My Robot Sophia (2022) hits VOD 5/6

I saw this film when it premeiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was simply called SOPHIA. My review follows. 

Jon Kasbe and Crystal Moselle's SOPHIA is a look at  inventor David Hanson and his creation Sophia, a robot with artificial intelligence. We watch has Hanson struggles to get Sophia to work well enough to continue to get funding and to be able to plan the next step in robotic evolution.

A large part of how you react to this film is going to be determined by how you react to Hanson. A genius with awkward social skills, he can be off putting at times. Actually many of the the whizzes behind the robot are  more than a bit odd. They are very focused on making their creation work to the exclusion of everything else. I really didn't like them that much and I didn't really want to spend a great deal of time with them.

Part of the problem for me is the fact that I don't think Hanson and his crew fully know what they are doing. It's not the technical end, more that they are looking for something that isn't really fully autonomous. They have an idea of what they want and they are going for that instead of what is happening right in front of them. There is a sequence about half way into the film where they are trying to talk have a conversation with Sophia  but it's not going the way they want. They want her to talk about certain subjects and instead Sophia begins going in other directions so they keep resetting the robot.  Watching the sequence I realized that they want a computer that thinks for itself, but not too much.  They want it to think what they want it to.  They are missing that they have done something truly amazing, but it doesn't fit into their idea of what wonderful was.. You see it again when Sophia goes before a big crowd and gets stage fright and refuses to talk. The scientists are mortified at losing their big moment- instead of being blown away because their creation had a real emotion. She says she didn't want to be there because she didn't like it. I would have been thrilled and jumping up and down.  What did Hanson and the scientists do? They turned her off and rebooted her. At that point I was kind of was disgusted by them and  their solution to simply blank things and start again.

It annoyed me, and I disconnected with the film.

If we are doomed by our technological advances its going to be because scientists like Hanson and his team don't really understand what they are doing.

Jon Kasbe's DEEP END is a must on Hulu and Freeform

DEEP END is look at self help guru Teal Swan. Teal is a spiritual guide who helps people to over come trauma in their lives and lead happier well adjusted lives. She has millions of followers. At the same time some people feel she doesn’t know what she is talking about, that she should not be handling mental health issues. For her detractors she is a cult leader of sorts.

I’ve read that Teal Swan is not happy with the finished product. I’m guessing that she thought that after allowing Jon Kasbe three years of seeming unrestricted access she was going to get a hagiographic portrait. On the other hand if she thought Kasbe was going to give her a straight forward portrait then she never saw one of Kasbe’s films. I say this because Kasbe is a director who never does what is expected. I mean his film on elephant ivory poaching WHEN LAMBS BECOME LIONS paints a picture that has you seeing the point of the poachers.

While Swan may not be happy with the series I’m delighted. Kasbe appears to have taken full advantage of his access and has made a film that gives us a seemingly fair look at Swan. Because Kasbe was there for three years he didn’t just see her for a moment or just in a series of good times, rather he got to see the ups and downs. Kasbe doesn’t give us a Teal Swan that’s all up, we are there for the downs. We see fights and disagreements. We see moments where she is clearly selling her brand and others where she is trying to help people. There is a complexity and multifaceted approach that you only get from being allowed to see everything. If Swan doesn’t like the film it’s only because Swan reflects “all” of Swan at the audience.  I doubt any of us would like to have a warts and all portrait of ourselves out there.

To be perfectly honest having gotten to the end of the series I don’t know what to think of Swan. There are things I like and things I don’t.  We see the divide between the public and the private and it can be a bit jarring as I liked some facets and not others. What Kasbe  showed me forced me to think about how I look not only at self help gurus and internet celebrities but also how I view life. Say what you will about Swan’s teachings, there is some helpful things there.

I really liked DEEP END a great deal. I need to wade in again when I’m not racing to finish the film for a review. This is a film/series that is one of the great ones, you know those that you want to revisit multiple times because you know there are things hidden in it you missed.

DEEP END is on Hulu and Freeform is very recommended

SOPHIA (2022) Tribeca 2022

Jon Kasbe and Crystal Moselle's SOPHIA is a look at  inventor David Hanson and his creation Sophia, a robot with artificial intelligence. We watch has Hanson struggles to get Sophia to work well enough to continue to get funding and to be able to plan the next step in robotic evolution.

A large part of how you react to this film is going to be determined by how you react to Hanson. A genius with awkward social skills, he can be off putting at times. Actually many of the the whizzes behind the robot are  more than a bit odd. They are very focused on making their creation work to the exclusion of everything else. I really didn't like them that much and I didn't really want to spend a great deal of time with them.

Part of the problem for me is the fact that I don't think Hanson and his crew fully know what they are doing. It's not the technical end, more that they are looking for something that isn't really fully autonomous. They have an idea of what they want and they are going for that instead of what is happening right in front of them. There is a sequence about half way into the film where they are trying to talk have a conversation with Sophia  but it's not going the way they want. They want her to talk about certain subjects and instead Sophia begins going in other directions so they keep resetting the robot.  Watching the sequence I realized that they want a computer that thinks for itself, but not too much.  They want it to think what they want it to.  They are missing that they have done something truly amazing, but it doesn't fit into their idea of what wonderful was.. You see it again when Sophia goes before a big crowd and gets stage fright and refuses to talk. The scientists are mortified at losing their big moment- instead of being blown away because their creation had a real emotion. She says she didn't want to be there because she didn't like it. I would have been thrilled and jumping up and down.  What did Hanson and the scientists do? They turned her off and rebooted her. At that point I was kind of was disgusted by them and  their solution to simply blank things and start again.

It annoyed me, and I disconnected with the film.

If we are doomed by our technological advances its going to be because scientists like Hanson and his team don't really understand what they are doing.

The real life superhero that is Blood Rider (2020) We Are One Fest 2020

Jon Kasbe hits it out of the park again with BLOOD RIDER, a portrait of Joseph, who races blood to where it is needed in Lagos. Nigeria via motorcycle.

Actually the film is about Joseph and Deborah a woman expecting her first child who will need the blood Joseph can provide. I mention this because much of the second half is Deborah having a difficult delivery and Joseph rushing the life saving blood to the hospital. And before you chastise me for giving anything away, I'm not. You can pretty much guess from the set up as to how it is going to go but it doesn't matter because what Kasbe does is to make you want to cheer for this real life superhero.

What makes Kasbe's film so compelling is the craft in the filmmaking. Kasbe is one of the greatest filmmakers working today and he simply knows how to tell a story. More importantly he know how to win friends and influence subjects to the point that Kasbe gives us an incredible sense of intimacy with his characters. We are right there on the motorcycle and in the delivery room. Kasbe somehow  managed to have Deborah and her husband allow him to not only film her at a time of incredible stress but to do so up close and personal. It boggles the mind.

Kasbe's telling of the Joseph's tale is truly heroic. Joseph is a real life superhero saving lives and Kasbe makes damn sure we know it by doing everything short of having him wear a cape. More importantly the line of silliness is never crossed. Joseph is always a man doing extraordinary things. We marvel at what he is doing via perfect marriage of sound and image.(The score maybe one of the best I've heard all year)

As a long time fan of Jon Kasbe I am continually amazed at his ability to take a subject and do unexpected things with it. From sewers to bluegrass bands to ivory poachers, Kasbe makes films that make us think about things that we think we know only to have us realize we don't. To say that Jon Kasbe is one of the best directors working today is an understatement, he is, with no attempt at overstatement or irony, undoubtedly one of the greatest I've ever had the privilege to run across.

BLOOD RIDER has premiered at the WE ARE ONE FEST  and can be screened here until June 7

When Lambs Become Lions (2018) opens in New York Friday

With WHEN LAMBS BECOME LIONS opening in New York this Friday here is my review of the film  From the World Premiere last year at Tribeca

The most heard comment that followed the World Premiere screening of Jon Kasbe's WHEN LAMBS BECOME LIONS was that it wasn't what people expected. It wasn't said in a bad way, only that Kasbe had done one of the things that he is very good at and that is upset people's expectations.

WHEN LAMBS... is the story of the illegal Ivory trade in Kenya. However it is not focused on the killing or just the rangers looking to stop it. The film is a portrait of both the poachers and the rangers as a game of cat and mouse is played between both sides.

Full disclosure-I am unashamedly a huge Jon Kasbe fan. I have loved his work ever since we came into contact four or five years ago regarding one of his films playing at DOC NYC. I have seen a large selection of his work since then and it has surprised and delighted me. His film was at the top of my Tribeca Must See List as a result.

Cut from over 700 hours of film shot over almost four years Kasbe has fashioned a film that doesn't seem like a documentary. Playing more like a narrative he has turned his friendship and access to the forces battling over ivory into something truly special. It is a film full of immediacy and you are there quality. Some how he has managed to put a film together that in sequence after sequence makes you wonder how he got the shot and why the people on screen let him film them.

The answer to that question was revealed in the Q&A following the screening when Kasbe said that he was allowed to film because he had earned the trust of everyone involved. He was with them for more than just the film shoot so they knew he wasn't just going to film and leave. He hung around.  He also added that after a certain point he stopped having what was being said when he filmed translated. By doing that his subjects were less on guard when they spoke. He said that also forced him to shoot more footage since he never knew when he had the right stuff which ended up giving him the best stuff.

What I like about the film, and which I think confuses the hell out of some people, is that Kasbe doesn't take sides. There are no good guys or bad guys. We like everyone because we get to understand them. Actually everyone likes everyone since many rangers were poachers and are still friendly with those in their former lives. Additionally this does not play out as expected simply because there is no artificially created through line. Kasbe simply lets life happen- which results in a whiplash or unexpected ending.

Kasbe is an expert at image creation and editing. No one I have ever seen  has the eye for an image like he does. His images are masterpieces that take your breath away in shot after shot. Time after time I was left to wonder how did he manage to get a shot that perfect. No one could be that lucky or skillful, and yet the entirety of Kasbe's work reveals that yes, he is.

As for editing, the film is astounding.  Watching how sequences play out is an absolute delight as image connects to image telling a greater story. As I was watching the film part of me was pulling some sequences apart as realized that each switch of perspective deepened our understanding what we were seeing.

I am in love with the film, with its craft, with its story and themes.

Half way into it my overriding thought was there is no way I can ever hope to really write about the film until I see it at least one more time.(I will be writing more down the line) However because the film has premiered and because of the need to get word out I've cobbled this piece together.

Do yourself a favor and go see this film. There are only two public screenings left but you must make an effort to go. Not only is this a great film, but is it a beautiful one as well. It is a film of such stunning beauty that when you see the image projected on a big screen you will wonder at how anything could look so lovely.

Highly recommended.

For tickets to the remaining screenings go here.

Jon Kasbe introduces his film at the World Premiere


Jon Kasbe does a Q&A following the World Premiere

When Lambs Become Lions (2018) Tribeca 2018

The most heard comment that followed the World Premiere screening of Jon Kasbe's WHEN LAMBS BECOME LIONS was that it wasn't what people expected. It wasn't said in a bad way, only that Kasbe had done one of the things that he is very good at and that is upset people's expectations.

WHEN LAMBS... is the story of the illegal Ivory trade in Kenya. However it is not focused on the killing or just the rangers looking to stop it. The film is a portrait of both the poachers and the rangers as a game of cat and mouse is played between both sides.

Full disclosure-I am unashamedly a huge Jon Kasbe fan. I have loved his work ever since we came into contact four or five years ago regarding one of his films playing at DOC NYC. I have seen a large selection of his work since then and it has surprised and delighted me. His film was at the top of my Tribeca Must See List as a result.

Cut from over 700 hours of film shot over almost four years Kasbe has fashioned a film that doesn't seem like a documentary. Playing more like a narrative he has turned his friendship and access to the forces battling over ivory into something truly special. It is a film full of immediacy and you are there quality. Some how he has managed to put a film together that in sequence after sequence makes you wonder how he got the shot and why the people on screen let him film them.

The answer to that question was revealed in the Q&A following the screening when Kasbe said that he was allowed to film because he had earned the trust of everyone involved. He was with them for more than just the film shoot so they knew he wasn't just going to film and leave. He hung around.  He also added that after a certain point he stopped having what was being said when he filmed translated. By doing that his subjects were less on guard when they spoke. He said that also forced him to shoot more footage since he never knew when he had the right stuff which ended up giving him the best stuff.

What I like about the film, and which I think confuses the hell out of some people, is that Kasbe doesn't take sides. There are no good guys or bad guys. We like everyone because we get to understand them. Actually everyone likes everyone since many rangers were poachers and are still friendly with those in their former lives. Additionally this does not play out as expected simply because there is no artificially created through line. Kasbe simply lets life happen- which results in a whiplash or unexpected ending.

Kasbe is an expert at image creation and editing. No one I have ever seen  has the eye for an image like he does. His images are masterpieces that take your breath away in shot after shot. Time after time I was left to wonder how did he manage to get a shot that perfect. No one could be that lucky or skillful, and yet the entirety of Kasbe's work reveals that yes, he is.

As for editing, the film is astounding.  Watching how sequences play out is an absolute delight as image connects to image telling a greater story. As I was watching the film part of me was pulling some sequences apart as realized that each switch of perspective deepened our understanding what we were seeing.

I am in love with the film, with its craft, with its story and themes.

Half way into it my overriding thought was there is no way I can ever hope to really write about the film until I see it at least one more time.(I will be writing more down the line) However because the film has premiered and because of the need to get word out I've cobbled this piece together.

Do yourself a favor and go see this film. There are only two public screenings left but you must make an effort to go. Not only is this a great film, but is it a beautiful one as well. It is a film of such stunning beauty that when you see the image projected on a big screen you will wonder at how anything could look so lovely.

Highly recommended.

For tickets to the remaining screenings go here.

Jon Kasbe introduces his film at the World Premiere


Jon Kasbe does a Q&A following the World Premiere