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I was initially skeptical that this movie would be suitable for a 7-year old. Of course it was suitable in terms of graphic sex or violent content in that it was rated “G”. But a G-rating does not necessarily keep a 7-year-old mesmerized in her seat for an hour and a half. Two things: first there were no other suitable movie alternatives that particular weekend and second, it was a Disney movie. Understand that said 7-year-old child was also promised a trip to the local Play McDonald’s before Obamer kills off Ronald McDonald so my assertion that toward the end the child did get a tad restless is not to be blamed on the movie. This same 7-year-old child, not to belabor the point, is normally an exceptionally well-behaved child thus adding all these factors together, were I the mother/grandmother of an especially rambunctious youngster under, say, aged ten, I’d think about waiting until this movie comes out in DVD before expecting active youngster muscles to sit through this thing quietly. Which is my most diplomatic effort to praise this movie for its appeal to the younger of us but with caveats to pay attention to the child and circumstances that the “G” rating does not lull one into thinking this to be a captivating animated film especially designed for youngsters. It is, however, a riveting film featuring amazing camera work that did keep my particular 7-year-old mostly quiet and focused for the movie’s duration. Myself enjoyed every second of the film but then I love animal type of documentaries so we’ll call it a draw for granddaughter Kaitlyn and myself between a cartoon and an adult romance made to mostly appeal to both of us. The production company for this movie is DisneyNature. Disney does produce movies with the best camera work and this film is no different. The movie follows the life of a lion, Fang, a lion cub, Mara, and a Cheetah, Sita, as they live their lives, fight their battles, yes, meet their death. I was very happy that my granddaughter was able to witness, up front and personal, how God’s creatures too struggle to train and raise their young to survival, like humans. God’s creatures too struggle to survive, they are vanquished, they perish. The whole thing is treated quite delicately. There are no bloody scenes, no long minutes of watching death, no humiliating vignettes of defeat and banishment. Yet it all happens in the movie, as it must, as would be expected from a real movie about nature realistically depicted. Sita struggles to raise her cheetah cubs. They start in the movie as adorable cheetah kittens and throughout the viewer sees them grow strong, tall and able, nurtured by the dedication of their mother and trained to survive on their own as required. Sita did lose two of her five cubs, a sad thing again, handled delicately so as not to needlessly bring pain to young hearts. Mira is a lion cub raised by her weakening and dying mother. Mira’s mother too struggles to raise her daughter to live and grow strong. When Mira loses her mother she is driven out of the lion pride by an upheaval that shows, gently, how fleeting power is, how the stronger will win the battles that their genes continue on. Mira survives her banishment and is eventually reunited with her pride. Said lion pride taken over by a stronger pack of male lions. Mira goes on to bear and raise the cubs of the victors, the old and scarred male, Fang, having been driven off for his weakness. The movie features amazing camera work, beautiful vistas of the habitat of the African Cats, close-ups that amaze, true story lines that will teach as well as entertain.
RATING 8/10 BOTTOM LINE Biased and opinionated as ever, Michael Moore does at least make you stop and think hard about the inequality of the American Health Care system in this insightful and clever documentary. THE GOOD Michael Moore has a penchant for exaggeration and highly-opinionated bias, but he does a great job at stirring your thoughts on issues he chooses to cover. In ‘SiCKO’, Moore has the American health care system in his sights, and his main point is that it has been hijacked by powerful insurance companies who are in the business to make money and not to provide health care. In many cases, it is difficult to not be sympathetic to Moore’s cause, as with his other documentaries. When Moore spends time talking to industry insiders who unravel the true nature of the system, and how insurance companies will do anything to get out paying out claims, you cannot help but feel angry. Moore also takes shots at the right-wing establishment thought processes that providing government funded health care is akin to socialism. On this point, the documentary makes some fascinating points, shedding light on America’s obsession with anti-communism and anti-socialism, and a fear that these ideologies will re-surface if items such as health care are taken over by the government. Moore rams this point home when he visits other countries, notably the United Kingdom and Canada, who in Moore’s eyes have miraculous health care systems that do not put undue pressure on the general public and give them what should be a basic human right. His trip to Cuba is perhaps one of the most insane stunts Moore has pulled, but you have to wonder what is wrong with the system if detainees in Guantanamo Bay are getting better health care than the average American. ‘SiCKO’ is Michael Moore doing what he does best; making a whole lot of noise, albeit over the top in some places, but all designed with the intention of making you think of challenging the established order, and not to be afraid of those in power who are out to protect their own financial interests. THE BAD Moore’s tendency is always to go over the top and to exaggerate to make his points. As with all his other documentaries, he seems to ignore facts that do not suit his argument, which in the end can invalidate the overall good message he is trying to convey. Although Canada and the United Kingdom have better health care systems in place for their citizens, it is unlikely to be as easy to deal with as he suggests. His stunt in Cuba makes some great points, but it is highly unlikely the vast majority of Cubans would get the same level of health care as those Cubans he depicts in this film, given that country’s status on the human development index. It is the inherent contradiction in Moore’s self-presentation that he has to make a lot of biased noise to get attention, but the same biased noise may partially invalidate his position. One can only imagine the type of influence he could yield if he took a more measured approach to his filmmaking.
Rating: 5/5 Every so often a film comes along that completely changes the way you feel about your own life and thinking, and it opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Wake Up is that film for me, and it is true to the title, I felt like I did ‘wake up’ so to speak. This is a documentary about Jonas Elrod, who was a normal person, living a normal life until one day he wakes up and everything changes for him. Jonas suddenly is able to see and hear angels, demons, auras and ghosts. Now before you start saying ‘yeah right, as if or he’s insane’, well Jonas gets a clean bill of health and professionals are at a loss to explain how this is possible. So what is going on? Why has he been affected with this new reality? The film shows how this man deals with what is going on, and how he deals with those around him and how they deal with what is happening to him. Jonas wants to find answers, so he goes and sees different people with different ideas in order to try and understand this phenomenon. Wake Up I think is a film that aims to show its audience that there is more to life than meets the eye, and it opens up a door to help us accept this. I have always been the kind of person who hasn’t really been very spiritual, sure I believe there is more out there but I have my own skepticism about things. I usually want to see something in order to believe it, yet I still wonder about so many things. Going into this film I was kind of skeptical even though I found Jonas to be very interesting, I wasn’t sure what to believe. After seeing this film though, it has opened my eyes to so much and to feel okay to believe. I respect people’s views on life and religion, I always have. I think it is important for each one of us to explore our spirituality, and find some inner peace. Watching Jonas on this journey was quite inspiring, because I really would love to explore more with life and have some kind of inner peace. Especially with dealing with the things that are going on with me, I think this films has just come around at the perfect time for me. We all have something going on, and for Jonas it took this new reality for him to go on this journey. Perhaps we shouldn’t be waiting for something to happen to us to in order to self explore, and I love that this film sends this message. It has a positive message and attitude, and I really can’t recommend this enough. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this film, I feel like I am finally starting my own journey and I owe that to Wake Up in part. As a documentary though it works so well because we have interesting people and situations to experience, it is never boring. It flows very well, never a dull moment, we get all the info we need to travel this journey. This is such a well made film, and I am thankful to have gone on this ride with everyone. See it. First published at http://supermarcey.com | Check out the films official website http://wakeupthefilm.com/
To be quite honest, I was unimpressed with the trailer for Winnebago Man. It made the film seem like a lame attempt at making money and fame on the back of 'some guy', that it would be nothing more than a one-trick premise drawn out to a feature length with little in the way of hooks, surprises or comedy. Instead, director Ben Steinbauer's film goes about about Jack's story in a much more fascinating way. The film begins by deftly punching through what could have been a 'niche piece' by introducing us to Jack Rebney's viral video in such a way as would explain the core of Winnebago Man to even the staunchest Luddite. We learn how viral videos happen, who they happen to, how they make people (in)famous and what happens when that fame is instead finger-pointing humiliation, with references to other famous viral vids such as the Star Wars Kid. From here director Ben Steinbauer follows the themes of humiliation and isolation to a degree that is a little too heavy-handed for drama's sake, but still manages to create an enjoyable mystery to surround our bitter RV salesman. The film soon becomes a quest to find and meet Jack Rebney. What makes him a man worthy of a documentary all to himself? Simply put, he's Internet-famous enough that an Indy filmmaker got curious, turned on his camera and asked the question, "Who, where and how is Jack Rebney?" The endeavour was a risky one, since the first meeting Ben has with 'The Angriest Man In The World' is somewhat uneventful. We have a sense of accomplishment to our director's journey, but, as is often the case, the legend was mightier than the man. It seems that Jack Rebney, 20 years later, was nothing more than a secluded, content, mellow, happy guy. The tale gets deeper when Ben Steinbauer receives a call from Jack, who explains that he was on his best behaviour, and the admission that that serene man was but a façade. Jack Rebney is still mad as hell. He's humiliated, he cares nothing about the idiotic fame he's receiving, and he hates his imbecilic audience all the more for making him a meme, because seriously, what does that say about American society? Aaaaand hook. Now, half-way through this 85 minute tale, we come to the ironic situation where Jack must decide if he wants to continue on this path of fame, or hiss his final public curses at the camera. This is where Ben Steinbauer takes his bias-free documentarian card, rips it up, and jumps in. Rather than staying innocuously behind the camera, he dares become a part of the story himself and builds an on-screen bittersweet rapport with Jack that takes Winnebago Man and delivers the sort of human character study that make these types of docs great. In following Jack Rebney in this character arc brought on by the news of his infamy, Winnebago Man is profound without being preachy, funny without being saccharine, and a first feature that director Ben Steinbauer can be proud of.
RATING 7.5/10 BOTTOM LINE: Engaging as always, if not as feisty, Michael Moore delivers another biased and heavily opinionated commentary, this time on capitalism, and manages to deliver some insightful food for thought, even if it does not always stand up under scrutiny. THE GOOD: Michael Moore has made an entire sub-genre for himself of heavily opinionated and biased political commentary on various issues affecting American society and culture. In “Capitalism: A Love Story”, Moore takes aim at the system that brought America to its knees during the global financial crisis by tracing it back to its origins and the insidious ways those with power have been tricking those without to keep them in power. Moore is surprisingly restrained in his anger this time out. Although he does not hold back a punch, he does construct sequences that have a slower and more subtle build, which in many instances, have a stronger effect than say any scene from “Fahrenheit 9/11” where he just bashed you over the head with his ideas. The film’s opening credits are intercut with well edited security video footage of dim-witted bank robbers hitting banks. Moore then follows this up with an old documentary serial on the downfall of the Roman Empire intercut with stoic American images and landmarks. Without saying anything in his own words in these scenes, Moore gets across many worthwhile ideas, likening the United States to all the imperial powers of the past which eventually self-destructed under its own opulence and lust for power; whereas Rome had slaves, America has the poor that are exploited by the wealthy and powerful. Moore indulges in some of his own commentary in criticising the Ronald Reagan and Alan Greenspan years, but the best material in this film comes when Moore interviews the everyday people on the street who were affected not only by the crisis, but the cold-blooded behaviour of banks wanting to foreclose on those who cannot afford repayments. It is hard not to feel the inequity at play in these scenes, and as with his other films, Moore generates a strong case for their plight. “Capitalism: A Love Story” is perhaps a more mature execution of Moore’s beliefs. He is biased and opinionated, but he will make you stop and think about the topic, even if you disagree with him. THE BAD: In taking a more restrained approach, the feistiness and biting cynicism that made some of Moore’s earlier work so funny and entertaining is not on show here, which is unfortunate. At times, this can be a slower affair because of the lack of bite, with some sequences dragging on a bit. One might also question how much “filmmaking” was actually done in the film, considering so much of the footage provided was shot by someone else, but then again, this is a criticism of most of Moore’s work, and his technique of using the footage of others is quite effective in illustrating the points he wishes to make.
A still from his first short film. Wait, wait, he's gonna be sick, keep watching. Seriously. No wait! Genre: Experimental Documentary Horror Shorts Starring: Catherine E. Coulson ("Twin Peaks"), Harry Dean Stanton ( Wild At Heart • Repo Man) Directed By: David Lynch ( Mulholland Drive • Eraserhead) Overview: A collection of experimental short films that David Lynch shot at the beginning of his career, as well as some done well after he became established. Performance: Surreal. The shorts that where only pantomime looked a little rough given that they were the earlier, lower-budget career works, but the actors were appropriately creepy. As for the speaking roles, though nothing special, were just right. My favorite acting was in The Cowboy And The Frenchman, which is just the most out-there study of 'The Stereotype' ever. Rating: 8 Cinematography: Four of the films were low-budget but appropriately bleak, perfectly Lynch, really. The use of animation in two of the films seemed really amateurish to tell you the truth, but Lynch uses stop-motion effectively and his Lumière piece, using old-school filming technology, was a strange and interesting fusion of modern ideas with Silent Era film stock. That alone was mind-blowing. Rating: 8 Script: Lynch either makes his script mean very little on purpose, or he makes it mean too much. You'd have to see Lost Highway to understand his scriptwriting genius, but what I'm getting at is this is not for everyone, since the dialogue is more internal, spoken merely to convey emotion, or as unimportant background, like in The Amputee. It doesn't matter what's said, it's how. On the other hand, The Cowboy And The Frenchman, was hilarious. The Frenchman yelling "Yippe-Kai-Ai-Ay" while the cowboy replied "Ooh-La-La", is stereotype heaven, and the whole 24 minutes of that episode is like that throughout. Rating: 8 Plot: The stories are as follows: a montage art piece called Six Men Getting Sick (one of my favorites, this is basically just a moving painting). The Alphabet, a low-budget film about a nightmare, The Grandmother, about an alienated boy who grows a grandmother from a seedpod for love and companionship. This is by far the longest one at 34 minutes. After this we have The Cowboy And The Frenchman, a satirical look at stereotypes that he did for TV, then an odd scene featuring The Amputee as she writes a letter. Finally, there's a haunting single-minute tale for the Lumière project, using the original cameras and emulsions used 100 years ago during the dawn of film. This was astounding. No, these tales aren't about plot, but together these shorts are quite intriguing, especially with Lynch's narrated introductions. Rating: 8 Mood: There is no director who can pull experimental with understanding like Lynch. Maybe I'm just smart enough (or more likely, just in tune with Lynch enough) to touch the surface of what he means while still being confused enough that my imagination fires sparks to fill the gaps. What I love about this kind of art is that the mind attempts to create caulking for the holes left behind, and that my friend, is a wonderful exercise for your left-brain. If you don't like thinking about the artistic... well you hate experimental film anyways so you'd never watch this in the first place. If you like Lynch, though, go out of your way to see this. Rating: 9 There he is the Lynch Man himself. Wait, wait, he's gonna be sick, keep watching. Overall Rating: 82% (Short But Sweet) Aftertaste: Man even the menus are haunting and interactive. Somehow having a TV calibration test with faint wind sounds not only enhances the overall experience, but makes me think that Lynch cares about fixing my TV so it doesn't burn out early. How can a man pull off something like that?! Surreal! When you pop this in for the first time, just sit there, cause something's gonna happen at the minute mark that's just neat enough to wait for.
"Everybody glint your wheels and blind them all!" Genre: Sport Documentary Starring: Mark Zupan, Joe Soares Directed By: Henry Alex Ruben, Dana Adam Shapiro Overview: This is the documentary of the rivalry between the Canadian and American quadriplegic Wheelchair Rugby teams who eventually compete for Gold in the 2004 Paralmpics in Athens. Performance: The unscripted and natural portrayal by these people is astounding. It's like they have no idea there's a camera in front of them. The only person who seems to make any play for the camera is the Canadian Coach's son, and he can walk. The characters here are given just enough focus. It's like the director knew that the Canadian coach and the American Zupan, and of course that 4 month new quad are really the only ones we care to study at length. Rating: 8 Cinematography: The images were fine and all, I mean that intro is great, the little graphics and all, but I really would have liked to have seen more of the actual GAME being played. From what we saw, there were no exciting moments captured. It was 'guy with ball gets to end zone' then cut to 'other guy with ball gets to end zone'. Well what about those plays where they stop the guy with the ball? And I don't mean just the ones where guys get chucked outta their chair. Good otherwise. Rating: 7 Script: The words are unabated. Zupan is unforgiving, the recently injured quad is touching, and the coach is relentless, holy jumpin'. He'd rather have a heart attack than stop screaming. When you watch this, the characters tell you little secrets of the life and I'm talking real secrets here. It's fun to learn, let me tell you. Rating: 7 Plot: The way this unfolds is great. The Canadian Coach twist is a very dramatic tale which adds good rivalry. The Canadian element and the rooting for the home team is offset by our love for Zupan, and in the end no matter who wins and who loses we really feel for the teams. That ending scene after the game is over is tear-jerking. It's a movie more about the condition, it's a doc that's more about the game. It's human and it's dramatic and it was a real fun trip. Rating: 8 Mood: The mood is unrelenting determination at this sport, versus the new guy having to get used to life this way. From denial to acceptance is a really long way, and we get that. Once these people become players however, boy do they ever give up on giving up. And hey, can't go wrong with songs by Ministry. Rating: 8 What the...! WTF! He's not allowed walking! NO WALKING!" Overall Rating: 76% (Killer!) Aftertaste: I got what I expected and a little more. At this stage in life I can pretty much guess how it's going to be just reading a little bit about it. I have faith in the filmmaker and in the documentarist to make what I expect and want to see. This went a little further and told me things I didn't know, and aside from watching a rivalry come to a head, I learned a lot along the way.
Cum on inside! Genre: Porn Documentary Starring: Harry Reams (Lust In Space; For Your Thighs Only), Linda Lovelace (Dog 1; Sexual Ecstacy Of The Macumba) Directed By: Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato ( Party Monster ) Overview: The tale of the infamous pornographic film Deep Throat , and the waves it caused through the industry, and society. Performance: The documentary had people well chosen for the interviews. The characters as themselves were often bolder caricatures than you could possibly imagine having if you made them up. Real natural, good stuff. Rating: 7 Cinematography: The look was nice. A good documentary combines the era with the interviews, and these guys did it well, pulling out footage of the Nixon speeches and the 1972 interviews with the actors and others. Really well done doc. Rating: 8 Script: The interviews covered all the angles, leaving no questions unasked. The timeline that they set for us was very smooth too, a good explanation of the controversy. There was this one guy who was talking about the Mob involvement in the distribution of the film. His wife interjected all the time, telling him that he should shut his mouth, that they may get in trouble with certain people. That was a nice little twist, and I was glad they didn't edit it. Rating: 8 Plot: This is more than the making of some porn film and the industry. This movie started a wave of controversy throughout the country, getting shut down three times, and having Harry Reams get arrested and facing 5 years in jail for simply being in it. I guess if you want to see an offbeat documentary, this is the one, it's totally wild, but if you don't like the subject matter, you'll still find it interesting, on a social perspective. Deep Throat was after all, the world's most profitable movie ever...yep, ever... And this is an interesting story. Rating: 8 Mood: That Boogie Nights feel was there, definitely, and even the people being interviewed 30 years later still had that swinger look about them, except for the one who went through the most hell, Harry Reams. It was neat seeing these people later in their lives talking about the early years when they made porn in basements. Good stuff. Rating: 8 Classic... Linda Lovelace discovers her clitoris is in the back of her throat... Overall Rating: 78% (Engrossing) Aftertaste: The reason I saw this doc was this: I wouldn't have had any way of seeing this anywhere else, I'll never see anything like it again, and it definitely peaked my interest on that tacky level of kitsch. I was quite pleased with this, it was totally fun... And that one scene where they actually show the famous deep throat! The whole audience just got silent and shocked in awe. Definitely memorable!
/</igp style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"/>/ig See, the smokestack isn't actually creating the Hurricane per SE, it's just a symbolic representation that pollution, like that which comes from such industries as ... nevermind.
p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" Genre: Documentary
p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" Starring: Al Gore
p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" Directed By: Davis Guggenheim
p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" Overview: For years Al Gore has presented his slide show on global warming, illustrating its trends and its effect on our climate and our people. This documentary is not only this informative and sometimes funny presentation, but adds some personal elements from his own life. Performance:
p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" Well! Gore is certainly a natural in front of that camera. We really don't see many others besides him, but the documentarist did a great job of making everyone look natural. Given that Al Gore's done this presentation over a thousand times I guess it wouldn't be too hard, but for those touching real-life moments, Gore delivers perfectly. Rating: 9 Cinematography:
p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" Powerpoint Plus, holy! What a nice presentation. I guess when you do it so often you might just want the bells, whistles, animations and forklifts if you can get em. Aside from the beautiful presentation which is most of this film, we have a couple candid moments, and some nice narrative bits that you expect from 'The Documentary', for those of you who need that safety net. Rating: 8 Script: "I'm Al Gore. I used to be the next President of the United States..."
p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" The nice thing about this is that this movie isn't all bleak gloom and doom, there's some real witty moments, and Gore knows how to fuse tragedy with comedy, science with heart. This is a very telling documentary, full of facts and graphs that just astound. Gore explains in the clearest language possible that if we keep this up, it's over. In so many different ways we will be made to suffer, but saying it with a smile and a plan seems to make everyone leave feeling hopeful. Rating: 9 Plot:
p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" As with most documentaries, there is very little story. The slide show is the thing really, and it's great. Gore shows trends and risks and what we can expect if we let this go unchecked. Unfortunately, the 'solution' part was really less than five minutes, and consisted of one graph. I suppose it's best to tell people all the different things that are happening rather than illustrate what happens once we do do them. Rating: 8 Mood:
p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" The style here is far more big budget, far more docu-drama than the typical documentary. This seems to draw you in far better than the standard fact-telling film would. Like those other amazing documentaries The Take and The Corporation, this also leaves behind the elements of a story well told and a strong sense of hope, as long as we listen. Rating: 9
p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" OH MY GOD, there's Gore Everywhere! Overall Rating: 86% (Truly Terrific)
p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" Aftertaste: It's a real shame that Al Gore didn't become our president. If he had, I can guarantee that US emission standards would be lower, perhaps even beating other nations. Corporations would have pollution standards, manufacturers would be making more efficient goods for consumers and America would no longer be the problem it is today, and others would follow suit. But no instead we have people blowing themselves up instead. Isn't it a beautiful world? Anyone who thinks that the US isn't the worst consumer on the planet, the worst polluter, the biggest waster... well they've obviously been living in a cave. And cave living is pretty environmentally sound, so hey, that's a good start. Don't judge the cave dwellers...
Most unreal are the girls with little dinkies. Genre: Fantasy Documentary Starring: Henry Darger's Novel, narrated by Dakota Fanning (Charlotte's Web; Man On Fire ) Directed By: Jessica Yu Overview: Henry Darger, an eccentric recluse of a janitor, had his artistic work discovered while he lay on his deathbed. This is the story of his life and of his 15,000 page novel. Performance: One of the narrators was very manly and guttural, representative of Darger himself, while another childish voice (Dakota Fanning) read elaborate sentences, which made for an eerie undertone that improved the telling of the story immensely. Very well done. Rating: 8 Cinematography: The story unfolding before us would not have been anywhere near as exciting had it not been for the fact that the documentarist decided to animate Darger's work as it was read and retold. The way it was laid out in a three-dimensional style made for a much more dynamic film. Nice touch, really. Rating: 8 Script: The story itself was well told, and frankly, yes there were some slow parts, but the interview editing where they took different people who said the same thing about the man's nature, though possibly contrived, was well done. Rating: 7 Plot:T he plot is better than simply the unfolding of a man's life, it's the recounting of the grand novel he wrote and the reason he wrote it. The animated story reflects his own life and this amazing 15,000 page book entitled In The Realms of the Unreal make for a really interesting plot. Rating: 7 Mood: The mood is also great. Haunting narration and those moving images with the backdrop of the 1960s narration of Chicago Public Service Announcements. They really do a good job with this. Rating: 7 Professorial soldiers mutilating little girls? What child WOULDN'T love it!? Overall Rating: 74% (Nice Mindtrip) Aftertaste: The story is mostly the actual unfolding of the man's novel. I was glad they decided to focus on this, otherwise it could have been pretty bland. That's half the point though. A tale about a lonely, boring recluse, and only near his death do they discover the crazy stuff he's been doing for the last 20 years. This is a very different documentary, and I really enjoyed it.
Just proves how efficient the Republicans are, Bush is doing the same thing all by himself... Genre: Documentary Starring: Narrated by Morgan Freeman ( Million Dollar Baby ; Se7en ) Directed By: Nickolas Perry, Harry Thomason Overview: The story of the 10 year Republican campaign to destroy Bill Clinton, by any means necessary. Performance: Morgan Freeman and his distinct voice does as well as one would expect. The people interviewed also do a very natural job in front of the cameras. Nothing spectacular (nothing like the great interviews in Fahrenheit 9/11.) Rating: 7 Cinematography: The style is rapid fire, the photos are often unforgiving, like famous footage of a Cambodian execution, they never let your eye lag. The images that go on during narration are obviously taken from a tremendously large archive. Nothing boring here. Rating: 7 Script: The dramatic angle taken by this film makes for an exciting show. Scandal after scandal split up into bite sized chapters. If you like the concept of the movie, you'll enjoy how the interviews make it unfold. The DVD version has Bill Clinton speaking after the premiere and answering a few questions for about 40 minutes. This was a great segment. Don't miss it if you rented this. Rating: 8 Plot: This kind of documentary, then kind that makes you grind your teeth at the Republicans, and leave your mouth agape in awe at the boldest of lies and corrupt dealings, it's a great plot. I mean, going to jail for not rolling over on a manufactured lie? Very nice. Rating: 7 Mood: The overall mood of scandal and the attack of the President is well done. Morgan Freeman's voice makes it seem as though you're uncovering a dark secret. The footage is well put together and the history is well told overall. Rating: 7 "Hello? I need one case of cigars... STAT!" Overall Rating: 72% (It's Officially ... OK) Aftertaste: The film was well done, the scandal well documented (obviously). I love Documentaries that shit on the Republicans and make them look as I know them to be: scoundrels. Overall though, it won't go into my repertoire of "Must Sees", but I liked it, especially the bonus feature where Clinton speaks after the premiere. Jesus is that man even smart.
Abortions gone wrong make good people seek forgiveness, it's true... Genre: Documentary Starring: Trinity Church Haunted House Organizers Directed By: George Ratcliffe Overview: Every year the Trinity Church in Cedar Hill, Texas puts on a haunted house event that draws over 10,000 people. This is the story of those Christians getting ready to put on the 10th Annual Hell House, where they do skits on alcohol and drug abuse, abortion, homosexuality, and violence, all to save your soul. Performance: I'll do this in two parts. First, the organizers are so off and weird that they have to be real. Their emotions are honest and I must say that as documentaries go, you are left knowing that you got who they really were really fast: inarticulate, cause-and-effect touting religious fanatics who do all they can for what they believe in. As for their acting skills when the show goes on? Eeesh... Rating: 9 Cinematography: The documentary style was typical, but they also shoot the construction and final showing of the Hell House event itself. To say that the sets weren't the cheapest pieces of junk you've ever seen would be flat out wrong, but art imitates truth in this case. You'll get a nice kick out of what you see, trust me. Rating: 8 Script: The script of the actual play / event was often laughable, clearly black and white forced down your throat imagery and all that, but when we see the people behind the scenes, they're serious about their cause and there are some genuine telling moments. Their words speak such volumes! Really good. Or really bad, however you want to put it. Rating: 9 Plot: The story itself could have gone a bit better. I wanted more of the House, the actual event. I wanted to be taken through it and see everything, rather than simply the highlights. There's too much pre-show commentary and set-up, and not nearly enough actual 'final event'. That sucks, but as a story it's pretty decent. Rating: 6 Mood: I'd say go to the House itself, but it's too low budget to be horrific, the event kind of sucks actually. It's more religious lessons than Horror. Did the filmmakers capture the mood of fanatical Christians to a tee? Damn straight. Scary straight. That's more the Horror show you'll get. *Shiver* Rating: 8 Devils whispers that God sucks. Homo believes him. Homo burns in Hell. Overall Rating: 80% (A Real True-To-Life Nightmare Ride!) Aftertaste: This is one of those weird love it because I hate it things. The filmmakers don't actively go out of their way to mock these Hell House organizers, but they don't hold back when they are ignorant, for example: rather than a pentagram, they spray paint a huge Star of David for their Satanic worship set. Yeah, that bad... You might get angry watching this, but I think that's the point. You know, I WOULD recommend this to anyone, it's so... Surreal!
Ironically, Grease is actually NOT one of Greece's main exports. That was America. Genre: Documentary Short Narrated By: Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) Directed By: Greg MacGillivray (Top Speed; Everest) Overview: The exploration of an island that may have been Atlantis, the volcano that destroyed its people, the reclamation of its hidden treasures and the recreation of the Athenian Parthenon. Performance: Documentaries have a way of either highlighting the fact that the scientists are total dorks or the documentarists shoots a ton of film, hoping to capture some candid 'in-their-element' moments. This one goes more on that side of things. There's no interviews, no action moments, just nice and simple. The director knew to focus on the history and the research, rather than the people involved. Nia on the other hand? Eesh, cool your jets! Rating: 6 Cinematography: Above all things, the point of IMAX theaters is to enhance the visual experience. I don't think you can get IMAX films on DVD, and even if you could, I wouldn't, what would be the point, really? As is typical, the sweeping aerial shots of a Greek island, the facade of a town on the coast, the overhead view of a city's ruins, it's really impressive, it's to die for, not to mention the statue of Athena in the Parthenon. Hello, it's IMAX. Rating: 9 Script: I don't know any Greeks. Nia Vardalos is Greek. Nia's delivery of the script is a cutsey, annoying, 'talk-to-me-like-a-five-year-old' voice. The lines themselves are perfectly written for her, because they were often childish, and the fact that she plugs her My Big Fat Greek Wedding inside the first minute of the film did not impress me much either. I've concluded therefore that Greeks bother me. Sadly, the old archaeologist's words couldn't salvage the scaring audio of this film. Educational filmmakers should consider that their audience will be more than 8 to 12-year-olds. I also think kids that age can feel like they were patronized by the writer for assuming they were all autistic. Rating: 4 Plot: I've never seen an IMAX show that wasn't educational, except for the too-rare sweeping 'point-of-view' films that I used to love. This is an informative peek at the early days of the Bronze Age, the archaeological study of this little island that got hit by a volcano and the Athenian Parthenon, with some stuff thrown in about the connection between the Ancient Greeks and the legacy they have left us with. For a 40 minute film, you'd think they could stick with one topic. As interesting as Athena was, I think they should have focused on that island some more. "Everything Greek!" is just not what I came here for. Rating: 6 Mood: The moments that had the passionate monologues of the old archaeologist as we saw aerial shots of ruins, seas or modern cityscape are certainly what you came to expect of this, and IMAX delivers. The volcano and the unearthing and reconstruction of the murals are genuinely interesting, but explain to me how you connect Bronze Age sailing Greeks to the invention of the MRI again?! I think you give Greeks just a SMIDGEN too much credit for modern accomplishments, thanks. Rating: 7 Ruins. Always with the ruins! Overall Rating: 64% (Greece is Pretty, But Plug Your Ears) Aftertaste: Methinks she smacks too much of propaganda, Madam. You know it's bad when you're tittering at the editing and the music and the flow rather than being in awe of the beauty and wonder of the content. One of the last times I went to the IMAX, I saw this documentary on Shackelton, the great Antarctic explorer. The glaciers and ice floes were just spectacular. This guy made a boat, sailed across dangerous waters, and then walked miles and miles across the ice to get help for his stranded crew. That was impressive. This was kind of lame.
No, guys the title is higher... Genre: Music Documentary Starring: The Ramones! (Johnny, Dee Dee, Tommy, Joey, Markey, Ritchie) Directed By: Jim Fields, Michael Gramaglia Overview: The tale of The Ramones, punk rock band extraordinaire. Performance: The interviews are great. They're funny and the people in the band really seem to put their best in answering the questions and telling the story in an entertaining fashion. Rating: 7 Cinematography: This is what happens with archival footage. It's old. The interviews are crisp, as usual, but the footage from their tours and especially CBGB's is pretty bad at times. It's blurry and muffled. I don't know if the producers gave up in trying to have some quality archival stuff, in the sake of keeping the gritty mood, but the blurry got distracting. Rating: 5 Script: The interviews and the stories are really entertaining, even if you aren't a fan. The fight about what the next song should be, and the retelling of the "your girlfriend's a pig" knife fight stories are definitely my favorites. Dee Dee's dialogue is pretty funny stuff. Rating: 7 Plot: There are no original twists in this documentary. Metallica: Some Kind of Monster is a story about the band making an album after tribulations, and discussions with their therapist. Dig! is a story of two rival bands and their juxtaposed careers. What I'm saying is this is a straight up Rock History, so you'd better like the Ramones if you're going to see this. Rating: 6 Mood: The mood was Rock with a splash of punk, and a touch of the era and it's too bad that we couldn't have seen more of their parties and the like, I guess there just wasn't any film of it. Good Rocumentary though, real entertaining. Rating: 7 No actually there weren't all related, their last names actually just all happened to be Ramone! Overall Rating: 64% (Relatively Uninspired) Aftertaste: The Ramones kick ass and if you like them, see this. If you're just going to pick something off the shelf just for the sake of learning a bit about an influential band and you aren't really into the Ramones, might I suggest one of the other rocumentaries I mentioned? Like I said, there really isn't anything here past history and some wild stories about the band, but I liked it.
This was one of the funniest films of the whole collection. A buzzard grabs a kid and flies it up to its mountain nest. Genre: Documentary Shorts Starring: The directorial works of early masters including Edwin S. Porter ( The Great Train Robbery ; Dream Of A Rarebit Fiend) Directed By: Steve Higgins and Charles Musser Overview: An archive of the Edison company's first movies, this 4-Disk collection includes the first screen and sound tests ever made through to the last feature film the Edison kinetoscope company ever produced. Performance: It's an interesting thing watching people act in the early days. Months ago, when I began my study of early film, I quickly looked forward to the 20s Silents, as those made earlier suffered from a distinct lack of talent. Often the actors weren't actors at all, never having set foot on the stage. Audiences were still reeling from the novelty I suppose, since the acting was certainly not what they were coming for. Still, there's an interesting feeling you get when watching it in this way, like appreciating kitsch. Rating: 5 Cinematography: As you watch, you notice how the one-scene trompe l'oeil sets begin to withdraw from a stage atmosphere and film evolves into multi-shot location shoots. This evolution is what you will appreciate, seeing innovations for the first time, like split-screening and double exposures. These things will dazzle you, but as you continue to watch into the later, less inspired years, you'll find that things don't change nearly quickly enough. Rating: 7 Script: It's an interesting thing watching people act without the use of intertitles that speak for them. In the early days of film, the idea of using cards that represented a character's quote was still unused. Film used an unpolished 'overall' approach to a scene's description. For example: "The Bishop explains good deeds", would show a man in a priest's outfit moving his lips for a few seconds. As a cultural study of the evolution of the 'Intertitle', it's interesting, but talk about unrefined. As time goes by, we see its importance grow, but individually, they really were too basic. Not only that but some films had to be flat-out explained by the experts because they were so vague. Rating: 6 Plot: Disk One was the most amazing of them all, a true study of the experiment (logical-scientific rather than creative-artistic) that is film. This is watching a new invention being born. Disk Two shows that this became one of the burgeoning entertainment options of a people, now more about storytelling. By Disk Three, we have established that short film is here to stay and the often-weak stories show a progress of the artistic innovations of the directors. Disk Four is disappointing as it was more an archive of 'era films' from a company that was slowly going under. Rating: 7 Mood: This is a documentary, and the rare interviews are a great follow-up to a particular film as the experts range from archivists to African-American Studies professors. Most of these films are fantastic examples of 'The Invention Of The Movies', but there were too many boring ones in the end. Even the curator mentions that they weren't because they were the best choices, or even good choices, they were just a random selection from the vaults. Ignoring the last disk, you will be stunned at this exploration of the birth of film. It's neat seeing Edison right there, moving in front of you. We owe the man a lot. Rating: 9 How the doctor managed to get a fully grown woman in that box AND manage to examine her properly, I don't know! Overall Rating: 68% (A Great Invention, But Not Picky Enough In Its Selection) Aftertaste: here is nothing cooler than seeing the world's first films, especially when they're only five seconds long. It's like being there for the first Wright Brothers flight test, it's just awesome. This boxed set is quite extensive in length, and if you get a chance just to watch the first disk, don't miss it. I hear that the 7-disk Unseen Cinema set is full of interesting stuff from the birth of Film, focussing on the Avant-Garde. *Sigh* I guess I'll have to see that too, I suppose.
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