Welcome back to the Cause Cinema Spotlight.
This week, a bittersweet spotlight, as we pay tribute to our soldiers this Memorial Day weekend. We have a gonzo pic from the war genre, an unscripted series with a murder theme, and we celebrate the life of a rock and roll icon - Tina Turner - who sadly passed away this week. We’ll start there.
What’s Love Got to do With It
A terrific biopic from 1993 that will likely see a second life from this recent news. Based on the life of the legendary soul singer, Tina Turner (played brilliantly by Angela Bassett) -- born Anna Mae Bullock -- discovers her love of singing in her Tennessee church choir. She moves to St. Louis to pursue a career, and there she meets the charismatic Ike Turner (played wonderfully by Laurence Fishburne), who rechristens her Tina and offers to help her succeed. As a musical team, Ike and Tina take the charts by storm. But as his physical abuse worsens, Tina has to make the tough decision to leave Ike and set out on her own. Both Fishburne and Basset were nominated for Oscars for their performances.
Learn more and see where to watch here.
There’s also a terrific documentary on HBO, from 2021 - TINA.
Mind Over Murder
From acclaimed filmmaker Nanfu Wang, the HBO Original six-part documentary series #MindOverMurder chronicles the bizarre and psychologically complex story of six individuals who were convicted for the 1985 murder of a beloved 68- year-old grandmother, Helen Wilson, in Beatrice, Nebraska. Despite five of the individuals originally confessing to the crime, the “Beatrice Six” as they became known, were exonerated by DNA evidence in 2009, a turn of events that divided the rural town and incensed the family of Helen Wilson. As the filmmakers track the case from the murder, through investigation, trial, exoneration and two civil suits, shifting perspectives cloud the truth; a stranger-than-fiction tale emerges that raises salient questions about the reliability of confessions and memory in criminal cases.
See on Max (formerly HBOMax).
And finally - with Memorial Day Monday, we turn to the War genre - and an explosive Finnish film.
SISU
During the last desperate days of WWII, a solitary prospector crosses paths with Nazis on a scorched-earth retreat in northern Finland. When the Nazis steal his gold, they quickly discover that they have just tangled with no ordinary miner. While there is no direct translation for the Finnish word "sisu", this legendary ex-commando will embody what sisu means: a white-knuckled form of courage and unimaginable determination in the face of overwhelming odds. And no matter what the Nazis throw at him, the one-man death squad will go to outrageous lengths to get his gold back -- even if it means killing every last Nazi in his path. A bit on the gory side, but critics and audience feedback has been very positive.
This is a Premium VOD release, so prices are higher than a standard streaming rental for a short time. Click here to see where to watch.
That’s a wrap for the Cause Cinema Spotlight. Hope you enjoy this week’s picks. And in case you missed it, check out our Memorial Day Showcase with 10 of my top movie picks.
As we continue to expand the awareness of these impactful stories, we appreciate you sharing with your friends and family.
May 31st is the deadline for the Founders 500! Click link below to learn more
Cause Cinema Club
For our Los Angeles based friends, we invite you to join our socially conscious community of like minded movie-goers for a screening of a social impact documentary film. Watch, be inspired, and learn about ways to take action to create change on important issues addressed by the film.
The award-winning filmmaker will be joining us for a Q&A following the screening.
Seating is limited.
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