Film Review: A PEBBLE IN THE POND

Film Review: A PEBBLE IN THE POND

Working for a nonprofit is both gratifying and exhausting. Long hours, working harder than most 9-5s, small paychecks, and you’re at the mercy of volunteers to get a big project done. But, you’re doing this line of work because you want to help people and it’s one of the once-in-a-lifetime pleasures when you see an underserved human smile because some of their dreams have come true with your help. I know all of this because I worked for a nonprofit for almost two years.

It’s known in pop culture as The Butterfly Effect or a ripple in the water that could change the future for the worse, forever. Not in this charming movie. Narrated by Karis Campbell, A Pebble in a Pond follows host Ann Benson as she navigates through Operation School Bell, where underserved children and teenagers get brand-new clothes, shoes, backpacks, and cool perks. We learn police officers volunteer, as do grown-ups who were helped by OSB when they were young. Most of the population doesn’t understand how much it can mean to someone to be given a pair of pants, or a shirt.

It shows this nonprofit makes sure children who go to school scared because of tattered clothes and ripped-up shoes walk in with a fresh pair of kicks and brand-new clothes to go along with them.

Operation School Bell and many nonprofits around the globe help people have a better life because of how inspiring nonprofit advocate Anne Banning's life story is, which we learn about through incredible 2D animation.

Pebble in the Pond is a beautiful movie about selfless love. It makes you want to volunteer and help spread joy in the world. Pebble in the Pond is a triumph in showing the audience the successes of nonprofit hard work.

Review: THE SCARS OF ALI BOULALA, the Must-See Documentary of 2022.

"Through the video footage, I would see the surface. I could see there was a serious problem. But even then, it's weird — I didn't look at it as like, 'Oh, we need to address this problem. It's lack of knowledge of it, lack of comprehension." — Erik Ellington (Pro Skateboarder)

"When I think about the good times I've wasted on the good times, it definitely pertains to Ali." — Ewan Bowman (Pro Skateboard FIlmer)

If you’re reading this, chances are high you already who Ali Boulala is and his tragic end to skateboarding. I won't go too into detail over that painful memory which rocked and almost broke the skateboarding industry. Even if you're not a skateboarder, please watch this must-see documentary on addiction and how drugs and alcohol can and will ruin your life in a split second.

The original Baker Boy, Ali could party hard one night and capture some of the most mind-blowing skate tricks the next day. It was a good life until it came to a screeching halt.

Ali pushed the bar on a skateboard. He's known for many of his tricks but perhaps best known for his massive 25 stair ollie — where he landed on his board, and it shattered into a million pieces once landing at the bottom. You could find anything on Earth, and Ali would find a way to skate it.

Now, this isn't just ollie-ing a couple of stairs. This 25-stair ollie is defying the laws of physics and flying in the air with a piece of wood with wheels staying under your fight. Stories high, and somehow the skateboard says under your feet as you're flying through the air.

Skateboarding often gets a bad rap. Ask any parent whose kid skates or wants to, and a majority will tell you that skaters are hoodlums, drug addicts, misfits, and nothing but trouble. The truth is, skateboarding has saved many lives. It's helped many overcome depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and substance use. Sure, skateboarding has is a dark side but doesn’t every sport? The rewards, however, outweigh the dark. And yes, skateboarding tends to draw out the freaks, punks, rebels, and that's a good thing. We need athletes to push this sport forward, and it takes the crazy ones to make this happen.

Kids in their teens will always be exposed to drugs and alcohol. This is a fact. Choir boy at your local church or skateboarder, all teens come into contact with drugs and the sauce at some point in their lives.

I've been in the skateboard culture for 26 years. Started out as a skateboarder and found my real passion: taking photos and filming skateboarders. Boulala has been a hero of mine since I was 13. Along with Tom Penny, he made skateboarding seem so easy and amazing.

Skateboarding is a particular sport, and only one with the freaks can handle — the daily slams and frequent broken bones, only to get back out there a short time later.

I digress.

This review of THE SCARS OF ALI BOULALA focuses rise and fall of Boulala’s skateboarding career due to his addictions and afflictions, but if you're reading this and are a parent, note that profoundly paints a picture of a legendary skateboarder who lost it all due to his lust for booze and drugs.

There are a colossal amount of pro skateboarders in the industry who live and breathe skateboarding. All they want to do is skateboard and get tricks — their job. Parents and many assume that being pro skateboarders means you must be a hoodlum and engage in bad recreational behavior. When you watch this documentary and take out the skateboarding element, ask yourself how often you've gotten busted for this kind of reckless behavior. And parents, your kids should strive to skate like Ali did and should watch this as a cautionary tale of what could happen if you follow in the footsteps of his former foolish lifestyle when he wasn’t wowing the world on his skateboard.

THE SCARS OF ALI BOULALA is a heartbreaking and poignant must-see documentary on one of the most renowned skateboarders in the history of skateboarding. THE SCARS OF ALI BOULALA chronicles from when Ali first stepped on his board to his natural progression into a wunderkind pro. He had it all for many years, but it was stripped from him one tragic night, drunk and accidentally killing one of his best friends and renowned skateboarder, Shane Cross, on a motorcycle ride.

I've known Ali for a while, and while watching the documentary, I kept asking myself, "Will this be Ali's legacy? The guy who killed Shane Cross? Or will he be known as one of the best who is now a cautionary tale because he caused Shane's death? I will never be able to answer this, but I will always think about it.

Boulala rose to fame in the 90s. Boulala was one of the greatest skateboarders on the planet. His style was like no others. You could pick a random object, sculpture, or terrain, and Ali would find a way to get a trick out of it, and often in a "whoa!" Creative way.

Ali never set out to be a menace to skateboarding -- he's a human being who got wrapped up in the drug and alcohol culture that many of us do as well. (And to be fair, he was a little shithead, heckling his friends since he was a teen.) The only difference? He's a famous pro skateboarder, and famous people are scrutinized. It's easy to point the finger that "skateboarding makes you bad" when a skater gets busted for illegal substances, but what about you — you can hide your skeletons; famous people cannot. How many times have football and other sports players and movie stars been busted for heavy drug and alcohol use that led to trouble? It often costs them their career like it did Ali’s. (Most of the time, these athletes and celebrities issue a half-assed apology and the world forgets a week later.) Like Bam Margera, Boulala was applauded and cheered on by fellow skateboarders, teammates, and fans for his bad behavior throughout his career. Imagine how confusing this can be when you’re trying to make a living off doing what you love most.

When I skateboarded throughout my teens, my crew was into drugs and the sauce, and I never touched any of this until I was 21. I could have, but I chose not to and chose to wake up and skate until the sun came down.

Skateboarding is 99% rewarding, but getting caught up in the rockstar lifestyle is easy to get wrapped up in. Yes, skateboarders are given a lot of money and freedom to travel the world, but there are a profound amount of skateboarders who've been doing this their whole career without a drop of legal trouble. Many are significant influences and if you want me to name them, email me, and I'll send you a long list.

Then some revered skateboarders who turned their life around got sober and are now an excellent example for kids. Google Andrew Reynolds, Jim Greco, Arto Saari. Elissa Steamer, Neen Williams, Brandon Novak, and Chad Muska.” These names will be remembered in skateboarders forever.

In the 90s, Ali Boulala was one of the world's greatest skateboarders. His style was like no others. You could randomly pick any sculpture or terrain, and Ali would find a way to get a slack-jawing trick out of it.

There's another review on Rotten Tomatoes that is slamming sponsors and blaming them for skater's behavior. It’s only 165 words. This is lazy journalism. This isn't even journalism. It's someone who saw the film and based their opinions on skateboarding without knowing the culture. This critic clearly doesn't know how the skateboard industry works. Skateboarders go on tours for skate demos and fan meet and greets. This is their job. Their sponsors are their sponsors, so they have the tools and finances to continue making skate videos and more. They are not their mom and dad holding their hand while on tour. Can you imagine Pepsi following The Rolling Stones around to ensure they are not living their rockstar lifestyle?

THE SCARS OF ALI BOULALA is a cautionary tale on what can go wrong in skateboarding. You can skate for fun, be a pro skater and travel the world, but this important part is skate for fun. Fortune and fame may be nice, but skate because you love it. Just like Ali did.

First-time feature filmmaker Max Eriksson shows us a side of Boulala the general public has never seen before. Working with editor Mikel Cee Karlsson, we get to see a lot of incredible footage the public has never seen before, and it paints a raw portrait of Ali you don't see in skate videos. I was unaware that Boulala suffers from post-traumatic amnesia, which means he doesn't remember much of his skateboarding days, and his right leg is permanently damaged, and it's why he cannot skate ever again.

Boulala has a charismatic side to him. For decades, we've seen him as the wild child. An “I do what I want” pro skater. That was him and the Baker crew (who all got sober sans Dustin Dollin, of course). Still, Ali paid his debt in jail, and he's enduring a lifetime of physical pain, not being able to skateboard for the rest of his life, and wakes up daily knowing he's responsible for one of his best friend's death. Boulala understands this and believes he does deserve all the pain and punishment. His penance for the timeless tragic accident he caused.

Ali is sober now and doing his best with a lifetime of pain he has to endure — the limp that will never allow him to skateboard again, not remembering most of his skateboard career, and is the one who accidentally killed a promising up-and-coming skateboarder Shane Cross — but THE SCARS OF ALI BOULALA showcases how determined Ali is to honor Shane and live a true sober life.

Thank you, Max, for showing a side of Ali we've never seen before. I can't wait to see what you do next.

#ShaneCrossForever

Between Two Ferns The Movie, One of the Funniest Movies Ever Made Because It Shows You How Much Fun Hollywood is Willing to Have Just so You Can Laugh.

If you give Between Two Ferns: The Movie a negative review or think this movie is stupid, you shouldn’t be reviewing the movie or watching comedy ever again. It's not for you. Comedy is a genre hard to crack and Between Two Ferns: The Movie hilariously hits every comedic note and demographic possible — the dry, the witty, the inappropriate, the slack-jawing, the slapstick, the goofy, and the physical. We laugh at the inappropriate questions Zach Galifianakis (who parodies himself) asks at the actor's expense, and that’s the whole point. It's a wildfire of brilliant jokes that will make you laugh until you’re dead.

If you haven’t seen any Between Two Ferns skits, stop reading and watch some of these skits, so you know what you’re in for. 

In this feature installment, in between Between Two, Ferns is a mockumentary. Galifianakis is tired of just being an internet show, which is owned by Funny or Die titan, Will Ferrell (who also parodies himself and turns it up to 11). Ferrell doesn’t see that Galifianakis is asking tasteless questions, he believes the people he interviews are just laughing at him, and that gets the site hits, which gets Ferrell loads of cash, cocaine, and purple hats. Galifianakis strikes a steal with Ferrell — do ten more internet interviews with famous people, and he’ll give Galifianakis his own show on the Lifetime Network. 

So on the road, he goes. 

I wasn’t going to write a review for Between Two Ferns: The Movie until I saw the critic complaints, which are all the same — the only funny parts are the skits where Zach interviews people. Sure, the mockumentary part isn’t ultra-funny, but writers Galifianakis and Scott Aukerman, who’s worked with Zach on the internet series since its inception and makes his directorial debut with this film, make going in between Between Two Ferns as funny as possible creating a feature film about an internet sketch. Sure, these parts drag a little, but it’s lazy and a cop-out to give the film a negative review and then praise a majority of the film — the skits. 

With him, Galifianakis takes his assistant (played by the highly hilarious and talented Lauren Lapkus. who is going to blow up any day now) and a “documentary crew” — one of them is cameraman Cam, played by Ryan Gaul, who you may recognize from Superstore or The Last O.G. Before they take off, we meet a guy who owes Galifianakis two boxes of Hamburger Helper and the head of the network, played by Edi Patterson (Vice Principals, The Righteous Gemstones), a comedian who kills every joke she goes for and steals every scene she’s in. Put her in every comedy, and I’m happy.

So off Galifianakis and his crew go to get those ten interviews so he can achieve his dream of having his own talk show. Between Two Ferns: The Movie has a simple plot (which all it needs to give this a feature-length film) filled with laughs and a ridiculous, witty, and farce screenplay (if you caught the Richard Kelly joke, we are meant to be best friends).

Think about this: Between Between Two Ferns is Galifianakis playing a parody of himself as an internet interviewer that Will Ferrell (also parodying himself) discovered who has huge celebrities on his show (one including our 44th president, Barack Obama), and he asks the most inappropriate, uncomfortable questions to make us laugh. The talent being interviewed and almost always Galifianakis takes punishing questions so we can laugh. At first, I thought all the questions were scripted, but the end-credit gag reels makes it clear that the actors have no idea what Zach is going to ask or say, which makes it even funnier and the guest on the Between Two Ferns so much cooler. Bringing in some of the biggest names in Hollywood is quite impressive. This movie and the online skits show how much fun Hollywood can be — that’s the whole point. The questions Galifianakis asks as his fake character is insanely inappropriate and he actors allow it just so the audience can laugh. They all have my respect. That says a lot about how well-liked Galifianakis and Ferrell are, and just how far the talent we’ve seen in these skits are willing to go to be the butt of the joke so that you can laugh and gasp at the same time. Between Two Ferns is a riot of comedic chaos and I cackled so hard I’m pretty sure I injured myself laughing.

Fun tidbit: 

I Interviewed Zach in 2011 for a movie and inadvertently had my own Two Ferns with him, and we discuss his brother who’s living under an RV, and why he didn’t win an Oscar (or even get nominated!) for his unique and brilliant role in Out Cold. 

Marvel Presents: AVENGERS: ENDGAME 4K Blu-ray

Breathe easy, Avengers fans, Endgame is here. And it’s marvelous.

There’s a lot of moving parts in Avengers: Endgame, and I think it’s best that you go in cold, so the plot and riveting surprises are fresh for you. That’s what I did, and I haven’t had as much fun seeing a movie in years.

If us girls are honest here, I don’t even know where to begin talking about this movie. I’m going to do my best without giving anything away that you don’t already know from the amazingly limited amount of information released on the film. (Kudos to the director’s the Russo brothers and Marvel for being able to keep spoilers or much of the plot from leaking and making this movie into something special before it even released. That’s admirable dedication.)

Endgame opens cold. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) is target practicing with his daughter on his land. Life is good. He’s happy. The camera cuts to his shoes, where we see his house arrest anklet, which reminds the audience why Hawkeye wasn’t in Infinity War, and we know the devastation he’s about to face. It’s coming — the snap. We already know what it does. As he enjoys his time teaching his daughter how to be an ace at the arrow, Hawkeye steps away for a moment and comes back in complete confusion — his daughter and entire family have vanished. Avengers: Endgame begins.

I’m going to stop right there with plot and, well, everything else that happens in the movie. I could tell you an abridged version of the synopsis, but that’s not possible. There’s so much happening inside Endgame; I’m not sure where to begin. What I can tell you that is this film couldn’t have been a more perfect swan song for The Avengers we’ve grown to adore on screen for the last eleven years.

You know how sometimes cast and crew defend a film panned by critics by saying it 
“was made for the fans, not critics” (looking right at you, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which I actually love.)? Let’s get something out of the way — critics are fans. This is why we write about movies. We love them, and real critics are required to be honest about what we see. That’s a challenging part of the job. (You think I wanted to hate Justice League? As a diehard Superman fan since childhood, as well as Man of Steel and BVS, I wanted to love Justice League, which had only a small trace of director Zach Snyder. But this movie is not good. At all. Snyder should not take fault for that — Warner Bros. and Joss Whedon (who helped stepped in to finish the film but strangely did not want to take credit for “helping a friend”) — are to blame. Snyder poured his heart and talent into the excellent Man of Steel and BVS which you can see with his slick visuals and honest portrait with sincere feelings on what would happen if an indestructible “alien” came to earth, accurate storylines, as well as easter eggs fans are just now discovering years later, and Whedon wrecked his vision with the very unbalanced Justice League. Added to that, Warner Bros. put all the pressure on Snyder to build the entire DC Cinematic Universe, and that’s not fair. Imagine how much weight that is on your shoulders when Marvel has a full team of talented people working hard together on every movie. This is why all of their films are so successful. Warner finally realized this and brought in directors Patty Jenkins and James Wan to carry on the DC legacy Snyder started. More are coming. Now DC has a team.

All that mumbo jumbo said, the delicious Endgame is made for fans, by fans (the remarkably talented Russo brothers, who made Infinity War, Winter Soldier, and Civil War). This is very important, so pay attention: You must have already seen every single Avenger movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to understand Endgame’s plot, and to appreciate the abundance of jokes and callbacks (there's three hours worth of both) from the previous 21 films. The movie is truly incredible, but the fans who have journeyed with The Avengers since Iron Man in 2008 will love every second of it so hard. I sure did.

So much talent poured their hearts into this film. The Russo brothers did a slack-jawing job with concluding The Avengers’ Infinity Stones story, and Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Karen Gillan, Scarlett Johansson, Renner, and the rest of the team gave their characters' powerful performances you will never forget.

Endgame is not just a remarkable movie; it’s an unforgettable experience. I was wowed, I laughed, I applauded, I cheered, I cried, and I left as the end-credits rolled with a giant smile on my face.

Blu-ray Review

The end is here, but for who? The last time we were with the Avengers, half their time was dusted by ultra-Titan, Thanos. The ones left are pissed and here to finish the game, whatever it takes.

Marvel’s Endgame is probably the most anticipated home releases of the year — it’s well on its away to crushing Avatar to be the top grossing film of all time, and it’s one hell of a movie. At my screening, you could hear the cheers and sniffles from crying.

Depending on the size of your screen, the Blu-ray looks incredible, and with the 7.1 DTS-HD surround sound, you’re getting a bang for your buck. The Russo Brothers made sure to pack this release with as many extra features as the could, including a marvelous deleted scene one that I wish made it into the movie.

One of the best extra features is a featurette called “Remembered Stan Lee.” Grab some tissue when you watch. It will fill you with joy and sadness — Joy that was such a good man and loved his work, sadness because he’s no longer with us. But his legacy isn’t his death, it’s what he gave us, decades of comics which turned into unforgettable movies.

Other features:

— Setting the Tone: Casting Robert Downey Jr.

— A Man Out of Time: Creative Captain America

— Black Widow: Whatever It Takes

— Six Deleted Scenes

— Gag Reel

— The Ruso Brothers” Journey to Endgame

The main issue with Endgame’s release — which is a big one — is the lack of IMAX scenes shown in IMAX. The film was shot with IMAX cameras and intended for IMAX — fill up the screen makes the scenes and characters larger than life. It’s a head scratcher, but this won’t stop fans for clamoring for this on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra Blu-ray.

Still, Endgame is the end of a 12 year, 22-film saga that’s worthy of your collection.

KINO LORBER Presents: THE ANNIHILATORS and TUFF TURF

The below titles release on July 9th.

If John Rambo had little brothers, it would be The Annihilators, and I say that with a bright, shining compliment. When introduced at the beginning of the movie, ever actor’s name is introduced by a machine gun sound. This is the filmmaker’s way of preparing you for some heavy booms about to hit the screen..

At first glance, The Annihilators sounds like a bunch of no goods taking out anyone and everyone, but it’s actually about some Vietnam vets cleaning up the streets in their neighborhood that’s gone bad since they were away saving our country. It’s one of those so bad it’s good movies, and a lot of fun if watch with a group of friends.

The Annihilators is presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.

But The Annihilators HERE.

Tuff Turf is probably one of the coolest movies I’ve ever seen. So cool, it doesn’t need to spell “tough” correctly in the title (or at all). It’s that tuff.

Tuff Turf is directed by Fritz Kiersch (Children of the Corn), and stars James Spader, Robert Downey Jr. in his boom of his acting career and heavy drug use, and a lot of other actors who look and are way too old to be playing a 15-year-olds. This is another 80s cinematic trope — the new guy gets bullied and shows everyone what’s up by the end. Only this movie gets super violent by the end.

But who’s going to turn down a movie from the 80s called TUFF TURF with Spader and a wise-cracking RDJ? “Nobody” is the answer. This movie is worth every penny.

TUFF TURF is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ration with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.

Buy TUFF TURF on Blu-ray HERE.