The Best Bar Mitzvah Boy

October 20, 2017January 31, 2022 by Shannon Des Roches Rosa

Todd Drezner www.lovinglamppostsmovie.com Dov and Sam | Photo © Brad Alpernin [image: Two white Jewish pre-teen boys, wearing suit jackets and ties at their Bar Mitzvah service, posing together and smiling for the camera.] We told our son Sam that there is no applause at Bar Mitzvah services. But when he finished his speech, a wave of clapping and cheering burst forth from the crowd—a genuine display of emotion that no religious custom could have stopped. There was a lot of feeling behind that applause. Love, certainly. Appreciation of a job well done. But also amazement. It’s probably safe to say that not everyone in attendance had expected to see what they’d just seen. And here is where the story gets interesting. But first some background. A Jewish boy becomes a Bar Mitzvah when he turns 13 (a Jewish girl becomes a Bat Mitzvah). Traditionally, the Bar Mitzvah leads…

Disability

Todd Drezner’s Open Letter to Cinema Libre Studio Regarding “Vaxxed”

March 31, 2016January 31, 2022 by Shannon Des Roches Rosa

Todd Drezner lovinglamppostsmovie.com Cinema Libre Studio is the film distributor for Loving Lampposts: Living Autistic. And today, I learned they are now distributing “Vaxxed,” the film by the discredited scientist Andrew Wakefield, whose fraudulent claim that the MMR vaccine caused autism launched a thousand conspiracy theories. The film was dropped by the Tribeca Film Festival, but unfortunately thanks to Cinema Libre, it is getting new life. The note below is the letter I wrote to Cinema Libre. If you’re so inclined, visit their Facebook page and tell them what you think of their decision. Dear Cinema Libre, I’m writing to explain why I’m so disappointed in your decision to distribute “Vaxxed.” I have three main objections: 1) Perhaps of most relevance to Cinema Libre is that Andrew Wakefield has assembled his film using unethical and dishonest editing techniques. As documented here, the “Vaxxed” trailer splices excerpts from two different phone…

Disability

Loving Lamposts: A Movie Review by TH

February 27, 2012January 31, 2022 by Shannon Des Roches Rosa

TH, age 10, Autistic The title of the film is “Loving Lampposts.” I was somewhat weirded out by the title because it was sort of a strange name for a movie and I had a particular interest in lampposts myself. And I knew it had to do with a syndrome called “Autism.” I for one am very familiar with this term, because I myself have it. Well, the movie revolves around this kid named Sam and his love for some particular lampposts in a local park. His dad wonders why Sam does all of the things he does and also wonders: “What is Autism, and why does it do the things it does?” Well, a large portion of the video is devoted to answering that question and others like it. Well first of all, there are the smart people who believe Autism is a gift, and it should not be…