Posts with the tag 'documentary'
THE THORN IN THE HEART- Premise by Netflix. “Oscar-winning director and writer Michel Gondry(Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) turns the camera on his own family in this documentary about his aunt Suzette, a teacher in rural France from 1952 to 1986. Raised in Versailles in a family of musicians and educated in Paris, Gondry is keen on understanding a life very different from his own. In the process, he stumbles on a wealth of new stories about the family he thought he knew.” A few great reviews and a few miserable reviews. I’ll give it a try.
8/10- The biggest complaint about this movie is that nobody cares about Gondry’s aunt Suzette but I think that misses the larger point of the movie which is a depiction through narrative and film of life in rural France. As for the family stuff, you can fast-forward through lots of it. Over all I liked the movie. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: documentary, Foreign
March 29th, 2010
WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “Walt Disney Studios veteran Don Hahn directs and produces this documentary that shines a light on Disney animation work during the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s — from the team’s humble beginnings at CalArts to the box office triumph of The Lion King. In exploring the works of that era, the film illuminates the careers of top animators of the time, including John Lasseter, Brad Bird, John Musker, Ron Clements and many others.” Mixed reviews for this documentary.
12/10- A good documentary about the venerable company. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: documentary
March 22nd, 2010
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
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 WAY WE GET BY- Premise by Netflix. “Whenever Iraq War veterans return to the U.S. via Bangor, Maine, senior citizen volunteers Bill, Joan and Jerry are at the airport to greet them. This moving documentary profiles their personal stories and the impact they’ve made on countless lives. As they share their kindness and support through handshakes and hugs, these compassionate greeters strengthen their community, their country and themselves. ”
11/20/09–2009. Directed by Aron Gaudet. I just saw this and while it was very interesting to watch for about 45 minutes the second half became redundant for me. It was more about a group of lonely people, some on their own, all elderly, some veterans and some women as well who find meaning in their lives by greeting soldiers who are going to or coming from Iraq to thank them for what they’ve done or are about to do. Netflix Streaming. TRDB
Tags: documentary
November 21st, 2009
DEFAMATION- Premise by Netflix. “In addition to gathering thoughts from political scientist Norman Finkelstein, filmmaker Yoav Shamir examines contemporary anti-Semitism and the possibility of a modern-day Jewish holocaust in his incisive documentary. Surprisingly amusing and unquestionably thought-provoking, Shamir also profiles other figures such as Anti-Defamation League director Abraham Foxman and explores topics such as Israel’s influence on American foreign policy.”
5/10- Very good documentary about anti-Semitism. The movie takes nothing for granted and examines the view that anti-Semitism is insignificant and that the ADL’s mission prevents it from being objective. Clearly controversial, I enjoyed the film. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
November 20th, 2009
HIDING AND SEEKING- 2004. Directed by Menachem Daum, this documentary is about an American Jew who is concerned that his adult sons who live with their families in Orthodox communities in Israel may be learning to hate those who are not Jewish, just like fanatics in other religions. He takes his sons to Poland to meet the non-Jewish family that his wife’s father and her two uncles thereby planting a seed of doubt in his sons as to their thinking. Very well done and I liked the movie. Netflix. 11/09
Tags: documentary
November 8th, 2009
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