Reply to Topic
Note: There are a number of acclaimed documentaries from 90's that Kong has not seen such as The War Room, and Fast, Cheap & Out of Control. Obviously Kong can only include the ones he has seen, and out of those there are three that stand above the rest. They are presented in no particular order.
Baraka (1993): A combination of some of the most beautiful images set to film with unusual and entrancing music without any dialogue that somehow coalesces into a rewarding visceral experience. Director Ron Fricke, cinematographer for Koyaanisqatsi, filmed in 24 countries capturing some of the most exquisite places (natural, and man-made) as well as some of the most resonant portraits of people (from people in religious ceremonies, to people searching for scraps of food in a trash dump). All of the film's parts align into an incredible statement on the world and it's people, the fragility of earth, the beauty of nature and mankind (as well as it's ugliness), and the connectiveness, so often ignored, that binds everything together.
Crumb (1994): A eerily captaviting look at the legendary underground cartoonist Robert Crumb (mostly famous for "Keep on Truckin'", and "Fritz the Cat"). Crumb doesn't seem to hold anything back, and we are at once drawn to his humor and charisma, as well as repelled by his sexism, fetishes, and possible racism. Crumb's childhood at may first appear normal, but we soon find deep trauma within it. We recognize Crumb's obsessions and faults are partly responses to his wounding childhood enviroment. The damaging effects of the disfunctionality he grew up in can be seen even better in his brothers whose lives are truly tragic. By the end of the film Crumb has become more of a survivor to us than a madman; someone who was able to harnass the power of art and save himself from a worse fate.
Hoop Dreams (1994): Steve James' sometimes uplifting, sometimes upsetting documentary on two young inner-city NBA hopefuls. James' followed Arthur Agee and Willaim Gates from just before their freshman year in high school through their freshman year in college while they pursue a dream whose chance of fruition seems incredibly small. The film not only captures the victories and defeats they encounter on the court, but also those they face off-court, as well as the oppressing difficulties of life surrounded by and embedded in poverty. We watch the boys mature and grow with fondness, and we sit distressingly impotent as hardships unfold in their paths. An amazing, inspiring, and yet unsettling and draining journey of a film.
Comment/Insult/Critique or what have you.
Baraka (1993): A combination of some of the most beautiful images set to film with unusual and entrancing music without any dialogue that somehow coalesces into a rewarding visceral experience. Director Ron Fricke, cinematographer for Koyaanisqatsi, filmed in 24 countries capturing some of the most exquisite places (natural, and man-made) as well as some of the most resonant portraits of people (from people in religious ceremonies, to people searching for scraps of food in a trash dump). All of the film's parts align into an incredible statement on the world and it's people, the fragility of earth, the beauty of nature and mankind (as well as it's ugliness), and the connectiveness, so often ignored, that binds everything together.
Crumb (1994): A eerily captaviting look at the legendary underground cartoonist Robert Crumb (mostly famous for "Keep on Truckin'", and "Fritz the Cat"). Crumb doesn't seem to hold anything back, and we are at once drawn to his humor and charisma, as well as repelled by his sexism, fetishes, and possible racism. Crumb's childhood at may first appear normal, but we soon find deep trauma within it. We recognize Crumb's obsessions and faults are partly responses to his wounding childhood enviroment. The damaging effects of the disfunctionality he grew up in can be seen even better in his brothers whose lives are truly tragic. By the end of the film Crumb has become more of a survivor to us than a madman; someone who was able to harnass the power of art and save himself from a worse fate.
Hoop Dreams (1994): Steve James' sometimes uplifting, sometimes upsetting documentary on two young inner-city NBA hopefuls. James' followed Arthur Agee and Willaim Gates from just before their freshman year in high school through their freshman year in college while they pursue a dream whose chance of fruition seems incredibly small. The film not only captures the victories and defeats they encounter on the court, but also those they face off-court, as well as the oppressing difficulties of life surrounded by and embedded in poverty. We watch the boys mature and grow with fondness, and we sit distressingly impotent as hardships unfold in their paths. An amazing, inspiring, and yet unsettling and draining journey of a film.
Comment/Insult/Critique or what have you.
