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Author Topic: DOCember Group Marathon 2012  (Read 30287 times)

BlueVoid

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Re: DOCember Group Marathon 2012
« Reply #20 on: December 01, 2012, 03:31:21 PM »
-2012 Catchup-
The Thin Blue Line
Any one have any recommendations, or knowledge of Oscar contenders?

Oops. Copy + paste error. That was supposed to be The Imposters.

And thanks for the recs!
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MartinTeller

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Re: DOCember Group Marathon 2012
« Reply #21 on: December 01, 2012, 05:52:23 PM »

The Seafarers - A promotional reel for the Seafarers International Union, hyping the many services and amenities they provide.  Let’s face it, there’s only one reason to watch this: Stanley Kubrick.  But it’s strictly a job for hire, good luck finding any of the Kubrick stamp on it.  Oh, it’s professionally done, with good framing and a couple of interesting pans.  I found it amusing that the camera seemed to linger a little too long on the unappetizing-looking food in the cafeteria, but it’d probably be a stretch to presume it was meant as an ironic touch.  Perhaps the shot of the nudie calendar in the barbershop was intended as a bit of humor, but otherwise this is incredibly dry, dull material, and Kubrick probably had no hand in composing the sleep-inducing narration.  There’s little historical interest in the maternity benefits that shipworkers got in 1953, or how their meetings were conducted.  Perhaps you will be fascinated by the pool tables available in their union halls.  I was not.
 
You can watch this to get you one step closer to saying you’ve seen everything by Kubrick, his filmography is a relatively easy to tackle (I still “need” to see Flying Padre and Day of the Fight).  Just don’t expect much enjoyment or enlightenment out of it.  I’d honestly rather sit through Fear and Desire again.  Rating: Poor (32)

ArmenianScientist

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Re: DOCember Group Marathon 2012
« Reply #22 on: December 01, 2012, 05:57:30 PM »
I saw that in 35 mm and had the same experience. Really dull stuff. I also saw Day of the Fight and Flying Padre, which are not too special either, but at least they're only 10 or so minutes each.

Verite

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Re: DOCember Group Marathon 2012
« Reply #23 on: December 01, 2012, 08:25:28 PM »
-2012 Catchup-
The Imposter
Queen of Versailles
The Invisible War
Any one have any recommendations, or knowledge of Oscar contenders?

International Documentary Association's feature-length docu award nominees are:
-The Central Park Five
-The Invisible War
-The Queen of Versailles
-Searching for Sugar Man
-Women with Cows

IDA's other categories:
http://www.documentary.org/awards2012



Producers Guild of America's docu award nominees are:
-A People Uncounted
-The Gatekeepers
-The Island President
-The Other Dream Team
-Searching for Sugar Man


Spirit Awards docu nominees:
http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000349/

Gotham Awards:
http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000298/
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Verite

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Re: DOCember Group Marathon 2012
« Reply #24 on: December 01, 2012, 08:30:46 PM »
And the PBS POV blog is tracking awards and compiling the results for 2012 docus:

http://www.pbs.org/pov/blog/2012/10/the-best-documentaries-of-2012/

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MartinTeller

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Re: DOCember Group Marathon 2012
« Reply #25 on: December 01, 2012, 09:35:13 PM »

Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap - Ice-T is a hip-hop icon and a longtime actor, but here he takes on the role of director for the first time.  Generally I prefer documentaries that are about specific subjects rather than broad overviews, but he does narrow the scope somewhat.  There is nothing here about the business, production, marketing or fans of rap music, and little about its history or culture.  Instead, Ice-T talks to many rap luminaries simply about their craft: how they define their style, their influences, their techniques.  It gives the film some focus and helps prevent it from going all over the place.
 
Pretty much everyone you want to hear from is represented, in terms of the giants.  There are too many to start listing them.  The major omissions that stick out most to me are Slick Rick (who is not only a favorite of mine, but mentioned several times by the participants), De La Soul (who had a unique style) and the Beastie Boys (whose absence is understandable, given the recent loss of Adam Yauch).  But there may be too many interviewees already, and sometimes one wishes for a little more from a particular person before racing off to the next one.
 
There are a few other shortcomings.  At the beginning, Ice-T claims it will be a journey “from coast to coast”, but there’s very little territory covered in between New York and Los Angeles, just a brief stop in Detriot to talk to Eminem and one of his cohorts.  Granted, NY and LA are the sources of the vast majority of the most influential hip-hop, but what about 2 Live Crew in Miami?  Or Sir Mix-a-Lot in Seattle?  It makes the film feel less inclusive than was promised.  Also, way too many slow-mo shots of the director looking badass walking the streets.  But a certain amount of braggadocio and swagger is part of the rap culture.
 
In general, though, it’s an engaging film and Ice-T is a good interviewer.  He gets some insightful and informative comments (oh, and I was amused to see that Kanye West is apparently still bitter about the South Park thing, reinforcing their point that the guy has no sense of humor about himself) out of his subjects.  Rating: Good (72)
« Last Edit: December 01, 2012, 09:50:03 PM by MartinTeller »

MartinTeller

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Re: DOCember Group Marathon 2012
« Reply #26 on: December 02, 2012, 04:04:31 AM »

Home of the Brave: A Film By Laurie Anderson - I've been a Laurie Anderson fan for a long time.  Big Science was one of the first compact discs I ever owned, with one of the most inexplicable radio hits ever, "O Superman".  I never got around to seeing this movie, although I did at one point own the soundtrack.  At last I've watched it, and it's reinvigorated my interest in Anderson, and encouraged me to seek out her later albums.

This concert is mostly taken from Anderson's second studio album, Mister Heartbreak (performed almost in its entirety).  I love that record, too, although I do wish there was something from Big Science on it.  But we're treated to a few excellent new pieces, and "Difficult Listening Hour/Language is a Virus" from the massive United States Live project/album.

Anderson is loosely described as a performance artist, but she doesn't have much of the "random self-important nonsense" connotation that term implies.  She is a sublime musician and composer, embracing both technology and multicultural rhythms in a fashion reminiscent of Peter Gabriel (a collaborator) and Talking Heads (whose Stop Making Sense is the peak of the concert film format).  Her songs employ intricate rhythms and memorable melodies, and rarely approaches anything like unlistenable noise.  She's also an innovator of musical invention, and here she can be seen using her tape violin, synthesizer necktie, vocal filters and drum machine suit.  The latter provides the film's low point, amounting to nothing more than "Check out my toy!", but it only lasts a minute or two.  There's also Adrian Belew's rubber guitar, which is nifty but thankfully he puts it away before it gets too annoying.

And then there's the showmanship of the event.  This is a show I wish I'd seen in person.  The song "Smoke Rings" starts as a Spanish game show.  Anderson dances a tango with William S. Burroughs.  There's some witty stuff on the screen at the back (that I wish we'd seen more of, I feel like I missed a few good bits there).  There's dance and costume changes and telephone skits and Anderson's spoken word interludes -- more stand-up comedy than anything else, with her fine sense of storytelling and wry observations.  Anderson comments on the absurdity of modern society without nihilistically condemning it... there's a cynicism, but it's a playful cynicism, acknowledging that we're all part of what makes this world so nutty, our hangups and conventions and communication problems.

I loved watching this and don't have an excuse for waiting so long, except that it's not easily available.  Hopefully it will be released on DVD some day.  Original and highly enjoyable, showcasing Anderson's unique sensibility and marvelous talents.  Rating: Very Good (87)

1SO

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Re: DOCember Group Marathon 2012
« Reply #27 on: December 02, 2012, 10:14:29 AM »
Streetwise
* * *

Flashier, less-bruising American brother to Children Underground. Not that you would think of this film as flashy, but despite the death it's less bleak, less despairing than the Romanian half of this suicide-inducing double bill. I like how the film focuses on the survival skill and coping techniques of these kids. Answers my biggest question, with no food or shelter how do you make it through a day? A for clothing, these kids all had jackets and layers because they also have parents. Parents whose colossally bad parenting have led to these teens turning tricks to survive.

The parental coping skills are even more eye-opening. One looks at their 14-year old daughter's prostitution as "a phase" they're going through. Alcoholics, convicts.. when that kids father said "you have my brain" you could tell he was trying to be encouraging and not the opposite. The kids talk tough and act grown up except when with their parents. Then we see them as children. Good stuff.

BlueVoid

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Re: DOCember Group Marathon 2012
« Reply #28 on: December 02, 2012, 01:19:20 PM »

The Imposter
Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. This documentary seems too absurd to be true. In 1994 a Texas boy goes missing. He has blond hair and blue eyes and was about 13 when he vanished. Over three years later, the family gets a call informing them that their son has been found, and is Spain. The boy in Spain is not their son. He is a 23 year old French man named Frédéric Bourdin, with dark hair, brown eyes and speaks with a thick French accent. Yet, somehow, he manages to convince everyone that he is this boy, from the Spanish authorities, to the FBI and even the boys own family. As I sat watching this documentary, I thought to my self: How could this possibly have ever happened?

The premise of the documentary is compelling in of itself. An apparent mastermind conman who is deranged enough to assume the identity of a missing boy, and who actually pulls it off. But there is so much more here than that. It is a cinematic experience. Director Bart Layton pieces together a narrative. One that is suspenseful and thrilling. It's not so much that the reenactments are superior to anything that's on any television documentary, but its the way that it is edited together. He builds layer upon layer, gradually unveiling this complex story, and the characters involved. In this regard it is very similar to 'Man on Wire'. Taking what essentially amounts to a couple of interviews and some reenactments and turning them into something as exciting as any Hollywood blockbuster.

As with any good movie, there needs to be compelling characters, and Frédéric Bourdin is certainly that. The camera is held close up on his face throughout his interviews. As he tells what he did with a confident grin he comes off as a Bond villain. I was simultaneous engrossed with and repulsed by him. Regardless, I was hooked. Absolutely engrossed. As he spoke, I felt like this is what he was born for, what he craved. He was an imposter, an actor, and now he had his big stage. I couldn't help but feel he was playing us, the audience. That this was just another con. But it didn't matter. I wanted to know how, and why he did what he did. I was his captive audience.

I kept waiting for this story to fall apart. The the suspense to peak. It never does, it just keeps getting more interesting. There is a whole other layer to this story, which I won't reveal here, but makes the story that much more enthralling. It's one that you want to talk about as soon as you finish watching. It's a popcorn documentary to be sure. Layton was manipulating me, and I knew it, but I didn't care. I was having too much of a good time. My biggest gripe with the film happens with about fifteen minutes left. Layton makes a choice, which feels forced, and exploitive and I felt a bit betrayed. However, up until this point, this was one of my favorite documentaries in recent memory, so it doesn't destroy the entire movie, just leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. I also wish they spent more time on Bourdin, since there is a lot left unexplored about this man. His past, and why he does what he does is never really investigated. I wanted another documentary, just on him as a person. I think this might be a good thing though. I like wanting more when a movie ends. I can't recommend this documentary high enough, it is absolutely riveting.
8.5/10
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Bondo

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Re: DOCember Group Marathon 2012
« Reply #29 on: December 02, 2012, 05:30:01 PM »
That's on the list to be seen when it comes to DVD.

@1SO: Sounds about right. It isn't a doc that I fully love but I find it gets the tone just right for the topic, interesting and not pulling punches exactly but not overwhelming.

 

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