LoveDox » 2008 http://lovedox.com We love documentaries! Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:54:01 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 “The World according to Monsanto” (2008) – Review #29 http://lovedox.com/the-world-according-to-monsanto-2008/ http://lovedox.com/the-world-according-to-monsanto-2008/#comments Mon, 12 Apr 2010 22:00:52 +0000 J.R.Schriver http://lovedox.com/?p=526 Also known as: “Le monde selon Monsanto” and “Controlling our food”.

The World According to Monsanto

Monsanto, in case anybody was in doubt, is pretty far from winning the love of the people. Former producers of Agent Orange, they now produce pesticides and Genetically Modified seeds and growth hormones. They have a horrible record and seem to leave misery and poverty in their wake.

French investigative journalist Marie-Monique Robin pulls no punches as she digs deep into Monsanto’s past and present. The result is a well-researched film about a very scary company and industry. So far, so good. Unfortunately the film is also dull. A day after first viewing and I practically forgot what I saw even though it’s possibly one of the most important subjects of our time. Personally, I don’t believe that film is a good medium to teach, but it’s a fantastic medium to touch and “The World According to Monsanto” focuses so much on being credible that it forgets to move us emotionally. If you want to be touched, watch another Monsanto-critical film, “Food Inc.”. But if you’ve seen that already and want to dig deeper, this film’s for you.

IMDB: 7.9 (400 votes) / Rotten Tomatoes: 66% (3 reviews) / Greenpeace article
Directed by: Marie-Monique Robin

]]> http://lovedox.com/the-world-according-to-monsanto-2008/feed/ 1 “Food, Inc.” (2008) – Review #27 http://lovedox.com/food-inc-2008/ http://lovedox.com/food-inc-2008/#comments Fri, 26 Mar 2010 09:14:34 +0000 J.R.Schriver http://lovedox.com/?p=508 foodinc2

Here’s a new formula for “issue” documentaries:
1. Find a sympathetic guy who went into “issue” with no preconceptions and expecting no wrong-doing
2. Get guy to describe how he was shocked to find that the things were much worse than imagined
3. Illustrate story with other interviews, if possible get wrong-doer to decline interviews
4. Show someone crying because of wrong-doing
5. During final minutes of film, show in wring exactly what audience is supposed to think and do about issue
6. Finish with link to “issue” website and encourage action

“Food, Inc.” is a good doc that falls into this category. It is well-produced and well-told and the story is very, very important. Unlike the disaster-type dox I’ve been watching lately, Food, Inc. actually tells the story of a horror which is already taking place. If you don’t how your McDonald’s burger came into this world then watch this film.

The film was nominated for an Oscar and has received high praise in the press.


IMDB: 7.9 (5458 votes) / Rotten Tomatoes: 97% (89 reviews) / Official site
Directed by: Robert Kenner

]]> http://lovedox.com/food-inc-2008/feed/ 1 “We Are Wizards” (2008) – Review #23 http://lovedox.com/we-are-wizards-2008/ http://lovedox.com/we-are-wizards-2008/#comments Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:58:46 +0000 J.R.Schriver http://lovedox.com/?p=476 Picture 18

I was browsing through Youtube’s documentary movie list and started watching “We Are Wizards” which I had never heard about before. It’s a cute and honest film about the fan culture surrounding the Harry Potter universe. “Wizard rock” is one part of that culture, rock music with Potter-themed lyrics. Perhaps not the most innovative music, but obviously a style which has its place and audience.

Overall it’s a feel-good documentary with some loveable characters. It did seem incomplete in some areas – sometimes the (unrelated) archive footage worked, sometimes not. And why was there no interview with anyone from Warner Brothers?

Still, an enjoyable film about an unusual sub-culture… and about fitting in.

Trailer:

Watch the full movie:

IMDB: 6.2 (82 votes) / Rotten Tomatoes: 48% (21 reviews) / Official site
Directed by: Josh Koury

]]> http://lovedox.com/we-are-wizards-2008/feed/ 0 “The Archive” (2008) – Review #15 http://lovedox.com/the-archive-2008/ http://lovedox.com/the-archive-2008/#comments Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:28:49 +0000 J.R.Schriver http://lovedox.com/?p=140 The Archive 2008Paul Mawhinney owns the largest record store in the world – and now it’s for sale. He owns records that aren’t available anywhere, lots of them! This is a perfect topic for a short doc, the subject matter couldn’t bear feature length and wouldn’t be half as rewarding as a news segment.

It’s also got very high production value. It’s beautifully shot, the font and music matches the theme of the short. Notice how filmmaker Sean Dunne brings in Mawhinney’s wife at a crucial moment and with a specific purpose. Great short, well thought-out and coherent. Well done!

Watch the film here:

Unrated / Official site / 7 minutes
Directed by: Sean Dunne

]]> http://lovedox.com/the-archive-2008/feed/ 0 “Vashti Bunyan: From Here to Before” (2008) – Review #6 http://lovedox.com/vashti-bunyan-from-here-to-before-2008/ http://lovedox.com/vashti-bunyan-from-here-to-before-2008/#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:54:54 +0000 J.R.Schriver http://lovedox.com/?p=54 Vashti Bunyan

Vashti Bunyan is a singer/song-writer with an interesting story. As a young woman she made a beautiful album and was then forgotten for 30 years. Freak-folk artists like Devendra Banhart and Vetiver brought her back from oblivion  a few years ago and Bunyan is now making music again. She is very delicate, soft-spoken and gentle and while this makes her a compelling person it unfortunately doesn’t make her a compelling character. The narrative centers around a horse-and-carriage trip Bunyan and two friends made while she was composing the songs of the first album. We re-visit the places while understanding how the album came about.

It’s an ok structure for a documentary, but something goes missing along the way. For me, anyway.

IMDB: 7.7 (6 votes) / Official site / 87 minutes
Directed by: Kieran Evans

]]> http://lovedox.com/vashti-bunyan-from-here-to-before-2008/feed/ 0 “Citizen Havel” (2008) – Review #4 http://lovedox.com/citizen-havel-2008/ http://lovedox.com/citizen-havel-2008/#comments Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:26:42 +0000 J.R.Schriver http://lovedox.com/?p=41 citizen_havel

We follow the poet-president Vaclav Havel through his career. Filmed over a 13 year period, this documentary seems to have its commitment as being a historical document, rather than a personal view of the Czech republic’s most colorful character. I personally found the film interesting, but also lacking a coherent narrative.

2 stars, form:5, content:6 / IMDB: 8.0 (218 votes) / Official site / 119 minutes
Directed by: Miroslav Janek and Pavel Koutecký

]]> http://lovedox.com/citizen-havel-2008/feed/ 0 “Solo: Lost at sea” (2008) – Review #2 http://lovedox.com/solo-lost-at-sea-2008/ http://lovedox.com/solo-lost-at-sea-2008/#comments Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:44:59 +0000 J.R.Schriver http://lovedox.com/?p=15 post thumbnail

l_atsea

Andrew McAuley decided to cross the Tasman sea between Australia and New Zealand. The swells are terrifying and Andrew makes his attempt in a kayak. Opening 10 minutes worth the movie alone. The film just became current in Australia as it’s being debated if a 16-year old girl, Jessica Watson should be allowed to attempt her dream of becoming the youngest person ever to sail around the world.

IMDB: 7.2 (17 votes) / Official site
Directed by: David Michôd and Jennifer Peedom

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