Posts filed under 'Documentary/History'
OUTRAGE- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Kirby Dick sets out to expose the hypocrisy of gay politicians who passionately criticize the LGBT community in public while concealing their own sexual orientation. In addition to exposing the secret lives of powerful policymakers — and the damage they’ve inflicted on LGBT Americans — this documentary also takes a critical look at the media’s involvement in keeping homophobic politicians closeted.”
1/29/10- Great documentary about the topic itself with emphasis on the hypocrites. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
January 2nd, 2010
PASSING STRANGE- Premise by Netflix. “A young black musician named Stew (played by singer-songwriter Stew himself) flees his comfortable middle-class roots in Los Angeles for a soul-searching journey to Europe and gets wrapped up in the music scene of 1980s Amsterdam and West Berlin. The one-of-a-kind Broadway musical, which netted Stew a Tony for Best Book, comes to cinematic life courtesy of film icon Spike Lee. The film premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.”
1/26/10- Great reviews but I could not get into the film. Netflix. TRDB.
Tags: documentary, musical
January 2nd, 2010
WILLIAM KUNSTLER: DISTURBING THE UNIVERSE- Premise by Netflix. “Filmmakers Sarah and Emily Kunstler delve into the life of their father, William Kunstler, whose controversial career and high-profile clients solidified his place in history as one of the most famous — and reviled — 20th-century lawyers. The documentary captures a deeply personal journey as the sisters trace their father’s shift from representing civil rights activists to defending accused rapists, Mafia bosses and terrorists.”
12/14/09- I was a guest speaker at a showing of this film in Lake Worth, Florida and liked it very much. While there may not be a whole lot of new material it was a great history lesson with great archival footage that only his family could have gotten. Highly recommended. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
December 7th, 2009
INVICTUS- Premise by Netflix. “In this sports drama based on real-life events, director Clint Eastwood tells the story of what happened after the end of apartheid when newly elected president Nelson Mandela used the 1995 World Cup rugby matches to unite his people. Based on a book by John Carlin, the film stars Morgan Freeman as Mandela and Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar, the captain of the scrappy South African team that makes a run for the championship.”
12/21/09- I saw this a few days ago in Florida and I was the only one who did not like it. I felt that it was way too Hollywood and therefore trivialized the great deeds that this man has accomplished. TRDB.
Tags: docudrama
December 7th, 2009
TAKING WOODSTOCK- Premise by Netflix. “A twentysomething man (Demetri Martin) finds his life forever changed in the summer of 1969 when he offers up his parents’ motel in the Catskills as a home base for Woodstock organizers and helps the show go on by donating an all-important music festival permit. Ang Lee directs this fresh take on 1960s counterculture based on Elliot Tiber’s memoir by the same name. Eugene Levy, Imelda Staunton, Emile Hirsch and Jeffrey Dean Morgan co-star.” I had little interest in seeing this movie at the theater but I’ll catch it now.
Tags: drama
December 3rd, 2009
PROM NIGHT IN MISSISSIPPI- Premise by Netflix. “With actor Morgan Freeman‘s support, Mississippi’s Charleston High School stages its first senior prom to integrate both black and white students. This documentary examines the perspectives of several seniors as they prepare for this historic event. A group of disapproving white parents, who refused to meet and talk with the filmmakers, organized a separate White Prom for their children to attend.” OK reviews.
2/10- An interesting concept and well done. I must say that I wasn’t aware that this was still happening and for that I thank the movie. TRDB.
Tags: docudrama
December 3rd, 2009
PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL- Premise by Netflix. “Director Gini Reticker and producer Abigail E. Disney’s documentary tells the story of the thousands of Liberian women, both Christian and Muslim, who helped end the bloody civil war in 2003 that killed over 200,000 people. Through nonviolent protests, these brave women forced a resolution in the peace talks, and their efforts led to the election of Africa’s first female head of state, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.”
11/30/09- I saw this and while the topic is certainly important I felt that the movie lacked interest. I can’t recommend it. TRDB.
Tags: Documentary/History
December 1st, 2009
THE COVE- Premise by Netflix. “This riveting documentary (winner of the Audience Award at Sundance) follows a group of animal activists to a scenic cove in Taijii, Japan, where they use surveillance equipment to capture footage of a secretive and heavily guarded operation run by the world’s largest supplier of dolphins. As the daring group risks their lives to expose the horrifying truths behind the capture of dolphins for the lucrative tourist industry, they also uncover an environmental catastrophe.” I saw this and felt it was very well done and I enjoyed it a lot.
Tags: documentary
November 28th, 2009
FOOD, INC. – Premise by Netflix. “Drawing on Eric Schlosser‘s Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan‘s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, director Robert Kenner‘s documentary explores the food industry’s detrimental effects on our health and environment. Kenner spotlights the men and women who are working to reform an industry rife with monopolies, questionable interpretations of laws and subsidies, political ties and rising rates of E. coli outbreaks.”
11/22/09-I just saw this, found it very informative and a scathing indictment of the industry and it’s labor and safety practices. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
November 23rd, 2009
THE BAADER MEINHOFF COMPLEX- Premise by Netflix. “Uli Edel directs this Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nominee charting the birth of West Germany’s Red Army Faction, a radical left-wing terrorist group formed in the late 1960s amid a climate of revolution and a fallen generation. Staging a series of bombings, kidnappings and assassinations, the RAF waged a war against fascism with a direct assault against the powers of American imperialism and the fledgling German democracy.” This movie has received very good reviews and I plan to see it.
12/9/09- I saw this and liked it. It was very well done and a good approximation of what that period was really like. Netflix Streaming. TRDB.
November 22nd, 2009
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