Monthly Archives: June 2022

Every now and again New Delhi gets its dander up because someone or the other, somewhere or the other, publishes a map of India which does not show Kashmir as being part of the country.

Questions are raised in Parliament as to how this insult to the countrys national integrity was permitted, and patriotic-minded citizens immolate copies of the offending depiction in public.

But India is not the only country to wax wroth over contumacious cartography. An indignant resident of Rio de Janeiro has moved a court seeking a municipal ban on the atlases being issued for geography classes in local schools.

The reason for the Cariocas umbrage is that the books in question feature maps based on the standard Mercator model which, inaccurately, shows the US state of Alaska to be the same size as Brazil, while in fact the South American country which is noted for its nuts, among much else, is almost five times larger than the northern territory which America bought from Russia in 1867 for USD 7.2 million.

While the Brazilian is justifiably exercised at his country cut being cut down to less than size, maps based on the Mercator projection also contain several other anomalies of magnitude.

The ice-bound and inappropriately named country of Greenland is depicted as being bigger than Africa, when in actuality the so-called Dark Continent is 14 times larger than the northern nation. Africa is shown to be similar in size to Europe though it almost three times more expansive.

Antarctica, in the world according to Mercator, is the biggest continent whereas in terra cognita it is the fifth largest.

The reason for these inaccuracies is that the Mercator projection, designed by the Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569, represents the three-dimensional sphere of the Earth on the two-dimensional surface of paper. The result is that areas closer to the North Pole and the South Pole appear disproportionately larger than those closer to the Equator.

Despite such misrepresentations, the Mercator projection became an indispensable asset in oceanic navigation as it enabled ships to chart a straight-line course for their routes. Gerardus Mercator was much more than just a maker of maps. An accomplished mathematician, he applied the science of numbers to geography and astronomy, a union which he found extremely agreeable. His aim was to arrive at not only the description of the Earth, but also the structure of the whole machinery of the world, whose numerous elements are not known by anyone to date.

He taught himself the art of engraving, on metal and wood, and in 1536 he designed a terrestrial globe for the Emperor Charles V, the first of many which he crafted, some of which are extant today.

Mercator was an enthusiastic debater on philosophic themes, and had he been around now he would have welcomed the discourse, often contentious, surrounding his most renowned creation. For while maps based on his projection continue to be used to aid navigation and to teach the elements of geography to students, there is a growing body of controversy regarding the political, social, and cultural implications of the cartographic distortions inherent in his projection.

Critics take to task the implicit, though unintended, racism through the prism of which Europe and North America are shown to be much larger than they are in comparison with Africa, Asia and South America, thereby endorsing the concept of white superiority and indirectly justifying the history of subjugation and colonialism. In response to such objections, present-day cartographers have devised substitute projections, such as the Gall-Peters representation, gaining usage both in corporate and scholastic spheres, which attempts to show countries and continents in correct size but which tends to get them elongated at the equator and compressed in the higher latitudes near the Poles.

Those who delight in opening the Pandoras box of paradox would contend that a truly true map of the world is a logical impossibility for it would not only have to be as large as the world itself is, but would also have to include in itself a map as large as itself, and so on ad infinitum.

Geography is about maps/While history is about chaps, goes the old doggerel. But it seems that history can also be about maps and the chaps who make them.

Views expressed above are the author's own.

END OF ARTICLE

More here:

Atlas shrugged: Getting mad with maps with attitude about latitude - Times of India

Rating system: (4=Don't miss, 3=Good, 2=Worth a look, 1=Forget it)

For more reviews, click here.

Atlas Shrugged: Part I (PG-13) (2.5) [Some sexuality.] [DVD and VOD only] A powerful, captivating, intriguing, eerie, timely thriller, which is based on Ayn Rands classic 1957 novel, about high-powered executives (Michael Lerner, Graham Beckel, Jon Polito, Jack Milo, and Geoff Pierson) who begin to mysteriously disappear in 2016 when John Galt (Paul Johansson) comes calling while the comely, tenacious CEO (Taylor Schilling) of a transcontinental railway firm joins forces with the ruthless owner (Grant Bowler), who has been married to his cold-hearted wife (Rebecca Wisocky) for a long ten years, of a steel manufacturing company to build a one-of-a-kind, ultra-fast transit system as gas prices skyrocket to above $35 per gallon and the economy continues its downward spiral.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams (NR) (3) [DVD and VOD only] Werner Herzog narrates his fascinating, educational, 3D, 90-minute documentary that uses hand-held cameras to showcase the 32,000-year-old, pristine, Paleolithic drawings of palm prints and horses, bison, mammoths, lions, and rhinoceros that were discovered in 1994 inside the stalagmite-filled, bear-skull-strewn, 1,300-ft.-long Chauvet cave of Southern France, and scientists such as cave custodian Dominique Baffier, Carole Fritzs, Gilles Jean-Clottes, Jean-Michel Geneste, Gilles Tosello, paleontologist Michel Phillipe, researcher Julien Monney, Nicholas Conrad, Wulf Hein, and Maria Malina and master perfumer Maurice Maurin add insight into the cave artwork.

Crusaders (R) (3) [Violence and brief nudity.] [DVD and VOD only] After his father (Armin Mueller-Stahl) and the one-armed baron (Dieter Kirchlechner) are murdered and the woman (Karin Proia) he loves says that she will marry a power-hungry lord (Rodolfo Corsato) to save her family in 1079 A.D. in this action-packed, violent, factually inspired, 200-minute, 2001 film, an adopted, grieving blacksmith (Alessandro Gassman) leaves with his sheepherder best friend (Thure Riefenstein) and a Norman nobleman (Johannes Brandrup) to fight in the Crusades in Jerusalem where discord ensues when the two best friends end up fighting on different sides and a comely Jewish scholar (Barbora Bobulova) stands in the middle.

An Engineer Imagines (NR) (3) [Played June 2 as part of AARPs Movies for Grownups and available on TUBI and various VOD platforms.] Marcus Robinson's engaging, educational, insightful, well-paced, 80-minute, 2018 documentary that showcases the amazing career and the genius and talent of distinguished, influential Irish structural engineer Peter Rice who worked on such iconic structures as the Sydney Opera House, the Menil Collection, The Pompidou Centre, Glyndebourne, Lloyd's of London, the Louvre Pyramid, and Paris Stansted Airport and consists of architectural photographs and film footage and interview snippets with architects (such as Renzo Piano, Hugh Dutton, Paul Andreu, Dan Ritchie, and Richard Rogers), Full Moon Theater founder Humbert Camerlos, Arup director Andy Sedgwick, architectural critic Jonathan Glancey, "Traces of Peter Rice" editor Kevin Barry, Deputy chair of Arup and Arup fellow Tristram Carfrae, structural engineer Henry Bardsley, Contractors for Steel and Glass structures Bernard Viry, T/E/S/S associate director Bernard Vaudeville, Arup associate director Sophie Le Bouvra, "Financial Times" arts editor Jan Dalley, T/E/S/S partner Tom Gray, Ove Arup & Partners former chairman Sir Jack Zunz, designer Martin Franc and Peter Rice's wife Sylvia, sister Kitty Rice, son Keiran Rice, and daughters Julia Rudin, Heidi Rice, and Nemone Routh.

Charlotte (NR) (3.5) [Available June 3 on Apple TV+/ iTunes, Amazon Video, Google Play, Vudu, and Redbox digital.] Eric Warin and Tahir Ranas poignant, factually inspired, powerful, coming-of-age, artistic, heartbreaking, bittersweet, star-studded (voiceovers by Mark Strong, Henry Czerny, and Sophie Okonedo), 92-minute, 2021 animated film based on Life? Or Theatre?: A Song-Cycle and a collection of more than 1,000 expressionist paintings in which talented German-Jewish painter Charlotte Salomon (voiceover by Keira Knightley), who is supported by her parents (voiceovers by Eddie Marsan and Helen McCrory), escapes from Berlin to the home of her grandparents (voiceovers by Jim Broadbent and Brenda Blethyn) in the South of France on the eve of WWII in an effort to fulfill her dream of becoming a successful artist, marries an Austrian therapist and vocal coach (voiceover by Sam Claflin), and tragically ends up murdered by the Nazis in Auschwitz on Oct. 10, 1943, at age 26.

The Fall of the Queens (NR) (3) [Subtitled] [Available June 7 on various digital platforms.] Lucas Turturros engaging, award-winning, coming-of-age, well-acted, predictable, 83-minute, 2021 film in which the close, tight-knit relationship between a troubled, obsessive 17-year-old orphan (Malena Filmus) and her feisty, sexually-curious, 14-year-old sister (Lola Abraldes), who live with their alcohol-abusing aunt (Umbra Colombo) on an Argentinean farm producing honey from multiple beehives, becomes strained and threatened when their handsome cousin (Franco Rizzaro) arrives and jealousy rears its ugly head.

Hoodwinked Too! Good vs. Evil (PG) (1.5) [Some mild rude humor, language, and action.] [DVD and VOD only] When Hansel (voiceover by Bill Hader) and Gretel (voiceover by Amy Poehler) and granny (voiceover by Glenn Close) are kidnapped by an evil, red-eyed, jealous witch (voiceover by Joan Cusack) in this lackluster, silly, star-studded (voiceovers by Martin Short, Cheech Marin, Andy Dick, David Alan Grier, Tommy Chong, and Brad Garrett), 3D, animated film dominated by a stupid plot and funny potshots at many fairytales, a teenage Red Riding Hood (voiceover by Hayden Panettiere), who graduated from the Sisterhood of Kung-Fu Bakers, joins forces with the big bad wolf (voiceover by Patrick Warburton), Twitchy the squirrel (voiceover by Cory Edwards), and the head (voiceover by David Ogden Stiers) of the Happily Ever After Agency to save granny and the secret recipe for the Norwegian Black Forest Truffle Devine Cake, which makes the eater of the cake powerful and invincible.

I'm Charlie Walker (NR) (2.5) [Available June 10 on various VOD platforms.] An uneven soundtrack hinders Patrick Gilles wacky, factually based, humorous, unpredictable, 78-minute film in which ambitious, feisty, streetwise, cunning, wheeler-dealer, Black truck company owner Charlie Walker (Mike Colter), who has a wife (Safiya Fredericks) and three daughters, faces repossession of his home in San Francisco, applies for a lucrative contract to clean up an environmentally devastating crude oil spill after two oil tankers collided in 1971, is reluctantly awarded a beach nobody wanted to save, and when duplicitous, racist oil company executives (Dylan Baker and Mark Leslie Ford) initially support his ingenious scheme to clean up the beach, they turn against him because of racism, greed, politics, and financial shenanigans.

Im Not Jesus Mommy (PG-13) (3) [Some disturbing violent content.] [DVD and VOD only] Seven years after stealing from a genetic researcher (Charles Hubbell) turned religious fanatic an embryonic clone derived from DNA from the Shroud of Turin and impregnating herself to the horror of her incredulous husband (Joseph Schneider) in this creepy, philosophical, imaginative, thought-provoking, minimalistic, sci-fi thriller that raises moral, ethical, and religious questions, a widowed obstetrician (Bridget McGrath) raises her son (Rocko Hale) in a world, which is plagued by famine, disease, and death, that may have been profoundly changed by her selfish, desperate actions.

Jurassic World Dominion (PG-13) (2.5) [Intense sequences of action, some violence, and language.] [Opens June 10 in theaters.] After a power-hungry, duplicitous, psychopathic CEO (Campbell Scott) creates gargantuan locusts that will eventually decimate crops worldwide in his effort to control the food supply in a world where prehistoric dinosaurs roam the planet among humans and he then arranges the kidnapping of a valuable, feisty, cloned teenager (Isabella Sermon) with altered DNA in Colin Trevorrows entertaining, disconnected, action-packed, fast-paced, poorly written, predictable, star-dotted (Jeff Goldblum, BD Wong, Omar Sy, Mamoudou Athie, Justice Smith, Scott Haze, Daniella Pineda, Dichen Lachman, Elva Trill, and Dimitri Thivaios), 147-minute thriller dominated by terrific special effects but hindered by a lackluster storyline, a worried couple (Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard) tries to protect the dinosaurs and to search for their strong-willed, kidnapped charge with the help of a daredevil pilot (DeWanda Wise) while two doggedly determined, smitten scientists (Sam Neill and Laura Dern) gather locust DNA as damning evidence to take down the madman mogul.

Legend of the Oro Arrowhead (NR) (2) [Available June 7 on various VOD platforms.] Bill Rahns lackluster, low-budget, poorly acted, predictable, 112-minute, 2021 film with a weak plot in which a military-trained ranger (Stephen Thompson), whose sister (Amber Lynn Kennison) becomes a pawn, in a small town in Tennessee uses an ancient map to search for a magical, golden arrowhead, which tribal elders buried along with gold, in the woods after his fathers death while being tracked by a ruthless, power-hungry woman (Robbie Dernehl) and her unsavory scumbag henchmen (E. Dale Johnson, Joey Deese, Ashley Eller, Jasmine Dernehl, Wayne Deloriea, et al.) and then is aided by a combat-skilled Cherokee (Vanessa Ore), who is much older than she appears, and longtime friends (Jeri Little, Quinton Nash, and Luis Carlos Machicao).

The Policeman's Lineage (NR) (2.5) [Subtitled] [Available June 7 on various digital and VOD platforms.] An ethical, greenhorn South Korean detective (Woo-sik Choi), whose father and grandfather were on the force, is assigned to go undercover to investigate a decorated, break-the-rules Metropolitan Investigation Unit leader (Cho Jin-woong) who may be corrupt and involved with unsavory criminals (Kwon Yul, Park Myeong-hoon, et al.) in Kyu-mann Lees convoluted, action-packed, well-paced, clich-driven, plot-hole-filled, violent, 119-minute film adapted from Joh Sasakis Japanese novel Blood of the Policeman.

Rondo and Bob (NR) (3) [Available June 7 on various VOD platforms.] Joe M. ODonnells captivating, award-winning, educational, insightful, 100-minute documentary that examines the obsession that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre art director Robert A. Burns had with B-film, acromegaly-afflicted actor Rondo Hatton, who starred in numerous cult and horror movies during the 1930s and 1940s, and consists of archival photographs, letter excerpts, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre film snippets, and candid commentary by author Alison Macor, cinematographer Daniel Pearl, film critic Joe Bob Briggs, The Austin Chronicle cofounder Louis Black, producers Peter Locke and John Dwyer, Erma Taylor, actors (such as Dee Wallace, William Vail, John Dugan, Edwin Neal, Aldo Ray, Gunnar Hansen, Ryan Williams, Cara Kanak, Chris Bonno, Kelsey Pribilski, Sidney Brammer, and Allen Danziger), filmmakers (such as Fred Olen Ray, Andy Lalino, and Marcus Van Bavel), Hattons widow Mae Hatton, columnists John Kelso and Mark Pace, re-animator director Stuart Gordon, director David Gregory, Bill Helmer, writer Ernest Sharpe, writer and producers Craig Muckler and Edward E. Toutant, journalist Pete Szilagyi, actor and musician Ed Guinn, filmmaker and collector Tom Rainone, magician and comedian Paul Driscoll, veteran stuntman and actor Gary Kent, set decorator Michael Peal, production designer Deborah Pastor, Mary Jo Langford, attorney Robin Dwyer, Jan Lewis, Mary Church, Margaret Roberts, Wayne Thomas, Tom Rainones brother Greg, and Robert Burns brothers Ross and Fred and nephew Bruce.

A Sexplanation (NR) (3) [Available June 7 on Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, and various digital and VOD platforms.] Alex Lius poignant, multi-award-winning, educational, insightful, humor-infused, 76-minute, 2021 documentary in which the gay 36-year-old filmmaker and health reporter crisscrosses the country to talk with educators and researchers regarding sex in all its facets, such as the benefits of orgasm, sex education in schools, openness about sexuality, and shame regarding sex, and consists of candid commentary by adolescent psychologist Lisa Medoff, Kinsey Institute Public Health professor William L. Yarber, psychology professor Barry Komisaruk, psychologist Dr. Jason Winters, British Columbia School of Nursing professor Kristen Gilbert, clinical psychologist Morag Yule, Faculty and Staff Spirituality associate director and Jesuit priest Donal Godfrey, senator Todd Weiler, McCreary Centre Society executive director Annie Smith, clinical psychologist and radio host Laurie Betito, Porn Hub data scientist Mike, Great Conversations cofounder and pediatrician Rob Lehman, Great Conversations founder and RN Julie Metzger, Included youth leader Sofia Garza, Planned Parenthood Association of Utah education director Annabel Sheinberg, and sex educators Joel Burton, Anton Fulmen, and Besha Grey.

The Story Won't Die (NR) (3.5) [Partially subtitled] [Opens June 10 in L.A. and June 17 in New York City in theaters and available June 21 on various VOD platforms.] David Henry Gersons uplifting, timely, inspirational, powerful, thought-provoking, 83-minute, 2021 documentary focuses on talented Syrian artists rapper Abu Hajar, musician Anas Maghrebi, Syrian singers Bahila Hijazi and Lynn Mayya, breakdancer Bboy Shadow, choreographer Medhat Aldaabal, and visual artists (such as Tammam Azzam, Omar Imam, and Diala Brisly) as it explores life in Syria both before and during the Civil War, including the shootings, killings, beatings, and imprisonment, that occurred and follows these artists as they make the difficult decision to leave Syria and their families and to join the millions of their countrymen as refugees while using their poignant artwork and performances to continue their protests and to highlight the ongoing struggles of millions of refugees living in exile as they fight for freedom and justice of all Syrians.

The Walk (NR) (3.5) [Opens June 10 in theaters.] While a compassionate, protective, straight-and-narrow Irish cop (Justin Chatwin) is assigned to protect Black students in Boston in 1974 after Massachusetts passes a controversial law that forces integration in the Boston school system by bussing Black students to all-white high schools and vice versa during citywide protests in Daniel Adams poignant, factually based, award-winning, riveting, thought-provoking, star-studded (Malcolm McDowell, Jeremy Piven, Sally Kirkland, Jim Gleason, Jason Alan Smith, Thomas Francis Murphy, William Mark McCullough, Jay Huguley, Bill Dawes, Maggie Wagner, Jason Alan Smith, Dane Rhodes, Coletrane Williams, Tedrick Martin, and Anastasiya Mitrunen), 105-minute film dominated by terrific acting, his feisty, rebellious, 17-year-old daughter (Katie Douglas) examines her own bigotry and use of racist language and an 18-year-old Black student (Lovie Simone) and her security guard father (Terrence Howard) must deal with pervasive racist attitudes amidst increasing violence.

We Feed People (NR) (3.5) [Available currently via streaming on Disney+.] Ron Howards award-winning, compelling, inspirational, educational, enlightening, 90-minute documentary that follows magnanimous, heroic, compassionate, world renown chef Jos Andrs who founded his World Central Kitchen (WCK) in 2010 after the devastating earthquake in Haiti with the goal of feeding survivors of disasters, including hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017, eruption of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala in 2018, hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas in 2019, quarantined cruise ships during the pandemic in 2020, and the war in Ukraine in 2022, and tirelessly and selfishly works with his team and locals to provide much-needed meals and consists of commentary by author and journalist Richard Wolfe, wife Patricia Fernandez de la Cruz, Washington Post food writer Carole Sugarman, WCK CEO Nate Mook, culinary consultant and gourmand Maisie Wilhelm, WCK Relief Operations (such as Sam Bloch, Jason Collis, and Josh Phelps), DC Central Kitchen founder Robert Egger, WCK volunteers (such as Elsa Corrigan, Kenneth Roker, and Shirley Dorsett), WCK contractor Kyle Pounders, COVID-19 emergency response team member Grace Ramirez, Navajo Ollie Arviso, and Jos daughters Carlota, Lucia, and Ins Andrs.

The Wild One (NR) (3) [Plays June 6/8-19 at the Tribeca Film Festival; for tickets, log on tohttps://tribecafilm.com/films/wild-one-2022.] Willem Dafoe narrates Tessa Louise-Saloms compelling, powerful, insightful, thought-provoking, 94-minute documentary that chronicles tumultuous, fascinating life and career of Czechoslovakia-born director and Actors Studio West cofounder Jack Garfein who survived Nazi concentration camps to arrive in New York City in 1946 at age16 and eventually used his traumatic life experiences in his influential work on Broadway and in films such as The Strange One (1957) and Something Wild (1961) to cover controversial topics, including homosexuality, rape, racism, violence, sexual expression, and segregation, and consists of archival photographs and film clips and commentary by director and actor Peter Bogdanovich, writer Foster Hirsch, film critic Kate Rennebohm, agent/publicist Dick Guttman, journalist Patricia Bosworth, wife Natalia Repolovsky, and actors Geoffrey Horne, Irne Jacob, Willem Dafoe, Blanche Bake, and Bobby Soto.

Wolf Hound (R) (2.5) [Violence.] [Opens June 3 in theaters and available on various VOD platforms.] When courageous Jewish-American fighter pilot Captain David Holden (James Maslow) is shot down over German-occupied France by a revengeful, fanatical, major Nazi pilot (Trevor Donovan), whose wingman brother (Ronald Woodhead) died in aerial combat, flying Trojan Hurricane and Spitfire planes in 1944 in Michael B. Chaits compelling, factually inspired, tension-filled, action-packed, fast-paced, bullet-riddled, 130-minute thriller, he tries to save a B-17 flight crew (Taylor Novak, Michael Parrish, Brian Heintz, Mason Heidger, Franco Pulice, and David Fink), two American privates (Lance Newton and Daniel Jeffries), and a French resistance fighter (Kara Joy Reed) taken prisoners by Nazi soldiers (Michael Wayne Foster, John Turk, et al.) and then stop the Germans from unleashing a superbomb over London during WWII.

1-800-Hot-Nite (NR) (3) After his irresponsible parents (Dajuan Johnson and Nicole Steinwedell) are arrested during a drug raid and a well-meaning social worker (Kimleigh Smith) from Child Protection Services intervenes in Nick Richeys critically acclaimed, down-to-earth, coming-of-age, well-acted, 95-minute comedic drama, a rebellious, headstrong, 13-year-old boy (Dallas Young) is forced to grow up fast when he runs away into the night with a friend (Gerrison Machado) and a cousin (Mylen Bradford) while being pursued by a cop (Brent Bailey) and getting unlikely advice from a phone sex operator (Ali Richey).

COVID-19 Ground Zero (NR) (3) Mustafa Ozguns award-winning, factually inspired, heartbreaking, realistic, unsettling, predictable, 90-minute, 2021 film in which the close relationship between a stubborn hospital nurse (Laura Weissbecker) and her supportive, unemployed Broadway technician boyfriend (Cyril Durel) in New York City becomes increasingly strained during March to May 2020 after she contracts the coronavirus and refuses to go to the hospital for treatment amidst Black Lives Matter protests who a photographer friend (Brandon Sutton) is documenting.

The Critic (NR) (3) When a charismatic, playful, mysterious, handsome, resident golf pro (Nick Puya) coerces a beautiful, no-nonsense mystery shopper (Julia Collier) who is busy critiquing the amenities and service at a large, luxury hotel to spend time with him and have dinner in Frank Kellys enjoyable, surprising, well-written, unpredictable, 24-minute romantic film, the date does not end as expected and eventually steers her life in a different direction.

El Carrito (NR) (3.5) [Subtitled] Zahida Piranis powerful, bittersweet, well-acted, thought-provoking, realistic, 15-minute, 2021 film in which a hardworking, illegal immigrant street vendor (Eli Zavala), who cares for her aging father (Jose Febus), competes with other vendors (Idalia Limnas, et al.) as she sells her Mexican cuisine from dawn to dusk in Queens, New York, and when she decides to use all her savings to buy a new cart, she is traumatized after it is stolen and is desperate to get it back.

Eternal Spring (NR) (3.5) [Subtitled] Jason Loftus award-winning, factually inspired, creative, original, gritty, educational, thought-provoking, 86-minute documentary that combines awesome animation with live-action footage in which talented Chinese comic book illustrator Daxiong, who is a member of the outlawed spiritual Falun Gong group, uses his artistic talents and artwork to create an animated documentary that details the planning and execution of the hacking and gut-wrenching aftermath after the brazen hijacking of state-controlled television on March 5, 2002, in Changchun City by brave, doggedly determined Falun Gong practitioners, including Liang Zhensing, Zhang Wen, Liu Big Truck Chunjen, Auntie Zhou, Lei Ming, Xio Lam, Sister Chen, and Jin Mr. White Xuezhe, who wanted to expose state-favored propaganda and religious persecution, repression, and treatment of Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and Christians and ended up paying a terrible price in prison.

Hotter Up Close (NR) (3) When a nervous, lonely, kindhearted, gay waiter (Aguila Christopher Matias) with low self-confidence, who recently broke up with his boyfriend (John David Williams), is invited to a pool party by a hunky, hot guy (Francisco San Martin) who he is smitten with on his 30th birthday in Leland Montgomerys engaging, award-winning, funny, predictable, 16-minute comedy, his friend (Liz Jenkins) convinces him to go and he is surprised to discover that there is a mutual attraction.

Iron Family (NR) (3) Patrick Longstreths captivating, insightful, inspiring, down-to-earth, 90-minute documentary that focuses on the close relationship that talented, creative, 32-year-old playwright Jazmine Faries, who has Down syndrome and loves soap operas, Matthew McConaughey, John Travolta, and Barbie dolls, has with her 48-year-old, yoga-loving, ex-addict brother Chad and her pot-growing mother Kate Faries German, her struggles and dreams to live an independent life and to find love, and working with her brother and family to produce, to rehearse, and to perform in her plays, such as The Double Life, in Iron River, Mich., and it consists of commentary by pastor Dawn, high school friend Robert Ruuska, playwright and poet Jonathan Johnson, addiction counselor Carroll Ann Swanson, mom's former boyfriend Greg Banks, tattoo artist Holly Harvey, artist Amy Brzoznowski, and Faith Peterson.

Lodo (NR) (3) After a grieving 10-year-old boy (Jayden Enamorado), who lives with kindhearted grandmother (Laura Patalano) upon the death of his mother (Marita De La Torre), falls into some mud while retrieving a soccer ball on sacred ground with his friend (Adam Cortez) in a cemetery in Alessandro Gentiles poignant, factually inspired, touching, well-acted, moving, 20-minute Mud film, he goes into a spiritual world through a dream-like state and ends up being visited by his mother who ensures her son that she is always with him, and his grandmother then perform a ritual by using native medicine to remove any negative energy in the home.

The Long Rider (NR) (3) Awesome cinematography and scenery dominate Sean Cisternas compelling, award-winning, inspirational, 96-minute documentary that chronicles the arduous, 8,000-mi, 2-year journey of wannabe journalist Filipe Masetti Leite, who was inspired by Aim Tschiffelys 8-year, 25,000-km equestrian journey in 1925, as he encounters horrific weather and dangerous drug traffickers in his attempt to ride on horseback from Calgary, Canada, to his familys home in Brazil with commentary by the Long Riders Guild founder and The Encyclopedia of Equestrian Travel author Cuchullaine OReilly, Filipe's parents Iso and Claudia Leite, girlfriend Emma Brazier, long rider Stan Walchuk, and Peter Lisker father of deceased long rider Naomi Lisker.

My Friend Tommy (NR) (2.5) Nem Stankovics quirky, silly, heartwarming, candid, funny, 89-minute documentary in which the former basketball player turned comedian filmmaker takes his virginal, well-educated, 40-year-old friend, who still lives at home in Toronto with his strict Korean parents Grace and Richard, under his wing on a cross-country journey traveling to New York, Miami, the California Redwoods, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas with the goal of helping his best buddy get out of his comfort zone and experience lot of firsts, including watching pornography, going on first a date, cooking his first dinner, going to a strip club, and doing laundry, with the goal of being in a fulfilling relationship.

Rewilding (NR) (3) Jesse Spiegels honest, fascinating, down-to-earth, inspirational, 78-minute documentary highlighted by stunning cinematography and scenery in which aspiring artist and poet and former Rikers Island 27-year-old convict Anthony DeJesus participates in an experimental program and travels with rock climbers and wilderness guides Jesse Spiegel and Vitek Linhart over seven weeks to Colorados Indian Peaks Wilderness, Californias Wide Willow Farm and Soul Flower Farm, Redwood National Park, Wyomings Grand Teton National Park, and Las Vegas to determine whether immersing other former inmates in nature would be beneficial and consists of commentary by artist and adventurer Jeremy Collins, permaculture farmer Eric Olsen, foster mother Ms. Moore, sister Magaly DeJesus, Friends of Island Academy executive director Christine Pahigian, Friends of Island Academy youth advocacy director Andrs Obasogie, and Soul Flower Farm co-owner and instructor Yasir Cross.

Wendy Schadewald is a Burnsville resident.

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Short Redhead Reel Reviews for the week of June 10 - ECM Publishers

HARTFORD Nearly six years after the hotly contested 2016 elections, Connecticut conservatives are highly concerned about the upcoming hiring of a new misinformation officer to monitor the internet and combat foreign and domestic interference in this falls elections.

The specialist, a state employee who will be paid $150,000 per year, will monitor social media for false information that often starts on obscure, lesser-known websites like 4-chan, 8-chan, and Reddit, but then gains a much wider audience after appearing on sites such as Twitter, Instagram, Tik-Tok and Facebook.

Republicans have blasted the Democratic idea, generating attention on talk radio and Newsmax, a national television outlet that is often described as more conservative than FOX News.

Greenwich fundraiser Leora Levy, a conservative who is running in the Aug. 9 primary for U.S. Senate, was the first prominent candidate to recently blast the idea, landing her an interview with anchor Greg Kelly on Newsmax.

People should have the right and the ability to come to their own conclusions, based on the legitimate news that they read from legitimate news sources not from the government, Levy said on Newsmax. To me, as someone who escaped Cuba and escaped communism, I feel I am living through an Orwellian or Ayn Rand Atlas Shrugged experience.

Levy was referring to the 1957 novel by Rand that argued that citizens need to remain independent minded in order for society to function properly and avoid coercion by the government.

Joe Biden, Ned Lamont and Democrats have one mission here: silencing any dissenters under the guise of combating misinformation, said state Republican chairman Ben Proto. Their hyper-partisan plan is designed to further infringe on voters First Amendment rights and is an attempt to control the political discussion, silencing those who disagree with them. Who determines what is misinformation and how exactly will they silence the speaker? Who will determine who will be hired? Will this be an open application process or has a local Democrat in need of a job already been chosen?

But Gabe Rosenberg, a spokesman for Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, countered that the new employee will be hired after the new fiscal year starts in July for a nonpartisan, civil service position that will be chosen by a four-member panel and would not be a hand-picked Democratic appointee as argued by Republicans.

The employees duties will be narrowly limited to election administration issues, and the state will not become an arbiter in determining which candidate is lying on a particular issue, Rosenberg said. The employee will be looking for false information on subjects like polling sites and times, rather than political policy issues, he said.

The idea that you could call this a partisan hack is ridiculous, Rosenberg said in an interview. Its a civil service position that has to follow all the rules of hiring that any other state employee-civil service position has to follow. Despite people making very cute turns of phrase about the meme content and such, its only related to election administration and finding and correcting inaccurate information about how voters can participate in the election.

The plan to hire the misinformation officer has largely flown under the political radar screen. It was mentioned in Lamonts budget summary in February and included in the secretary of the states budget. The states fiscal plan was subjected to public hearings and committee deliberations for nearly three months, along with debates and votes by the state House of Representatives and Senate. Still, it gained scant attention until recently.

House Republican leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford said he did not receive any comfort that the position will be in the civil service system, saying it belongs in nonpartisan offices like the State Elections Enforcement Commission or the state ethics office. The secretary of states office is an elected, political office that has been led by Democrats for 58 of the past 62 years.

It shouldnt lie in a partisan office, Candelora said in an interview.

House Republican leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford is concerned that a permanent misinformation officer is not being placed in a nonpartisan office like the State Elections Enforcement Commission. Here, he speaks with Rep. Tammy Nuccio of Tolland in the historic Hall of the House at the state Capitol. (Jessica Hill / Special to the Courant)

With little fanfare, the state had already hired a similar officer at $90 per hour for the 2020 election on a short-term, contract basis with federal funds. The new position will be permanent and funded by the state, along with $2 million for a public information campaign that will reach voters statewide on multiple media platforms on absentee voting and other election issues.

In 2020, the officer caught several examples of misinformation, and social media companies removed them.

First, there was a tweet that said a truck delivering Connecticut ballots had dumped the ballots on Interstate 95 and that the ballots were blowing around nearby.

Thats not how the ballots are delivered, first of all, Rosenberg said. Each town orders them individually. Thats not even a possible thing that could have happened, but also, it didnt happen. ... Twitters terms of service have always said you cannot lie about election administration.

Second, someone posted on Facebook that they had received an absentee ballot for a deceased relative.

The problem was that the absentee ballots didnt exist yet because they hadnt been printed, Rosenberg said. We knew that that was not right. Its impossible for that to happen before the absentee ballots were printed, so we reported that to Facebook, and it came down before it could be shared widely.

Third, an online rumor said that any election ballots filled out with Sharpies would not count. That was false.

Sharpies work fine in Connecticuts tabulators, Rosenberg said. Literally the only pen that wont work is a red pen because the laser is red. Anything else would work as long as its filled in enough. We were able to get out in front of a major conspiracy theory that came up on election day, and we were able to get correct information out to Connecticut voters before that even started to spread in Connecticut.

University of New Haven political science professor Chris Haynes said the sheer size of the internet and the multiple websites will make it difficult for only one state employee to scan, identify, research and assess the accuracy of any claims in a timely fashion as the election quickly approaches.

Facebook devotes many, many workers to these types of efforts, Haynes said in an interview. Im all for it, but I just question whether one person can do this job in an effective way. ... Theyre going to have to be the watchdog, the detective. This person is playing multiple roles just on one piece of misinformation. If they caught three of 35 false claims, does that make it better? But which three claims did they choose to focus on?

I dont blame states like Connecticut for doing this because the aim is noble, Haynes added. I wouldnt want to have this job, and that person would just get criticized in all types of ways. ... On a national level, you need probably hundreds of people to do this. Its a huge team. ... Theres no silver bullet here.

Nationally, states like Colorado and California have adopted similar positions under the secretary of the state, which is often the chief elections official. In addition, Arizona, Idaho, and Oregon are conducting advertising campaigns on television, radio, and the internet in the same way that Connecticut is planning with the $2 million allocation.

The job description says the specialist will identify dis- and misinformation related to Connecticut election administration in real time, monitoring the dark web, internet subculture websites such as 4- and 8-chan and reddit, as well as traditional social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tik-Tok, etc., and reporting dis- and misinformation related to Connecticut election administration, before it spreads."

Merrill, the states chief elections official, said earlier this year that the misinformation officer was successful two years ago and will be again this year.

The 2020 election, and its aftermath, have been marred by multiple election administration conspiracy theories, driven by misinformation, that are rapidly eroding Americans trust in our elections," Merrill said. This position will be key in stopping the spread of election administration misinformation before it can do lasting damage in Connecticut."

Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com.

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Connecticut conservatives are wary about a misinformation officer overseeing 2022 election - Hartford Courant

This is a version of an article published in the Out of Frame Weekly, an email newsletter about the intersection of art, culture, and ideas. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday.

Imagine waking up one day unable to access your bank account because of your political beliefs. Imagine faking your facial expression whenever people were around to avoid committing "facecrime." Imagine if the economy ground to a halt like a train that ran out of fuel. Does it sound far off?

It may sound like paranoid hyperbole to say we are living in a dystopia. But the core of valuable dystopian fiction is exploring what elements of our society have effects that would, if taken to the extreme, destroy our freedom and go against human dignity.

My Out of Frame colleagues have analyzed the meaning and relevance of a variety of dystopian fiction: Demolition Man, The Hunger Games, Arcane, The Matrix, The Handmaid's Tale, Brave New World, V for Vendetta. But what dystopia is most relevant right now? Here are three contenders (excluding examples that bear similarity purely due to the presence of a pandemic).

The sci-fi anthology series is packed with ideas that are as intriguing as they are nightmarish. But the episode "Nosedive" from 2016 stands out as relevant to our current world.

Darkly comedic rather than terrifying, as most Black Mirror episodes are, "Nosedive" follows Lacie (Bryce Dallas Howard), who lives in a society where everyone rates each other using an app after every interaction. Characters can see each other's aggregate rating, on a scale from one to five stars, through augmented-reality eye implants. If your score drops too low, your access to housing, transportation, healthcare, and work is restricted. Naturally, authentic human interaction has been blotted out in favor of cloying for social status. In the episode's opening shot, Lacie is literally practicing her fake smile and laugh in front of her bathroom mirror.

"Nosedive" is a pretty obvious metaphor for how humans vie for reputation, and how social media has made it even more competitive. You can draw parallels that range from Uber ratings to the People's Republic of China's social credit system.

Although the episode doesn't explore how a culture of conformity relates to political expression, it rings true regarding cancel culture and how people self-censor their opinions to avoid social backlash. Sixty-two percent of Americans have opinions they're not willing to share (77% among conservatives). This trend was evident when "Nosedive" was produced, but it has only gotten worse since then.

The episode's vision that people would be denied access to services based on socially disapproved actions also feels eerily prescient. Recently, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau froze the bank accounts of people involved in the Canadian trucker protest and cracked down on donations to the demonstrators. It's not hard to see how, as technology comes to integrate more aspects of our lives, the opportunity will arise for state and corporate authorities to monitor our actions and try to mold them.

Yes, I know as well as anyone that George Orwell's most famous work is the most over-referenced novel when it comes to authoritarianism. But the fact that some people beat a dead horse should not preclude me from drawing legitimate comparisons to the book, especially when going beyond its most commonly cited themes: censorship, propaganda, surveillance, and torture.

What makes Nineteen Eighty-Four great is how concretely it describes the psychological effects of living in an authoritarian society. Like in "Nosedive," this involves social conformity, only the consequences are much more severe. Citizens of the authoritarian nation of Oceania report their friends and neighbors, even their family, to the police for the smallest infractions. Characters keep their facial expressions under control at all times for fear of committing "facecrime" by revealing discontentment with the system, whether to the comrades or to the omnipresent telescreens.

Politics dominates life in Nineteen Eighty-Four, from daily "Two Minutes Hate" rallies to Big Brother posters on every corner:

"In principle a Party member had no spare time, and was never alone except in bed. It was assumed that when he was not working, eating, or sleeping he would be taking part in some kind of communal recreation: to do anything that suggested a taste for solitude, even to go for a walk by yourself, was always slightly dangerous. There was a word for it in Newspeak: OWNLIFE, it was called, meaning individualism and eccentricity.

The paranoia of this reality both fills the protagonist with hate and makes him yearn for "ownlife," for an escape from all-consuming political dogma.

Though America of 2022 bears little resemblance to the Oceania of 1984, this desire is relatable. With political messages filling entertainment, sports, advertising, and the workplace, more aspects of life are becoming "culture-war" battlefields. Along with the animosity engendered by rising polarization, about two-thirds of Americans feel worn out by the degree to which they are required to pay attention to political and social issues.

Whether or not you're a fan of Ayn Rand's influential novel or her philosophy as a whole, Atlas Shrugged offers a lot to think about, particularly regarding America's struggling economy.

Over the course of the book, the government issues regulations to solve economic problems (and to satisfy special interests), but these actions only worsen the situation by discouraging competition and productivity. The government takes more and more authoritarian measures, including freezing wages and banning people from leaving their jobs. But it only digs the nation deeper into the recession, as it ignores the incentives that keep the economy running and causes entrepreneurs to get fed up.

Rand grew up in the Soviet Union and lived through the Great Depression in the US, and its clear these experiences influenced Atlas Shrugged. But the plot is also reminiscent of the most recent recession. For example, the current supply-chain crisis was in part caused by the labor shortage, which was caused by enhanced unemployment benefits, which were intended to remedy workers laid off when the government ordered businesses to shut down to stop the pandemic. In reaction to the supply-chain jam, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach issued fines to try to force carriers to get their cargo moving.

Each action only creates the cause for further actions, and the result is the same as in Atlas Shrugged: fewer goods on shelves and an overall reduction in quality of life.

It's easy to succumb to catastrophic thinking when comparing current events to fictional dystopias. But the entire purpose of the genre is to point out how our society is evolving in destructive ways. Quoting Orwell:

"It has been suggested by some of the reviewers of Nineteen Eighty-Four that it is the authors view that this, or something like this, is what will happen inside the next forty years in the Western world. This is not correct. I think that, allowing for the book being after all a parody, something like Nineteen Eighty-Four could happen. This is the direction in which the world is going at the present time, and the trend lies deep in the political, social and economic foundations of the contemporary world situation. [...] The moral to be drawn from this dangerous nightmare situation is a simple one: Dont let it happen. It depends on you."

See the rest here:

Which Dystopian Story Does 2022 Resemble the Most? - Foundation for Economic Education