REVERSE ANGLE
The color of money
Laurels for locals
The prestigious George Foster Peabody Awards (for “stories that matter” in all media) honored 12 documentaries earlier this month; four Bay Area filmmakers earned laurels for three of-the-minute films.
“4.1 Miles,” the harrowing youare-there chronicle of an overwhelmed Greek coast guard captain trying to rescue as many Syrian refugees as he can, added the Peabody to its Student Academy Award and Oscar nomination. Heady stuff for its director, recent UC Berkeley grad Daphne Matziaraki of Oakland.
Veteran documentarians Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk of San Francisco made “Audrie & Daisy.” Their film examines the toxic culture of victim-shaming and cyberbullying that can severely traumatize teen victims of rape. Next for the duo: “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power,” with Al Gore.
San Francisco’s Dawn Porter was honored for “Trapped,” which examines Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws.
“We have watched with dismay as the assault on women’s reproductive rights has taken on new strength, even after the decisive victory in Whole Woman’s Health,” Porter told The Chronicle after she learned she had won the award, referring to last year’s Supreme Court ruling that rolled back Texas’ restrictive laws. “The attempts to defund Planned Parenthood are one example; another (is) the alarming new laws being passed in states across the country.”
To see “4.1 Miles” in its entirety: https://tinyurl.com/ztugl9s
“Audrie & Daisy” is streaming now on Netflix. To see a trailer: https://tinyurl.com/hjw6cqn
“Trapped” is streaming now on Netflix. To see an interview with Dawn Porter during its fundraising process: https://tinyurl. com/k3jzvkw
Trivia question
What major American pundit claimed to have been a part of a program that won two Peabody Awards, though it never won one?
While still mulling the smoking corpse of “Ghost in the Shell,” there’s a related case study that might be instructive in “XXX: The Return of Xander Cage.”
The obvious rationale for the casting in “Ghost” would, of course, be financial. That is, obeying the old-school conventional wisdom that an American star is needed for box office success. But …
“Cage,” top-lined by Vin Diesel, is the year’s biggest hit so far that you didn’t realize was a smash. That’s because it tanked stateside — $45 million on an $85 million budget. Internationally, however, the film co-starring Donnie Yen, Deepika Padukone and Tony Jaa has earned more than $300 million.
Compare the American and Chinese trailers to see what elements were being sold to each market. Spoiler alert: The foreign ads weren’t powered by Diesel.
With blockbusters routinely doing twice as much business abroad than at home (i.e., “Captain America: Civil War,” “Furious 7,” etc.), studios are finding that money is green all over the world.
The American trailer for “XXX: The Return of Xander Cage” is at https://tinyurl.com/ gpal2wh. Compare and contrast with the Chinese trailer at https:// tinyurl.com/ldj7zo9.
Hammer time … this year
In the new “Thor: Ragnarok” trailer, the CGI doesn’t look great at this stage, but Cate Blanchett brings the darkness as Hela, one of the most feared villains from the comics.
Most of all, director Taika Waititi (“What We Do in the Shadows,” episodes of “Flight of the Conchords”) seems to be channeling some of that “Guardians of the Galaxy” vibe. The movie opens in November.
The “Thor: Ragnarok” teaser trailer is at https://tinyurl.com/ mmnmqry
Speaking of ‘Guardians’ (Vol. 3)
Just before “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” takes Earth by storm this week, some great news for fans: James Gunn has announced via Facebook he will return to write and direct “Vol. 3.”
Gunn’s post: https:// tinyurl.com/km3vtzk
Trivia answer
That would be Bill O’Reilly. O’Reilly said during a C-SPAN interview and several times on “The O’Reilly Factor” that “Inside Edition” won two Peabody Awards during his tenure. It did not. He then said he had confused “Peabody” with “Polk.” The show did win a Polk Award — a year after he had left.
Al Franken’s take (before he was a senator) on O’Reilly’s Peabody claims: https://tinyurl.com/l9qly8p
Michael Ordoña is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer. Twitter: @michaelordona