Posts Tagged ‘documentary’

DVD Review: The Qatsi Trilogy – The Criterion Collection

Posted: 17 March, 2013 in Movies/TV
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DVD Review: The Qatsi Trilogy – The Criterion Collection

Article first published as DVD Review: The Qatsi Trilogy – The Criterion Collection on Blogcritics.

Since the demise of the Silent Film in the final year of the 1920s, few filmmakers have dared to make a feature-length movie sans the element of sound. Sure, there have been numerable short subjects manufactured by up-and-coming students and/or individuals experimenting with the whole $film as art” process. There have even been homages to the Silent Era in both dramatic (such as Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist) and comical aspects (Mel Brooks’ Silent Movie comes instantly to mind), but most of those entries into the annals of cinema rarely remove themselves from doing little more than showing their respect for the long-gone era prior to those darned “talkies.” (more…)

Catching Up at the Video Store: Getting Schooled by Athena

Posted: 19 April, 2012 in Movies/TV, TV
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Catching Up at the Video Store: Getting Schooled by Athena

Article first published as Getting Schooled by Athena on Blogcritics.

Once again, it’s time to up your Intelligence Quota ante with a nice hand of flashcards from the folks at Acorn Media’s elite label of documentary and educational material, Athena Learning. Previously, we explored the worlds of art, war, religion, politics, and several great minds. This time ’round, we’re doing a lot of the same — because those are the topics that smart people apparently adore talking about (and that networks such as PBS and the History Channel love to air), and our titles include Secret War, In Their Own Words,, Battlefield Detectives, The Windsors: From George to Kate, and Joseph Campbell: Mythos III, as well as three individual offerings from Bill Moyers: Capitol Crimes, Amazing Grace and Chuck, er, On Our Own Terms. (more…)

*Blu-ray Review* Born to Be Wild 3D (2011)

Posted: 17 April, 2012 in Movies/TV
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Blu-ray Review: Born to Be Wild 3D (2011)

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: Born to Be Wild 3D (2011) on Blogcritics.

It’s getting so that you can’t make a documentary about animals these days without hiring Morgan Freeman to narrate. Not that I’m complaining, mind you: Mr. Freeman’s awesome voice is a welcomed addition to just about any project. Why, he could even provide his power of speech to an outlandish exploitation schlockumentary title about UFOs and extraterrestrial life like his predecessor Orson Welles did and still make it sound believable. Fortunately, the nature of the IMAX presentation Born to Be Wild 3D is about just that: nature. As such, it stands to reason we can actually take Morgan’s word for everything as gospel. (more…)

*DVD Review* Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel

Posted: 11 April, 2012 in Movies/TV
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DVD Review: Corman’s World – Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel

Article first published as DVD Review: Corman’s World – Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel on Blogcritics.

In 1997, a documentary came out about four seemingly-ordinary gentlemen with extraordinary careers entitled Fast, Cheap & Out of Control. The title had always bugged me (and still does) because I felt it had been assigned to the wrong damn project. In my eyes, there was only one man — one — whose story fit such a heading. His name was (and still is) Roger Corman, and he had been a personal favorite of mine (as well as hero) since I first saw Pit and the Pendulum (1961) for the first time on VHS in the ‘80s. I joyfully thumbed through his autobiography in high school, learning various tidbits about his life and career, but I had always felt there should have been a movie about one of the most revered revolutionaries of exploitation filmmaking. (more…)

Catching Up at the Video Store: Made in Italy

Posted: 29 January, 2012 in Movies/TV
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Catching Up at the Video Store: Made in Italy

Article first published as Made in Italy on Blogcritics.

Our brothers and sisters in Italy have always had a certain élan when it comes to filmmaking. Indeed, I expect nothing less from the country that not only created a entire subgenre of violent murder mysteries that paved the way for the America slasher flick in the late ‘70s (the “giallo”), but also added their own spin to the tired ol’ western, making way for what would we call the “spaghetti western” today. Yet, for all their efforts — good or bad — many of their works remain low-key to the American public to this day. It’s a real pity, too, since there are some truly exceptional contributions to cinema, such as dramas and documentaries (no, I’m not talking about Mondo Cane, kids), that go widely unnoticed by all. (more…)

The Mysterious Monsters DVD Review: Peter Graves Hunts for Bigfoot!

Posted: 17 November, 2011 in Movies/TV
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The Mysterious Monsters DVD Review: Peter Graves Hunts for Bigfoot!

How would you set about trying to prove the existence of Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster to skeptics and non-believers? Well, if you’re at all like the people behind the 1976 “documentary” The Mysterious Monsters, you do the one thing that would surely invite people to accept your rather-baseless theories and flimsy facts with: you’d hire none other than Peter Graves to host and narrate your feature, sending the former Mission: Impossible star all over the United States to interview reported real-life witnesses of Sasquatch encounters and honest to goodness scientists to provide all kinds of irrefutable evidence. [Read the rest at Cinema Sentries.]

Catching Up At The Video Store: Wising Up with Athena

Posted: 29 September, 2011 in Movies/TV, TV
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Catching Up At The Video Store: Wising Up with Athena

Article first published as Wising Up with Athena on Blogcritics.

Sure it’s fun to turn your brain off every so often in order to truly appreciate the intellectual insufficiency that’s present in, say, any Michael Bay film. Ultimately, though, it’s unrewarding for your own cerebral capacity — to say nothing of the stain movies like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen leave on your soul. It’s time to wise up, kids — and there’s no better choice to do that with than this assortment of mixed documentaries and education programs brought to you by the letter A, the number 5 and Acorn Media’s exclusive “smart” label, Athena Learning.
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Catching Up At The Video Store: War. What is it Good For? Why, Entertainment, Of Course!

Posted: 28 June, 2011 in Movies/TV, TV
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Catching Up At The Video Store: War. What is it Good For? Why, Entertainment, Of Course!

Article first published as War. What is it Good For? Why, Entertainment, Of Course! on Blogcritics.

In 1970, Edwin Starr’s anti-war opus “War” hit the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. While the message of the track was painfully clear (it was against the conflict that was going on at the time in Vietnam), it nevertheless sparked a heated debate between parties from every aspect of the political scale. Forty years on, the Vietnam War is no longer a concern to the general public (with the exception of a few interesting fellows you tend to encounter out in front of coffee shops and Laundromats). Edwin’s song, on the other hand — not to mention its meaning — has gone on to become less of a statement, but more of a pop-culture reference — particularly in the motion picture and television industry.
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UFO: Top Secret (1978) DVD-R now available!

Posted: 22 May, 2011 in Movies/TV
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Wheeler Dixon’s UFO: TOP SECRET (1978) DVD-R – USD$14.99

Yet another laughable and über-campy schlockumentary from Wheeler Dixon. This time, the Dix and narrator Sidney Paul explore the existence of UFOs and extraterrestrial life.  The entire “film” consists of blurry UFO photos and crappy (early) computer graphics set to Sid’s seemingly-endless and repetitive narration. An ultra-rare cult fave. Oh, and be sure to play the UFO: Top Secret drinking game, wherein you take a gulp every time Sid Paul says the word “Vast.”  Why, you’ll be drunk in no time! Unavailable for several decades now, you can be engulfed by the vast vastness of UFO: Top Secret via this DVD-R available now!


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Amazing World Of Ghosts (1978) DVD-R now available!

Posted: 22 May, 2011 in Movies/TV
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Wheeler Dixon’s AMAZING WORLD OF GHOSTS (1978) DVD-R – USD$14.99

One of the rarest and (strangest) schlockumentaries ever assembled, Wheeler Dixon’s Amazing World Of Ghosts is an epically-awful and just-plain-hilarious example of what happens when someone sets out to make a film with nothing more than some stock footage and photographs. Narrator Sidney Paul takes us on a near-psychedelic trip into the world of the unknown, spewing out some of the oddest bits of dialogue to ever escape Dixon’s seemingly-insane mind. Unavailable for several decades now, you can finally enjoy the pain that Amazing World Of Ghosts offers via this DVD-R available now!.


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