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Reviews
The Big Buy: Tom DeLay's Stolen Congress (2006)
The Big Letdown
Unfocused, repetitive, and worst of all - boring! What should have been a slam dunk documentary about one of the worst blights on the modern age of politics instead turns out to be a damn shame. Ronnie Earle, the district attorney at the center of the film, says, "This isn't about Democrats and Republicans, this is about cops and robbers." If only the makers of this film could have been so concise at some point in the first reel or two of their documentary as to what it is they were trying to say. Instead, from the start, The Big Buy feels like a film you've walked into thirty minutes late. Following the theme stated by Earle of cops and robbers, The Big Buy is supposed to have a film noir aesthetic, but the intended use of light and shadow is so intermittent you likely won't notice. Somewhere in this mess is a good film and a better story, to bad it's not being told here.
Twenty Gay Stereotypes Confirmed (2004)
Good Concept, Needs Better Execution
Boliki's use of home video from his childhood is almost inspired. But sadly he blunts the impact of his every attempt at humor by delivering the punch line before telling the joke. It's a simple criticism, but a vital one. Not everyone likes unsolicited advice, but here's mine. If you flip-flopped the the 'celebrity' statement of the stereotype with the childhood clip that bares it out, I think the film would flow much better. Aside from that it's nice, fun short with a few laughs. But, again, I think with a few simple edits it could be much better. Still, see it if you get the chance. 20 Gay Stereotypes is at least as good if not a little better than most of the fare you'll see at most gay film festivals.
The Real Dirt on Farmer John (2005)
Real Dirt is the Real Deal
I saw this film at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival and was blown away. The Real Dirt on Farmer John excels on both a technical and an emotional level. So many films, particularly documentaries, struggle to achieve three clearly defined acts that maintain a narrative arch, but this film succeeds... and then some. While 'Real Dirt' was one of the highlights at Hot Springs, what really provoked me into writing this brief review was an idiotic post at this same site that claimed the 'Real Dirt' was fake and manufactured by the director and his subject. Yes, they've had a long standing relationship, but I think the film makes that clear. And the many articles I've since read about Farmer John and the film backs up the documentaries validity. This same review claims Farmer John is 'acting'. Well, anyone who sees the film will instantly realize that John is at the very least a theatrical person in his everyday life - but I'd hardly call what he does at any point in the film acting (except for the segments that depict him acting in his own play as captured in a CNN clip from the 80's). The events of Farmer John's life are laid bare on the screen for all to see. That he wrote and reads the films narration is a bit unconventional, but in the end only adds to the unique experience of the exceptional film.
Pack Strap Swallow (2005)
Great Content... So-so Execution
Who knew visiting a prison in a third world nation while on vacation would lead to not only so many great stories, but also a fresh new angle in the war on drugs?
Great characters, great material, fascinating story, but the flow is just not there yet... could use another pass with a sharper eye for narrative flow before calling it a final cut.
That said, if you have the opportunity to see this film (I saw it at the Hot Springs Doc Fest), go see it, it's well worth your time.
Come one! The bit about the connection between the two prisoners from two different countries is barely touched upon. This could be great, get back to work!
Late Breaking News (2004)
an exciting, behind the scenes look at how television news is gathered over night - surprisingly, it has little to do with the TV stations themselves.
I went into this film not expecting much, but was engrossed from the very beginning. On the surface you might think, "yeah, who cares", but the concept that TV stations are not always responsible for the content of some of the biggest stories they cover was surprising.
Late Breaknig News follows a "stringer" named Ken Herzlich on his nightly rounds in the city of Chicago. He sits in his used cop car decked out with police and fire department radio scanners waiting for the next big story, then races to the scene with his mobile video production studio, shoots the story, interviews witnesses, and then races the clock to deliver the tape to the TV stations before they go on the air each morning.
Fires, murders, auto accidents, cows on the loose... I always took for granted how these stories ended up on the air.
Late Breaking News mixes the behind the scenes footage, Ken's amazing video, and clips of how it looks once it's broadcast by the Chicago stations to weave a very interesting story.