WHAT'S COMING UP WHERE
SPACE
Nov. 7: "R.E.M.: This is Not a Show." Party like it's 2007 with this R.E.M. concert documentary! Now if only I could get that Spin Doctors documentary I've been dreaming about ...
EVENINGSTAR
Nov. 6: "A Serious Man." The best film of the year moves to Brunswick. God love the Coen Brothers.
PATRIOT NICKELODEON THEATER
Nov. 6: "Coco Before Chanel." Apparently, Coco Chanel was always fashionable. Couture mavens, take note.
Nov. 6: "The Men Who Stare at Goats." Good: Political satire from George Clooney. Better: Jeff Bridges reprising The Dude.
MOVIES AT THE MUSEUM
Nov. 6-8: "The Silence Before Bach." A look at the symbiotic/independent relationship between image and music. Action-packed cinema at its finest!
Ken Burns' "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" recently hit DVD, and if you're like me, you probably had the following thoughts after viewing it:
1. Man, is this footage beautiful.
2. But it does not merit a 12-hour run time. I'd be better off actually going to a park for 12 hours.
3. Maine sorta got the shaft in the telling, didn't it?
There's precious little one can do to address those first two issues, but regarding No. 3 – I have a solution. Well, actually, Frontier Cafe does. Tonight, Frontier will be screening "Protecting the Nature of Maine: Fifty Years of the Natural Resources Council of Maine" at Brunswick's Fort Andross.
This documentary looks like it will pick up where Lord Burns so callously left off. Its focus is twofold: It highlights the major natural preserves in the state, including Acadia National Park and Mount Katahdin, and it interviews Maine citizens and environmentalists about the challenges of maintaining such beauty. Ultimately, the film aims to champion those individuals who fight to protect our parks as much as it showcases the natural charms of such places.
I've written before, decrying Maine's cinematic image as a sylvan wonderland, and I admit it feels a little weird to now spotlight that image. I'd like to deflect all charges of hypocrisy by stating that my environmental preferences overshadow my filmic ones – the planet needs concerned people to look out for it, and anything favoring that agenda deserves support.
"Protecting the Nature of Maine" definitely shares that agenda, and for that, I endorse it. Furthermore, it's a fully homegrown product, produced in the state by local filmmakers, including "NOVA" contributor Veronica Young and Grammy winner Paul Sullivan. You've gotta support the home team.
The documentary screens for free at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m., and will feature refreshments and an accompanying Q&A. Check out the trailer at www.nrcm.org/NRCMfilm.asp, and if you're feeling adventurous, reserve a seat at www.nrcm.org. Anyone who can't make the Thursday screening but wants to see the film should visit the latter link for more information on how to catch screenings.
Best of all, it's only a half-hour long. Take that, Ken Burns!
Josh Katz is a freelance writer who lives in Portland.
Reader comments
Click here to view or add comments on this story
Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form