Movie with Abe: All In: The Fight for Democracy

All In: The Fight for Democracy
Directed by Lisa Cortes and Liz Garbus
Released September 18, 2020 (Amazon Prime Video)

Almost anyone who voted in the 2020 United States presidential election will agree that there were substantial issues with the process that suggest very serious problems to be remedied within the system. Democrats cite numerous instances of voter suppression and obstacles to access for minority communities around the country, while Republicans allege widespread voter fraud that tipped the results in the favor of the other party in multiple states. It’s not an argument in which both sides deserve to be given equal time, and this highly informative and urgent documentary released months before disputing results led to a siege on the capitol is among the strongest and most incontrovertible evidence.

Stacey Abrams is one of the central figures in this film, an early rising star decades before she decided to run for Governor of Georgia. The fact that her opponent in the race, Brian Kemp, was unconcerned with the conflict of interest that existed from his serving as secretary of state, in addition to his active efforts to limit the voter pool, make Abrams particularly qualified to discuss a long history of creating new rules designed to keep certain populations from having their voices heard while advantaging those never subjected to the same restrictions. Other historians and experts offer considerable support for unsettling observations and conclusions about the many abhorrent flaws of the election process.

Watching this film is an intense, emotional experience because of the overwhelming number of events and examples of how efforts to subjugate the opinions and influence of those deemed inferior by the ruling class have been codified into law so that they are seen not as amoral but instead somehow necessary to uphold. Abrams is simply one of the most visible and recent examples because of how close her race was when her opponent was in charge of running the election, and this film offers a comprehensive and deeply compelling overview of the history of the United States and how this is one place where racism is undeniably systemic.

It’s astonishing to think that this film was made before a majority of Republicans in Congress refused to acknowledge that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election since it covers many of the themes, including the frequent invocation of voter fraud used to justify the passage of laws that purport to improve the veracity and integrity of the process rather than to purposely make it harder for already disadvantaged communities to participate. The silver lining that, two years after the timeline portrayed in this film, Georgia now has two Democratic Senators who were able to win thanks in no small part to the extraordinary registration efforts undertaken by Abrams, doesn’t make this film any easier to watch but does show the positive power of activism and the pursuit of a fair and honest framework that is actually representative of the people empowered to vote.

B+

Talking Tribeca: All In

I’ve had the pleasure this year of screening some selections from this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which takes place April 18th-29th.

All In
Directed by Daniel Burman
Festival Screenings

Not to be confused with the recently-released documentary “All In: The Poker Movie,” this Argentinean film features poker addict and successful businessman Uriel (Jorge Drexler) as he navigates running into his old girlfriend, the one that got away, Gloria (Valeria Bertuccelli). The film follows both members of the couple almost equally, showcasing Uriel’s debate about getting a vasectomy and his life with his children, and Gloria’s failing relationship with another man and the perception that her friends and family have of her. Most astonishing about the film is that this is Drexler’s first acting job – the songwriter won an Oscar for the song from “The Motorcycle Diaries – and he handles being on screen with absolute grace. He’s completely charming and energetic, and if not for Bertuccelli’s equally spectacular performance, Drexler would carry the film. Two fantastic leads are gifted with a terrific script from Daniel Burman and Sergio Dubcovsky, which features witty dialogue and an interesting story, which includes musician rabbis and mysterious poker champions. It’s hard to accurately convey a picture of “All In,” but whatever it is, it’s great.

See it or skip it? Yes, as long as subtitles don’t scare you away. It’s definitely worth seeing, and it’s hard not to enjoy.

Movie with Abe: All In: The Poker Movie

All In: The Poker Movie
Directed by Douglas Tirola
Released March 23, 2012

It’s difficult to capture and relay the essence of a sport, and even more difficult to do so with a culture. Doing so in a nonfiction narrative is an increased challenge, since, most often, devotees and die-hard fans may not seem camera-ready. “All In: The Poker Movie” is an extraordinarily competent, totally engaging immersion into the world of poker, tracking its history and development over time. Like many documentaries, it has many focal points and hits on numerous topics over the course of its runtime, and it remains thoroughly interesting and compelling as it navigates each piece of the poker universe.

“All In: The Poker Movie” can be broken down into four major parts, which overlap as one feeds into another. The history of poker is explored in enormous detail, back to presidential poker games in the White House and the mass mailing of card decks overseas to soldiers in World War II. The science of poker and gambling is an obvious subject, and the energy of those interviewed appropriately conveys the personalities and attitudes that go into the game. Poker in film comes into play as well, with Matt Damon serving as an interviewee due to his participation in the film “Rounders,” which he claims is the role for which people most recognize him. Finally, the rollercoaster rise and fall of online poker is chronicled in the most dramatic of fashions.

This documentary is full of fantastic anecdotes, such as one interviewee’s assertion that, several decades ago, watching poker on television was less interesting than watching paint dry. Such stories lead to more stories about impactful changes, such including the introduction of the hole cam in televised poker, which shows a player’s hand to viewers. Veteran players complain about rookies wearing sunglasses while playing inside, and the tale of the aptly-named Chris Moneymaker’s rise to fame is fascinating. Like any good documentary, the film includes statistics and hard facts, charting the introduction and demise of online poker and its effect on the industry as a whole. This reviewer has become a casual poker player of late, and therefore this film holds a certain appeal, but it’s broad enough in its construction and appropriately specific in its defense of its sport as legitimate that it should please just about anyone. Even those that find the notion of gambling deplorable might may be swayed by this honest, even-handed portrayal of poker culture.

B+