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On the Shoulders of GiantsIn this episode of Lessons from the Screen, we will be looking at the On the Shoulders of Giants Series produced by Joseph Ward. What started out as a Blog has now become a series of Books, a youtube series, and a podcast. Going back to 2014 every other week, and sometimes more often than that, we have seen the series release a new figure and illustrated their contribution to Black People globally. We are going to talk about this series, its impact, takeaways, and ways to move forward.
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Reversing RoeEarlier this month a new documentary appeared on Netflix entitled Reversing Roe. Having seen a slew of documentaries on abortion I went into it very sarcastically expecting to be bombarded with pro-life rhetoric and biblical messages. I hadn’t heard of the documentary and judging from the title I fully expected it to be a pro-life endeavor. What followed in the next hour and a half is what we are going to spend the next half hour talking about. In this episode of Lessons from the Screen we are going to be looking at the documentary by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg entitled, Reversing Roe.
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AbacusAbacus is the story of a family bank in the Asian Community that has the distinction of being the only bank in the America to have been charged with anything following the subprime mortgage crisis. The documentary itself operates in typical documentary fashion with talking heads, experts, witnesses, and first-hand accounts mixed in with community footage, photos, and news reels from the time to tell a very involving story of the little guy getting pushed around and fighting back only to win.
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Dark MoneyEarlier this year in July of 2018 Kimberly Reed released a documentary that takes aim at the dark money flowing in politics following the Citizens United Supreme Court Decision. With a focus on the State of Montana as one of the last remaining bastions of hope for transparent campaign financing, this documentary dives into the fray of one of the most talked about subjects in politics. On this episode of Lessons from the Screen, we are going to be looking at the documentary in our traditional style of doing so. I hope you enjoy it, and take the time to let me know what you thought by going to the website and leaving a comment.
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Ice GuardiansIce Guardians is a documentary about the Enforcers in Hockey. So for many of us this documentary will be an eye opener into the structure of hockey and the context that the fights exist in. But deeper than that it also looks into the psychology and the sociology of not just the hockey enforcer, but hockey and human society in general. The structure and culture of hockey is held side by side with the culture and structure of our everyday lives to get us to re-examine the way we look at the sport, the enforcers, and the world we live in.
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The Independence Day ProjectThe Independence Day Project, a documentary film that seeks to change the way Black People look at our struggle for equality. It does this by shifting the narrative away from all the problems we face at the hands of White Supremacy and plants the narrative directly on the Black Community and things we can do now to change our situation. The film looks at 10 areas of human activity and gives us a little something to swallow and ponder on all of them. As usual we will look at this film, likes, dislikes, and its potential impact In this episode of Lessons from the Screen.
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The Great HackThe Summer of 2019 has just ended however the ramifications of the things that transpired and that were discovered will continue to shape global history forever. The social media and digital giants faced a world that was a lot more inquisitive about their business models and a lot more aggressive in how it sought answers to those questions. A 2-year federal investigation wrapped up in April of 2019 and at its core was the largest social media company in the world and how data stolen from them was being used to shape democracies and engineer societies. The great hack follows the story of one of the primary culprits in this game of digital shenanigans, it is the story of Cambridge Analytica, and it is the story of this episode of Lessons from the Screen.
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Schooling the WorldIn 2010 Carol Black released her documentary Schooling the World with a focus on getting people to think about the impact of foreign education on indigenous peoples all over the world. In this episode of Lessons from the Screen we will be looking at this documentary, what is in it, what is it about, and should you watch it. Obviously all from our perspective. This show is all about Schooling the World, the White Man's Last Burden.
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ScrewballThose of you that follow the show know that we are not afraid of being late to the party when it comes to documentaries, and we are fashionably late here. Although the film made its American debut in March of 2019, it hit Netflix in the first part of August, and it didn’t hit our radar until early September. Do we need another film about steroids, baseball, superstars, drugs, and the Miami dark side? Do we need more documentaries talking about the ineptitude of Florida and the lack of concern that parents have for their children’s health in the sports world? Well, I guess it doesn’t really matter if we needed another one, because we got another one, and in this episode of Lessons from the Screen we are going to talk about it.
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The Propaganda GameThe Propaganda Game is a Documentary that seeks to look at how we are all being manipulated by propaganda. As a case study it uses North Korea as North Korea is commonly cited as a country with one of the most extreme and thorough propaganda machines. So we are transported on a journey through North Korea guided by the Spaniard Alejandro Cao who left Spain and relocated to North Korea over 20 years ago. |
Year of the ScabDuring this episode of Lessons from the Screen we will be looking at the 2017 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary entitled the Year of the Scab. It is a documentary about the 1987 players strike in the NFL during which replacement players were used to keep the league running while the players refused to play. We will also be making some comparisons between what was happening then and what is happening now. As always we will talk about a few lessons that can be picked up from the film with regards to our current situation in this episode of Lessons from the Screen we will be looking at the Year of the Scab. |
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The Black GodfatherIn June of 2019 Netflix pulled back the curtain on Clarence Avant, a Black Man from Greensboro, North Carolina born in the 1930s who rose to become one of the most influential Black Persons in Entertainment. Best friends with Quincy Jones, mentor to a slew of Black Entertainers of all strips, and supporter of politicians, this documentary pulled out all the stops featuring 2 former presidents and a whole host of A list Black Stars to tell their stories of Clarence Avant. On this episode of Lessons from the Screen, we are going to be taking a look at The Black Godfather.
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VitamaniaIn 2018 a documentary was released with a focus on vitamins. The documentary seeks to answer one question: how do we decide whether or not to take vitamins? The film takes us on a journey that is one part Sesame Street (or maybe schoolhouse rock would be a better fit), one part hardcore documentary. We are taken on a journey to explore the history and modern state of vitamins. In this episode of lessons from the screen, we are going to look at this documentary and do what we do, is it worth watching or not and what are the takeaways.
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The Bleeding EdgeIn April a documentary came out with a focus on the medical device industry. An industry that is one of the fastest growing and least discussed industries in America. The documentary takes a look at whether the industry is growing too fast, and whether or not the industry is serving the best interest of the people. Interesting things to think about when you consider the vast amounts of medical devices available, everything from pacemakers to birth control inserts. But while the documentary is focused on medical devices, we will do what we do here on Lessons from the Screen and focus on whether or not this documentary serves a purpose and adds anything worth its nearly 2 hour run time to the discussion.
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Truth, Lies, & ConspiraciesIn 2016 the BBC took a chance at creating a documentary on one of the most heated debates in American in the last 20 years, what really happened on September 11th. We figured it’s time to take a show and just relax and enjoy after the doom and gloom of the climate change reports and this was the perfect opportunity to do so. In this episode of Lessons from the Screen we are going to be looking at 9/11: Truth, Lies, and Conspiracies.
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Nobody SpeakThe power of the elite and wealthy is always at the forefront of the minds of the masses in any society, especially given that most of them more than likely will not be a part of that club. Part of the purpose of News Organizations is to check their influence and put it out on display for all the masses to see. But what happens when that power and influence (which is typically directed at politics and business matters) takes an adversarial stance against News Organizations that it doesn’t like for whatever reason.
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Take Your PillsUnder the surface of the Opioid Crisis the country is currently facing there lies another prescription medication problem that for the moment is being drowned out by the seriousness of the opiates. These prescriptions drugs are amphetamines, stimulants often used to help people with attention disorders focus better. From Adderall to Ritalin, From Levo to Dextro, amphetamines are being used by people without attention disorders to help them focus, stay awake, and perform better both in school and at work. What has become an accepted part of life in professional sports has become standard procedure on some university campuses and in various workplaces, the use of performance enhancing substances.
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Fahrenheit 11/9
In February of 2019 Larry Charles produced a docuseries on exploring comedy in various places around the world. While the written show description mentions him traveling to china russia and various other places, I will say right here that I only recall him going to Africa, the Middle East, and the US. But despite that, the 4 episode series did take a look at some interesting places and some interesting concepts. In this episode of Lessons from the Screen, we are going to be talking about Larry Charles Dangerously Funny.
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September of last year the master returned with his latest project. Michael Moore (love him or hate him) has been a very powerful figure politically and socially through his documentaries and this time he was taking aim at what seemed to be the very institutions of Political America. In this episode of Lessons from the Screen we are going to be diving into Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9.
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Obesity: The Post MortemObesity is a huge problem in both American and Europe. In America more than half of American Adults are obese or overweight and what’s worse a 3rd of them don’t believe they are. With this type of landscape it seems fairly obvious that the health risk associated with carrying too much fat would be common knowledge, or at least something that is talked about considerably and at every turn. Largely it is, however, why aren’t these discussions and this information yielding any positive meaningful results. Why is it that despite all the documentaries, public warnings, pamphlets, and reality TV shows we continue to face an ever growing weight problem?
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The American MemeA few days ago Netflix released a documentary detailing rise and journey of 4 social media stars. The film showcases from the perspective of the stars themselves, the ups and downs of being a social star in the modern age. What attracted me to this film was the idea that a conversation could be had and led by those that have achieved the fame and attention that so many people are craving on the internet. In this episode of Lessons from the Screen, we are going to be looking at the film like we always do and talking about somethings that can be taken away from it.
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TrickedReleased in 2013 and this documentary looked at the sex trafficking business from various angles. While it is an old documentary, considering the fact that sex trafficking is still a problem the world over, it’s still a very viable and necessary conversation. In this episode of Lessons from the Screen, we are going to be giving our take on this documentary and the conversation in general and letting you know if this documentary is something that you should add to your tool kit.
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StinkReleased in 2015 and produced by Jon Whelon, Stink follows his journey to find out what chemicals were used on his daughters pajamas creating the smell that overwhelmed the house after they opened the package. This search for the chemicals led him down a rabbit hole regarding the secrets of chemical use in corporations. Today on Lessons from the Screen we are going to be talking about this documentary, what it means, if its good, and is it worth your time.
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What the HealthIn March of 2017 the creators of Cowspiracy released their follow-up title "What the Health". It followed Kip Andersen as he endeavored in a quest to find out why so many health organizations and government bodies seemed to be encouraging diets that supported chronic illness. The Documentary went to great lengths to show that there was something nefarious going on all the while attempting to educate its viewers on proper diet and its benefit towards long term health. |
ABSOLUTELY NOT WORTH YOUR TIME (Dangerously Inaccurate)
The Fall of the CabalWe were going to give another in depth review of the current status of the Covid-19 and address some more myths. But we decided that since we are going to be doing that on the Freedom Train Podcast, and since many people want to talk about something else, we decided to go in a different direction. The Qanons have been around since 2017 as an alt-right conspiracy group that all but worships (and maybe that as well) Donald Trump. The Qanons had a defining documentary come available in January of this year and since it’s been a minute since we’ve gone over a documentary, we decided to get at it. In this episode of Lessons from the Screen we are going to be taking a look at The Fall of the Cabal.
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