Posts with the tag 'Documentary/History'
ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE- Premise by Netflix. “A Cambodian whose family was among the 2 million victims slain by the Khmer Rouge, Thet Sambath patiently spends his time, energy and money gaining the trust of the regime’s cold-blooded murderers in hopes of capturing their confessions on tape. Several years in the making, this powerful documentary showcases horrific stories told by the culprits themselves, including the notorious Nuon Chea, Pol Pot’s second-in-command dubbed “Brother Number 2.” No reviews yet.
Tags: Documentary/History
July 21st, 2010
COUNTDOWN TO ZERO- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “Since the first atomic bomb exploded in 1945, scientists and world leaders have grappled with the apocalyptic dangers and paradoxes posed by nuclear weapons. Lucy Walker‘s documentary presents an unblinking look at humanity’s lethal predicament. The film outlines current threats posed by a growing list of nuclear-armed states and weighs the prospects for global disarmament, soliciting insights from a gallery of world leaders and policy experts.” Just a few reviews and they are good.
12/10- Great documentary!! TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: Documentary/History
July 16th, 2010
THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS- Premise by Netflix. “Revisit a pivotal point in American history in this documentary that chronicles Pentagon insider Daniel Ellsberg’s daring endeavor to leak top-secret government papers that disclosed shocking truths about the Vietnam War and Nixon’s presidency. Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith direct this absorbing, Oscar-nominated account that features compelling interviews with Ellsberg, retired New York Times editor Max Frankel and other key figures.” Great reviews.
7/10- Very good documentary that describes a tumultuous period in our country’s history. Highly recommended. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: Documentary/History
July 10th, 2010
REFUSENIK- Premise by Netflix. “This compelling documentary from filmmaker Laura Bialis follows the 30-year fight to free Jews in the U.S.S.R. from Soviet oppression, a movement that resulted in the emigration of more than a million Jews out of Russia. Including penetrating interviews with activists and those who suffered behind the Iron Curtain, along with archival footage and photographs, the film offers a glimpse into an important if little-known battle of the Cold War era.”
Tags: Documentary/History
July 10th, 2010
9500 LIBERTY- Premise by Netflix. “Under pressure from anti-immigration groups, officials in Virginia’s Prince William County enact a controversial measure requiring police to step up their efforts to identify and detain suspected illegal aliens. Filmmakers Eric Byler and Annabel Park detail the turmoil that the new law stirs in the community, as well as the efforts of local citizens to resist what they regard as an unconstitutional assault on individual rights.” Very good early reviews.
12/8/11- A good documentary showing the hate that exists in our country and some of the ways people can make a difference. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: Documentary/History
July 1st, 2010
DOUBLE TAKE- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “Filmmaker Johan Grimonprez explores the period of the Cold War and the effect of advertising and Hollywood on the American people in this innovative blend of documentary and fiction focusing on Alfred Hitchcock’s themes surrounding identity. Written by award-winning British novelist Tom McCarthy, the film considers the era’s prosperity and paranoia, its political and social events, and Hitchcock’s fondness for characters meeting their doubles.”
2/11- I was totally bored and turned it off. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: Documentary/History
June 14th, 2010
STONEWALL UPRISING- 2010. Premise 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.” I saw two reviews, one up, one down.
4/11- Generally good portrayal of a piece of history but I felt that after 45min I had seen it and then got bored and turned it off. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: Documentary/History
June 13th, 2010
BURMA VJ- Premise by Netflix. “Filmmaker Anders Østergaard’s Oscar-nominated documentary profiles the courageous efforts of a renegade band of Burmese reporters who — in the face of a repressive regime and media censorship — refuse to be silenced. Calling themselves the Democratic Voice of Burma (aka the Burma VJs), these fierce “video warriors” place themselves in peril as they smuggle footage documenting their government’s abuses across the border — and to the world at large.” Great reviews.
6/10- Very good documentary about the photojournalists in Burma who, at great personal risk, attempt to expose the cruel military dictatorship to the rest of the world. TRDB.
Tags: Documentary/History
June 5th, 2010
KILLING KASZTNER- Here’s what Netflix had to say- “Gaylen Ross‘s compelling documentary explores the story of Dr. Israel Kasztner, a Hungarian Jew who saved more than 1,600 Jews during the Holocaust by buying their freedom from Nazi Adolf Eichmann. With important trial documents and witness interviews, Ross looks at Kasztner’s 1954 trial, which started as a libel case with him as a plaintiff, but ended as a war crime tribunal with him as a defendant.”
4/10- I saw this as part of the Westchester Jewish Film Festival and I thought it was a great documentary. There were so many layers of the story that I would even consider this documentary as a mystery as well. TRDB.
Tags: Documentary/History, Foreign
April 16th, 2010
BLESSED IS THE MATCH: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF HANNAH SENESH- Premise by Netflix. “Joan Allen narrates this riveting portrait of Hungarian poet Hannah Senesh, a remarkable woman who risked her own life to parachute behind enemy lines — enduring capture, torture and, ultimately, death — to rescue Jews from Nazi persecution. Ahead of her time and on a mission of incredible odds, Senesh ultimately became a martyr in Israel, evoking the spirit of warrior-heroine Joan of Arc and earning the gratitude of those she saved.”
4/10- This documentary was very well done and I highly recommend it. TRDB.
Tags: Documentary/History
April 16th, 2010
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