Screening Liberally

At Netroots Nation, this year's Screening Series just kicked off. Films, shorts, discussions and workshops, the series touches the variety of places where film/video and political activism connect.

The lead-off offering: The Media That Matters Film Festival, an annual collection of shorts on social justice and awareness that are made available online so anyone can stream their own film festival.

The opening film drew applause -- and here's why I'm writing about it here. "Battleground Minnesota" features an 18-year-old Minnesotan who convinces every major state office-holder -- Dem and Republican -- to talk with him about why young people should care about voting.

He then remixes the interviews into a hip-hop music video -- where original rap is interspersed with Mark Dayton wearing "Dem" bling," Norm Coleman unbuttons his shirt to hang out, Tim Pawlenty is turned into a supporting role rapper, and Walter Mondale gets his turn on headphones.

It's hilarious, and inspirational -- it plays with the cultural and generational gaps between past generations and the current one, but also the power of music, technology and mischief to bridge that divide.

Check it out -- (and if you're at Netroots Nation, come by) -- and thank Media That Matters for making its festival free and open to the public.

It's great seeing groups like Music for Democracy picking up the mantle of the work that Music for America and Concerts for Kerry did last cycle. Culture attracts -- often more than straight-up politics -- so we have to learn how to use culture to serve as a vehicle for progressive community.

In that spirit, we've been doing more reviews and cultural commentary at Living Liberally. Music for Democracy may dig the bands that are Rocking Liberally as posted by Seth Pearce. And we're seeing more happening on the big screen too -- two reviews posted in the past two days will give you hints for your 4th of July cinema-going.

The first is Gonzo, a documentary on Hunter S. Thompson that will be released in select theaters starting tomorrow. As Brooke Olaussen reports at Screening Liberally:

Everything you could want in a documentary film is in this one. By bringing you the mood and life-force of Gonzo, the film enchants, both visually and philosophically. The multiplicity of voices/interviews, footage, photographs, and songs transports you into the scene, as if like Alice you stepped through the looking glass. The soundtrack, Johnny Depp’s narration of Thompson’s writing,and interviews with friends and family guide you through Thompson’s wonderland.

The second sure success this weekend is more mainstream fare: Wall-E about a lovable scamp of a robot who has an environmental message tucked into his gizmo-goofball gaffes. As Mazhira Black writes:

For those of you who think that WALL-E is a kid's film you may find yourself eating your words. It is great to see Disney using it's power for good rather than evil. Some of you may remember some of the social faux pas in the Disney closet: the racist movie we don't talk about, Song of the South, the subtle anti-Arab lyrics in the song "Arabian Nights" of Aladdin, and of course the good old belief that a woman should lie down and wait for her prince to come and rescue her from her dragon guarded castle in order to achieve happiness.

The jury is still out on whether Disney has gotten the PC bug or the Disney-Pixar marriage has given the Disney folk a younger more open outlook on the world. One thing is for sure, if their movies keep moving in a WALL-E direction then I will have no qualms with raising kids in the arms of the mouse.

Let us know what you're watching, reading and listening to -- if you like it, chances are somebody else will too. And if you share tastes, you may share politics as well.