Movie Review: First Position (2011)

"First Position" is a documentary following six young dancers preparing for the Youth America Grand Prix in New York, which is an annual dance competition showcasing elite young dancers.  Dancers compete for scholarships to dance schools or contracts with dance companies depending on the dancer's age. 

I feel that this film does what a great documentary should do - draw the viewer into a world he/she is not a part of and make that viewer care about the subjects.  "First Position" does just that by bringing the viewer into the world of the six young dancers, all of whom are under 19 years old.  The level of talent among the film's subjects is just amazing but more than their obvious talent the film also delves into their personal commitment to dance and especially in the case of the youngest ones their families' commitment too.  Beautifully done this film dazzles with top-notch dance but shows the kids behind the talent too.

Anyone who loves dance should run out to rent this one but also consider if you like a well-done documentary - solid A

Movie Review: Searching for Sugar Man (2012)

"Searching for Sugar Man" is a Swedish/British documentary about the efforts of two South African fans of American musician Rodriguiz to uncover what became of their favorite musician.  Rodriguiz became a huge star in South Africa but not much was known about him.  Rumors abound about the fate of the musician who seemed to have all the right makings of a star but didn't make it big in America.

This film is simply amazing.  The soundtrack, Rodriguiz's music, made a fan out of me.  I thought the editing and cinematography were great.  The interviews and clips really pull the audience in and made me feel like I was along on this journey to find Rodriguiz along with his fans.  I don't want to spoil the movie's secrets but I think that there is a lot to enjoy here.  From start to finish, this is a musical journey that you will love being on!

Rent this one today!  A+ for me and I'm still listening to Rodriguiz weeks later

Movie Review: Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (2011)

"Being Elmo" is a documentary about the early years and rise to fame of puppeteer Kevin Clash, who is most famous for voicing and creating Elmo on Sesame Street.  The film follows a young Clash as he practices creating and making his first puppets and then becomes inspired by the work of Jim Hensen and Frank Oz.  Later Clash meets Hensen and Oz, who recognize his talent and mentor him. Clash flourishes into a successful puppeteer and seeks to carry on the Hensen tradition of puppeteering and to mentor the next generation.

This film is really a good background piece on Clash's early life and how he became the man behind Elmo, a much beloved character.  Not knowing anything about puppeteering, this film is interesting as kind of a behind the scenes look at what goes into making puppets, creating characters, and performing with puppets.  Overall it's a well-done piece though the more recent allegations about Clash regarding sexual misconduct with minors put a bit of a damper on my enjoyment.  Though I want to judge this film as a stand-alone piece, there is the obvious question about where these allegations fit into Clash's story.  The film does not touch much on Clash's personal life other than his relationship with his daughter from his previous marriage. 

Aside from the misconduct allegations, this film is a winner.  It's enjoyable and shows that behind the scenes information in an engaging format.  For the film alone, I give it A- but I understand why some will be put off from the film based on the serious nature of the allegations against Clash. 

Movie Review: Bully (2011)

"Bully" (2011) is a documentary follows three US public school students who are bullied daily and also two families who lost sons to suicide after enduring bullying.  Filmed during the 2009-10 school year, the audience sees the students enduring bullying and talking about how bullying effects their lives. 

While difficult to watch, this movie is a must-see.  The film lays bare what way too many students endure on a daily basis in American schools: bullies.  While bullying is not a new concept, I've never seen it depicted in such a raw fashion, for example, when the cameras follow a then 12 year-old Alex on the school bus where he is treated as a human punching bag by the kids he desperately wants to be accepted by.  In fact, the violence against Alex reaches a level where the filmmakers feel they must show the evidence to school administrators and Alex's parents.  The interviews with the families of the deceased students who were victims of bullying are just heartrenching - there's no other way to describe it.  Luckily there is some hope in the form of activism by these families, which is picked up by other students including some bullied themselves. 

While tough to watch, please watch this film!  A- for me for tackling a very difficult subject and hopefully influencing much-needed dialogue about bullying

Movie Review: Project Nim (2011)

"Project Nim" is a documentary about a chimp taken from his mother just days after birth and used for a now famous research study to see if a chimp living with humans could learn sign language and communicate in sentences.  The chimp, "Nim" did learn sign language and put together sentences, though at first the lead researcher concluded he was communicating but later retracted.  During the study, Nim lived with and was taught by the researcher and a group of students but when the researcher decided to wrap the study Nim was suddenly thrust from his life of living as a human and dropped into a habitat for other chimps.  Having not been around other chimps, Nim had trouble adapting but formed a bond with a young man who would later champion better treatment for Nim.  From that point Nim's life took a bad turn as he was sold to a research group doing medical experiments on chimps but eventually he landed at an animal refuge but he didn't always thrive there.

This movie is really well-done.  Thanks to all the archival footage of Nim's life, much of it from his time in the sign language research study, there is a clear picture painted with interviews by principle players interwoven.  Clear ethical issues emerge throughout the film.  First, the research study seems to have been run by a faculty member and his gang of students, many of whom were his lovers, which begs the question of how "scientific" was this study to begin with.  Second, there's clearly the issue of taking a chimp and raising it to be human when Nim was clearly a wild animal.  Following raising Nim as a human and not allowing him to be an animal then as soon as the research was done this poor animal was dumped at a chimp facility where he was expected to be a chimp.  Clearly the medical research done on Nim and his fellow chimps also raises issues on animal research.  It's a little hard to watch at times, but this film is really captivating and  raises important issues about animals and research.  Give this one a chance - B+.

Movie Review: Chasing Madoff (2011)

"Chasing Madoff" is a documentary about Madoff whistle blower Harry Markopolos' almost decade long attempt to expose Madoff's ponzi scheme.  Markopolos, along with two coworkers, investigated Madoff's too good to be true returns and then began digging for more information after the numbers just couldn't be plausible.  The trio, fronted by Markopolos, turned over their evidence to the SEC and later the press only to be ignored.  Their continued efforts in the end were not what brought down Madoff, rather Markopolos claimed it was the market that exposed the ponzi scheme. 

The film makes some interesting points about the Madoff scandal.  One is that Markopolos and his coworkers easily figured out Madoff's scheme but it's interesting that nobody else (the SEC, investors) couldn't figure this out.  Second is the indifference of the SEC and the press to Markopolos' continued claims that something was not right and presentation of evidence.  Markopolos seems to think that Madoff had people on the inside who kept the SEC and the press from exposing him.  Third is the global reach of the ponzi scheme.  Apparently Madoff had "feeders" in Europe and other countries who were constantly getting him new "clients," which was necessary for him to keep the ponzi scheme going.  These feeders have largely escaped any prosecution for their role though they were making money off bringing in new money to Madoff.

While the film has some good information, there's a lot that's lacking here as well.  A lot of the reenactments are very over the top, particularly Markopolos recounting his fear that Madoff would have him or his family killed.  This gives the film a very amateur feel.  Also the film is basically just an extended interview with Markopolos and his coworkers with a little footage of the Congressional hearing about the SEC's failure to investigate Madoff.  I got the feeling that this could've been a nice interview with the major players without the dramatics and it would've been better.

I think that this film could be of interest to those who are still curious about Madoff but overall it's not something that would be entertaining to most.  Somewhat informative but not really interesting or well-done, I give it a C-.

Movie Review: El Bulli: Cooking in Progress (2010)

This documentary takes the viewer inside and behind the scenes at the famous El Bulli resturant in the Catalonia area of Spain.  This is apparently one of the most inventive resturants out there as evidenced by this film.  The film follows chef Ferran Adria and his staff for a year.  The first half of the year Adria and his top staff close the resturant and head to a cooking lab in Barcelona to invent new tastes, flavors, receipes, and ultimately the new menu before heading back to reopen the resturant for the second half of the year.  Once reopened, the head staff work on creating and perfecting the new menu items before they are worked into the 35-course 3-hour meal served each night. 

I enjoyed this film because the food lab portion was so in-depth.  The chefs were scientific about their experimentation but there's also an art to creating innovation in anything so it's an interesting process they have.  Then there's seeing the research put into practice once they are back at the resturant.  Much trial and error goes into creating "magic" as Adria calls it. 

This film in in Catalan so subtitles are a must and also due to the subject matter this film isn't for everyone.  Serious foodies will love it and anyone who is interested in behind the scenes of such an innovative resturant.  Solid B in my book.