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Life and Debt is a 2001 documentary film directed by Stephanie Black. It examines the economic and social situation in Jamaica, and specifically the impact thereon of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank's globalization policies. Its starting point is the award-winning non-fiction text A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid. Kathleen C. Fennessy's review of the documentary states "Set to a beguiling reggae beat, Life and Debt takes as its subject Jamaica's economic decline in the 20th century. The story has reverberations in the plight of other third-world nations blindsided by globalization, like Ghana and Haiti. After England granted Jamaica independence in 1962, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) stepped in with a series of loans. These loans were conditional on Jamaica enacting positive economic reforms - trade liberalization to give consumers access to cheaper products, privatization to ease the burden of government, and deregulation to give Jamaican entrepreneurs more economic freedom. However, the Jamaican government was unsuccessful with these reforms and left the country with an unreformed economy and $7 billion dollars in debt. The film blames the IMF and the West for causing this situation.
More on [ Life and Debt ]
Movies Reviews
Review for Tropic Thunder - Must Go! - One of the few truly adult comedies
This movie is not for the immature - rather it is, but that is not who will truly enjoy this movie. In much the same way we young republicans enjoyed being lampooned by Alex Keaton in the 80's - immature minds will enjoy being pandered to in this movie. This is not its strengths though, it is what got this movie to the big screen. The writing is strong and so is the acting. This is the first Ben Stiller film I did not cringe at while watching. The movie is not light and each character has an important part to play in this movie - something that screenwriters forgot years ago. If you enjoy comedies and are not an overly sensitive person, you should see this movie.
Review for The Dark Knight: The IMAX Experience - Go - The Dark Knight Review
This movie was an extremely contextual story about the Joker versus the Batman in a theme consisting of corruption versus justice. (Batman-justice, Joker-corruption) Heath Ledger did an unprecedented performance as the Joker and is well-deserving of a P. Oscar award. Christian Bale also did very well. But personally, it was the joker who ran the whole show, Batman simply reacted to save the citizens of Gotham City. Two Face's face (Harvey Dent) was amazingly displayed with state-of-the-art technology in CG, as were most of the blow-up and/or catastrophic scenes (the upside down truck, the Bat Mobile, Batman's car and much more.) All in all, this is a must-see classic and if you have not caught it or heard of it yet, you are missing out on the latest concouction of the evergreen episode of Batman, the Dark Knight. Be there or be square!
Review for The Dark Knight - Go - Weak script but masterfully acted, shot, and edited
As an indie filmmaker I was entranced by the shooting, effects, and overall cinematography. For this alone, I would have given a go rating. The acting was excellent though not of academy nominee strength as some have suggested. As a screenwriter, I am horrified at the huge plot holes throughout the movie. I cannot believe this script got approval to be made. The joker is essentially an omniscient omnipresent god who sometimes decides to use his powers and sometimes not. He kills his henchman and never rewards them yet has an endless supply of devoted followers. He can even show up at the police station and poison a glass of the police chief without raising any alarms. The addition of Two-face in this movie is little more than a red herring to distract us from the exceptionally weak writing. In summary, if you're a person who just enjoys great spectacle, this is a must go. If you think about the movies and like a plot, so-so.
L.A. Times - Movie Reviews
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Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Vin Diesel stars in the sci-fi adventure that has a violent and confusing plot that's all too familiar. The gritty world-weariness that informs the first 10 minutes of the new sci-fi adventure "Babylon A.D." promises something along the lines of the daring, socially inquisitive "Children of Men," with the bonus of Vin Diesel killing people. Unfortunately, the film quickly degenerates into chases and gunfights and not much else.
'Disaster Movie'
Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The film references fly by but the comedy doesn't get off the ground. The purported fun in "Disaster Movie" is in the relentless mashing up of pop-culture references: In the first few minutes, the film gropes dazedly for "Armageddon," "10,000 B.C.," "American Gladiators," "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and Amy Winehouse. Does it slow down from there? No, no, no.
'College'
Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The film is heavy on raunch and light on actual comedy or originality. Take equal parts "Superbad," "Animal House" and "Risky Business"; extract the wit, charm and originality; mix in as much beer, human excrement and upchuck as logistically possible; sprinkle liberally with nudity, homophobia and sexism; and you'll have the recipe for "College," a tedious, by-the-numbers raunch-fest that exists strictly because it can.
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Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:51:48 -0700
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Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:46:18 -0700
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Rotten Tomatoes: Top Movies
84% Tropic Thunder
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With biting satire, plenty of subversive humor, and an unforgettable turn by Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder is a triumphant late Summer comedy.
4% Babylon A.D.
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Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:19:00 -0400
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Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:49:00 -0400
Voiceover artist Don LaFontaine died this week at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from complications of an ongoing illness. He was 68. LaFontaine was the voice behind thousands of movie trailers. In 2006, he parodied himself in a Geico commercial.
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Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:13:00 -0400
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A top executive of the movie academy described one of the producing team behind the best-picture winner, "Crash," as throwing a tantrum in suing over credit for the film.
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Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The 39 Steps, revived this week in a new print at the BAMCinématek, was the most successful and remains the most celebrated of Alfred Hitchcock's British movies—twice remade and currently staged on Broadway. It is also the movie with which Hitchcock became Hitchcock. T...
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Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Anarchically whimsical and countercultural with a capital C, the early underground comedies of Robert Downey Sr. (Putney Swope) will no longer be rarities now that Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation has restored his Babo 73 (1964), Chafed Elbows (1966), and the most uproarious of...
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Is there a crisis among America's film independents? Are indolence, indifference, and commercial stagnation sucking the lifeblood out of U.S. movies? Chris Smith may have the solution: Leave the country entirely. Cast non- actors. Let them speak Hindi. You can call it cinematic outsourcin...
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Don LaFontaine, voice of the Hollywood film trailer, dies
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:52:08 -0000
Listen to the voice of Don LaFontaine
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Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0000
RocknRolla
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0000
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Review for Tropic Thunder - Must Go! - One of the few truly adult comedies
This movie is not for the immature - rather it is, but that is not who will truly enjoy this movie. In much the same way we young republicans enjoyed being lampooned by Alex Keaton in the 80's - immature minds will enjoy being pandered to in this movie. This is not its strengths though, it is what got this movie to the big screen. The writing is strong and so is the acting. This is the first Ben Stiller film I did not cringe at while watching. The movie is not light and each character has an important part to play in this movie - something that screenwriters forgot years ago. If you enjoy comedies and are not an overly sensitive person, you should see this movie.
Review for The Dark Knight: The IMAX Experience - Go - The Dark Knight Review
This movie was an extremely contextual story about the Joker versus the Batman in a theme consisting of corruption versus justice. (Batman-justice, Joker-corruption) Heath Ledger did an unprecedented performance as the Joker and is well-deserving of a P. Oscar award. Christian Bale also did very well. But personally, it was the joker who ran the whole show, Batman simply reacted to save the citizens of Gotham City. Two Face's face (Harvey Dent) was amazingly displayed with state-of-the-art technology in CG, as were most of the blow-up and/or catastrophic scenes (the upside down truck, the Bat Mobile, Batman's car and much more.) All in all, this is a must-see classic and if you have not caught it or heard of it yet, you are missing out on the latest concouction of the evergreen episode of Batman, the Dark Knight. Be there or be square!
Review for The Dark Knight - Go - Weak script but masterfully acted, shot, and edited
As an indie filmmaker I was entranced by the shooting, effects, and overall cinematography. For this alone, I would have given a go rating. The acting was excellent though not of academy nominee strength as some have suggested. As a screenwriter, I am horrified at the huge plot holes throughout the movie. I cannot believe this script got approval to be made. The joker is essentially an omniscient omnipresent god who sometimes decides to use his powers and sometimes not. He kills his henchman and never rewards them yet has an endless supply of devoted followers. He can even show up at the police station and poison a glass of the police chief without raising any alarms. The addition of Two-face in this movie is little more than a red herring to distract us from the exceptionally weak writing. In summary, if you're a person who just enjoys great spectacle, this is a must go. If you think about the movies and like a plot, so-so.
L.A. Times - Movie Reviews
MOVIE REVIEW: 'Babylon A.D.'
Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Vin Diesel stars in the sci-fi adventure that has a violent and confusing plot that's all too familiar. The gritty world-weariness that informs the first 10 minutes of the new sci-fi adventure "Babylon A.D." promises something along the lines of the daring, socially inquisitive "Children of Men," with the bonus of Vin Diesel killing people. Unfortunately, the film quickly degenerates into chases and gunfights and not much else.
'Disaster Movie'
Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The film references fly by but the comedy doesn't get off the ground. The purported fun in "Disaster Movie" is in the relentless mashing up of pop-culture references: In the first few minutes, the film gropes dazedly for "Armageddon," "10,000 B.C.," "American Gladiators," "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and Amy Winehouse. Does it slow down from there? No, no, no.
'College'
Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The film is heavy on raunch and light on actual comedy or originality. Take equal parts "Superbad," "Animal House" and "Risky Business"; extract the wit, charm and originality; mix in as much beer, human excrement and upchuck as logistically possible; sprinkle liberally with nudity, homophobia and sexism; and you'll have the recipe for "College," a tedious, by-the-numbers raunch-fest that exists strictly because it can.
Movies
Traitor
David Denby Mon, 01 Sep 2008 04:00:00 -0000
The Film File
The House Bunny
Richard Brody Mon, 01 Sep 2008 04:00:00 -0000
The Film File
I Served the King of England
David Denby Mon, 01 Sep 2008 04:00:00 -0000
The Film File
Rolling Stone Movie Reviews
Trouble the Water
Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:31:14 -0700
Starring: Kendall "Wink" Rivers, Scott Roberts Review: A star is born. Her name is Kimberly Rivers Roberts. Your never heard of her. Not yet. Roberts didn't write or direct Trouble the Water, the behind-the-camera artistry in this wallop of a movie is handled by the extraordinary team of Tia Lessin and Carl Deal. Trouble the Water is a documentary, an unforgettable one. It's an account of Hurricane Katrina from the inside. Kimberly Rivers Roberts and her husband Scott Roberts were stuck in New Orleans, without the money to get out. So they stayed and helped their neighbors and shot footage of Katrina as she attacked, footage like you've never seen, jaw-dropping scenes of the city before, during and after Katrina struck. The heroism on view here is indisputable. You never see fear as Kimberly, 26, rushed to help her friends and... Rating: 3.5 Stars
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:51:48 -0700
Starring: Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Scarlet Johansson Review: Woody Allen goes latin (you heard me), and the romantic, richly comic result — powered by a dream cast — is his sexiest movie ever. Shooting in Spain has loosened up the Woodman. You want plot? Two American girls, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson), spend the summer at the Barcelona hideaway of Vicky's pals, Mark (Kevin Dunn) and Judy (the ever-glorious Patricia Clarkson). No sooner do the girls spot Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), a bedroom-eyed painter, than he's hitting on both of them. So far, so predictable. What sparks the movie is Penélope Cruz as Maria Elena, the painter's ex-wife, a fireball given to strong emotions — hell, she once stabbed Juan Antonio during an argument. You haven't lived till you've heard Cruz and Bardem trading Woody Allen o... Rating: 3 Stars
Hamlet 2
Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:46:18 -0700
Starring: Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener Review: Don't expect a night with The Bard. This cuckoo farce asks: Can an L.A. actor stuck doing ads for herpes cures find happiness by moving to Tucson and teaching drama to high schoolers? Probably not. But you'll be wearing a happy face for two hours watching the brilliant Brit comic Steve Coogan play him. Him being Dana Marschz (pronounced Mars-chhh-zzz by those who dare), a sterile recovering alcoholic who gets slagged regularly by a snotty kid critic for staging movies (Dead Poets Society, Erin Brockovich) as plays. "He fisted us," cries Dana. Pumped by the addition of Latin students to his class of whitey Christians and closeted gays, Dana rouses himself — not with his wife (the dry, dazzling Catherine Keener), who's boinking their friend (David Arquette), but by creating an original... Rating: 3 Stars
Rotten Tomatoes: Top Movies
84% Tropic Thunder
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:05:02 -0700
With biting satire, plenty of subversive humor, and an unforgettable turn by Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder is a triumphant late Summer comedy.
4% Babylon A.D.
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:05:02 -0700
A poorly constructed, derivative sci-fi stinker with a weak script and poor action sequences.
94% The Dark Knight
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:05:02 -0700
Dark, complex and unforgettable, The Dark Knight succeeds not just as an entertaining comic book film, but as a richly thrilling crime saga.
NPR Topics: Movies
'Cuckoo's Nest' Hospital Being Replaced
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:19:00 -0400
Oregon is replacing the infamous mental hospital portrayed in the Academy Award-winning film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest with a new facility. Dr. Marvin D. Fickle, former superintendent of the Oregon State Hospital, calls it a "fairly gloomy kind of place."
King Of Voiceovers Don LaFontaine Dies
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:49:00 -0400
Voiceover artist Don LaFontaine died this week at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from complications of an ongoing illness. He was 68. LaFontaine was the voice behind thousands of movie trailers. In 2006, he parodied himself in a Geico commercial.
Don LaFontaine, Voice Of Movie Trailers, Dies
Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:13:00 -0400
Don LaFontaine, the man who popularized the catch phrase "In a world where..." and lent his voice to thousands of movie trailers, has died. He was 68. His agent said LaFontaine died Monday in Los Angeles from complications in the treatment of an ongoing illness.
NYT > Red Carpet
The Lawsuit Over Producer Credit for 'Crash' Gets Personal
SHARON WAXMAN Thu, 09 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0400
A top executive of the movie academy described one of the producing team behind the best-picture winner, "Crash," as throwing a tantrum in suing over credit for the film.
News Analysis: Los Angeles Retains Custody of Oscar
DAVID CARR Tue, 07 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0400
Los Angeles, a place where race is discussed rarely, saw itself in "Crash," a film where encounter and understanding are just a random fender-bender away.
'Crash' Walks Away With the Top Prize at the Oscars
DAVID M. HALBFINGER and DAVID CARR Mon, 06 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0400
In a stunning twist, the motion picture academy turned its back on "Brokeback Mountain," awarding the Oscar for best picture to "Crash."
Village Voice | Films
The 39 Steps and Shoot the Piano Player Blow Up Conventions of the Comic Thriller
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The 39 Steps, revived this week in a new print at the BAMCinématek, was the most successful and remains the most celebrated of Alfred Hitchcock's British movies—twice remade and currently staged on Broadway. It is also the movie with which Hitchcock became Hitchcock. T...
Anthology Film Archives Revives the Public Mischief of Robert Downey Sr.
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Anarchically whimsical and countercultural with a capital C, the early underground comedies of Robert Downey Sr. (Putney Swope) will no longer be rarities now that Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation has restored his Babo 73 (1964), Chafed Elbows (1966), and the most uproarious of...
The Pool's Cinematic Outsourcing
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Is there a crisis among America's film independents? Are indolence, indifference, and commercial stagnation sucking the lifeblood out of U.S. movies? Chris Smith may have the solution: Leave the country entirely. Cast non- actors. Let them speak Hindi. You can call it cinematic outsourcin...
Film News from Times Online
Don LaFontaine, voice of the Hollywood film trailer, dies
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:52:08 -0000
Listen to the voice of Don LaFontaine
The Duchess
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0000
RocknRolla
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0000
Hollywood.com: Life and Debt - Provides synopsis, cast, crew, multimedia and news.
Meta Description: [ Life and Debt - showtimes, review, ratings, synopsis, plot summary, trailer, premiere, interviews, photos, cast and crew, locations, distributors, director, producer, news ]
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Life and Debt - Official site includes detailed description of the film's content, credits and details of screenings.
Nitrate Online: Life and Debt - An interview with the filmmaker Stephanie Black's about her documentary, talking about her opinions on globalization and stylistic elements of the film.
Meta Description: [ Life and Debt - Stephanie Black's new documentary, Life and Debt, explores the economic and political fallout of globalization in Jamaica. ]
Rotten Tomatoes: Life and Debt - Links to reviews, synopsis, cast and crew information, and forum.
Meta Description: [ LIFE AND DEBT reviews from the nation's top critics and audiences. Also includes movie info, trailer, poster, photos, news, articles, and forum. Also known as Life + Debt. ]
| winning non-fiction text "A Small Place" by Jamaica Kincaid, Life & Debt is a woven tapestry of sequences focusing on the ... | |
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