odd choice (pun intended), considering it's relatively little known compared to beloved epics like "Citizen Kane."

But the small scope is exactly what I like so much about "Choose Me," which was written and directed by Alan Rudolph. It's a classic character-driven movie in that there's not really a plot, per se. The story revolves around a drifter played by Keith Carradine who gets entangled in a love triangle with a commitment-phobic bartender (Lesley Ann Warren) and her roommate, a radio personality who gives advice on love (Genevieve Bujold).

The slow-paced yet engaging "Choose Me" is the polar opposite of a melodrama like 1956's "Written on the Wind," which is also on the 100 Greatest Movies list. Starring Lauren Bacall and Rock Hudson, "Written on the Wind" is a big-screen soap opera with over-the-top plot twists that strain credulity.

While it's not "plotty-plotty" like "Written on the Wind," "Choose Me" does resemble other old-fashioned movies from the golden era of Hollywood. Like a classic thriller, "Choose Me" is sexy, but the sex is implied rather than explicit.

One of the things I like the most about "Choose Me" is that it has diversity. Many '80s movies don't have people of color as the lead performers, but they at least made an effort, showcasing black and Latino actors in supporting roles.

In "Choose Me," multiracial actress Rae Dawn Chong plays a young woman who befriends Carradine's character. I also love the R&B music score, including Teddy Pendergrass' soulful title track and additional songs by Luther Vandross.

As I made my way through the 100 Greatest Movies list, a couple of interesting coincidences happened. The day I watched 1988's "Dangerous Liaisons," featuring Glenn Close and John Malkovich, I came across an intriguing news item online. It was an announcement that a stage version of the novel on which the movie is based, "Les Liaisons Dangereuses," is coming to Broadway.

When I watched another Glenn Close movie, 1990's real-life crime drama "Reversal of Fortune," I made a mental note that the voice-over by Close's character - who happens to be dead - reminded me of "Desperate Housewives." That hit TV show is  another story in which a dead woman narrates the action. Shortly after I made this observation, "Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman came onscreen. In "Reversal of Fortune," Huffman plays one of the law students who assists attorney Alan Dershowitz in defending accused murderer Claus von Bulow.

Another interesting coincidence: a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, I saw the sci-fi movie "Arrival" with friends. Since the movie jumps around in time and makes it hard to determine what is past, present and future, I commented that it's like "Memento" meets "Contact." Exactly one week later, while working my way through the 100 Greatest Movies list, I watched the Albert Finney/Audrey Hepburn 1967 romantic comedy "Two for the Road," which also jumps around in time.

Another observation about the 100 Greatest Movies is that some of the special effects are laughable, as viewed through the eyes of a modern moviegoer. It's so obvious that the car scenes were filmed in front of a projection screen, with a light randomly flashing in the background to simulate passing headlights.

As a filmmaker and lifelong movie buff, watching the 100 Greatest Movies was a "film school" assignment I gave myself. I certainly wouldn't have discovered many of these movies on my own - in fact, I'd never heard of some of them.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to make my own "100 Greatest Movies" list to watch. My tailor-made list will include more diversity, with mainstream Hollywood classics I haven't yet seen, but also films by African Americans and other filmmakers of color as well as foreign cinema. 

See you at the movies!

(Chris Bournea is the writer-director of the forthcoming documentary "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring.")

 

The 100 Greatest Movies: Part 1

When I look back at 2016, one of the milestones I'm most proud of is seeing all of the movies on the "Entertainment Weekly Guide to the 100 Greatest Movies."

I came across this guide several years ago while browsing the Half Price Books used bookstore in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. The 100 Greatest Movies guide is from 1990, but the films on the list are classics - and many are still shockingly relevant nearly 30 years later.

One is example is the 1983 immigration drama "El Norte," which tells the story of a brother and sister from Guatemala who flee violence in their small village and venture to the U.S. to make a better life. This movie shows that American society is no closer to solving the immigration debate than we were more than 30 years ago.

A movie that is perhaps the mirror image of "El Norte" is 1948's "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," about a group of Americans led by Humphrey Bogart who try to strike it rich by searching for gold in Mexico. The moral of the story about the dangers of being consumed with greed is timeless. 

But what really stood about about "Sierra Madre" is the score. The first few notes of the musical theme remind me of "A Spoonful of Sugar" from "Mary Poppins," and "Sierra Madre" is certainly not a lighthearted children's movie!

The plight of youth is a recurring theme in several of the 100 Greatest Movies. Young people going astray into lives of crime is central to the plot of "Gun Crazy," "Detour," "Pretty Poison," "Badlands" and "Sugarland Express." It makes me wonder if there was once some sort of cinematic movement aimed at deterring the nation's suburban and rural youth from the glamorous allure of crime. 

This "scared straight" movement is an interesting contradiction, since many of the 100 Greatest Movies arguably glorify crime, especially mob dramas like "The Godfather" trilogy and "Goodfellas."

Crime dramas like "The Godfather" tend to be extraordinarily lengthy. Fortunately, modern technology enabled me to break up these gangster sagas into several sittings like a miniseries. I'd check out DVDs from the library and watch part on my television and the rest on a portable DVD player while washing dishes or doing other chores around the house. Sometimes I'd rent the movies on Amazon and stream them on my iPad over a couple of days.

Since some of the 100 Greatest Movies are so long, with complex plots, it often helped to look up the trailer on YouTube before watching the movie. It also helped to read the Wikipedia entry to get the background about the production. 

Even after reading the movies' plot summaries, some were a bit confusing and hard to follow, especially if I was multitasking while watching and not paying close attention. I found certain movies particularly confusing when they featured two or more actors who closely resemble each other. This was the case with two blond male supporting actors in 1992's costume drama "Howards End" (Joseph Bennett and James Wilby)  and the two dark-haired male leads in 1949's thriller "Caught" (James Mason and Robert Ryan).

Also in "Caught," it was interesting seeing Barbara Bel Geddes, who went on to play the matriarch Miss Ellie Ewing in the prime time soap "Dallas," as a fresh-faced ingenue. Bel Geddes was one of several actors I recognized who went on to play character roles in movies and television later in life. Sometimes an actor would seem vaguely familiar and I would have to "IMDB" or "Wikipedia" their names to find out where I recognized them from.

The experience of watching the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time was so epic that I can't capture it all in one blog post - it requires a sequel, if you will. So in the second part of this blog, which I'll post tomorrow, I'll reveal my pick for my personal No. 1 choice of all 100 movies.

(Chris Bournea is the writer and director of the forthcoming documentary "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring.")

International Movie Conference Was A 2016 Highlight

Looking back on the highlights of 2016, attending the American Film Market (AFM) and Conference in Los Angeles this fall was definitely one of them.

View From The Top - A bird's-eye view from inside
the Loews Hotel during the conference.

The week-long, annual conference helps independent movies reach audiences who will appreciate them. The event also helps filmmakers connect with producers and network other filmmakers who can help them get their projects off the ground.

This was my first time attending AFM, which was held during the first week of November, and it was a really cool experience. My purpose in attending the conference was to make contacts and generate buzz about the documentary I made and plan to release in 2017, "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring." (Click here for more information about "Lady Wrestler.")

Throughout AFM, film and television distribution companies from around the world set up shop in suites at the Loews Hotel in Santa Monica. Prior to the start of the conference, independent filmmakers and producers can make appointments with the distribution companies and then meet face to face at the Loews and other locations in the immediate vicinity.

The overall goal is for filmmakers and producers to secure funding for movies they're trying to get made and/or strike deals to distribute movies they've already made.

During the conference, I attended a couple of very interesting panel discussions with industry leaders. In one panel discussion, African-American filmmaker Tina Mabry spoke about how making her acclaimed 2009 independent film "Mississippi Damned" eventually led to her being recruited by "Selma" director Ava DuVernay to direct episodes of "Queen Sugar" on Oprah's OWN cable channel. 

During the same panel discussion, "Dallas Buyers Club" producer Cassian Elwes shared how he raised the money for that Oscar-nominated indie movie in an astounding three days. To read the in-depth article in which he describes the process, click here. 

AFM also functions as a film festival, with screenings taking place at Santa Monica's AMC theater. I caught one very interesting Irish movie about two young men who become unlikely friends while attending boarding school. 

A fringe benefit of the conference is hitting the
beach and soaking up the California sun.

An added plus of the AFM is that it takes place in a beautiful area of L.A. near Venice Beach and the Pacific Ocean. One of the coolest experiences I had was attending a reception on the Santa Monica Piers, hobnobbing with other filmmakers from all over the world as the sun set over the Pacific Ocean.

Industry types networked against the backdrop
of this beautiful beach setting.

Throughout the conference, I met people from all walks of life - from an African-American filmmaker from Pam Grier's hometown of Denver, Colo., to a producer from Tokyo, Japan. I would recommend attending the AFM, not only for anyone interested in making and distributing movies, but for those who simply love the art of cinema. For more information, visit Americanfilmmarket.com.

My Top 10 'Non-Holiday' Holiday Playlist

This is that time of year when you can't avoid Christmas music. Some radio stations switch their entire format to holiday songs starting in mid-November. And it's nearly impossible to enter any store without hearing seasonal classics - some of which generate warm memories, while others are so overplayed they make you want to scream and pull out every hair on your head.

There are several songs that always remind me of Christmas, no matter the time of year. The following is my top 10 list of my favorite "non-holiday" holiday songs - tunes that weren't specifically recorded as Christmas music, but have that seasonal feel to them:

"Diamonds and Pearls" by Prince - This song from Prince's 1991 album of the same name was, appropriately, released during Thanksgiving week of that year (according to Wikipedia). The lyrics are representative of the holiday spirit: "If I gave you diamonds and pearls/would you be a happy boy or a girl?/If I could I would give you the world/But all I can do is just offer you my love."

This song easily could have been used in a Christmas commercial for a high-end jeweler, if Prince hadn't been so opposed to his music being used for advertising. Even the instrumentation on this heartfelt ballad sounds like it could have been the background music for a Christmas tune.

"Diamonds and Pearls," like all of Prince's music, has taken on a special significance since his untimely death on April 21.

"Peace and Joy" by The E Family and Earth, Wind & Fire - Since I'm a lifelong Prince fan, it's no surprise that a song by one of his closest collaborators - Sheila E. - made this list. Judging from the title, "Peace and Joy" could absolutely be a Christmas song. But it's actually a funky tune about world harmony from the 2011 album "Now & Forever" by Sheila E. and her equally awesome percussionist father Pete and brothers Juan and Peter Michael, with a special guest appearance by EWF. 

While "Peace and Joy" wasn't officially released as a single, the lyrics' sentiments calling for global harmony make it ideal to include on a playlist for a holiday party.

"Oh People" by Patti LaBelle - The legendary R&B diva released this song six months before Christmas in June of 1986, but it definitely captures the spirt of the holiday season. The lyrics are all about world peace and people coming together as one - a message that seems even more relevant 30 years later with all the division and conflict in America and the world at large.

"Love Makes Things Happen" by Pebbles and Babyface - This smooth duet by R&B star Perri "Pebbles" Reid and superstar musician/producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds was released in November of the first year of the last decade of the 20th century. It makes perfect sense that this beautiful ballad came out during 1990's holiday season, since it's all about finding love in unexpected places, and the power of love to transform lives.

"That's What Love Is For" by Amy Grant - No surprise that this number one '91 pop hit sounds like a Christmas song, since Grant was a superstar Christian recording artist before she crossed over to the secular world.

"River" by Herbie Hancock and Corrine Bailey Rae - I'm not sure if the title song to Hancock's Grammy-winning 2007 tribute to Joni Mitchell qualifies as a Christmas song since it mentions the holiday in the lyrics. But it's certainly more forlorn and introspective than most holiday tunes.

"The Gift of Love" by Bette Midler - This ballad from Midler's smash '90 album "Some People's Lives" is yet another song that technically isn't a Christmas song. But, like Prince's "Diamonds and Pearls," this sentimental tune sounds like it could be the background music for a jewelry commercial that runs during the holiday season or Valentine's Day.

As an interesting aside, in researching this blog post, I discovered that "The Gift of Love" was co-written by Susanna Hoffs, lead singer of The Bangles.

"Celebrate Me Home" by Kenny Loggins - This 1977 soft-rock hit could be the theme song for the millions of people who travel great distances to see family and friends during the holidays. I must admit that I didn't think of this one on my own, since jazz star Dave Koz used this song for years as the finale for his annual Christmas tour.  

"Seasons Change" by Exposé - This '87 pop ballad by female trio Exposé is definitely not a Christmas song. But the melancholy lyrics convey how many of us feel this time of year, when we reflect on friends and loved ones who have passed away and relationships that came to an end like the changing seasons. 

"The Closing of the Year" by Wendy and Lisa - I'm topping off this list with yet another nod to Prince  and his peeps. Anyone who has seen "Purple Rain" knows that Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman were two of Prince's closest musical confidantes during the height of his commercial success in the '80s.

Wendy and Lisa's "The Closing of the Year" is sort of a Christmas song, since it actually refers to the holiday in the lyrics. However, the song did not appear on a Christmas album, but rather the soundtrack to the 1992 Robin Williams movie "Toys." 

Featuring a guest appearance by pop star Seal, "The Closing of the Year" is one of the most beautiful Christmas songs I've ever heard. Wendy croons lead vocals in an angelic voice that sounds like she should be the soloist for a celestial choir. 

Like much of Wendy and Lisa's post-Prince music, this song is extremely underrated. This tune is a little-known gem that should be as ubiquitous on radio station holiday playlists and retail store Muzak as anything by Mariah Carey or Celine Dion.

Lincoln Theatre Helping Artists Reach Their Full Potential

Me and my fellow Lincoln Theatre Artist Incubation Program graduates.

I'm honored to be a graduate of the 2016 Lincoln Theatre Artist Incubation Program.  Now in its third year, the program helps artists from all different genres in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio, to hone our creativity and learn about the business side of show business.

Me and my fellow graduates celebrated with a Dec. 8 ceremony in the Lincoln Theatre's ballroom. Larry James, president of the Lincoln Theatre Association Board, and Greater Columbus Arts Council President and CEO Tom Katzenmeyer gave inspiring "commencement" speeches, encouraging us artists to keep pursuing our dreams. 

Over the course of the year-long incubation program, a subject-matter expert presented on a particular topic during each monthly session. Topics included:

Maximizing production value (ensuring your production is of the highest quality, even with limited resources).

Insurance (such as purchasing single-event insurance coverage to make sure all performers and equipment are covered in case any mishap occurs during a concert, play or other performance).

Copyright and trademark law (making sure your own work is protected and ensuring that you don't infringe on anyone else's copyrighted material).

Grants (how to identify individuals and organizations who support the arts and tailor your application to their criteria).

One of the most helpful sessions  was conducted by Lincoln Theatre General Manager Suzan Bradford, who is also artistic director of the Thiossane West African Dance Institute. Suzan walked us through how to accurately value our services so that we are compensated accordingly. 

The program also included Mentor Talks with working artists such as drummer Reggie Jackson, who has toured and recorded with major artists in all musical genres and performed at festivals around the world.  Reggie offered advice on how to build a career and establish mutually beneficial relationships in the entertainment industry, and stressed the importance of being professional, showing up on time and constantly perfecting your skills. 

I will apply what I learned from the Lincoln Theatre Artist Incubation Program in every facet of my work. Completing the program was like earning an advanced degree, and being armed with this knowledge is invaluable.

Comic Book Expo United Black, Brown Artists

A panel discussion featured artists and writers J. Alonzo (left),
Vicko Alvarez, Ricardo Padilla, Terreece Clarke,
Hector Rodriguez and Bill Campbell.  

The second annual Black and Brown Comic Book Expo brought together dozens of African-American and Latino comic-book artists and fans from around the country to my hometown of Columbus, Ohio Oct. 13-16. Also known as "Sol-Con," the event was held at The Ohio State University's Hale Hall and the Columbus Metropolitan Library's Main Branch downtown.

The event included a grand expo where artists showcased their work, workshops for middle and high school students on how to create comic books, and panel discussions about diversity in the media.

Events like Sol-Con provide an opportunity for black and Latino artists to exchange ideas and collaborate, Mexican-American comic book entrepreneur Ricardo Padilla said during an Oct. 16 panel discussion.

"That's the great thing about the expos," he said. "We can do things on our own. We don't have to ask for handouts."

African-American writer Terreece Clark said art can take the form of as a bumper sticker with a catchy design and a powerful message that can provoke thought and conversation.

"I'm seeing that individuals who are not writers, but they just have a story to tell, they're reaching their friends, their family... their church members," she said. "It's that individual expression that is allowing people to have these conversations."

African-American comic book publisher Bill Campbell said his company, Rosarium Publishing, still encounters resistance to distributors agreeing to carry African-American titles.

"It's a constant struggle to convince distributors and stores that your product is actually something that people want," he said. "It's hard to fight an enemy whose best weapon is to do nothing. It's hard to get people to stop doing nothing."

Rosarium and other minority publishers have found creative ways to get past obstacles, Campbell added, such as using a network called Biblio to provide digital content to public libraries around the country.

"There's walls," he said, "but there's always breaches."

(This is an expanded version of an article that originally appeared in the Call and Post Newspaper.)

 

 

 

 

 

What Makes Chicago So Great?

Congrats to the Chicago Cubs for winning their first World Series since 1908.

 

As a native Ohioan (I grew up in capital city Columbus), I was rooting for the Cleveland Indians. It certainly would have been a big plus for the city to boast winning the World Series and the NBA championship in the same year. But I also feel simpatico for the Chicago Cubs, having spent time in the Windy City in the past couple years as Raymond Lambert and I co-wrote the book "All Jokes Aside: Comedy Is a Phunny Business."

The book tells Raymond's amazing life story, including founding the legendary Chicago comedy club All Jokes Aside. The club helped launch the careers of superstars such as Steve Harvey, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, D.L. Hughley, Carlos Mencia and Oscar winner Mo'Nique, just to name a few.

These kings and queens of comedy are only a small sample of the successful men and women in all industries who got their start in Chicago. The following sequence is an excerpt of a chapter that ultimately didn't make the final published version of the "All Jokes Aside" book.

This sequence offers a glimpse of why Chicago tends to produce shining stars, especially ambitious African-American entrepreneurs like Raymond and his college buddy and former business partner James Alexander, who co-founded All Jokes Aside. Here's an excerpt that describes Chicago's history as an incubator for African-American talent from all walks of life:

It's no surprise that the nation's first black president has roots in Chicago. The Windy City has a long and storied history as a breeding ground for black leadership, beginning with its founding by Haitian fur trader Jean Point du Sable in the 1780s.

Since Point du Sable became Chicago's first permanent resident when he built a settlement at the mouth of the Chicago River, the city has, over the centuries, churned out countless African-American inventers, innovators and entrepreneurs who have gone on to national and even global success.

Like Point du Sable, many of the African Americans who rose to fame in Chicago were transplants from other regions: Barack Obama from Hawaii. Ebony Magazine founder John H. Johnson from Arkansas City, Ark. Michael Jordan from Brooklyn, N.Y.

And news anchor-turned-talk show host/global media icon Oprah Winfrey from a small, segregated southern town called Kosciusko, Miss.

It was on Chicago's fertile soil, fortified with generations of black history and black entrepreneurial success, that another transplanted African American - Raymond Lambert of Wilmington, Del. - sought to stake his claim in the late 1980s.

To read the full story of how Raymond rose from a working-class upbringing, raised by teen parents, to become a successful investment banker and, ultimately, the founder of one of the most influential institutions in the history of comedy, pick up a copy of "All Jokes Aside." The book is available on Amazon by clicking this link.

And if you do get the book on Amazon, please be kind enough to leave a review, as it will help other readers discover this must-read chapter of African-American history.