"Americans in Bed"

Americans in Bed, 2013
Dir.: Philippa Robinson
Prod.: Philippa Robinson
Exec Prod.: Sheila Nevins, Jane Tranter

I'm back after a hiatus! It was an unintentional hiatus, because I could never find the time to doc watch. I've been either too busy with roller derby or work or shows are piling up on the DVR...but I found myself alone this afternoon with not much to do, so what better way than to catch up on this blog?

I'm trying to get back into the HBO summer series that I kind of abandoned halfway through. But this is one that I've been dying to watch, even though it was the last film featured in the series. It came highly recommended from one of the girls I practice roller derby with (we trade documentary titles all the time now, it's nice to have a friend who also loves this film genre!).

70% of people believe in love at first sight. The US has the highest marriage rate in the western world, but over half of them end in divorce. Americans in Bed asks the questions - what do we want? What are we looking for when it comes to relationships, love, marriage? But, as the tagline of the movie says - no two love stories are alike.

Top, L to R: Deanne & Guy; Fatima & Kevin; Linda & Margie
Bottom, L to R: Leon & Blanca; Joe & Patty; George & Farid

For Americans in Bed, director Philippa Robinson interviewed ten couples all over the country in the place where we are often most open with one another and ourselves - their bedrooms. The couples come from all walks of life, all ages, all denominations. Two same sex couples are featured. Couples in their seventies, couples in their twenties, couples who have age differences. Couples who fight, couples who have had affairs, couples who have had previous relationships. Ten couples, ten completely different stories, ten relationships - all beautiful.

Helen and Red, still smiling after 71 years

Deanne and Guy are on multiple marriages: Deanne is Guy's second wife; Guy is Deanne's fourth husband - but their sex life is nonexistent. Guy suffers from ED issues, but Deanne openly admits that sex toys help her get by. Red and Helen have been married 71 years, and met when Helen was only sixteen years old. Their sex life was very active and healthy until recently, due to health issues, but Helen very proudly announces that she never refused sex from Red. Margie and Linda were both in relationships in men when they found each other, and fell in love.

Leon and Blanca describe their relationship as "bipolar" - ultimate highs and ultimate lows (they've broken up twenty-six times). However, they also have an open relationship - Leon is polyamorous: he considers Blanca his girlfriend, but often dates other people. Blanca used to have issues with this, but has since come to terms with the fact that though Leon might date others, he will always come back to her.

Randy and Julie make up after a fight they had on camera. 

I had two favorite couples when watching this doc. Yasmin and Mohamed are one.  They are newlyweds of nine months who had no physical contact with one another until after they were married, as per the rules of Islam. Yasmin excitedly describes the first time she held Mohamed's hand after their wedding ceremony. As Mohamed begins to describe their first night being intimate with one another, Yasmin worriedly puts a hand on his shoulder and says, "Wait, are you comfortable talking about this?" Mohamed nods casually and says, "Yes, yes I'm very comfortable with what I'm about to say." That single gesture, that sentence of concern from Yasmin, are what really make them stand out for me. You can see that they are still in the honeymoon period by the way both of their faces glow when they look at each other.

The other couple I loved were Joe and Patty. They're an older couple, probably in their forties, with three kids. They have a wonderful loving relationship, still with an active sex life, and they easily joke with one another. Joe talks a lot about how at this point in their lives, it isn't just about the sex anymore. It's about intimacy - touching and flirting and kissing and grabbing. I saw a lot of me and my own husband in them, and I sincerely hope that out of all the couples featured, that we grow to be more like Joe and Patty than any of the others.

Antonio and Roberta shared the story of their relationship, which began as an affair

This is just a small sprinkling, a taste, of all the stories that are shared. These couples are stripped down to the bare minimum and are asked to share their most intimate stories about their personal lives. Philippa Robinson treats every story with such care and respect. Every couple feels comfortable - despite being at their most vulnerable - and their honesty and bravery is mind blowing.

My husband and I have been together almost six years. In September we'll have our second wedding anniversary. We've had our struggles, like most couples, and even though we've been through so much together, we still have a lot to learn, and a lot to get through.

My one regret about watching this documentary is that I wish I'd watched it with my husband because I feel like it could have opened up some great dialogues. So, my one advice to you, reader, is that if you are in a relationship, watch it with your partner - it could help you in ways you might not even realize.

"Gideon's Army"

Gideon's Army, 2013

Dir.: Dawn Porter

Prod.: Julie Goldman, Dawn Porter

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense" - Miranda warning

I usually try to avoid documentaries that are heavy with legal jargon because I often become frustrated at my inability to follow whatever the hell they're talking about. Law is not my strongest subject. I took a law course in college that I barely scraped by in (though it was a course in media law and was pretty specific and easy to follow). I've tried a couple of times to blog about legal and law-based documentaries and they are still sitting in my draft folder because I get so jumbled up trying to explain what things are that I get flustered.

But because this week's HBO documentary was centered around the law and the legal system, I dove headfirst into it and tried my best to follow. Luckily, the subject was not so much about the law as it was about the people who practice the law.  

The doc this week is Gideon's Army, which explores the lives of the overworked, underpaid, oft-overlooked public defenders of our country's legal system. The title of the documentary comes from the case of Gideon v. Wainwright. In 1961, Clarence Gideon was jailed for robbery. He was too poor to afford a lawyer and instead represented himself in court. That turned out to be not so great of a plan, because Gideon went to jail. Gideon appealed, from jail, which was granted, and he got a re-trial, with a lawyer, and was then freed by a jury. Basically, long story short, Clarence Gideon is the reason why we have these absolute angels of the legal system called public defenders. 

There are currently 15,000 public defenders at work in the US, and even though they can't buy enough gas to fill their gas tank, they are passionate about what they do. Every day, they defend those who cannot afford a lawyer, and most often, those people are guilty of their crimes and their job is to help prove these people are innocent.  

Brandy Alexander has been a public defender for three years, and she represents 180 clients at once. She speaks to her clients with a firm but gentle tone, almost like a mother scolding a misbehaving child. Travis Williams has been a public defender for less than a year, and represents 120 clients. He carries his court losses personally, and vows to one day have the names of all of his losses tattooed on his back. June Hardwick has 150 clients and still remains positive about her career, and visits her clients in jail as often as possible. 

June, Travis and Brandy are part of a program that helps train incoming public defenders, called the Southern Public Defender Training Program (SPDTP). It's the only program like it in the country. Public defenders from several states come to this program to meet, to air their grievances, and to reassure one another that they are doing what's right and they are making a difference in the country - despite the poor pay and the long hours (there's a scene where Brandy is scraping together change in order to pay for gas to keep her car running for the next two days).

The public defenders face exhausting battles. Brandy ends up having to take a week off from work because one of the men she was defending for murder was bragging to his cellmates that he was planning on murdering her if they lost their court case. 

Being a public defender is not glamorous. It is not easy, it is not fun. But it is one of the most important jobs that someone in the legal profession could have. If everyone in this country has a right to a fair trial, someone has to defend them. That's what public defenders are here for. They are here to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. 

What is completely amazing about this documentary is the courtroom access. We get to see these court cases unfold right in front of our eyes, on film. The people who are on trial are completely open about being filmed, their faces aren't blurred, they allow the cameras access into their homes and their lives. It was amazing to get to see this process completely uncensored.

Not everyone can handle being a public defender for a long period of time. Sometimes the stress is overwhelming, and the pressure of a low paycheck is soul-crushing. But, like the head of the SPDTP tells Brandy and her co-workers, they are doing "God's work". They are speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves. It is extremely admirable, what they do, and they often go unrecognized.

Gideon's Army was a wonderful look into a side of the law that gets very little attention. I was very impressed with the access the filmmakers gained and the editing, though I really think they spent too much time focusing on Brandy and not enough on Travis and June (June actually gets the least amount of screen time).  Otherwise I thought this was a great doc that had moments of victory, moments of sadness and, always, moments of glimmering hope.

"Miss You Can Do It"

Miss You Can Do It, 2013

Dir.: Ron Davis

Prod.: Ron Davis

"Accomplishment begins with two words: 'I'll Try'" - Abbey Curran

I hate beauty pageants. I've expressed my very obvious disdain for them when I reviewed The Good Mother. I feel like they're antiquated, useless and promote the wrong kind of values. I'm especially against child beauty pageants. Do I need to go into why? Google "child beauty pageants" and you will see picture after picture of very young girls in overdone hair and make-up far too old for their faces, spray tanned, false eyelashed, plumped, corseted, wearing high heels, doing sexy dance moves...it makes me gag.

Why? Why are we doing this to these little girls? Don't they know that perfection is not the only thing in this world?

But I think I've finally seen a beauty pageant that is worthy of the word  "beauty".

Abbey Curran, Miss Iowa 2008, began the Miss You Can Do It pageant in 2005, and this documentary follows its eighth season. It's geared towards little girls as young as four years old who have special needs. Abbey herself was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of two, and became the first woman with a disability to enter Miss USA. Her cerebral palsy effects her legs and can walk unassisted, but during pageants walked with an escort.

Abbey in the Miss USA pageant in 2008

"Having a disability doesn't make me different," she said during a pageant interview in 2004. "It just means I have to overcome more challenges."

As for the pageant itself, one of the pageant coordinators says, "Miss You Can Do It is about seeing the beauty behind the challenge."

Abbey pays for the entire pageant herself - they have no sponsors, no financial backing. Everything from throwing pizza and cupcake parties for the contestants, to the professional hair and makeup each girl receives, to the trophies given out to every single girl who competes comes from volunteers or from Abbey's own pocket.

Among the contestants are: Meg and her adopted sister Alina, who both have Down Syndrome; Delaney and Teyanna, who each have different types of cerebral palsy (Delaney's is spasmodic, Teyanna's is seizures); Tierney, who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a progressive muscle weakening disease; Ali, who has spina bifida, which is a disorder that causes the spine to not be fully formed during development in utero (at age six,she has had nine surgeries); and sisters Tasha, who has cerebral palsy, and Kenna, who has a cognitive disability that affects her memory. 

There's an interview process before the pageant, and it takes into account the different types of disabilities there are. There are two different interview rooms: one for those who can talk and one for those who have difficulties speaking. Miss USA 2008 and Miss America 1975 are on the panel of interviewers. They ask them questions like, "What's your favorite color?" and "Do you have any pets at home?"

Each girl gets a chance to show off their personalities. Alina, age four, whose father describes as "a fireball", spends most of the interview playing with the boom mike and then tries to make off with a magazine that Miss USA has on the table in front of her. However, she is quickly distracted by a lollipop. Ali talks about how much she loves Mustang convertibles and sings a Justin Bieber song. Delaney, who is ten, and one of the judges discuss their favorite High School Musical characters (Delaney is also the cutie featured on the movie poster):

Here, I did you a favor so you don't have to scroll back up :D

The most meaningful interview is twelve-year-old Teyanna. The judges ask her about an essay contest she'd won. The topic was about people with disabilities. She reads some of her essay to the judges: "The meaning of being disabled is not having any power but I have the power to do anything I am willing to try."

Teyanna modeling her sportswear during the pageant

As for the actual pageant itself, there are three categories: sportswear/casual wear, formal wear and interview. Nobody, not a single girl, goes home empty handed, and there's an award for everything: Best Formal Wear, Best Sportswear, Best Interview, Miss Congeniality, etc. The girls are thrilled to be going home with a trophy.

Abbey says, "It's not about outfits, it's not about the hair, it's about the girl on the inside...it's truly going to make a difference in her life."

Of course, I am not going to give away the ones who take away the big trophies. I'm going to let you watch and discover for yourself. Because honestly, though I pretty much cried my way through this documentary, I had a huge smile on my face. Director/producer Ron Davis does a wonderful job at letting the pageant unfold, at capturing the indomitable spirits of the contestants and the wonderful stories all the parents - and Abbey's too! - bring to the table. To them, their children are beautiful. But now it's time for those girls to believe it themselves. There is so much beauty in this documentary - from the contestants themselves to their wonderful parents to Abbey's kind, generous spirit - that it can move you to tears. That is why this really is a beauty pageant.

"Love, Marilyn"

Love, Marilyn (2012)

Dir.: Liz Garbus

Prod.: Stanley F. Buchthal, Liz Garbus, Amy Hobby

"She came to us in her mother's doubt, and leaves in misery" - Norman Mailer 

Marilyn Monroe. 

Just the name conjures up so many pictures and sounds that it is almost a sensory overload. The pouty lips, the come-hither eyes, the curvaceous hips, the shapely legs. The husky voice. The trademark blonde hair. Her iconic films: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Seven Year Itch, Some Like It Hot (my personal favorite). Her infamous marriages to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, the suggested affair with JFK.

What can be said about Marilyn that hasn't been said before? Over one thousand books have been written about her, written by friends, lovers, historians, famous novelists. She's been portrayed in movies by Ashley Judd, Poppy Montgomery, Michelle Williams and Naomi Watts. She's inspired plays and musicals (not to mention is the basis of the fictional musical "Bombshell" in the now-defunct television series Smash. And before you ask, yes, I watched the shit out of it). But where is Marilyn's voice? 

Fifty years after Marilyn's tragic death, two boxes were found in storage: boxes full of journals and diaries, letters and poetry, all written in her own hand, in her own words.

Love, Marilyn is a brilliant and moving documentary by Liz Garbus that takes all of Marilyn's personal documents and poetry to use as a backdrop against the life story of one of the most beloved women in Hollywood. Reading the words of Marilyn are contemporary actresses - Uma Thurman, Glenn Close, Evan Rachel Wood, Marissa Tomei, Viola Davis to name a few. Not only do they just read her words, they emote. They speak as though these are their own words. The emotions show on their face - pain, glee, excitement, anxiety. They inflect their speech to reflect Marilyn's writing - sometimes flowy and relaxed; other times frenzied and spasmodic. 

Lili Taylor reads Marilyn's hastily-written down instructions on how to cook a chicken (no, seriously)

Elizabeth Banks reading one of Marilyn's typed letters to her acting coach Lee Strasberg:
"There is a future, and I can't wait to get to it."

Other voices from those who knew and loved Marilyn fill in more narration, giving more background, a different perspective, are also used as narration. Adrien Brody speaks as Truman Capote, who observes Marilyn's darkest periods. Jeremy Piven portrays Elia Kazan, one of Marilyn's dearest friends. Ben Foster as Norman Mailer provides the frankest views. 

The best part of Love, Marilyn was actually getting to know her - not the dumbo bimbo, sexpot gold digger that she often portrayed in her films. No, that was an act. We get to know Norma Jean, the smart girl (and I mean smart, with an IQ of 168), who read a book a day, and knew how to play the Hollywood game to get on top. 

Do you know how Marilyn Monroe went from a two-bit B-list typecasted celeb to the superstar we now know her as? By not being sorry for any fucking thing. 

You see, in 1949, Marilyn took some nude photos for a calendar (WARNING: BOOBIES AHEAD)

See? BOOBIES!

Now, these pictures resurfaced in 1952, when she was under contract with 20th Century Fox. The studio was humiliated. They told Marilyn to deny that she took those photos, to say that this was just some unfortunate girl who happens to look like her.

Marilyn did exactly the opposite. When asked about the photos, she owned up to it. She claimed them. Therefore, she became the predecessor of a sexual revolution ahead of its time. By owning up to the nude photos, Marilyn's stock soared. She became a real star. 

Her diaries reveal that she hated being a star. She writes often about how tired she is, how she wishes she was dead. How she has an image to uphold. That's all she was - an image. She invented her way of breathless talking, the wiggle in her walk, how to use her entire body to convey sex. One particular diary entry muses over death by suicide by jumping off a bridge. She contemplates jumping of the Brooklyn Bridge, but decides not to because the view was too pretty. If she was going to jump from a bridge, she writes, she would have to find one that was ugly and with no view. But then again, she considers, she'd never seen a bridge that wasn't pretty. 

I spent a lot of time watching this film in a veil of mourning. I adore Marilyn Monroe, not just because of her acting, but because of her strengths and weaknesses. She is perhaps one of the most tragic figures of the modern age. She couldn't stay in relationships very long, they always ended in jealousy or sadness (Joe DiMaggio detested having other men looking at his wife, and stormed off the set of The Seven Year Itch when mainly male fans flooded the set to watch as her skirt billowed up). 

She was unable to have a child, having two miscarriages during her marriage to Arthur Miller. She struggled with insomnia and depression. She wrote letters upon letters to Lee Strasberg, her beloved acting coach. She was filled with doubt and anxiety, always wanting to be perfect perfect perfect all the time.

Every woman in the world wanted to be Marilyn Monroe, except for Marilyn Monroe. 

I feel like Marilyn is - was - misunderstood. She's often considered a dumb blonde or a bimbo because of how she was portrayed in her films, but it was clearly not the truth. Anyone wanting to get a better understanding of this beautiful woman who was only with us for a short time before her tragic death should see Love, Marilyn. Because her voice was the only one that hasn't been heard up until now. 

"Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer"

Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, 2013

Dir.: Mike Lerner, Maxim Pozdorovkin

Prod.: Maxyne Franklin, Nick Fraser, Xenia Grubstein, Martin Herring, Mike Lerner, Havana Marking, Maxim Pozdorovkin, Nick Quested, Kate Townsend

It's here, it's here, it's HERE! The summer documentary series on HBO has arrived! I never knew how much I wanted this until it actually happened! 

It started last night, but I got home late last night and I stayed up way too late watching the doc and by the time I finished, I was way too tired to blog. Especially because this particular doc is mainly in Russian, meaning subtitles, meaning every time I looked down for a second to jot down some notes, I missed something, so there was a lot of rewinding involved. Luckily, my husband kept his word and watched with me, and helpfully read the subtitles when he noticed my head was down. 

HBO really chose a strong leader for the first doc of the summer season with "Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer".

You probably have heard of Pussy Riot without even realizing it, especially if you were an avid news watcher early in 2012. They made CNN and world news headlines. 

A group of Russian women of varying ages, outraged by the re-election of Vladimir Putin in 2011, stage visually stunning, guerrilla-style protests, hiding their identities with brightly colored clothing and covering their faces with balaclavas (ski masks), looking like Luchador Barbie.

Accessories include: ATTITUDE!

They scream feminist, anti-government lyrics set to driving punk music, throw confetti and shoot off colored smoke bombs. They are Pussy Riot - they are strong, outspoken women, and they are angry.

In February of 2012, members of Pussy Riot decide to stage a performance at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow...on the altar...during a service. Yeah. These girls have BALLS. 

Naturally, security is called and three of the members of Pussy Riot are arrested on moral charges.

The documentary actually begins with video footage of the arrest, followed by interrogations of the three women who were arrested: three good looking, well spoken women in their early-to-mid-twenties. They are introduced as Nadia, Katia and Masha.

otherwise known as the hottest bitches in cell block go-fuck-yourself

In one interview with the police, Nadia is asked, "Why do you fight the Russian Orthodox Church?" 

"Did you see where the Easter services were held? The cathedral symbolizes the union of church and state," she replies. "That's not how it should be...the Patriarch stands at the altar. But a woman should occupy it. As a member of Pussy Riot, I believe that women should be allowed to run services and that women should stand at the altar. Because she is not a sinful creature." 

The rest of the documentary follows the trial and persecution of the three Pussy Riot members. Cameras, recorders, reporters, journalists, media of all kinds are allowed access to the courtroom. Not one camera is shooed away, no journalist are asked to turn of their recording devices. 

As Nadia is led, handcuffed, into a courtroom, she has nothing but smiles for the overwhelming amount of reporters that show up. She chats with them, flirts with them, states that Pussy Riot is a group that Russia needs. Her husband Peter shouts, "You look good, Nadia!" 

"I always look good," is her coquettish reply. 

Katia receives a welcome from her family, who ask her if prison has a library. She replies yes, but the books are old and that new books take a long time to arrive. Her father assures her that they would send her new ones but “You’ll be out before they reach you.”

As for Masha, she is asked by a reporter if her son was going to be taken away. Masha replies, “No...When the investigator presented the charges, he asked me a question: is your child being cared for? And if he needs to call social services. I almost had a nervous breakdown. I don’t want to hear a word about social services. And if this horrific theater affects my child in any way, that will be the worst that could happen.”

Pussy Riot’s lawyer, Violetta, is a ball-buster. She’s tough and fights hard for her clients. She disagrees with the court’s decision to keep the girls in jail instead of releasing them on bail, insisting that this is just going to fuel protest fires, rather than smother them.

“Punk has never existed in Russia, and neither has performance art. Nobody understands it,” explains another Pussy Riot lawyer.

Meanwhile, members of The Russian Orthodox "carriers of the cross" refer to Nadia as a “demon” and the other girls as “witches”, and discuss how in the 16^th century, the girls would have been hanged or burned. They hold their own protests outside the courtroom as the trial commences, singing hymns and carrying pictures of religious icons. 

As the Pussy Riot trial gains momentum, supporters from all over the world – America to Amsterdam to Ireland – are posting YouTube videos and making statements, calling for “Free Pussy Riot”. Madonna and Yoko Ono make public announcements in their support of the imprisoned women. Madonna even performs, in Moscow, with “Pussy Riot” written on her back, and wearing a balaclava.

CHECK!

THIS!

SHIT!

OUT!!!!!

I think the one thing you must keep in mind while you are watching this film is, Did these women really do anything wrong? 

What I mean by this is, did they deserve to be jailed for their "crimes"? In America, they would have a right to protest. In a draconian Russian court system, minor offenses are deemed jail-worthy. Do they really "deserve" to be imprisoned for protesting at a church? While the documentary itself gives the viewer its opinion, it's done in a way that it's really left up to the viewer themselves to decide for sure, which I think makes this a wonderful doc to watch with a group, especially if you're the lively debate type of group. 

Next week: "Love, Marilyn" - a look into the very private life of one of Hollywood's most beloved stars. 

“Art is not a mirror to reflect the world, but a hammer with which to shape it” – Bertolt Brecht

Want to join the movement to Free Pussy Riot? Visit http://freepussyriot.org/about