Truth Boom:
Cheers to the Toronto Star for this article about the recent crest of interest in documentary filmmaking, thanks to the success of (short list), Fahrenheit 9/11, Supersize Me and Metallica: Some Kind of Monster. Way way too many stories about this boom ask the same dumb question of “is it a documentary or is it propaganda?” (which is as tired as “is it a blog or is it journalism?”) and “all all documentaries left wing? (Answer? Yes. Now move on.) and avoid an obvious point that needs making. Michael Moore and Morgan Sperlock have tranformed documentary going because they’ve made it fun. They done for docs what spoken word did for the term “poetry.” Ten years ago, no high school kid would have caught dead getting excited by poetry. Now we have the National Teen Poetry Slam. Ten years ago, the average moviegoer thought “documentary” met some ponderous nature program narrated by Lorne Greene. Now it’s entertainment, where you learn something too.
The article also lists some indispensable documentaries. See any of these and you’re in for a fine night of cinema. Bet yet, see them all (via Arts Journal).
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I am excited about the recent boom in the popularity of documentaries. I must admit I was a bit naive to them myself only a few years ago, prior to indulging in a semester course about them. Now I simply can’t get enough! Thanks for pointing out the article – I’ve added a few more movies to my already burgeoning Netflix queue as a result. 😉
I am excited about the recent boom in the popularity of documentaries. I must admit I was a bit naive to them myself only a few years ago, prior to indulging in a semester course about them. Now I simply can’t get enough! Thanks for pointing out the article – I’ve added a few more movies to my already burgeoning Netflix queue as a result. 😉
While most documentaries these days are being made by liberals (who have more motivation to circumvent news outlets they’re feeling shut out of), conservatives are starting to make their own. See:
http://www.michaelmoorehatesamerica.com
It’s about… well, you can figure that out.
While most documentaries these days are being made by liberals (who have more motivation to circumvent news outlets they’re feeling shut out of), conservatives are starting to make their own. See:
http://www.michaelmoorehatesamerica.com
It’s about… well, you can figure that out.