SNOWDEN

Spy. Genius. Hacker. Traitor are just a few of the names associated with former NSA computer specialist Edward Snowden.

At 29 years old, Snowden released NSA and FISA files stolen from their database and caused a global panic.  The judgements against him were harsh at best and even worse for his girlfriend Lindsay Mills.

So unless you have been under a rock, let me break this down for you.  Edward Snowden was a young soldier when a debilitating leg injury forced him into a medical discharge.  Enter the CIA.  Snowden was sought out, trained and eventually placed in Quantico  as a recruit.  Ultimately, not being pleased with the method in which our government was violating rights spelled out in our Constitution to  justify "spying" via  cell phones, computers and virtually anything containing a digital footprint, he blew the whistle setting off one of the biggest scandals in US history regarding a simple thing called privacy.

According to Snowden, who was streamed in live from Moscow a few nights ago, "Privacy is about something to protect...Privacy is the right of self...Privacy is the fountainhead of ALL other rights.  Without privacy you don't have anything for yourself.  Saying you don't care about privacy is like saying you don't care about freedom of speech."

Directed by Oliver Stone, who seems to be attracted to political, historical and controversial subject matter, Snowden is approached from a humanistic point of view.  Often times in these types of situations, we forget that at the end of the day, the accused, the ridiculed and outcast are still human beings with relationships.  It is the adversity of these relationships, as well as, the cost of holding secrets that Stone spells out for the audience through the brilliant performances of Joseph Gordon Levitt and Shailene Woodley.

Levitt really put it all on the line for this one...literally.  He traveled to Moscow to visit and study Ed Snowden and it paid off.  Under the radar and often overlooked, this former television child actor is giving  a performance that is so nuanced that you forget he's acting and believe you are watching the real deal.  As I said many times when speaking about performances, it is the dialogue not spoken that is intriguing and interesting to watch.  Joseph Gordon Levitt is mesmerizing, believable and dead-on.  I thought he was great in "The Walk", but that performance pales in comparison to Snowden.

Seen as the star of "Divergent" film franchise, Shailene Woodley is really pulling it all the way down for Lindsay. Her subtle and passion filled performance is marvelous to behold.  She embraces Lindsay with every fiber of her being  making her empathetic, sympathetic and a free-spirited woman whose strength is beyond measure when it comes to loving and being loved.

The real Ed Snowden even dropped this little kernel about an app called Signal, which uses an advanced end to end encryption protocol that provides privacy for EVERY message EVERY time.  It uses your existing phone number and address book.  There are no separate logins, usernames, passwords or PIN's to manage or lose.

Yes, Ed Snowden broke the law.  Yes, he is a fugitive. Yes, he is ridiculously brilliant and Yes, he believes that one's privacy is a right not a privilege.

My jaw dropped open more times than I care to remember during the course of this film.  Mostly due to major education received by the Ed Snowden portrayed onscreen and the real Snowden streaming live.

Trust me, this one is well worth the price...Snowden opens nationwide TODAY!

https://youtu.be/X41bfQa7xFQ

NEVER FORGET: Films About 911

911 Never Forget

In 2001, I was a cast member in the Original Los Angeles production of The Lion King directed by Tony winner and Oscar Nominee Julie Taymor. At the same time, I decided to  train for the Honolulu Marathon to raise money for Aids Project Los Angeles.

Once a week, myself and some runners would meet in Griffith Park for one of our practice runs.  On September 11th at 8:46 am, one of the girls' phone went off. On the other end, was someone telling her a plane hit the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City.  A few moments later, another call saying that a plane had also hit the Pentagon.  My father was a shuttle driver at the Pentagon, so I panicked and turned back to get to my car where my phone was.

While desperately reaching out to call my Dad, an Aunt phoned informing me that he was OK.  My attention then turned to an actress friend of mine, whose husband worked in the World Trade Center.  They hadn't been married very long and she was somewhere between 6-7 months pregnant with their second child.

Extremely concerned about her, I repeatedly phoned to reach her, when I finally did, my fears were confirmed.  Her husband was working in the Twin Towers that morning and had not been found.

This is the story that millions of Americans would tell about their loved ones on that day.  Very few Americans survived those terrorists attacks that day and numerous first responders lost their lives as well.  Many who were in the vicinity and exposed to ash and other toxins in the air that day have been diagnosed with Cancer among other life threatening disease.

With my birthday falling on September 16th, I am reminded of this American tragedy whether I want to remember or not.  I recall it as being the day my Dad nearly died, the whole firehouse I would pass on my way to half-hour call perished, the manager/friend whose husband perished and the dear friend whose husband perished among thousands of others.

It is a day in American history that will not and should not EVER be forgotten.  May those who perished rest in peace and may their loved ones receive and be blessed with all of our prayers and love for eternity.

Here are some films,documentaries and real time news coverage of that day.  PLEASE BE WARNED THAT THE FOOTAGE IS GRAPHIC and DISTRUBING...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzkk0J8QObA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU961SGps8g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tgQ75GxAZk

KICKS

The obsession over sneakers in a documentary Sneakheadz and getting the latest "kicks by any means necessary is real.  Many kids have been killed, beat up even harassed over the type of sneakers they are wearing. With a debut earlier this year at the Tribeca and LA Film Festivals, KICKS takes it to a whole new level, by putting this controversial subject to a narrative centered around three urban teens.  When one of them is jacked for his Jordans, he and his friends find themselves on a journey to recover the shoes, but not without consequences and repercussions.

Fifteen-year-old Brandon longs for a pair of the freshest sneakers that money can buy and assumes that having them on his feet will help him escape the reality of being poor, neglected by the opposite sex and picked on by everyone -- even his best friends.

Working hard to get them, he soon finds that these shoes have made him a target after they are snatched by local hood, Flaco.  Flaco has his own issues  that will are revealed when Brandon goes on a mission to retrieve his stolen sneakers with his two best friends in tow.

Produced by the same team that brought us Morris from America, boasting an amazing soundtrack of both hip-hop classics and Bay Area favorites, Kicks creates an authentic and original portrait of a young man drowning in the expectations of being grown and standing his ground for what he believes.

With an impressive screen debut, Jahking Guillory is perfection as Brandon.  Mahershala Ali is having a great year and his portrayal of Flaco is chilling, yet compassionate as a gang-banger Dad with a heart.

Kicks is  a modern-day Boyz in the Hood Air Jordans as the centerpiece.  I could have done without some of the more graphic scenes, but guess they seemed necessary in order to give this film authenticity around its storyline..

As a first time director/screenwriter, Justin Tipping does an admirable job in creating a magical urban tale about friendship, honor and life in Oakland.

Kicks rolls into a theatre near you on September 9th by Focus films.

RIP Gene Wilder

As a kid, I couldn't wait to see Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. What's not to like about a factory full of chocolate??!!  What about those Oompa Loompas? What about those iconic roles in the Mel Brooks films, The Producers, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, which earned him numerous Oscar nominations.

Wilder_Young Frankenstien

YoungFrankensteing_Wilder

For me, it was his performances opposite comic genius Richard Pryor in Stir Crazy, Silver Streak and See No Evil - Hear No Evil and the many films he Co-Starred in with his wife and SNL Superstar - Gilda Radner that solidified my love of his humility driven comic genius.

Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor in Silver Streak, 1976.

Pryor and Wilder in Silver Streak

Born Jerome Silberman in Milwaukee, Wilder began studying acting at the age of 12. After graduating  U. of Iowa in 1955, he enrolled in the Old Vic Theater school in Bristol, where he honed his  acting technique and fencing.

Wilder caught his first big break playing a small role in the off-Broadway production of Arnold Wesker's "Roots" and followed quickly with his Broadway debut as the comic valet in "The Complaisant Lover" (both 1961), for which he won the Clement Derwent Award. His other Broadway credits included "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1963, with Kirk Douglas), "The White House" (1964, with Helen Hayes) and "Luv" (1966), but it was a 1963 Broadway production of "Mother Courage and Her Children" that altered the course of his life forever. In its cast was Anne Bancroft, who was dating Mel Brooks at the time, and the relationship established between the two men eventually led to Wilder's becoming part of Brooks' most celebrated actors.

With nominations for The Producers with Zero Mostel and Young Frankenstein, it seems Wilder's film career was unstoppable.. However, it was his collaboration with Richard Pryor that makes him unforgettable in my book.

His first association with Pryor had come on Blazing Saddles, when Richard Pryor (co-screenwriter) lost his bid for the Cleavon Little role. Pryor and Wilder first acted together in the commercially successful Silver Streakand  Stir Crazy , but their later efforts were mediocre.

Ironically, Hanky Panky, Wilder's first of three films with his late wife Gilda Radner, originally was written to pair him with Pryor again, but Richard Pryor's unavailability necessitated rewriting the part for Gilda.

Gilda and Wilder

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ziyp1hW-Eg

Two years after Gilda's death, Wilder married Karen Boyer.

Mel Brooks spoke on the death of his longtime friend and movie collaborator, who famously worked with Wilder on a long list of films and  took to Twitter to remember the movie legend, who died today from Alzheimer’s disease at age 83.

“Gene Wilder-One of the truly great talents of our time. He blessed every film we did with his magic & he blessed me with his friendship,”

-Mel Brooks

Wilder and Brooks

For me, Gene Wilder will always be that unusually handsome, comic genius with the piercing blue eyes and a heart that seemed to be as golden as a ticket from the Willy Wonka Factory.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVi3-PrQ0pY

Hope you, Gilda and Richard are having the best reunion ever!

Abortion: Stories Women Tell

Review by Carla Renata for UBNRadio.com and The Curvy Critic.com

As the child of a military family, we traveled for most of my life.  However, in between moves, we always went back "home".  Home for me is St, Louis, Missouri.  Both of my parents were born and raised there.  My relatives on my maternal and paternal side still live there.  I went to the prom, fell in love for the first time, had my first date, learned to drive, got my first job, became a beauty queen and attended my first college...all in the state of Missouri.

My memories are vast and fond of my life there.  However, as magical and warm the memories are that I have growing up in Missouri, I also remember Missouri for being one of the most racist states in the union.  Some residents of the state can be so full of judgement that some of my friends growing up there who were gay knew that "outing" themselves was never an option.  To do so would result in isolation from friends and family and being labeled and attacked,  Being a young, gifted and black was not celebrated.  To the point, that in 2016,  we are still witnessing young men like Michael Brown being harassed, shot and murdered.

Needless to say, when I learned of the documentary Abortion:  Stories Women Tell screening at the Tribeca Film festival around Missouri becoming one of the many states to make abortion illegal, I was not surprised.  I was, however, extremely annoyed.

In 1973 the US Supreme court decision Roe Vs. Wade gave every woman the right to have an abortion. Since 2011, over half the states in the nation have significantly restricted access to abortions. In 2016, abortion remains one of the most divisive issues in America, especially in Missouri, where each year sees more restrictions.

Award winning director and Missouri native Tracy Droz Tragos sheds new light on this controversial  issue, with a focus not on the debate, but rather on the women themselves. Women who are struggling with unplanned pregnancies, the providers who show up at clinics to give medical care, as well as the activists on the sidewalks hoping to save one more child.

Abortion: Stories Women Tell portrays an intimate portrait into the lives of these women through their personal stories, which come to life brilliantly, through the gentle and respectful approach by director Tragos.   Some are heartbreaking and tender, some are bleak and frightening, while others simply inform us of the strength and capacity of young women to overcome and persevere through often-tragic circumstances.  Take a listen to a recent interview I did with Tracy about her doc...

[audio mp3="https://carlarenatascorner.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/tracydrozetragos_abortionstories.mp3"][/audio]

Abortion:  Stories Women Tell also shows us how organizations like Planned Parenthood are being targeted for abortion procedures and allegedly accused  of selling fecal organs for medical testing.  My newly divorced mother (who is also a Registered Nurse) took me to Planned Parenthood as a teen to be educated on birth control and the services provided to young girls like me.  That Planned Parenthood location on Lindell Avenue in St. Louis has been shut down and the nearest location  is two hours away in Columbia, Missouri.

With young girls being sexually active as early as 10 years old, where will those mothers who don't take their daughters to be educated?  Especially now, that sex education has been slowly forced out of the public school system.

I employ each and every one of you reading this to think of all these concerns and facts as your state contemplates making a decision that affects thousands if not millions of American women.

Watch for this powerful doc to show up on HBO, but if you can't wait until then it had its theatrical release August 12th..  You will angered, educated,  but most of all moved to make a difference.

Abortion: Stories Women Tell trailer

Pete's Dragon

As an avid Disney fan, I was aghast that I didn't remember the 70's version of this Disney Classic starring Grammy Winner, Helen Reddy. Not to mention the fact that I pretty much remember just about every Oscar nominee across categories, but totally missed that the song was nominated.

I'm kinda glad though, because it allowed me to watch the reboot with a fresh heart, mind and eyes.  When I tell you, I got so caught up that the "ugly cry" was unavoidable...I do not exaggerate.  My own mother was like, "Are you ok"?  LOL!!!

Disney has created a new classic with Pete's Dragon for all ages.  If you have the heart, curiosity and wonderment of a child residing anywhere in your bones, this film will awake it .

Remember, Pete's Dragon came along way before E.T.,, Gremlins and all those other loveable creatures we have fallen in love with over the years. Yet, I fell for Elliott just as hard.  He kinda reminded me of my faithful Maltese Mr. Spanky..  Only difference is Elliott is green, flies and breathes fire.  I'm pretty sure Spanky and Elliott would be besties.

So, I ask you...if your buddy, your partner in crime, your loyal furry friend was in trouble wouldn't you move heaven and earth to save him?  Pete and his new-found friends go to extraordinary lengths to make sure that Elliott is safe and unharmed.  Human beings predictably always attempt to destroy or discredit those entities which we don't understand or fear. and fear is a very powerful emotion that can persuade one to act up and show out.

Even though the 1977 version was basically a film musical, this reboots focuses strictly on the story of a young child who has found a friend in a forest where he has been living an adventure for six years, until a forest ranger and her fiance' invite him to become a family member

Oakes Fegley (Pete) as the orphaned Pete is just yummy!  His instincts are spot on and you believe him every moment he is on-screen.  His acting ability is to be rivaled by any adult and is eerily  reminiscent of a young River Phoenix.  Paired up with the perfect Oona Laurence as Natalie, these two are unstoppable.

Bryce Dallas Howard for me can just do no wrong and having her own children gave her the right mindset to pull off inhabiting Grace.  The vulnerability displayed will break your heart.. She has somehow been handed down that gene that made America fall in love with her Dad, Ron Howard as Opie on The Andy Griffith Show.

Robert Redford is one of my all time favorite actors and hadn't been on-screen for a while until this year with A Walk In The Woods and now as Meacham.  To witness Redford become a child before your eyes as he speaks of the fondness in which he meets the "dragon" is really something special.  It takes an exceptional actor to recall that emotion and make the audience take that journey with you.  Well done, Sir!

You know there is always that one character that throws a wrench into the Hallmark Family moment and Karl Urban is the perfect guy to do it.  As Gavin, he is despicably delicious, comical and handsome all at the same time.  I know...right??!!  He's easily the chameleon of the crew.

Director, David Lowery performs triple duty, as he is also credited as the editor and screenwriter.  As his first foray into the world of Disney he is crushing it.  I think he needs to direct ALL DISNEY movies from now to eternity!

I loved this film!  Mostly because it reminded of a time when life was not complicated by the hard knocks of adulthood.  As a little girl, my biggest issue was what I wearing to school and what boy I had a crush on. Those memories and feelings are irreplaceable, but I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.

Pete's Dragon  will take you back to time where life was simple, joyous and uncomplicated.  Take the fam, the hubby and have a beautiful family night you all will not soon forget.  Pete's Dragon opened nationwide August 12th.

Take the time to download the coloring sheets and activities, Disney has graciously provided for the kids to enjoy.  Trust me...I played them and had a ball!!!

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PetesDragon Activity Booklet

Pete's Dragon Coloring Sheets

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Pete's Dragon Door Hangers

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Pete's Dragon Puzzle

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Pete's Dragon Memory Game

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Pete's Dragon Bookmarks

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Pete's Dragon Find Elliott

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Pete's Dragon Spot the Dragon