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Midnight Family (2019)
Finally, A Documentary That Keeps You on the Edge of Your Seat
Imagine a member of your family. They were injured and they required immediate assistance. So you call for an ambulance. The ambulance showed up. Took care of your family. Drove you both to the hospital. Then they ask you for compensation. Would you be angry with them? Would you take it for granted that if you or your loved ones should fall ill or have an accident that they would get the help they need? The help they are entitled to. Why then would you pay good money for such a service?
This movie tackles this issue head on as we follow the Ochoa family, consisting of a lovable father and his, mature-for-their-age teenage sons, as they burn rubber to be the first paramedics on the scene. It emphatically delves into what it means to be part of a necessary and, what some might call, predatory occupation. Because even after charging large sums for their services, the family barely scrapes by after (required) bribes, legislation, arrests and competition make a dent on their bottom line.
Documentarian Luke Lorentzen is so close up to the action, and shoots so well the astonishing and heartbreaking scenes he encounters that this might be mistaken for a feature film. Few filmmakers would dare or even be able to come as close as Lorentzen does here, which allows him to reveal the ugliness of a system that in the end affects patients the most.
For a documentary it is a rare treat to experience something that is as entertaining as it is eye-opening, making Midnight Family something of a rarity.
A Dog Called Money (2019)
Looking through a two-way mirror
Explore the artistic process behind what is likely to become a very strong album for PJ Harvey. We witness Harvey visit character-rich, and resource-lacking places. Here are jams with locals, grave tales from the street and visible effects on a post-war country. Meanwhile home in London, Harvey sets up a recording studio made into an art exhibit that lets the audience peer into her recording process. We as the audience are similarly given this same experience.
For someone deeply interested in music and songwriting, it's a relevatory documentary that shows how inspiration in the real world translates to an auditory experience in the studio (with the help of outstanding musicians).
We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks (2013)
As entertaining as it is illuminating
The object of a good documentary film-maker should be to change your perception of something. This has been instrumental in many of the most celebrated documentaries ever made from Errol Morris' The Thin Blue Line to Michael Moore's classic Roger & Me. We Steal Secrets is no different. Alex Gibney sets out to make one of the most ambitious documentaries made in a long time with such a broad spectrum of players that you might think it would be too much. But with Bradley Manning in solitary confinement and Julian Assange's 1-million demand, you'd be wrong. Still without these two key players appearing to interview in this film, recreations and stock footage provide more than enough background to form a complete and fascinating picture of the story.
The documentary provides us with a number of interesting angles. A central point being how personality deeply affects ones actions in the face of national security. With fascinating characters such as Lamo, Manning and of course Assange. Gibney cleverly suggests Assange might be more devious than originally thought as Assange suggests political motives where there are none in order to take away from his personal guilt. Using the sex-scandal to promote the idea of a witch-hunt which might not be rooted in reality after all.
The documentary regardless of your stance should prove to be fascinating and illuminating as it sheds light on the personalities and inner workings of the Wikileaks organization, the biggest whistleblowing organization of the 21st century. What Alex Gibney sets out to do with this film he not only succeeds but he has made one of the most entertaining and exciting documentaries in a long time.
Julian Assange and other have tried to to discredit the documentary as fabricating facts. However Julian Assange bashed the film before seeing it based on the title. For an interesting read you can check out the annotated script from both Wikileaks and the filmmakers.
The Angels' Share (2012)
Falls short
Having enjoyed Ken Loach's last film, Looking For Eric, I suddenly discovered he had a new movie out. So off to the theater I went. The movie starts off with a quick introduction to sociology while sentencing the protagonist, Robbie, to a few hundred hours of community service. Social issues is a recurring theme of the movie as it delves into the reasons of why people get themselves into a bad place, which again stems from a bad environment (which is literally spelled out). Ken Loach uses the same approach as in Looking For Eric, and many of the same plot elements are present as Robbie and his cohorts hatch out a devious plan to deal with their situation. Most familiar is the protagonist's struggle to set himself straight, but also in how he is trying to protect and salvage his family. Angel's Share starts off like a good movie; we get to know the characters, there's an involving plot, and overall I was starting to like it. I found it easy to sympathize with the main character, despite his conflicted personality.
But then the movie starts to falter. The plot with the whiskey distillery falls short as the director takes the film in a most peculiar direction. I started to realize that I liked none of the supporting characters, which are only mildly interesting due to the fact that they almost have no character and bring nothing interesting to the film (except a few good laughs). By the end I was just waiting for something to happen, and it didn't. The plot resolves itself in the most uninteresting manner and the jokes have long lost their steam and the film was simply running on an empty tank. To his credit, Ken Loach does deserve some praise for trying to make a relatable feel-good movie.
The Decemberists: A Practical Handbook (2006)
A fantastic live show
I honestly haven't watched the documentary or the music videos. Instead watched the live show three times, because really, this is a live DVD with some extras.
The entire show is expertly edited and filmed, while the band performs with such energy that it is fun to watch, even if you know all the songs inside and out. The show is engaging and also gets more and more enjoyable each time you watch it. I wasn't previously familiar with much of their work, but seeing these guys put on one of the best shows I have seen, it has made me a fan. A great investment for anyone interested in music, go and watch it. The last 40 minutes of the concert is worth the price of this DVD alone. Fantastic audience too.
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Fun and exciting
Despite all of the negative reviews, this movie is actually a great take on the classic Lewis Carrol adventure. It may not be what people expected but that's their problem. If everyone did all of what was expected of them, the world wouldn't be a particularly interesting place to live in now would it?
Tim Burton's colorful take on the wonderland which is magnificent and fresh is complimented by a decent story and a great script which also holds some incredibly funny satire about aristocracy (often entailing orders of decapitation from The Red Queen). The story chooses to focus on Alice being on the verge of adulthood in which she has to learn to take responsibility for her life, something that is done with credible emotionality and skillful acting.
One of the most interesting things about this movie however, has to be the characters, such as The Mad Hatter which Johnny Depp plays excellently, Chesire Cat (Stephen Fry) The Red Queen, the rabbit and even the Catepillar (played by Alan Rickman), all of whom bring life to an already visually stunning world.
All in all, this movie will serve as a great adventure for all of those who will let themselves get sucked into its stunning world. And those who don't are surely missing out.
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer (2010)
An unexpectedly interesting documentary
The title of this documentary pretty much explains what it is all about. It sums up the story of how Eliot Spitzer, governor of New York (2007-2008), went from fighting the corruption on Wall Street to resigning after the embarrassing media scandal that took place when Spitzer was revealed to have been using an escort service.
The documentary goes back and forth in time while interviewing earlier colleagues, sworn enemies, people from the escort business, and of course: Eliot Spitzer. Who all contribute with interesting interviews that are often enlightening in covering the story from more than one angle.
Client 9 is an entertaining documentary that rarely neglects the necessity of the cinematic aspect of filmmaking. In fact it is filled with interesting shots of the city, and manages to capture the passion of its subject as well as it reveals his faults. This documentary is also sure to entertain those who barely know who Eliot Spitzer is, as it takes on a number of heated issues that are sometimes explored philosophically. It also tells the tale of a politician, fighting for what he believes is right and what he has to deal with as a consequence, while not being devoid of the occasional laugh.