Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The Up Series (1964-2005)


Director:
Michael Apted

IMDB:
7 UP | 14 UP | 21 UP | 28 UP | 35 UP | 42 UP | 49 UP

Synopsis:

“Give me the child until he is seven and I will give you the man.” Starting in 1964 with Seven Up, The UP Series has explored this Jesuit maxim. The original concept was to interview 14 children from diverse backgrounds from all over England, asking them about their lives and their dreams for the future. Every seven years, renowned director Michael Apted, a researcher for Seven Up, has been back to talk to them, examining the progression of their lives.

From cab driver Tony to schoolmates Jackie, Lynn and Susan and the heart-breaking Neil, as they turn 49 more life-changing decisions and surprising developments are revealed.

An astonishing, unforgettable look at the structure of life in the 20th century, The UP Series is, according to critic Roger Ebert, “an inspired, almost noble use of the film medium. Apted penetrates to the central mystery of life.”

Monday, January 30, 2012

Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? (2006)


Director:
Frank Popper

IMDB

Synopsis:
Using an underdog congressional bid as a springboard, director Frank Popper explores the dangers of political dynasties in this documentary that aired as part of PBS's Independent Lens series. In 2004, 29-year-old political unknown Jeff Smith decided to make a run for an open congressional seat in Missouri, and soon found himself facing off against a political Goliath. With only a passionate grassroots group of volunteers behind him, Smith's candidacy serves as a true test of the efficacy of the little guy in modern American politics.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Domestic Violence (2001)


Director:
Frederick Wiseman

IMDB

Synopsis:
With Domestic Violence, master documentarian Frederick Wiseman (High School, Titicut Follies) turns his unflinching eye on a topic that society has ignored for far too long. Rather than film actual domestic disputes, a la COPS, Wiseman instead takes a much less exploitative approach, and, in so doing, has created a deeply intelligent, challenging work that will no doubt spark serious discussions wherever it is exhibited (most likely on PBS, with whom the director has a longstanding relationship). Focusing on The Spring, Tampa, which is Florida's largest shelter for abused women and their children, Wiseman's objective camera allows a group of these distraught women to tell their own painful stories. As each new victim bravely shares her tale of horror, it becomes painfully clear just how convoluted and troubling a problem domestic violence actually is, a claim that Wiseman supports technically, through his use of extremely long takes and unobtrusive editing. At 196 minutes, the experience is a draining one, to say the least. But it is stimulating in a way that most films, documentary or otherwise, are not. Staying true to the formula that has made him a cinematic legend, Frederick Wiseman proves once again that there is far more drama in everyday life than in the multiplexes.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

ACTA bullshit



Not so many people know about ACTA as they did about SOPA and PIPA. It seems now that SOPA and PIPA were basically an cover-up so that ACTA project can still be on. Personally I think they did a good job on that because I was fooled by it also. Forgot about this completely and irony is that this is even more dangerous than SOPA and PIPA together. This video will partially explain some things about ACTA.


Thursday, January 26, 2012

A Lion in the House (2006)


Directors:
Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert

IMDB

Synopsis:
Five young people battle incurable disease as their families deal with their physical and emotional struggles in this powerful documentary from filmmakers Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert. A Lion in the House was largely filmed on Ward 5A of Cincinnati Children's Hospital, a wing devoted to children with cancer and related illnesses. The film focuses on five youngsters undergoing treatment there -- Justin Ashcraft, an 18-year-old who has been living with leukemia since age eight; Al Fields, an 11-year-old non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patient; seven-year-old Alex Lougheed, also with leukemia; a third leukemia patient, nine-year-old Jen Moore; and Tim Woods, a 15-year-old boy with Hodgkin's lymphoma. As the children deal with the rigors and treatment and the toll their illnesses take on their bodies, they also wrestle with their need to be kids and navigate the tricky roads of growing up, while their families and physicians sometimes have to confront the fact that the children may not survive their treatment. Produced for broadcast on public television, A Lion in the House was screened as part of the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.

Etoiles: Dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet (2001)


Director:
Nils Tavernier

IMDB

Synopsis:
The Paris Opera Ballet has long been one of the most respected ballet companies in France, and many of the nation's most gifted dancers vie for the privilege of performing there. This documentary offers an intimate look at the men and women of The Paris Opera Ballet as they prepare and rehearse for performances of Swan Lake and a demanding dance interpretation of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony; the tight-knit but deeply competitive world of ballet is introduced, where close friends often find themselves battling for the same role, and the lessons learned through time and experience often run counter to the gradual decay of the body's mechanisms through age. Etoiles: Dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet was the first theatrical feature from director Nils Tavernier, the son of noted filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Some Nudity Required (1998)


Directors:
Johanna Demetrakas, Odette Springer

IMDB

Synopsis:
In this documentary, filmmakers Odette Springer (former music supervisor for Concorde-New Horizons) and Joanna Demetrakas take a look at the exploitative world of grindhouse gore, and trashy slasher films. Trained in classical music, Springer turns self-analytical in this movie memoir, asking herself, "How did I go from Beethoven to 'B' movies?," examining her own S&M leanings and possible abuse when she was a child. Clips include Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfold, and Angel of Destruction. Interviews include Roger Corman, American International's Samuel Z. Arkoff, Edward Albert Jr., director Jim Wynorski, Julie Strain, Maria Ford (Stripped to Kill II), and Catherine Cyran (Slumber Party Massacre 3). Made in 16mm and video, the 82-minute film was shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010)


Director:
Werner Herzog


Review:
In 1994, a group of scientists discovered a cave in Southern France perfectly preserved for over 20,000 years and containing the earliest known human paintings. Knowing the cultural significance that the Chauvet Cave holds, the French government immediately cut-off all access to it, save a few archaeologists and paleontologists. But documentary filmmaker, Werner Herzog, has been given limited access, and now we get to go inside examining beautiful artwork created by our ancient ancestors around 32,000 years ago.

Deadline (2004)


Directors:
Katy Chevigny, Kirsten Johnson

IMDB

Synopsis:
One of the biggest hot-button issues dividing the United States has long been capital punishment, so when Illinois Governor George Ryan, a conservative Republican, commuted the sentences of 167 death row inmates the day before his term ended, it shocked the nation and outraged many in his own party. This documentary from the filmmaking duo of Katy Chevigny and Kirsten Johnson explores not only the investigative work done by a group of Northwestern University journalism students that led to Ryan's staunch opposition to the death penalty, but also the impact the capital punishment debate has on the nation as a whole. Deadline premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.

Balseros (2002)


Directors:
Carles Bosch, Josep Maria Domènech

IMDB

Synopsis:
In 1994, after local protests against his regime had reached a fever pitch, Cuban leader Fidel Castro made a surprising announcement -- that any ships that wished to leave Cuba would not be stopped by his seagoing forces. Before long, dozens of jerry-rigged vessels were attempting to make the 90-mile journey to the United States across shark-infested waters, but American president Bill Clinton responded by announcing the Cubans would not be given asylum, while those who had already arrived were sent to a refugee camp in Guantanamo Bay. The Cuban expatriates at Guantanamo Bay had to wait nine months before they were allowed to enter the U.S. and begin the long process of finding new homes in America. Filmmaker Carlos Bosch followed the stories of the Cuban exiles, and, in 1999, tracked down a handful of them to see how they had fared in their first five years in their new country. Balseros is a documentary which shares the stories of the Cuban settlers and the surprising places (both good and bad) where the dream of freedom has taken them.

To Be and to Have (2002)


Director:
Nicolas Philibert

IMDB

Synopsis:
The one-room schoolhouse, where one teacher instructs several grades at once, is generally regarded a quaint thing of the past and a symbol of obsolete and ineffective teaching methods. However, the documentary To Be and to Have offers an in-depth look at a small school in rural France where one remarkable man has been doing the job of a small teaching staff for 20 years, and has taught several generations of bright and capable children along the way. Georges Lopez is an educator at a small school in France's Auvergne region, where between December 2000 and June 2001 he taught 12 students between the ages of four and ten. Employing a curriculum that embraces both academics and practical skills, Lopez and his school represent a surprising mix of the old and the new, where computer technology and old-fashioned memorization of the multiplication tables sit side by side. To Be and to Have captured Georges Lopez near the end of his career in education -- shortly after the film was completed, he retired after 35 years as a teacher.

Monday, January 23, 2012

A Decade Under the Influence (2003)


Directors:
Ted Demme, Richard LaGravenese

IMDB

Synopsis:
First released theatrically as a 108-minute, R-rated documentary on January 19, 2003, A Decade Under the Influence is dedicated to the proposition that the 1970s was the single most significant decade in the history of the American cinema. To illustrate this thesis, directors Ted Demme and Richard LaGravenese included choice vignettes from such '70s classics as The Godfather, Chinatown, The Exorcist, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Last Picture Show, Taxi Driver, Jaws, and many others. Also featured are in-depth interviews with the filmmakers, actors, and technicians of the period (see the very long, very impressive cast list), all of whom celebrated their "liberation" from the stultifying Hollywood censors and the antediluvian studio system of decades past with an embarrassment of cinematic riches. An expanded version of A Decade Under the Influence was seen as a three-part, three-hour TV miniseries, telecast on cable's Independent Film Channel beginning August 20, 2003.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Reel Paradise (2005)


Director:
Steve James

IMDB

Synopsis:
John Pierson is a passionate cinema enthusiast who has written books on maverick filmmakers (including the bestsellers Spike, Mike, Slackers & Dykes and Reel Paradise), co-created, produced, and hosted the Split Screen series on the Independent Film Channel network, and helped produce a number of independent films, including early works by Spike Lee, Michael Moore, and Richard Linklater. In February 2000, Pierson traveled to Fiji to shoot an episode of Split Screen, where in the tiny village of Taveuni he discovered a fully functioning movie theater. A year later, Pierson discovered that the owner was closing shop and moving to New Zealand. Fascinated by the prospect of showing movies in a remote community that was still edging its way into 20th century technology -- most homes have no electricity or telephones -- Pierson took over the business. Although the theater had shown American films since the fifties, many of the impoverished locals were unable to pay the admission prices - so Pierson waived the costs, thus enabling more natives to attend. He and his family stayed in Taveuni for a year, and his friend Steve James (himself a documentary filmmaker of note) brought a camera crew to Fiji to document the final month of Pierson's experiment. Reel Paradise shows the Taveunians reacting to everything from Steamboat Bill Jr. to Jackass: The Movie, Pierson and his family discussing the reactions of his patrons, the exhibitors' sometimes thorny relationship with Christian missionaries who question his influence on the community, and the cultural and economic divide between the Pierson family and the Fiji natives.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Traces of the Trade (2008)


Director:
Katrina Browne

IMDB

Synopsis:
Historically, the DeWolf family qualified as the largest slave-trading family in pre-Civil War North America - a difficult and upsetting fact for the clan's modern-day descendants to face. With the documentary Traces of the Trade, one of those individuals, director Katrina Browne (who co-helms with Jude Ray), joins with nine other DeWolf descendants to explore the heartbreaking story of their bellicose familial history; in the process, the participants encounter the sobering realization that slave-trading not only provided economic sustenance for their own families, but served as a commercial foundation for life in the northern states per se. The film finds Browne and co. journeying from Rhode Island, where the DeWolf empire was headquartered, to Ghana, where the descendants of slaves experience decidedly bittersweet homecomings, to a now-dilapidated Cuban sugar plantation; at each step along the way, the travelers struggle to come to terms with the implications of their findings. Traces of the Trade was screened as part of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

Blue Vinyl (2002)


Directors:
Daniel B. Gold, Judith Helfand

IMDB

Synopsis:
When director Judith Helfand (A Healthy Baby Girl) heard her parents were affixing blue vinyl siding to their house, she decided to find out how this product was created and disposed of. She and co-director Daniel B. Gold travel the world to point out how vinyl has caused numerous health problems. Included in their travels is a visit to Venice where businessmen who headed a vinyl company are on trial for manslaughter, and interviews with former employees of vinyl-producing factories who now suffer from cancer. Blue Vinyl was screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, and aired as part of HBO's America Undercover series.

Fat Head (2009)


Director:
Tom Naughton


Review:
Tom Naughton made a documentary that explains the facts and fiction about obesity and also as a reply to Super Size Me documentary. I must say it reminded me of Michael Moore and Michael Wilson (Michael Moore Hates America) but the difference is that Tom really has some point here, and those two...well, they had only personal reasons to do what they did (ex. money - ex. misapprehended patriotism and personal anger). Nevertheless Tom explains a "few" things that are interesting and also sheds some light on the Super Size Me doc and the "bologna" (his words) that is served there.

Friday, January 20, 2012

On the Ropes (1999)


Directors:
Nanette Burstein, Brett Morgen

IMDB

Synopsis:
The dreams and struggles of three aspiring boxers and the trainer who works with them (at the same Bed-Stuy gym where Mike Tyson used to work out) form the basis of On The Ropes, a documentary that debuted at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. Noel Santiago, a one-time gang member, has the skills to be a good boxer, but lacks the conviction to work through the struggles involved. George Walton, a Golden Gloves champ, had his shot at a professional career but lost it at the hands of a crooked manager and is looking for a second chance. Tyrene Manson, a fiercely determined female boxer, sees fighting as her best chance to escape poverty until she's arrested during a drug raid on her uncle's home. And trainer Harry Keitt, a former fighter himself who once sparred with Muhammad Ali, tries to live down a history of alcoholism and a stretch in prison as he walks a fine line between nurturing the talents of the young people he cares for and trying a grab a percentage of the money they could earn as champions.

The Boys of Baraka (2005)


Directors:
Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady

IMDB

Synopsis:
Baltimore, MD, is a city where crime, drugs, and juvenile delinquency have crippled the African-American community, and it has been estimated that as many as 75 percent of African-American males in Baltimore drop out of high school each year. With this in mind, in the '90s a program was created to help at-risk students from Baltimore with academic promise achieve their potential -- 20 young men each year were sent to the Baraka School, a special institution in Kenya. There, students experience a simpler, more rural lifestyle than they would in the city, while at school they are subject to a degree of discipline and academic rigor unknown at home. Filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady followed a group of students to the Baraka School, and Boys of Baraka offers a look at the impoverished circumstances the young men left behind, and the ups and downs of their new lives on another continent. Produced in cooperation with PBS, Boys of Baraka received its world premier at the 2005 South by Southwest Film Festival.

Synthetic Pleasures (1995)


Director:
Iara Lee

IMDB

Synopsis:
In this high-tech world, people have many different ways to add pleasure or change their lives for the better. This lightning-paced documentary offers a montage of such technology that ranges from new drugs to enhanced natural environments. The film is divided into three sections. The first looks at natural environments and takes the viewer to such places as Treasure Island in Las Vegas and Japan's Ocean Dome. The second section looks at genetic engineering, plastic surgery and at both patients and practitioners. The final segment goes into the world of mood and mind-altering drugs. It also looks into the shadowy world of virtual sex via Internet, and CD-ROMs.

Farmingville (2004)


Directors:
Carlos Sandoval, Catherine Tambini

IMDB

Synopsis:
Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini direct Farmingville, a documentary about a suburban community torn apart by illegal immigration. In 2000, a conflict erupted resulting in the deaths of two Mexican workers at the hands of white men. The next year, Sandoval -- a former New York lawyer with no filmmaking experience -- moved to the Farmingville area of Long Island to make the film. He and Tambini attempt to present both sides of the issue in order to make a balanced argument. Farmingville is home to both wealthy home owners and immigrant day laborers, and each side has its share of activists. Farmingville was part of the documentary competition at the Sundance Film Festival before receiving a broadcast premiere on the PBS series P.O.V.

Long Night's Journey Into Day (2000)


Directors:
Deborah Hoffmann, Frances Reid

IMDB

Synopsis:
This documentary examines the workings of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), established after the end of apartheid for wrongdoers to confess their transgressions to the families of their victims. It follows several cases that the group has monitored, including those of a white police officer who meets the families of the Craddock Four, black activists who died at his hands, and the parents of a white American exchange student who encounter the black man who killed their daughter. Long Night's Journey Into Day was directed by Frances Reid, who earned an Oscar nomination for her short subject Straight From the Heart, and Deborah Hoffman, an Oscar nominee for Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

The Long Way Home (1997)


Director:
Mark Jonathan Harris

IMDB

Synopsis:
The struggles of European Jews during WWII have been well documented, but this film (produced with the cooperation of the Simon Weisenthal Center) makes it clear that the ordeal of those who suffered during the Holocaust did not end with the liberation of Europe. The Long Way Home uses interviews with Holocaust survivors, newsreel footage, and readings of letters, journals, and news reports, to tell the story of the hardships faced by those freed from concentration camps in 1945. Often riddled with disease, suffering from malnutrition, and remorseful over having survived while their loved ones perished, many survivors soon discovered that they no longer had homes to return to, and many European nations, struggling with their own post-war poverty, would not accept the refugees. Some found themselves in Displaced Persons camps, which were often only marginally better than the camps from which they had been freed, while others attempted to flee to Palestine, over the objections of the British government, who then held the territory as a colony. The establishment of the Zionist state of Israel was widely seen as the best solution to bring dignity, self-determination, and a homeland back to the refugees, but the notion was widely opposed at first, particularly by the British government. The Long Way Home is narrated by Morgan Freeman. Martin Landau, Edward Asner, Helen Slater, David Paymer, and Michael York contribute readings to the soundtrack.

Love and Diane (2002)


Director:
Jennifer Dworkin

IMDB

Synopsis:
Jennifer Dworkin taught photography workshops in the New York City shelter system, and that's how she eventually met the subjects of her documentary, Love and Diane. Diane Hazzard is a single mother of six children and a recovering crack addict living in Brooklyn. As the film opens, one of her daughters, Love Hinson, has just given birth to a baby boy, Donyaeh. Love and Diane follows the family's trials over nearly three years, as Diane struggles valiantly to reunite her family and regain the trust of her children. Love, meanwhile, deals with her own history of abuse and her HIV-positive status as she fights to maintain custody of Donyaeh. Love's fitness as a parent is called into question as she grapples with depression, and with her powerful rage at her mother and the world. Diane's efforts to hold her family together after it has been wracked by tragedy are thwarted by a well meaning but inept child welfare system. Donyaeh, meanwhile, grows up a miraculously bright and happy little boy. Dworkin's film was shown at the 2002 Locarno Film Festival, where it shared the Golden Leopard Video prize. It was also selected for the 2002 New York Film Festival.

Troublesome Creek (1995)


Director:
Steven Ascher, Jeanne Jordan

IMDB

Synopsis:
Filmmaker Jeanne Jordan narrates this portrait of her Midwest farm family. Working without script or reenactments of any kind, Jordan takes us within her family as they react to their bank's decision to call in their $70,000 loan, threatening the loss of their family farm. Jordan follows her family as they go about their day to day lives and investigates their deep ties to the land that has sustained them for 125 years. Jordan's video is a poignant testament to a way of life that was widespread not so long ago, a way of life in danger of extinction. Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern was nominated for an Academy award and won two prizes at the Sundance Film Festival.

Beyond Hatred (2005)


Director:
Olivier Meyrou

IMDB

Synopsis:
When their son Francois was brutally murdered by skinheads on September 13, 2002, Jean-Paul and Marie-Cecile vowed to do everything within their power to bring the killers to justice, and try to understand just what motivated them to carry out such a reprehensible act of violence. As preparations for the murder trial began, emerging details told the story of a hateful gang that went to the park in search of an Arab to kill. When those efforts failed, the gang then focused their rage on a young man who boldly defied them by refusing to deny that he was gay. Now, in order to move beyond the hatred and pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, Jean-Paul, Marie-Cecile, and Francois' sister summon the quiet courage needed to discuss every aspect of their harrowing ordeal as filmmaker Olivier Meyrou allows their cathartic but heartbreaking story to be told on its own terms, and without superfluous narration or exposition.

Lemmy (2010)


Director:
Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski


Review:
Well years have passed and I haven't noticed this doc. What to say, Lemmy Kilmister in flesh and bones himself. The heavy metal legend that still shakes the ground with his highly recognizable bass riffs. My belief is that many people look as him as a person that doesn't give a f..k about fans and other stuff but this doc proves them wrong. Seeing him do regular stuff and living in his own way is simply marvelous. A must watch!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

STOP SOPA, PIPA & ACTA!!!


On Wednesday Jan. 18th thousands of sites will go dark to protest SOPA & PIPA, two US bills racing through Congress that threaten prosperity, online security, and freedom of expression. We cannot let this happen!

More info and vote against here: http://americancensorship.org/

Missing Young Woman (2001)


Director:
Lourdes Portillo

IMDB

Synopsis:
Ciudad Juarez is a Mexican city which is near El Paso, TX, on the opposite side of the U.S./Mexico border. Since the adoption of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Ciudad Juarez has become a hub for international manufacturing, with a number of American firms opening plants there to take advantage of the city's large work force and wages far lower than their American counterparts would claim. However, Ciudad Juarez has also become known for something other than business -- since 1994, over 200 women have disappeared in the city, and a large number of them have been later found brutally murdered and left in shallow graves in the desert on the outskirts of town. Missing Young Woman is a documentary that examines this chilling crime spree, and the inability (or lack of inclination) of police to find the culprit. For some time, the police had pointed to an Egyptian immigrant as a likely suspect, but that man went behind bars -- and the killings and disappearances failed to stop. Director Lourdes Portillo also explores the theory that the arrival of American industry into Ciudad Juarez may have some link to the murders. Missing Young Woman was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival.

The Education of Shelby Knox (2005)


Directors:
Marion Lipschutz, Rose Rosenblatt

IMDB

Synopsis:
A simple look at the debates regarding sex education in public schools becomes a dramatic journey of self-discovery for a teenage girl in this documentary from directors Marion Lipschutz and Rose Rosenblatt. Shelby Knox is a young woman who at first sees eye-to-eye with the strict, traditional Christians in her community regarding sexuality's place in her high school. But as she explores the issue as the subject of this film, Shelby begins to question the longheld beliefs that she was brought up with, leading to a drastic difference of opinion with her parents that threatens the fabric of their family.

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo (2009)


Director:
Jessica Oreck

IMDB

Synopsis:
Japan is one of the most crowded nations on Earth, with 128 million people stuffed into a space roughly the size of Montana (a state whose population in less than a million), so it makes sense that the Japanese people are fascinated by insects, small but hardy creatures that thrive in cramped and challenging environments. In Japan, insects are often kept as pets, breeding and selling the right breeds of beetles can be a very profitable business, enthusiasts watch insects and chart their sightings like bird watchers in America and Europe, and bugs frequently appear in artwork, toys, video games and movies. Filmmaker and animal expert Jessica Oreck presents a fun, fascinating and visually striking look at Japan's cheerful obsession with our six-legged friends in Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo, a documentary that explores the historical basis behind the nation's love affair with insects and how it manifests itself in the present day. The film was an official selection at the 2009 South by Southwest Film Festival.

Licensed to Kill (1997)


Director:
Arthur Dong

IMDB

Synopsis:
In 1977, documentary filmmaker Arthur Dong was attacked by four youths who shouted anti-gay epithets at him as they beat him severely. This incident led Dong to a long personal investigation of the reasoning and motivations behind gay bashing; this film was the culmination of Dong's study of homophobic violence, in which he interviews seven men convicted of murder in hate crimes against homosexuals as they try to explain why and how they did what they did. The stories range from men who believed that gays were wealthy and weak, and therefore easy targets for robbery and murder, to others who are convinced that God has condemned homosexuals and that they were somehow doing "the Lord's work." Several other men said that their murders of gay men stemmed from shame and confusion over their own latent or active homosexual desires, and one man simply and chillingly states, "I don't have any opinion whatsoever for homosexuals, except they oughta all be taken care of." Licensed to Kill was voted Best Documentary at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival and was shown on PBS as part of their showcase for non-fiction films -- P.O.V.

Family Fundamentals (2002)


Director:
Arthur Dong

IMDB

Synopsis:
While many Christian Fundamentalist sects firmly believe that homosexuality is a violation of God's law and a mortal sin, a growing number of Fundamentalist parents have had to come to terms with the fact that their children are gay or lesbian, and documentary filmmaker Arthur Dong focuses on a handful of young adults who have come out to staunchly conservative families, and been forced to confront the pain and confusion that can cause. Brett Matthews, the son of a Mormon bishop, was dismissed from the Air Force after his homosexuality became public knowledge, and must now face ostracism by his parents. Kathleen Bremner, the leader of a Pentecostal congregation, is also the mother of a lesbian woman, Susan Jester (and the grandmother of a gay man, David Jester); she has since joined a group that advocates "reparative" therapy for homosexuals. And Brian Bennett spent 12 years working for conservative California congressman Bob Dornan. Bennett and Dornan became quite close, with the congressman often saying he felt as if Bennett was his adopted son, but that changed when Bennett chose to come out of the closet. Family Fundamentals was screened in competition at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.

The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (2011)


Director:
Göran Olsson

IMDB

Synopsis:
In the late '60s, after the assassination of both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, the civil rights movement in America gave way to a more militant breed of activists who were demanding greater self-determination for the African-American community and the right to defend themselves against a system they felt was stacked against them. A number of journalists for Swedish television were fascinated with the rise of the Black Panther Party and the larger Black Power movement, and on several occasions sent film crews to the United State to interview major figures in the African-American militant community. Filmmaker Göran Hugo Olsson has used some of this archival footage as the basis for the documentary The Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975, which includes vintage interviews with Angela Davis, Eldridge Cleaver, Huey P. Newton, Stokely Carmichael, Bobby Seale, Louis Farrakhan, and other key figures in the Black Power movement. The newsreels are accompanied by recent interviews with artists, activists, and cultural historians who discuss this volatile period in American history, including Harry Belafonte, Abiodun Oyewole, Melvin Van Peebles, and many others. The Black Power Mixtape was an official selection at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Page One: Inside the New York Times (2011)


Director:
Andrew Rossi

IMDB

Synopsis:
In an era when newspapers are becoming increasingly obsolete, director Andrew Rossi offers a glimpse behind the scenes of the newsroom that has kept America informed for generations yet now struggles to remain relevant as more readers turn to the Internet to stay informed on current events. With their reputations on the line and the Internet Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, the editors and writers at The New York Times battle accusations of inaccuracy, and embrace blogging as a means of retaining readers who might otherwise allow their longtime subscriptions to expire.

12th & Delaware (2010)


Directors:
Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady

IMDB

Synopsis:
The two sides of the abortion debate in America literally face one another in this documentary from filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. In Fort Pierce, Florida, a women's heath care center is located at the corner of 12th and Delaware. On the same corner, across the street, is another women's heath care center. However, the two centers are not in the same business; one provides abortions along with a variety of other health services, while the other primarily offers counseling to women considering abortion, urging them to keep their babies. In 12th and Delaware, Ewing and Grady offer a look inside both offices, as pro-life counselors give women a mixture of concern and disinformation about terminating their pregnancies and the pro-choice medical staff struggles to work under the frequent threat of violence against them. The film also examines the handful of protesters who stand outside the abortion clinic, confronting both patients and staff as they enter and exit. Produced for the HBO cable network, 12th and Delaware received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

Welcome Calculate


Dear documentary lovers,

as of today we have a new author/poster on this blog. As you have noticed I haven't been much active for quite some time now mainly because of crash of not one but two computers...well, that sucked, and also for another reasons which I rather not discuss.

Anyway Calculate will be bringing you more interesting docs and hopefully together we will achieve that this blog once again will be regularly updated with new content.

Cheers

Blood Into Wine (2010)


Director:
Ryan Page and Christopher Pomerenke


Review:
As a huge Tool fan I cannot explain what it means to see Maynard do something that he likes in his own nature as he always has a strange veil of confusion around him. This doc is made totally to Maynard's style or the style that he wants us to see. Some scenes even made in classic Tool manor. Also there is a few words about his new project Puscifer and of course a lot of talk about wine. I enjoyed every minute of this doc and really made my day. This doc is a must have for every Tool, A Perfect Circle or Puscifer fan, but non the less for every other documentary lover.
P.S: Notice front cover.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011)


Director:
Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky


Review:
Long awaited third sequel is here. After nearly 20 years spent in prison for the crime(s) they did not commit, Jason Baldwin, Damien Wayne Echols and Jessie Miskelly are free by plaguing guilty to the crime. This is by far the most interesting documentary of the Paradise Lost serial as the information that is presented to the viewer is simply incredible. I could write tons of text about it and but I won't simply because I want you to experience it for yourself. Don't miss this gem of cruel reality.

Sick Humor (2003)


Director:
Vikram Jayanti

Review:
Well as many of the uploads that I upload but forget about them, this one was also on that list. It's been uploaded for months but I simply forgot about it. Lets look a little bit in the world of sick (or dark) humor. Note that some people might be offended as these jokes are...well let's say inappropriate.

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