Every Little Step (Film)

This past fall I saw Pioneer Theater Company's production of 'Chorus Line'. It was my first time seeing the musical that tells the stories of Broadway dancers awaiting their big break. 'Every Little Step' is a documentary about the casting of the 2006 Broadway revival of 'Chorus Line'. The film also tells the back story of how the musical initially came together weaving audio and video footage into the narrative. Three thousand dancers showed up to audition for the revival. Several dancers were followed through the audition process. It's a fascinating look into the physically grueling and rejection filled world of a dancer. 'Every Little Step' is available on DVD.

Sita Sings the Blues

I've been perusing many of the ubiquitous 'best of' lists for books and movies over the holiday and keeping track of those that I want to see and read. My Netflix queue is once again ridiculously long and my 'to read' bookshelf on Goodreads is intimidatingly full.

In my web travels this weekend, I discovered that the animated film, Sita Sings the Blues, which has been buried on my Netflix queue is available online in its entirety here. While you are on filmmaker Nina Paley's website, be sure to spend a little time checking it out, she strikes me as a very interesting woman. I've added her blog to my RSS feed. You can check out the movie trailer below.



Nina Paley's cathartic rendition of the Hindu tale of Rama and Sita parallels the demise of her marriage. The film features several styles of animation while interweaving the two stories. The music of jazz legend Annette Hanshaw provides an additional layer of narrative to the film. I'm thrilled to discover Hanshaw's music. I'm a fan of this genre and can't believe that I didn't know of her before watching the film. This is one of my favorite Hanshaw songs from the movie.



I loved the movie. I found the animation style charming and appreciated Paley's novel approach to combining seemingly unrelated content (Hindu story, 1920s jazz, and her personal heartbreak) into one cohesive whole. Plus, it's free. You really don't have an excuse to not at least check it out for yourself.

The Garden

A 2008 documentary, The Garden follows the incredible story of the urban South Central Farmers (in Los Angeles) struggle against back room city hall deals and shady developers to preserve their community garden. The South Central Farmers had been farming the land and feeding their families on 14 acres encircled by warehouses, with the downtown skyline in sight. Their struggle drew the attention of celebrities and activists alike.

I love documentary films and this one was very engaging, despite the emotional rollercoaster the farmers faced within the legal system. The film was nominated for an Oscar in January 2009. This film is available here on Netflix (you can also be watched instantly on Netflix if you don't want to wait for them to mail the DVD to you).