RAPP movie suggestions

[Jeanne]

Thanks, as always to MPV peaceniks for contributing to the film nights. I hope that many of us are inspired by Tim DeChristopher's courage.

And it was good to learn from Bob Schultz and Sharon. We are sending a dozen letters from church to the National Parks Service encouraging Alternative D.

We are thinking of showing a few feature films in July and August. 12 Angry Men, Dead Man Walking, Fahrenheit 451 come to mind. Any suggestions?

[Sharon W]

Thanks to CVUMC for supporting alternative D!

How about Norma Rae with a discussion of labor rights and unionization, The Cider House Rules and a discussion of reproductive rights, or Apocalypse Now and a discussion of the futility of war. AN is 153 minutes long, though.

More come to mind: Silkwood and a discussion of worker safety or To Kill a Mockingbird and a discussion of civil rights and/or the US justice system.

How could I forget The Railway Man? It would generate a discussion of torture, redemption and reconciliation

[Brian]

I wanted to start a page for the answers to Jeanne's call for RAPP movie night suggestions, so I moved her post and Sharon's reply from the "Introduction to our message board" thread.

Of their suggestions, I like "Dead Man Walking" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" best. There are a lot of movies, including most of those named by Jeanne and Sharon, that I'd love to see at Crescenta Valley United Methodist Church on a Friday evening with church members and local peaceniks. My choice is Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times," which addresses so many issues relevant today that would lend themselves to discussion and action after the screening. In this 96-second clip, Charlie gets out of jail after being driven crazy at work.  Then he finds the factory closed, picks up a red flag that fell off a lumber truck and winds up leading a labor march before being attacked by police and returned to jail:



I may be prejudiced because of my lifelong love of Charlie Chaplin, but I think his films still have wide appeal nearly a century later. Perhaps even more people will attend a RAPP non-documentary night -- maybe some kids too, if I'm not underestimating the younger generation's aversion to black and white movies and -- yikes! -- a silent.

[Oss Rae]

How funny that Jeanne mentioned Twelve Angry Men. Just last night I had my introduction to it: KPFK played a production from LA Theater Works. It made me curious about the movie. It's interesting how an intelligent, questioning person is able to get others--who come across as a bit dim-witted--to start asking questions. This made me think about activism.

One documentary I've been meaning to mention--not necessarily suggest--is called Monorail: The Intelligent Alternative (produced about 10 years ago by The Monorail Society). It discusses monorail use in Japanese cities; dispels myths about them (often perpetuated by light rail, subway, or freeway interests); and compares them with light rails.

In the U.S., monorails tend to be perceived as theme park and resort attractions--and that's how various interests want it to remain.

Since mass transit was discussed last week at the church, this documentary came to mind.

This isn't a feature either--it deals with nuclear disarmament and whether such a goal is realistic--but I thought I'd just mention it.

www.netflix.com/WiMovie/70129456?sod=search-autocomplete Trailer:

I'll shut up now until I start thinking of features.