REVIEW: The Search For Freedom

4/10 - What's love got to do, got to do with it?

Why do people like extreme sports? What is it that drives people to them? That's the premise of this documentary, finding out from athletes what draws them to these sports that put them at risk.

Needless to say, viewing this at the  Maui Film Festival where surf culture reigns king, the movie did quite well.

I would like to know how this documentary came to be. It mashes together footage of athletes from all parts of the globe without ever giving time to introduce them, introduce the sport, or explain why we are watching it.

From the top of snowy mountains with skiers racing against avalanches, to the hot beaches in Hawaii where surfers tame the tides, this film tries to be inclusive of everything that would be considered an extreme sport, including skateboarding, mountain biking, sky diving, snow boarding, BMX, and wind surfing. Perhaps the biggest flaw was not focusing on a few in depth examples of extreme sports. Instead it touches briefly on all of them. No, really. All of them.

It hops from sport to sport, athlete to athlete, with only generic comments about the rush they feel to connect the scenes. This movie is dense with sports interviews, and thin on context. This movie is desperate for a narrator.

Despite it's sloppy execution, there are some great moments that illustrate the way sport culture has evolved and the level of accomplishments that have been achieved. Legends like Tony Hawk discuss his career in skateboarding, in direct comparison to the children who are making those same achievements today.

Really, it's the jaw-dropping cinematic shots that tells the story. These athletes are driven, passionate people who are often viewed as social outcasts for their discipline and dedication to the sport. The slow motion, high def scenes of those athletes rocketing through the air on skis or skates is enough to explain that thematic question. The footage captures a palpable adrenaline rush that fuels these athletes more than anything else. That's something that resonates with thrill seekers.

Seeing those scenes of the highest heights that can be reached through extreme sports, one thing is clear. There doesn't need to be an explanation to get it. It would have been nice if there was one, though.

Rotten Tomatoes - The Search for Freedom
Film Website - The Search for Freedom

REVIEW: Live from New York

5/10 - I got a fever... And the only prescription... Is another movie. 

The premise of a documentary looking at the history, highlights, low-lights, and impact of the long running sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live is something the world was definitely looking for. Thankfully SNL celebrated it's 40th anniversary and mostly did that with a 3 hour television special. No need to go to the movies!

It was a big of a challenge to separate this documentary from the 40th anniversary television special, that aired in February. If you enjoyed one, you'll enjoy the other but there's only so much SNL to reminisce on.

Part of what separated the documentary Live from New York was putting SNL is a larger context. Political impersonations were compared directly to footage of the figure in question, a nice way to show the impact of the show. They showed your favorite sketches, and featured interviews from a variety of cast members. It was a nice way to look back at the evolution of television over the years.

However, this movie is all nostalgia and good feelings, without a lot of critical thinking, and definitely no big revelations. It's a perspective on SNL with rose-colored glasses that undermines some of the issues that have plagued the shows history, like drug abuse, sexism, racism, and dismisses them as being unimportant. Instead of acknowledging those unpleasant truths, it relies on the content of SNL sketches being enough to entertain the audience with little else to say.

Live From New York is an enjoyable watch, because it's a "best of" featuring great moments that cause belly laughs. As a movie, it's quite hollow.

IMDb - Live From New York (6.8)
Rotten Tomatoes - Live From New York (48%)
Film Website - Live From New York

REVIEW: Life Itself

8/10 - It eluded us then, but that's no matter - tomorrow we will run faster...

Life Itself (2014)

In 2013 when Roger Ebert passed away, something interesting happened. There was undeniably a massive loss felt by many people who Roger had touched, but the wave of grief went far beyond his friends, family and colleagues. There was a struggle to articulate why his loss was so profound. Ebert was a pop culture icon as a film critic, his job and his work is something that's largely impersonal. For example, I've read at least a hundred film reviews this week for different movies and I don't think I could even give the name of one off hand, let alone tell you anything about their personal life. For so many of us, Roger Ebert represented something different. His work cultivated a personal relationship with the public that separated his job from his life.

That's what made Roger special. His job was to give opinions, but he gave us honesty and sincerity. He was a passionate person, and wasn't ashamed to be outspoken and vulnerable. That quality is rare. His gift for writing that reaches deep down to the heart of the matter, made him stand out. In a culture that has rejected poetry and fine arts, movies have become our outlet and reflection of selves. Ebert brought an art back to that medium. He elevated what films were and reminded us that while we go to be entertained, we are writing our own historical narrative and searching for humanity.

The documentary Life Itself was released in 2014 but it took me some time to come around to see it because I anticipated I would be crying throughout. The film is based on Ebert's own memoir that was released in 2011 of the same name.

Siskel and Ebert: At the Movies

The documentary began filming in 2012, and is filled with new footage, his own stories and jokes, exerts from the book, interviews from friends and family, pictures and old clips. It chronicles Roger Ebert's life from a young man with the gift of the gab, to his cancer treatment and dealing with having his voice literally taken away from him. It's an insight into his life with Chaz, Gene Siskel and At the Movies, and the ups and downs of his life.

Although there isn't a lot of terrible revolutionary information or shocking new scenes that I've come to expect with contemporary documentaries, there is a lot to enjoy about this film. Particularly, admiration for his generosity and tenacity. It wouldn't be a interesting film if he was portrayed as a saint and nothing else, however it's easy to see how he became such a likable figure even at his worst.

At 2 hours, Life Itself was a longer documentary than I was expecting, but I recommend it wholeheartedly. It is, without question, a movie designed to pull at your heartstrings, but I might venture to guess, that's the reason most people see it anyways. I'm not sure if there will ever be a critic so renowned as Ebert, and this is certainly a tribute to his legacy.

Two thumbs up.

IMDb - Life Itself (8.0)
Wikipedia - Life Itself
Rotten Tomatoes - Life Itself (97%)
Amazon.ca - Life Itself

REVIEW: Burt's Buzz

6/10 - A story of an old man and bee's wax.

Burt Shavitz.

As you can predict from the image on your lip balm, Burt is a dirty hippy through and through. Now approaching 80, he lives a reclusive life on a farm in Maine. As his company became a massive corporation, his lifestyle never changed. He hangs out with his dog and wood stove. Oh and his name is associated with a billion dollar corporation, but whatever.

To be fair, this is a documentary about Burt. Burt just happens to be associated with Burt's Bee's. This is not a docu about lip balm company in any way. I suppose it is in a little way, but there isn't really a sufficient story about Burt's Bees to call that the focus of the movie.

Burt has done a lot of fascinating things in his life. He was a successful photojournalist, an activist, he was a bee keeper (duh) and reluctant business man, now he's the face and spokesperson for a company he has no stock or investment in. What's even more interesting is how reclusive his life is. It felt a bit like the documentary crew had a difficult time finding people to talk to about Burt. He is very isolated, and is quite content to live that way even after spending stretches in 5 star hotels.

That being said, Burt is also the kind of person you can size up immediately. What you see is what you get. I found this film to be a bit aimless, as they tried to unveil facets of his character that were quite clear from the beginning. Without any revolutionary or unbelievable scenes, this movie ends up a bit boring. While the concept and the person might be memorable, the movie itself isn't.

IMDb - Burt's Buzz (6.5)
Rotten Tomatoes - Burt's Buzz (73%)
Amazon.ca - Burt's Buzz

REVIEW: I Know That Voice

7/10 - Now available on Netflix (Cause you won't see it anywhere else)

I like documentaries.

This is a nice documentary.

It's not particularly enlightening, or opinion changing. It doesn't reveal some seedy underbelly that you were unaware of.

It's a movie that features people who love their jobs, talking about their jobs. They just kick it, and tell funny stories, and talk about the things they like and don't like.

If you like watching people talk about something they are passionate about, then this will be enjoyable for you. It's pretty inoffensive. It's fun to watch actors who look nothing like their animated characters just suddenly bring to life this familiar life. They overemphasize the difficulties of their job, and the challenges they face. They also share some delightful stories of surprising little kids with the voices they do.

I found this to be a little big long and dry in places. I suspect they didn't go out of their way to get the rights to any actual animated works because almost no footage of the actual animated works are featured. I've watched a few documentaries that suffer from this, but it can be a little tedious to watch people get interviewed on a couch for two hours. Having those great visuals breaks it up. That being said, they feature every great voice actor you can think of, along with many big names in the animation community from Mark Hamill to Matt Groening. It's a lot of fun to see someone break out the Sponge Bob Squarepants voice on the drop of a dime.

You don't need to be a big fan of animated series' to enjoy this, but it helps. It's got a feel good vibe, without actually being a success story of any kind. It's just an enjoyable watch that won't challenge you on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

IMDb - I Know That Voice (7.5)
Wikipedia - I Know That Voice
Rotten Tomatoes - I Know That Voice (No Rating Yet)
Amazon.ca - I Know That Voice