Reel Talk: Rolling Documentary Thread 2009

To be honest, I don't have a lot of specific stuff to say until early February, but if anyone wants to speculate about Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, et al., feel free. I guess I will say this: 2008 was a great year for docs, even though only a handful of my favorites made it to theaters. While there's a lot of great stuff coming out in 2009, I'm not seeing many obvious commercial hits. I actually find this quite exciting; distributors are obviously going to release some docs. It'll be interesting to see which ones actually get picked up...they might have to take some risks.

Anyway, here's the trailer for We Live In Public, the new Ondi Timoner (DiG!) film that's premiering at Sundance. Looks insane!

looking forward to this:

http://www.filmforum.org/films/theater.html

yay a documentaries thread!

wow @ that trailer

Looking forward to this, if it ever gets to London.

http://www.haring.com/universe_of_haring

Has anyone seen teh Soulwax documentary? "Part of the weekend never dies"? Dled it but I have yet to watch it.

Nathalie, I haven't had time to sit down with it yet, but I have good word that it's pretty awesome (I think it's mostly a concert doc?). Maybe a bit long?

James Toback's TYSON picked up by Sony...

Cinema Eye announces shortlist; destroys Oscars shortlist:
AMERICAN TEEN
THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON)
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
THE ENGLISH SURGEON
FORBIDDEN LIES
IN A DREAM
MAN ON WIRE
MY WINNIPEG
THE ORDER OF MYTHS
ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE
STRANDED, I'VE COME FROM A PLANE THAT CRASHED ON THE MOUNTAINS
TROUBLE THE WATER
UP THE YANGTZE
WALTZ WITH BASHIR

http://www.cinemaeyeawards.com/awards/2009shortlist.html

― Someone Still Loves You Evan and Jaron (Tape Store), Friday, January 9, 2009 3:42 AM (3 days ago)

I get angry during these awards ceremonies when I see celebrities clapping for documentaries. It feels like the only docs they ever back are bad issue documentaries--advocacy over craft. Can anyone think of celebrities who don't fit into that stereotype? Ludacris narrated THE HEART OF THE GAME, I guess...

Jesus, http://www.youtube.com/user/TopDocumentary ("Don't waste your time with blockbuster movies. Educate yourself. Watch documentaries!!!!")

I know I'm just preaching to the choir, but what the fuck? One of my life goals is to help documentary film make it in the box office. Selling them as forms of education? That's not just wrong and stupid, it's the worst advertisement ever.

This film is incredible:

Saw Soulwax doc. Part of my brain died a little bit

lol

Guys, WATCH OUT

Oscar nominations for Best Documentary:

* “The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild), A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
* “Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment), A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
* “The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy
* “Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn
* “Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films), An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal

Commence Tape Store complaining.

Commence Morbs agreeing. Standard Operating Procedure ousted.

WHAT THE FUCK?! THE GARDEN!!! JESUS

I should have predicted SOP snub (same subject matter as last year's winner, etc. etc.)

I'm going to be this guy, but what even IS The Garden? I presume it's maudlin and self-important, but what's the subject?

community garden brought so much to the area, but now...it's going to be destroyed?! It's not unbelievably terrible, it's just really mediocre, like the 8th best thing you see at an ok documentary fest.

SXSW announced its slate...(no comment)

The festival I work for has started to announce its slate, too...but a lot of my favorites aren't up yet.

From Eric Daniel Metzgar, the best visual documentary director working today....so gorgeous:

(um, obviously you need to watch the high-quality version, or else that comment doesn't make much sense)

Technically 2008, but I saw Dear Zachary last night and was pretty much a wreck by the end of it.

definitely

I was cowering on my couch from the horror of the story and its shocker-TV aesthetics (complete w/ awful score)

definitely

p.s. the t/f lineup is now up. might be one or two more additions coming.

man, Dear Zachary caught me off guard. Although dr. morbius is right, the monty python animation and treacly music were pretty jarring, but so were the points where his voice cracks during narration.

anyone seen this 1980 horror-shoot doc, Demon Lover Diary? allegedly hilarious:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206681/

It's playing Sun afternoon at Linc Center.

No, but any imdb entry featuring Ted Nugent ... Himself is promising.

Naw, but I've been wanting to see it for a while now! Especially after watching a mediocre doc about the same sorta topic!

I probably shouldn't start my top ten list until after all the films have premiered, but fwiw, I think it's better than last year's...Morbs, are you going to Tribeca?

i imagine i'll be reviewing some stuff there again.

They'll have some really great docs this year, I think.

Hey guys, you can watch the Order of Myths online for free this week: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/k3rKdcZPsrsXgqXtSS

(The Order of Myths is my second favorite doc of last year, and it just won the Independent Spirit Award Truer than Fiction winner)

It's also on my PBS affiliate right now.

:)

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b361/tapestore/tf.jpg

http://waragainsttheweakmovie.com/

Has anyone seen At the Death House Door?

Is this thing coming out, um, anywhere, um, ever?

we live in public was pretty good

dude is a huge dickwad tho

I'll go ahead and kick off my top docs of 2009 list:

1. Because We Were Born
2. glastonburykids
3. October Country
4. Big River Man
5. Fixer
6. Loot
7. Sounds Like Teen Spirit
8. Necrobusiness
9. Burma VJ
10. War Against the Weak

glastonburykids

I wanted to see Glastonbury Kids but I didn't get to.
I really enjoyed Over the Hills and Far Away.

Oh wow, I'm sorta surprised you went to see OtH! Haven't sat through it yet!

I guess I will say this: 2008 was a great year for docs, even though only a handful of my favorites made it to theaters. While there's a lot of great stuff coming out in 2009, I'm not seeing many obvious commercial hits. I actually find this quite exciting; distributors are obviously going to release some docs. It'll be interesting to see which ones actually get picked up...they might have to take some risks.

― Someone Still Loves You Evan and Jaron (Tape Store), Friday, January 2, 2009 8:21 AM (2 months ago) Bookmark

LOL

Oh wow, I'm sorta surprised you went to see OtH! Haven't sat through it yet!
It was a happy coincidence. I was music managing at the Blue Note on Sunday morning and it happened to be the film that they were showing. The guys in the band said that they were gonna stick around and watch it, so I thought I would, too. I'm really glad I did!

OK, I'll definitely check it out now. Thanksss!

When it comes to documentaries, I much prefer this year to last year.

Also, unfortunately, I predict that at most three of my top ten docs will get a decent distribution deal. "One" is more realistic. DIY to the rescue?!

Because We Were Born is an absolutely brilliant film, shot better than most fiction, co-directed by a man who's handled sound for both the Dardenne brothers and Louis Malle. It takes place in Brazil and follows two boys stuck in a seemingly neverending state of poverty. So many beautiful, heartwrenching scenes. Should be seen on a big screen. I think it's a verite classic.

October Country is a tender film, very emotional and very textured: http://www.octobercountryfilm.com/

Because We Were Born is an absolutely brilliant film, shot better than most fiction, co-directed by a man who's handled sound for both the Dardenne brothers and Louis Malle. It takes place in Brazil and follows two boys stuck in a seemingly neverending state of poverty. So many beautiful, heartwrenching scenes. Should be seen on a big screen. I think it's a verite classic.

October Country is a tender film, very emotional and very textured: http://www.octobercountryfilm.com/

Oh, and Forbidden Lie$ (my favorite doc of last year) is playing here. Maybe it's getting a release elsewhere, too?

Loot

(guys, don't sleep on that. i think HBO has it.)

Are you reading the Hot Docs selection blog? I have found it very interesting.

And this is a year late, but you seem in the loop. Do you know what happened to My Mother's Garden? No distribution news on the website and last public screening in November.

God, yeah, it's awesome! I'm really excited to see how their program turns out this year; Sean's seen maybe the most docs out of anyone in the world, I bet. Also, I can't imagine 2000 submissions.

link: http://www.seafar.ca/

No idea what she's doing. I know Cynthia played Silverdocs and Sheffield this year. She's either plotting a very small DIY theatrical run or a DVD release. I actually never met her, but she lists her email on the MMG website: http://www.seethrough-films.com/mmg/

yeah, i met her (and her mum!) at slamdance last year.

i am actually from sheffield. i should try and time a trip home for this year's. it's amazing that indie cinema, which seemed to spring out of nowhere in a town which can barely support it the rest of the year, has become what i understand this centre of documentary deal-making. great times bunking off school ~1996 to watch terrible films there.

Has anyone seen At the Death House Door?
Is this thing coming out, um, anywhere, um, ever?

noticed this is going to be on IFC wednesday 3/11 @ 11:15

dont know anything about it though. worthwhile?

Actually haven't watched it yet. Steve James directed it, have heard good things, trailer looks promising:

Oh, Tribeca announced its lineup. Kirby Dick outing gay republicans, Marshall Curry tracking Nascar kids, Ian Olds' rough but super effective FIXER

is tribeca easy enough to get tickets for?, if you aren't one of the many pre-approved chosen ones?

No idea! Anyone?

i wanna see whatever works on the first night but figure that might be a little lofty.

I haven't been to NYC, but I bet it's difficult.

Dr Morbius is the person to ask.

^^^ (though he gets a press pass, i assume?)

guess so, but he knows the festival.

i just realised i will be there during the festival, actually. i will try to see a couple.

Fantastic film: http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/sons-of-a-gun/trailer

Vote for Audience Choice at the Cinema Eyes: http://www.cinemaeyehonors.com/nominees/audience-choice-award-nominees

^^^she's in "Sounds Like Teen Spirit," which is, like, the only competition doc of the past couple years that i'll openly back.

I guess this is getting limited release now???

Or maybe not, never mind.

docs and the underhyped films (ie, no commercial stars/director) at Tribeca are generally easy tix. Don't remember not getting into anything i wanted to see, tho before last year I bought in advance usually.

song sung blue is good. they won slamdance the year we got second prize in narrative.

</braggin>, but they were good people and it was a good film

I saw Song Sung Blue at T/F 2008 and I liked it a lot.

I have good word that this is fucking terrrrrible. I wish these publications had critics who actually cared about docs.

45365 wins SXSW, it's an interesting non-narrative film about Sydney, Ohio. Overall, I dig it, though it's sometimes sloppy (especially sound). Dig Spout's thoughtful SXSW reviews, even though they're occasionally RONG.

EXCELLENT NEWS!!!

http://www.metacritic.com/film/upcomingreleases.shtml

Apparently Forbidden Lie$ (my number one doc of last year) is being released by Roxie in early April. Dates in LA, Chicago and NY...Check it: http://stillinmotion.typepad.com/still_in_motion/2009/03/forbidden-lies-in-us-theaters-in-april.html

^^^please don't pass this up, big city guys

also, don't do any research before you see it

Harvard-Yale is OK, nothing more.

you sure it's not "the best football movie" you've "ever seen"?

it's no Horse Feathers

"If a doc manages to inform and entertain, it's ahead of the competition. If it features engaging personalities (or penguins), so much the better. And if it manages not to lose its assets while dipping its toe into murkier issues -- becoming, say, a brow-knitting thumb-sucker -- then it's really a work of art."
-John Anderson

^^^^LOW STANDARDS"

tomorrow i am seeing ANVIL!: THE STORY OF ANVIL.

ayo!

DON'T FORGET FORBIDDEN LIES, BIG CITY PEOPLE

(and don't do any research!)

Forbidden Lie$ is the third best-reviewed film of the year according to Metacritic. I'm going to savor this moment and hope it still exists in the morning.

c/p from the chicago thread:

both movies i saw last night were great. the anvil one was really funny and sad, it's about a bunch of broke 50 year old Canadian dudes who have been playing in the same mediocre metal band for 30+ years. i loved it, but after awhile i started getting uncomfortable with the implication that they should have thrown in the towel or that there's something quixotic about what they're doing (after all, my band has been around for 15 years, blink and it's going to be 30). but of course the point is that the only time anyone brings up the idea that the point is just to be happy doing it, that playing music with your friends is its own reward, is when things are going terribly for them and they've had some kind of crushing setback. if they didn't have this innocent, slightly desperate hope that they're still going to "make it" and become rock stars, then there wouldn't really be a movie. but anyway, nick i think you in particular would love it.

the sonic youth movie was a great counterpoint, with a band that has some 50 year olds and has been around for almost 30 years but are happy, successful, still making interesting music that's changed over time, etc. it's about 90% concert movie and 10% thurston moore bullshitting with the high school kids before and after the concert. he's a pretty funny dude. it's one of the better concert movies i've seen just for staying on the band the whole time and showing whole (not snippets of) songs. i listened to the SY mix that jaymc made me on the way to work this morning.

― Ømår Littel (Jordan), Friday, April 3, 2009 10:09 AM (53 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

forbidden lie$ opens in nyc today @ cinema village - looks interesting (i read a synopsis, sorry)

it's very hard for me to get to any films playing in theaters now other than films I've been assigned + Tribeca (now that baseball is starting up)

Anyone go?

#2 of the year!

One of my friends in LA saw it an almost empty theater. :/

TS have you seen Oblivion? I liked it OK, but think it suffered a bit from, oh, the aestheticization of poverty? A gray area, but it got in the way here.

http://www.filmforum.org/films/oblivion.html

I watched about twenty minutes of a TV version. The director seems really talented and the film looked really nice, but I didn't like how obvious it was...You should check out BECAUSE WE WERE BORN if it ever gets a release in the States: http://blog.spout.com/2009/03/05/beacause-we-were-born-review/

In other news, Tribeca is taking place. FIXER broadcast rights picked up by HBO. And the most buzzed about, I think?, is OUTRAGE: http://www.apple.com/trailers/magnolia/outrage/
spoilers: http://edendale.typepad.com/weblog/2009/04/tribeca-2009-kirby-dicks-outrage-turns-a-whisper-to-a-scream.html

i may see Outrage way too early tom'w

cool. I don't know if i've linked to this dope film: http://www.soundsliketeenspiritthemovie.co.uk/

any Tribeca goers?

me, all week...

Not at all crazy about Outrage -- lets the Dems, esp that sleazebag McGreevey, slide too much.

American Casino is a very efficient rage machine on the subprime scam and the foreclosed (in Baltimore, specifically).

really psyched about ONLY WHEN I DANCE and RACING DREAMS. I'm seeing OWID at LAFF. I also recommend FIXER, which is a bit messy but also super frightening and powerful.

Anyone seen the Valentino doc yet?

http://www.valentinomovie.com/

I haven't yet. Hear it's decent but nothing to shout about.

See also: Tyson

The more exciting fashion docu is definitely THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE

hey Morbs, how would you compare OUTRAGE's filmmaking to THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED?

also i forgot to recommend P-Star rising, a solid B+ film.

RACING DREAMS and FIXER the big winners...

never caught up w/ THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED.

Best thing I saw at Tribeca was Leslie Cockburn's doc on subprime housing catastrophe/scam:

http://www.americancasinothemovie.com/synopsis

Looks OK as a piece of journalism, I guess? As a documentary, though??? It's that good?

this thread makes me angry

That 'Jesus in India' documentary they show on Sundance and Discovery made me wonder. What if Jesus is really buried in that one tomb? I would support the immediate excavation if we could get the terrorists out of that part of India.

lol what admrl?

I get angry during these awards ceremonies when I see celebrities clapping for documentaries. It feels like the only docs they ever back are bad issue documentaries--advocacy over craft. Can anyone think of celebrities who don't fit into that stereotype? Ludacris narrated THE HEART OF THE GAME, I guess...

― Someone Still Loves You Evan and Jaron (Tape Store), Monday, January 12, 2009 7:13 AM (3 months ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

BTW, Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) helped produce RACING DREAMS. Go him!

One last thing: Loot (talked about, or at least linked to, above) is playing on HBO this month. A must-see (i'm turning into a Peter Travers bot)

admrl, though, what's wrong w/ this thread? does it suck because it's a bunch of links? should i write my full thoughts? or just shut up?

i am pissed off too

:/

More linking:

Dope film, promise.

i will take journalism over breakthrough filmmaking for subprime exposes.

Really, nobody's doing anything NEW (that's good) in cinema, come off it. (also 98% of these docs are video, not film)

i mean after a century who has new ideas? hardly anyone.

i will take journalism over breakthrough filmmaking for subprime exposes.

great, save it for television.

(also 98% of these docs are video, not film)
oh christ

Really, nobody's doing anything NEW (that's good) in cinema, come off it.
man, fuck off. you don't even watch 95 percent of the non-fiction work that i'm talking about. Instead, you tend to mostly celebrate safe--as opposed to cinematic--documentary. Is something like The Mother or 45365 "NEW"? I mean, not completely (then again, what is?), but they're sharper than a lot of their predecessors. And a lot of that has to do with technology, which makes it much easier to capture the truth. For instance, I, a simple college student, am able to afford a few wireless mics and an HD camera for just a couple thousands dollars. These tools will allow me to shoot personal conversations from far distances; after a few weeks of this, the subjects will likely forget that they're even mic-ed during these conversations, and consequently, in addition to actually being able to actually shoot like a fly on the wall, i can also compose my shots more artistically than i could in the past.

Not that long ago, recreations were controversial in documentary; now they're totally acceptable. People are getting used to more cinematic documentaries. There's no reason why some of the bolder and more beautiful ones shouldn't be getting distribution deals. But instead, most distributed docs are simple pieces of journalism that don't represent the growing world of documentary.

(sorry about the sloppy writing, btw)

see, now youre mad

well, I don't have many opportunities, even in NY, to watch 95 percent of the non-fiction work that you're talking about, TS.

Leslie Cocburn used to work for Frontline, but I don't know if PBS will show American Casino. Maybe.

Exactly.

So, LAFF is announcing in the morning. So psyched.

i'm excited to see this doc about inner-city philly HS students competing for scholarships to culinary school:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1185833/

Ooooh, I really like Pressure Cooker, awesome characters. It shouldn't (thank god) be marketed as a competition doc, though.

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/pressure-cooker/trailer

LA Lineup:

AFTER THE STORM
Directed by Hilla Medalia
A celebration of perseverance and rebirth through the arts, this inspiring documentary follows a group of New Orleans teens as they stage a revival of the hurricane-themed musical Once on this Island.

BANANAS!*
Directed by Fredrik Gertten
The human cost of banana cultivation is revealed in this documentary chronicling the historic case of Nicaraguan laborers, represented by L.A. attorney Juan Dominguez, against the companies who poisoned them with pesticides.

BRANSON
Directed by Brent Meeske
Personal demons and backstage battles cannot deter the performers captured in this hearfelt documentary from living out their dreams of stardom on the strip-mall stages of Branson, Missouri.

CONVENTION
Directed by AJ Schnack
Capturing what the mainstream media missed, this fast-paced verité documentary follows the efforts of Denver city officials and reporters to deal with the impact of hosting the historic 2008 Democratic National Convention.

THE LAST BEEKEEPER
Directed by Jeremy Simmons
An intimate look at the struggles of three American beekeepers becomes a painful meditation on the devastating effects of economic and ecological change when a mysterious illness among the bees threatens both insects and businesses.

OCTOBER COUNTRY
Directed by Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher
A beautifully crafted, atmospheric portrait of a family in upstate New York haunted by the past, yet bound together by their struggles to break a cycle of hard luck and bad choices.

THOSE WHO REMAIN
Directed by Juan Carlos Rulfo and Carlos Hagerman
From this intimate and discerning depiction of the impact of migration on families and villages left behind by loved ones who have traveled North for work emerges a nuanced portrait of "the other side" of the immigration story.

both movies i saw last night were great. the anvil one was really funny and sad, it's about a bunch of broke 50 year old Canadian dudes who have been playing in the same mediocre metal band for 30+ years. i loved it, but after awhile i started getting uncomfortable with the implication that they should have thrown in the towel or that there's something quixotic about what they're doing

OK, so I just watched the Anvil doc, & had done a little research prior to doing so, and these dudes really were one of the important links b/w the NWOBHM & the American thrash/speed metal scene &, while that may not give them the canonical certification of Sonic Youth, it should at least give them a bit more cred than "same mediocre metal band.." The film tossed up the classic life dilemma b/w duty & passion and did a fair enough job with it, I felt. Best o' 2009 thusfar IMO.

What Sonic Youth documentary is that?

http://www.projectmoonshine.org/

it should at least give them a bit more cred than "same mediocre metal band.."

cred aside, they do sound pretty mediocre. :/ i love the movie though and will definitely get the dvd if/when it comes out.

I liked Tyson a lot. Didn't think I would.

Also love Anvil, and Sleeping Nights Awake, though counted them as '08. Finally saw Man on Wire and it's undeniable in some ways, but so nowhere near as good as Trouble the Water than I kind of resented it...

Wait, really? I thought the footage in Trouble the Water was absolutely incredible, but I don't think it was a remarkably well-crafted film. Actually, now that I think about it, I have the same problem with this year's Sundance winner.

http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/10904945/year/2009.html

late in the game but I saw 'Burning Down the House: The Story of CBGB', and 'Team Qatar' at Tribeca. Burning Down The House was great. I could see people saying it's too sentimental or whatever, but I felt like it really paid a good tribute to the club & Hill...Team Qatar was good, more of a 'Spellbound' thing going on with that one. Kids were very cool.

Yeah, didn't hear much about Team Qatar, I think it was majorly overshadowed by Racing Dreams?

Apparently. I came home thinking I'd see some buzz on it but nothing...the screening I was in was completely full, soI dunno. I hope it gets some traction though, it's definitely worth seeing.

I'm looking now, and I only see two reviews, one (shocker) more like a summary and the other just a twitter mention (5 out of 10, it says).

So weird. Anyway, my take: instead of being all OMG they're from the Middle East, it follows the kids from Qatar to DC for the debating championships..and the main thing is watching the kids learn how to work as a team, instead of 6 very different teenagers. Which sounds cliched, but honestly, getting 16 year old kids to NOT focus on themselves, to receive pretty harsh criticism and not back away from it, is huge, no matter what country they're from. And the coaches are very Oxford-debate nerd types, so they're a nice counterpoint against the kids who are very haphazard and, well, teenaged. It has a natural story ...doesn't feel like it was edited to hell to GET the story, you know? Funny, sad, heartwarming, all the usual synopsis words, but honest too, which was nice to see. Anyway...if it ever surfaces, see it.

Yeah, sounds promising. I'll definitely check it out. Have you seen Beauty Academy of Kabul? Same director, a solid film.

No I haven't, but I'm definitely going to, just based on Team Qatar

http://www.indiewire.com/images/uploads/iw9/people/Darrel_field_still.jpg
I believe LOOT is premiering at 8pm ET on HBO2? Someone should double-check.

As I believe I said elsewhere on this thread, LOOT is a fascinating and incredible film. The sorta ridiculous premise (two old men search for buried treasure) makes it sound like a comedy doc (and it is often funny), but really, it's much, much darker and stranger than that. And, as usual with pretty much every one of my recommendations, it's artistically shot and edited. I think it deserved theatrical release, but whatever. Morbs (and everyone else), hope you're able to catch it.

on Wednesday, i forgot to add

Burning Down The House was great

no; way too much 2006, not enough 1976.

yall should check these nuts: portrait of a sac

lol

OK, so I'm going to continue to bitch about a lack of intelligent documentary film criticism.

Starting with a sorta randomly selected shitty review, this time from Film Threat on THROW DOWN YOUR HEART, an aurally and visually gorgeous non-fiction film that follows Bela Fleck as he tours through Africa, performing with native musicians:
http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=11702

Here, Hall beautifully illustrates how behind film critics are when it comes to documentary film. He almost neatly defines some of the supposed roles of a documentary:

1. To Educate
"For the most part, Fleck doesn’t seem particularly intrigued on finding the banjo’s African heritage – the film offers little in the way of historic value in understanding the origin of the instrument."

or...

2. To Introduce Us to Exciting, Interesting, Quirky Characters
"Fleck doesn’t seem particularly intrigued in very much – he goes about the film was a dazed and bemused expression, offering very little in the way of memorable commentary...For someone who is supposedly the center of a film, Fleck just doesn’t register on camera."

but definitely...

3. NOT to be a visually or aurally exciting film (leave that for fiction film or albums)
"The film’s soundtrack album is already available, and that might be a better option for those who prefer listening to great music without having to sit through a so-so movie."

I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't think it's a fantastic film. You could chop 30 minutes from it, and it would be just as effective. Still, I'd recommend it as an interesting, artful cinematic experience.

Much more so, however, I'd recommend 2007's NOMADAK TX, which mines similar territory but in a with more incredible follow-through:

clips of this played at cannes market:
http://celsiusentertainment.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/freakonomics.jpg

<3 <3 <3 LOOT <3 <3 <3

oh, Silverdocs announced, btw.

aka more love for the brilliant OCTOBER COUNTRY

Michael Moore (of SLACKER UPRISING fame) has a new one about the economy coming out this fall!

certainly won't be accused of "journalism" a la American Casino?

I have no use for Michael Moore anymore (i mean, he popularized the most annoying trend ever: the personality-driven documentary).

Yeah, but I almost like the subtlety of a F. 9/11 when compared to Super Size Me.

he does it better than anyone.

true. i mean, roger & me is still one of my favorite docs, and parts of the awful truth and bowling for columbine (and to a lesser extent F 9/11) are pretty cool, but the more docs i see, the more outdated and grating his style becomes.

"Loot" sounds very cool.

Tyson has gone straight to Sky Box Office here in the UK. I don't know the documentary market well, but this is the only time I remember a documentary being PPV in the U.K., never mind getting its first release on PPV before theatrical or DVD.

Yeah, I honestly find these new distribution techniques depressing rather than exciting. I'd rather see all great documentaries get seen in theaters, but I guess people are giving up on that.

Dope interview from a year ago w/ Jason Kohn (MANDA BALA): http://www.studiodaily.com/filmandvideo/currentissue/9294.html

choice quotes:
"When it comes from The New York Times, from somebody like Stephen Holden — if you look at his documentary reviews, it's patently obvious that he has no basis whatsoever to be writing about nonfiction films. He doesn't understand the genre, and he has a bunch of pre-conceived notions about what a documentary should be. And, more specifically, he believes a documentary should hold up certain journalistic standards. When you make a documentary that is impressionistic, and which goes against a lot of tenets of journalism, that's like criticizing an orange for not being an apple. He would never look at any other movie like that and judge it along the same criteria. If you look at his review of The Monastery: Mr. Vig and the Nun, which is a fantastic movie, he criticizes it for not including more factual details — and the movie's about a relationship. I think there's a huge problem in the way film critics look to documentaries to be informative, which shows a bias against the genre and a lack of understanding."

"There's a big difference between television documentaries and theatrical documentaries. I would never come down on television documentaries at all, but often what you see today is theatrical documentaries that are television documentaries extended 30 minutes past their prime and made into watered-down theatrical documentaries. Part of making this movie was a reaction against the watering down of something I truly love, which is the cinematic, theatrical documentary. Not a lot of people do them, because they're expensive and labor-intensive. But if you expect somebody to pay 10 dollars to see a movie in a dark theater at night, you owe it to the audience to give them a cinematic experience. It was a reaction against what I saw as a cheap, lazy style of filmmaking in documentary films in general."

Why would you rather see them shown in theaters? Serious question. Anything other than prestige/media attention? Like Kohn says, no one is making cinematic documentaries any more. Not sure I've ever seen one.

Because I obviously am seeing them?

Off the top of my head:
Because We Were Born (Jean-Pierre Duret and Andrea Santana, 2008)
The Mother (Antoine Cattin and Pavel Kostomarov, 2007)
Below Sea Level (Gianfranco Rosi, 2008)
The Mosquito Problem (Andrey Paounov, 2007)
45365 (Bill and Turner Ross, 2009)
October Country (Donal Mosher and Michael Palmieri, 2009)
Big River Man (John Maringouin, 2009)
Sons of a Gun (Rivkah Beth Medow and Gregory O'Toole, 2009)

I will look out for the films you suggest, but if the film-makers are holding out for theatrical releases then I don't expect to get the opportunity for a while : (

And as for Tyson, I'm sure it would be a better experience on a big screen in a dark room. Any film would. But making that happen is not a good investment of anyone's time or money in the real world.

I think the most commercially successful documentaries of the last few years, which are the ones I've seen in real cinemas (rather than festival screening rooms), are totally uncinematic. I don't think this is a causal relationship or anything (hey, make your film look like ass and make millions!). I'm just saying the kind of non-fiction films that people have paid to see so far do not benefit in a qualitative way from being seen in a cinema.

(I'm explicitly not referring Earth and March of the Penguins here.)

It's a bit of a mixed bag. Within the past year, there have definitely been some relatively high-performing cinematic docs (see WALTZ WITH BASHIR, UP THE YANGTZE and AMERICAN TEEN (ok, this one sorta bombed)).

But there is a definite difference between the subject matter and technique of those three films and the undistributed ones I named a couple posts up.

i guess the director of CORRIDOR 8 and the director of THE MOSQUITO PROBLEM AND OTHER STORIES are looking for funding for an animated doc! DOPE. <3 <3 <3 that production company

i'm just like baffled at stephen holden's review of pressure cooker:
Even when inside the classroom, the movie never describes the culinary arts curriculum. Where does the food come from? How are the recipes chosen? How is the kitchen set up? A single episode of a reality-show chef competition conveys more precise information than the whole of “Pressure Cooker.”

Iron Maiden: Flight 666 has been playing on Vh1. Caught about a half hour, was v good.

Sex Positive a pleasant surprise; re gay politics, makes Outrage look appropriately trivial.

heard amazing things about big river man.

xxpost, Tape Store: Flight 666 was excellent. It gets especially interesting/moving once they hit South America, especially Colombia, and seeing the sheer numbers of fans not just at the shows but camping out on the freeway for miles, days before the show. My favorite is a fan singing 'Children of the Damned' entirely in spanish, then breaking into a high falsetto for the chorus in English.

Saw 'Every Little Step' last night, the Chorus Line revival doc. Loved it. Highly recommended for anyone who loves/did love the original musical.

Finally got around to seeing Anvil! earlier today. Couple of notes:

While it was a good documentary and I do feel for the band members, there's a pretty obvious explanation as to why these guys never made it big. Based purely on the documentary, it's clear that they have no business savvy whatsoever as evidenced by their European tour. They have the drive and desire, but you think they would have learned how to properly set up a tour after 30 years. And their professed hate of major labels yet still trying to get signed as a top priority.

Also, who knew that the drummer's father was Sarko (or at least Sarko's brother).

Fuck Dole. And wtf, LAFF? http://edendale.typepad.com/weblog/2009/06/citing-serious-threat-bananas-filmmakers-seek-to-rally-documentary-community-behind-film-against-dol.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhfzvzKm_xk

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Food Inc. knocking 'em out at the box office!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqQVll-MP3I

http://edendale.typepad.com/weblog/2009/06/james-longleys-translator-reportedly-detained-beaten-in-tehran-while-covering-election-aftermath.html

Fuck fuck fuck. On the bright side, James Longley is making a documentary in Iran.

Food Inc. now the highest grossing documentary of the year (um, well, ignoring Earth, Bruno and the Jonas Brothers)

guys, it's fine and all if you see VALENTINO, but if you're going to spend money on that, you better be buying a ticket to this, too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9-bAwz9uWk

STOKED for the september issue

Ok, I failed last time I tried to get ilxors to watch a great documentary (FORBIDDEN LIE$), but this time no one has an excuse, even though the platform is fucking stupid (this is a cinematic doc ffs):
“45365” will be screened online at SnagFilms.com and throughout the SnagFilms network (including on Hulu.com, AOL.com and Fancast.com) for one week, starting on July 31 and concluding on August 6, marking the first time that the film will be available to a broad audience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R_js-l07xE

Did someone get murdered halfway through this trailer?

And I didn't skip Forbidden Lie$. It never opened here, to my knowledge.

http://www.smiletilithurts.com/

COMING TO NYC NEXT WEEK

UP: http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/45365_through_8_6_only

now watchhhhh plz

bumpppp

2

wht did ppl think of the september issue? poor director never really got much insight into wintour and to his credit seems to have realised this himself and made grace the real star

that's an accurate reading of the film. but grace is awesome!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhfzvzKm_xk

lol tape store fwiw there are no jokes this shitty in the actual film honest

I certainly hope not!

I wish critics had the balls to slam this: http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/afterthestorm

and no offense michael i think you're sweet and talented but also this: http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/paradise

Wait, I just assumed, everyone in NYC knows about Stranger Than Fiction, right?

http://stfdocs.com/

Make a point of seeing LOOT, COLONY and HOW TO FOLD A FLAG. Sorry I was too late to mention OCTOBER COUNTRY...

alright, so now that the US festival season is over, it's time to officially start reflecting on documentary in the 2000s. i think the genre has grown so much this decade, and i think it's going to grow even more in the 2010s.

but temporarily leaving behind the projections, what were your favorite films?

i'll submit a full list soon, but off the top of my head, these are easily some of the greatest non-fiction films ever made:
the mother
the order of myths
iraq in fragments
because we were born
the monastery
summercamp!
forbidden lie$
my winnipeg
billy the kid
man on wire
manda bala (send a bullet)
running stumbled
wisconsin death trip
loot
october country

I probably shouldn't start my top ten list until after all the films have premiered, but fwiw, I think it's better than last year's...

in retrospect, this is bullshit. but 2008 might have been the best year for documentaries...

These are the docs I remember liking this decade.

The American Nightmare
Bright Leaves
Bus 174
The Case of the Grinning Cat
Cinevardaphoto
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Decasia
Domestic Violence
The Joy of Life
The Life of Reilly
Los Angeles Plays Itself
The Master and His Pupil
My Winnipeg
Remembrance of Things to Come

... and La Commune (Paris, 1871) and the two Jackass movies, to an extent.

Color me surprised that my decade top 100 will likely have about 10 to 12 docs.

My Winnipeg is in no way a doc! It's an autobiographical fantasia.

Neither are The Joy of Life and Decasia, to my eyes.

TS, I've seen 4 of the films on your list, but while only one made me sort of ill (Man on Wire), the other 3 (the order of myths, iraq in fragments, billy the kid) are not remotely great.

morbs, i think we've established that you have shitty taste

yeah, prettifying Baghdad burning is right up there w/ Flaherty and Wiseman.

Oh, and Eric, that's a v nice list.

um, if all that you got out of iraq in fragments is 'pretty,' i'm pretty sure you fell asleep

and nanook is very good, but there are (easily) 100 better documentaries from this decade

This is probably an unadventurous list but whatever, I liked all these:

Grizzly Man
Spellbound
Man on Wire
Capturing the Friedmans
Wordplay
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
Jonestown: The Life and Death of People's Temple
Dear Zachary
My Kid Could Paint That
49 Up

Los Angeles Plays Itself A+

My definition of doc is very loose, Morbs, just like your definition of funny.

So long as no one mentions/lists Born Into Brothels, we'll all be copacetic.

Los Angeles Plays Itself A+

I missed this in both its original run and the one time it's screened here since. Hope it comes back at some point, since it will probably never be on DVD, right?

No, legal issues x 1000000 make it an extremely long shot. Worth torrenting though.

Oh, that never even occurred to me! (I only started torrenting TV shows recently.)

So long as no one mentions/lists Born Into Brothels, we'll all be copacetic.

― boring movies are the most boring (Eric H.), Tuesday, October 13, 2009 5:41 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark

lolllll, otm

didnt see BintoB, but I can't imagine it's worse than Dear Zachary.

dear zachary is an incredible (sic) shitty documentary, much much better than brothels

t/s: brothels vs. the cove

Overlooked from '02: Stevie, by one of the Hoop Dreams guys.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0334416/

btw, for those curious...2010:
looking d.o.p.e.

I watched King of Kong tonight.

DEAR NYC,
See Loot on Monday at IFC:

Special NYC Sneak Preview of LOOT!
Mon, Nov 2 at 8 pm
and LOOT opens for a week at IFC starting on Nov 20th!

(one of my favorite docs of the year)

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/exclusive/sonic_youths.php

Damn, no way in hell Oscars will come close to touching Cinema Eye this year: http://www.cinemaeyehonors2010.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/ceh2010-pr.pdf

Well, no, not with only two doc categories they're not.

Well, I mean, even the best picture nods! LOOT and OCTOBER COUNTRY are both in my top five of the year, and neither has a chance at the Oscars.

I know. I'm just saying Oscar obviously doesn't think as highly of the form as you do.

I'm not sure anyone thinks of the form as highly as you do.

sorta random clip, but hey, i can finally show you that BECAUSE WE WERE BORN exists:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x81jcr_puisque-nous-sommes-nes-extrait-n2_shortfilms

cleaner look: http://www.cinemaeyehonors2010.com/nominated-films-for-2010

I do like seeing Varda and Davies mentioned in the director category. Fat chance that will ever happen at the Oscars, et al.

Oscar shortlist:

* The Beaches of Agnes, Agnès Varda, director (Cine-Tamaris)
* Burma VJ, Anders Østergaard, director (Magic Hour Films)
* The Cove, Louie Psihoyos, director (Oceanic Preservation Society)
* Every Little Step, James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo, directors (Endgame Entertainment)
* Facing Ali, Pete McCormack, director (Network Films Inc.)
* Food, Inc., Robert Kenner, director (Robert Kenner Films)
* Garbage Dreams, Mai Iskander, director (Iskander Films, Inc.)
* Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders, Mark N. Hopkins, director (Red Floor Pictures LLC)
* The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, directors (Kovno Communications)
* Mugabe and the White African, Andrew Thompson and Lucy Bailey, directors (Arturi Films Limited)
* Sergio, Greg Barker, director (Passion Pictures and Silverbridge Productions)
* Soundtrack for a Revolution, Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman, directors (Freedom Song Productions)
* Under Our Skin, Andy Abrahams Wilson, director (Open Eye Pictures)
* Valentino The Last Emperor, Matt Tyrnauer, director (Acolyte Films)
* Which Way Home, Rebecca Cammisa, director (Mr. Mudd)

no anvil?? :(

Also no The September Issue.

so far I've only seen Varda and Ellsberg. Guessing Food Inc could win it.

Dear NYC,
You should seriously see LOOT and BIG RIVER MAN: http://www.ifccenter.com/

http://www.lootmovie.com/trailer.php?page=trailer

Ignore the reviews of LOOT, which seriously piss me off. Here's Karina Longworth on it:
"Darius Marder’s feature debut, which debuts on HBO in May, tracks two WWII veterans in their longshot quests to recover pillages valuables hidden since the end of the war. As much a film about the vagaries of memory and post-traumatic stress as it is a portrait of the charismatic car salesman-turned-treasure hunter who guides the veterans (one legally blind, the other blinded by his own hoarding habit), what’s most impressive about Loot is the way the narrative unfolds so effortlessly, with impeccable timing. It’s absolutely a once-in-a-lifetime story, which is not to say that the filmmaker simply got lucky: Marder doesn’t appear in the film or offer narration, but his presence, patience and diligence, his innate understanding of how to hook an audience, is felt in every frame."

And AJ of Alll These Wonderful Things:
"A thoroughly surprising, beautifully rendered look at loss and discovery that is as fresh and unexpected as the great, lost, no-star, indie narratives of the 1990s. Its provocative hook - a documentary about a treasure hunter - could almost overwhelm the simple, low key and alternately devastating and satisfying pleasures of this under-the-radar film. Despite its jury triumph in Los Angeles (and the check that came with it), the film has kept a low profile through the fall but it deserves full exposure as a fresh and provocative take on the nonfiction genre. A huge debut for director Marder."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce432_JmdB8
Manohla on BIG RIVER MAN: http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/12/04/movies/04bigriver.html?hpw
Robert Koehler: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117939358.html?categoryid=31&cs=1

In the last few days, probably in an end of year article, but possibly on ILX, I read a great two/three word description of spurlocky low concept contrived situation vanity documentary type things. although it may not have been referring to spurlock. does anyone have any idea what i read or where i read it? (!)

idk! but if you find it, plz bump

in other news, dear critics, a documentary isn't necessarily journalism and usually the best ones aren't! This is the reason why I hate people like Stephen Holden, who criticized PRESSURE COOKER because it didn't answer questions about how the teacher selects the class recipes (!!!) (and for the record, as is the case with most crowd pleasers, I think you could write a totally reasonable scathing review of that film, Holden didn't)
Here's a new, perhaps slightly subtler example: http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/film_review.asp?ID=4676
Now, it's hard to say because he doesn't really get into a whole lot of specifics, but a film doesn't have to answer factual questions, and in the case of this film, it seems to me like Marder very much intentionally left questions unanswered. If he had answered those questions, it would not only make the movie more didactic and less cinematic, it would also ruin the film's focus on memory, fate, haunted pasts, etc.
Hope some NYC ilxor gives it a chance.

BIG RIVER man is amazing

i read a great article about that dude in monocle (lol yuppie)

and it's on KG. will check it out.

hey guys you can now watch THE MOTHER on The Auteurs
<3 <3 <3
let me know what you think