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The Gatekeepers (2012) review by The Documentalist

The Gatekeepers: “The tragedy of Israel’s public security debate is that we don’t realise that we face a frustrating situation, in which we win every battle, but we lose the war.”

Dror Moreh’s The Gatekeepers is one of the five Oscar nominated entries for Best Documentary Feature. Telling the story of Israel’s domestic secret service agency, Shin Bet, six former heads of this secretive organisation candidly discuss their roles and their thoughts and reflect on the effect their decisions had on the peace effort.

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I, Superbiker (2012) review by The Documentalist

I, Superbiker

The British Superbike Championship (BSB) is the domestic two wheel equivalent of Formula 1 racing and is enjoyed by a huge number of spectators every season both live and on TV. In writer, producer and director Mark Sloper’s new documentary the 2012 season are showcased and the race to crown the latest champion chronicled.

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The Invisible War (2012) review by The Documentalist

The Invisible War: “You always have protection with Jesus, but sometimes you need a little bit more.”

Kirby Dick tackles the subject of rape in the US military in this Oscar nominated documentary which is both startling and tough to stomach. The cold hard facts of the US military are that there is a greater chance of being raped by a colleague than killed by enemy fire and with only an estimated 14% of all cases actually being reported the extent of the problem is not even truly known. If that were not shocking enough, the deficient internal hierarchy and legal system within the forces leads to a conviction rate of only 8% with many (alleged) perpetrators going free and continuing to offend.

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How To Survive a Plague (2012) review by That Art House Guy

How To Survive A Plague: “Act up. Fight Back. Fight AIDS.”

These days HIV/AIDS, while still a serious condition, isn’t (at least in the developed world) the death sentence it once was. Combination therapy means that it can be effectively managed for many years, so it’s easy to be complacent and forget how terrifying the epidemic was in the 80s and early 90s when millions died from a disease that seemed almost untreatable – a genuine modern plague.

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5 Broken Cameras (2011) review by That Art House Guy

5 Broken Cameras

In 2005, Emad Burnat’s fourth son, Gibreel was born in the village of Bil’in on the West Bank. In the same year, Isreal began building a separation fence between Israeli and Palestinian areas. The villagers of Bil’in realised that the fence would cut through their agricultural land, confiscating around half of it – land they relied on for their livelihoods and to feed their families.

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West of Memphis (2012) review by The Documentalist

West of Memphis

For those outside of the US the story of the ‘West Memphis Three’ may be a new one but for anyone who has tuned in to the national news since 1993 it would have been hard to escape hearing about it at some point. Following the triple murder of three school boys in small town Arkansas, three teenagers were convicted and sentenced to life in prison on the back of a trial lead by incompetence and the public’s anger driven desire to see someone behind bars.

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Waiting for Superman (2010) review by The Documentalist

Waiting for Superman

The US school system is in trouble. For at least two entire generations results have been static at best and high school drop out rates are high. With many public schools seen as ‘academic sinkholes’ basic proficiency in Maths, English and Science in many areas of the country is staggeringly low. With powerful unions providing tenure to teachers effectively giving them immunity to underperform, the profession is in a dire and seemingly hopeless situation.

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Monsters, Inc. (2001) review by The Documentalist

Monsters, Inc.: “Oh, that’s great, blame it on the little guy. How original. He must’ve read the schedule wrong with his one eye.”

The fourth feature from Pixar marked the second departure from the Toy Story franchise and the first time that John Lasseter had relinquished the director’s chair. Despite having the biggest budget to date for Pixar, Monsters, Inc. was another huge commercial success proving once again that the kings of animation were not a one trick pony and paving the way for more unique features in the proceeding years.

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Bigger Stonger Faster (2008) review by The Documentalist

Bigger Faster Stronger: “Reagan was our President and there was trouble brewing in Iran. I was just a kid, but I knew who was behind it. And his name, was The Iron Sheik.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jay Cutler, Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, Barry Bonds and Marion Jones. What do these superstar athletes all have in common? The use of steroids to reach the top. To most this will not come as any surprise and with endless doping scandals having rocked most sports at one time or another, the 2008 documentary feature Bigger Stronger Faster explores the world of steroids from both sides of the fence.

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Wordplay (2006) review by The Documentalist

Wordplay: “Very bravely I’m a pen guy, and sometimes it comes back to haunt you.”

The New York Times crossword is an American institution and is completed by millions of players every day. To most, it is just an easy way to pass some free time and how well they do is not important. To others however, the speed of completion and how this compares to others is incredibly important – enough in fact to have spawned the sport of competitive crosswording. While the idea of competitive crosswording may be new to most, as Patrick Creadon’s excellent 2006 documentary feature Wordplay explains, it has been around for many years and shows no sign of stopping.

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