May 19, 2012

Tapped: This documentary could save your life

tapped

First there was the book Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan which warned about the dangers of the industrialization of our food. Then there was the documentary Food, Inc., which covered many of the same topics. The meat we eat is contaminated with hormones. The animals are given food that are not a part of their natural diet. Most of the vegetables and fruits we eat are contaminated with pesticides and herbicides. What’s left? Surely there can’t be anything wrong with the water we drink, right? Well, you need to watch this movie to find out the answer.

Tommy Chong and the injustice system

chong

What happened next is even more ridiculous. They threatened to bring charges against Tommy’s son and wife if Tommy didn’t agree to a plea deal. Just say your guilty, Tommy. We won’t charge anyone else but you, and you won’t have to go to jail. Now anyone with any common sense could look at the facts of the case and see that this was a case of entrapment. But this was the federal government. Going up against the government, with their unlimited resources, would have been risky and so expensive that it could have wiped Tommy out for good. Not to mention that his son and wife would have fallen victim to the same injustice system.

Waiting For Superman – A reflection of our times

superman

This documentary on our current education system is an eye opener on a number of grounds. The filmmakers back up their claims about our deteriorating education system with plenty of statistics to show that we are failing in just about every measurable category. You may wonder what happens to the millions of drop-outs and under-educated students that are put out into society. The answer is that they’re present in every work environment. Incompetence is everywhere. The good news is that it’s never too late to turn things around.

Review of Good Hair

The idea behind this film can be credited to Chris Rock’s three-year old daughter who asked him why she didn’t have good hair. The question sent Chris and director Jeff Stilson to a variety of locations to find the answer.

Review of The September Issue

This documentary takes a behind the scenes look at the people at Vogue as they prepare for the September 2007 issue of the magazine. The September issue is traditionally the biggest issue of the year.

Never Give Up! The Story of Anvil

This is a film about dreams. It’s about hope and hanging on to the one thing that makes life worth living. Some have compared this story to the fictional group Spinal Tap. And while there are plenty of parallels to that film, this film is about real people; their successes, failures, and unrealized aspirations.

Review of More Than a Game

My goal with this blog has been to help bring attention to books, films, and documentaries that don’t always get a lot of attention. If I get just one person to see this film after reading about it here, then I will have accomplished this goal. This is a superb film from start to finish. Hollywood can spend gazillions of dollars cranking out mind numbing films like the Transformersmovies and the countless superhero flicks, but I’ll take a good documentary like this over those time-wasters anytime.

Review of The Botany of Desire DVD

This film was a PBS special. They could not have done a better job. Michael Pollan’s book covers the domestication of four plants: the apple tree, the tulip, cannabis, and the potato. This documentary takes the stories told in the book and brings them to life through interviews, images, and animation. Michael Pollan serves as the narrator. I liked Food, Inc. I liked this film even more.

Review of It Might Get Loud

This film covers three iconic guitar players from their childhoods to present day. The three guitar players are Jimmy Page, former lead guitar player for Led Zeppelin, The Edge, lead guitarist for U2, and Jack White, singer and guitar player for the White Stripes. I am very familiar with Jimmy Page’s work. I wasn’t familiar with the other two. I never was into U2, and the White Stripes I’ve never heard of.

Review of Moon Over Broadway

This is another behind the scenes look at the making of a broadway show. A few weeks ago I reviewed Every Little Step. That film was about the auditioning process for the musical A Chorus Line. While that film touched on the genesis behind A Chorus Line, its focus was on the auditions. This film goes into a lot more detail about the creative process that goes into staging a Broadway play.

Review of The Cove

I thought this was an exceptional documentary from start to finish. The film is about the slaughtering of dolphins in Taiji, Japan and the efforts by a group of animal rights activists to document the slaughter. The film also touches on a number of other important topics such as over fishing, marine ecology, the International Whale Commission (IWC), and the environmental impact that humans are having on the mercury levels of fish.

Review of Trouble the Water

Kimberly and Scott Roberts lived in one of the flooded wards of New Orleans. They were a couple forced to live a life where opportunity didn’t exist. They are black and poorly educated. Their only choice for survival was drugs and crime, which only hampered any attempts to improve their situation. So when the order came to evacuate New Orleans they, like many others, were unable to do so. They didn’t have the resources.

Review of The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill

The first ten to fifteen minutes of the film look and feel like a national geographic film on parrots. But as the film progresses, it becomes much more. It’s about freedom — both for the birds and for Mark Bittner, the man who takes care of the birds. It’s also about social status — both in the animal kingdom and in our own world.

Review of Tyson

I’m not particularly a fan of Mike Tyson or of boxing, but there was a lot to like about this film. I can’t remember seeing any other film with a similar format. It’s basically an autobiography on film. If the director wanted to, he could probably take the transcripts as is and publish a book called Tyson. He wouldn’t even have to record an audio version. All he would have to do is take the recordings from the film.