Sunday, January 26, 2020

"Dear Basketball" Kobe Bryant Inspiring Love Letter to Posterity

By José Alberto Hermosillo
Kobe Bryant, Academy Award Winner. Photo courtesy of the Academy, 2018.
 
“Dear Basketball” is an inspiring love letter to posterity, a timeless legacy from one of the greatest basketball players in history, Kobe Bryant.  
 
“Dear Basketball” is an extraordinary animated Oscar-winning short film - written, produced, and narrated by Kobe Bryant. Veteran animator Glen Keane directed the award-winning emotional short in 2018.

When the star of the L.A. Lakers thought about retirement in 2015, he wrote a heartfelt letter to his teammates, the players of the other teams, the world athletes, and his fans about his reasons for leaving the sport he loved much.
 
Kobe’s statement became a gorgeous animated short film where he expressed his love for basketball, his values in life, and how important it is to follow his dream.

The best way to say goodbye to the game he had loved all his life was by producing a high-quality animated short film and hiring the best people in the industry to do the job. 

The instrumentation of the short “Dear Basketball” is the responsibility of a five-time Oscar winner and 52-time Oscar-nominated music composer John Williams (“E.T.,” “Star Wars,” “Jaws”). Mr. Williams’s music is sublime.

Two historical facts: “Dear Basketball” is the first time a professional athlete wins an Oscar. Kobe Bryant became the first Afro-American to succeed in the best animated short film award category.

Now, the beautifully animated film takes more relevance after the tragic helicopter crash on a Sunday morning, January 26th, 2020, in Calabasas, Los Angeles County. 
 
Nowadays, the relevance of this highly motivational animation takes center stage, not only for Kobe’s passing but because the short film makes us feel good. Listening to the voice and hearing the challenges of one of the most prominent athletes in history is a treat.

The athlete’s legacy, humanitarianism, and the impact of his actions on the community and how worldwide felt at large.

My deepest condolences to the family, friends, and millions of fans worldwide. Kobe Bryant was an inspiring human being with a positive attitude, a spirit of constant improvement, and a determination to succeed.

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Monday, January 20, 2020

My Hindu Friend; Hector Babenco's Testament to Posterity

By José Alberto Hermosillo

“My Hindu Friend” is an elegant and cinematic celebration of life at the end of one man’s journey with gratifying visuals. Hector Babenco’s last film is a conciliatory testimony of his work, friends, and close ones, with a high sense of respect.

The insightful reflection about the life and death of one of the most beloved Brazilian-Argentinean directors is immersive and goes beyond the bounds of a delirious reality.

Willem Dafoe’s execution is a tour de force. He plays the director’s life, who is exceptionally on a quest for redemption. Suppose you think Antonio Banderas’s Oscar-worthy characterization of Pedro Almodovar in “Pain and Glory” was remarkable. In that case, the performance of Willem Dafoe portraying Hector Babenco is fascinating and hypnotic.

My Hindu Friend, still photos courtesy of Rock Salt Releasing.

Without self-pity, Dafoe’s fictional character, Diego Fairman, is a conflicting, selfish filmmaker who blames others for things out of his control – including his lymphatic cancer. 

In the urgency for a bone marrow transplant, his brother Antonio (Guilherme Weber) is the only person who lives nearby with compatibility.

Antonio feels that Diego blames him for the death of their father and the misuse of their family’s money. Far off, the brother became the medulla donor with a costly price tag.

The family liaisons don’t go well. In private, everyone feels betrayed. His surrounding friends also have problems dealing with the stressful situation of Diego undergoing surgery. The treatment will have an unknown outcome. 

“My Hindu Friend” original dark humor lightens the awkward moments of Diego’s fight against cancer. Diego’s witty personality guides us to unexpected places. The performances and the settings work together harmoniously, enriching the striking and pristine look of the film.

My Hindu Friend, still photos courtesy of Rock Salt Releasing.

At the hospital, he meets some compelling characters who will help Diego in his transitional stage, including a symbolic gatekeeper, the death, and his new Hindu friend.

Every doctrine has different interpretations regarding the separation of the body and soul. Being Jewish is a confrontation between the predetermined religious beliefs and his precepts for Diego.

Babenco’s last work makes us feel the experience of a dying man vividly. He wants another opportunity to produce one more film and redeem himself. 

“My Hindu Friend” exquisite soundtrack is composed by the extraordinary Polish musician Zbigniew Preisner, who worked closely with Krzysztof Kieslowski in “Three Colors: Blue, White, and Red” and “The Double Life of Verónique,” among other transcendental soundtracks. The recording was done in Austria by the Vienna Symphony.

My Hindu Friend, still photos courtesy of Rock Salt Releasing.

Born in Argentina and a naturalized Brazilian, Babenco is not afraid of talking about his active sexual life - he shows, without any inhibitions, the beauty of a woman’s naked body in a poetic form.

Babenco accomplishes, with a high grade of mastery,  his personal experiences on the big screen in a very intimate atmosphere with his minimalist settings. 

The filmography of Babenco includes his Oscar-winner masterwork “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” He is behind some influential Brazilian projects such as “Pixote,” “Carandidu,” and “El Pasado.” “Before Night Falls” and “A Play in the Fields of the Lord” represented his return to Hollywood.

“My Hindu Friend” has some references to “Pixote,” a child dealing with drugs and prostitution in the streets of Saint Paulo in the late 1970s. Both films deal with loneliness, despair, and dehumanization in society.
 
The character-driven, linear, semi-autobiographical piece awakens paradoxical emotions in the viewer. It further transcends the legacy of a director that is no longer with us, but his work is a fundamental part of world cinema.

“My Hindu Friend” is an essential, spiritually meaningful, and well-balanced work of art ready to be discovered by viewers who appreciate the excellence in cinema.
 

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Festival in LA ©2020

NETFLIX FILM EXPERIENCES 2020

By José Alberto Hermosillo

NETFLIX FILM EXPERIENCES 2020
Netflix Film Experiences, Four Seasons Hotel, Beverly Hills. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA

With well-elaborated exhibits, more screenings, Q&As, and special events, Netflix reached out to more press and social media and had the attention of Academy members. 

Without any surprises, Netflix received more Oscar nominations than any other Studio 24, including two for Best Picture, two for Best Animation, two documentaries, and one for Documentary Short. Disney, the closest contender, had 23 nods for all its productions.

This year, without any controversies, the streaming service showed its films for seven days in movie theaters in the Los Angeles area before its streaming platform.

Netflix's aggressive campaign and spirit for excellence and customer service yielded success with more nominations and, at the same time, with more online subscribers regardless of the recent increment in the subscription fees.

The public could appreciate the films on the big screen and assist with Q&As with the directors, talent, and crew members. Plus, the city witnessed some excellent exhibits with costumes, props, and sets to immerse spectators in how the movies are made. 

Here is a series of photographs with the costumes, set designs, and props of a well-mounted Netflix exhibition at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills in early January.

The exposition, with a museography quality, included vital elements of the films "Dolemite is My Name," "Marriage Story," "The Irishman," and "The Two Popes." 

The Netflix live experience made spectators feel as if they were inside of those great movies that reached an Oscar nomination.

Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA
Dolemite is My Name
Director: Craig Brewer
Stars: Eddie Murphy, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Keegan-Michael Key, and Wesley Snipes.
Two Golden Globe Nominations
Dolemite is My Name. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA
Dolemite is My Name.  Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA


Marriage Story. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA

Marriage Story
Director: Noah Baumbach
Stars: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern
Music: Randy Newman
6 Oscar Nominations

Marriage Story. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA
Marriage Story. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA
Marriage Story. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA
Marriage Story. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA

Marriage Story. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA



Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA
The Irishman
Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, and Anna Paquin.
Cinematography: Rodrigo Prieto
10 Oscar Nominations.
The Irishman. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA

The Irishman. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA
The Irishman. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA
The Irishman. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA
Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA
The Irishman. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA
The Irishman. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA

The Irishman. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA



The Two Popes. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA

The Two Popes
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Stars: Jonathan Pryce, Anthony Hopkins.
Writer: Anthony McCarten.
3 Oscar Nominations.
The Two Popes. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA
The Two Popes. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA
The Two Popes. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA
The Two Popes. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA
The Two Popes. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA

Film Critic José Alberto Hermosillo ©2019 Festival in LA

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