Documentary HOF Part 2

The only one out of that group of noms that I've seen before (aside from my nomination) is King of Kong - I've watched it twice and have no problem at all going for a third watch as I quite like it. I'm not sure whether I should look all of the nominations up and comment on them, or come at each one completely cold and unaware of what's to hit me.

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Really looking forward to digging into these. Some pretty heavy hitters that I have seen but will pleased to watch again. Mixed in with a couple here I have never even heard of. This should be fun. I started with my nom, because why not.



Minding The Gap is a wonderful film made lovingly by one of its protagonists. I think it takes great care to make stories that are heartbreaking also uplifting and life affirming. The fact that this was done by a first time, and very young, director is astounding. This is just the type of slice of life doc that I am always here for. Great film. Great rewatch. Hope everyone enjoys it.

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Letterboxd

The King of Kong:A Fistfull of Quarters (2007)

This is one of those "documentaries" that was actually a crime passed off as a documentary. This is the story of a group of nerds who compete in old arcade games for high scores and pride. On the surface it's a touching thrilling little character study of a pair of men. The villain Billy Mitchell an 80's wunderkind who is a D list celebrity and Steve Weibe a challenger...an out of work every-man who never succeeded at anything inspite of being a master of several skills.

Now while on the surface this is a story of two men who enjoy Donkey Kong years later we find out that this is actually a scam. Walter Day is the man who runs this contest for the high scores of these games and it turns out what he was really doing was lying, cheating and inflating and eliminating scores to make his arcade business more profitable for a sale. It's an amazing crime the you don't find out in the documentary but rather what happens in the 10 years post. But the actions manage to elevate the subject matter...this is fraud or a Kabuki show dressed up as a documentary

We never found out which of the participants are in on the scam and which are just pathetic hanger oners. but still it's a great documentary and I hope we get a sequel.


B+

Do you have any article or you tube links for what you are talking about?

By the Way Woody Allen is Innocent (2020)

This is a series of short subject think pieces on the Woody Allen case brought together to run at nearly 2 and a half hours. The series is riveting as the viewer starts off at point A the crime and moves all the way through the 30 years to find a different result to point Z (the media). While the story has been retold thousands of times this is the first comprehensive case for Woody against Mia and it's frankly much more compelling and based on facts than the series of documentaries and interviews given post #metoo.

The film excels by using humor, music, and archival clips to bring the viewer up to speed on just what the case is. Many of the facts in the film are not debatable and the film puts on a spotlight on how poor journalism has created this culture of cancelling and de-platforming people over wants rather than needs.

It's a masterpiece of journalism that hits you with a series of gut punches. When looking at the case dispassionately you realize the effect that lies and power of the media have over our day to day lives. This film didn't get a physical release, it wasn't given award recognition, it wasn't judged as other documentaries were so in a lot of ways it hits harder.

The film concludes with the heartbreaking realization that by exiling Woody Allen that we've lost the director who has provided the world with the best female performances. That this low budget filmmaker who provided hundreds of great performances with a constant stream of small market films is gone thanks to what can best be described as a vendetta.


A

I could use a link for this one

A World of Darkness (2017)

Yeah I don't know about this one, A world of Darkness focuses on a vampire style table top game and the culture around it...until it doesn't and focuses on the business trials and tribulations of the company until it doesn't and makes a case that vampire and werewolf film and media were ripoffs of this game.

Point being the story is kinda all over the place, the narrative never comes together and it feels like the focus is on the creators while ignoring the major plot points of the story. The TV had it's lead die doesn't get a mention, they sued the fan club(really should be a major point of the film) glossed over for the videogames.

This movie felt almost like a series of infomercials for someone to consume the products. I think the film would have been better had they just focused on the larping community and the Vampire murder not bog the film down with it's business history. I also felt like the film had a false ending and that it's run time was almost padded out.


C-

Capturing the Friedmans (2003)

The last film I watched didn't get the duel narratives right...this one did. Capturing the Friedman's is a story of the collapse of a family and of a pedophile and the crimes that sent him and his son away. The case is fascinating because I don't believe you can sodomize dozens of boys without leaving any physical evidence. However I do believe that molestation likely occurred and Arnold Friedman was a monster.

The film works because the viewer understands a clear frame work of the story. It's not the issue of innocence or guilt but the degree in which the guilt occurs. The filmmakers also do an excellent job putting the people out and showing them for who they are. The biggest monster in the film might be the mother who is essence railroaded her son to jail so she could move on with her life. Never trust women I tells ya.

But yeah this is a great film, it's very well paced you never feel the runtime and you are left with certain questions about Jessie not so much with his parents. This was a great nom...might win the whole thing.

A

I’m going into the Woody doc with an open mind but feel the need to point out that in his late 80’s Allen has a movie coming out this year, with his last one being 2020. Maybe he wasn’t cancelled? Maybe cancel culture doesn’t work? Maybe cancel culture is a bit of a figment of our imagination? Whatever your answer, and whatever the truth I would say claiming the world has been robbed of great female performances because of the allegations is downright laughable.

Place de la Republique



The overall format for this film is genius. To be at a certain place in Paris and just continually watch and film people makes for quite an entertaining set up. And it really does work here. I just never knew from person to person what kind of miniature show we would have next. It works great for me because I am a people person. I think a modern version of someone doing this would be really interesting too, or maybe it's already been done. There's some unique interviews here, but yet there's also a few I'd say I wouldn't have let make the cut because they weren't as interesting as what I would have hoped for. I still give Malle a lot of props for putting this all together.

Just gonna start with my review for my nom.


Won't You Be My Neighbor

I don't know exactly what it was that convinced me to watch this. It wasn't family, and it wasn't nostalgia. Maybe I was wondering what I had lost. And god, was this enlightening. This movie gave me a whole new respect for Fred Rogers, a man who had nothing but love in his heart. But what really gripped me was the scenes that detailed the ways that he explained adult subjects like war and death to children. I can't even begin to describe how many things my heart felt at that one time. It was like it was torn in multiple pieces and sown back together with a damn kid's song. I have NEVER felt like that before. I chose this documentary as a nom specifically because I absolutely adored it.

Woody Allen has been making films for years...but the last film that's received a wide release it's been ten years. It was also the last film that recieved an Oscar (Blue Jasmine).

Magic In the Moonlight, Irrational Man, Cafe Society didn’t get theatrical releases? That doesn’t sound right, but even giving that he’s still making movies with stars and Amazon has funded a bunch of his later stuff I believe. Doesn’t read like a cancelled man.

The Woody one will be my next watch.

I think this one could generate a lot of discussion, but I think probably most people may be discussed out on this topic. I will be here for any discussions that pop up. What I'm not going to do is shout either "Woody is innocent" or "Woody is guilty". What I think the doc does a good job of showing, probably accidentally, is that doing that has not only been done for the past 40 years, but it's also a fool's errand.

Full disclosure, I am a fan of Allen as a director but I also find his behavior quite creepy. Yes, I know Soon-Yi is not his daughter. I still find that relationship pretty disturbing. In his art his relationship with women is pretty divisive in my mind. On one hand he does write very strong female characters. On the other hand there always feels, on some level, that those women exist to be sexual conquests for the male characters. Manhattan is an especially problematic movie for me in light of Allen's relationship with Soon-Yi. I know it was written many years prior but I do think the reflection of Allen's view of late teen women is pretty clear.

As far as the actually movie goes, it certainly just feels like an info dump to me. It wasn't particularly hard to watch, even at 2 1/2 hours, but it never really engaged me in the way I like the best docs to. It felt very much like the type of you tube video I don't watch very often: "Here's my opinion, and it is absolute truth, look no further". It feels very much like the social media nonsense I try not to engage in, or I will go bananas.

I definitely will be interested to see how everyone else responds to this, and for that reason I am glad it was nominated. As far as being "good" or deserving to be in our hall of fame, I think not.

Not my world but I like movies about fringe groups because I enjoy glimpses into what makes people tick. Very little of that here, but enough that I stayed engaged. Just not a whole lot to say about this one.

Won't You Be My Neighbor? -

For the ways this documentary covers what Fred Rogers was like, what he believed in, the people he influenced and what his TV program was all about, it's as fulfilling of one about him I could hope for. I watched Mister Rogers' Neighborhood fairly often as a kid, and the movie's behind-the-scenes coverage does a good job at capturing its main appeals, not to mention makes me wish I watched it even more. Pointing out Rogers' use of silence and how he kept the show at the speed of life is enlightening - it's the kind of vibe ASMR fetishists are likely seeking - as is how it addresses the special way he communicated tragedies like the Challenger explosion and RFK, Jr. assassination to children. There's also his reaction to his "photography" prank, which gives welcome insight into his sense of humor.

I also like how the movie takes the time to explore Rogers' relationships with those who were fortunate enough to know him personally, especially Francois Clemmens and Jeff Erlanger, moments that I'll freely admit brought the tears. They were not tears of forced sentimentality, mind you, but ones brought on by the sincerity, purity of emotion and refreshing lack of irony of these moments. In short, it's a worthy tribute to a man who I'm not only very thankful was around during my lifetime, but also chose a profession that leveraged the best things about him and that made his chosen medium better than it was before. Oh, and it also deserves credit for taking the time to give rebuttals to misconceptions about his beliefs and in a way Fred Rogers would have approved.

English link please?

I'm not sure if you have it, but it's on criterion.

Isn't there a link I don't have to give credit card information for?