reviews by CJ Woods III and Ethel Winslow
“Barefoot: The Mark Baumer Story” — Mark Baumer, a writer and self-described environmentalist who made witty and quirky films that he posted online, decides to walk barefoot across America to raise awareness of climate change. He chooses a charity to endorse and establishes a goal of raising $10,000 for it. He records his daily trek and at the end of each day, shares with his audience the condition of his feet. His walk coincides with the ascendance of Donald Trump, whom he called out as a climate change denier. As the inaugurations nears, Baumer’s commentary grows more frenetic and pointed, but many people stopped to offer him shoes and a ride as he slogged along. Baumer’s commitment to his journey has a tragic end on the 100th day, the day after Trumps’s inauguration, but his family has carried on his legacy with this film. CJWIII
“Boy Genius.” — Emmet is a 12-year-old prodigy trying to fit in with his high school classmates when the stability of his family is threatened when his brother is accused of a crime. Emmet (Miles Brown) enlists the aid of his eccentric SAT tutor (played by Rita Wilson) to help prove his brother’s innocence while worrying that he might have inherited his dead father’s depression. His mother, (Tracie Thoms) works to provide her sons with stability while applying for entrance to medical school. The film explores the difficulties of students and their high school cliques and clubs and the weight carried by single mothers as they work to guide their sons to maturity. Next showing: Saturday, Oct. 19 at 12:30 p.m. at Castleton. CJWIII
“My Indiana Muse.” — Robert Townsend, a visual artist, buys a series of slides he has been advised is available on Ebay, and finds images of a woman and a man, images that fascinate him. He begins a series of large paintings of a woman he called “Kate,” until he purchases another set of the slides that show that her name is Mary. Townsend, a California-based artist, finds that his muse is from Indiana, and he makes contact with the woman’s niece, who shares with him more Kodachrome slides of her aunt and uncle. Townsend’s appreciation for the amateur quality of the photography inspires his work, built around Mary and her travels and gatherings with her family. The film is an excellent examination of part of the creative process, and inspirations that drive artists. Next showing: Thursday, Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. at Castleton. CJWIII
“Grit.” — The small town of Lupindo in Indonesia is buried by a tsunami of hot mud and residents must flee for their lives. They discover that a huge corporations natural gas drilling likely caused the devastation, but because of political connections, the owners refuse to pay them for their lost property. This is a compelling look at an environmental disaster that is still playing out, and the small triumphs of persistence over abusive power. Next showing: Thursday, Oct. 17 at 5:30 p.m. at Castleton. EMW
“The Great Alaskan Race.” — Leonhard “Sepp” Seppala and his lead sled dog Togo were the unsung heroes of the 1925 race to get diptheria anti-toxin to Nome, Alaska — the team by led by Balto ran only 50 miles versus Sepp’s team that ran 340 miles. Overcoming daunting odds and ghosts from his past, Sepp and Togo fight the killing cold and naysayers to help save their town. The run was the inspiration for the Iditarod race every year, and yet people have almost forgotten Sepp and his team. Stars Brian Presley who was the writer and director stars in this movie perfect for the whole family. EMW
“Gay Chorus Deep South.” — The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus embarks on a journey to the Deep South, where anti-LBGTQ legislation has passed. Some of the men in the chorus are from the south, where they were rejected from church and ostracized from deeply conservative families. On the journey, however, they find music connects everyone and eyes are opened. EMW