"East of Havana is a blunt, unflinching close-up on the lives of three young rappers compelled to address their generation’s future from the confines of a Cuban ghetto. Soandry, Magyori, and Mikki are the defacto leaders of Cuba’s rebellious underground hip hop movement. Possessing the undeniable talent and charisma of pop icons, these fearless performers push self-expression to its sharpest, riskiest, and most triumphant point."
A couple of other notes on this film, Charlize Theron is one of the producers, and it's on Sundance Film Channel today.
One of my favorite documentaries from the last decade was "Bus 174 (2002)":
"On June 12th, 2000, a bus full of passengers was kidnapped in Rio de Janeiro in broad daylight. The kidnapper, Sandro do Nascimento, terrorized his victims and when he finally agreed to surrender and the episode was close to an end, a policeman tried to shoot him, killing one of the hostages instead, a young woman. The whole episode was broadcast live, causing revolt among the population. The documentary is about the incident, with interviews, focusing on Sandro do Nascimento, his childhood, and how unavoidably he was doomed to become a bandit."
So when I realized a feature film had been made about the same story, and that it was written by Braulio Mantovani, the man who wrote another favorite of mine, "City of God (2002)", I knew I absolutely had to watch "Last Stop 174 (2008)".
This is definitely one case in which the documentary and film complemented one another, while both being great movies on their own. I would recommend "Last Stop 174" even if you haven't seen the documentary, because Sandro's story is both fascinating and tragic.
""Which Way Home" is a feature documentary film that follows unaccompanied child migrants, on their journey through Mexico, as they try to reach the United States. We follow children like Olga and Freddy, nine-year old Hondurans, who are desperately trying to reach their parents in the US.; children like Jose, a ten-year old El Salvadoran, who has been abandoned by smugglers and ends up alone in a Mexican detention center; and Kevin, a canny, streetwise fourteen-year old Honduran, whose mother hopes that he will reach the U.S. and send money back to her. These are stories of hope and courage, disappointment and sorrow. They are the children you never hear about; the invisible ones."
This weekend is the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. There are several great documentaries about it out there, and I recommend all of them. But by far the most powerful and insightful has to be the must see, Academy Award nominated "Trouble the Water (2008)". Unlike the other documentaries which show New Orleans before and after the hurricane, this film shows what actually happened during the storm, from the stranded resident's perspective.
"TROUBLE THE WATER takes you inside Hurricane Katrina in a way never before seen on screen. It's a redemptive tale of two self-described street hustlers who become heroes-two unforgettable people who survive the storm and then seize a chance for a new beginning.
The film opens the day before the storm makes landfall-twenty-four year old aspiring rap artist Kimberly Rivers Roberts is turning her new video camera on herself and her 9th Ward neighbors trapped in the city. "It's going to be a day to remember," Kim declares. With no means to leave the city and equipped with just a few supplies and her hi 8 camera, she and her husband Scott tape their harrowing ordeal as the storm rages, the nearby levee breaches, and floodwaters fill their home and their community.
Seamlessly weaving 15 minutes of this home movie footage shot the day before and the day of the storm, with archival news segments and verite footage shot over two years, directors Tia Lessin and Carl Deal document a journey of remarkable people surviving not only failed levees, bungling bureaucrats and armed soldiers, but also their own past.
Directed and produced by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal and Executive Produced by Joslyn Barnes and Danny Glover of Louverture Films, edited and co-produced by T. Woody Richman, with addiitonal editing by Mary Lampson, Trouble the Water features an original musical score by Neil Davidge and Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack, and the music of Dr. John, Mary Mary, Citizen Cope, TK Soul, John Lee Hooker, and the Free Agents Brass Band and introduces the music of Black Kold Madina. "
During the movie, Kim gives an incredible performance of her song "Amazing", which unfortunately I can't find (there are other versions out there, but the clip from the film is far superior to the rest). That song alone makes this movie worth watching.
As soon as I heard about "Zombie Girl (2009)", I knew I had to see it, since I love documentaries almost as much as I love zombies. As a parent, it was nice to see other other kids that are into horror movies, yet seem pretty well adjusted. Although her movie, "Pathogen (2006)", had an extremely low budget, her script is really intriguing.
"Emily Hagins is making a zombie movie. It's feature-length, it's bloody, and the zombies don't run. Just like it should be. But there's just one difference between her film and every other zombie movie you've ever seen. Emily is twelve."
You can watch the film for free on Snagfilms until 8/20.
Here is the trailer for "Pathogen", and her latest feature length film, "The Retelling (2009)"
"From the short film Why We Wax by Kimberly Wetherell, this pod explores the history, fashion, function and not-strictly-feminine fascination with maintaining the hair... 'down there.'"
Years ago, I bought a book at Dollar Tree (yes, Dollar Tree) about Marion Barry. Although I can't quite remember the details of the book, I do remember it being mostly focused on his scandals, so I didn't learn a lot about his early political career. Luckily I had a chance to watch "The Nine Lives of Marion Barry (2009)" on HBO. I must say, as a young politician, Marion Barry was dope. (no pun intended)
So who should play him in the (inevitable) movie? I say Kanye West for the early years, and John Witherspoon for the later years.
When you mix all of these elements together you get a fascinating documentary called "'Bama Girl (2008)".
"'Bama Girl follows a charismatic black woman's quest to become the 2005 Homecoming Queen at the University of Alabama, one of the great Deep South institutions. Homecoming has a rich history there, tied into centuries of privilege, old money, and racial exclusivity. We follow Jessica Thomas' campaign for Queen, running against not only 15 other co-eds, but a strictly segregated Greek system, internal black politics, and, most ominously, a secret all-white association called 'The Machine' that has been controlling politics at the University for most of the past century. This is a film about the light and the dark sides of tradition - and a fascinating parable for the electoral politics that affect our country everyday."
"Independent Lens" on PBS is one of my favorite shows on television. The new fall schedule has been announced, and once again they have some great films lined up:
VH1 has a new documentary series airing this week called "Lords of the Revolution", which will feature episodes about Cheech and Chong, The Black Panthers, Timothy Leary, Andy Warhol, and Muhammad Ali. The one episode I've seen so far was really interesting, so I'm recording all of the others. "They questioned authority. They celebrated nonconformity. They dared to be different.
In Lords of the Revolution, a provocative new documentary series, VH1 will profile the nonconformist heroes -- and anti-heroes -- of the 60s and 70s, honoring those icons who challenged the social, political and cultural institutions of the time.
Edgy, colorful, and visually dynamic, each hour long episode will feature rare archival footage and photos; an unconventional graphic treatment; a hip rock soundtrack; and new first-hand interviews from the people who were there -- all combined to tell the compelling, dangerous and subversive stories of a revolution that continues to influence popular culture today.
Lords of the Revolution is here to celebrate the leaders of the most significant cultural transformation of the 20th century."
Actually, I'm not patiently waiting. I don't think I've ever been more anxious to see a documentary, and I haven't even seen a trailer yet, but hearing that this is being directed by Jonathan Demme is enough for me. Here's an article that gives lots of information about "Bob Marley Stay With the Rhythm (2010)".
"Sundance Channel’s provocative and eye-opening documentary series “Brick City,” executive produced by Forest Whitaker and filmmakers Marc Levin and Mark Benjamin, takes an in-depth and no-holds-barred look at the immense challenges facing the city of Newark, New Jersey and its outspoken and charismatic mayor, Cory Booker."
"Brick City (2009)" premieres on the Sundance Film Channel (Comcast Channel 505) on September 21st.
I've watched several documentaries about rappers from other countries, and it's always interesting to watch the impact that hip hop has around the world, especially in areas of political unrest. "Slingshot Hip Hop (2008)" is one of the best examples of this. It also has some cool animation effects throughout the movie, especially the opening sequence.
"The voice of a new generation rocks and rhymes as Palestinian rappers form alternative voices of resistance within the Israeli-Palestinian struggle."
I really loved the movie "Talk to Me (2007)" starring Don Cheadle. After watching it, I thought I knew a lot about Petey Greene.
But it wasn't until I watched "Adjust Your Color: The Truth of Petey Greene" (which won the 2009 Independent Lens Audience Award) on PBS that I really understood what made him such a legend.
"HECKLER is a comedic feature documentary exploring the increasingly critical world we live in. After starring in a film that was critically bashed, Jamie Kennedy takes on hecklers and critics and ask some interesting questions of people such as George Lucas, Bill Maher, Mike Ditka, Rob Zombie, Howie Mandel and many more. This fast moving, hilarious documentary pulls no punches as you see an uncensored look at just how nasty and mean the fight is between those in the spotlight and those in the dark."
HBO is airing the acclaimed documentary "Prom Night In Mississippi", about a small town that, until last year, held racially segregated proms. The tradition was finally ended when one of the town's famous residents, Morgan Freeman, offered to sponsor an integrated prom.
...until July 30th. SnagFilm is the best documentary site ever, and they are having a promotion called SummerFest:
"The SnagFilms SummerFest is a ground-breaking online festival featuring limited-duration showings of unreleased documentaries, beginning with the U.S. premiere of THE ENTREPRENEUR, directed by Jonathan Bricklin and presented by Oscar®-nominated Morgan Spurlock, whose “Super Size Me” was SnagFilms’ most popular title in its launch year. THE ENTREPRENEUR will have its U.S. premiere via a one-week screening beginning July 24 on snagfilms.com and simultaneously throughout the company’s distribution network (including AOL.com, Hulu.com and Fancast.com). This compelling and insightful documentary is the story of filmmaker Jonathan Bricklin’s father Malcolm, who attempted the nearly impossible – to create, from scratch, a new American car company. The film is Executive Produced by Academy Award®-nominated documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock. That it is being shown exclusively for one week on SnagFilms, prior to theatrical or television distribution, is an example of how SnagFilms is opening up new distribution channels and opportunities for documentary filmmakers.
Over the next several weeks, The SnagFilms SummerFest will continue with exclusive, one-week showings of documentaries that have not yet been distributed theatrically or on television. SnagFilms will make further announcements on its exclusive SummerFest sneak peek films in the weeks ahead."
Somehow I caught what was apparently the one and only time this was aired on Encore, and I am so glad I did. It was fascinating, even though I realized I barely remember several of the movies.
I couldn't find a trailer, so here are a couple of scenes from the documentary:
