Resources for October 19, 2016

Bateson, James. "Object Anyway." More Perfect (July 16, 2016) ["At the trial of James Batson in 1982, the prosecution eliminated all the black jurors from the jury pool. Batson objected, setting off a complicated discussion about jury selection that would make its way all the way up to the Supreme Court. On this episode of More Perfect, the Supreme Court ruling that was supposed to prevent race-based jury selection, but may have only made the problem worse."]

Callow, Simon. "Orson Welles." The Cinema Show (July 15, 2016) [Newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane and respected police captain Hank Quinlan, both were men tempted by darkness and both were played by Orson Welles at opposite ends of his career. Actor, writer and director Simon Callow joins Ben Rylan for an extended interview in which they unpick the many myths surrounding one of cinema’s greatest talents.]

Dargis, Manohla. "Beyond Bullets and Berets, Life in Wartime." The New York Times (October 22, 2010)

Hegedus, Chris and D.A. Pennebaker. "Unlocking the Cage." Film School (July 12, 2016) ["The latest documentary from the renowned filmmaking team of Chris Hegedus and D. A. Pennebaker (The War Room), Unlocking the Cage follows trailblazing animal rights lawyer Steven Wise in his challenge to break down the legal wall that separates animals from humans. ... Given that the Supreme Court has ruled that corporations are people, why not chimps? Attorney Steven Wise and his legal team, the Nonhuman Rights Project, are making history by filing the first lawsuits that seek to transform an animal from a “thing” with no rights to a “person” with legal protections. Supported by affidavits from primatologists around the world, Wise maintains that, based on scientific evidence, cognitively complex animals such as chimpanzees, whales, dolphins and elephants have the capacity for limited personhood rights that would protect them from abuse. The filmmakers capture Wise’s progress: from the halls of academia to animal sanctuaries and zoos, and finally into the courtrooms where he makes a compelling case on behalf of four captive chimpanzees in New York State. Unlocking the Cage captures a monumental shift in our culture, as the public and judicial system show increasing receptiveness to Wise’s impassioned arguments. It is a provocative and intimate look at a lawsuit that could forever transform our legal system, and one man’s lifelong quest to protect “nonhuman” animals."]

"High-Rise, Demolition, Mustang, Queen of Earth." AB Film Review (July 18, 2016)

Ivins, Laura. "Collaged Gluttony in Vera Chytilová’s Daisies." A Place for Film (October 13, 2016)

Johnson, Mackenzie. "What Makes David O. Russell so David O. Russell." Film Stage (October 17, 2016)

Perper, Emily. "Present Day Witchcraft: Seven Stories About Witches." Longreads (October 17, 2016)

Scott, A.O. "Youthful Recklessness Finds Adventure on the Road in American Honey." The New York Times (September 29, 2016)

Stachiw, Chris and Sean Liang. "Rosencrantz and Guilderstern are Dead." Kulturecast (July 15, 2016)

Zinn, Howard. Audio version of Zinn reading his Introduction to A People's History of the United States, 1492 - the Present.  (Posted on Soundcloud: 2015) ["Since its original landmark publication in 1980, Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States has been chronicling American history from the bottom up, throwing out the official version of history taught in schools–with its emphasis on great men in high places–to focus on the street, the home, and the workplace."]