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Le gamin au vélo (2011)
slice of life
"The Kid With a Bike" brings the story of 11 yr. old Cyril who lives in a youth center. Cyril cannot accept that his father seemingly has abandoned him, and in the first part of the movie we see Cyril trying to run away to find out where his dad is. It becomes clear that the dad indeed is no longer wanting to be involved in Cyril's life. By happenstance, Cyril meets Samantha, a hairdresser who agrees to become a foster parent just on the weekends. Cyril also befriends Wes, a no-good older kid who talks Cyril into robbing a newspaper carrier. I don't want to spoil the plot any further, you'll just have to see how it all plays out. But suffice to say that there were a number of scenes during which the theatre audience loudly gasped and moaned.
This movie is another outstanding "slice of life" as brought by the bothers Dardenne. No, there are no major "action" scenes or special effects. Just observing ordinary people in not always ordinary situations. Special mention must go to the young Belgian actor Thomas Doret, who is simply outstanding as Cyril, and also to Cecile de France (who, despite her last name, is also Belgian), in the role of Samantha. Incidentally, the movie was filmed in the Walloon city of Seraing (near Liege), where the brothers Dardenne hail from. "Le Gamin au Velo" made a major splash at the 2011 Cannes film festival, where it won the "Grand PRix". I can't help but notice that this is yet another strong movie from Belgium, on the heels of the Oscar-nominated "Bullhead". If you are in the mood for a good foreign movie, I readily recommend "Le Gamin au Velo".
Brother's Keeper (1992)
Deliverance
I just watched this movie on Netflix instant que, looking for a documentary about something. It was completely rivited by this rather odd tale.
The Ward brothers were four brothers who lived in the small town of Munneville, NY, living a rather simple life to say the least. When the cameras were on the surviving three, they seem like nervous children trapped in old men's bodies, fidgity and unsure of themselves. They are barely literate, live a rural life, and are all living in a house that is practically crumbling down around them. THey sleep in the same bed, live in squalor, and have little contact with the outside world. Their neighbors are more advanced at least in terms of their living conditions, but they are, like the Wards, rural people with rural problems and concerns. The Wards, however, live their lives in a rather sad way, hoarding garbage and devoid of social skills.
One of the Ward brothers murders the other by suffocation. Suddenly they are at the center of some media firestorm as people want to know more about these hermits who are suddenly not so harmless after all. We are suddenly fascinated by these three (formerly four) oddities that would have otherwise slipped under the radar. It's rather sad to see people living like this, knowing how helpless they are and how this is their past, present and future all at the same time. Commentary on the justice system, the difference between rural vs. city people will rise. What does it tell us? Perhaps this was more of an eccentric character study than anything else. And they are out there, all around us, but we will never see them because they keep to themselves and never draw attention.
Idioterne (1998)
Beautiful DIsturbing
Lars Von Trier's THE IDIOTS is the second movie shot according to the rules of DOGMA 95. This chart, signed by Thomas Vinterberg, the author of the masterpiece FESTEN, and Lars Von Trier is the sign of a romantic reaction against today cinema. Vinterberg and Von Trier say no to computer helped movies, no to sound mixing and editing, no to everything that is the trademark of 99% of the movies produced each year.
So, if you make the effort to accept images which are always moving because the camera is placed on the camera operator's shoulder, if you don't mind to have the sound operator appearing sometimes in the middle of a scene with his micro, you are ready to experiment THE IDIOTS. To be honest, I wasn't disturbed at all by the appearance of the microphone in certain scenes because it strangely adds to the documentary atmosphere of the movie. You will also accept as natural and not at all shocking the few sex scenes, not simulated nor censored - at least in the European copies - , of THE IDIOTS.
The main argument of THE IDIOTS is, on the contrary, very disturbing. A dozen of Danish young boys and girls, deceived by the society they are living in, decide to take revenge of this society by creating uncomfortable situations. So, as soon as they are in public places, they are pretending they are mental deficient people and don't hesitate to enjoy the multiple advantages this lie can create. If I enjoyed a lot the comic scenes of THE IDIOTS, recognizing the hypocritical attitudes of our society towards its weakest members, I was in the same time ashamed of my lack of respect. And, in my opinion, THE IDIOTS is a very important movie because, unlike the vast majority of the non-Dogma 95 movies, this film will touch your heart and the roots of your morals.
Hands on a Hard Body: The Documentary (1997)
Great Plot
I originally saw this movie in Austin and almost fell out of my seat on several occasions from laughing so hard. Truly Texas. You can't miss this one! I was so surprised when I watched this movie. It has a great plot and the end is a real surprise. The human emotion and drama that unfolds as these contestants try and win a pickup truck is unbelievable not to mention hilarious. "Cars don't make money, Trucks make money." I believe that this film very much shows how good documentaries are made. Even though the filmmakers don't interfere so much in the film it is still interesting. Others film made in this style tend to be really boring - This is an incredible slice of Americana. Invaluable to anyone interested in East Texas culture and the diversity of peoples in this country. A masterpiece in its genre.
GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (2012)
GLOW will chainsaw your face and/or heartstrings!
In the 1980s, Saturday morning TV programming was riddled with insanity. There was ALF TALES. LAZER TAG ACADEMY. And also something called IT'S PUNKY BREWSTER, which was not PUNKY BREWSTER, but an animated version of PUNKY BREWSTER starring the voice of Punky Brewster. That show ran for two seasons.
GLOW: GORGEOUS LADIES OF WRESTLING was the long-running, live-action television program that featured chainsaw attacks, Borscht Belt comedy, and a wrestler named Vixxxen. It was kind of like WWF, but with a cast of women and camcorder production values. In other words, GLOW was way more entertaining and hilarious than anything else on Saturday morning TV, including RUDE DOG AND THE DWEEBS. Glitter! Spandex! Jackie Stallone! Completely over-the-top and possibly conceptualized by an alzheimer's patient, the show was everything a ten-year-old could ask for on Saturday morning. It's also everything a mid-thirties-year-old could ask for on any day of the week. Trust me.
Now, over twenty years after the cancellation of GLOW, the filmmakers behind ROCK-AFIRE EXPLOSION have given us GLOW: THE STORY OF THE GORGEOUS LADIES OF WRESTLING. It's exactly what you'd hope to hear about while watching a documentary on GLOW. The faux-glamor. The dirt. The bone-popping-out-of-someone's-arm. But then, about halfway through, it's understood that the wrestler once known as Mount Fiji is a real, actual person. Her name is Emily Dole. Because of her time with GLOW, Dole is bedridden.
The lives of the GLOW ladies aren't mired down in crack addiction, suicide, or other kinds of horribleness. Sadness is present, as it is with anyone who has blood pumping through their veins. But this is sadness as a means of personal growth. And seeing that unfold before our eyes -- that feels good. As much as I laughed at the ridiculous vintage GLOW footage that was thrown at my face every few minutes, I was surprised by how the real-life story behind GLOW made me feel. That dichotomy between the ironic and the sincere doesn't always work in 'talking heads' documentaries -- forced intentions are obvious from a mile away. Not here, though. This is a genuinely entertaining documentary that plays no tricks and keeps things sincere. And since this isn't a doc about Investment Bankers, but about THE GORGEOUS LADIES OF WRESTLING!!!!, I fully guarantee your enjoyment.
- Joseph A. Ziemba
The Rock-afire Explosion (2008)
the film investigates the power of nostalgia and the artifacts of childhood
Director Brett Whitcomb could have easily taken a condescending attitude toward Thrash and the other Rock-afire enthusiasts, but instead he presents the material in a nonjudgmental fashion that makes The Rock-afire Explosion surprisingly moving at times. Thrash's dream may seem silly or superficial to you or me, but that doesn't matter; it's his dream and he made it come true, and how many of us can say the same? In its own funny way, the film investigates the power of nostalgia and the artifacts of childhood, as well as the tangible and emotional wreckage that's left behind when a fleeting moment of pop culture has passed.
Posted by Scott Von Doviak (The Screengrab)