Chisholm '72 - Unbought & Unbossed Review

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Ok, I did not buy the DVD. Howver, I did see this film on an episode of POV which airs on the station PBS (Public Broadcasting Station). Regardless, the film was very well done. I love vintage footage so I was in heaven. This film has plenty of 1972 interviews, campaign commercials, demonstrations, they even play Shirley Chisholm's campaign song.
The documentary also did a great job of showing various points of view about the Chisholm campaign. It would have been real easy to manipulate the film so as to villanize those who didn't support Chisholm or did support and then turned later on it. The film is unbiased and honest. The participants interviewed made decisions like any human would. The viewer is given the opportunity to decide whether he thinks it was a good or bad choice.
My only criticism is that I wish I could've heard more about the other side of the campaign. How was Shirley Chisholm when the cameras weren't rolling or when the speech was over. There is a moment when Shirley is asked about an incident where she was almost stabbed in the back. She was naturally uncomfortable with that moment and she became a bit choked up. I wish there was more of that. It would have been good for people who want to follow in Chisholm's footsteps to see the personal struggles as well as the triumphs. But then the doc. is truly about her campaign. I'll just have to read her autobiography for the other details.
All in all, the doc. was very well done. It was educational, lively, exciting, and thought provoking. The real tragedy, though, isn't her defeat but that no one has picked up where she left off. The "dirty" politics that kept Shirley's campaign down are still well and alive today.

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CHISHOLM ?72 Unbought & Unbossed is the first historical documentary on Brooklyn Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm and her campaign to become the Democratic Party?s presidential nominee in 1972. Following Chisholm from the announcement of her candidacy in January to the Democratic National Convention in Miami, Florida in July, the story is like her- fabulous, fierce, and fundamentally ?right on.?Chisholm?s fight is for inclusion, as she writes in her book The Good Fight (1973), and encompasses all Americans ?who agree that the institutions of this country belong to all of the people who inhabit it.? Shunned by the political establishment, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm asks people of color, feminists and young voters for their support to ?reshape our society and take control of our destiny as we go down the Chisholm Trail in 1972.? To the surprise of many, voters responded.

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Two Lovers Review

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(More customer reviews)Leonard Kraditor (Joaquin Phoenix) struggles with depression after his fiance leaves him. The movie opens with Leonard attempting suicide. That night he meets Sandra (Vanessa Shaw)-a sweet, affable, loving girl. A short time later he runs into Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow)-a drug addled, promiscuous, party girl who loves a married man. Sandra wants to take care of Leonard and Leonard wants to take care of Michelle.
In his relationship with Michelle, Leonard is the strong one, the good one. In his relationship with Sandra, he continues to be the weak man from his past-the guy that needs gentle understanding. It's no wonder he pines for Michelle even though she's going to lead him down the path of self destruction. But every lover wants the chase.
I loved this movie and am frankly surprised by the bad reviews. Two Lovers may be subtle and a bit slow for some, but I found it nuanced and charming. At times in my life I've been the sunny party girl in love with the wrong man, the depressed lover pining for a an ex, and the sweet affable girl who could utter such lines as "if you don't want me, it's ok. I mean a lot of guys don't want me." Everyone should find at least one character in this film they can relate to. Highly recommended.

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Set in the insular world of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, TWO LOVERS is a classic romantic drama, with Joaquin Phoenix giving a raw and vulnerable performance as Leonard, a charismatic but troubled young man who moves back into his childhood home following a recent heartbreak. While recovering under the watchful eye of his parents (Isabella Rossellini and Moni Monoshov), Leonard meets two women in quick succession: Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), a mysterious and beautiful neighbor who is exotic and out-of-place in Leonard's staid world, and Sandra, the lovely and caring daughter of a businessman who is buying out his family's dry-cleaning business. Leonard becomes deeply infatuated by Michelle, who seems poised to fall for him, but is having a self-destructive affair with a married man. At the same time, mounting pressure from his family pushes him towards committing to Sandra. Leonard is forced to make an impossible decision between the impetuousness of desire and the comfort of love or risk falling back into the darkness that nearly killed him.

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Welcome Back, Kotter: The Complete First Season (1975) Review

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(More customer reviews)It has been years since I last saw "Welcome Back, Kotter." It is a real treat to see it coming out on DVD. No one could have imagined the break out star John Travolta would become, trading in his tight t-shirt for a white leisure suit, as Gabe Kaplan fights to hold his own against an unruly class of "Sweathogs," who fall below the curve of Buchanan High School. This was the first high school comedy to capture a gritty urban feel. Room 222 had its moments but was sticky sweet by comparison. Gabe Kaplan drew on his life experiences, which had been the fodder of his stand-up routines, to capture a lively classroom of remedial kids led by Vinnie Barbarino. They manage to stay one step ahead of Vice Principal Woodman (John Sylvester White), but Kotter knows the tricks all too well, having been a sweathog himself in his youth. Robert Hegyes, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (who enjoyed a brief celebrity of his own) and Ron Palillo round out the motley crew, representative of the racial diversity of the school. Marcia Strassman is wonderful as Kotter's wife, Julie, who has to listen to his daily accounts each evening, reminiscent of the bed conversations between Bob and Emily Newhart. The show had a good run of 4 seasons, which is appropriate given that it was a high school comedy. And, don't forget the wonderful theme song by John Sebastian.

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Mr. Kotter, meet the Sweathogs, the goofiest group of remedial students who ever set off the fire alarm two minutes before a test or spent algebra class constructing spit wads. Sweathogs, meet Mr. Kotter, a former Sweathog who's returned to his old high school as your new teacher. Gabriel Kaplan stars as Kotter and John Travolta, in his breakthrough role, plays Sweathog leader Vinnie Barbarino in this multicultural, multicomical 1970s smash hit set at Brooklyn's James Buchanan High School. Join them plus jivin', high-fivin' Freddie Washington, tough-guy Juan Epstein and peppy pipsqueak Arnold Horshack for all the Season One fun - or it's up your nose with a rubber hose! DVD Features:Featurette:The shows cast and creators reflect on the influence of the show, their personal experiences and memorable momentsOther:Actors' Original Screen Tests

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