The following is a recap and review of Five Came Back – A Netflix Documentary Series
Netflix’s Five Came Back is a three-part documentary (narrated by Meryl Streep) about five famous Hollywood directors and their impact on the documentation and presentation of the Second World War and, in turn, how it forever altered their careers as filmmakers. Continue reading “REVIEW: Five Came Back (2017)”
It’s time for me to finally let go of 2016 by officially announcing my top ten films of 2016. I’ve said this multiple times at the beginning of 2017, but I just don’t think 2016 deserves to be known as a bad year for movies. I think it was a bad year for blockbuster films, but at the end of the year there were so many great films to watch. Continue reading “Top Ten Films of 2016”
The following is a review of O. J.: Made in America – Directed by Ezra Edelman
Orenthal James Simpson – a USC Trojans legend, Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee, movie star, and a convicted felon. In 1985, 5-time Pro Bowl and 1-time NFL MVP O. J. Simpson, a former running back for the Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He had become an actor, and in a few years he would become a movie star with the popular The Naked Gun movie series. Ten years later, in 1995, Simpson was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife and her friend. O. J.: Made in America tells the story of O. J. Simpson’s tumultuous life leading up to his imprisonment after an armed robbery in Las Vegas in 2008. Continue reading “REVIEW: O. J.: Made in America (2016 – Documentary)”
The following is a quick review of the HBO Documentary – Beware the Slenderman
In Wisconsin in 2014, two young girls lured one of their friends into the woods before stabbing her and almost killing her. They did this to impress the infamous Slenderman, a fictional online boogeyman. Beware the Slenderman tells the story of the attempted murder and how the two girls were influenced by the online urban legend. Continue reading “REVIEW: Beware the Slenderman (2017)”
The following is a quick review of Weiner – Directed by Josh Kriegman & Elyse Steinberg.
Anthony Weiner’s career has been really strange, so far. Some ups, but many downs. In Kriegman and Steinberg’s fly-on-the-wall documentary Weiner, we follow Anthony Weiner during his disastrous 2013 mayoral campaign.
At that time, his relationship with Huma Abedin – an aide to Hillary Clinton – was already on the rocks, so to speak, after Weiner tweeted an inappropriate picture, which ended up forcing him to resign as a member of Congress. What’s absolutely fantastic about this documentary, however, is how the 2013 campaign suddenly became a story about another damaging sexting scandal. Continue reading “REVIEW: Weiner (2016 – Documentary)”
The following is a quick review of Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids – a Netflix concert documentary.
I’m a big fan of Justin Timberlake. A fan of him as a singer as well as an actor. He is an entertainer, in the truest sense of the word. This fact is highlighted in the incredibly entertaining Netflix concert documentary Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids, which highlights the final performances during Timberlake’s ’20/20 Experience World Tour.’ Continue reading “REVIEW: Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids (2016 – Concert Film)”
The following is a quick review of Ava DuVernay’s documentary 13th – a Netflix Original Documentary.
Previously, I have written about documentaries on this blog, and if you look at the scores that I’ve given films, you will notice that I’ve given scores to some documentaries. But I rarely review documentaries on this blog, even if I love certain documentaries like Alex Gibney’s Going Clear or Laura Poitras’s Citizenfour. Today, though, I’ve decided to review one, and it’s extraordinary. You have to watch Ava DuVernay’s 13th. Continue reading “REVIEW: 13th (2016 – Documentary)”
The following is a review of Jon Schnepp’s The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened?
For more reasons than one, this is the perfect time for Jon Schnepp’s documentary to be released. Not only is Ant-Man out in theaters in the summer of 2015 – a film infamous for the Edgar Wright-problems – but Avengers: Age of Ultron suffered from problematic quotes from its director back in April 2015. Meanwhile, Superman has not been this relevant since 1978.
Continue reading “REVIEW: The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened? (2015)”
The documentary Artifact, directed by Jared Leto (as Bartholomew Cubbins), tells the story of how his band Thirty Seconds to Mars fought the record label EMI. In what is an interesting tale of wronged people fighting back in real life – we are also introduced to the rest of the music world – and we see just how unjust labels are in today’s society.
Now, I’ve said multiple times that I’m a big fan of Thirty Seconds to Mars, but I’ve tried to remain as unbiased as possible in reviewing this documentary. I fully expected to see how their own journey was, but I was surprised at how encompassing their journey was. Not only do we follow the Letos and Tomo, but we also hear from leading musicians from Linkin Park, System of a Down and so on and so forth. It’s really interesting to get an idea of what they went through, and what musicians generally go through – getting bankrupt because of their record label. It’s a sad story, and as Jared reflects later – even if they win, is there really anything to cheer for.
The documentary touches upon David v Goliath, and the idea that you should ‘stick it to the man’ – but one thing that surprised me was how uncentralized the documentary was. What I mean is that this isn’t just the central story of them battling the record label, and other musicians struggling. A big part of the documentary is about showing everyone the origin of the band. I like hearing it, but I don’t think it’s the time or place for this origin story.
Overall Score: 7.7 out of 10. An entertaining documentary that showcases the frustrating lives of modern day musicians. While interesting, though, it does tend to veer from the theme at hand by showcasing an origin story.
In what can only be described as a serious veering from personal subjects, I am going to dive into a puddle of films that I don’t usually cover. Sure, I’ve seen Inside Job (2010), the odd documentaries I might find on Netflix and various Michael Moore films – but in trying to open my eyes to different subjects, I’ve decided to watch a ton of documentaries – and note how I feel about each – this post contains two documentary reviews. The documentaries I am going to cover in this post are all new to me – ones I’ve never seen before this day. The documentaries to be covered are: We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists (2012); Blackfish (2013).
First up is We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists (2012), by Brian Knappenberger, focusing, of course, on the Anonymous hackers. When I say that it focuses, in truth it’s about the origin of the group, but also the origin of their cause. In many ways trying to make us believe in the power of these people, and to view them as more than just pranksters – which some might call them. The focus itself is extremely interesting and topical. I found it really interesting, and I found that there was a lot I did not know. It was a nice guide from it being on 4chan to it being truly a global Internet power. I found it thorough and educational. The culture behind all of it was amazing for me to see in this documentary, and the way Knappenberger handled it really satisfied me. I rate it at 7.7 out of 10.
Next up we have Blackfish (2013), by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, focusing on killer whales. It has been highly discussed I’ve found, but this was the first time I got to see it. After encountering what can only be described as a scary introduction, the documentary starts focusing on the trainers and how stunning these animals are. And then we get thrown right back into the horror. Some of these horrific videos, pictures, and stories are sure to stay with you – that’s for sure. The horror comes in waves, and you are sure to be hit. As you encounter Tilikum the plot thickens, one might say. I definitely loved how this documentary was handled, and its impact on me was instrumental in forming my rating: 8.7 out of 10.0.
This was a nice change of scenery for me.
– I’m Jeffrey Rex.
I'm Jeffrey Rex 