Mahtoska Reviews

Mayor Cupcake (2011)

Bridgeport or Wasila?

[6/10 · 2 December 2011]

Mayor Cupcake is the tale of a baker who, through a series of unexpected and unwelcome events, becomes mayor of a small town.

The film has a couple of surprises. Leah Thompson is in the title role and works wonderfully as the quintessential girl next door, but that's no surprise, she's always been the all-American girl. One of the surprises is that both of her own real-life daughters are in this film as her own daughters. Another surprise is that Judd Nelson (Suddenly Susan, Breakfast Club) plays her policeman husband. The twist in this surprise is that one of their daughters is in a band that, at one part of the movie is playing and updated version of "Don't you forget about Me" (from the Breakfast Club!)

From a story telling perspective, as another reviewer suggests the movie works as a rather loose parable for contemporary politics; specifically in regards to Sarah Palin (who as a small town mayor and then as governor proved adept at taking on corrupt politicians and good ol' boy networks) and her Fox News pal Greta Van Susterin who make a cameo (as herself) in this movie. There are a couple of other minor surprise but I won't spoil those.

The movie was enjoyable as Leah Thompson is always fun to watch (and quite honestly would be a great choice to play Sarah Palin in a bio-pic) and the movie serves as an inspiration and a warning to fight the good fight but beware of the (personal) costs. That said, just sit back and enjoy!

Pass It On (2007)

Practical applications for The Secret

[7/10 · 5 August 2007]

I saw this in May at a premier here in town. The company with which I am invested as an IBO sponsored the world premier of this movie in Las Vegas and one of the personalities in this movie is the top sales person in our organization and was able to get a premier set up for our town.

So, the question that everyone may be asking is "what's this all about?" One of the most important critiques about The Secret was that it didn't have any practical examples of how to put the Law of Attraction to work in your life. Pass It On seeks to rectify this oversight by having the presenters explain the nuts and bolts of how the Law of Attraction works and how we can apply these principles in our daily lives. In fulfilling this objective, Pass It On really de-mystifies the Law of Attraction and explains how the energy we exert in our daily lives can and will return to us. This is not Kharmic law, but rather the Law of Right Action.

If you were fascinated by The Secret, but had some questions, then all I can say is WATCH Pass It On! Then, watch it again... then watch it again. Watch it until you have begun to crack the foundations of your moribund perspectives and are ready to embrace the reality that you and you lone are responsible for making your life into what it is and what it may become. No magic.... no hicks-pocus...Just the reality behind the facade. There is no fate but what we make.

The Nativity Story (2006)

Wonderful Depiction

[8/10 · 3 December 2006]

I watched this movie with my wife last night and we both enjoyed it thoroughly. The sets and costumes were superb, but perhaps most importantly, (for the first time ever?), they actually had people in the movie that looked like they were from the Holy Land. Now I know that the actors playing many of the parts are actually from a variety of geographic locations including New Zealand, South America, Ireland, and Iran, nevertheless, they still conveyed the appearance of people who lived in the Holy Land, in other words, no blue-eyed blonds. This was a beautiful story, essentially accurate from a Biblical perspective (WARNING!!! POSSIBLE SPOILER!!!) except that the bible does not say that there are 3 (three) wise-men only that wise-men came from the East (as an aside, I would surmise that the notion of 3 wise-men came from the list of gifts that the Magi presented to Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus including the listing of three important gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. That said, this movie is ideal holiday fare and I offer kudos to the writer, director, and studio for creating such a fine film.

The New World (2005)

could've been a contender

[5/10 · 11 September 2006]

This movie could have been one of the great ones. Here's where it excelled. Mallick sought to wrap the viewer's senses in the wonder of the new world; the sights, sounds (and though it sounds preposterous) scents. For the colonists, the new world was a wilderness more attuned to the devil's playground than any sort of paradise we might have imagined the colonists thought they had encountered. For the Powhatan Chesapeake Indians, the invading colonists were, as Mallick accurately depicted, a double edged sword representing both a gift and a threat to their way of life. In these aspects Mallick was quite successful in his depiction of the the Jamestown colony.

Here's where the movie fell down: There was no romance between Pocahontas and John Smith; not ever. At best Smith may have looked at the girl (yes, when they met she was only 13 years old so girl is appropriate. Even though amongst her own people she may have been ready or nearly ready for marriage, Smith's culture would have frowned on a man of his stature and social standing becoming involved with someone so young. More to the point, however, was the missed opportunity in this movie to demonstrate Powhatan's political savvy and his perception of the colonists as possible allies in his own attempts to enlarge his own Powhatan confederacy amongst the Chesapeake region. More beneficial to the story and to audiences would have been a demonstration of the relationship between Powhatan, Pocahantas, and Oppenchancanough (Powhatan's war chief). It is important to remember that despite initial difficulties, the Powhatan Indians and the Jamestown colonies lived in relative peace for nearly 12 years during which the traded and intermarried; this is the real story. Pocahantas' part in it should have been just that, a part in the role of a political emissary doing her father's bidding.

As for the making of the movie, it is quite apparent that a great deal of effort went into the costumes, sets, and even the language and cultural elements of the Powhatan peoples. It is a shame that they weren't used more to the benefit of the real story.

Final comments: I would really love to see someone make movies of a couple of the "People Of" series known as the First Americans series by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear. These books are based on actual archaeological, anthropological, and historical evidence and all of the books include a bibliography to show where the authors (both of whom are professional archaeologists by the way) go their data. Any thoughts?

If you are wondering what my credentials are that I bring to the table, I am a PhD candidate at the dissertation stage at the University of Colorado-Boulder and I have devoted more than 75% of my academic training to the pursuit of studying Native American history. Does that make me a know it all? Not by a long shot; I will say however, that I recognize a wasted opportunity to tell a story when I see it and unfortunately, The New World has missed its mark.