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 considered retirement in 2015, he wrote a heartfelt letter to his teammates, players on other teams, the world’s athletes, and his fans about his reasons for leaving the sport he loved so much.
 
Kobe’s statement became a gorgeous animated short film in which he expressed his love for basketball, his values in life, and the importance of following his dream.

The best way to say goodbye to the game he had loved all his life was to produce a high-quality animated short film and hire 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 win the Best Animated Short Film award.

Now, the beautifully animated film takes on 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 because of Kobe’s passing but also because the short film makes us feel good. Listening to the voice and hearing the challenges of one of history’s most prominent athletes is a treat.

The athlete’s legacy, humanitarianism, and the impact of his actions on the community and on the world 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, cinematic celebration of life at the end of one man’s journey, with gratifying visuals. Hector Babenco’s last film is a conciliatory testament to his work, friends, and loved ones, marked by deep respect.

 

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

 

Willem Dafoe’s performance is a tour de force. He portrays the director’s life, who is on an exceptional quest for redemption. If you thought Antonio Banderas’s Oscar-worthy characterization of Pedro Almodovar in “Pain and Glory” was remarkable, then Dafoe’s portrayal of Hector Babenco is equally fascinating and hypnotic.


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

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

 

In the urgency of a bone marrow transplant, his brother, Antonio (Guilherme Weber), is the only person nearby who is compatible.

 

Antonio feels that Diego blames him for their father’s death and the misuse of their family’s money. Far off, the brother becomes the medullary donor at a high cost.

 

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,” an original dark-comedy, lightens the awkward moments in Diego’s fight against cancer. Diego’s witty personality guides us to unexpected places. The performances and settings work together harmoniously, enhancing the film’s striking, pristine look.

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

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

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

Babenco’s last work vividly conveys a dying man’s experience. He wants another opportunity to make one more film and redeem himself. 

“My Hindu Friend” features an exquisite soundtrack composed by the extraordinary Polish musician Zbigniew Preisner, who worked closely with Krzysztof Kieslowski on “Three Colors: Blue, White, and Red” and “The Double Life of Verónique,” among other transcendental soundtracks. The recording was made 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 to talk about his active sexual life - he shows, without inhibition, the beauty of a woman’s naked body in a poetic form.

 

Babenco brings his personal experiences to the big screen with a high degree of mastery, in a very intimate atmosphere, conveyed through his minimalist settings. 


Babenco’s filmography includes his Oscar-winning masterwork, “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” He directed several influential Brazilian projects, including “Pixote,” “Carandidu,” and “El Pasado.” “Before Night Falls” and “A Play in the Fields of the Lord” marked his return to Hollywood.

 

“My Hindu Friend” contains references to “Pixote,” which follows a child grappling with drugs and prostitution in the streets of São Paulo in the late 1970s. Both films explore loneliness, despair, and dehumanization in society.

 

The character-driven, linear, semi-autobiographical piece evokes paradoxical emotions in the viewer. It also transcends the legacy of a director who is no longer with us, even though his work remains 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 excellence in cinema.

 

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Festival in LA ©2020
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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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