As a lover of both genre cinema and documentary filmmaking, it’s no surprise that the combination of the two really hits my sweet spot. The marriage of these seemingly disparate worlds has become increasingly more common, giving documentary filmmakers an opportunity to experiment with the form and push the limits of non-fiction storytelling. This is a great way of bridging the gap between fiction and documentary filmmaking and working towards simply labeling them both as ‘movies’. That’s not to say there aren’t differences between the two. I love docs because they provide opportunities and insights that fiction films don’t (and vice-versa). In general terms, I think I can explain my love for the two as follows:

Fiction films are at their best when they engage me on a level at which I momentarily forget what I’m watching isn’t real. Documentary films are at their best when they engage me on a level at which I momentarily forget what I’m watching IS real.

This might seem problematic for some as many documentaries are specifically designed to illuminate certain realities in the world that shouldn’t be ignored. In these cases, applying an overtly cinematic aesthetic or drawing inspiration from genre cinema might not be appropriate. But when the opportunity arises, I love the idea of framing real events and real people within the constraints of genre. It’s a great reminder that reality is sometimes stranger than fiction, and even the craziest ‘true’ stories are always at the mercy of the editorial decisions of the filmmaker.

It might seem trivial or frivolous to draw such comparisons, but I think it’s a great way to introduce genre film fans to some great docs through some familiar reference points. We’ve already seen how documentary has influenced fiction — most evidently the horror genre, with the popularity of ‘found footage’ films — so let’s look at some examples of how genre has influenced documentary. I’ve listed a bunch of films below which I feel fit into specific genres or sub-genres. Some of these are fairly obvious while others might be a bit more of a stretch.

REVENGE FILM

THE EMPEROR’S NAKED ARMY MARCHES ON (1987)
Dir. Kazuo Hara

In Kazuo Hara’s ‘The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On’, a disgruntled Japanese WWII veteran takes justice into his own hands, dishing out punishment to the men he believes were involved in the unjust execution of fellow soldiers during their time fighting in New Guinea. The film is at times brutal, but also hilariously awkward as its main character, Kenzo Okuzaki, systematically tracks down his suspects and exacts revenge in the form of physical and verbal abuse. Kazuo Hara is a true provocateur, and his complex ‘anti-hero’ makes for an intense viewing experience that’s truly stranger than fiction.

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Congratulations to Matthew of Denver, NC and Erika of Palatine, IL! They’re the lucky winners of our ‘Frozen Planet’ DVD giveaway. Thanks to everyone who entered and a big thanks to the fine folks at BBC Home Entertainment! for supplying the prizes.

Stay tuned for more giveaways here at The Documentary Blog!

THE IMPOSTER
Dir. Bart Layton

To synopsize The Imposter is to risk spoiling the experience for somebody going into a film that’s probably best seen completely cold. I’ll keep this brief and general: the film starts with the sudden disappearance of a 13 year old boy from San Antonio, Texas. Almost four years later, he mysteriously reappears in Spain. That’s good enough. Fans of the twists and turns in films like Capturing the Friedmans and The Staircase will definitely enjoy The Imposter. Director Bart Layton tells this story with a sense of cinematic awareness that separates this sensational true-life story from your usual news magazine fare. It’s no coincidence that cinematographer Erik Alexander Wilson (Submarine, Tyrannosaur) and editor Andrew Hulme (Gangster No. 1, Lucky Number Slevin) have a background in fiction filmmaking as this movie draws on many inspirations from outside the documentary world. I was immediately reminded of the con aspect of Catch Me If You Can, the misguided wish fulfilment of A.I.’s placeholder robot-child David, and of course, Errol Morris’ The Thin Blue Line. Like Morris’ film, The Imposter utilizes cinematic recreations to tell its story and play with perception and memory. The audience does some Monday morning quarterbacking — or detecting — as the mystery unravels and slowly transforms into a ‘whodunit’. Outside of the film’s technical strengths and overall sense of craft, it’s the characters — specifically the title character and Charlie Parker, the old school private eye — that really push this story into the realm of the unreal, resembling a quirky, Coen Brothers-esque crime film. The Imposter is a must-see movie at this year’s Hot Docs festival for those who like their documentaries inspired by pure genre cinema.

5/5

GLOW: THE STORY OF THE GORGEOUS LADIES OF WRESTLING
Dir. Brett Whitcomb

I have no memory of watching Glow (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) when it originally aired, so I went into Brett Whitcomb’s nostalgia drenched documentary with very little nostalgia. Luckily, it’s fairly easy to graft the memories of my own favourite 80′s shows onto this one, getting by on the overall aesthetics of the era rather than the specifics of the content. Glow is representative of the 1980′s through and through, reminding me of a mix between The American Gladiators, Rollergirls, and the WWF. Beyond the “sport” itself, the scripted out-of-the-ring “sketches” reminded me of kids shows like You Can’t Do That on Television and (for my fellow Canadians) The Hilarious House of Frightenstein. The film mixes talking head interviews with footage from the original show, detailing the history of the production and providing some behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Those who’ve seen ‘Not Quite Hollywood’ should know the drill. While I did find the footage from GLOW entertaining, the actual interviews merely act as connective tissue, holding the stock footage together. The anecdotes are mostly trivial, and the fact that two of the show’s main creative forces refused to participate really didn’t help. There seemed to be some conflict between the cast and the creators, but it isn’t really explored in much detail. Mando Guerrero (GLOW trainer and brother of WWE wrestler Eddie Guerrero) gave the most animated and entertaining interview, but unfortunately only has about two minutes of screen time. The final act of the film gets away from the talking head format and focuses on one of GLOW’s most beloved alumnus, Mount Fiji. She was one of the bigger girls (both in popularity and size) that now resides in a nursing home due to her bad knees and diabetes. She thinks back on her days at GLOW with a sense of fondness but also sadness. When one of the original cast members decides to hold a reunion, the film captures some genuinely emotional moments that might have hit me harder if i’d gotten to know the ladies on a more personal, observational level earlier in the film. Still, GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling taps into a 1980′s nostalgic sweet spot that’s hard to resist for somebody who grew up in that era.

3.5/5

BEAUTY IS EMBARRASSING
Dir. Neil Berkeley

If you grew up in the 80′s, you’ve more than likely been exposed to the joyously demented art of Wayne White. His most notable contribution to your/my childhood is his work on Pee Wee’s Playhouse, in which he designed both the sets and the puppets (and won three Emmy’s in the process). He also provided the voices of a few of his puppet creations, including Dirty Dog, Randy and Mr.Kite. Since then, White has made a name for himself in the art wold, known best for his word paintings in which he adds humorously crass phrases on top of thrift shop paintings. In Neil Berkeley’s directorial debut ‘Beauty is Embarrassing’, White gets the full biopic treatment, chronicling his early days struggling as a cartoonist and puppeteer and his gradual progression towards mainstream success. The story is told via one of White’s one-man-shows, in which he projects slides of his work to an audience, accompanied by funny anecdotes. This works wonderfully as a natural framing device for his story. White reflects on the playfulness of his art, continually downplaying the intellectual elements of his work and seemingly intent on taking the piss out of those who take art too seriously. The film reflects his general sense of joy by attempting to match this energy through its structure, animations, and some playful editing. There’s a fun energy inherent in the presentation and the cinematography is appropriately vibrant. There may be some debate on the amount of time spent on Pee Wee’s Playhouse (those who watched the show wishing for more and those who didn’t for less), but I thought the pacing was pretty fair throughout. I always love films that provide a detailed sneak peek into the creative process and Beauty is Embarrassing manages to capture a few great moments as White constructs the film’s signature LBJ cardboard heads along with one of his famous word paintings. The only thing hampering Beauty is Embarrassing is a seemingly niche subject resulting in a potentially narrow target audience. Anyone who goes out of their way to see the film will find White’s passion for creativity and his optimistic views on life infectious and relatable, specifically to those dominantly right brained audience members.

4/5

WOMEN WITH COWS
Dir. Peter Gerdehag

Reminiscent of the Maysles classic Grey Gardens, director Peter Gerdehag chronicles the life and times of two elderly sisters — Britt and Inger — and their struggle to maintain their family dairy farm. Unlike the Maysles film, Gerdehag remains behind the camera, allowing the audience to experience these two feisty Swedish ladies honestly and unfiltered. While Inger has begun to lose interest in helping her sister maintain the farm, Britt has become more obsessed with milking her 12 cows, which she treats like pets. She waddles around the property completely hunched over thanks to a broken back which went untreated years prior. When government agents threaten to take her cows away, Britt desperately needs the help of her sister, who’s more interested in spending time with her two grandchildren. The conditions on the farm have deteriorated over the years, and Britt’s own safety is at risk. In the wrong hands, the film could’ve felt more like an extended episode of Hoarders, but Gerdehag is sure to stay focused on the sister’s relationship and Ingrid’s own struggle between living a real life outside of the dairy farm while still attending to her sister’s obsessive compulsive work ethic and dwindling health. Aesthetically, Women With Cows is quite beautiful at times as Britt seems to provide an endless supply of mesmerizing and compelling imagery as she shuffles around the farm completely hunched over. One standout image contrasts her agonizingly slow and uncomfortable walk with a snail making its way across a tree stump in the foreground. Her stubbornness is at times frustrating, but her commitment towards maintaining the families farm — which was willed to her and is her own responsibility — is truly inspiring. These are two wonderfully charming and memorable characters that manage to entertain while remaining 100% human thanks to the deft hand of director Peter Gerdehag and his obvious affection for their relationship to each other and the world around them.

4/5

I love the BBC nature docs that have been coming out over the last few years. Planet Earth and Life were great, and now we’ve got Frozen Planet, focusing on the Arctic and Antarctic. Luckily, the kind folks at BBC Home Entertainment have provided us with TWO copies of Frozen Planet on DVD for giveaway here at The Documentary Blog!! Here’s some info on the series:

A BBC/Discovery Channel co-production four years in the making, Frozen Planet is ambitious and epic in scale and provides the ultimate portrait of our earth’s Polar Regions, capturing the power of natural elements and the fragile, jaw-dropping beauty of scenery unlike anywhere else in the world. This landmark high definition series brings to the screen the frozen wilderness of the polar region for what could be the last time before they change forever.

Featuring the incredible wildlife cinematography that made Planet Earth a worldwide success, Frozen Planet has taken new technology to the most extreme and remote parts of our planet capturing groundbreaking imagery above and below the ice.

For a chance to win a copy of Frozen Planet on DVD, simply send me an email here with ‘FROZEN’ in the subject line. Be sure to include your full name and mailing address and I will announce the winner sometime next week. Also, BBC Home Entertainment has offered a 10% off discount code for our readers. Simply go to the BBC Home Entertainment website and enter the code FP312 when purchasing Frozen Planet on DVD or Blu Ray.

The Hot Docs Film Festival kicks off this weekend, so it’s time to start putting your schedules together and packing in as many quality documentary screenings as humanly possible. I’ve got mine put together and I’m really excited by the variety of subjects/films that I’ve got to look forward to. Luckily, I had a chance to check out a few of my most anticipated films in advance, including the Ross Bros. Tchoupitoulas, Indie Game: The Movie, Jeff, and James Franco’s Francophrenia. Here’s what I thought!

TCHOUPITOULAS
Dir. Bill Ross & Turner Ross

This might seem a bit premature, but the Ross Brothers Tchoupitoulas will likely end up being one of my favourite films of the festival (and maybe, the year). This nostalgic adventure follows a group of three kids (and their trusty dog Buttercup) as they explore the French Quarter in New Orleans. The sights and sounds of the nightlife weave in and out of the narrative, piquing the curiosity of the boys and exposing them to the rich cultures and traditions the city is known for. When the group misses their midnight ferry home, they’re face with an unexpected adventure that had me absolutely captivated. The feeling I got while watching Tchoupitoulas is most recently comparable to my experience with Terrance Malick’s The Tree of Life. In particular, the ‘endless summer’ section of the film in which Malick allows the boys to be boys. While I certainly didn’t grow up in New Orleans (I’ve never even been there), the film manages to tap into and awaken dormant childhood memories and images that are truly universal. A moment that stood out the most for me was in the final act, in which the boys come upon a seemingly abandoned ferry. They decide to sneak on board and explore its creepy, dark hallways, letting their imaginations (and the audiences) take over. This sense of curiosity and adventure says more to me about the human experience (and the cinema-going experience) than any graphs-and-charts social issue doc could ever dream to achieve. Tchoupitoulas is a vicarious and engaging cinematic adventure and a welcome reminder of why I love the movies.

5/5

INDIE GAME: THE MOVIE
Dir. James Swirsky & Lisanne Pajot

Having worked for a game developer for a few years, I was naturally intrigued by the premise of Indie Game: The Movie. I’m not much of a gamer myself, but I’m aware of the amount of work that goes into making a video game, and the thought of all of that content being created and managed by only a couple of guys is really mind-blowing. Without the support of a major studio or a fleet of employees, these indie game developers take on all of the responsibilities when delivering a game. If the product fails, they’re the only ones to blame. If it succeeds, they could become instant millionaires. Canadian filmmakers James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot chronicle the drama and insurmountable levels of stress behind the making of two games; Super Meat Boy and Fez. Both teams face their share of problems in delivering their product, but a passion for their art — enhanced by a regressive sense of childhood nostalgia — pushes them towards making a game that they themselves would’ve loved when they were kids. It would’ve been nice to see what all of this work adds up to for those toiling in obscurity, but I suppose the film is more interested in showcasing indie games as a credible art form and their developers as worthy competitors within the industry. Still, the fragility of success versus failure is palpable, especially within the over-saturated, uber-competitive world of game development. The film is well shot and features some vibrant representations of modern and classic video games sprinkled throughout. Visually, I was reminded of the aesthetic cleanliness of Gary Hustwit’s design trilogy. Indie Game: The Movie is a must-see for video game fans and should resonate with anyone with a passion for creativity.

4/5

JEFF
Dir. Chris James Thompson

I went into Jeff with unusually high (and probably unfair) expectations due to my love of character driven docs and the promise of some cinematic recreations. Part of me was wondering what could possibly be left to say about Jeffery Dahmer that hasn’t already been said? The story experienced some serious over-saturation when it was first reported and there have been countless movies and TV shows since. Luckily, director Chris James Thompson finds some new angles to explore, building a sense of dread as we watch Jeff, a covert madman, wandering the streets of Milwaukee in search for his next victim. This “killers-eye view” is presented by recreations (shot on film) featuring an actor in the role of Jeff. I was immediately reminded of Robinson Devor’s Zoo, which utilizes beautifully realized recreations to recount its gruesome story. Unfortunately, Jeff never quite achieves that level of cinematic intrigue, as most of the filmed sequences take place in rather plain environments and focus on fairly mundane activities. On one hand, they work at heightening Dahmer’s creepiness by reinforcing the idea that on the outside, he seemed to be a regular guy. On the other, these broad illustrations serve merely as accompaniment to the dominant talking heads, missing the emotional or visceral impact I was hoping for. With only three on-screen interviewees (a medical examiner, a neighbour, and a police detective), the overall picture is drawn from a somewhat limited perspective. Fortunately, detective Patrick Kennedy stands out as an interesting character, discussing his unusual relationship with Dahmer and how the high profile case affected his personal life. In a way, it’s almost his film as his on-screen presence is most dominant and his involvement in the story is the most interesting. We do get occasional images of the real Dahmer via home videos or news footage, but the film is mostly concerned with telling the story from the outsider’s perspective. In the end, Jeff does more to add to the mythology surrounding Jeffery Dahmer rather than provide much insight into the man himself, but I kind of like that.

3.5/5

FRANCOPHRENIA (OR: DON’T KILL ME, I KNOW WHERE THE BABY IS)
Dir. James Franco

Saturday Night Live documentary ‘SNL’, I thought this look at his time on the set of General Hospital might temporarily hold me over. Francophrenia (Or: Don’t Kill Me, I Know Where the Baby Is) takes place over one day/night, focusing on a complex shoot in which James Franco’s recurring character ‘Franco’ makes his return to daytime TV, staging a murderous plot during an art exhibition at an LA museum. Apparently the episode never aired, but we never learn why. Initially, the film seems to focus on the cult of celebrity, following Franco as he goes through hair and make up, poses for photos with press, and meets with his adoring fans. I could watch James Franco sign autographs and pose for pictures with General Hospital fans all day long. In fact, about 1/7th of the run time of Francophrenia is just that but still, I wanted more. Instead, an unusual narrative emerges as the real James Franco and his alter ego “Franco” cross wires. He grows increasingly paranoid and schizophrenic, questioning the intentions of the people around him and blurring the line between reality and fiction. The film turns into something resembling an art school/film school project, complete with cerebral narration, a talking men’s room door sign, ‘artsy’ after effects filters, and footage played in reverse. Co-director and editor Ian Olds’ urge to experiment with the already interesting footage seemed to reveal an insecurity rather than any sort of profundity. A little more confidence in the raw material and initial concept might have helped avoid such experimental urges. James Franco slumming it on General Hospital is strange and interesting enough to hold its own. Any additional artistic or experimental tinkering seems a bit redundant and somewhat undermines the simple brilliance of ‘Franco’. Having said all of that, the film has some genuinely funny moments, and I’m sure that the pretension on display is intended to be taken as satire. Still, I would’ve preferred a more straight forward treatment of this material as I think it could have been more entertaining and might have better complimented – and enhanced — the already surreal nature of ‘Franco’ and the strange atmosphere of the daytime soap set.

2.5/5

In the last couple of months I’ve had some down time while focusing on getting my next film, How to Build a Time Machine, up and running. I’d been itching to shoot something and with a fairly new camera (the Panasonic AF100) sitting on my shelf, I really wanted to log a few more hours shooting and become more familiar with my equipment before jumping into the next feature. So, I thought why not make a short documentary? With limited time and resources, I focused on a topic close to home…board gaming. My group of friends have recently started playing games like The Settlers of Catan and Pandemic, and this has resulted in some interesting ‘in game’ personality shifts. This short looks at the politics of competitive board gaming amongst friends, detailing one specific incident in which one friend loses his cool, threatening the future of ‘game night’.