Published August 4, 2010
The treacherous terrain of the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan is regarded throughout the U.S. military as one of the most dangerous posts an American soldier can be assigned. Long-time war journalists Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Jungermake their directing debuts with a documentary that follows Second Platoon, Battle Company of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, as they struggle through a one-year deployment in this hostile land. Restrepo, which took the Grand Jury Prize at this year’sSundance Film Festival, focuses on a remote 15-man outpost that the platoon named in honor of their medic, PFC Juan “Doc†Restrepo, who was killed in action. From 150 hours of footage shot over ten months — combat, boredom, humor, terror, labor and death — comes 94 minutes of life at war. CL’s Tim Sukits conducted phone interviews with the two co-directors of the documentary, which opens at Burns Court Cinema this Fri., Aug. 6.
How did this whole project get underway?
Hetherington: “Well, Sebastian had the idea to follow a platoon of soldiers. He was interested in the G.I.s in [Second Platoon, Battle Company] and so he met that platoon in Kabul and they were going to Korengal. He talked to me about it and we teamed up and went up there, so it was pretty organic. We initially went together then we started to tag team it, so each of us had different times.†(more…)
Category: Creative Loafing
-
Textbook example: Tim Sukits wades into the battle between Rich Swier and the Sarasota County School Board
Published July 28, 2010
I approach the Sarasota County Schools building a bit after 3 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20 to see a handful of people in front passing out white T-shirts with green lettering that reads “Choose History, not His-Story.†As I pass through the foyer and enter the meeting room I spot about three dozen people wearing those shirts, scattered throughout a packed house of roughly 200. Sarasota County School Board Chair Shirley Brown helps her six-year-old grandson use a microphone to open the meeting with a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.
The stage is set for the day’s main event. Dr. Richard Swier, editor of local conservative blog Red County, will have his chance to appeal the decision of a district advisory committee that denied his “request for reconsideration of instructional material,â€Â a formal complaint originally filed on April 25. Swier sought to have the textbook World History: Patterns of Interaction removed from the school curriculum, believing that it unfairly favors the religion of Islam over Christianity. (more…) -
Diamond in the rough: The producers of Beautiful Noise are making Suncoast film production a top priority
Published July 21, 2010
Visit beautifulnoisethemovie.com for more more information.
When Steve Tatone hit his 50th birthday after a successful 30-year career as a concert promoter, he decided to take his life in a different direction. He had always had an itch to make movies, but had never taken the time. “I knew that at that age the only way I could break into the industry was through writing,†he says. “So I took a year and literally broke away from my fairly lucrative promotion business.†That one year turned into five and Tatone will soon see his second script, a true story of rise, fall and redemption based on a Boston Bruins hockey star from the ’70s named Derek Sanderson, released as a $25 million Hollywood production.
Not bad for a first attempt at screenwriting. But it’s Tatone’s current production, a contemporary musical called Beautiful Noise, that is lining up to be highly beneficial for Sarasota. That’s the result of another decision: “I was walking the beach and it just came to me — ‘Why not make it yourself?’ So, I decided then and there we’re going to start our company and I don’t care if I have to shoot it with my little Panasonic or if I can find people to help me make it into a bigger thing, I’m going to make this movie and all the movies I write here.†(more…) -
Publisher’s clearing house: Even with a drop in book sales, local authors still strive to get their work in the hands of readers
Published June 23, 2010 The Suncoast has a lot of the usual components that writers look for when searching for a place to hunker down and break their writer’s block: pleasant weather, ocean views and a solid community of other writers to edit, critique and discuss their works. But getting your ramblings and rantings in print form, or that first novel in the hands of the masses, can be a difficult endeavor for both novice and experienced authors. That’s one area where Sarasota can offer more help than just a good working environment, but the classic advice to authors everywhere still holds true — don’t quit your day job. There are two types of publishing companies. Traditional publishers choose authors whose books they think will sell, usually footing most of the bills for printing costs, cover design, publicity and distribution, then taking the lion’s share of the profits from each book. Non-traditional publishers offer services that authors pay for and are usually reserved for the rejection letter-weary or those looking for a guide in their self-publishing escapades. (more…) -
On the world stage: Acting troupes from 11 countries make their way to Venice for the 2010 International Theatre Festival
Published June 16, 2010 American Association of Community Theatre’s 2010 International Theatre Festival June 22-27, Venice Theatre, 140 W. Tampa Ave., Venice, 488-1115 or venicestage.com/international, $230 for the entire event, $75 for single day passes including access to performances, workshops and parties, $25 show tickets for a block of three one-hour performances, visit website for more information. Every four years the American Association of Community Theatre holds a gathering of community and amateur theatres from all over the world to join for a week of cultural exchange in celebration of performance art. The site chosen for AACT International 2010 is our very own Venice Theatre, where 11 countries will showcase the traditional theatrical styles of their respective homelands. Appropriately dubbed “Festival in Paradise,†the event will host workshops, seminars and parties throughout the week. The festival will feature productions from Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Spain and Zimbabwe, with the United States being represented by yet another local, The Players Theatre, with their highly acclaimed production of The Who’s Tommy. We asked some of the theatre aficionados making their way to Venice from far and wide about their community theatres and their expectations for the festival: (more…) -
Cheap trick: A business model tailor-made for economic recession has allowed the Sarasota Guitar Company to thrive in a hurry
Published June 2, 2010
The case of Sarasota Guitar Company is a textbook example of how to launch a business in a tough economy. First, find a way to provide products for a fraction of your competitor’s prices. Next, give your customers everything they could possible ask for, before they even ask for it. And finally, watch the money start pouring in.
Selling guitars out of a 10-foot by 10-foot booth at the Red Barn Flea Market last year, Sarasota Guitar Company owner Scott Cook could never have imagined what his business would look like today. In December he decided to take a chance in a highly unstable economy and opened a 900-square-foot retail store at 4333 South Tamiami Trail, Suite A. Fortunately, Cook was armed with a brilliant concept, which is why last Thursday, less than six months after opening, he moved two doors down to Suite C, effectively doubling his retail space.
Cook’s golden idea was to sell factory-second guitars — instruments with small imperfections that guitar companies deem, for one reason or another, unworthy to sell at suggested retail prices. “Basically it’s a factory-second with a small blemish on it, and they’re cosmetic, nothing physical, so the guitars play correctly,†says Cook. “Sometimes we can’t find anything wrong with them. But because of that they’re saving quite a bit of money — usually anywhere from 50-70 percent off the manufacturers suggested list price.†(more…)