2024 Academy Award Qualified Short Film ‘Perspectives’ in a Nutshell

On a hot day in Israel, a young female soldier named Ari goes from having fun with her girlfriend on a bus trip to slipping into a tense face-off with a man named Khaleel whom she suspects is a suicide bomber in the 2024 Academy Award qualifying short film Perspectives, written and directed by Neer Shelter.  

Ari must now choose between the other passengers’ lives and a potentially innocent man, with the world watching via live streams. Blending found footage with movie cameras, Perspectives is a 9-minute thriller that sends viewers on a choose-your-own-adventure journey while delving into the intricacies of how social media and cultural biases influence the narratives to the point of people being unable – and in some circumstances, unwilling -- to separate reality from fiction. 

Carmel Bin and Joy Rieger star in 'Perspectives' a 2024 Academy Award qualified short film directed by Neer Shelter. For Your Consideration in the Live Action category for Best Short Film.From the onset of the film, the two main characters seem glued to their cell phones and so fixated on snapping selfies that at first glance, it’s easy to wonder whether they are YouTubers or long-lost lovers. 

 As the plot thickens, we're quickly reminded that even in this hyper social world, many people remain stuck in their ways, living within narrow minded social bubbles while consuming propaganda from the news and social media feeds that keep people fearful and angry. 

Khaleel is silent throughout the entire movie, communicating only through body language. Ari thinks he’s weird and is concerned about him looking at her. Yet, she didn’t care about the older woman passenger who seemed annoyed with her making out with her girlfriend earlier during the bus trip.

Carlos Gharzuzi and Joy Rieger star in 'Perspectives' a 2024 Academy Award qualified short film directed by Neer Shelter. For Your Consideration in the Live Action category for Best Short Film.So, what makes Khaleel innocent, or is he a suicide bomber as Ari suspects?

If you’ve concluded that the latter applies in this situation when you watch the film, then what led to him becoming that way?

As a soldier, is Ari just trying to do her job or is she hateful or Anti-Arab?

Or, is she paranoid based on past experiences and/or teachings that have informed her thoughts and beliefs, and as a result, how she behaves in this particular situation? 

Perspectives illustrates how biases rooted in conflict that appear to have lasted from one generation to the next, leads to harassment and discriminatory acts as well as racial, ethnic and religious profiling that too often escalates into violent attacks – especially now in a time when social media tends to instigate drama, exploit harmful narratives and hinder pathways to peaceful resolutions between people from different cultures. 

Watch Perspectives here at this link to make up your mind about whether this interaction went well or sideways! 

Perspectives is currently vying for a spot on the Oscars shortlist for Best Live Action Short Film, following its premiere at BAFTA and Academy Awards qualifying Flickerfest.  

Perspectives also won Best Screenplay and Best Film at the Academy Awards qualifying St Kilda Film Festival. 

Aliens Rain Fire, Romance and Beach Vibes in Sci-Fi Comedy 'Higher Grounds'

If you want a good laugh and enjoy Sci-Fi comedy films with a retro twist, Higher Grounds has arrived just in time for summer! It’s a 16-minute extraterrestrial adventure about Ralff, one slacker alien who comes to destroy earth with his fellow “field drone,” Razzorakk.

Soon they find themselves sidetracked by gastrointestinal issues, a supply shortage and a mob of people who think they are generous visitors here to save the planet from rising temperatures. The biggest distraction of all, however, is Ralff’s quest to hook up with the hot café barista, Cleo. Suddenly, our survival depends on whether this space-schmuck can get her number, before his plucky partner blows us sky high.  

Written by Joe Kramer (who also directed this film) and Christian Sarkis Graham, Higher Grounds is set in Philadelphia on a typical Saturday for working Americans. That is, most working Americans except Julie, another café barista who takes advantage of a parking situation that leaves Cleo stuck at the café on her only day off – putting a dent in her plans to get a nice tan at the beach.  

It doesn't take long for Ralff to believe he's a “Gracious God” based on little more than speculative propaganda distributed by local news reporters, TV broadcasts and a growing crowd of neighbors who put him on a pedestal. Ralff takes things a step further by deciding it was destined for him to come to earth at this particular time, and be at this particular location. 

It’s nuts how misinformation and propaganda spreads like a viral disease when people refuse to do their own due diligence to understand what's happening around them, why it's happening, and what they can do about it. This leads to group thinking, which can often take a destructive turn when people believe things just because they heard it on the news or because it's the norm in their culture or locale.  

As the plot in Higher Grounds illustrates, this is hard to do when your Mayor, NASA and other leaders share false narratives while the local media gives them a platform to do so, thus perpetuating the nonsense. It's alarming to not be able to trust many, if not all, of the sources of information we have come to rely on for news, exploratory findings and leadership. 

The good news is the first act sets you up for a funny ride through a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon that is, like Cleo, easy on the eyes. Kudos to director Joe Kramer and cinematographer Daniel Brennan on the great shots. It's really a treat to see a film that delivers all sorts of angles that make the story even more visually pleasing. 

Speaking of storylines, there seems to be two that intersect throughout Higher Grounds in a surprisingly organic way. That is, if running into aliens on a mission to destroy the planet is business as usual for you. Much like the annoying traffic and parking headaches that motorists and SEPTA bus riders often experience in center city, South Philly is notorious for its parking issues. So, those who live in or nearby Philadelphia can relate to the parking headaches that sometimes turn into a life altering ordeal. 

Sprinkled with funny lines that have great timing, Higher Grounds, also has some likeable characters to root for and others that remind you of people you’ve met that make your life hell. You know, that co-worker who calls out at the last minute or doesn’t do their job so you end up taking on their responsibilities. Some quips in the film, like the Elroy Jetson reference, might fly over your head depending on how in tune you are with pop culture and your age. 

I appreciate the hustle of the café owner, Gus, who believes its fate that aliens have come to earth to keep the lights on. Gus’s humorous attempt to save his small business by advertising the café during a viral scene in the film shows how he’s willing to act quickly and take advantage of good opportunities that may be available -- even in a crisis. 

Cleo’s desperate attempt at a staycation using what she has available in the workplace is hilarious. There seems to be a longing and desperation that permeates through the mindset and behaviors of some of the characters in this film. Desperate to be liked. Desperate to escape from work or debt. Desperate for answers and acts of God. Cleo just wants to go to the beach. Ralff just wants to get her number. Razzorakk just wants to find a bathroom and Gus just wants someone to work the Cuisinart so he can capitalize on all this foot traffic from the alien visitors. The people in the community, at least on the surface it seems, just want cooler temperatures and fresh air. Then, there’s the litter that tells a different story. 

If you’ve been a longtime reader of this blog, you already know that littering is one of my pet peeves. As someone who participated in Blog Action Day and supports several causes addressing issues such as pollution, access to clean water and disaster relief, I was aggravated by the way some characters in Higher Grounds were single-handedly and collectively destroying the quality of life in their own environment while looking for an external solution at the same time. They're so fixated on a foreign invasion of "Gracious Gods" that they aren't looking at what they can do themselves to save the planet from extinction. 

You might also recognize actor John O’Hurley, best known for his role on the TV sitcom, Seinfeld, as the alien commander who sends Ralff and Razzorakk on a mission to actually “roast the planet” in Higher Grounds. As these alien foot soldiers prepare to “rain fire on all of these women and children,” I was bothered by the way that killing only seemed morally wrong when women and children are involved.  

There's a brutal grocery store scene that highlights the differences in Ralff’s moral compass when it comes to him questioning his job duties, which led to me liking him less. I mean, there are men on planet earth too and they shouldn't die just because the half naked female human you're chasing is "easy on the eyes." 

Higher Grounds is a quick, slice of life weekend adventure that had me rooting for the aliens in some scenes. Well, except of course for that grocery store scene. That one made me mad at Ralff along with the times when he’s so wrapped up in his own world that he’s oblivious to the needs of other people and that of what’s really going on around him. 

I loved the song "Last Train to San Fernando" in this film, along with Higher Grounds' composer Randy Sutin's musical score in general. The "Last Train to San Fernando" tune lends itself to the timely message that I took away from watching it, which is that you must make the most of the time you have on this earth because it will be over -- whether by natural, extraterrestrial or man made disasters -- before you know it!

The film also gives you some of the explosive and stylized elements that you would anticipate in a summer blockbuster, with local charm. In the midst of the frenzy surrounding the arrival of visitors from outer space, Higher Grounds is full of underlying tones reflecting global and societal issues. In 2022, the film was nominated for an Audience Award at the Raindance Film Festival satellite event, the Japan Indies Film Festival. It also screened in the Coney Island Film Festival in early May. 

If you're local in the Tri-State area, or up for a day trip to New Jersey -- a popular destination for tons of people who enjoy their summer at the shores in this coastal area; just sayin.... -- Higher Grounds is showing this weekend on Sunday, June 11th at the LBI Historical Association Museum during the Lighthouse International Film Festival. 

You can also stream the film here from the comfort of your home, at the office during your lunch hour or while stuck on a side street sitting behind a double-parked car. This short film made my day and just might do the same for you! 

Do you believe in destiny or fate?

When was the last time you went to the beach?

What do you think is the biggest issue plaguing our planet?

Sunday Synopsis: Why Straight Outta Compton is the Movie that Saved My Summer

I rarely ever go see a mainstream movie in theaters on opening weekend. Yet Straight Outta Compton, the biopic about the rise and fall of rap group N.W.A (comprised of Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eric “Eazy-E” Wright, DJ Yella and MC Ren) somehow managed to get me out to the cinema.

Of all the reasons to see this film, I was mainly hoping that it would afford me a two-hour vacation from a challenging summer. In a few different ways, the summer of 2015 has been harsh on several members of my family, as well as that of one of my childhood friends. Then in late July I had a bit of an accident that put me out of commission at an inconvenient time. Suddenly, there were injuries to tend to and I was not able to work as often and as well as I planned. Since then I’ve done what I could where able but updating this blog was among the things that fell by the wayside during these last few weeks despite my attempts to finish writing drafts of a blog post for the Popcorn & Paninis series, here and there.

As you can imagine, not being able to operate at 100% in even the most basic of activities is no fun. If you take one thing away from today’s post, remember to always take good care of your body, never take it for granted, protect it in every way you can and pay attention to the things you’re doing, everyday, when you are doing them. The human body is such a magical machine; its amazing the kind of things it can do and I’m grateful that it has all sorts of superpowers to repair itself like other things in nature such as crops in a garden, forests, land, etc. Still its also worth keeping in mind that just because something can be reborn anew doesn’t always mean it will return in the same way.

Often I’ve gone to bed these last few months thinking this year sucks. The thing about life, however, is that if you keep moving, you will also have experiences that remind you it’s not so bad after all. I can think of maybe 7-9 days I’ve had this summer so far where things seem to be looking up and one of them is when I went to see Straight Outta Compton over the weekend. Ever since watching the movie trailer months ago, I’ve anticipated its release because I’ve been an Eazy-E fan for a long time. Funny enough, I was not introduced to his music by N.W.A but rather from the work he did with my favorite rap group of all time….Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.

My familiarity with N.W.A came from vinyl record covers my mom had in the house, urban radio stations, MTV -- back when they were actually a music television channel -- and rap magazines sold at pharmacies like CVS, but I didn’t pay much attention to their songs.

Growing up, I knew more about the music of Ice Cube and Dr. Dre from their solo careers than any of the content chronicled in the movie about their early, and rocky, journey to putting the West Coast on the map, as far as the music industry is concerned. The fast paced Straight Outta Compton plays like a visual timeline of events that shaped music history while bringing our country’s political and social matters to center stage....

One day, a group of friends are uniting to make music and earn money through legitimate means during a time when the LAPD’s war on gangs made the future very uncertain for minorities regardless of their innocence. The next day, these same friends incite a nation of activists fighting to exercise (and maintain) their freedoms against censorship, violation of civil liberties, racial profiling and police brutality.

The biggest takeaway I gleaned from this movie is how important it is for disadvantaged youth around the world to have access to quality education and opportunities. There is a scene in Straight Outta Compton where Eazy-E (played by Jason Mitchell) bails Dr. Dre (played by Corey Hawkins) out of jail after Dre, who was working as a local nightclub DJ, was arrested without cause. In this scene, Dre convinces Eazy-E to leave his days of selling drugs behind to build a record label. Both of these young men are motivated by money and believe in their dreams enough to recognize an opportunity in the combined skills of their friends -- namely the writing abilities of Ice Cube (played by O’Shea Jackson, Jr.) and record spinning talent of DJ Yella (played by Neil Brown, Jr.).

All five members of N.W.A may not have looked like your average college graduate but they were still smart where it counted....channeling their own individual knowledge and talent into a more promising future for themselves; one that stretches beyond the most dangerous streets of Los Angeles. Straight Outta Compton depicts the lives of young men who speak up for the voiceless, marginalized members of society; people like them who are struggling to rise against a culture – be that in law enforcement, government, media and/or communities outside of their own -- that is intent on stereotyping everyone as criminals and people undeserving of respect, based on zip codes or appearances.

Chris, an L.A. native who also came to see Straight Outta Compton told me this is the “best hip hop movie” he’s ever seen. Chris just happened to be in town visiting and is probably on his way back to California right now as I write this, so having never been anywhere on the West Coast myself, it was nice to be surrounded by that L.A. life both onscreen and off-screen even for a short moment.

Although I have not watched many hip-hop movies in total, this film is definitely the best summer movie I’ve seen lately thanks to F. Gary Gray’s strategic assembly of a story that is bigger than hip-hop. That is where Straight Outta Compton shines for me.

For example, I vaguely remember watching news reports about the Rodney King beating and subsequent court verdict on television. I was just a kid then and didn’t think much of it except for the remarks I overheard from conversations between my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other elders. Straight Outta Compton helped put some things in perspective in terms of the significance of that incident and what it meant for the state of affairs between citizens, government and law enforcement.

Historical factors aside, this was a very entertaining film that made me laugh, cheer inside with excitement and jam out to classic tunes more times than it made me angry, nervous or want to cry. All despite the woman and her accompanying group of theater goers whose rude and ignorant outbursts were unwelcome by the rest of us who came to actually watch (and hear) the movie. It was a joy to learn more about how some of the biggest names in music known today got their start. So although this summer brought me some unexpected setbacks and painful times, the day I saw Straight Outta Compton was indeed...a good day.

R.I.P. Eric “Eazy-E” Wright.

Straight Outta Compton is now playing.

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