I only saw five films at this year’s Traverse City Film Festival, mainly because many of the films had been previously released and I’d already seen a lot of them.
But one of the films I saw was Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru. It’s actually on Netflix, but was on my list for film fest because Robbins and filmmaker Joe Berlinger were going to do a Q&A with Michael Moore after the film.
Help Support Old Mission Gazette - Click Here
I really didn’t know much about Tony Robbins before seeing the film, but he seems to be the real deal in terms of wanting to help people. At the end of the Q&A, he did a little two-minute session with the audience to help us connect our heart and mind and move forward with intention. And darned if I didn’t feel energized after doing it! My takeaway: “Turn expectations into appreciation.”
It was also super fun to run into my friends Ruthanne, Maddy and Gabrielle there, and fortunately, we were able to sit together. Yay!
If you haven’t checked out Joe Berlinger’s films, put those on your list. Especially the “Paradise Lost” trilogy that delves into the “West Memphis Three,” about three teenagers accused of killing three kids, but were finally exonerated and released after years in prison, thanks to new DNA evidence.
Berlinger has made a lot of films, but the “Paradise Lost” films were particularly riveting and made me a fan of his work. I wrote a bit about them over at my entertainment site, Reel Life With Jane.
Note: I did receive a press pass for four TCFF films, including the Robbins documentary, as well as:
“Weiner,” a compelling documentary about politician Anthony Weiner’s sexting scandal;
“Concerto: A Beethoven Journey,” about pianist Leif Ove Andsne’s three-year journey devoted to mastering Beethoven’s five piano concertos; and
“Mike’s Surprise,” Michael Moore’s session where we never know what it’s going to be until we get there. It ended up being two hours of Moore’s political views (he’s for Hillary Clinton, no shocker). I felt like he was preaching to the choir, since a majority of the audience likely agreed with him. But … there were also a few people who left part-way through, which made me wonder if they didn’t appreciate being preached to. No matter which side you’re on, Moore is an entertaining speaker.
I had to fill in a space between films one day, so bought a ticket to “Generation Startup,” about youngsters starting or working for start-up businesses in Detroit. Those kids had no idea what they were getting into, but that’s the beauty of being young, isn’t it? And some of them have been very successful. Good for them.
Here’s a couple of videos from the Tony Robbins Q&A (note: he loves to swear):
