Moloch

February 10th, 2010  |  by Alive Mind Education  |  published in Film Info, Films M-N, Moloch

Alexander Sokurov’s Moloch, a Russian-German co-production takes place in the spring of 1942. Originally titled “The Mystery of the Mountain,” the film opens with an astonishing shot of a naked Eva Braun (Elena Rufanova) cavorting on the precipice of Hitler’s retreat in the Bavarian Alps. Hitler is portrayed by Leonid Mosgovoi and the focus of the characters over the course of a single day is not an attempt at psychology but rather a portrait of the people living in an elaborate theater of war, shot in part in the original fortress. There are no sounds of battle but an eerie beauty and surreal graininess to the film that shows that the only thing that Hitler has on his mind is winning: “If I win, everyone will worship me. But if I lose, even the lowest nobody will use me as a doormat.”
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


“…like nothing you’ve ever seen before on film…”
– The Guardian
 
“…lurid without being commercial…”
– J. Hoberman, The Village Voice
 
“…(Sokurov) breaks all rules on all levels…(creating work that is) unexpectedly fascinating”
- Ingmar Berman
 
“Five stars”
– Jason Anderson, Eye Weekly
 

 
 
Grade Level: Grades 10-12, College and University
Subjects: History, Culture
Copyright: © 2009 Alive Mind Education. All rights reserved.
Set: DVD Only
Total Running Time: 108 minutes
Educational Price: (includes Public Performance Rights)

 
$249.00


Public Library Price (does not include public performance rights): (includes Public Performance Rights)
 
$129.00


    For public exhibition inquiries please contact us for more details!
     


     


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Mythic Journeys

January 25th, 2010  |  by Alive Mind Education  |  published in Film Info, Films M-N, Mythic Journeys

With gorgeous stop-motion animation and enlightening interviews, Mythic Journeys seeks to reclaim the power of myth, which is the reservoir of human wisdom. The filmmakers gained access to Deepak Chopra and other spiritual leaders for a rich and stimulating dialogue, which is woven in with the astonishing puppetry of Brian and Wendy Froud (The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth). Using the voices of Tim Curry (Rocky Horror Picture Show), Mark Hamill (Star Wars), and Lance Henriksen (Alien), the beautiful animated sequence tell the story of a sorcerer, a king, and a talkative corpse, which acts as a fascinating parable on morality and the limits of perception. Mythic Journeys is thought-provoking, as well as entertaining, and skeptics and believers alike will find it refreshingly inspirational.
 
 
 
 


Mythic Journeys Product Information
 
Grade Level: College and University
Subjects: Culture, Spirituality
Copyright: © Alive Mind Education 2010
Set: DVD Only
Total Running Time:
90 minutes

Educational Prices:
 
add to  cartEducational with Public Performance Rights: $249.00
 
 
 
add to  cartEducational without Public Performance Rights: $129.00
 
 
 
 
Note: If you are unable to pay via PayPal, please contact info@alivemindeducation.com or call us at 212-398-3112 to order this title.

For public exhibition inquiries please contact us for more details!
 


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Nobody’s Perfect

January 18th, 2010  |  by Alive Mind Education  |  published in Film Info, Films M-N, Nobody's Perfect

In the late 1950s and early 60s, more than 10,000 children were born with deformities due to the use of Thalidomide, a drug used in sedatives. Filmmaker Niko von Glasow was one of the victims, and in Nobody’s Perfect he tracks down 11 others who suffered the disastrous side-effects.

Niko is recruiting them to pose nude for a book of photographs, to give the ever- present gawkers a good, long look. He especially wants the executives at Grünenthal, the pharmaceutical company that produced the drug, to see the result of their crimes. He ends up stalking his way into their offices like a German Michael Moore, confronting them with images of their misdeeds.

The children of Thalidomide are the heart of the film, though, as they battle their body-image issues with courage and dark humor, while pursuing their diverse and successful careers. They are painters, champion horse-riders, actors, and astrophysicists, an inspiring group who overcame incredible odds to become extraordinary people.
 
 

“..if you’re up for spending 84 sugar-free minutes in the company of a dozen thoughtful, funny, and profoundly resourceful grown-ups, this is your doc.”
Cliff Doerksen, Chicago Reader


 
 


Nobody’s Perfect Product Information
 
Grade Level: College and University
Subjects: Culture
Copyright: © Alive Mind Education 2010
Set: DVD Only
Total Running Time:
84 minutes

Educational Prices:
 
add to  cartEducational with Public Performance Rights: $249.00
 
 
 
add to  cartEducational without Public Performance Rights: $129.00
 
 
 
Note: If you are unable to pay via PayPal, please contact info@alivemindeducation.com or call us at 212-398-3112 to order this title.

For public exhibition inquiries please contact us for more details!
 


In the opening scene of this elegant work, German filmmaker Niko von Glasow is asked by his young son why he never goes swimming with him. His answer is that he is self-conscious about his “funny little arms.” von Glasow is a Thalidomider with severely shortened, disfigured arms. He explains that if he could pose nude for the camera it might help him overcome his shyness, and he would then feel comfortable enough to accompany his son to the pool. When he asks his son why he thinks his father would do this, his son’s reply is, “To reveal yourself.” While the young boy may have meant it quite literally, it defines the essence of Nobody’s Perfect.

von Glasow asks twelve other Thalidomiders to pose nude for photos that will become a public art exhibit, a book and a calendar. As the project progresses and each person is introduced, their stories unfold in a straightforward, candid, and very tender fashion. They are from all walks of life, both men and women, and their experiences living with their disabilities are just as varied. When von Glasow converses with them about the photo shoot and their reactions to posing nude, most are not concerned with baring their misshapen limbs, but with the parts of their bodies that most middle age folks would rather not have the world see unclothed – stomachs, hips, and thighs. von Glasow interviews each candidate, and the various aspects of living as a Thalidomider emerge including everything from routine functions such as cooking or cleaning to intimate relationships. Many have suffered deep emotional wounds over the years, but the most touching stories are those that involve their mothers. What happened on the day they were born? How did their parents deal with their disability? Were their mother’s angry with them?

As each person’s viewpoint is brought to light, a complete picture begins to gel with the inclusion of von Glasow’s desire to confront the Grunenthal company—the pharmaceutical firm that made Thalidomide. The drug was used as an anti-anxiety medication that did not have the side effects of other drugs at the time. However, as Kim, one of the women in the film and an activist for Thalidomiders in Britain discloses, Grunenthal knew that the drug caused birth defects and it was often labeled “monster maker.” In Britain Grunenthal was found negligent, and Thalidomide sufferers there won a settlement. As his young son foretold in the opening scene, von Glasow uses the photo project to reveal the world of Thalidomiders in Germany to the Grunenthal company and to the public; to reveal the subjects’ struggles with their disabilities; and to reveal his inner conflicts to himself. The closing scene of von Glasow enjoying a day at the beach with his son depicts the resolution of his inner turmoil. He has completed his mission.

Nobody’s Perfect is successful on many levels. The filmmaking is superb, the subjects are engaging, and the message is multi-faceted. von Glasow is masterful at getting to the root of his subjects’ opinions in a very sensitive and gentle way—their conversations fluid and effortless. The film is a bit long for classroom use, and is so absorbing it might be difficult to find a good place to stop. However, it deserves wide use at the college and university level and will find a home in library collections supporting health sciences, particularly disability studies, psychology, and rehabilitation, as well as collections in law, corporate crime, and activism.

-Educational Media Reviews Online


Video Librarian Review May/June 2010
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 4 Stars - Recommended!

At a time when adverse medical side effects have led to the removal of many pharmaceuticals from the commercial market, Niko Von Glasow’s documentary reminds us of the most notorious example of a dangerous prescription drug. Thalidomide, marketed during the 1950s and ’60s as a non-addictive sedative, caused severe birth defects when taken by pregnant women, with one estimate suggesting that some 10,000 children died or were disfigured. NoBody’s Perfect features 12 of the victims—including Von Glasow himself, whose arms are only several inches long, although his hands are of normal size. The narrative is structured around the filmmaker’s project to persuade 11 other “Thalidomiders” to join him in posing for nude or semi-nude photographs for use in a book and a public art exhibit, with the purpose of helping others become more sensitized to such deformities through the images. Von Glasow also tries to contact the current chief executive of the family-owned Grünenthal company, which manufactured thalidomide but has never issued a formal apology or contributed to the payments the victims receive from the German government. But most of the footage revolves around Von Glasow’s conversations with other survivors and members of their families (including the director’s young son), who talk about their often painful experiences and express their hopes and fears. While that might sound like a recipe for a depressing documentary, NoBody’s Perfect is anything but—it’s a poignant film that also offers warmth, humor, and a touch of righteous anger. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)


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Meditate and Destroy - NEW RELEASE!

May 7th, 2009  |  by Alive Mind Education  |  published in Films M-N, Meditate and Destroy


Meditate and Destroy profiles the persona who quite possibly represents America’s most unexpected Buddhist: former punk rocker and juvenile delinquent Noah Levine, bestselling author of the book Dharma Punx. As a teenager, Levine was mired in an abyss of violence, drug and alcohol abuse – and criminal detention. When he hit bottom, attempting suicide in juvenile jail in the late 80’s, Levine received a phone call from his father who instructed him how to take baby steps toward initiating meditation practice. Knowing that he either need to die or to change, Levine tested meditation and felt a glimmer of freedom from his intense suffering. Today, Levine is a respected teacher and figure in what is perhaps the most unconventional Buddhist community in the country: the “Dpunx Nation.” Staking claim to his egalitarian urban vision, Levine states that “Buddhism is not just for hippies anymore” as he reaches out to a new generation of youths who are turning to meditation as they seek a departure from their lives of drugs, violence and crime. In major cities throughout America, these unlikely Buddhists find comfort – and affinity – in Levine’s approach. Today, New York, Hollywood, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Boulder and Portland all host regular Dharma Punx-inspired meditation groups that allow punks to develop their own awareness on a deep level while retaining their edge and individuality.

Meditate and Destroy is the definitive documentary film about the Dharma Punx nation, its roots and continued expansion in U.S. cities.


Meditate and Destroy Product Information

Grade Level: Grades 10-12, College and University
Subjects: Religion and Spirituality, Eastern Teachings & Thought
Language: English

Copyright: © 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Set: 1 Disc
Total Running Time: 81 minutes
UPC Number: 718122566372
Catalog Number: ALV-DV-38
ISBN Number: 0-9822536-2-1
Educational Prices:

 
add to  cartEducational with Public Performance Rights: $249.00
 
 

add to  cartEducational without Public Performance Rights: $129.00
 
 

 
 
 

For public exhibition inquiries please contact us for more details!


Educational Media Reviews Online September 9, 2009
Meditate and Destroy

Rating: Highly Recommended!

Meditate and Destroy provides Buddhist punk author (Against the Stream, Dharma Punx) and provocateur Noah Levine a visual platform on which to expound on his dramatic conversion from turbulent anti-parent, anti-hippy, and aggressively self-destructive teen rebel and repeat offender to a national punk-culture spokesperson for meditative practice and 12-step recovery. Director Sarah Fisher uses concise editing and splicing of animation, punk visual culture, music, and Santa Cruz, California, urban street life to paint an effective tableau of the modern saha world that attracts and feeds violence for the sake of violence, crime, and substance abuse for a significant sub-culture of bored and rebellious youth.

Subject Noah is not only a son of practicing Buddhist parents (thus automatically rejecting their spiritual commitment), but also a product of a late 20th century media culture, and he is clearly engaged and comfortable in front of the director’s camera, as well as a natural and engaging public speaker. His closest punk-culture peers expound considerable reverence on camera for Noah’s leadership and vision, inspired by him in both their most destructive adolescent behaviors and his leadership in moving them out of the self-destructive wasteland and into meditation. Noah finds in his own tapping of the twin tools of meditative practice and a 12-step recovery the compassion to lead his peers toward a purposeful existence, yet carefully maintaining his punk-culture credentials and spiritual independence.

The use of Noah as his own narrator and his eloquent punk-culture peers as authentic spokespersons is a very effective documentary technique. Noah’s punk friends are visually salient, offering calm monologues that alternate with the more frenetic music of Santa Cruz punk bands. Noah, his parents, his parole officer, and his Buddhist mentor Jack Kornfeld all have calm and unique perspectives on Noah’s suffering, and the core Buddhist principles of suffering and release from suffering are woven throughout the video. For urban sociologists, the inner-city violence and substance abuse culture of the late 1980’s is described in stark terms by Noah, his parents, his peers, counselors, and law enforcement officers.

The use of Second Life virtual character animated sequences to portray the most physically dangerous moments of Noah’s incarceration, complete with self-inflicted injuries, is quite effective, offering a non-destructive yet viscerally disturbing substitution for typical re-enacted violence, effectively combined with Noah’s own narration.

Noah describes his meditative rebirth as a spiritual revolution, and Noah’s punk acolytes confirm on camera that Noah’s liberation from suffering and pain has inspired their own meditative experiment. The newly restored trust and respect with his parents, particularly his father Stephen Levine, allows the reemergence of family respect. Patricia Washko, Noah’s mom, also provides authentic memories of her son’s youthful alienation and sadness that has been transformed into compassion and commitment. Noah has become a Buddhist activist on mission, an unabashed iconoclast, challenging negativity and strife with meditation and youth counseling, while maintaining his authentic punk credentials and a free-pass to re-enter the rebellious turbulence of the punk scene. The film’s loud punk soundtrack and belligerent sequences such as mosh pits provides a visual and aural authentic ambience. The film also includes Noah speaking to young persons in locked-down educational settings for troubled youth, and it is remarkable to see this style of group counseling (Noah has earned a degree in Counseling) and encouraging young people to consider meditation as their own form of self-affirming rebellion.

Highly recommended for supervised or moderated viewing at institutions for troubled or incarcerated youth, sociology classes covering punk-culture, and classes on comparative religion.


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Nollywood Babylon

March 19th, 2009  |  by Alive Mind Education  |  published in Film Info, Nollywood Babylon

NOLLYWOOD BABYLON chronicles the wild world of “Nollywood,” a term coined in the early ‘90s to describe the world’s fastest-growing national cinema, surpassed only by its Indian counterpart. The film delves first-hand into Nigeria’s explosive homegrown movie industry, where Jesus and voodoo vie for screen time. Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen, known in Lagos as “Da Governor,” is one of the most influential men in Nollywood. Undeterred by miniscule budgets, Da Governor is one of a cadre of resourceful filmmakers creating a garish, imaginative, and wildly popular form of B-movie that has frenzied fans begging for more. Among the bustling stalls of Lagos’s Idumato market, films are sold, and budding stars are born. Creating stories that explore the growing battle between traditional mysticism and modern culture, good versus evil, witchcraft and Christianity, Nollywood auteurs have mastered a down-and-dirty, straight-to-video production formula that has become the industry standard in a country plagued by poverty. This burgeoning Nigerian film industry is tapping a national identity where proud Africans are telling their own stories to a public hungry to see their lives on screen. Peppered with outrageously juicy movie clips and buoyed by a rousing score fusing Afropop and traditional sounds, NOLLYWOOD BABYLON celebrates the distinctive power of Nigerian cinema as it marvels in the magic of movies.
 
 


 


 
Nollywood Babylon Product Information
 

Grade Level: Grades 10-12, College and University
Subjects:
Arts, Culture, Cinema Studies, International Studies
Language:
English
Copyright:
© 2008 AM Pictures/National Film Board of Canada. All Rights Reserved.
Set: DVD Only
Total Running Time:
TBA
ISBN-10: TBA
Educational Prices:

add to  cartEducational with Public Performance Rights: $249.00
 
 
add to  cartEducational without Public Performance Rights: $129.00
 
 
 

For public exhibition inquiries please contact us for more details!
 


Additional Information

 


Reviews

“Infectious”
-LA Times

“Irresistible”
-Film Threat

“A fantastic documentary exploring the unknown side of the cinematographic planet.”
-Twitch

“Incredible…think sex, love, betrayal, fire, brimstone, people being transformed into animals.”
-Hour

“Don’t miss it!”
-Montreal Mirror

“Cheers to the filmmakers…for going beyond a look at Lagos as the Wild West of cinema to offer unexpected insights, not always sunny, into the economic and social forces that created and continue to sustain Nollywood.”
-IFC.com

“A stand out doc!”
-Playback

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9 Star Hotel

March 13th, 2009  |  by Alive Mind Education  |  published in 9 Star Hotel, Film Info, Films C-D

This unflinching documentary follows Ahmed and Muhammad, two of the many Palestinians who illegally cross the border into the Israeli city of Modi’in looking for work. Together they share food, belongings and stories, and live under the constant threat of imprisonment from soldiers and police. With raw, handheld images, this disconcerting yet touching film documents friendship, nostalgia and the uncompromising urge to survive.



 


 

9 Star Hotel Product Information
 
Grade Level: Grades 10-12, College and University
Subjects: International Studies
Copyright: © 2007 KOCH Lorber Films, LP. All rights reserved.
Set: DVD Only
Total Running Time:
78 minutes + DVD Extras
UPC Number: 741952311690
Catalog Number: KLF-DV-3116
ISBN Number: 1-4172-0132-0
Educational Prices: (includes Public Performance Rights)

  • College / University: $249.00

  • Library / High School: $129.00

  • Note: If you are unable to pay via PayPal, please contact info@alivemindeducation.com or call us at 212-398-3112 to order this title.

For public exhibition inquiries please contact us for more details!

 


Reviews

“FASCINATING…draws us into the precarious world
of young Palestinian construction workers scrabbling to survive.”
- The New York Times

“…possesses a brutal immediacy, unfolding like a Middle Eastern Grapes of Wrath.”
- Time Out NY

“4 Stars!…speaks volumes, not just about life
in contemporary Israel, but in the U.S. as well.”
- TVGuide.com

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Nathalie

March 12th, 2009  |  by Alive Mind Education  |  published in Film Info, Nathalie

Upon discovering that her husband is having an affair, Catherine (Fanny Ardant), a typical Parisian bourgeois wife, hires a prostitute named Marléne (Emmanuelle Béart) to seduce her husband under the alias “Nathalie” and report back to her. A strange bond develops between the two women and soon Catherine enters an eye-opening world completely different from her own that changes her forever. This film offers thought-provoking insight into female psychology and sexuality.
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 


 
Nathalie Product Information
 
Grade Level: College and University
Subjects: Women’s Studies, Gender, Identity & Sexuality
Copyright: © 2003 STUDIOCANAL, D.D. PRODUCTIONS, FRANCE 2 CINEMA. All rights reserved.
Language: French with English Subtitles
Set: DVD Only
Total Running Time:
105 minutes + DVD extras
ISBN-10: 1-4172-0093-6
Educational Prices: (includes Public Performance Rights)

 

  • College / University: $249.00
  •  

  • Library / High School: $129.00
  •  
    Note: If you are unable to pay via PayPal, please contact info@alivemindeducation.com or call us at 212-398-3112 to order this title.

For public exhibition inquiries please contact us for more details!


Reviews

“…as a rather naughty slice of erotica it works brilliantly…”
-BBC

“A gem. Impeccably acted.”
-Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

“A sizzling exploration.”
-The Village Voice

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Muriel

March 12th, 2009  |  by Alive Mind Education  |  published in Film Info, Muriel

Delphine Seyrig gives an award-winning performance in this hauntingly brilliant masterpiece by Alain Resnais (Last Year at Marienbad). A widow’s life becomes all the more complicated when she is reunited with a former lover. Meanwhile, her troubled stepson struggles to come to terms with the atrocities he witnessed as a soldier during the Algerian War.
 


 
 
 
 

 


 
Muriel Product Information
 
Grade Level: College and University
Subjects: Women’s Studies
Copyright: © 1963 Argos Films. All rights reserved.
Set: DVD Only
Total Running Time:
112 minutes + DVD Extras
Languages: French with English Subtitles
ISBN-10: 1-4172-0122-3
Educational Prices: (includes Public Performance Rights)

 

  • College / University: $249.00
  •  

  • Library / High School: $129.00
  •  
    Note: If you are unable to pay via PayPal, please contact info@alivemindeducation.com or call us at 212-398-3112 to order this title.

For public exhibition inquiries please contact us for more details!


Additional Information
 


Reviews

“A subtle, precise, and wrenching film.”
-Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

“[an] absorbing exercise in style by Director Alain Resnais, master hand of the new French cinema.”
-Time Magazine

“bold and complex…[a] masterpiece”
-Elliott Stein, Seattle Weekly

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Macbeth

February 5th, 2009  |  by Alive Mind Education  |  published in Film Info, Films I-L, Macbeth


The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Macbeth has been lauded as the finest production of Shakespeare’s Scottish play for over a quarter of a century. In 2000, it played to packed houses in Stratford, London, and theatres abroad.

All twenty actors from the original production, including Antony Sher and Harriet Walter, star in this compelling screen version of Gregory Doran’s original stage production. Cleverly reconceived for the camera, and brilliantly shot at London’s Roundhouse, Macbeth was filmed in a gritty style using the edgy techniques of fly-on-the wall documentaries. Doran says, “Macbeth is, in many ways, the most filmic of Shakespeare’s plays with its short, quick-fire scenes and its hurtling, dynamic momentum. In the film I tried to capture its raw energy and dangerous intimacy.”
 
 
 
 


 
Macbeth Product Information

Grade Level: College and University
Subjects: Literature, Drama
Set: DVD Only
Copyright: © 2001 Royal Shakespeare Company. All rights reserved.
Total Running Time:
172 minutes
Educational Prices: (includes Public Performance Rights)
 
NOTE: This film is in PAL Region 0, which will play on most computers and some standard North American DVD players.
 

  • College / University: $249.00

  • Library / High School: $129.00

    • Note: If you are unable to pay via PayPal, please contact info@alivemindeducation.com or call us at 212-398-3112 to order this title.

    For public exhibition inquiries please contact us for more details!
     


    Reviews

    “A harrowing and disturbingly funny parable for the dawn of the 21st century.”
    -The New York Times

    “The best television Shakespeare I have ever seen.”
    -Daily Mail

    This adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth was done on stage by the Royal Shakespeare Company in London to sold-out crowds, prompting the group to compile a screen version of the drama with most of the original cast. The DVD includes interviews with the main characters and the director, along with a discussion of the drama itself. Macbeth is a fairly horrific drama, not just due to content but also on staging, given the amount of death and blood that can be brought out by any director. This one is no exception, as Macbeth loses his mind and the play draws to its bloody conclusion. Modern audiences will be drawn to the contemporary setting, unless one is a classicist of Shakespearean drama.

    -Educational Media Reviews Online

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Mystical Brain

January 15th, 2009  |  by Alive Mind Education  |  published in Mystical Brain

Is it possible to shed light on the states of grace experienced by mystics and meditators? Mystical Brain shows us the most recent discoveries of scientific research on this phenomenon in North America and abroad.
 
It seems that mystical ecstasy is a profoundly transformative experience. It could contribute to people’s psychic and bodily health, treat depression and speed up the healing process in patients who combine meditation with conventional medicine.
 
A guided tour of the depths of the human spirit, Mystical Brain is a fascinating documentary that breaks new ground on the intersection of science and spirituality.
 
 
 
 
 



Mystical Brain Product Information
Grade Level: Grades 10-12, College and University
Subjects:
Psychology, Mental Health, Eastern Teachings
Copyright: © 2007
Set: DVD Only
Total Running Time:
52 minutes
ISBN-10: 0-9822536-1-3
Educational Prices:

 
add to  cartEducational with Public Performance Rights: $189.00
 
 

add to  cartEducational without Public Performance Rights: $89.00
 
 

 
 
 
For public exhibition inquiries please contact us for more details!


 


Video Librarian Review May-June 2009 on Mystical Brain
Rating: 3 out of 4 Stars - Recommended!

Philosophical, theological, and scientific questions are raised in Mystical Brain, this fascinating National Film Board of Canada-produced documentary from director Isabella Raynauld, which follows the efforts of North American neurobiologists investigating how the brain reacts during prayer and meditation. In one study, two researchers at the University of Montreal persuade several contemplative Carmelite nuns to undergo scientific tests to try to localize and measure the impact of the mystical experience on their brains. A similar project (although with different techniques) follows a team at the University of Wisconsin working with Buddhist monks, including a translator for the Dalai Lama. Both scientists and subjects feel that the research does not endanger the spiritual experience but rather may aid in our understanding of it—a point driven home in a conference featuring the Dalai Lama, a Cistercian monk, and scientists. Meanwhile, another university researcher is shown here experimenting with a device known as the “God helmet,” which aims to replicate the physiological effects of religious belief on the brain without what the researcher calls the potentially destructive impulses associated with doctrine and dogma. A single documentary obviously can’t resolve fundamental questions about the nature of the soul and the Cartesian mind-body dichotomy, but this one does offer a fascinating look at such profound matters without ever becoming either heavy-handed or dismissive. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)

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"The film juxtaposes footage ....with discussions of “soul force,” defined as the spiritually-motivated, nonviolent forms of resistance associated with Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., among others. A solid discussion starter, Fierce Light is recommended."
-Video Librarian September/October 2009

"...The Gates makes clear that a lot of folk found Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s Central Park enterprise both beautiful and moving. Recommended.
-Video Librarian September/October 2009

"Narcissistic or not, the breakthroughs experienced by some of the participants seem real enough, although Morgan neglects to disclose how much individuals paid for the privilege. The Workshop is recommended for academic human sexuality studies."
-Video Librarian September/October 2009