Oscar Docs

Hello reader (possibly readers).  Time is running out to watch all of these movies!  I got started with documentaries because they are the easiest things for me to watch thanks to Netflix.  I think the formula I’ll do with all of these is talk about the movie and maybe pick a favorite.  I’ll save the picking a winner (because what I like the most often times doesn’t win) and ranking all the movies of each category for my big final post before the show.  Also a side note that isn’t on the side is the shorts are very hard to find online right now and I’m not sure if I’ll get to them.  Who cares though right?

First lets talk about documentaries in general.  Some guy said in 2001 that there are 6 types of documentaries and the public has seemed to agree with him.  The first type is poetic docs and they are usually too artsy for me.  I’m talking about lots of shots with no dialogue in between.  Heavy use of the montage.  In honor of poetic docs, here is a poem in my favorite form

Let’s watch a movie

Another Wolverine film?

No way this will blow

I know it isn’t about nature but it’s still beautiful.  The second type according to some guy is known as expository documentaries.  These are a lot simpler to watch almost to the point where it can be boring if some money is put behind it.  We’re talking about your pbs civil war history shows and you can even throw the news in here.  It’s just someone giving factual information.

Type three is known as Observational documentaries.  These are docs that we watch unfold and then make opinions on the topic.  Think about it like a “reality” show.  You see a couple people fight on survivor and then pick who you think was in the wrong and then hate on them for three weeks until they’re voted off.  Next we have the participatory type of movie.  This is easy enough to understand because all it means is that the director is taking some part of the movie.  Most often this is done by the director interviewing the subject directly, which is often nice because it gives us a more personalized look at things.

The fifth form of doc is known as reflexive.  I would say this isn’t too common because I haven’t heard of any of the titles they list for it.  Reflexive movies kind of give you a look behind the camera.  You see glimpses and scenes of either raw footage or the editing process that took place to make the movie.  Lastly we have the performative docs, which are meant to garner an emotional response out of the viewer.  If I have to tell you what that means you are probably too dumb to get the plot anyway.

I’m sorry that was mean.  I just got a little overwhelmed by how damn informative that all was.  This blog can do more than just note when a lady gets too naked (yes it’s possible) and tell you that horror movies aren’t scary.  When I watch a doc though I’m not thinking about any of those six things to classify it by and whither it was good are not.  Does that make the whole last page of this word document I’m working on meaningless?  Quite possibly but I like to take a simpler approach to docs.

For me there are two types of documentaries.  Each is trying to tell a story but they are doing so in different ways.  The first type is the informative doc.  These are fact based and like watching a book report in movie form.  The drama and character development has been skimmed over and we are watching to learn.  What separates the good from the bad here is how the information is presented.  Am I just watching a few people talk about something or are some interesting visuals to go along with it?  In the end the question to ask yourself is was this movie good enough that I feel like talking about it with someone?  Seems simple enough but if something is boring, I’m not going to bring it up.  That means the movie is bad.

I’m almost to this years movies, I promise.  The second form of doc is uh well I don’t really have a name for it I guess.  Right now I’ll go with responsive docs.  That sounds alright.  If the last type of movie was like the book report than responsive docs are like reading the whole thing.  These movies should take you on a ride.  What sets the difference between good and bad here is the moment where the movie “gets real”.  If the story and film are good enough then there should be a time (more than one if it’s really emotional) when the movie really hits you, hence it getting real.  It doesn’t matter if it’s sadness, anger, humor, cuteness, cleverness or any other emotion, it just matters how strongly it makes you feel.

There, lets talk about these movies finally.  Last years docs were pretty weak with Searching for Sugarman winning the award.  A good movie but far from thrilling.  Here are the five from this year in the order that I watched them (not picking favorites till later)

Cutie and the Boxer – I watched this movie first because I thought it sounded the most interesting.  I tend to stay away from war and political docs because someone is usually getting screwed over and it’s normal America doing the screwing.  Cutie sounded like a lighthearted tale about an eccentric art couple.  It turns out to be the story of a lady and her former alcoholic terrible artist husband.  He is definitely off though and doesn’t have the same emotions like all of us so it is a little hard to determine how much of his behavior isn’t his fault at all.  Over thought the movie was ok and was just getting good right as it ended.    “Real” moment came near the end in a home video showing the husbands real feelings about art.

Dirty Wars: This movie is about covert American military acts that anyone with a heart would determine as well pretty evil.  Basically shows that the army can kill anyone in the world who they think is a terrorist and if that person ended up not being then oh well.  Movie is lacking a “real” moment for me.  What I didn’t like about this one is the director features himself a lot in Dirty Wars.  So much so that he makes himself a unnecessarily a part of the story in my eyes.

The Act of Killing – Here we have a movie about people who used to be exterminators of people who were deemed communists in 1960s Cambodia.  There’s one guy in particular that has been told he can create his own movie about that time which is a really cool feature.  We get to both see a movie about where these killers are now in their lives as well as a cool tool for seeing how one of them is changed.  The Act of Killing has two “real” moments with the blindfold scene of the movie and when he goes back to the rooftop.  I’ve heard a few people say they weren’t big fans of the end but I like the visual of him going into the building one way and leaving a totally changed person.

The Square: Of the Netflix movies, I watched this one last because I’m just not that interested in Egypt.  Does that make me an ignorant western?  Yes, I think it does.  Is it my fault that all I know about it is a bad guy got overthrown and something called the Muslim Brotherhood took over which I do not like at all?  Also it’s not because they are Muslim that I don’t like them, it’s because of the brotherhood part.  The only brotherhoods that I know of are the Aryan brotherhood and the brotherhood of mutants and I usually root against those two.  Anyway what makes this movie good is that we see what is happening on the inside as well as on multiple sides of the struggle.  Surprisingly liked this one.

20 Feet From Stardom – this movie falls under the book report style of doc more than any of the others.  The subject matter is the interviews and story telling of some of the most famous backup singers of all time.  The movie does a fine job of mixing interviews with performances (previously recorded songs and ones recorded for this movie).  The movie did lose my interest because I don’t really care for most of the music that they sing.  Sorry ladies.

Well this has been something.  Look for more posts in the future that will be toned down.  Thanks if you made it this far. 

Spoiler- They found Sugarman.