• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Film
  • DVD
  • Editorial
  • About ScreenFish

ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • News
  • OtherFish
  • Podcast
  • Give

Podcast

The Best Christmas Movies Ever

December 17, 2020 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

your sunday drive podcast

Do you want THE definitive list of The Best Christmas Movies Ever? Want to know why they matter deeply? Look no further…

In this final Your Sunday Drive podcast episode of 2020, we reminisce and riff on some of our favorites, unpacking plenty presents along the way: What makes a Christmas movie a Christmas movie and why does Die Hard count as one? What things do these stories have in common? Why do we build such strong traditions around them? Why does flying kites suck so bad? What role does magic and belief play in these movies?

Most importantly: How do these favorite seasonal stories connect to the actual Christmas story and the gospel itself?

Come along for Your Sunday Drive – quick conversation about current events, politics, pop culture and more, from the perspective of a couple of guys trying to follow Jesus.

Hosts: Matt Hill and Nate Polzin. Presented by the Church in Drive of Saginaw, MI, as often as possible. Please visit churchindrive.com and facebook.com/thechurchindrive

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: A Christmas Carol, A Christmas Story, best christmas movies, Charlie Brown, Christian, christian podcast, Christmas, christmas movies, church, dark, Die Hard, Elf, Faith, gospel, holidays, It's a Wonderful Life, light, Love Actually, magic, Mental Health, Santa, spiritual

7.07 Reviving History in MANK

December 11, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

Set in 1930s Hollywood, Mank tells the story of Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman), a screenwriter with a scathing wit and a passion for alcohol, as he channels his experiences with the cultural elite into what will become his greatest achievement… the script for Citizen Kane. This week, we welcome Pop Life’s Richard Crouse and In The Seats’ Dave Voigt to chat about reading the present in our past and the relationship between integrity and power.

You can stream the episode on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Amazon Podcasts! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

7.07 MankDownload

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Netflix, Podcast Tagged With: Academy Awards, Amanda Seyfried, Atticus Ross, Citizen Kane, David Fincher, Gary, Herman J. Mankiewicz, Mank, Netflix, Orson Welles, Oscars, Richard Crouse, Trent Reznor

7.06 Carrying Home with You in NOMADLAND

December 4, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

With her latest film, Nomadland, director Chloe Zhao tells the story of Fern (Francis McDormand), a woman in her 60s who loses everything in the Great Recession and embarks on a journey through the American West as a modern-day nomad. This week, we welcome back TO Film Files’ Jolie Featherstone and ScreenFish’r Julie Levac to talk about the nature of freedom of a Nomadic culture and the difference between being homeless and ‘houseless’.

ou can stream the episode on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Amazon Podcasts! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

7.06 NomadlandDownload

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Podcast, Reviews Tagged With: American West, Chloe Zhao, Francis McDormand, Nomadland, TIFF, TIFF20

7.05 The Sound of Stillness in SOUND OF METAL

November 28, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

In Sound of Metal, Riz Ahmed plays Ruben, a heavy metal drummer who’s left traumatized when he suddenly loses his hearing. Unable to perform and looking for answers, Ruben becomes a part of a Deaf Community that welcomes him in as he struggles with his new reality. This week, we welcome Catherine Erskine and first-time guest Deb Whalen to talk about what it means to be ‘fixed’, dealing with trauma and the difference between silence and stillness.

You can stream the episode on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Amazon Podcasts! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

7.05 Sound of MetalDownload

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Film Festivals, Podcast, Reviews, TIFF Tagged With: Darius Marder, Deaf Community, deafness, Paul Raci, Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal

The Ugly, Beautiful Gift of Cancer: 1on1 with Dauzat St. Marie

November 21, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

In a moment, one phone call can change everything.

That’s exactly what happened to singer Heather St. Marie and her husband Matt Dauzat of pop duo Dauzat St. Marie. While on the biggest tour of their career, St. Marie’s world changed forever when she found out that she had breast cancer, immediately turning their lives upside down. Terrified and traumatized by the results, the two had to put their tour—and their lives—on pause to begin an entirely new battle. 

Amazingly, after a lengthy battle, St. Marie is thrilled to be cancer-free and the duo have found a new purpose with the ‘In It Together’ campaign, a drive to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Filled with a renewed sense of hope, the two are excited about the opportunity to help women who are facing the same struggle that they experienced themselves. As a survivor herself, St. Marie knows that she will never forget the day that things began to change.

“It was crazy because we were at the highest of the high,” St. Marie starts. “We were out on tour with Pat Benatar, who’s an icon for any female singer, and Rick Springfield. It was just amazing and we were on top of the world. Then, that happens. I felt that lump. I think that when you’re on tour, you learn how to kind of compartmentalize. I just kept telling myself that it’s going to be nothing… But, there’s always that little voice saying, ‘what if it’s not?’ So, I wasn’t going to sit on it. I called my doctor the very next morning and I said… I need to get in and see you. I wasn’t sure what to think but it escalated very quickly and within 48 hours, it’s like, yes, you have cancer.” 

“Immediately, you go from the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows. I had to hear this news on the phone because my doctor went out of the country while we were waiting on lab results… and wasn’t back for a month. That’s a long time to wait to not know. Everything flashes before your eyes, and I just kept thinking, I’m not ready to go… You learn how to just focus on what’s right in front of you and just one foot in front of the other. I think that’s kind of what we just did. It was like, deep breath and this is the new battle. It’s not touring anymore. We’re just going to jump… from tour battle to cancer battle. We just switched gears and everything in our whole lives changed at that point.” 

Though St. Marie may have been the one suffering physically, there is no question that both she and Dauzat were ‘in it together’. For him, the experience may have seemed like it was from the outside yet he was very much committed to helping anywhere he could.

“It’s the same fight. On tour, I’m the booking, often the driver, tour manager, and everything else,” he explains. “So, I just kind of fell into the caregiver role and was just there to support, with lots of driving to appointments and just whatever needed doing. It’s not a whole lot of thinking that is involved. You just have to fall into the role and do it. One foot in front of the other. You can’t hardly think too many plays down the road. You kind of have to focus on the battle of the day, which is very unlike what we usually do. We typically have our next few moves kind of thought out and maybe even in play. With the cancer thing, it almost seemed like the doctors would only really want to kind of give you enough for you to be able to digest and accomplish now, not really telling you exactly what’s coming after that. They just kind of seemed to keep us focused on the battle of the day. Tomorrow is another day, which kind of made it easier in a way because there’s a lot of stuff we don’t need to know. Let’s just focus on what we can do today.”

When they finally got the news that she was cancer-free, you might expect that both Dauzat and St. Marie would be ecstatic with joy. However, after a grueling process, St. Marie points out that their initial reaction was quite the opposite.

“It’s funny. You would think that, when the doctor says you’re cancer-free, you should be celebrating,” she reflects. “Instead, it was almost like this small depression kicked in. I think [it was] a day or two later that we really talked about it. For the last year and a half, we’ve had this battle. Every day, you get up and you’re fighting cancer. Then, one day, you wake up and you have no battle and you have no purpose. You’re almost adrift, you know? So, while you should be celebrating because it’s a huge accomplishment to beat cancer, all of a sudden, the fights gone out of you and the rug’s pulled out from under you. I bring this up because that’s why we decided [that] we need a new purpose. So, we’re going to take this song and we’re going to turn it into something to help others who are going to go through what we just gone through. That’s kind of how the whole campaign was born.” 

Despite the heavy emotional burden they were already experiencing, the two still felt that they should open up about their journey to their fans. Not knowing what to expect, they found that they were overwhelmed with the outpouring of support that they received.

“We thought about it for a long time. A lot of people said you probably don’t want to do that. It’s enough work as it is, right?,” St. Marie states. “Giving updates to family members and close friends and now, all of a sudden, you’ve got everyone to kind of give updates to and respond to. But again, we just felt in our hearts that we had to do it. It was humbling to see all the love that came back from all over the world. All these years that Matt and I have toured and worked online promoting and just keeping these connections with people that we don’t really like calling fans. They’re really more like friends. All of that just came back 10x. It was really beautiful! It did absolutely help me on those dark, hard days to keep going, because I knew that there were people that cared. People wanted to see the good outcome and so it gave me a reason to fight.” 

“That’s kind of what we’re here talking about today with the In It Together Campaign,” Dauzat continues. “We decided to use our platform for good and helping others. We decided to share our cancer battle with our fans because we have really strong relationships with [them] and the responsible thing to do was to share what we’re going through in hopes that it might help others. We started getting these messages from women saying, ‘Hey, you know, your story inspired me to go out and get a mammogram that I’ve been putting off for however long!’ Then some others were further reporting that, ‘Hey, your story inspired me to go get a mammogram. And I found out that I have early stage breast cancer.’ So now there’s your light bulb moment, right. Now, if we spread this awareness, we can help save lives because the ugly statistic is one in every eight women with breast cancer. So, if we can get the word out to eight women and they all go get their mammograms, we can save the one early detection.” 
With a new sense of purpose in their hearts, the In It Together Campaign was soon born. Spearheaded by their incredible new single In It Together, the goal of the campaign is not only to raise funds for the American Cancer Society but also to raise awareness of cancer’s widespread effects. As the video began to come together, St. Marie says the experience ended up being far more special than she could have imagined.

“We knew we wanted to help people and we knew that the song had a lot of potential,” she beams. “We hit up some good friends of ours who were a dynamic filmmaking duo, Sebastian Paquet and Allie Roberto and told them what we had in mind and brainstormed and they ran with it. They get us. We all just started hitting people up and we got this beautiful crew of mostly women and then we had the male actor who was in it. Everyone was there for a reason. Everyone had been touched by cancer somehow and it was just beautiful. When we got the video back, I cried. It was even more beautiful than I had in my mind and more impactful. It was just fantastic. So, we said the world needs to see this as much as we can hit and reach. We thought, how can we make the biggest impact?” 

“The first thing that came to mind is the American Cancer Society. They’re over a hundred years old and they’ve actually grown to be global,” she continues. “They’re a great organization. So, we reached out to them just on a whim, they got back immediately and we developed a team there. Some of the people were concerned [that] if I donate to a corporation, is it actually going help these people? When we started talking, you hear their passion. They have one of these guys whose head of communications on the west coast and he’s on the phone sometimes late at night, talking to people who’ve just gotten a cancer diagnosis because there’s a 24-hour hotline. These people care that much. They’re not just sitting in a corporate office, signing papers and doing their little thing. They are actually on the front lines helping so I felt good about the fact that we were going to join forces with them and they care as much as we do. 

Since both the song and the campaign are incredibly personal for the duo, there were several aspects of their story that St. Marie felt would be important to the development of the video as well. 

“For me, mostly, it was not just my story but the story of the caregiver,” she recalls. “Those opening scenes are actually very much how it happened. Unfortunately, I had to find out on the phone. Matt came in the room and when he saw my face, we both almost just crumbled. That hits me every time I see it because the actors portrayed it, you can see it. That’s just how we felt. That was very important because the caregivers sometimes get overlooked. I think that their role is a lot harder even than for the patient, because they’re the ones dealing with the fallout. They’re the ones having to deal with the reality of cooking and cleaning and taking care of them and all these things. It’s exhausting and draining, so that was really important.”

“The second thing that was really important to me was that, when the girls come in and surround me, it’s symbolizes what I felt. I said early on having breast cancer is like joining this club that you never knew existed and you never wanted to be in, but if you have to be in it, it’s beautiful… When you join this cancer club, it’s a beautiful thing that happens because it hits us. Strangers on the street, when I’m out would you say, I’m going to pray for you or just I hope you’re going to be okay. It’s a terrible, ugly, beautiful gift that you’ve been given and I wanted to portray that in the video.” 

Embedded within the lyrics of In It Together is the somewhat surprising suggestion that the highs and the lows are not only intertwined but also necessary. According to Dauzat, this idea stems from their belief that the worst moments of life allow them to experience a deeper sense of appreciation for the better times.

“I think, without great lows, how can we truly appreciate great highs? It’s all about perspective, right?,” Dauzat believes. “So, it’s a necessary thing. We always really appreciate the lows. We appreciate the tough times that we’ve gone through because when we experienced the good times, we really fully can embrace it. We feel that we’ve earned that because we’ve gone through things. I think people need to embrace the lows and understand that, when you’re given lows, there are a lot of great lessons that you can take out of those moments. You can use those to create your new highs or to enhance the new highs that are coming later.” 

“In modern society, we’re living longer and we’re so detached from death as opposed to people in the 1800s, when it was really a part of life, you know?,” echoes St. Marie. “So, I think that might be why people are afraid of challenges because it brings up emotions and the fact that we’re all mortal. No one wants to look at that these days, but, like Matt said, those are the things that make us multi-dimensional. Those are the things that make us complex and more interesting and stronger. If you’ve never been challenged, you’re kind of weak because you don’t know what it’s like to go through that. I feel that, for me, I’ve always been compassionate, but I don’t think I even had the capability of being as compassionate and empathetic as I am now that I’ve gone through this. Even just appreciating the little things, like we would draw to radiation early every morning across Los Angeles, South of Santa Monica. We got to see so many amazing things. There was a butterfly migration, Millions of butterflies are migrating from Mexico up north. I wouldn’t have seen that if I hadn’t been going to my radiology appointment. So, with cancer, it’s like somebody cleaned the window with Windex and, all of a sudden, everything becomes crystal clear. It’s the little things that we can appreciate and you don’t get that unless you’re going through some suffering and some difficult times.“

With the campaign now in full swing, the duo are thrilled to get the word out to as many people as possible. Asked how people can participate, St. Marie declares that there are a number of different ways that the public can donate financially or simply show their support on social media.

Says St. Marie, “You can donate immediately. If you text DSMBand to 20222, that’s going to be a $25 immediate donation that’s also tax deductible. It goes directly to the American Cancer Society. If you guys are fortunate enough that you’ve survived this crazy year and you have a little bit more, you can do more on our site (dsm.band). There will be a way that you can donate with a credit card for extra large donations or, if it’s a company that wants to donate, you can donate with a cheque and all that information is going to be on the landing page.” 

“If you’re looking for a holiday gift that keeps on giving, you can donate with your credit card and put it in honor of somebody or as a tribute to someone who’s passed away from cancer. We’re trying to make this inclusive to everybody. Now, if you guys don’t have any money, if you’re struggling really hard, we get it. All we ask is that you share the hashtag and the post. We’re going to blanket it. We’ve got a whole list of friends, family, celebrities that all on board with us to push this campaign out. So, when you see it, please share it. The hashtag is #inittogether. We’re going to be having it out there so that most people just go watch the video. It’s compelling. Honestly, everyone on this Earth is going to be touched by cancer or has been already… I’m a direct recipient of the good work that American Cancer Society is doing so you can feel good about this, if you get involved in our campaign,” 

For full audio of our conversation with Dauzat St. Marie, click here.

Filed Under: Interviews, Podcast Tagged With: Breast Cancer, Dauzat St. Marie, In It Together

Plot Twist! Why We’re Thankful for 2020

November 20, 2020 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

Between the pandemic, social upheaval, political turmoil, etc., 2020 has obviously been a challenging year. In this Thanksgiving episode of the Your Sunday Drive podcast, we flip the script and explain why – plot twist! – we’re thankful for 2020.

We start with some reactions to the current election drama and positive spins on this year’s political and media-related issues. Then we discuss a bunch of things we’re thankful for, such as kids’ resilience, the goodness of people, possible fruitful changes to work culture, and “small things” to appreciate such as video games (including an impromptu aesthetic discussion about the definition of art 🙂 ).

Finally, we examine how hard times, our view of God, trust and thankfulness are all intertwined in the Bible.

Come along for Your Sunday Drive – quick conversation about current events, politics, pop culture and more, from the perspective of a couple of guys trying to follow Jesus.

Hosts: Matt Hill and Nate Polzin. Presented by the Church in Drive of Saginaw, MI, as often as possible. Please visit churchindrive.com and facebook.com/thechurchindrive

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: 2020, Bible, biden, christian podcast, church, culture, drive, election, Faith, God, Jesus, Pandemic, politics, Thanksgiving, Trump

7.04 The Power of Ghosts in REBECCA

November 6, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

Amidst the stunning landscapes of Monte Carlo, a young woman (Lily James) is surprised to find herself caught in the midst of a sweeping romance with eligible bachelor, Maxim DeWinter (Armie Hammer). When the two wed quickly, he brings her home to his elegant manor of Manderley. As the new Mrs. DeWinter settles into their estate, she falls out of favour with housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas), who remains devoted to the legacy of Maxim’s first wife, Rebecca. This week, Miriam Ibrahim and Amanda Jane Smith return to talk about the film’s portrayal of the relationship between power and gender and being haunted by toxic memories.

You can stream the episode on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Amazon Podcasts! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

7.04 RebeccaDownload

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Netflix, Podcast Tagged With: Alfred Hitchcock, Armie Hammer, Kristin Scott Thomas, lily james, Rebecca

7.03 Debating Character in THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT

November 1, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

With the US Election ticking closer, ScreenFish turns back the clock 25 years to rewatch Rob Reiner’s THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT. When President Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas) meet impetuous lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening), he is instantly taken with her and pursues a relationship. However, their budding romance sparks questions about his character and his ability to lead the country in ways that threaten his re-election campaign. This week, we welcome back ScreenFish’rs Shelley McVea and Heather Johnson to talk about what we expect from our leaders, the nature of character and whether or not that matters more than policy.

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Soundcloud! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

7.03 The American PresidentDownload
BKA4CY THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT (1995) ANNETTE BENING, MICHAEL DOUGLAS AMPR 066

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Podcast Tagged With: Annette Bening, biden, Martin Sheen, Michael Douglas, Michael J. Fox, Richard dreyfuss, Rob Reiner, The American President, Trump, US Election

Step Up to the Booth: 1on1 with Sue Kramer (BE DOPE. VOTE.)

October 30, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but there’s an election next week.

Even if you haven’t, director Sue Kramer certainly has.

With the 2020 Presidential election finally here, it is time once again to head to the polls and share your dream of what America truly values. However, despite the overwhelming need for people to get out and vote, many people choose not to do so (or worse, feel that their opinion doesn’t matter). Concerned that people may miss such an important opportunity, Kramer developed Be Dope. Vote., an online campaign devoted to encouraging people to use their political voice. Asked where she got the idea for Be Dope. Vote., Kramer begins by pointing out that the word ‘dope’ jumped out at her due to its ties to current social conversations.

“I love the word ‘dope’. I’m a wordsmith and a screenwriter… I always get real connected to certain words. I love certain words and I also love the origins of certain words so I started looking up how ‘cool’ was this word that was used by jazz musicians, [who were] almost predominantly musicians of color. Then, [the word] got taken over by the Woodstock revolution and became gentrified within language. There’s this slang word that… became this word used by all. ‘Dope’ is very similar in that [the word] was used predominantly by people of color. Now, it’s become cool to use the word dope because being dope is also being woke. These are two things that are at the top of the agenda in terms of our lives right now in terms of the global stratosphere. So, I thought… what would be the phraseology to get people to vote? And I came up with Be Dope. Vote. and it just worked.”

With an emphasis on diversity, Kramer’s hope is that the Be Dope. Vote campaign will reach as broad an audience as possible.

“I specifically cast everyone from a nine-year-old to [former West Wing stars] Richard Schiff, who’s in his sixties [and Allison Janney],” she explains. “I cast men, women, children, teenagers, black, white, Asian to really represent the diverse culture that we live in. This video is a representation of faces and ages and gender [within] our global community and of our United States community where the vote is at stake right now. So, I am actually not just going after the youth vote. But the truth is this election has three groups of people that need to get out and vote. One of them, surprisingly is the white male. If 1% more voted democratic, then that could change the entire election automatically, which is shocking. I’m going after the 20 to 30 something because they did not come out in the last election and they need to come out in this election. So, I went after people who they love and also the black vote, which is important. So, Billy Porter, Miss J and ASAP Ferg being in the video and Brittany O’Grady (who’s biracial) and Ryan Destiny, who’s black, all of these faces of beautiful color are needed. Everyone’s needed to really speak to all the people that need to get out and vote.” 

As the election draws nearer, Kramer feels that the sense of urgency to get to the polling booths increases as well. While each federal election seems important, she also believes that people believe that voting in this year’s campaign may be more critical than others in recent years. 

“I think that people are appalled at what our country has become,” Kramer argues. “I think that we’ve never been more divided because of the current president. I do say ‘because of him’, even though I made a very bipartisan video that can be shared by anyone to go out and vote. You should use your voice, whatever it is, you should vote. But I think that people are fired up that they want change. I do think that there’s a lot of people on the president’s side that think possibly that he’s doing an okay job or might be thinking about a bigger picture of different beliefs. But I think that the tide needs to change and I think that people want to be part of this tidal wave… There’s a lot at stake here, so I’m willing to do anything it takes in terms of using my creative power to try to make an impactful, passionate plea to get people to vote.” 

Having been involved in political campaigns before, Kramer was initially unsure about stepping into the ring with this election. However, after reading a discouraging message online, she felt called to speak out about the importance of speaking your mind through the polling station.

“I hope Be Dope. Vote. has legs to last for decades and becomes a campaign that is used for every big election,” Kramer claims. “[I want to] put some type of creative spin on that helps ignite and fire up people to use their voices. The real reason I came up with this is because… after the Brianna Taylor ruling, I saw a tweet by a football player saying [that] he was throwing in the towel and that he wasn’t going to vote purposely. He’d just given up. Then, thousands of people responded saying the same thing: ‘I’m with you. I’m giving up. I’m not voting.’ That day was the day that I said I have to do something. I have to figure this out. I can’t let people throw in the towel, or I can at least do my best to try to convince them otherwise. So, I came up with Be Dope. Vote.” 

Because of the pandemic, Kramer viewed this as an opportunity to take a different approach with her celebrity guests. Rather than gathering together in physical space, Be Dope. Vote. is a refreshingly honest video that lets people be themselves over Zoom.

Says Kramer, “I brought in a friend and a colleague named Michael Rankin who has a show on LinkedIn called You Are Dope [where] he interviews people in this kind of Ed Sullivan radio style and he asks really wonderful questions and people are their authentic selves. Michael has a great new voice. And so that was a new fun factor.” 

“Then, I thought I’ve got to go all in with what we have, which is [that] we’re all talking on Zoom. We’re not doing hair and makeup like last time where my stars came in with agents and managers, hair and makeup and publicists. I [just wanted to] talk. So, we got on Zoom with all these wonderful people and it was just talking. I really pulled out these gems and Michael became the host and it was born. We put it together in basically a little over a week and then released it on Friday the ninth. I just hope that it has impact. That’s my biggest desire.” 

Since the Be Dope. Vote. campaign has launched in early October, Kramer has been overwhelmed by the support that it seems to have garnered from both celebrities and the general public. While success may be difficult to measure, she considers it a victory if anyone who sees their video changes their mind and gets to the polls as a result.

“I can’t quantify success,” Kramer points out. “I don’t have people calling me saying I saw your video and now I’m going to vote. But I can already call it a success by ASAP Ferg being one of the only rappers to come out. Snoop Dogg came out and said, we’ve got to vote. When these rappers come out and speak to their audiences, that makes a difference because they’re the voice of their people. So… if any of those people [in our video] hit their audience and somebody saw the video and thought, ‘Oh, I was thinking about not [voting] but, you know what? I’m going to do it.’ Then, it’s success. No matter who I hit around the country, it’s a success.”

“We’re trying everything that we can to just keep the fire going [and] spread the passion,” she continues. “I’m a filmmaker. I own an agency called Connecting Dots Guru, which is my branding agency seeing through a director’s eye and a screenwriter’s pen. I put my agency on hold for nine days and spent my own money on this to just get people to not throw in the towel. I’m not going after to be clear. I’m not going to change the minds of somebody who’s completely pro-Trump and was voting for Trump. Those people are still going to vote for Trump. I’m trying to change the complacent people who feel as if they’ve been too beaten down by COVID, isolation, Black Lives Matter, or by everything that’s gone on in this country over the past four years. But more importantly, over the past year and specifically after George Floyd, those people feel so beaten down that they just don’t have it in them. And I’m trying to say, come on, you can do this. You can do it.” 

With Be Dope. Vote., Kramer wants everyone to be reminded that each vote matters and allows people to have their say. While the political world is often frustrating, she also believes that that’s no excuse to simply abdicate one’s freedom of speech when the opportunity to express themselves is given.

“Hillary Clinton won the election in terms of votes, but lost the election on the electoral college,” she mourns. “Why? Because enough people didn’t get out and vote. And that is the reason, even though she won it in terms of the popular vote so that everyone was shocked. I, myself was shocked. Everyone I knew was looking at the CNN screens [and asking], how did this just happen? We cannot let that happen again. We cannot have regret that we did not get out. We cannot have a moment where we’re shocked that this happened, because if anyone thinks that they’re going to be shocked if Trump wins, then they better get out there. Get involved, bring a friend with a map and get out and vote because you don’t want to have regrets this time.” 

In addition, she contends that one has little right to complain about an outcome if they don’t participate in the process.

“Miss J says in my video that, ‘If you don’t vote, you can’t complain.’ So, we might not win this,” Kramer acknowledges. “I’m clearly on one side, but if you don’t get out there and try, you cannot complain. Everyone’s complaining and everyone’s tired. Rightfully so but you have to just pick your bootstraps up no matter how tired you are. No matter how much you wanted Bernie or Elizabeth Warren or anyone else to win the nomination, it doesn’t matter because that’s what happened with Hillary Clinton. All the millennials bowed out because they were upset that Bernie didn’t win. If they do that again, this time they will be ruining their entire future in terms of an endless amount of rights and an endless amount of ripples that, in my humble opinion, are catastrophic.“

To follow Be Dope. Vote., click here.

For full audio of our conversation with Sue Kramer, click here.

Filed Under: Interviews, News, Podcast Tagged With: allison janney, ASAP Ferg, Be Dope Vote, biden, Billy Porter, Miss J, Richard Schiff, Ryan Destiny, Sue Kramer, Trump, US Election

Election Final Thoughts; Year’s Best Shows; Tolkien on Stories

October 28, 2020 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

With one week left before the 2020 election, we present some final thoughts, hot takes, questions, hopes and more.

We also share about some of our favorite shows and other media of 2020, asking the question “how can we redeem the time spent on such things?”

Finally – to help answer this question – we look at J.R.R. Tolkien’s “On Fairy Stories” and the idea that stories have three essential parts, all of which mirror the gospel.

All this (and more) in a new episode of the Your Sunday Drive podcast:

Come along for Your Sunday Drive – quick conversation about current events, politics, pop culture and more, from the perspective of a couple of guys trying to follow Jesus.

Hosts: Matt Hill and Nate Polzin. Presented by the Church in Drive of Saginaw, MI, as often as possible. Please visit churchindrive.com and facebook.com/thechurchindrive

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: biden, boys, Christian, christian podcast, church, culture, election, fairy stories, last kingdom, Lord of the Rings, NeXT, oxenfree, Pandemic, politics, tolkien, Trump, utopia

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 27
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

THE SF NEWS

Get a special look, just for you.

sf podcast

Hot Off the Press

  • Stray: Noble Creatures Unleashed
  • Boss Level: Groundhog Death
  • Raya and the Last Dragon: Trust Lost. Trust Restored.
  • My Salinger Year: Listening to Words that Change Lives
  • The People vs. Agent Orange
Find tickets and showtimes on Fandango.

where faith and film are intertwined

film and television carry stories which remind us of the stories God has woven since the beginning of time. come with us on a journey to see where faith and film are intertwined.

Footer

ScreenFish Articles

Stray: Noble Creatures Unleashed

Boss Level: Groundhog Death

  • About ScreenFish
  • Privacy Policy

© 2021 · ScreenFish.net · Built by Aaron Lee