The rising global phenomenen that is One Direction (Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Harry Styles) has quickly made it to the cinema in this glorified show-reel-cum-concert film, in the obligatory 3D of course. What is surprising is that its director is Morgan Spurlock, a man most famous for his McDonalds-crippling documentary Super Size Me. Under his … [Read more...]
Fat Sick and Nearly Dead (2010) review by That Film Guy
Another year, another dietary fad and another documentary espousing its virtues. Fat Sick and Nearly Dead follows former big city bachelor Joe Cross who pushes aside the excessive nature of his rich lifestyle in Australia in favour of a juicing diet. A victim of years of fine dining and fine wining in his playboy lifestyle, he's now on a mission to educate Americans about the … [Read more...]
Into The Abyss (2011) review by That Art House Guy
On July 10th, 2010, Michael Perry was executed in Texas for a murder committed almost nine years earlier in October 2001 in the town of Conroe, Texas. Eight days before his execution, knowing that his death was imminent and still protesting his innocence, Perry was interviewed by Werner Herzog. This interview, along with further interviews with people involved, such as law … [Read more...]
The Gatekeepers (2012) review by The Documentalist
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. … [Read more...]
The Invisible War (2012) review by The Documentalist
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 … [Read more...]
How To Survive a Plague (2012) review by That Art House Guy
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 … [Read more...]
5 Broken Cameras (2011) review by That Art House Guy
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 … [Read more...]
West of Memphis (2012) review by The Documentalist
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 … [Read more...]
Waiting for Superman (2010) review by The Documentalist
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 … [Read more...]
You’ve Been Trumped (2011) review by That Art House Guy
Donald Trump is perhaps best known for having hair that's more ridiculous than seems possible, refusing to believe that Barack Obama is American, and shouting You're fired! at hapless business idiots on The Apprentice. However, he is also extremely keen on golf, and making as much money as possible. … [Read more...]