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Archive for the ‘Documentary’ Category

Soul Surfer

April 11th, 2011
Soul Surfer 

 

Soul Surfer

Rating: ★★★★☆

Movie: Soul Surfer (2011)

Studio : Sony Pictures

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 106 min

Website : soulsurferthemovie.com/

Rating : PG

Trailer :
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xh31le


Review:

Soul Surfer tells the amazing true story of a brave young lady who overcame incredible odds to continue her dream of being a championship surfer.

Bethany Hamilton was quite a child prodigy of the waves. By 13, she’d already won championships in the sport, gained a sponsor (Rip Curl) and began competing on the professional circuit. It seemed that she was headed for a fantastic career. But tragedy struck when a tiger shark attacked her during a morning surf, ripping off her left arm. The injury left her having to relearn just about everything she did and in most people, it would have spelled the end of her watery goal and lifestyle. But encouraged by her father, a surfer dude himself, she learned not only to live with a single upper appendage, but to reclaim her place on the board. Read more…

Action, Documentary, Drama, Family, In Theaters , , , , , , ,

Invictus

January 12th, 2010
Invictus

Invictus

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Movie: Invictus (2009)

Studio : Malpaso Productions

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 133 min

Website : invictusmovie.warnerbros.com

Trailer :
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xayoo0

Review:

In 1990, Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years in prison and by 1994, he became the first democratically-elected president of South Africa. One of his greatest achievements: making South Africa’s rugby team the best in the world?

There is some method in his madness. Just as Mandela recalls a childhood where booing the team was a sign of rebellion towards the Afrikaners, he sees that bringing a team that South Africa will cheer on as a nation will also bring a divided people together along the way.

You have to credit Clint Eastwood for originality. Not only did he choose a topic that is obscure, but also strangely relevant as well. Think about it: just a few months ago, Peter Jackson released a film centered on apartheid, and Morgan Freeman’s role plays a man whom the Afrikaners partially distrust for seeming more like a celebrity than a politician (a view quite a few Republicans hold in regard towards a certain politician of our own).

I should warn that this really is not a movie you see for the thrill of rugby. Matches have a tendency to be brushed over, and while you can see rules explained from time to time, I was left scratching my head wondering what was going on as the drama was edited into a handful of clips for most of the matches, likely for the sake of time and perhaps better edited out or shortened further.

I don’t think Eastwood knew where to go with this film overall, or what to keep or edit out, perhaps because he was balancing a sports movie with a political one. One plot branch that I thought was unnecessary, for example, involves a trip to Mandela’s prison. It’s significant, yes, but not necessary for Damon’s character at that point.

Freeman delivers the chilling accuracy of Mandela 90% of the time, (the other 10% of the time he sounds like himself). I have to also admit it’s impressive seeing Matt Damon go from his chubby role in The Informant!, into a chunky muscleman that could bench-press Jason Bourne. But acting-wise, undue credit should go to Tony Kgoroge, who plays a quiet, incisive, and eternally paranoid bodyguard for Mandela. When you see him crack a smile, even for a brief moment, it shows you all the inner depth that was implied despite his background role.

If you’re a Freeman fan, then you won’t be disappointed watching him in action. If you’re someone else? There’s always the DVD.

-Donald Lee

Documentary, Drama, In Theaters , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It Might Get Loud

August 26th, 2009
It Might Get Loud

It Might Get Loud

Rating: ★★★½☆

Movie: It Might Get Loud (2009)

Studio : Steel Curtain Pictures

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 95min

Website : sonyclassics.com/itmightgetloud

Trailer :http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9wjhd



Review:

On January 23, 2008, David Guggenheim gathered three rock icons from different generations and brought them into one warehouse for a discussion and jam session: Jimmy Page, U2’s The Edge, and Jack White. Together, they share their love of an instrument that they have based their fame on: the electric guitar.

Despite what the trailer may say, do not believe it! What you are seeing is hardly a documentary on the electric guitar. You get some remarks on electric guitars and how each of them was a part of their life, but this is not so much a documentary on the instrument as it is a history of how these three men came into the electric guitar and what brought them into becoming the artists they are. The furthest the film goes is remarking on what musical influence each person found that helped mentor them into finding the sound they wanted.

As you can imagine even with such a misleading premise, having three very influential guitarists discuss their past and their methodology with the instrument, coupled with some great music, still makes for an entertaining documentary (at least, if you like rock, which I do).

It seems that there might have been a plan to starkly contrast each of them since it begins with a stark difference in how The Edge engineers his sounds together through a sound lab versus Jack White’s “use it until you break it” methodology, but it seems to break down along the way into what I said before. This breakdown is actually welcome since you can feel this genuine fraternity between these three men, right down to an unplugged jam session during the credits that you almost have to hesitate applauding to.

So as an electric guitar documentary? A solid B-flat. As a documentary of three guitar greats and some of their music as well as influences? Plug yourself in and remember: it might get awesome.

-Donald Lee

Documentary, Music ,