Documentaries

So this somehow negates An Inconvenient Truth, in which many well established and respected scientists have applauded as being accurately portraying the science?

There is a new documentary on the Lee Marvin movie Point Blank. I haven't been here long enough to post a link. If you search for it on YouTube it will come up.

Looking it up, the film appears to be filled with the same dumb talking points that are always brought up. So if anyone actually wanted to be educated on this subject, they would have at least learned what the response to these dumb talking points are, instead of scurrying back towards them for the ten millionth time.


The internet has made one thing very clear over the years. With all of the information to be found on it, people do not use it to inform themselves. They use it to barricade themselves from proper debate of any and all issues.

It sucks that I have to say this, but: no more editorializing about your documentary if doing so constitutes a political argument. You can certainly post that you watched it, give it a rating, whatever, but no using it to subvert the No Politics rule. Future posts like that will be removed.

Some documentaries I saw last year...

Brooklyn Bridge (1981, Ken Burns)
South of the Border (2009, Oliver Stone)
Shake Hands with Danger (1980, Herk Harvey)

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Rory Kennedy documentary about the tragedy on this island in New Zealand when a volcano erupted. 22 people died & many more were seriously burned by steam.



Excellent documentary about session men who were never credited on the albums they played on. Now they have credit. A lot of old timers who can still perform & perform as well as ever.

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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

I just got through watching The Mothman of Point Pleasant on Amazon Prime. Spooky.

Very interesting. The amount of waste & what to do with it is frightening.

Journalist meets with her maternal grandfather to find out why he sexually assaulted little girls, including members of his own family. He was convicted of this.

All Things Must Pass -

If you also consider Tower Records one of your favorite stores of all time or even if you have just heard of it, you should watch this. It's a very satisfying talking heads documentary about the rise and fall of the definitive American record store. If you've assumed such an establishment had a cool CEO - and not a "cool CEO," if you know what I mean - you would be right because that's who Russ Solomon (who we sadly lost in 2018) was. Doing most of the talking, he outlines his business philosophies that fascinate not just because they explain the store's success, but also for how alien they seem in this day and age. The way he describes how he allowed entry-level employees to rise through the ranks to upper management - many of whom also appear in this - and did not bother with a dress code make it clear that the store was very much run by and was thus for music lovers. Speaking of, former employee Dave Grohl and enthusiasts Bruce Springsteen and Elton John are on hand to provide accounts of their loving experiences. We also get to see lots of amusing footage of Elton John stocking up on music in the same way survivalists stocked up on essentials before Y2K. Thankfully, there is plenty of footage like this and photos from inside the stores, and there's no shortage of both on display here, not to mention from all of the company’s eras.

While it can't be helped, the story behind the franchise's decline is similar to those of other physical media giants. It's also not nearly as interesting or sexy as the story of its rise. It is researched just as thoroughly, at least, and it's not like it's without emotion. The movie still stands as a fulfilling tribute to the company and to the era when record stores mattered. It also demonstrates that not everything that went in decline due to the convenience of the internet will be so easily missed.

The American Nightmare -

If you assume that the greatest horror filmmakers of the late 20th century drew from dark places in their youths, you would be right. This is an interesting exploration of how the turmoil of the late '60s from Vietnam to the assassinations of RFK and MLK, Jr. manifest in their work. Featuring John Carpenter, Wes Craven, David Cronenberg, John Landis, George Romero, Tobe Hooper and Tom Savini, they all eloquently describe the links between their trauma and their most famous work. Assisting them are professors and horror experts who essentially stand in for the audience. I was most fascinated by - and for that matter, worried for - Tom Savini, whose experiences in Vietnam explain why he's such a gore expert, for better or worse. Also, if there are any throughputs, zombies stand out the most, with each inspiration behind their various forms from the consumerist ones in Dawn of the Dead to the sexually reawakened ones in Shivers being scary in and of themselves. I also appreciate the documentary's stylistic touches, especially how well it draws parallels between news and movie clips.

If you're also a horror lover, you've no doubt discovered how many interviews with the aforementioned legends are out there and have likely listened to or read a few. Will this movie add to your overall understanding of them? I doubt it, but it will not take away from it, either. As a result, I believe it is more valuable as a study of trauma, how it manifests and the various ways we cope with it. As Wes Craven puts it, he had to put all that bad karma somewhere.

Loved this.

I too enjoyed the documentary. I recall the Tower records store on Sunset Blvd. opening in 1971 before I left L.A. I went in there a few times but don't recall if I bought anything. It was a tad pricey. I can't remember if it was still there when I moved back in '78. If it were up to me we'd still be back in the vinyl and CD era...

Agree with the bolded. I went to the Atlanta store as often as I could until it closed. I also didn't always buy something, but I made good use of their listening stations and always made sure to pick up their free magazine - which I'm glad the documentary mentions - both of which were great ways to discover new music. Sure, you can use the internet to do that now, but it's not nearly as spontaneous or fun. Luckily, we still have a good number of physical media stores around here, but it's just not the same if you know what I mean.

The Fear Of God: 25 Years Of The Exorcist -

This satisfies as both a making-of documentary and as one about what The Exorcist means to its makers and biggest fans. There's possibly no bigger Exorcist fan than film critic Mark Kermode, who is an able host and guide for the movie's most famous landmarks from those stairs to Reagan's house. Believe it or not, most of the house does not actually exist, with much of it being the product of movie magic. The production and special effects designers are in this, all of whom make you appreciate the ingenuity, hard work and risk involved in making this movie as well as pre-CGI movies in general. Director Friedkin gets in a slight jab at CGI, by the way, mentioning that today's filmmakers would likely use it to indicate the cursed house's freezing temperature instead of what his team did, which is rely on actual refrigeration. The leads from Blair to Von Sydow, writer Blatty and priests who consulted are also never not interesting whether they're discussing how much they enjoyed working on the movie - surprising given the constant makeup, freezing cold, Friedkin's temper and all that pea soup - or what the movie means to them. For the latter, while some naturally mention variations on good and evil, it was interesting to discover that no two ultimate interpretations of what the movie is about are exactly alike.

Whether you watch The Exorcist for the first time in your youth or as an adult, it's bound to leave a lasting impression. From its controversial subject matter to the arguments Friedkin and company had with studio heads as a result to simply getting the ambient sounds right, everything about making and releasing the movie was challenging. This documentary is bound to make you appreciate all the blood, sweat and tears that went into The Exorcist and the kinds of movies that remain in conversations for years in general. Thankfully, it does not do this in a way that's akin to a magician revealing their secrets.

No comment. Watch it for yourself.

Re-watch. Loved it.

The Town That Was -

This is a strong documentary about what happened to Centralia, Pennsylvania, but it's an even stronger one about our connections to where we live and keeping a dream alive. John Lokitis, who at the time of filming was 34 and the youngest resident of the handful who remained in the town, does most of the talking and personifies these themes. I know I'm not the only one who has lived in enough towns that I need both hands to count them all and have no qualms with moving to another one if it had better opportunities. Despite his family living there for generations, you still might think John is crazy for never wanting to leave Centralia - especially since the town pretty much left him - but you may also find his devotion inspiring. In addition to how it reveals what a kind-hearted and passionate person he is, I like how the movie takes time to show what John did to salvage Centralia's remains from unlocking the cemetery every morning to getting the Christmas decorations just right. Besides John, there's the right mix of talking heads from other former residents to historians to scientists. Each of them make convincing arguments that the government could have contained the fire before it got out of hand, which makes one longtime former resident's distrust of them understandable as much as it makes the final mayor's claim that Centralia is the best city in Pennsylvania he had ever been to heartbreaking. I also credit the filmmakers for culling so much amateur and professional footage like all the news clips about the town's evacuation and for how well they use it.

To paraphrase the statement in the documentary I'll remember the most and that sums it up pretty well, society has good ideas for how to start and run towns, but it hasn't quite figured out how to end them. Despite how well it tells John's unique and uniquely sad story and its concise history of Centralia's decline, it's a good documentary, but not a great one. Its apparent low budget notwithstanding, the canned and cloying soundtrack adds unnecessary sentimentality. There are also times when it either repeats what has already been said or just rephrases it that make the movie seem strained at times. Other than that, it's a good a primer as any about Centralia, especially if all you know about it is its possible inspiration for the Silent Hill video games. It will also make you consider something you may have also never considered: your relationship to your hometown and how much you would miss it or fight for it if it went away.

Interesting documentary.