This documentary examines the way in which pro-Israeli/anti-Palestinian bias is constructed and maintained within the mainstream U.S. media. I thought the step-by-step explanations and many examples of the various points made the film very easy to understand. This film is not only an excellent case study in how power and influence can be used to legitimize injustice and the abuse of an entire people; it also functions as a pretty good introductory ‘historical overview’ of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands. ~ pinky (Pinky: A, Mimi: A, Bunny: A, Kim: A)

This animated film presents a very personal and vivid examination of life in Iran, 1980-1994, through the eyes of an Iranian girl and her family. The story is very wrenching and sad, but also funny at times and the characters show great strength and dignity as they persevere through the enormous changes that swept over Iran during those years. One thing I like about films like this is how they’re able to show (insofar as representations are able to communicate reality) how the lives of families and individuals are transformed by historical movements in complicated, unpredictable ways. ~ pinky (Pinky: B+ Bunny: B+, Kim: A, Mimi: A-) [ note from Bunny: The movie is very well done but I like the graphic novel version much better. More detail and the drawings are more expressive. ]

We like documentaries, and we are interested in analyzing educational institutions, so we were all very excited to sit down and watch this classic documentary. Frederick Wiseman is one of the world’s most famous documentary filmmakers and here he turns his lens on a Philadelphia high school. To my surprise I found myself more interested in the technical and formal aspects of his filmmaking style than the critical dimension of the film, which, to quote Bunny, was only “mieh”. As a record of a specific place/time though, it’s pretty fascinating to see how much style-politics, micropractices, and mannerisms have changed since 1968. ~ pinky (Pinky: B+, Bunny: C+, Kim: F, Mimi: D) [ Bunny says, “Looks like Wiseman and crew like the young girls, hey? That gym class scene went on for forever!” ]

Everybody who’s ever eaten “food” bought from a supermarket needs to watch this documentary. It’s an excellent overview of the argument against genetic engineering and the corporate takeover of our world’s food supply. For more background information, I like Manifestos on the Future of Food and Seed (2007, Vandana Shiva, editor) and Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply (1999, Vandana Shiva). - Bunny (Bunny: A+, Pinky: A, Kim: A, Mimi: B+)

Paul Pena is a master blues musician who lives in San Francisco. He hears throat singers from Tuva on his short wave radio and teaches himself how to sing in that style. He travels to Tuva (sandwiched between Russia and Mongolia) to compete in a throatsinging competition, a difficult journey because of his poor health and also he is blind. When he gets to Tuva he meets Kongar-ol Ondar and the two become beautiful friends. I love his movie because the music and the people are both amazing. See this movie on a day that you feel sad and I promise you will feel powerful again afterwards. Report by Kim. (Kim: A+, Mimi: A, Bunny: A+, Pinky: A+)

Honestly I thought this movie was going to suck (it has Keanu Reeves in it) but it turned out to be totally fascinating. It’s basically a very imaginative introduction to the extremely important (and elusive) concept of ‘ideology’, only disguised as a science fiction thriller with lots of fighting and cool special effects. In fact I liked it so much I watched the second and third parts of the trilogy, which unfortunately really did suck. ~ Pinky (Pinky: A-, Bunny: A-, Mimi: B, Kim: A+++)

Pinky is forcing me to write this review because she thought this film was good. I will say that from my perspective this film is too boring. Some parts were cool, like the part with the time-lapse photography clouds. But other parts were so boring and lasted so long that I almost exploded from boredom. Koyaanisqatsi is a Native American (Hopi) word for ‘life out of balance’. I give it a D. Reviewed by Kim. (Bunny: C+, Mimi: C, Pinky: A) [ note from Pinky: This film is not boring! The music, also excellent, is by Philip Glass. ]

This film tells the story of the G.I. movement to end the war in Vietnam. Lots of historical photographs and interviews with the G.I.s who made history. A history that has been largely erased from public memory. Another ‘must see’ documentary. ~ pinky (pinky: A, Bunny: A-, Mimi & Kim: A)

[ note from Bunny: We watched this documentary in a theater with literally no one else in it. What the hell is going on? ]

As you can see I’m still on a Studio Ghibli anime kick at the moment. The first 3/4 of this movie was easily one of the most exciting ’starts’ to a movie I’ve ever seen. It has everything - beautiful images, great characters, lots of profound dialogue (as far as I can tell from the translation I suppose), and lots of really cool action! I was most impressed by how the story moved along without any clear-cut bad guys vs. good guys and there’s lots of very interesting gender stuff going on that’s worth discussing too (film-geek coffee hour). Every character has a motive that seems reasonable enough, and yet no one seems able or willing to stop what is certain to be an enormously catastrophic outcome. Like I said, it’s all very exciting. The ending was a bit of a disappointment though - a weird combination of too outrageous and too tidy. Maybe next time I’ll just watch everything up to the last 15 minutes and then turn it off and imagine my own ending. ~ pinky (pinky: B+, Bunny: A-, Mimi: B, Kim: A)

This is one of the most powerful films about war I’ve seen. My friend who is an intermediate school history teacher shows this to his 7th grade students every year. It especially resonates when the kids realize that the main character of the film is about the same age as they are. But this movie isn’t just for kids, adults will find it just as captivating. I doubt anyone can watch this movie without crying at least a little. Keep your Kleenex box nearby. ~ pinky (Pinky: A, Bunny: A, Mimi: B, Kim: A)

I don’t usually enjoy animated films so I don’t watch them often. But Bunny’s been bugging me to watch this one for a while so I finally did. Well, it is amazing. I will probably be going on a Studio Ghibli kick. I don’t know how the English-dubbed version is, Bunny only lets me watch anime in their original language (this one was in Japanese w/ English subtitles). I think Spirited Away is now in my top 10 favorite movies of all time list. Somehow it stirred up some very deep emotions in me. (Pinky: A+, Bunny: “I told you so”, Mimi: A-, Kim: A+)

[ note from Bunny: Check out director Hayao Miyazaki’s storyboarding sketches w/soundtrack on the Special Features DVD. You can see how the movie is almost completely ‘all there’ even at the first sketch. Amazing. ]

On the surface, this documentary by Errol Morris (The Fog of War, Thin Blue Line, etc.) is about pet cemetaries. And although I did learn a few things about pet cemetaries, the film is really more interesting in how it introduces us to a fascinating range of (human) characters. They all talk about their relationship to one of two pet cemetaries in question, and in the process we learn much about the way they feel about death, love, success, animals, and materiality. I found many moments in the film that were very moving - as usual, Errol Morris takes the time to focus on all the little details that allow the narratives to take on so many additional layers of meaning. Depending on your personality you may find this film either absorbing or painfully boring. Kim walked away after about 10 minutes (”That is so so so so so SOOOO BORING!”). Mimi said she couldn’t figure out ‘what the film was about’. (Pinky: A, Bunny: B, Mimi: D-, Kim: F) ~ pinky

What a powerful documentary film. It follows the intertwined lives of two boys, from intermediate school to college, as they try to become professional basketball players. I’m usually not that interested in sports but this film is really more about hope and struggle, talent and exploitation. One of the most striking things about this film for me was just the feeling the filmmakers were able to express - I don’t know know exactly how they did it but somehow in the film they are able to communicate their love for other human beings. I guess I will be studying this film carefully. (Bunny: A, Pinky: A+) ~ pinky

This is a fairly straightforward documentary film about (supposedly) the “dirtiest joke ever told”. Although I’ve been accused of having no sense of humor, I actually like funny jokes a lot. I also like dissecting jokes to see exactly why they are funny, which I guess is actually not so funny. Anyway I really enjoyed watching this film because it gives the viewer lots to think about how funny ‘works’. The performances and analysis provided by the many comedians in this documentary are also very good. Tip: Don’t watch this is you’re easily offended by words like “shit”. (Pinky: B, Bunny: B, Mimi: C, Kim: A) ~ pinky

Last night we were invited to view a screener for Michael Moore’s new documentary film about the U.S. ‘health care’ system. Mr. Moore has to be one of the most effective propagandandists I’ve ever seen (that’s not an insult). His ability to control the viewers’ emotional connection to the people and information he presents through tight editing and good storytelling is really something amazing. I’m especially in awe of how good he is at handling impromptu interviews - I wish I could do that. Anyway content-wise of course the film is a totally devastating critique of the U.S. for-profit health industry. Now we’re wondering if we should move to London or Paris. ~ pinky (Mimi: A, Pinky: A-, Bunny: A)

[ Bunny’s note: We met Michael Moore a couple years ago in Los Angeles. He was really nice; he likes cats. ]

If you like murder-mystery type films you should watch this. It is documentary filmmaker Errol Morris’s investigation into the 1976 shooting death of a police officer in Texas. I would tell you more but then the way the movie unfolds won’t be as fascinating for you. But it will challenge the way you think about the ‘criminal justice system’, the nature of ‘truth’, and the weird, unstable relationship between art and truth. Oh, and ‘reality TV’. ~ pinky (grade: A)

An extremely powerful film by one of my all-time favorite filmmakers, Errol Morris. I’m not sure how many times I’ve watched this film already - a lot. It is basically a two-hour long interview with Robert S. McNamara, who talks about what he’s learned during his life as a statesman, businessman, and architect of war (World War II, Vietnam). It’s totally engrossing and the film shows several examples of how sometimes the most monumental turning points in history can come to rest upon on the decision making and character of one person (apparently, quite often some guy in a suit). Frightening, englightening, very human. ~ pinky (Pinky: A, Bunny: B, Mimi: A, Kim: B)

I needed this and I didn’t even know it until I saw it. I’ve been feeling really down lately with all the difficulties of trying to keep the Pinky Show going. So it was a huge lift to my spirits to watch this truly wonderful concert-documentary about a block party Dave Chappelle put on in Brooklyn, NY. It was a party for real - we were laughing, smiling, and dancing around watching this thing. One thing I loved about it was that it wasn’t just a long music video. Director Michel Gondry also included lots of contextualizing footage to give the film a real sense of time, place, and politics. Highlights for me were the performances by Erykah Badu, Dead Prez, the Fugees, and of course the house band
(?uestlove on drums and Hub on bass had me mesmerized for 2 hours straight). And you know what, I didn’t even know Fred Hampton had a son - whoa that was pretty amazing. ~ pinky (Pinky: A, Bunny: B+)

This documentary film talks about the controversy surrounding whether or not to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska. Until you see this documentary, you might think the area is a barren arctic desert with ‘nothing’ in it. On the contrary, the ANWR is not only visually beautiful but also ecologically diverse and crucial to the survival of a mind-boggling range of animals. The film outlines the impact of drilling in the arctic and tries to place this in context vis-à-vis energy consumption, global warming, and the national and global economy. Another part we liked was that this film tries to show the long-term effects of oil drilling on the lives of contemporary Native people up in Alaska - that was really good.

Bunny and I had mixed feelings about this documentary. On one hand it discusses something that is extremely important and it showed us many things that we would have otherwise never seen. For this reason we were very happy that we saw it and will be recommending it to everyone. On the other hand we wished it did a better job at connecting the dots to the economic, political, cultural forces that drive our (inter)national addiction to oil. Maybe the producers were just trying to keep the film at 1 hour and had to leave some things out. This film would be excellent when shown as part of a sequence of related documentary films (An Inconvenient Truth, Who Killed the Electric Car?, etc.). ~ pinky (pinky: B+, Bunny: B-)

Is this the best documentary film I’ve ever seen? Hmm, maybe. It is brilliant. This is Les Blank’s documentary about director Werner Herzog making his film Fitzcarraldo deep in the jungles of South America. Every part of filming Fitzcarraldo goes as horribly wrong and Herzog nearly goes insane trying to finish his film. If you are any kind of artist, or just interested in any aspect of the act of creation, you have to watch this film. ~ pinky (Pinky: A+, Bunny: B+)

This film is about four young children who live in Tokyo, Japan. Their mommy goes to work in another city, leaving the children to fend for themselves. Most of the film is about the day to day experiences of the children. The story unfolds slowly and the film is filled with many quiet and beautiful details. I felt like I was living with the children and so many times when the children are having some kind of problem I felt like I wanted to enter into it and help them myself. It is a heartbreaking film but not sentimental. It feels very natural and honest. I think it is based on a true story. ~ Bunny (Bunny: A+, Pinky: A)

Bunny and I absolutely adore this film. It manages to be both accessible and profound at the same time. It’s basically an overview of ‘the military industrial complex’ with lots of historical footage and provocative interviews included. The short section in which Chalmers Johnson defines ‘blowback’ was, for me, like a mini-epiphany. But I think the thing that made this film affect me so deeply is the way filmmaker Eugene Jarecki wove the personal stories (some extremely wrenching) of some ‘ordinary people’ into his examination of this enormously important economic-political-social-spiritual megastructure. ~ pinky (Pinky: A, Bunny: A, Mimi: B+)

One of my all-time favorite movies. Johnny Depp rides a train to the ‘old west’ to get a job. If you don’t like the first 10 minutes of the film, you might as well just press eject and walk away (I got hooked right away though…) He arrives in an end-of-the-line town called ‘Machine’ only to have all hell break loose and he has to run for his life. Lots of interesting characters: there is a chubby Indian guy who helps him, a cannibal guy who is trying to eat him, etc. There’s some interesting subtexts that run through the film - industrialization, modernity, Native American dehumanization, genocide, and land dispossession, etc. - but it’s done in a way that’s open enough to invite speculation. I love the feeling of the film and Johnny Depp is the coolest un-macho hero ever (plus he’s hot). The howling distortion drenched guitar soundtrack (Neil Young) is sublime and will haunt you for hours or months after you see this film. ~ pinky (Pinky: A+, Bunny: A, Mimi & Kim: B)