Nominated for the 2011 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 84th Academy Awards, this story of the ELF is directed by Marshall Curry who's last film was the excellent 2006 Oscar nominee Street Fight. As one will notice, the title uses "A Story Of¦" rather than "The Story Of¦" which is for two reasons. Firstly this documentary revolves primarily around the story of just … [Read more...]
Review: When We Were Kings (1996)
The 1996 Oscar winning documentary When We Were Kings covers the build up and spectacle of the 'Rumble In The Jungle' - a world heavyweight title boxing match between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali held in Zaire in October 1974. The film is generally made up of archive footage in a similar style to Senna which in a similar way makes it a more interesting piece of history to … [Read more...]
Review: An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
Winning the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 2007, Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth is a hugely entertaining look at the damaging effects of global warming and a call to arms to the world to sit up now and take notice before it is too late. That it is effectively a Powerpoint driven lecture put on film makes it all the more extraordinary that it can be so compelling for … [Read more...]
Review: Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
Despite the title, Fahrenheit 9/11 Michael Moore's follow up to his Oscar winning 2002 feature Bowling for Columbine is not a conspiracy piece about the Twin Towers as one might expect but rather it tackles the subject of terrorism and the War on Terror. Along the way, the Bush administration takes a severe hammering and the motives for the invasion of Iraq are examined. … [Read more...]
Review: The Panama Deception (1992)
As an 8 year old at the time of the US invasion of Panama in 1989, I have to confess to having been completely unaware of the subject matter of this 1992 Oscar winning documentary prior to sitting down to view it. Directed by Barbara Trent who's IMDB resumé only runs to four feature films, all of which cover countries in central America, it is a very one sided piece once it … [Read more...]
Review: Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989)
Winner of the 1989 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, Common Threads was made at the height of the AIDS crisis and tells of the devastating human cost of the disease in the US. The film takes its name from a giant patchwork quilt created in memory of the victims to be laid on the lawn opposite The White House to highlight the number of people who had died from AIDS and … [Read more...]
Review: Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
Directed by Andrew Jarecki (who also produced Catfish), Capturing the Friedmans is an extraordinary documentary uses a combination of home video and contemporary interviews to recount the tale of the Friedmans - a middle class suburban New York family torn apart by a child abuse scandal involving the father and youngest son. … [Read more...]
Review: POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011)
[pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B004UXUVFW][/pullquote] Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock's 2004 hit film, is arguably the most important documentary ever made. Exposing the horrifying world of fast food, the backlash from the film single handedly caused the industry to change its ways and was a huge … [Read more...]
Review: Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
[pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B000GJ0NT8][/pullquote] The collapse of Enron in late 2001 caused shockwaves across the world economy and reshaped the corporate landscape forever. Indeed it is hard to exaggerate the magnitude of the fraud and deceit that occurred under the control of crooked CEOs … [Read more...]
Review: Spellbound (2002)
[pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B0000UI2OG][/pullquote] Proving once again that fact can trump fiction even with a seemingly mundane subject, Oscar nominated Spellbound follows 8 children as they prepare for the 1999 Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee. Qualifying for the bee starts with millions … [Read more...]