Category Archives: Documentary
Citizenfour
We ain’t the good guys anymore. That was my take-away from Citizenfour, Laura Poitras’ documentary on Edward Snowden. This is far and away the best documentary I’ve ever seen and it was damning. As for who’s a good guy and who isn’t, well, maybe there aren’t any good guys anymore. I’ll tell you who is not a good guy… Barack Obama. Yep, the guy I voted for, twice. Even made some donations to the first campaign. I’d say I fucked up but come on… Sarah Palin?!
As it became clear President Obama was a very different cat than Candidate Obama, I told myself he’s better than George Bush and Dick Cheney. But you know, that doesn’t make you a good guy. It just makes you not those bad guys.
Same goes for the USA. Yeah, there are some countries with really shitty governments. But that’s a pretty low bar. Turns out our shit does stink and it’s time we took a good whip.
At some point in the film I found myself thinking, “Fuck it. I hope the Republicans take the Senate. And the House. A whole bunch of Democrats have been complicit in what the NSA and the rest of the intelligence “community” have been up to and they get no more support or votes for me.
I’ll calm down but I won’t be the same. It’s that strong a film. I’ve turned off comments here but would be happy to discuss privately, one-to-one. With anyone who has seen the film.
Rich Hill
“An examination of challenges, hopes and dreams of the young residents of a rural American town.” That description from the film’s website doesn’t begin to capture the bleak hopelessness and despair I came away with. Be very surprised if the Missouri Department of Tourism includes this documentary in its promotional material.
Let me pause a moment to encourage you to see this film. It’s such a powerful story. Three stories, actually. As I watched I kept thinking, you can’t write dialogue like this. And if you could, no actor could could express this depth of (fill in emotion).
I was born in a small town in Missouri and have spent most of my life here. I’ve been to the places shown in this film. But I don’t think I have ever really seen the people. This film grabs your head and forces you to take a good, long look. Unflinching might be the word I’m looking for.
Burning Man 2014
Lake of Dreams from roy two thousand on Vimeo.
Dark Universe
“With astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson as your guide, go beyond the night sky and into deep space to find out how discoveries over the past 100 years have led us to two great cosmic mysteries: dark matter and dark energy. You’ll hurtle through Jupiter’s atmosphere, peer at the web of dark matter holding galaxies together, and watch the colorful remains of the universe’s beginnings unfold.”
I was fortunate to experience this at the Hayden Planetarium (part of the American Museum of Natural History in New York). The most amazing and wonderful thing I have every seen.
Secrets of the Vatican
This Frontline documentary was… damning. I’m sure “defenders of the faith” have ready responses to every charge although I’m not sure what one would say to 8-year-old Monica Barret who was raped by her priest (“If You Tell Anybody, Your Parents Will Burn in Hell”). A middle aged woman now, Ms. Barret’s dry-eyed account of that event was chilling and heart breaking.
I suppose you argue that the producers and Frontline and the media (and all non-Catholics?) are out to ‘get’ the Catholic Church. Fuck if I know. Has anyone said, “I don’t want to be part of this. I’ll find another place worship. Call me if you get your shit together.”
Sounds like the new Pope might be trying to make some changes but the corruption runs deep and high and any real house cleaning is gonna be ugly.
MITT
“Whatever side your on, see another side.” That’s the tag line for the Netflix documentary MITT, written and directed by Greg Whitely, and it’s a good one. I don’t do reviews but I’ll share a few impressions, in no particular order:
- Some unresolved daddy stuff going on for Mitt
- He didn’t really want to be president. He wanted to be elected president
- There must have been times when the family and/or the campaign said, ‘Stop filming. Please leave the room.”
- The decision to have no narration was a good one
- Some of the shots looked like they were from a GoPro strapped to the family pooch. I liked that quality throughout the film
- Mitt and Anne don’t know any poor people. Sure, they’ve met some in their public life, but they seem incapable of grasping what it would be like to be poor.
- Karl Rove and Roger Ailes threw up 5 minutes into this film
- No politician will ever again agree to this kind of access
Going Clear
Going Clear grabbed and held (and disturbed) me as few (non-fiction) books have. “Couldn’t put it down” is usually a cliche, but…
Reading this incredible story is as close to being in a cult as I’m ever likely to be. For my money, Scientology is far more frightening (and dangerous) than the Taliban.
Tom Cruise figured prominently in the second half of the book so I had to go back and take one more look at this video.
Drones used in filming Civil War documentary
Silence in the House of God
Easily the most powerful and disturbing documentary I’ve ever watched. Filled with unspeakable evil and inspiring courage. I watched it on HBO but assume/hope it is available elsewhere.