Tagged: Documentary
Documentary Review: Chris Paine’s Who Killed the Electric Car (2006)?
After attending a mandatory course (to get my definitive Swiss drivers license) on how to drive ecologically and save a lot of fuel I was kind of confused. One of the instructors mentioned that the electric car isn’t actually as eco-friendly as you’d think. That was the first time I had heard someone say that. It seemed counter intuitive to what I thought to be true, so naturally being a film buff the logical reaction was to seek out a documentary that would discuss the issue in a more sensible and in-depth manner, so I decided to watch Chris Paine’s Who Killed the Electric Car? Continue reading
Check It Out: A 15-Minute Mini-Documentary ‘Her: Love in the Modern Age’ on Spike Jonze’s Film
The other night I finally got to see Spike Jonze‘s new film Her, you know, the one that got a couple of Oscar nominations? The more I think about the film, the more I love it. It might as well be my new favorite film of 2013. I can’t wait to re-watch it. Expect a review soon and an essay even sooner. I hope you guys like(d) the film as well, because I’ll be posting quite a bit about it. I’m starting with this 15 minute mini-documentary that surfaced on the web yesterday called Her: Love in the Modern Age. Continue reading
Documentary Analysis: Joshua Oppenheimer & Anonymous’ The Act of Killing (2012)
Spoiler Alert (For Real Life)
This is not a review, but a spoiler-filled discussion of Joshua Oppenheimer and Anonymous‘ (no relation to Occupy Wall Street I’m sure) 2012 documentary feature The Act of Killing. If you haven’t seen this documentary I suggest you watch it first before reading this, to fully appreciate it and be able to weigh-in with your take on it and your ideas. If you don’t care about spoilers or have seen the film: Read on, leave a comment and thank you. Continue reading
Documentary Review: Helvetica (2007) and the Importance of Fonts
Fonts are part of our everyday life. Whether we pay attention to them or not, they influence the way we read and perceive texts. The Helvetica typeface is the single most widespread font family in the Western world. It’s everywhere. Street signs, logos, flyers, magazines, posters, the internet: This very blog is written in Helvetica. How did it became so popular? Where does it come from? Is it really the ultimate font? Can it be improved? Where is graphic design headed in the 21st century? And why do some people dislike it so much? Continue reading
Werner Herzog’s Into the Abyss (2011)
Into the Abyss portrays Michael Perry, a young man on death row for the murder of a fifty-year-old woman and was possibly also involved in the killing of two other people. Perry was sentenced eight days after German filmmaker Werner Herzog interviewed him. Michael denies his responsibility of the crimes and accuses Jason Burkett, who was also involved received a lesser life sentence. Herzog interviews all the relevant people involved in the case and the execution of Michael Perry. While clearly stating that he is against death penalty and is sympathetic to their situation, he doesn’t deny the horrible nature of the defendants crimes. As he puts it himself “I don’t have to like you, but I respect you, and I don’t believe human beings should be executed”. Continue reading
Sophie Huber’s Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction (2012)
It is no exaggeration to say that Harry Dean Stanton might be one of the greatest character actors ever. A living legend. He has appeared in more than two-hundred films and worked with the industry’s finest directors. As it often happens with iconic and grand personalities of his caliber, it sometimes becomes difficult to distinguish fact from fiction, the man and the myth. If that annoying journalist in Somewhere somehow made it into this picture, he would probably ask: Who is Harry Dean Stanton? No need for that however, because that seems to be exactly Sophie Huber’s quest in her staggering debut documentary Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction. Continue reading
black is white 