When discussing the placement of speakers for surround sound, for example, the sound levels for each speaker are raised and lowered to alert the audience to the individual presence of each. The Ichiokas appear to have had great fun playing with their footage to illustrate Murch’s points, and the audience has fun with them.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Murch: Walter Murch on Editing→

The irony of an Israeli armed service veteran turned filmmaker being called anti-semitic was not lost on him, and yet he decided to investigate the label through interviews with prominent American and Israeli figures in the fight against anti-semitism, and, most poignantly, a collection of Israeli schoolchildren on a tour of concentration camps in Poland.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Defamation→

Shot on digicam, this is not a film designed to look its best projected on a large screen, and yet somehow the film transcends its limitations in sound design and cinematography in the way that the best documentaries can. One forgives the slightly blurry footage when confronted by the wit and grace of the subject.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Tea with Madame Clos→

I have no interest whatsoever in cars, but a documentary maker should always assume that its audience isn’t as obsessed as they are. Love the Beast does exactly that, and this is one of the reasons why it works.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Love the Beast→

Young@Heart left me weeping, and while it has flaws – some major – that are impossible to ignore, it goes straight to the top of my ‘must experience in 2008’ list. The subjects are so incredibly inspiring and the respectful handling of their story so deft, it is impossible not to be moved. And Fred Knittle is my new hero.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Young@Heart→

While Encounters at the End of the World features some truly wonderful footage of Antarctic wildlife, the film contains so many other flaws it fails to succeed on most levels. Much like the problems I noted with his last documentary, the biggest problem with this film is the director/narrator himself.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Encounters at the End of the World→

Although Morgan Spurlock’s documentaries will never be seen as targeting the highly intellectual, perhaps there is a place for populist non-fiction works that address political and social issues. In this regard, Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? may be even more successful than his previous hit Super Size Me.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?→

Following the immediate pre-trial period, the trial itself and its verdict, filmmaker Daniel Leconte has produced an entertaining and inspiring documentary about the principle of free speech and the role of the free press. Additionally, Leconte and his subjects dare to address the question of whether religion should be material for satire.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading It’s Hard Being Loved by Jerks→

Obviously, it’s easy to make sense of the chaos retrospectively, but both the defence and prosecution seem incredibly calm and rational people, not to mention Samantha herself, who seems to be have been more negatively affected by the investigating policemen and media’s handling of the case than the act itself.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired→

It is a little disappointing that the incredible achievements of Baker during her life are so tightly packed together into a short-ish film, as her life could readily inspire a feature length documentary or even biopic. It is only on reflection that one senses how remarkable her story is.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Josephine Baker: Black Diva in a White Man’s World→