docflix

[docflix]

33: The Carter

D: Adam Bhala Lough / 2009 | S:   2/4 - mostly interesting C: United States | R: 75 mins

Released unofficially due to the protagonists' successful attempt to block distribution at cinemas, The Carter is about the incredibly eccentric rapper Lil' Wayne.

A view into the world of a talented and larger than life character - The Carter follows Wayne on tour and provides fly on the wall footage of his marijuana and cough syrup abuse, his seemingly over the top entourage and his prolific work rate.

The best parts of the film are probably the most confronting - his recollection of his first sexual experience; his anger at being contrasted with jazz and poetry, his onstage meltdown and the exit interview.

The film lacks polish - but is worth a Sunday visit.

[docflix]

32: Mitt

D: Greg Whiteley / 2014 | S:   3/4 - entertaining viewing  C: United States | R: 94 mins

Mitt achieves the objective of any worthwhile political documentary: it peels back the layers of spin, media coaching, and general disdain most have for politicians by showing Mitt Romney's human side.  

His connection to his family and ability to laugh at his gaffes, softens the image of the flip flopping politician born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Sadly you still don't understand who he really is by the end.  What you do realise is the name given to the presidential campaign of a 'race' is indeed true - seems as though a mistake can land a killer blow depending on the timing to either candidate. 

The film reveals why Romney was seen as a moderate conservative initially, despite what came to be an ultimately hostile 2012 United States presidential campaign.

Final note: interesting cameo by Janine Turner - makes me dislike her even more.

[docflix]

Returning.

Stuck at home with a broken ankle - I'm going to rediscover documentaries - starting with Mitt.

[docflix]

31: We Are Legion

D: Brian Knappenberger / 2012 | S:  2/4 - mostly interesting  C: United States | R: 93 mins

Intriguing look at the kaleidoscopic tale of the crew known as Anonymous - an online 'hacktivist' organisation. 

Definitely interesting despite much of the hacking bravado and self-posturing, Legion demonstrates the power of social, online and political.

The split, if you can call it that, between those in the group that are overtly political versus those who were simply interested in unorganised chaos was a fascinating nuance that mimics certain musical and artistic schools of thoughts such as the surrealists and the Dada movement.  And Rage Against The Machine.

Buy a Guy Fawkes mask.

[docflix]

30: Room 237

D: Rodney Ascher / 2011 | S:  3/4 - entertaining viewing  C: United States | R: 102 mins

Room 237 takes you into the mind of the eccentric and the insane - not Stanley Kubrick, but the film fanatic.

Room 237 takes personal perspectives on the scenes, arrangements and nuances of Kubrick's The Shining and attempts to make sense of what the master director was "trying to say."

While some of the monologues provided the small crowd with audible comic relief, there were some reasonable interpretations of the underlying themes.  Sadly and embarrassingly, some of the monologies lulled me to a slumber...

Simultaneously hilarious, ridiculous, and farcical.

[docflix]

Coming soon: Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton

Very excited about forthcoming documentary in 2013 - check out the trailer:

http://stonesthrow.com/news/2012/10/our-vinyl-weighs-a-ton

[docflix]

29: Jiro Dreams of Sush

D: David Gelb / 2011 | S:  3/4 - entertaining viewing  C: United States | R: 81 mins

Jiro Ono and his quest for the perfect sushi takes obsession to a new level.

I wasn't sure how much effort and passion could be put into a sushi bar let alone a documentary about sushi - Jiro Dreams showed this to be a mistake.

Everything must be absolutely perfect - the fish, the rice, the training of the apprentices and life doesn't seem worth living to if everything isn't done to perfection.

Tasty.

[docflix]

28: Knuckleball!

D: Ricki Stern, Anne Sundberg / 2011 | S:  3/4 - entertaining viewing  C: United States | R: 93 mins

Knuckleball does all the things a good sports documentary should - takes a subject which many (me) don't have an interest in and humanises it.

Knuckleball takes the subject of an unorthodox method of pitching and draws parallels with universal non-sport related themes such as: discrimination, being an outsider and the often cruel realities of an impatient commercial world.

Following the extreme highs and lows of the two modern knuckleball pitchers in the major league in America and their most recent career movements, the film constructs a how public perception can turn a crowd favourite underdog into an eccentric outsider and scapegoat - and back again, many times over.

The knuckleball pitch reminds me of spin bowling in cricket - unconventional, slow and difficult to master.  However, unlike its baseball counterpart spin is no longer viewed as suspect and novelty, post-Warne.

Tough not to enjoy whoever you are.

[docflix]

27: Bobby Fischer Against The World

D: Liz Garbus / 2011 | S:  3/4 - entertaining viewing  C: United States | R: 93 mins

A portrait of the eccentric chess champion Bobby Fischer and his downfall with paranoia, depression and delusion.

Genius: using Issac Hayes' 'Shaft' as the soundtrack to the opening introductory collage in a Chess film!

Mistake: stalling to watch this brilliant film after it was recommended by a friend.

Tragic: Fischer's mental demise in the public spotlight, his loss of childhood and his disconnect with his mother.

Amazing: Fsicher's dominance in the world of chess - becoming a US champion at age 14 after hanging out in New York City chess clubs since the age of 8.

This documentary acknowledge's Johnson's genius and his shortfalls.  Honorable.

[docflix]

26: Inside Job

D: Charles Ferguson / 2010 | S:  3/4 - entertaining viewing  C: United States | R: 120 mins

Most experts claim the 2007-12 global financial crisis wasn't an "accident" - the Inside Job tries to explain what happened. 

The film's title doesn't hide the viewpoint that key individuals were responsible for the worst economic crisis since the 1920s.  This bias is both a strength and a weakness.

The draw card of Inside Job are the high profile interviews: politicians, academics, bankers and regulators are constructed to play out a heroes and villains story.  The most compelling are the interviewees who didn't expect tough questioning, thought it a might be personal PR exercise or a routine interview. (see the YouTube clip)

...and potentially the most depressing message is that academia, once fiercely independent, are now becoming influenced by corporations.

Necessary viewing.

[docflix]

25: Good Hair

D: Jeff Stilson / 2009 | S: 2/4 - mostly interesting C: United States | R: 96 mins

Chris Rock uses the premise of his two daughters to study black women and their black hair. 

Rock explores the subject by teaching us about hair relaxer, hair conventions and weaves.  The film is a little longer than need be, but some choice scenes make up for it: a field trip to India to look at hair farms, 5 year olds getting sodium hydroxide to straighten their hair and a crazy hair cutting battle in Atlanta.

Rock wants to commentate on black identity and celebrity, American race relations and self-perception - given it looks at black women who go to extrodanairy lengths to make their hair more like white women's.  Sadly it doesn't go that deep - instead he jabs his subjects with awkward questions which is at times insulting - but funny.

It's fun - watch and grow.

[docflix]

24: Beirut Graffiti

D: Carol Mansour / 2010 | S: 2/4 - mostly interesting C: Lebanon | R: 13 mins YouTube: Watch Beirut Graffiti 

Interesting vision of graffiti historian Henry Chalfant being given a tour of Beirut's graffiti scene in the late 2000s.

Mansour does a wonderful job of recording history: a sample of street art within Beirut at the time of filming.  She explores interesting themes around typography, political leanings and most interestingly, graffiti as beautification of Beirut.

Narrative is missing from this short and there is definitely no lack of interesting questions to explore: Lebanese law enforcement, local perception of graffiti as a Western phenomena and most interestingly who are the artists and what drives them.

I'm positive Chalfant would have been thinking these things himself, he did in my opinion create one of the greatest documentaries of all time.

[docflix]

23: The Kid Stays in the Picture

D: Nanette Burstein, Brett Morgen / 2002 | S: 3/4 - entertaining viewing C: United States | R: 94 mins 

Autobiographical about a dreadful actor who becomes a powerful bigshot producer.

Francis Ford Coppola and Robert Evans - hated each other.

In typical Hollywood style, the film is full of bragging, sleaze and 'life lessons'.  Great decision to have Evans narrate his own story, his crooner's voice is one you'd be happy to be serenaded with.

The film takes you through the ups and downs of his turbulent life in the spotlight, with a focus on his amazing battle to keep Paramount Pictures from liquidation and make them the top Production House.  His courage and vision to contract unknown directors Roman Polanski and Francis Ford Coppola was super impressive.

Unsurprisingly, the strengths of this film are also its weakness: bias and ego.  Example: the lack of credit given to Coppola for The Godfather is astounding,  Evans portrays his request to have the film run for longer that made it one of the greatest films ever?!

Worthy.

[docflix]

22: Harlan County, USA

D: Barbara Kopple / 1976 | S: 4/4 - great story telling C: United States | R: 103 mins

Harlan County is based on a coal miners' strike in 1972.  To me it is a chronicle about small town USA hardship and their struggle.

Kopple has a great knack of taping subjects you would rarely see - even in fictional film: working class southerners talking radical politics, guns being flashed and used at picket lines by scabs and Woody Guthry type folks songs sung by real hillbillies.  

Obvious criticism is the one-sided perspective and I agree.  But it doesn't pretend to be balanced or make any claims to be anything other than being a film.  Unlike Michael Moore's films, seldom are you made conscious of the a film crew. 

Frightening - but not like horror.

[docflix]

21: The Stars and the Water Carriers

D: Jørgen Leth / 1974 | S: 3/4 - entertaining viewing C: Denmark | R: 91 mins

Eddie Merckx is the star of this documentary - along with the Kraftwerk-esque synthesizer.

Merckx

Gearing up to visit the Tour de France, I found this obscure Danish film which follows the 1973 Giro d'Italia.  Hipster bike enthusiasts will lap this film up, however in addition to the cool vintage bikes and accessories, this is a brilliant picture which does well to portray the blood and sweat required to just finish a grand tour, let alone win one.  

Set in an era of pre-radio communication so that the leader of the team was expected to make the decisions, despite this many of the themes of the races haven't changed: drug rumours, quirky onlookers and hilarious promotional caravans.

You don't need to be a fan to admire grand tour cycling, this film. Or Eddie Merckx's name.

[docflix]

20: Thunder Soul

D: Mark Landsman / 2010 | S: 3/4 - entertaining viewing C: United States | R: 83 mins

Funk music, huge afros and  the 1970s: like cooking with basil, tomato and olive oil - very difficult to go wrong with these ingredients.

They would make ?love proud.

Follows the rise of Kashmere High School's Stage Band and their ability to make tight and heavy funk music in the face of cheesy watered down jazz that the other, well whiter, high school bands were doing at the time. 

The film focuses on the reunion of the band to help raise money for the underfinanced high school and also pays homage to the bandleader Conrad "Prof" Johnson whose health is fledgling at age 92 - but who is funkier than pretty much everyone I've ever met put together.

The constant replaying of the track 'Kashmere' on the film's soundtrack can be a little tedious, except it's an absolutely killer cut and kept reminding me of Shadow's clever use of it in 'Holy Calamity'.

Overall, the film is fun and interesting. 

[docflix]

19: Man on Wire

D: James Marsh / 2008 | S: 4/4 - great story telling C: United States | R: 94 mins

Man on Wire is insane - a man's attempt to walk on a wire between the Twin Towers in NYC. WTF.

The documentary uses a variety of beautiful stills, home video footage of Petit and his followers planning for his dream.  But it is the excitement that is built up and story telling that is addictive and compelling.

It's hard not to keep thinking about this documentary and whether it was even real?!