Top 10 of 2010 Part 2 Documentaries

Top 10 Documentaries


1. Waiting for “Superman” - Definitely the highlight of Sundance 2010 for me. I didn’t have a ticket for the movie but managed to get waitlisted and get in. Really was an eye opening movie for me. It seems the school system has been broken for a while and no one seems to be able to fix it. This movie proposes some radical ideas and shows what some parents go through to get their child into a good school. If anything this movie is a great movie just because it starts the conversation. I would love to hear some feedback from teachers if they have seen the movie and how they feel about the ideas talked about in it.

2. Restrepo - A fascinating look into the life of a platoon in one of the deadliest parts of Afghanistan . The movie really captures the real experiences of an American Soldier from the highs to the lows.

3. The Tillman Story- Another fascinating look at the military. This one deals with the controversial death of football star Pat Tillman. More about government propaganda then about the military it gives a glimpse how the government tried to use the death of a celebrity to promote the war.

4. Best Worst Movie- One of the funniest documentaries of the year. It looks at the cult following of Troll 2 which is considered the worst movie of all time. It is directed by one of the stars of the movie as he interviews other cast members and fans of the film. Two interesting points of the movie are how people get obsessed with their own celebrity and the director who thinks it’s a great movie and doesn’t understand why everyone is laughing at it.

5. A Small Act- A real touching movie about how making a little donation can change someones life. The movie is about a man who grew up in Kenya and had his education sponsored by a charitable organization and an unknown women who gave money to the organization. After going to school in Kenya he ends up getting a scholarship to Harvard and ends up working for the United Nations. He eventually seeks out the women who made the donations and finds out she is a Swedish women who he eventually becomes friends with. He has now started his own charitable organization to help other school children in Kenya . The point of this movie is to show that what we might consider a small donation can go a long way.

6. Catfish- A somewhat controversial documentary because some claim it is really not a documentary. About a guy who becomes friends with a family on facebook but things isn’t always what they seem. I don’t want to ruin the ending but it is an interesting look at how we connect through technology.

7. Exit Through the Gift Shop- This movie had been getting great reviews but the premise didn’t sound at all interesting. I finally watched it on Netflix streaming and was pleasantly surprised. The movie is a documentary about a guy making a documentary about street artists. Sound ridiculous but the people in this movie are some unique they make it work. Banksy a world famous street artist whose identity is unknown flips the camera on the guy who was making a film about him. Basically because the guy ends up being a bad filmmaker. I heard on the DVD is the original documentary the guy made but turns out his is the more interesting story.

8. Gasland- This is one of those muckraking movies that sets out to expose a dangerous practice of a corporation. Josh Fox finds out that energy companies are using a technique called “fracking” to get natural gas out of the ground. And while it works and could lead to lower energy prices the practice has a lot of hazards. The corporations are using their government connections to create loop holes that allow them to keep doing despite some evidence that it is harming the environment and people.

9. The Red Chapel- This is one of the funniest and sad documentaries I saw this year. Basically this comedy troupe from Denmark gets invited to North Korea to perform their routine. The leader of the troupe Mads Brugger brings two Korean comedians with him and documents the whole experience. The point of the movie is to get a sneak peek into the world of the North Koreans. He does things purposefully to get a reaction from them and the two comedians with him struggle with what the injustice they see around them and the crazy things Mads want them to do.

10. Marwencol- Interesting documentary the delves into the mind. The movie is about a man who was beaten within inches of his life and makes a recovery but now suffers serious brain damage. Unable to work he creates war scenes with his toy soldiers and pretty much lives in this fantasy world of Marwencol where he can be a brave soldier. He takes a lot of pictures of his soldiers in action and has elaborate sets. These pictures end up taking him to an art show where they become instantly praised and he struggles to figure out how this new found reality fits into his fantasy world.

I did not see Inside Job or A Film Unfinished two of the best reviewed documentaries.

Top 5 Short Documentaries

1. Born Sweet - Definitely the best documentary short I saw at Sundance and now has the chance of being nominated for an Academy Award. It is about a village in Cambodia whose wells have been poisoned by arsenic. The movie shows the struggles of one boy with effects of the arsenic.


2. Quadrangle –The story of two couples who end up swinging in the 70’s. The story is made by the daughter of one of the couples and she gets her parents to be very frank about their experiences as they try to explain it to her. http://www.quadranglefilm.com/ Quadrangle will be premiering on HBO 2/16 check it out.

3. The Poodle Trainer – The title pretty much says it all. About a Russian lady who trains poodles for circuses. I don’t know what is more fascinating how smart the dogs are or how crazy she seems. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kwwb_G_92tk


4. Dock Ellis and the LSD No-No – An animated short about one of the craziest baseball feet’s in history. Doc Ellis tells how he ended high on LSD and still ended up pitching a no hitter. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vUhSYLRw14

5. Lets Harvest the Organs of Death Row Inmates – A 2 minute animated documentary that is both disturbing and thought provoking. Since my dad had a heart transplant this subject is very near to my heart and makes you think. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJkpDNwM0lk

Top 10 of 2010 Part 1

Top 10 movies of 2010
It’s that time of year again when everyone is making their Top 10 lists and figured I would throw my 2 cents out there.

1. Inception- The most creative and inventive movies of the year. Entertaining and made you think. It is one of those movies that it takes several views to figure it out.

2. Social Network- I had high expectations for this movie. With Aaron Sorkin writing and David Fincher directing it had a lot of potential. Luckily it lived up to the potential. I love Aaron Sorkin’s writing. It is fast and snappy. And it takes some great actors to deliver the dialogue. Luckily the cast was great, and is there anything that Justin Timberlake can’t do.

3. Blue Valentine- When this movie was over I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams were amazing in it. The story is a very sad movie and that’s what I didn’t like about it at first. It is a raw emotional story. Then I realized that a movie that could make me feel that emotional about the characters and want them to stay together must have done its job.

4. 127 Hours- AKA the movie where the guy cuts his arm off. The part where he finally cuts his arm off has gotten alot of headlines with people passing out or getting sick but the movie leading up to that is very good. Here is a guy stuck litterly between a rock and a hard place and he contemplates his life and how he ended up there. Similar to Into the Wild from a few years ago where the life lesson learnedis you need friends and family around to be truely happy.  I heard and interview with Danny Boyle the director and he described the movie as “an action movie about a guy who can’t move”. And he managed to pull it off.

5. Black Swan-I was really looking forward to this movie. Darren Aronofsky directed Requiem for a Dream about drug users decent into madness. This one about a ballerina’s decent into madness and he is at his best. The visuals and the overall feel of the movie you never know what is real or imagined. It will keep you thinking about it for days.

6. Buried-Similar to 127 Hours this is a movie about a guy who cant move. But unlike 127 Hours we never leave him. It is 90 minutes of Ryan Reynolds in a coffin. The camera never leaves him and we never see what is going on outside. It is a very claustrophobic movie and could have just been a very boring movie, but it somehow works. One of the best psychological thrillers I have seen in a while.

7. Kick Ass- Had to throw this in my top 10. One of the most fun movies I have seen this year. The story actually is pretty cool but it is the action that takes it over the top. It has some of the coolest action and fight scenes of any movie this year. Chloe Grace-Moretz is just amazing as Hit Girl.

8. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo-Now Swedish movies usually put me to sleep. Must be something about the language that is very soothing. But this movie kept me awake the whole time. Which is impressive considering I watched it after work and I was kind of tired which is reason enough to make it on my top 10. But it is a dark movie and has some very shocking parts that caught me off guard.

9. Feed the Fish-Along with Blue Valentine and Buried this was one of the highlights of the Milwaukee Film Festival for me. Made in Wisconsin by Wisconsinites and starring Tony Shalhoub. It is a fun little movie and I wish it got a wider release. It was made even better by having the filmmaker and Tony Shalhoub there for a little Q and A.

10. The Human Centipede (First Sequence) - Probably the movie I talked about the most. While not a great movie the premise is bizarre and disturbing and made for some interesting conversations. If you don’t know what it is about I wont gross you out now, but needles to say it is one of those movies that just sticks with you. The first half hour plays out like any other silly horror movie but quickly turns into something else.

Honorable Mention: Tucker and Dale vs. Evil-Looking over my list there isn’t any real funny movies. And thinking over the year there hasn’t been any movie that made me laugh as much as The Hangover did last year. But Tucker and Dale vs. Evil comes closest. It is a parody of horror films where a bunch of kids get lost in the wood and cross paths with what they think are killer hillbillies. The movie is told mostly from the hillbillies’ perspective as they try to just fix up their cabin. It is very funny without spoofing specific film like the Scary Movie franchise. Just a lot of fun but there is also a lot of blood.

There were some movies that got a lot of good reviews that I did not see and maybe would have made the list if I did.
Highly praised movies I did not see: The Town, The Kings Speech, Toy Story 3 and The Fighter.

For me 2010 was the year of documentaries and shorts. I was on the Milwaukee Film Festival short committee and got to see a lot of shorts. Here are some of my favorites some from MKE Film Fest and some from Sundance. Next week I will post my favorite documentaries of the year.

Top 5 Short Movies

1. Drunk History-Tesla and Edison-While Drunk History is not really a documentary it was part of the docu shorts at Sundance. It is one of the funniest shorts I have ever seen. There were two of them at Sundance Tesla and Edison and Lincoln and Douglas. But Tesla and Edison in my opinion is far better. You should check them out online along with some of their others. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwI1Xpwhyi8


2. Little Children, Big Words-One of the standouts at the Milwaukee Film Fest it is a dramatic short which shows a lot of emotion. This also has the chance to be nominated for and Academy Award. The acting in this movie is amazing, and what makes it stand out for me is that fact that most shorts are either silly or funny and I find it is rare for there to be a great dramatic short.

3. Banana Bread-This is a fun little movie that combines action and humor. About a hit man who has a nagging mother who feels the need to call him when he is on the job. Just a lot of fun. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFO0_x99gMw

4. The New Tenants –This movie won best short last year at the Academy Awards and has some of the oddest dialogue. About two gay guys who end up moving in to an apartment where there previous tenant was killed and a bunch of odd people start showing up to their door. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITE7Nshd3SM

5. The Surprise Demise of Francis Coopers Mother-One of the only animated shorts I like at the MKE Film Festival. About a guy whos mother dies unexeptedly and he tries to figure out statistically when he will die.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWphsMc8MGs