Pressing on

Setbacks are a part of life. Ask any artist if this is true and if he doesn’t nod sagely in response then maybe he isn’t a true artist. Our special guest for the upcoming episode of Kralie In The Reel World is a true artist in her own way–you can trust me on that–which is why I can understand and even forgive her for needing to postpone our team-up.

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I know, I know. I was disappointed too when I received an email from her representative saying it wouldn’t be happening for the time being. I’ve had enough time to cool down and meditate on this latest creative letdown that I am having to endure, and I realize that the clearest path forward is actually forward.

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That’s why we will be tabling our eagerly anticipated excursion to Huntsville until a more appropriate time presents itself. Instead we will pivot into the area of guerrilla filmmaking. If you didn’t know it, Mountain Brook, Alabama is the wealthiest community in the entire state. It’s an affluent suburban oasis tucked away in the trees, and at its back lies the urban sprawl of street crime and sleazy gentrification that is Birmingham, Alabama. An odd place for one of the most consistent settings in sappy, trite movies being made today, don’t you think?

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This time I’ll be leaving the creative team behind and venturing out solo, with only my assistant Jay to bear witness as I demand some answers. Why do the haves have what they have anyway?  We’re going undercover as prospective “filmmakers” and visiting these homes of the wealthy that often serve as the setting for disposable cinema.

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I have always believed that filmmaking is inescapably political. It’s always the first act of rebellion. Sometimes it can be angry. Sometimes it gets dangerous. All that glitters is not gold in Alabama, and in our next episode of Kralie in the Reel World there’s going to be no holding back.

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-Alex K.