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2026 FIFA World Cup – Group C Focus

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

With the World Cup now expanded to contest 48 teams for the Cup, it will be very hard for one single nation to host. Even long before Qatar hosted in 2022, I thought having a nation as small as Qatar to host was a bad idea. They did host to the best of their abilities and did a good job of it, but I still feel a nation that small is too small to host a World Cup of 32 teams.

For 2030, Spain, Portugal and Morocco will share the hosting duties but there will be a special tribute to the 100th anniversary of the World Cup with Montevideo, Uruguay, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Asuncion, Paraguay staging a single match each for the Centennial celebration. For 2034, it has been stated Saudi Arabia alone will host that World Cup. Can a World Cup of 48 nations be staged in a single nation? That World Cup will be the first test.

In the meantime, here are the participating teams of Group C:

-Brazil (6): It’s not the World Cup without Brazil. They’ve been present all 22 previous World Cups. It’s easy to see why the Selecao Canarinho are one of the most beloved teams in the world. Five World Cups, nine Copa Americas and legendary players like Leonidas, Pele, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. The problem is the last 20 years have not been kind to Brazil. Since their World Cup win in 2002, the best World Cup finish has been fourth when they hosted in 2014. They had three Copa America wins this century but the last Copa America had them out in the quarterfinals. It’s been a common thing with Brazil in the 21st Century: big expectations, a talent-packed team, falling short too soon. Heck, since their embarrassment at the 2014 World Cup, they have gone through five different head coaches!

Although most of the coaching staff are Brazilian, the current head coach of Brazil’s national team is an Italian: Carlo Ancelotti, who has experience in coaching eleven major league teams. Standout players include goalkeeper Alisson who plays for Liverpool, defender and captain Marqinhos who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, midfielder Casemiro who plays for Manchester United, and defenders Neymar and rising talent Vinicius Junior. Their play in the past twelve months have been a set of mixed results. They’ve achieved key wins against Chile, Senegal and Croatia, draws to Ecuador and Tunisia, and notable losses to France and Japan. The 2026 World Cup is another chance for Brazil to achieve their sixth World Cup and they have what it takes to deliver at the occasion.

-Morocco (7): One thing we learned from the last World Cup is do not underestimate the Atlas Lions. They shocked by beating Belgium 2-0 while qualifying from the Group Stage and defeated highly-favored rivals like Spain and Portugal to qualify for the semifinals. They became the first African team to achieve this feat. They also added to their fears the first African team to qualify for the knockout round back in 1986 and the first African team when continental allocations were introduced in 1970.

The team comes strong after winning the last three African Nations Championships and also winning the last African Cup of Nations thanks to a controversy caused by Senegal’s poor sportsmanship in the final. They also have a new head coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, who is the former coach of the national under-23 team. With many of the players under 25, they will be familiar with his coaching style. Top players include goalkeeper Yassine Bounou who was one of the stars of World Cup 2022, defender and captain Achraf Hakimi who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, midfielder Sofyan Ambarat who plays for Spain’s Betis, and striker Ayoub el-Kaabi who plays for Greece’s Olympiacos. Morocco is fortunate they haven’t had a loss in the last twelve months. Their five draws have been against Oman, Mali, Nigeria, Norway and Ecuador. This World Cup offers another chance for Morocco to prove its ability to perform well under the world’s spotlight.

-Haiti (81): Haiti may be the poorest nation in the Americas but they have shown their football prowess at times. Les Grenadiers did win the 1973 CONCACAF Gold Cup and did play at the World Cup of 1974. They have had struggles since such as their last Caribbean Cup win being in 2007 and finishing last in the Group Stage of the most recent CONCACAF Gold Cup. Their qualification for the World Cup is a story of resilience. Their qualification campaign came as their country was going through political turmoil and had to do training and playing home games in Curacao. Just being in the World Cup is enough of an achievement for Haiti.

Their coaching staff is mostly Haitian but their head coach is a Frenchman: Sebastien Migne. Because of the political turmoil in Haiti, Migne has never set foot on Haitian soil. The team has a lot of players under the age of 25. Star players include goalkeeper Johny Placide who plays for France’s Bastia, defender Ricardo Ade, midfielder Leverton Pierre and striker Duckens Nazon who plays for Iran’s Esteghlal. Recent play includes wins against Costa Rica< New Zealand and Nicaragua, draws to Iceland and Trinidad, and losses to the United States, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia. This World Cup can be an opportunity for Haiti to take their football to a new level. Qualifying is already their reward but they could go further than expected during United 2026.

-Scotland (43): Scotland have been to the World Cup eight times before. The Tartan Army hold an unfortunate World Cup record. They have the most World Cup participations without ever making it past the first round! They also have that bad luck at the Euro tournament. It happens each time The team is loaded with talent but it fails to live up to expectations!

The current head coach is Scotsman Steve Clark who has coached since 2020 and it the longest-serving head coach ever for the Scottish national team. Most of the team plays for either England’s Premier League or Scotland’s Premiership. Star players include goalkeeper Craig Gordon, defender and captain Andy Robertson from Liverpool, midfielder John McGinn from Aston Villa, and striker Lyndon Dykes. For their play in the last twelve months, they’ve achieved notable wins against Belarus, Bolivia and Curacao, a win and a draw against Denmark, a win and a loss to Greece and losses to Japan and the Ivory Coast. This World Cup is another chance for Scotland to take their football to another level.

My Qualifier Predictions: I have no problem here predicting the two main qualifiers: Brazil and Morocco. The difficult part is the wildcard prediction. Just remember there will be four third-place teams that won’t qualify. Game stats will decide it all. Nevertheless, I feel Scotland will qualify.

And that’s my look at World Cup groups for now. My look at Group C is complete and I have nine more to go. In my blogs, I won’t just focus on the teams. There’s lots to talk about when the topic is the World Cup!

2026 FIFA World Cup – Group B Focus

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

Never in my lifetime did I think Canada would host a men’s World Cup. We hosted an impressive Women’s World Cup but I figured we really needed to improve our national team big time if we wanted to host a men’s World Cup.

This paragraph is my personal opinion. I am happy that Canada is one of the three host nations but I’m unhappy that only two Canadian cities will stage matches. Toronto and Vancouver are good picks but we could have also added in Edmonton and Montreal. Those two cities have the two biggest stadiums in Canada. Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium and Montreal’s Olympic Stadium can seat just over 56,000. Why weren’t they included?

I’m also unhappy Mexico is only having three cities stage matches. Mexico hosted two previous World Cups and they have good enough venues. The three staging matches are Mexico City’s 87,500-seat Azteca Stadium which was part of Mexico’s two previous World Cups and even hosted matches during the 1968 Summer Olympics. Second is Monterrey’s Estadio BBVA. It’s a modern 53,500-seat stadium that opened to the public in 2015. Third is Guadalajara’s Estadio Akron. This stadium opened in 2010, seats almost 50,000 and was the host venue for the 2011 Pan Amercian Games.

Those wondering about the two Canadian stadiums, Vancouver’s BC Place was opened in 1983 and can seat 54,000. Toronto’s BMO Field was opened in 2007 and can seat 45,000.

Anyways, that’s enough for stadium talk until I focus on the U.S. Now it’s time to focus on the teams of World Cup’s Group B. This is an interesting mix including a present host-nation and the last host nation. Additional irony is one finished last at the last World Cup while the other finished second-last! Enough with the trivia! Here’s my look at Group B:

-Canada (30): To most of the world, Canada is seen as a joke in football. Sure, our women are very good at delivering in major tournaments, but our men are very lackluster. The Canucks have only qualified for two previous World Cups and have lost all their matches. Back in 1986, they didn’t score a single goal. In 2022, they finally scored but still lost all their matches. Much to Canada’s relief, they only finished second-last with hosts Qatar behind them. More on them later. The Canadian men have delivered some noteworthy feats in the past. Fourth at the 2024 Copa America and winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 1985 and 2000. Most recently, they beat the United States for third-place at the CONCACAF Nations League.

Canada has worked hard to build a national team the host nation can be proud of. American Jesse Marsch is the head coach with a mix of other coaches from North America and Europe. The top players of the team are goalkeeper Maxine Crepeau who plays for Orlando City, defender and captain Alphonso Davies who plays for Bayern Munich, midfielder Jonathan Osorio who plays for Toronto FC, and striker Cyle Larin who plays for Southampton. For their play in the last 12 months, their most notable wins are Ukraine, Wales and Uzbekistan. They’ve had notable draws to Colombia, Ireland and Ecuador and their only loss has been to Australia. Chances are Canada can rise to the occasion and deliver a great showing as a host nation!

-Bosnia-Hercegovina (64): If there’s one thing to learn from the qualifying matches, it’s that you should never underestimate Zmajevi or The Dragons. Their road to the World Cup led them to the longer path after they finished second to Austria in their qualifying group. They would have to face Wales and Italy in the playoff berths. In both cases, they drew 1-1 during the game and won on penalty kicks. Never underestimate the power of teams you dismiss as ‘minnows.’ Interesting they’ve never qualified for a Euro but this will be their second World Cup!

Leading the coaching for the team is Bosnia’s Sergej Barbarez. Only two members of Bosnia’s coaching staff are not from Bosnia. Top players for the team include defender Sead Kolasinac who plays for Italy Serie A team Atalanta, midfielder Amir Hadziametovic who plays for Hull City and legendary striker Edin Dzeko. Their play has been notable these past twelve months for resulting in a lot of draws. Their wins may have been to Malta, San Marino and Romania but they’ve achieved draws against more lauded teams like Austria, Panama, Wales, and Italy. The latter two, they had the winning edge in penalty kicks. Chances are it’s here in United 2026 where Bosnia can surprise the world on a big scale!

-Qatar (55): It’s tempting to either feel sorry for The Maroons or laugh at them after the 2022 World Cup. Back in 2022, they achieved three ignominious firsts for a World Cup host nation: first-ever host nation to lose their opening match, first-ever host nation to lose all their Group Stage games, and first-ever host nation to finish dead last! But Qatar showed they can rebound from humiliation.  Back in 2023, they successfully defended their AFC Asian Cup on home soil. For World Cup qualifying, this marks the first time they’ve achieved qualification outside of hosting the last Cup with Almoez Ali being the second-biggest scorer of the qualifiers. No kidding they will be coming here with something to prove.

The current team’s head coach is Spain’s Julen Lopetegui and the majority of its coaching staff is Spanish. All but one of the players play in teams with Qatar’s Stars League. Top players include goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham, defender Boualem Khoukhi, midfielder Abdulaziz Hatem and strikers Hassan al-Haydos and Almoez Ali. The last twelve months have included wins against Iran and the UAE, draws against Bahrain, Oman and Syria, and losses against Ireland, Zimbabwe and Tunisia. North America can be the stage for Qatar to prove their redemption in the football world.

-Switzerland (19): Right now the A-Team or the Nati are hard to describe. Their common World Cup frustration of bombing out in the Round of 16 keeps on happening, like the three previous World Cups. The past two Euros showed some improvement as in those two, the Swiss team won their first knockout match and made it as far as the quarterfinals. It’s a case that the talent is there but it’s a matter of consistent delivering.

The Swiss coaching staff is completely Swiss and the Head Coach Murat Yakin is the same coach from World Cup 2022. Top players include goalkeeper Gregor Kobel who plays for Borussia, defender Ricardo Rodriguez who plays for Spain’s Betiz, legendary midfielder Granit Xhaka who plays for Sunderland and striker Breel Embolo who plays for France’s Rennes. Their play in the last 12 months have been mostly consistent. Their most notable wins include the United States, Mexico and Sweden. They’ve had draws to Slovenia, Australia and Norway and their only loss was to Germany back in March. Chances are here in World Cup 2026, Switzerland can deliver their best finish ever.

My Qualifier Predictions: This is a very different mix of teams. It’s easy for me to make my first pick: Switzerland. My second pick is tough but I will go with Bosnia. I predict Canada to be the wildcard qualifier.

And there is my look at World Cup Group B. Interesting three of the nations are either former or present host nations. More unique group mix-ups to come.

WORK CITED:
“2026 FIFA World Cup.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2026. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup>

Oscars 2025 Shorts Review: Animation and Live-Action

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

Once again, the Oscar short films are back to watch in a reel of the nominees. Over the last few months, I learned there are film festivals either dedicated to short films or show a lot of them and the winners they decide have some impact on deciding the Oscar-nominated films. Here’s my look at this year’s nominated short films in animation and live-action:

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM:

Papillon/Butterfly (dirs. Florence Miailhe and Ron Dyens) – The film begins with an older man named Alfred swimming off the coast. As he swims, his life flashes by. We learn as a child in Algeria, he was too afraid to swim at first but became bolder as he grew up. As a young male in France, Alfred became world class but experienced a lot of anti-Semitism because he was Jewish. He won the affection of a Jewish diver and they had a daughter. He qualified for the Olympics, but it was the 1936 Nazi Olympics in Berlin. The French teammates treated him like a brother. As the years passed, France became more anti-Semitic as they faced pressure of possible invasion, but his teammates were there. During World War II, Alfred and his family were imprisoned during the Holocaust and shipped to Auschwitz. Alfred participated in a resistance movement and miraculously survived. His family was killed. Nevertheless he still was able to live his life and became seen as a swimming mentor on the coast.

This is a story of real-life French Olympic swimmer Alfred Nakache whom the father of director Florence Miailhe used to know. The story is told through a style of animation that looks like painting animate and about with colors. The images are dazzling to see and the colors mix delightfully. It’s an excellent blend of imagery and storytelling. That’s why I make it both my Should Win pick and my Will Win pick.

Forevergreen (dirs. Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears) – A young cub is lost in the woods. His path is broken apart by a valley. He’s lost his mother. A tree decides to lay the role of parent. He shelters him and feeds him. He treats the cub as if he’s his own. The tree, who I will call Father Tree, also plants a pine cone in front of the cub and promises him it will grow up to be a big tree like him. As the cub grows, he turns into an impatient teenage jerk and is unhappy with the slow growth of the pinecone. He even shows sass to Father Tree. One day, he decides he’s a grown bear and leaves Father Tree to go across to the other side of the valley. There, he meets other young bears like him and has fun eating up other people’s garbage. Unfortunately, he accidentally starts a forest fire. All the bears run away and his life is in danger. Fortunately father tree creates a bridge of himself allowing the bear to cross. Unfortunately, Father Tree dies in the blaze. He sees baby tree has grown up into a full tree. There he’s able to create a home for his wife and children.

It’s a charming story based off a bible verse done to stop-motion animation. The stop motion isn’t as smooth but it adds to the charm to the film as is a delight to watch. The story is charming and entertaining from start to finish. It does seem more like it’s aimed for young children but some adults can take a delight in this tory and the imagery.

The Girl Who Cried Pearls/La jeune fille qui pleurait des perles (dirs. Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski) – An elderly man tells a young girl his story as a child in old Montreal. He was an orphan child who found shelter in the room of a store. The room was right across from another room a family lived in. The family situation was terrible as the father was mentally ill and the mother was verbally abusive. It was especially terrible for the young daughter. One day, the boy noticed loose pearls coming from the room. How did they come? He learned the girl cries pearls. He takes two of the pearls to the pawn shop. The pawner suspects him to be a thief. The rabbi he consults uses the Genesis story of Eve crying pearls. The pawner reluctantly accepts and gives the boy two dollars. The most he’s seen. The pawner wants him to get more pearls, but that will mean seeing the girl cry more. He doesn’t want to but the greedy pawner is angry with his sentiments. He’s able to win her love by buying her chocolate and promise her a trip to Paris. Then one day, her father is killed by a streetcar. She cries endlessly and its able to give him enough pearls to give him hundreds of dollars. As he leaves for Paris, he notices a ship crate from Japan breaking and fake pearls spilling out. As it goes back to the old man, he tells her it’s about the story rather than the object. That causes her to question the truthfulness of it all.

This is another stop motion animation film. This film from the National Film Board Of Canada is more about telling a story artistically. Narrated by Colm Feore, the story is told through the magic of its images. Though the figures appear coarsely done, it’s part of the art. The endearing story is mixed with the charming images and makes the story a delight to see from start to finish.

Retirement Plan (dirs. John Kelly and Andrew Freedman) – A young man talks about his plan for retirement. He visualizes and talks of all the things he will catch up on. Lots of things undone. He visualizes also the things he will leave behind in the process. He visualizes all the life goals he plans to achieve before he dies. He also visualizes some of the plans he has for his afterlife! Including a haunting or two!

Narrated by Domnhall Gleeson, this film plays out in what appears to be coarsely-drawn two dimensional images but the coarse drawing is part of the film’s charm. As the man talks of his plans, all the images play out of his desires, shortcomings and fantasies. It’s both charming and humorous to watch. Despite it being a brief film, it makes for a nice film to enjoy.

The Three Sisters (dir. Konstantin Bronzit) – Three sisters live on a remote island with their own separate rooms to their house. They get a delivery of food and money on a Sunday but most of it is either eaten by the seagulls and the money is accidentally lost in the deep water. One sister, the shortest, decides to rent her room out to make the money back. On the Monday, an uncooked sailor arrives to make himself at home. The small sister then goes into the middle-height sister’s room. The middle-height sister will have to live with the tall sister. Tuesday, the sisters try to compete for the sailor’s love. One gives him coffee, the other washes his clothes and the other gives him his pipe. That leads to squabbling among the sisters.  Wednesday, the fighting gets more intense but he finds the money they lost off the coast. Thursday, more fun and dancing but the women are shocked that he sees them naked. Friday, he leaves the island. What are the sisters to do? February, three men arrive, all differing heights, as they came across the rental ad!

This 2D film has its charm in the drawings but the bigger highlight is the story it tells. It tells its story without dialogue. Just minor sound effects are spoken of the people. The story will tell what they’re saying so you will get the message. It’s fun to watch from start to finish with humor anyone can understand.

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM:

Butcher’s Stain (dirs. Meyer Levinson-Blount and Oron Caspi) – Samir is an Arab-Israeli who works as a butcher in a Tel Aviv supermarket. He serves his customers professionally and with courtesy. One day, the manager brings him into the office. She mentions of the poster of kidnapped Israelis in the break room on the floor. She claims someone said it was him. She mentions surveillance cameras are broken. This comes as he has to work extra time which interferes with a family occasion. One with his sister, her Israeli husband, and their mixed son. Over time, Samir becomes more suspicious and questions who of his co-workers would do it. He goes undercover to see what goes on.  He notices one stealing items and one making the accusation and the boss admitting firing him will be hard because he’s minimum wage. In the butcher area, he confronts his co-worker who told the lies. That’s where the manager fires him. As he arrives home early he lets out his anger at his family situation. The film ends as he makes the effort to find peace.

The Israel-Palestine conflict has become a hot topic. This story tells a lot about the prejudice and increased suspicion from Israelis Palestinians face as they try to live their daily lives. It tells a story of the prejudice faced by the butcher as what he went through was something set up in the end. It also shows how it threatens peace with his family, but he chooses to go about his life peacefully. Something hard to do. The story makes you see his side of the story and what is happening now.

A Friend of Dorothy (dirs. Lee Knight and James Dean) -The film begins with the reading of an estate of an older woman. The grandson Scott is there and he’s shocked that this young man of African immigrants named JJ is here. He never knew him. The film flashes back. One day, JJ lost his football in a yard. He thinks it’s this elderly woman’s yard. He knocks to try to retrieve it. She is surprised by him. Also that he doesn’t know for sure if the football is actually in her yard. She asks him instead to help her open a can of prunes. That day, she’s impressed by his service. She also notices he has an interest in her books of plays. She makes aa deal with him. He opens her prunes on a daily basis and he can read her books. Over time he reads more. Also he notices his affection for his kind. One day she talks of how her son moved away a long time ago to another country and rarely talks to her. One day, Scott and JJ meet at her place and he’s surprised. During her daily meeting, she mentions her grandson Scott is just there to fill the void, but all Scott does is talk on his phone, does what he can and goes back to business. She also reveals her name is Dorothy. Like in The Wizard Of Oz. As the estate is read, the father inherits the house, grandson Scott inherits £50,000 to his dismay, and JJ inherits the drama collection, and something more.

This is a story about elderly neglect. Something that seems to be very common in today’s world. Nowadays it seems a lot more children are more concerned about their career pursuits in this unforgiving world and they often forget about their own parents. Despite the theme, it is a heartwarming story. The young man JJ may have come to her house to get his football, but he gets a lot more. He gets a woman who’s not afraid to let him be who he wants to. Drama instead of football and willing to admit he’s gay. Over that brief time, he becomes more of a son to Dorothy than her son and grandson are. While they’re self-absorbed, JJ gives himself to her. It makes for a nice warm story that still makes you think. That is why I declare this film my Should Win pick.

Jane Austen’s Period Drama (dirs. Julia Aks and Steve Pinder) – The film begins in a Jane Austen-style romance. Miss Talbot is finally proposed to her longtime lover Mr. Dickley. Unfortunately she menstruated and the blood spills on her white dress. Mr. Dickley thinks she was injured, but her sisters try to hide the truth from him as he appears unfamiliar with what menstruation is. Annoyed with it all, Miss Talbot takes it upon herself to tell the naive Mr. Dickley about menstruation herself, even if it means she might lose him. Miss Talbot talks to Mr. Dickley alone in a room as her family and servants eavesdrops through the door. Miss Talbot does her best to explain, but it’s hit and miss with Mr. Dickley. Then the final decision, Mr. Dickley is fine with Miss Talbot’s menstruation and will marry her. The family immediately celebrates, where we learn her name is Estrogenia!

Now menstruation humor is a very touchy subject. As a male, I refuse to tell menstruation jokes. Nevertheless, I’m fine if women joke about it. The story isn’t simply ‘period jokes.’ It is also about the naivety of the times and how people were protected from what were taboos back then. It does it in a humorous way. Some oof it may be shock humor, but most of the humor plays out well and doesn’t really. cross the line of vulgar. It’s a guilt-free guilty pleasure.

The Singers (dirs. Sam A. Davis and Jack Piatt) – A bar is full. Full of all sorts. Most of the men look like they’re weary of life. One man pesters others for either money or a drink. The bartender has had it and he says he’ll give the man a free drink if he outings an elder. The competition then spreads throughout the bar: $100 and free drinks for the best singer. Most of the patrons participate with the exception of a shy young man who actually has a good voice. The older patrons perform well without hesitation. A surprise abounds as the construction worker shows himself to be a good singer and pianist. Then the bartender delivers a moving version of ‘Unchained Melody’ that leads to a group hug from the bar. Then a surprise from one of the patrons still seated.

This is based off a 1852 short story from Russian writer Ivan Turgenev. Director Sam Davis does a great job of adapting it in the modern world and makes for an entertaining film. It makes for a great single-location short film that keeps audiences both intrigued and entertained. It can even make some feel like they’re part of the bar! Remarkable how it takes a singing contest to turn a bar full of down-on-life patrons into a celebration and a closeness with each other.

Two People Exchanging Saliva (dirs. Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh) – The film begins in a dystopian world with a carboard box with a living woman is tossed over a cliff by two men. The film goes back a few days. Malaise is a young woman working at a high-class department store just days before her 25th birthday. It’s a job that doesn’t look tough, but it is. All women must pass a human breathalyzer test before working. Malaise first starts serving patrons champagne. One day, she’s promoted in the women’s dress department. A wealthy housewife Angine goes looking for a dress. Malaise finds the right dress, but Angine is impressed with a lot more. Angine pays her, but not in cash. In this world, slaps taken to the face are currency. Her manager Petulante will let Malaise do her work. Over time, Petulante notices Angine coming back and coming back to Malaise. Petulant grows jealous. Angine also keeps photographs and artwork of kisses as public kissing is outlawed in this world. Soon, a woman gets arrested for public kissing. She is placed in a box sent out. A shocked Angine accidentally drops the pictures of kisses she collected. Then one day, Petulante finds out the connection between the two and has Malaise is ordered in the box. It’s as Angine goes to the clifffside where all the thrown boxes are. She finds Malaise’s body and is heartbroken. The film flashes back to a past moment of what could have been.

The story is told through black and white imagery and its dystopian world resembles the taboos and prudence of the past mixed with bizarre humor. It’s a story of two lesbians living in a prudent society where slaps are currency and public kissing is forbidden. It’s also a story of a bizarre love triangle where a boss wants to win the affection of her young worker but she’s being swayed more by her customer. Angry with her, she frames her for kissing. It’s a story told in bizarre humor of love kept private and jealous caught in the way. That’s why I pick this as my Will Win pick.

And there you have it! That’s my look at this year’s short films for the Oscars. I didn’t have the time this year to see the nominees for the documentary short but I’m sure I’ll have better luck next year.

VIFF 2025 Review: Christy

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment
Christy is about female boxing legend Christy Salters-Martin (played by Sydney Sweeney) who had more than her fair share of fights.

It’s very rare to see a sports film at the VIFF. Christy was one of the feature attractions of the Festival. It’s more than a film about a pioneering female boxer.

We see Christy Salters-Martin just about ready for a fight. She talks about all she went through to get there. The film flashes back to 1986 in her hometown in West Virginia. A teenage Christy Salters is into sports. She also spends a lot of time with a girl named Rosie. Rumors are going around that they’re more than best friends. The rumors upset the mother. One night, Christy attends a fighting group. She caught the attention of a boxing promoter named Larry. He believes she’s worth promoting. Christy is reluctant at first, feeling it won’t give her much of a future, but she eventually accepts.

Larry finds a local boxing coach named Jim Martin. Jim is not at all interested in training a female boxer at first but when he sees Christy punch, he sees promise in her. He believes with his coaching, she can become the best female boxer in the world. As Jim trains Christy, but he’s very suspicious of her behavior. He notices she’s a lesbian and she’s more masculine than other women. He gets her to wear a pink uniform with pink boxer trunks and give her the name the ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter.’ He even gets her to marry him. Over the years, Christy does become the top female boxer in the world. She even gets legendary boxing promoter Don King to pay attention to her and promote her in 1996. It’s after that Christy helps to pioneer the sport of women’s boxing. She becomes known for her fierce fighting and her trash-talking of her opponents. She’s also noted for calling some of her opponents ‘lesbians’ despite the secret she’s hiding.

Things change in 2003 as in one of the most hyped-up fights in women’s boxing, Christy will face the challenge of Laila Ali, daughter of legend Muhammad Ali. Once again, her title of World Champion is on the line. In a highly broadcasted fight, she loses by KO. The marriage between her and Jim Martin also starts showing friction as Jim has been getting more and more controlling over her and even abusive. Adding to the difficulty, she tries to get her mother to listen to her situation but she is so flattered by Jim, she sooner takes Jim’s word over Christy’s.

In 2010, Christy is still training in the gym, but Jim is busy training new younger fighters, male and female. Christy is unhappy about this because she still wants to fight. Jim also notices Christy meeting up again with high school friend Rosie. Jim, fueled by cocaine he and Christy both do, starts becoming more controlling of her and watches her every move, threatening to kill her. He even gets Christy to participate in super-lewd videos which upsets her mother. Once again, the mother takes Jim’s word over Christy’s.

Soon Christy develops a bigger sense of assertiveness at the urging of Rosie. Jim responds to it one day by stabbing her four times and shooting her. Miraculously, Christy survived and is able to get help from a driver to the hospital. At the hospital, Rosie is by her bedside, to the disgust of her mother. With the family by her bedside, the father and son care about her condition but the biggest thing her mother cares about is her being a lesbian. It’s there she finally puts her mother in her place. Christy recovers faster than the doctors expect. She returns to the gym and is greeted warmly by all. They are also shocked that she wants to get back into fighting. Jim is put on trial where Christy delivers a scathing speech making him confront what he did and is sentenced to 25 years in prison. The film ends with the start of one of Christy’s fights!

Normally when you go to see a biopic of an athlete, one would expect it to be about their long rise to the top. Christy is different. It does showcase a story of a boxer who wins and pioneers women’s boxing to new heights. In actuality, it becomes more about Christy Salters breaking free from her controlling and abusive manager at a time that was now or never. It’s also of Christy assuming her identity and dealing with a mother who cared more about what she thought than what Christy felt. You could understand why that fight at the end was important to Christy, win or lose.

There have been films of female boxers before. The two best known are 2000’s Girlfight and 2004 Best Picture Oscar winner Million Dollar Baby. This film is a biopic of a legendary female boxer. At a film festival, one would expect to have films that take filmmaking to new or unique artistic directions. This film isn’t as artistically inclined as most of the films at this Film Festival. One unique direction the film goes into is that it focuses on Christy and the intensity of what she goes through. It focuses on her fighting wins, her fighting losses and her abusive relationship with Jim.

It may be common for any protagonist of a film to dominate the focus of the whole film, but it’s important here as it is Christy’s tough will that gets her through the hardest of times. The abuse she endured at the hands of Jim Martin is just as important as her fights. You can understand why that fight in 2010 with Christy at the age of 42 was an important part of the film. If there’s a message to sense in this film, it has to be Christy Salters is a woman of many victories but her biggest victory was outside the boxing ring.

This film is great work from director David Michod. With the story from Katherine Fugate, Michod co-adapts the story with wife Mirrah Foulkes and creates a film that will keep you intrigued from start to finish. He does a great job in getting the actors to do their parts well. Sydney Sweeney is not only unrecognizable as Christy, but she delivers an excellent performance from start to finish. She will let you know she is not simply performing the role of an athlete. It’s about a person and her grit. Ben Foster is also as unrecognizable as Jim Martin and he succeeds in making him into a cocaine-fueled controlling megalomaniac. You will end up hating Jim. Merritt Wever is also great and hard to recognize herself as the mother Joyce Salters. It’s completely different from her Nurse Jackie role she’s known for but she does a great job of making the mother look like the parent you can’t trust. Cinematographer Germain McMicking did a great job of the shooting angles and the close-ups. The musical score of hits mixed with original music from Antony Partos fit the film well, but some hit songs were years behind the year of the scene!

Christy is more than just a biopic of a successful boxer. It’s a film that shows Christy Salters had bigger battles outside the ring. It may be imperfect, but it is a compelling story.

VIFF 2025 Review: The Scout

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment
The Scout is about a film location scout names Sofia played by Mimi Davila (left) who discovers more than film locations.

With the Vancouver Film Festival, you can get a wide variety of styles of film showing throughout the Festival. One unique film is the American film The Scout. It’s unique in its own way, even if it is confusing.

Sofia is a location scout in New York City for a film company. Most of the day, she drops flyers into the mailboxes of surrounding houses or apartment suites saying she’s interested in having the inside of their places as set pieces with her phone number listed. After sending out a set of flyers, she makes a trip to an apartment of an older woman as she listens to her voicemail responses. The voicemail range from people interested to those thinking it’s stalking to some unhappy she hasn’t come to her place yet. As she photographs the suite of the older woman, she learns more about her life. She learns the mother has two grown children who have moved out and never returned to see her.

Her second trip is to another apartment. At the house is a man who works from home and often spends time looking after his infant daughter Sophia. Sofia takes a special liking as they’re names are similar. As she photographs the house, she learns more about him and has a sense from the talk that his marriage is falling apart. Her third trip is to another apartment, but that will require crew from the film company to also review. This will be busy for Sofia, the crew and the suite holders. The resident is quite welcoming. The talk from the film crew makes obvious a lot of thought is to go into selecting. Some like it, some are critical of it. Sofia is hoping it will work out.

The day continues as Sofia goes to another apartment of one who accepted. She finds out it’s her friend from her college days. Both of them are shocked. They reminisce about the good times of the past and they talk about what’s happening in the present. Not all of it is pleasant, especially in terms of their relationships. Sofia’s last appointment is to be with a pet store. She’s a half-hour late and the owner is unhappy with it as he’s locking his store. Despite his anger, she’s able to convince him for the appointment. The appointment goes so well, they even have dinner together going into the night. As great as that was, Sofia finds out it took so long, the traffic police clamped her car and she’ll have to pay a fine of more than $400!

The next morning, she attends a meeting at her company’s office. There they talk about certain locations for a scene. Judging by the discussion, it looks like one of Sofia’s discoveries won’t be considered for this scene. After the meeting, she spends the rest of the day over at an urban beach. She just goes there onto the sand holding a coffee and stands there looking out. You can tell on her face something is wrong.

The thing about this film is that it has a good beginning and a good end, but an unsolid middle. In seeing the film, it’s hard to understand what it’s all about. It does show a lot about what it’s like to be a location scout for a New York City film company, but it doesn’t fully make clear what it’s about. You don’t know if it’s intended to be a day-in-the-life film. You don’t know if it’s about the loneliness Sofia’s going through. You also don’t know if it’s to do about the frustration of working a film job in New York. The film could be a case that the director wants us to decide for ourselves what the story is, but I wish it was clearer.

If this film is intended to be one of those day-in-the-life films, it’s not an easy genre to accomplish as the day could present itself as a story to tell or just a portrait of daily life. The film does have a lot to say as Sofia goes from place to place and either meets with her crew or has an ordeal to deal with. It doesn’t make it too clear about what it’s trying to say. One can think of many themes this film could be about like the demandingness of a filming job, life inside different from what we see on the outside, or the story of a successful but lonely young woman. Scenes like when Sofia goes into her parents’ house and call out for her mother make you question if loneliness is the theme. You may have to watch it a second time to make up your own mind what this film is about.

This is the directorial debut of Paula Gonzales-Nasser and the first feature-length script she wrote. Paula has been in the New York film industry for eight years and has made a jack-of-all-trades of herself in doing set design, cinematography, art direction, location managing and producing. The first six years she spent being a location scout so it becomes pretty clear she’s basing this story on her own experiences. The story she writes and directs is a telling story of a location scout trying to make it, but it’s not the clearest in telling its story or making its main point of focus. Despite the lack of overall theme, the performance of Mimi Davila is great. Davila has had an acting career of over 15 years in various roles. In this film, she keeps her performance low-key but she can send a lot of messages even in her moment of silence. She makes for a very believable performance. The supporting performances from the people Sofia visits to the crew she works with also add to the film and make like you’re watching a real situation instead of seeing them act.

The Scout is a unique drama. It could easily be dismissed as a ‘boring movie,’ but you have to look closer. One thing is that the message or theme are not the clearest to understand.

VIFF 2025 Shorts Segment Review: Forum 6 – City slickin’

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

What can I say about short films? A lot of them are good and can often promote an emerging director. The latest Shorts forum I saw was Forum 6: City slickin‘.

As you can tell by the title, the series revolves around situations in cities. The cities in the six shorts are in Spain, Belgium, Jordan, France and two in the Unites States. All six make for some great tales:

-Budget Paradise (USA – dir. Latajh Simmons-Weaver): Chester is a non-binary artist looking for an area to paint in peace and inspiration. They are told to leave one public place. They go to an art store and steals $97 worth of paint. They try a café for artists, but the cashier gives them attitude. They try a hotel for a two-hour stay in a suite promising to pay. The model they hire attracts them, but the hotel owner demands they pay.

Trying to get art done wherever and whenever. A common artistic dilemma. This adds humor as Chester finds bad place after bad place, has to steal paint, gets caught up in a street dance and the the one place they can find, it demands pay. A humorous story how one steals paint and coaxes their way into creating their art.

-Our Room (Spain – dir. Jaime Claret Muxart): Gal-la is a disc jockey at a Spanish radio station for its classical music show. She brought along her younger son Marius to watch, but he’s bored. She is also unhappy in her setting. She thinks to how her French-speaking husband Paul is into electronic music. It’s there she decides to quit and the three of them can start their own home radio station that fuses classical music and electronica with Marius’ keyboard!

It’s hard to picture something like this happening in real life where they can make a radio station at home, but it makes for a fun story. I believe the theme of the story is about family relations and family closeness. The beginning seems a bit drawn out or elongated. The ending, however, is happy and you’re left convinced that’s how it should be.

-Father Alphonse and the Fight Between Carnival and Lent (Canada – dir. Diana Thorneycroft): Father Alphone is a new priest and his first mass is to be on Ash Wednesday. As he readies himself, it’s Fat Tuesday and all the people in town are having a blast with all their pre-Lent debauchery. Something his strict father forbade him to do throughout his life. As he walks through town, he’s shocked by all the debauchery but finds himself in an unexpected tangle. That leads to a humorous and unexpected ending.

This short by Winnipeg animator Diana Thorneycroft was inspired by the 16th Century Belgian painting The Fight Between Carnival And Lent. This charming stop-motion short is a case where life imitates art for the new priest and he get tangled in with behaviors his strict father would condemn of! It’s cute and humorous and a delight to watch.

-Ambush (Jordan – dir. Yassmina Karajah): In a conservative area in Jordan’s capital Amman, a hall is turned into a techno club and makes a lot of noise in the normally quiet neighborhood. Hasan, a young man, watches the club from his family rooftop and anticipates an encounter one day. One of the attendees, Jana, is a recovering alcoholic wresting with her own love issues. Can they connect?

The story has two themes in one. One is about people’s desire for love. The other is about how what we see from the outside isn’t completely what we think it is. Hasan watches from afar and thinks they’re all having fun while Jana shows a reality Hasan can’t notice from that far away. As time passes, you think they won’t connect. The ending could get you thinking otherwise.

-There’s A Devil Inside Me (USA – dir. Karina Lomelin-Ripper): Teenage girl Teresa is about to be confirmed at her Catholic church. She struggles in her confirmation class as other girls have attitude. As she struggles with her faith, she dons a nun’s habit as a mass is taking place. An altar boy mistakes her for a real nun and hands her all the collection money. What’s she to do with the money she’s given? Especially after her bratty little sister lost a tooth and swallowed it?

Watching a film like this can cause one to question is this is blasphemy or just simply a film about a mistake that happened. Teresa makes for a believable story of a teenage girl who’s trying to work things out with her life, her faith, her romancing boys and her place in the family. It does make for a bizarrely far-fetched comedy that gives an ending you can laugh at either way you see it.

-No Skate! (France – dir. Guil Sela): Isaac is a student who’s hired to promote swimming in the Seine River. He notices Cleo, his colleague, get into a fight with her skateboarder boyfriend. He sees it as a chance. She’s reluctant, even though they do date and she gets him to spend the night with her. Cleo insists it’s just a friendship, but is it?

New love can come from the unlikeliest of people in the unlikeliest of places. Even the type where one tried to make like it’s not really love. This is a boy-meets-girls story that is slow and leads to an ambiguous ending. Even if you’re left undecided if this is new love or not, the story is funny and charming.

And there they are. Those are the six short films part of the City slickin‘ forum. All of them were unique in their own way and all six had a good story to tell.

VIFF 2025 Shorts Segment Review: Forum 2 – Memory & Meditation

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

With the VIFF happening, I have to see at least one segment of short films. Forum 2 – Memory & Meditation was the first one I saw. Some are live- action, some animated, while some are documentary style. All are intriguing in their own way.

–One Duck Down (Canada – dir. Lindsay Aksarniq McIntyre): This film is a five-minute documentary. Lindsay Aksarniq McIntyre returns to her home in the Arctic tundra. There she finds the carcass of a duck with the feathers still on. As we see imagery of the duck, various shot ducks, the land and the waters, she tells of the area and of her own personal story.

The documentary is fast, brief and simple, but also intimate. If you look at the imagery, you can understand why Lindsay talks of the area. It’s the area she grew up in and was raised. The imagery means a lot to her. Even that of a dead duck means a lot to her as hunting was most likely part of her family’s livelihood. It was nice to see.

–Baadarane (Lebanon – dir. Sarah El Kadi): In a small town in Lebanon, a young boy loses his mother. At her funeral at the mosque, he hears people always talking of God as they pay their last respects to her. Some even saying this is ‘God’s will.’ That causes him to think. Did God punish her with a young death? He himself feels he’s at odds with God for her death.

You can tell the theme of God is omnipresent in the film as God’s name is mentioned throughout. I guess it’s common living in a Muslim society to hear God frequently referenced. The story does capture a young boy’s crisis of faith especially since his mother died and many reference it as God’s will. It makes him question if his mother was a bad person to die so young. The black-and-white filming adds in as at a young age, it does seem like a black-and-white issue and you don’t know what to think.

–Water Girl (France/Netherlands/Portugal – dir. Sandra Desmazieres): An elderly woman looks out to the empty seashore as she drinks coffee. As she looks out, she’s reminded of the times she used to doo deep-sea fishing for a living. She also remembers the time at the nearby lounge where she used to drink, be entertained and romance.

Animation usually does a lot with storytelling and imagery that live-action normally can’t. This story of a woman reminiscing on a coastline really creates the environment of her past and uses the imagery of fish and various colors to help add to the storytelling. The story is slow, but creates a mood and is a delight to watch.

-Adieu Ugarit (Canada – dir. Samy Benammar): The film is a documentary where a Syrian refugee named Mohamed tells his story. He tells of growing up in a harsh dictatorship mixed with political turmoil in Syria and knowing as a soldier, his life could be taken any time. Unfortunately, his best friend was murdered by militia men just outside of Damascus in 2012. He recounts these memories as we see imagery of a peaceful land and water.

This documentary is of a story that we rarely hear about, but needs to be heard. Benammar makes a smart move in having the audio of Mohamed telling his story as we see imagery of the land and the water. The land and water is in the Laurentian area of Ontario but it brings back his traumatic memories. Especially that of a lake in Syria filled with the blood of soldiers. As Mohamed tells his story, the images haunt us back.

-A Light That Doesn’t Dim (USA – dir. Colby Barrios): Sister Jones is a Mormon missionary in Mexico. You can tell by the look on her face she’s not happy about something. Could it be homesickness? Could it be a lack of faith? She makes it clear in her diary she wants to go home. Meeting with elders does not help her personal crisis any more. Then one night, she has images that shock her and haunt her.

Of all the characters in the film’s shorts, It’s Sister Jones that will cut the deepest. She faces either a crisis of faith or homesickness, but no one is there to help. Colby’s distortive and hallucinatory imagery in the film adds to the traumatic feel to the story and makes us feel the frustration of Sister Jones’ situation. It makes the story unforgettable.

-Four Walls And A Memory (Poland – dir. Joanna Piatek): A young girl is on the run from a wild creature. She enders into a cabin, but the creature enters. Fortunately in the run, the creature hits his head on the wall and dies. For some reason, the girl doesn’t leave. She stays for days where she even makes food out of the dead creature’s leg, makes the creature like a blanket overnight and dances with the creature as she hears music from the radio of a passer-by.

The film festival is known for showing films with out-of-the-ordinary stories, but the magic of animation is it can take out-of-the-ordinary to even bigger lengths. It does seem odd for the girl to go from running from the creature to eating one of his limbs to making him a blanket to dancing with him. Sometimes you think the story is about her overcoming her fears, but it could end up being more than that. It’s subject to one’s opinions.

-WASSUPKAYLEE (USA – dir. Pepi Ginsberg): Kaylee, a young awkward teenage girl, is a social media influencer in a house popular with TikTok content and with other teen influencers. Despite the other influencers befriending her, Kaylee feels out of place as they all have bigger followings than her. Everything changes as one of the boys tries to do a high dive from the house roof into the pool. He misses and is badly hurt. As all reach out to communicate the emergency, Kaylee does it on social media and that gives her the breakthrough she’s been waiting for. Also the boy will be just fine.

Although this story doesn’t take the same creative chances as the other films in this shorts forum, it does tell a story. It’s a story relatable as we have a lot of young people who want to grow up to be a social media influencer. Kaylee is like a lot of teenagers where her self-esteem is connected to her popularity. She shouldn’t let her lack of a breakthrough get to her, but it does. Fortunately she does get a breakthrough. It may be due to the result of an injured friend, but he’ll be fine.

And there’s my look at the short films of the VIFF segment Forum 2 – Memory & Meditation. Two were documentaries, two were animated and three were dramas. Two were made by Canadians, two by Americans, and the other three from France, Poland and Lebanon. All were intriguing to watch.

VIFF 2025 Review: Free Leonard Peltier

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment
Free Leonard Peltier is about the accused crime of Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, his imprisonment and his fight for freedom that lasted half a century.

The first documentary I saw at this year’s VIFF was Free Leonard Peltier. At a time when Canada has been made to face the music of what they’ve done to Indigenous people, Leonard’s story will remind you that the plight of the people is not strictly a Canadian problem.

The film begins with a group of American Indigenous activists on a travel. They are traveling to Florida in hopes that fellow activist Leonard Peltier be pardoned and freed just as Joe Biden is about to leave the presidency on January 20, 2025. Trying to get Peltier freed from a double-murder from 1975 he denies and most believe he’s wrongfully accused for has been going on for the last half-century. Many believe it’s Leonard’s last chance at any freedom as he just turned 80 years old and he’s ailing.

The story of the Leonard Peltier case is told through friends, family and allies of Peltier from the American Indian Movement (AIM). Footage of a 1989 news interview is also shown where Leonard states his own case. Leonard’s early life was like that of many American Indigenous people for over a century. He was born on a reserve in North Dakota to a large family and forced into a Residential School 150 miles away from his place of birth where he and others were taught to assimilate. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) dictated his life and the lives of American indigenous peoples. After he left his schooling behind in 1965, he became a man of various trades doing welding, construction or auto work.

In the late-1960’s, Indigenous activism was growing and the group AIM was founded. Leonard first started with local activism where he was elected tribal chairman of a reservation and he was introduced to AIM from a colleague. His biggest activism in that time was his appearance at 1972’s Trail Of Broken Treaties. Over time, activism became more violent and a group called the Guardians Of the Oglala Nation, or GOON, was founded. Peltier was also involved in violent conflicts and was even charged with attempted murder for an unrelated incident.

During his wait for the trial, FBI agents entered the Pine Ridge Reservation in pursuit of a man named Jimmy Eagle on June 26, 1975 wanted for theft and assault. Two FBI agents named Ronald Williams and Jack Coler were pursuing a Chevrolet with AIM members Peltier, Norman Charles and Joe Stuntz. Charles had met with the two FBI the day before and they told him of their intended pursuit. As the Chevrolet entered the ranch, the three men quickly parked the car and ran out, and that’s when a firefight between the three men and the two FBI ensued. Williams and Coler were shot to death in the shootout. Stuntz was shot to death later that day by a BIA agent. Peltier took Coler’s pistol after he died. The shootout would come to be remembered as the Battle At Wounded Knee.

In the aftermath, the FBI went to arrest three AIM members who were present at the shootout at the time: Dino Butler, Peltier and Robert Robideau. All three were AIM members and all three stole the firearms form the two FBI agents after they were killed. After Peltier was bailed out, he sought refuge in Canada, but it was unsuccessful as Hinton, Alberta RCMP agreed to extradite him back to the United States. In the end, Butler and Robideau were acquitted on grounds of self-defense but Peltier was found guilty. He was sentenced to two life terms and seven years.

In the years that followed would be a long arduous process from friends, family, Indigenous activists, human rights foundations and AIM members to get Leonard Peltier free from a crime he insisted he was innocent of. Over the decades, there was evidence proving that Peltier did not shoot any of the officers. At the same time, the FBI appeared to be playing games as they had one Indigenous women sign an affidavit claiming she was his girlfriend and he confessed to her the shooting. Truth is she didn’t even know him. They also withheld evidence and shred important documents clearing Peltier.

In later decades, Peltier would make pleas of clemency with active Presidents of the United States. Rays of hope first came in 1999 when President Bill Clinton said he would be looking into the Leonard Peltier case and have him cleared and freed. This case for clemency received support from many world leaders like Bishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama. The hope faded as the FBI held a backlash where family of FBI and their allies staged a demonstration claiming that freeing Peltier would do a dishonor to the FBI agents. Their manipulation of making this a Leonard Peltier vs. the FBI case succeeded in keeping him in prison. Peltier continued to make please with clemency with presidents in the years that followed. All would be unsuccessful.

In the 2020’s, Peltier’s health was failing. Painting and drawing, one of his passions he was able to do for decades in prison, was something he could no longer do. Joe Biden was seen as his last chance for clemency in his lifetime, especially since his friends and family knew he would not get any clemency from Trump when he re-enters the White House. Friends and family built a house for Peltier at the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in Belcourt, North Dakota where he could live after his release. January 19, 2025 was the last day of Biden’s presidency and the supporters at the beginning of the film are waiting to hear the news they hope to hear. Biden reduces Peltier’s sentence from life imprisonment to house arrest. They celebrate knowing he will soon stop being a prisoner.

This is a good documentary as it reminds you of a common problem in the world. Not just in Canada, in the US or in the Americas, but the whole world. The problem is nations being unable to deal with their indigenous peoples or tribal peoples well. Living in Canada, I am very familiar with news stories of how badly the Canadian government has mistreated the Indigenous peoples and how they’re doing a lackluster job to make amends and right past wrongs. The United States is just as guilty of that. They had a residential school system too, they have most of them living on reservations, they have a government that appears unable to listen to them and they’ve even had ‘Indian Wars.’ One can see how the story of the struggle of Leonard Peltier can be something all American Indigenous people can understand and relate to.

The story itself is well-told. I was first introduced to the Leonard Peltier case in 1994 through the music video of “Freedom” by the American band Rage Against The Machine. Peltier’s case has been an inspiration for many songs and films and this documentary is only the latest. In this documentary, we have news footage of the events involving the shootout, arrest, imprisonment and an interview from Peltier in 1989. We also have interviews from surviving friends and family members, Indigenous activists and even attorneys and paralegals who have worked with the Peltier case. The story becomes clear that Peltier’s imprisonment appears to have been used by the FBI just to simply give resolve to the deceased officers’ families and to protect the FBI from looking bad in the eyes of the public. The film’s inclusion of Peltier’s statement of his case makes the shootout look like a case of self-defense. Even though he has always maintained he never shot the officers, he has also stated he would defend himself and his people. One can see why the FBI would fear someone like him.

This is a very informative documentary by Jesse Short Bull and David France. They not only show the Peltier story, but they show how important the Peltier case is to his friends and allies. This is a case that’s taken so long to resolve and it’s at the point friends are even willing to travel from North Dakota to Florida by car in hopes of hearing the good news they’ve been waiting since 1976 to hear. Having AI recreate the incident with film appearing like satellite images re-enacting the heist will get you thinking of the case itself and have you try to make up your own mind about it.

This documentary has received a lot of renown this year. It got a lot of attention at the Sundance festival in January and its biggest acclaim came at the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival where it won three awards including the FIPRESCI Prize and the Amnesty International Award.

Free Leonard Peltier is a story about the common racism felt by Indigenous peoples in North America. It’s also a story of hope that what’s wrong can be corrected over time.

Oscars 2024 Short Films Review: Documentary

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

You’re not done with watching the short films until you’ve seen the documentaries. Many of this year’s mix of nominees are of dark subject matter and are bound to spark discussion. There are two lighter documentaries based on the theme of music. Anyways, here are my thoughts on the nominees for Best Documentary Short Film:

Death By Numbers (dir. Kim A. Snyder) -The film focuses on Samantha Fuentes: poet, writer, school shooting survivor. She was a student at Parkland High School when on February 14, 2018, she was shot by shooter Nikolas Cruz. She was lucky to not be one of the 17 killed but she was among the 17 injured. Through her writings and her conversations with people, we hear her express her fears and her feelings as events involving this happen in 2022. There’s the trial for the sentencing, there’s the day of the verdict and there’s the day of the victim’s testimonies. As each event is approaching and each event passes, we see and hear Sam express her many feelings.

This is something you don’t often hear. This is the story of a person injured in school shooting, survived it, and has to face her attacker in court. The Parkland High School shooting has the highest fatality rate of all school shootings in the United States. The film shows the audience Samantha’s style of writing as she goes through her feelings before the testimony. They’re feelings of hurt, anger, sorrow, frustration, hatred for the shooter and her fears of the future. Her memories are haunting as she goes back to the day when she expected it to be another Valentine’s Day to seeing her attacker in the face before she was shot to remembering seeing two dead classmates. Then the moment where she finally breaks her silence. The film keeps you in the intensity of it all. That’s why I make this my Should Win pick.

I Am Ready, Warden (dir. Smriti Mundhra) – This is a chronological film focusing on the looming execution of John Henry Ramirez for the 2004 murder of Corpus Christi gas station attendant Pablo Castro. The film begins six days before the execution. John knows he’s about to die, but is relaxed about it. Also part of the film is Adam Castro, the son of the man John murdered in 2004, Jan Trujillo, a church leader who dealt with John during the last few years, Seth Kreutzer, the lawyer who’s trying to make a last-minute attempt to stop his execution, and 16 year-old son Israel Ramirez.

The film goes through the various feelings of the people involved. Six days before the execution is expected, Adam wants his death sentence carried out, Jan wants his to be spared and Israel wants him to live. Three days before the execution, Jan has her petition to Governor Abbott ready and Seth has his case ready to submit while Adam is still insistent on the death penalty. Then the day of the execution. John gives Israel one last phone call. Israel is in tears. Jan and her group show up along with Seth at the chamber. Adam listens into the broadcast. He’s waited for this day but when he hears John is dead, he doesn’t know if he should be happy or not. He’s in tears. The funeral for John happens. Then in an epilogue, we see Adam listen to the recorded apology from John made the day he was executed. Adam is left with mixed feelings but in the end, he accepts his apology.

It is a story of an upcoming execution. One of eighteen executions that occurred in the United States in 2022. This film could start a discussion about capital punishment. Beyond that, this film is a unique story because it starts with six days before the scheduled date. We learn of the crime John committed, how he fled to Mexico immediately, his eventual capture, trial and sentence. We see opinions from the sides of many people: the son of the man killed, the minister of the church John was counseled through while in prison, and the lawyer and advocates aiming for one last chance to stop his execution. We then see them again with three days to go and hear their feelings. Then the day of the execution. We learn John had a son. The son Izzy is introduced into the story. And then feelings after the execution. It’s unique not just for the very many angles of opinion we see and hear about John, but we learn of John himself and how he doesn’t fit the common terrible image of a death row inmate. In many ways the film could be seen as the redemption of Ramirez. It’s for you to decide. That’s why I decide this film is my WILL WIN pick.

Incident (dir. Bill Morrison) – The film starts with images of a zoom from Google maps to a street corner of Chicago on July 14, 2018. Soon, we see a police shooting happening. The man shot is Harith ‘Snoop’ Augustus who works at a nearby barbershop. The film then shows various angles of the aftermath from various police body cameras to surveillance footage. The film then goes back fifteen minutes earlier. It was a calm street corner, but there’s a high police presence as a heated trial involving a police brutality incident is awaiting its verdict. The film tells about Illinois’ various laws involving concealed carry and points out the five officers at the corner at the time. Two were probationary. Then we see the altercation that occurred and the actions of the officers. It’s filled with footage from both the ambulances, the angry onlookers and the officers who took the shooters away. The film ends with one more angle to view the shooting and if Snoop did attempt to pull a gun, as the two officers claimed he did.

Without a doubt, the story is about the corruption of the police force. The film does show the hidden racism of the officers as they think an African-American man is about to pull a gun on them. Snoop had a valid card to conceal. The film also shows their impulsiveness and incompetence as the two officers closest to snoop failed to turn their body cameras on. It also shows their irresponsibility as they try and make up excuses and defend what they did. As we learn the officers only got a slap on the wrist as punishment, the film also focuses on the problem of the protectiveness of the police: the ‘Blue Shield’ as it’s commonly called. It appears the point of the while film is to expose the truth and the problem. Watching the footage, you can form your own opinion about the incident with Snoop. Whatever opinion it is, you can agree Snoop did not deserve to die.

Instruments Of A Beating Heart (dir. Ema Ryan Yamazaki) – The film focuses on Ayame. She is a six year-old girl about to move on to the second grade. As part of the welcoming of the new first graders, there’s an opportunity to give them a musical greeting. The students greet them by playing Ode To Joy. Ayame wants to be part of it. She loses out on playing the drum but she wins playing the cymbals. Over the days, they have the rehearsal. Ayame is the one musician who is the most off. The music teacher verbally scolds her for not practicing. Ayame cried and loses confidence that she can have it right in time. Her teacher believes in her and the classmates are willing to help. In the end, all the students including Ayame deliver a great performance.

The film tells the uninterrupted, unnarrated story of a young six year-old girl simply trying to play the cymbal for the upcoming show. As we see the story, we learn a lot more. We also see schooling in Japan. We see it’s not just about teaching the children reading and math and, in this case, music. We also see them teach a set of values. We see them teach competition, but still befriend your rivals. We see them teach the importance of one learning what they need, but of others teaming up to help the other. We see a teacher shame Ayame for not practicing but also reminding her that she is able to do it. Even with the lunch break, we see the school placing importance on nutrition. As you watch the film, you’ll see it’s more than just a little girl playing the cymbal. It’s about moulding the young into being people for others as much as promoting achieving for one’s self.

The Only Girl In The Orchestra (dir. Molly O’Brien) -This film is a look at Orin O’Brien as she is approaching her retirement from the New York Philharmonic Orchestra for 55 years. A double bass player, Orin is a history maker. She is the first female musician with the New York Philharmonic. Most of the men did not like the idea of a female musician but conductor Leonard Bernstein loved her playing. The film goes through her childhood being the daughter of Hollywood actors, her pursuit of the double bass in her younger years, her joining the orchestra and years of performing, her teaching career, and her retirement from the orchestra. The film goes shows a lot like her teaching other students, her appearance at various events, the living conditions that cause her to move and the difficulties of having to give away her older basses.

After you see many a short documentary with a heavy topic, you will find this film a welcome relief. Finally something that’s not heavy and is a nice introspective. This film is actually directed by her niece Molly. The film takes into the out-of-the-ordinary life of Orin from the daughter of Hollywood actors to holding her own as a musician and conquering the sexism of the time. The film shows her career and her teaching with younger students as she passes on her knowledge to the next generation. The film shows as she retires from the New York Philharmonic and has difficulty deciding what to do after that. In some ways, the film is not just an intimate autobiography, but it’s also a portrait of a musician and their love for music. It’s possible this film could be the Most Likely Upsetter receiving votes from voters that prefer lighter fare.

And there you have it. That’s my review of the films in the category of Best Documentary Short Subject. That completes my reviewing of the short films nominated for the Oscars. If you want to check them out yourself, just go to shorts.tv .

Oscars 2024 Short Films Review: Live-Action

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

With the Oscar nominations come the annual showing of the nominated short films. Once again, I had the luck of seeing the short films nominated for this year’s Academy Awards. Only one is an American-made film. The rest are from multiple countries. Here’s my review of the films nominated for Best Live-Action Short Film for 2024:

A Lien (dirs. Davit Cutler-Kreutz and Sam Cutler-Kreutz) – The story begins with a family, Oscar, Sophia and their daughter Nina, arriving early for an overseas trip. The trip is for all of them to get their passports. Since there are separate interviews per adult, Nina is with Oscar. Sophia has no problem getting her passport but problems are with Oscar. Turns out his appointment is a set-up with an ICE agent. They know Oscar is illegal and is getting ready to deport Oscar and possibly Nina. Things become of huge concern to Sophia as she doesn’t know why Oscar’s passport is taking so long until she finds out what’s happening.

The story is definitely on the topic of illegal immigrants and ICE cracking down. It’s a big topic as the Trump administration returns to the White House and promises the biggest deportations in US history. The focus here is on the tactic of set-up appointments where they are able to trick the alleged illegal into their trap. Even with the topic, this story presents itself in a heat-of-the-moment crisis situation where the audience fears for the worst as Sophie fears for the worst. Also seeing how Nina could be deported along with Oscar, it will make one think about what’s happening. It makes one think more harm will come from this than good. That’s why I pick this film as my Should Win pick and my WILL WIN pick.

Anuja (dir. Adam J. Graves) – Anuja is a nine year-old girl in Delhi who is a victim of child labor. She and her older sister Palak are both orphaned and they work as sewers at a garment factory to pay their rent. One day, their boss Mr. Verma calls Anuja to the office as a local schoolteacher, Mr. Mishra, has been impressed with Anuja. Mr. Mishra offers her to take an entrance exam to attend a boarding school with paid scholarship, but Mr. Verma wants to keep her for his labor. Palak lets Anuja in on a secret. Palak has made bags out of scraps to see so she can get married but she’s willing to sell them for Anuja for the *400 fee for the exam. Palak wants Anuja to seize this way out. There comes a problem. The morning of the exam will happen soon and Mr. Verma is so impressed with Anuja’s math skills, he wants her there every morning or else she or Palak will be fired. In the end, Anuja makes a crucial decision the day of the exam.

This story is a good story about child labor. The topic of child labor is an uncomfortable one since they’re too young, overworked, underpaid and they miss out on benefits like a good education. This story is one that shows of the hope of a way out, but not without the menacing boss threatening her. Even you yourself will be concerned of what Anuja’s next move will be. The story ends in an ambiguous way as it lets the audience decide for themselves what Anuja’s choice is. It takes you to the heat of that moment in both the classroom, the sweatshop’s office and where Anuja is. A smart way of ending the film.

I’m Not A Robot (dis. Victoria Warmerdam) – The film begins at a music office. One of the workers, a producer named Lara, receives an alert to restart her laptop. The update gives her CAPTCHA code after CAPTCHA code to verify her authenticity. Frustrated how the CAPTCHAs are never ending, she calls tech support, but they give her the news it’s confirmed she’s a robot. A different test consisting of many personal questions confirms she’s 87% likely to be a robot. She consults her boyfriend Daniel about this. The talk between her and Daniel is interfering with an important meeting at her record label since even he can’t confirm she’s not a robot. Even a new worker at work named Pam, but she makes things worse by telling her she’s a robot created by Daniel five years ago to be his girlfriend. It gets to the point there’s only one last thing to do. Even as she meets up with Daniel on the top level of a parkade, she’s told she’s unable to end her life. Will a suicide jump from that parkade confirm if she’s human or a bot?

Of all the nominated films in this category, this is the only comedy. This takes us into a scenario of “What if?” What if there really was a living breathing bot of a human being and they didn’t know it? What if they learned they were a bot even from their loved one? It plays around with that idea. It takes us into the moment and it gets us laughing as each situation gets weirder and weirder. It’s a good laugh break and a good film in itself too.

The Last Ranger (dir. Cindy Lee) – Khuselwa is a ranger at a game reserve in South Africa. She works alongside her fellow ranger Robert to preserve the wildlife and protect from poachers. It is during the COVID pandemic and Robert tells her they’re running out of funds and may have to cease operations, but Khuselwa refuses to stop as her job is her passion.

One day, she sees her young friend Litha walking as she is to sell her father’s carvings. She offers her a ride in the humvee and shows her the animals, including the two rhinos she adores. Both of them notice poachers attempting to go after their horns for sale on the black market. Khuselwa goes to arrest while Litha videotapes. After one of the poachers saws of the horn of a rhino, It becomes a shootout between Khuselwa and the poachers that leave her mortally wounded. After the battle, Litha learns that one of the poachers is her father. Litha is infuriated but her father begs forgiveness. As years pass, Litha is now a ranger with Robert.

This is a story worth telling as it’s of an illegal operation that is still happening now. Poaching of endangered wild animals in Africa as riches for their bodies, hides and body parts are offered. This tells of the story of a common poaching incident but it also tells of bonds between friends, father and daughter and a bond of ranger to animals. There are some rangers who are willing to give their lives for the well-being of animals. Khuselwa was one of those and she’s passed on her values and passion to Litha as she died that day. This makes for an informative story about animal protection as it’s also a good coming of age story of the girl.

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent (dir. Nebojsa Slijepcevic) – The film begins on a train trip from Belgrade, Serbia to Bar, Montenegro in 1993 in what is still Yugoslavia and during some of the most intense days of the Balkan Wars. A man named Dragan is with four other people of various ages in the same train car. The train trip is stopped suddenly as the White Eagles army have come to inspect the train and will drag out any ‘suspicious’ passengers. One person in the car, the teenager Milan, tells Dragan he has no documentation. Dragan assures him no one in the car will hurt him. As a commander enters the car, Dragan unsuccessfully tries to rebuff him and has to watch as all passengers are inspected. With no papers, Milan is ordered out of the car until Tomo, a Croat army veteran, stops the commander and questions his authority. In turn, it’s Tomo taken off the train to be questioned while Milan is able to return to his seat. Dragan watches as Tomo is led off.

This is a story that reminds us of the Balkan war, a war that deserves not to be forgotten. The story is an example of the brutality and of the ethnic cleaning attempts that happened in the various areas. It’s also a story of goodwill as a Croat army veteran is willing to allow himself to be sacrificed so that the teenager without documents is allowed to live. All through the witnessing of one man who was just simply a passenger. It’s a story that tells a lot. This film won the short film Palme d’Or at Cannes and is the film I feel will be the Most Likely Upsetter.

And there you go. That’s my look at the films nominated in the category of Best Live-Action Short Film. I will be having one blog per category for the short films reviews so animation will be next.