Currently browsing the "Documentary" category.
Last Call at the Oasis
Posted by Arty Chick on May 10, 2012
What a movie! I am into environmental documentaries, and though they may sound kind of dry and possibly boring to some people, everyone on this planet needs to see this amazing film, which is anything but boring. It is all about something we take for granted and that we cannot live without – water. Last Call at the Oasis is from the the people who brought us An Inconvenient Truth, Food, Inc. and Waiting For “Superman” and is a sobering account of how we are fast approaching a time when water will be a commodity more valuable than gold.
Marley
Posted by Adventurous Chick on April 22, 2012
Of course a documentary about Bob Marley would be released on 4/20 and if you don’t get why, this might not be the movie for you. That’s a joke actually — if you have any interest in Bob Marley and his music, the movie “Marley” is definitely worth seeing. From Last King of Scotland director Kevin MacDonald and backed by the Marley family it’s a an engrossing and extensive look at the singer’s too short life.
Using archival footage and a ton of interviews, the film paints a portrait that goes far beyond the pot-smoking reggae musician most people see him as.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Posted by Arty Chick on June 20, 2011
I must begin with this statement: I love Werner Herzog!! If I had to choose a favorite filmmaker in the world it would be he. Beginning with Aguirre: The Wrath of God, his unique way of depicting the world has enthralled me. Most of his films would not be considered mainstream by any stretch, and Cave of Forgotten Dreams is not like anything else out there, but I think it should appeal to a wider audience because it is a portrait of a truly fascinating place, a unique opportunity to step into a cave beautifully decorated more than 30,000 years ago and off limits to most of humankind. In this excellent documentary the audience is allowed a private viewing of the world’s oldest known paintings.
Dumbstruck
Posted by Mainstream Chick on April 23, 2011
Dumbstruck is an okay documentary that suffers from poor execution of a good premise. If you’re into dummies, then by all means, check it out. But if ventriloquists creep you out, take a pass. I really wanted to like this movie, especially because I like to see TV people succeed in their attempts to break into film (the writer/director is Mark Goffman, executive producer of the USA series White Collar; plus, I spotted the name of one of my favorite Top Model editors and former co-workers, Alyssa Clark, as the credits rolled.) Heck, I’d even voted for ventriloquist Terry Fator to win America’s Got Talent a few years back – and I hardly ever vote on that stuff! So really – I wanted to like it! But the film just never came together for me.
Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Posted by Mainstream Chick on April 23, 2011
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) is selling out! Well – sort of. His latest documentary is entirely bankrolled by advertising and product placement. But that’s okay, because the film is all about the proliferation of branding, advertising and product placement in our society. So companies are actually paying him to expose their people and their products to potential ridicule. The movie’s tagline sums it up best: “He’s not selling out. He’s buying in.”
I Am
Posted by Mainstream Chick on March 24, 2011
I Am is one of those documentaries that means well, but bored me to tears. Seriously. Way more than Al Gore’s dry, yet mysteriously compelling Inconvenient Truth powerpoint presentation. I Am features director Tom Shadyac (who made millions from big-budget hits including Ace Ventura, Bruce Almighty and The Nutty Professor) embarking on a personal quest: to ask intellectual and spiritual leaders around the globe, “What’s wrong with our world – and how do we fix it?” A noble quest indeed, but not one that can be accomplished in 76 minutes.
Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
Posted by Mainstream Chick on February 22, 2011
Today’s lesson: Never say ‘never’ to a G-rated documentary about a teenage phenom. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never is actually quite good – even if you aren’t an 8 to 12 year-old-girl stricken with Bieber Fever.
Gasland
Posted by Arty Chick on February 3, 2011
Fracking! That is what Gasland is all about. If you haven’t heard of fracking, you’ll know more than you could imagine after watching this frightening documentary. It all begins when filmmaker Josh Fox gets a notice that a gas company wants to lease the rights to extract natural gas from his pristine land in Eastern Pennsylvania. They are offering him $100,000, which is pretty enticing. So he visits a nearby town Dimock, PA to see how they are doing, since they are already an active drill site. There he sees the first evidence of the immense damage that fracking causes, most dramatically demonstrated when the residents show him that the water coming out of their kitchen faucets can be lit with a match.
