Bobbito Garcia and Kevin Coliau, producers of, “Doin’ It in the Park”, goes around NYC to film the outdoor basketball throughout the five boroughs in New York. They visit 180 courts in all five boroughs in 75 days showcasing the popular tournaments at Rucker Park in Harlem and Fourth Street in Greenwich Village. The film starts with interviews, videos, and history lessons and then shifts toward today’s outdoor basketball games at schoolyards, parks, and etc. “Doin’ It in the Park” exhibits the intense city games, teaches the basic fundamentals of basketball, and mostly interviews of the best players in the street also know as “asphalt gods” and their stories of how they came to be.

“Doin’ It in the Park” not only showcases the courts with high skills but also the lesser courts. Mr. Garcia and his crew records the game but also the “inmates hunger for their chance to play” as they wait off the side. Mr. Garcia also speaks with pro players in the N.B.A. who were from New York. He interviews one play name Kenny Smith who won two N.B.A. championships. Mr. Smith says that his “most vivid” memory of basketball is not his championship games as a pro but his first win a playground in Queens. Although this film recaps the shots that are highlighting material and not the flaws, it becomes a motivational video for the viewers.
NY Times Article
By Jeun Woo (Peter) Kang

Woody Allen’s latest film “blue Jasmine” will not be released in India due to its strict censorship policies. Despite, having PVR Cinemas, “India’s biggest theatre chain bought the rights to the film however, due to some content of the film it cannot be released in India. Due to India’s law which was passed in 2011 which made it compulsory for any film which has characters using any tobacco products to carry scrolls at the bottom of the screen warning viewers of the potential adverse effects of smoking. However, Woody Allen refused to abide by the law and not enhanced those scenes to include the scrolls. I feel that India was right in not releasing the film as Woody Allen and other directors like him should respect the law of the land. This will send a strong message to many big directors of Hollywood or either risk not releasing their films in the country.

NY Times Article

By Shobhit Ratan

Simply put, “Gravity” may be this generation’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, “Gravity” gives the sense to a viewer that space truly is an ominous abyss. It is supposedly not one of those ‘watch and never think about again’ movies. Although it may seem as though the wrong actors and actresses portray “Gravity,” George Clooney and Sandra Bullock have been “born to play these roles.” In addition, “Gravity” is offered in 3-D giving the audience a larger than life experience as the main protagonists travel through the gloomy, threatening darkness.

A series of obstacles are to be tackled throughout the film. Whether it’s dodging an interstellar storm, or deciphering manuals that are written in Chinese and Russian, there is never a dull moment in the plot. George Clooney’s depiction of life on the line offsets his usual regular-guy type he normally conveys in his films. Similarly, Ms. Bullock does a phenomenal job in making the viewers realize what it’s like to be in complete silence.

As the hopeful astronauts are deemed for doom from the beginning, the astronauts are forced to believe in the impossible. All they want to do is get back to their home planet that seems so alien to them as they travel through space aimlessly without any particular direction. They ponder on what it would be like to be back on their now foreign home planet. They sulk in the view from Earth as they take notice in Italy and the Nile River. Although they are doing whatever they can to stay alive, they’re also forced to deal with the fact that death is most likely in their near future.

As the film unfolds, viewers gain some sense of sympathy for the struggling astronauts as they drift through darkness. Whether it’s sympathizing for the woman that is dealing with the recent loss of her child, or the fact that everything they once have known can be lost, sympathy is certainly one of the many emotions drawn from viewers’ souls.

Furthermore, the fact that the film is offered in 3-D adds to the creative direction in which the directors and actors hoped to portray. It’s neither a corny 3-D film like “Titanic” turned out to be, nor is it the best 3-D film of all-time; however, the 3-D aspect drastically changes the viewer’s perception as they slump in their seats for the hour and a half the movie endures.

It will be interesting to see what most people get out of this film. It’s no ordinary sci-fi flick with extraterrestrials and space travel, rather, it depicts the sense of an ongoing ambivalence, as the astronauts have to come to terms and cope with their unfortunate situation as they are further propelled into space. Making a hit with their trailer on YouTube, it should be of no surprise when you hear “Gravity” breaking box office records as it soars to the top of almost every spectator’s chart. Overall, it’s a must see thriller. Enjoy the darkness.
Gravity Article from NY Times
By Colodero Carucci