SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN Movie Review

Ever heard of the musician, Rodriguez?  Well I hadn’t either, but he is bigger than Elvis in South Africa! The movie SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN follows the journey of two musicologist detectives (who even knew those existed ?!) as they look for the lost rock icon known as Rodriguez.

This music documentary plays like an unsolved mystery and it’s captivating. The film starts with the myth that a talented musician killed himself in a gruesome suicide. The truth is sought by two detectives who feel passionately about his life and pursue clues left in Rodriguez’s music. Their karma collides as the search ensues and their lives are changed for good.

I was shocked that I was so pulled into this story about a musician I had never heard of and impressed that his music is so beautiful and moving. I believe the reason this documentary has become so popular is because it’s a mindful movie with a meaningful story and some deep spiritual lessons.

 

We learn a lot, although not all, about the mysterious Rodriguez as the details of his life unfold.  We learn that he was not only a talented songwriter and singer but that his calling was to represent those who didn’t have a voice, first with the apartheid movement and then with the poor and working class in Detroit.  We learn that he was an amazing father and taught his daughters culture in an environment where it was not readily available. We learn that he was a very hard worker, modest, and lived in the same home for forty years.

Rodriguez was first told that his music wasn’t selling and that no one wanted it.  He was considered a failure in the United States although he is clearly talented when you listen to his deep, philosophical lyrics that sound like sung poetry.  Yet South Africa was obsessed with Rodriguez and he never knew it because the news of his massive fame, and also of his supposed death, never traveled to him in Detroit.

(Spoiler Alert!) I was totally blown away when the detectives found out that Rodriguez was alive and well in Detroit but no one knew him as talented musician in his home town and yet was considered a rock god and legend in another country thousands of miles away. It made me think a lot about how we can be two people at the same time – an “average Joe” and a “superstar”. Rodriguez was poor, but he was also rich. He transformed pain into beauty in his songs and exemplified the dual nature of our reality here as divine beings having a human experience.

The biggest lesson for me in the film is that how people receive you does not define you.  This means that what people think of me is actually none of my business. Rodriguez literally didn’t know that he was famous and that millions adored him! It keeps one humble to just show up and do the best you can, as he did with his records.  He didn’t know why they weren’t a hit.  It seemed that Rodriguez just shared his voice, his love, his gifts, and wasn’t attached to the outcome.  Even when he did learn of his fame and received more money, he didn’t change.  He remained modest and authentic. You can tell he just loved to sing and share his music and that was enough for him.

His message and the message in this film touched me deeply as I sometimes struggle with my own attachments to the outcome with my business.  Rodriguez reminded me to just do the best I can and show up in the love and joy for it.  He reminded me that we may never know the impact of sharing our gifts or the lives we touch.  He certainly didn’t know for decades. He didn’t need the recognition, money, and fame because he knew that wasn’t why he was here.  He just wanted to do the best he could for the people around him and his music had a huge impact on a tribe that resonated with it and understood his messages. He is a true example that we can trust that sharing our gifts will have an impact and even if we don’t see the recognition to continue to give and love anyway.

 

Rodriguez seems to understand a fundamental truth that Mother Teresa first shared with us: “Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never been you and them anyway.”

Our egos don’t like to hear this because we search for approval, love, and recognition outside of ourselves.  Yet that will never fill us or ever be enough. Rodriguez got it and he just showed up as an instrument for the divine to channel through him and shared his gifts whether it was in music, fatherhood, politics, or demolition work in poor communities. What we do never ends up mattering, but who we are while we do our work does. Share from a space of love and let the miracle of who you are move the world in the way it’s meant to. Stay humble, remember your roots, do the best you can and let go of attachments to the outcome.  Thank you for all the “sugar man” lessons, Rodriguez and for being what I like to call a “Conscious Rockstar”!

Entertain, Enlighten, Inspire,

Kate Neligan – CEO/Founder of Synergy TV

Review of Awareness Film Festival 2013

This past weekend the Awareness Film Festival was held in Santa Monica, CA at various screening rooms. Their mission is to “bring awareness to some of our world's pressing issues: Ecological, Political, Health/Well Being and the Spirit.” Most of the films they screened were socially conscious shorts and feature documentaries.

I was grateful to receive a press pass for myself and a colleague who attended THIS DEWDROP WORLD, Shorts Block 1 & 2, PAW PROJECT, G-DOG and CONSPIRACY RISING. Some of the films I wished I saw were FEMME, WINGS OF LIFE, and CONSCIOUS LOVE. Some of the films I had seen before that they also screened were PAD YATRA: A GREEN ODYSSEY, SACRED JOURNEY OF THE HEART, and AWAKENING WORLD. 

What I love about this film festival is that its main purpose is to open our eyes and provide information about many societal issues while also being a fundraiser for a charity. The non-profit it benefits, Heal One World, provides preventive health care (especially through alternative/natural methods) to those in need. The Founder of both, Skye Kelly, is a yoga instructor/natural health practitioner/activist and inspiring leader passionate about healing and making a difference. I admire her work and what she has accomplished with this festival and its growth.

I had a big realization during this festival after screening some of the shorts that made me feel anxious, depressed and frustrated with our world. I made an important decision that I only want to distribute and promote films that provide solutions and leave the viewers’ feeling inspired. While some may say this is a “Pollyanna approach”, I feel that sometimes we don’t act or create change when we see problems as so big and complex that we feel that one person can’t make an impact. The weekend before, the Topanga Film Festival also showcased some darker/intense films and even had a block on tragedy. Their theme for the year was “change” but tragedy is not the change I wish to see in the world!  Sometimes I wonder if our default programming for fear or conflict overrides our soul’s yearning for the light. The only way our media will change is if we start to demand more love-based films that demonstrate that transformation is possible.

 

On closing night, the Awareness FF delivered two of their best films that showcase the power of love. The short documentary, “See Me”, is a beautiful, powerful, and positive tale of transformation in South Africa. Filmmakers provided cameras to orphans and allowed them to tell their story which provided joy and priceless value to the children and spread awareness on the effects of HIV/AIDS.

G-DOG, the feature documentary shown, follows the lives of Father Greg Boyle (known as G-Dog), Founder of Homeboy Industries, and those he has touched. I had known about Homeboy for a while but I never knew the story behind this non-profit. I was literally blown away, crying through most of the film because second chance stories touch my heart so deeply. This film is a must-see. It raises consciousness about gangs and provides multiple solutions for rehabilitation. G-Dog is a real-life Saint who is changing lives, ending violence, creating community and kinship, and constantly telling a story of hope, transformation, and inspiration. He is now one of the top people on the Planet I wish to learn from and emulate and this film moved me to donate to the cause, to plan a visit to their café and offices, purchase his book, and to work towards distributing and promoting the film. I want people to see with the eyes of their heart as G-Dog does. He knows the truth that at our core we are all the same and worthy of unconditional love, compassion, forgiveness, and a second chance.

I fully support film festivals like this that are doing their best to screen films that raise consciousness and bring together creative idealists that are hungry to change our world for the better. Kudos to the Awareness Film Festival and please make sure this is on your calendar for next year!

Entertain, Enlighten, Inspire,

Kate Neligan – Founder/CEO of Synergy TV

 

Topanga Film Festival 2013 Review

by guest blogger Chris Gray

At the last minute I decided to attend the festival this year and these are my thoughts about my experience.

The festival itself still has that small totally cool hippie town feel. You walk into a festival put on by people who share vegetables from their gardens with each other. There is a definite Topanga vibe and if that is the experience you are looking for, this festival has it. If you want convenient parking, comfortable theater seating with great audio and video projection, this is not for you.  

 

After looking forward to the Faith Street Corner Tavern film I was disappointed. It had lots of beautiful images, interesting characters and music but the story didn’t flow. The entire film was packed with seemingly self-indulgent rants of dialog and random shots of the main character dancing around. There is a deep touching story behind the film, but you have to exercise tremendous patience to get all the pieces. It appeared the filmmaker was so attached to all the footage and the many many songs in the film that he was unable to cut it down into a form suitable for an audience unfamiliar with the story and the main characters. The film is a passion piece showing what the artist likes. It is not a film for everyday entertainment. One audience member commented “This would be better on some good bud”. Another said she would like to use it in her work with cancer patients and hospice. Some will love it and some will hate it, I would have enjoyed the story better if it had been presented differently.

The Source Family film Undoubtedly influenced by mainstream media messages about “hippie” communes and cults, I expected a creepy film about real depravity. This movie was made primarily from film collected by a member of the Source Family and insight from actual members. It shows a full reality from within the Source Family, rather than sensationalizing only seedy aspects. It allows an intimate understanding of cults and of these particular people. Yes there was danger, pain and human damage. There was also tremendous growth, enlightenment, health and miracles. This film takes you on a trip into an extreme alternative lifestyle and it is an entertaining and interesting journey.  After the film there was a question and answer session with the filmmaker and a couple members of the Source Family. This led to the entire audience standing up and participating in the Source Family’s morning star exercise. Had this been at another festival I doubt everyone would have participated, in fact it probably wouldn’t have even happened. It was another authentic Topanga experience and it was really enjoyable.

The SEA Change Panel discussion delivered everything it promised and the panelists freely offered insight and encouragement to participants regarding their individual projects afterward. It was a place of synergy for those working on creating a better world through film.

 

 

I also hung out on the patio of the Rosewood, which is an experience in itself, but to top it off, at twilight one evening a small buck sprung by on the hillside just a few feet from me. I had many intense discussions with others as passionate as I am about creating positive change in the world. Unfortunately, because of other things in my life I wasn’t able to completely tune into the Topanga Vibe.  Now I know what to expect. Next year I plan to come better prepared to engage more fully in the experience of the Topanga Film Festival. Hope to see you there.

- Chris Gray

NOW IS GOOD Movie Review

 

I was first lured into the film NOW IS GOOD by the clever trailer which looked fascinating, spiritual, and unique. This dramatic film about a 17 year old girl fighting leukemia seemed like it would be a big tear-jerker and, while it certainly has its moments of tenderness and emotion, it is a beautiful and healing film at its core. The cinematography is stunning and creative, and the deep themes and messages showcase lessons of the human spirit.

Dakota Fanning does a brilliant job as the heroine Tessa, and her boyfriend Adam (played by Jeremy Irvine) is also an extremely lovable character. Their relationship is one of the best examples of unconditional love that I’ve seen on the silver screen. It left me yearning so deeply for more love and romance in my life.

I think on some level all of us want to care for another and feel deeply taken care of while we bring out the best in each other, and this is what Tessa and Adam have together. While they are just teenagers, they teach us about the commitment, kindness, and courage it takes to love, even when they know they will get hurt. This film helped me to see how I had been protecting myself from being hurt again in a relationship by staying small and invisible, and in turn not giving and receiving all the love that is available to me. NOW IS GOOD inspired me to risk opening my heart again.

This film essentially has three main messages. The first, and most obvious, is the message from the title NOW IS GOOD which is all about living in the present moment. The best line in the film is about life being a series of moments. While watching Tessa’s story unfold, the viewer can tell which are the moments that take her breath away, that mean something, and that are to be remembered. Tessa has a “list” of things she wants to experience like sex, drugs, fame, shoplifting, and while many are pretty ego-based experiences, we somehow can relate to all of them. I feel like if I had months left to live, I too would choose some unusual and intense experiences for my list (i.e. #1 horseback riding on a beach, #5 skydiving!). It’s apparent that the intention behind each item on the list is to feel alive, courageous, and fully present. I can imagine this is how anyone must want to feel when they know their days are numbered. And yet, we can always live this way because the only true joy is in the present moment and our lives are about the journey and not the destination. Hay House author Robert Holden says the word “now” is a synonym for the word life.

Another message in the film is about how we impact the lives of others. I have a belief system that we are all both students and teachers of life and we have a ripple effect on each other. Tessa changes the course of her loved ones by calling forward her mother’s parenting and courage, to her Dad’s purpose, to her best friend’s difficult choice, to her brother’s joy and wisdom. You also see how she directly impacts her boyfriend’s life by giving him new direction and the desire to live fully again. The moment when she realizes her impact is one of the most profound moments in the movie and one of the best scenes I’ve witnessed in a while. It’s a reminder to us why we are really here. I believe that Tessa came to teach these lessons and what I like to call “spiritual curriculum” to those in her “soul family” (i.e. those closest to her that she loved the most) and also to those who watch this film.

Her story made me question something…..is it more painful to die and leave behind all that you could still do/be/have or is it more painful to lose someone?  I feel blessed that I have never had to be in this position and yet I know death and loss are unavoidable in life. The only real control we have is to treat each moment and each human encounter and relationship as precious. How different would our lives be if we lived as though each day was our last?  What would we say to each other?  What would we do? How deeply would we love? The late Steve Jobs said, “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

I recently had a conversation with a good friend about not wanting to die with our music still in us. I suggested to him that he vision the end of his life and sit in his deathbed and see what it is that he regrets and then to start to DO or BE those things NOW. I told him that the only thing I would regret is not having told people I loved them or knowing that they loved me. My sense is that all we keep when we transition is the love and that part of us never ever dies. And to participate in life with “no regrets” is deeply transformational.

Tessa is an example to all of us that “now” is most definitely good because it is all that we have. We need to spend our “nows” wisely. We can’t waste a minute in regret, in anger, in judgment or in frustration that something is not happening our way. The only thing that is limited in our lives is time. We don’t know how much we get, but we do know one day it will end. So I encourage you to look at how you are spending yours, with whom, and why.

The last lesson I was left with was about hope. NOW IS GOOD helped me heal because I cried afterwards from all the sad memories stored in my heart. I felt so vulnerable, so fragile, and I could feel so much compassion for what we go through as humans. I thought about all the losses I’ve experienced, and those my friends and family have as well. And yet I heard the wise voice of my intuition and she talked to me about hope. She gave me the beautiful example of my best friend who broke up with her boyfriend at 23 and was so devastated at the time and she told me I would have smiled and laughed then if I had known that 10 years later I would be the one to marry the two of them in a beautiful wedding ceremony. She reminded me to not lose hope because it’s in that focus that helps us to get by in this sad, beautiful, mad, inspiring, and perfectly imperfect world.  She reminded me, as did Tessa, that love will prevail.

Entertain, Enlighten, Inspire,

Kate Neligan - CEO/Founder of Synergy TV

 

P.S. A recent, real-life "Now is Good" story recently came out thanks to our friends at Soul Pancake.  Here is the inspiring, heart-wrenching, and heart-warming story of a recent teenager who left behind a message and legacy of LOVE. Over 8 million people have watched this in just a matter of days.... this is the content Synergy TV will create, distribute, and promote.  We love to share and tell these stories.  Grab a box of tissues and enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NjKgV65fpo

HOPE SPRINGS Movie Review

I heard a complaint recently that Hollywood is not making movies for the older demographic but HOPE SPRINGS really delivers for the 50+ crowd.  Finally, we get to see a mindful movie that deals with issues in the bedroom in a very conscious and realistic way.

Meryl Streep (playing Kay) and Tommy Lee Jones (playing Arnold) deliver believable and lovable characters that show us a secret world of therapy, marital dysfunction, and the desire to change. Steve Carell (Dr. Feld) plays such a serious role that you forget it’s him and he really embodies the genius of a good therapist.  One immediately falls for Meryl’s character because she seems to love her husband so much, despite appearing as a bit of a doormat housewife.  At first we are frustrated with Tommy Lee’s character but he changes so much through the course of the movie that we are rooting for him and loving him for his vulnerability as well.

I learned in my Master’s program in Spiritual Psychology that “perfect vulnerability is perfect protection” and this is truly the main message from this spiritual film.  Kay and Arnold start off without any intimacy but through Kay’s deep commitment to herself and the marriage, transformation and healing begin.  I also learned in my Master’s that “healing is the application of loving to the places inside that hurt” and this we also bear witness to in this film.

Kay and Arnold begin to look inside to see how they have been hurt in the past, how they didn’t express their true feelings, ask for what they wanted, and how they started to shut down and protect their loving hearts from pain. Through this self-examination and willingness to work together (despite loads of resistance from Arnold) they start to open up to the possibility that it doesn’t have to be this way anymore.  Their choice to choose love over fear becomes the change-agent in their relationship.

Although I have never been to couples counseling, I could still relate to what these characters go through in how uncomfortable it can be feel to be vulnerable in front of both a loved one and stranger. I felt so much compassion for both Kay and Arnold as they work to save their marriage and fumble along, often taking two steps back for every step forward.  And yet, the reason why this movie works is because it is so authentic and realistic, and I felt like I was right there in counseling with them.

I could also empathize because I feel like I have seen so many marriages end up this way: as roommates or friends living together where the romance has died and intimacy is lost. I felt surges of different emotions as Kay and Anrold’s marriage so closely resembled my parents'. And I know there are many, many more couples like this out there and my thought was that this movie could really help couples dealing with similar issues. It was also a loud warning signal to me to always make my relationship and my husband (when he gets here!) a priority. Intimacy is a priceless, spiritual connection that has to be kept sacred. The truth in a relationship is freeing and since men and women speak such different languages there has to be a commitment to express authentically, listen, and understand each other.

I won’t ruin the ending of the film but let’s just say that I am always grateful for feel-good film finishes because they leave us hopeful, grateful for the shared human condition, and inspired to change for the better. 

I acknowledge this film for committing to showcasing a real issue, especially amongst older couples, that is often overlooked and not dealt with because the vulnerability can be uncomfortable. As more movies are made like HOPE SPRINGS and SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK where we, as content creators and audiences alike, take a look at some of the real shadows in humanity and bring light, humor, and love to them; we all will be healed.

Entertain - Enlighten - Inspire,
Kate Neligan - Founder/CEO of Mindful Media Entertainment & Synergy TV

SILVER LININGS Movie Review

By Guest Blogger: Iva Radosevic

A silver lining means:  "a sign of hope in an unfortunate or gloomy situation" (dictionary.com).

The film SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is a beautifully portrayed story of a conflicted man that struggles with bipolar disorder, which is characterized by periods of mania alternating with periods of depression.

Bradley Cooper, as Pat Solitano, does an excellent job of bringing this disorder to life and hooking the audience within the first five minutes of the film by inspiring empathy and compassion in the viewer and resonating a fluctuating ray of optimism throughout all his episodes of severe mood swings.

Despite the fact that Pat has lost his marriage and his job, he is determined to show his family and his estranged wife that he has come a long way and knows how to turn any negative energy into something with a promise of hope.

His true transformation begins to happen when he meets Tiffany (played by Jennifer Lawrence), who serves as a mirror to the inner pain and anger that he feels. Tiffany’s torment over the loss of her husband allows Pat to feel a stronger connection to her and have greater understanding of her ways. Through their mutual pain and anger they feel comfortable in each other’s presence and recognize a bond from the beginning that progressively intensifies as their friendship builds throughout the film. 

This new friendship helps Pat rekindle the lost connection with his father, played by Robert De Niro. Pat’s commitment to Tiffany’s dance routine practice keeps him unavailable to join his father for the football watching at home. This inspires Pat’s father to express verbally why he finds it important to have his son join him during these games. By keeping Pat occupied and away from home, Tiffany plays a key role in inspiring this critical bonding conversation between father and son that takes place in the later half of the film. She also turns out to be the positive energy that brings good luck to Pat’s father in the winning of his favorite football team by noting that every time his team won she was with his son in some context. The strong bond that Pat and Tiffany share turns out to be the glue that links the whole family back together through a common thread of optimism and hope. 

SPOILER ALERT......

The reframing of hope in the face of an unfortunate situation is solidified in one of the last scenes of the movie where Pat and Tiffany manage to get a score of 5 out of 10 in their dancing competition and the whole family bursts out with explosive excitement over a score that is viewed as only average by the judges and the rest of the audience. This ‘5’ is a winning number for the family, since the father bet with a friend that Pat and Tiffany could achieve at least that number in a competition against much more professional dancers. Being rewarded a ‘5’ was the peak of the mountain for the family and it was the epitome of what ‘silver lining’ represents in this film.

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is a film of hope, empathy, compassion, understanding, reconnection and love.  It inspires us to view life through a positive filter and recognize the beauty in the lessons of pain and loss. We learn that by redefining our goals and expectations an ‘average’ score may just be good enough to give us the happiness worth a lifetime.

P.S.  Note from Kate Neligan - Founder of Synergy TV:  This movie is currently a big box office hit with a lot of positive word of mouth and sold-out showings. I couldn't be happier because this raw, original, authentic story really deserves all the positive press. We definitely give it a big thumbs up as a mindful movie and hits out Top 10 List of the Year!

CLOUD ATLAS Movie Review

                                  

I wish I could recommend CLOUD ATLAS because it had SO much potential but I really can't support it because it was so violent and convoluted.

 

Despite having excellent visual effects, some of the best actors in Hollywood like Tom Hanks, and a theme of "everything is connected", this film is not what it was marketed to be: an inspirational/spiritual epic.

 

I felt cheated when I saw the movie because I was expecting a deep, riveting story with profound spiritual messages like AVATAR, INCEPTION and LIFE OF PI and instead I got a violent, action film that was very hard to follow.

For the first hour my head hurt just watching the various story-lines from different time periods. It was not easy to connect the actors and roles throughout their past lives. However, the make-up was fantastic as you can barely recognize Tom Hanks and Halle Berry throughout some of their scenes

 

The last fifteen minutes of the film are definitely the best and showcase a bit of a message about the inter-connectedness of humanity, the potential to stand-up for the truth, and the fight for love.

 

I am just disappointed that this movie missed out on its potential to be a mindful movie full of wisdom and Spirit. I felt like the Wachowski brothers sold-out to the lowest common denominator that wants violence in our media. Some of the kill scenes in the film were very disturbing because they were so realistic and gruesome. And while we have often died in cruel and unusual ways in past lives, I felt like the deaths portrayed were gratuitous.

 

I kept hoping the law or karma would prevail and teach everyone a lesson but a lot of the stories were so bleak. This is definitely not THE MATRIX and I guess I had too high expectations for the next spiritual blockbuster.

 

The group I screened it with all had differing opinions of the film and one person compared it to the book which seems to be a bit more introspective. I guess the good news is that there is still a lot of room for powerful, meaningful, profound blockbusters to be created about concepts like karma, inter-connectedness, and love. Who is going to make the next one?  What did you think of the film?

 

Entertain - Enlighten - Inspire,

Kate Neligan - Founder & CEO of Synergy TV