Posts filed under 'Documentary/History'
LULA, THE SON OF BRAZIL- 2009. Synopsis by Netflix. “Adapted from a biography by journalist Denise Paraná, this big-budget epic chronicles the formative years of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva — aka Lula — who overcame formidable obstacles to become the president of Brazil in 2003. Lula and his six young siblings live in poverty and are sent to work early; an accident on the job drives the adult Lula (Rui Ricardo Diaz) into union activism, planting the seeds for a future in politics.” Fair reviews at best. TRDB.
9/23/12- A fair docudrama about the former president of Brazil up until his presidency. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: documentary
April 23rd, 2011
ARMADILLO- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Documentarian Janus Metz Pedersen hunkers down with a platoon of Danish soldiers on a six-month Afghan tour of duty, and his exceptional access yields a field-level view of the boredom, adrenaline and confusion that comprise their daily routine. Shot in assorted digital formats on cameras at times fixed to soldiers’ helmets, the film records the recruits on patrol and at rest and witnesses their transformation when finally called to combat.” Very good reviews. TRDB.
11/9/11- A fairly typical “war is hell” documentary which, while well done, still left me a bit empty as I had trouble relating to the individual characters. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
Tags: documentary
April 15th, 2011
BOMBAY BEACH- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “Set on the salt-soaked shores of Southern California’s crumbling Bombay Beach, filmmaker Alma Har’el’s three-dimensional portrait tells the story of a boy, a teenager and a man at different stages of their lives amid modern ruins.”
10/14/11- An interesting review in today’s NY Times. This movie took awards at last year’s Tribeca. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
April 15th, 2011
HOOD TO COAST- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “The Hood to Coast annual event is the world’s largest relay race, starting at Mount Hood and continuing almost 200 miles to Oregon’s Pacific Coast. This documentary follows four of the 1,000 teams from the 2008 race during their two-day odyssey. The quirky contest, which draws 12,000 runners, celebrates competition, but more important, the joys of running and hanging out with fellow enthusiasts with their own compelling reasons for participating.” Very good audience reaction- no professional reviews so far. Two friends liked this movie a lot. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
April 11th, 2011
CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “Celebrated documentary filmmaker Werner Herzog offers this unprecedented examination of Chauvet Cave, a cavern in southern France that contains the oldest human-painted images yet to be found on Earth. Besides presenting stunning cinematography of the exquisite paintings themselves, Herzog interviews experts who describe the context and reflect on the existential meaning of this artwork, which is some 30,000 years old.” Very good professional reviews and poor audience ones. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
April 10th, 2011
BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “Living simply and using a bicycle to get around New York, 80-year-old photographer Bill Cunningham tirelessly records what people are wearing in the city — both out on the sidewalk and in the salons of the wealthy. Through his “Evening Hours” and “On the Street” photo columns in the Sunday New York Times, Cunningham has faithfully chronicled the city’s fashions and sparkling nightlife while maintaining his own unassuming charm.” Very good reviews. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
April 10th, 2011
THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Intrepid filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) directs this entertaining, bitingly ironic documentary, which scrutinizes the pervasive marketing, advertising and product placement practices that have become de rigueur in the entertainment industry. Cheerfully using the proceeds gleaned from product placement within this film to finance it (and underscore his point), Spurlock reveals the corporate power that saturates both film and television.” Very good early reviews. TRDB.
11/10/11- Spurlock does it again. After “Super Size Me” he comes up with an original idea that proves to be interesting and thought provoking.” See it!! TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: documentary
April 9th, 2011
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: STONEWALL UPRISING- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “Through eyewitness interviews and archival footage, documentary filmmakers Kate Davis and David Heilbroner recapture a pivotal moment in time that mobilized a generation of gay activists and marked the dawn of the modern Gay Rights Movement. Much like Rosa Parks’s symbolic refusal to move to the back of the bus, gay bar patrons’ refusal to comply with a police raid at Greenwich Village’s Stonewall Inn in 1969 would change the course of history.” No reviews available as yet. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
April 9th, 2011
JEWS AND BASEBALL: AN AMERICAN LOVE STORY- 2010. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “The movie explores the connection between Jewish Americans and baseball, our nation’s most iconic institution. More than a film about sports, it is a story of immigration, assimilation, bigotry, heroism, the passing on of traditions, and the shattering of stereotypes.” Very good reviews. TRDB.
4/11- Directed by Peter Miller this movie was great and personified America as well as the importance that a few very good Jewish baseball players had for Jewish Americans. TRDB. Seen at the Westchester Jewish Film Festival.
Tags: documentary
April 6th, 2011
BORN TO BE WILD- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Filmed in IMAX 3D, this documentary captures the unique and intimate connections that developed between two scientists and two species — orangutans and elephants — as the men worked to save the orphaned beasts and return them to the wild. Primatologist Birute Galdikas and renowned elephant authority Daphne Sheldrick pursue their pioneering efforts on the plains of Kenya and in the jungles of Borneo, respectively.” Very good reviews. TRDB.
7/5/12- A short 40min. documentary that was well done and held my interest throughout. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: documentary
April 2nd, 2011
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