POISON SCOOTER

What's Up Doc? Volume One

Being a huge fan of the documentary film, I thought I would share with you some of the best out there so you can check them out for yourself. This will be the first in a series. Yep, I kind of like documentaries.

The Filth and the Fury: A Sex Pistols Film by Julien Temple
Considering the longevity of this UK punk band, would you believe that they only recorded one album and self destructed after a little over 2 years, you'd think that there isn't much to show, right? Not so fast...how about anger, drugs and making a lasting impression on the face of the UK and the USA. A very cool exploration of the rise and fall of Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious featuring what live footage is out there for your listening pleasure.

Devil's Playground by Lucy Walker
Rumspringa is the time in a teenage Amish kid's life when their strict, religious parents let them go out into the world and experience everything there is to indulge in. This means footage of Amish gone wild essentially. The kids play Playstation, smoke week and drink beer at keggers in the woods, but the real interesting element is seeing how the distractions we take for granted actually force these kids back into their religion. Fascinating.

Children Underground by Edet Belzberg
Heartbreaking is the best word to describe this movie. In a nutshell, this movie explores the anti-Roe v. Wade that took place in Romania back in the late 60's when Nicolei Ceaucescu took power. Abortion was outlawed and women were forced to have children or face heavy taxes, but the movie doesn't delve into the history of this situation as much as it merely shows us the gritty reality of children abandoned by their parents forced to live in packs and steal to survive.

Comedian by Christian Charles
Think it's easy to be a stand up comic? Well watch as uber millionaire Jerry Seinfeld ventures back out into the insecure world of making people laugh and you'll think again. Jerry puts in the work by testing new material late in the evening at NYC comedy clubs and hangs out with working comics like Colin Quinn obsessing over whether or not he still has it. Pretty entertaining.

Brother's Keeper by Joe Berlinger
Four brothers, all over 60, live in a run down, filthy two room shack on a farm. When one dies in the bed he shares with his younger brother, the police start to take an interest in the town eccentrics. I was blown away at how these men managed on their own for 50 years, living in squalor and without any education to speak of. Unrivaled access by the filmmakers into lives we would never think to take an interest in.

The Fog of War by Errol Morris
Errol Morris is a master of the genre and here taps into the mind of Robert McNamara, former Secretary of Defense to Johnson and Kennedy and a key element in the build up to the Vietnam War. In this troubled time of war, it's interesting to hear a man's take on perhaps the biggest blemish on our country of the last 100 years.

Word Wars and Spellbound
Nerds make for great subjects. Word Wars gives us a look at four contestants headed to a Scrabble tourney in San Diego and Spellbound follows a hald dozen kids vying for a Spelling Bee crown.

posted by Scooter @ 5:33 PM