To his friends he’s known as Ghyslain Raza, but if you grew up during 2003, in the infancy of the digital age, you know him as “Star Wars Kid.” What began as an innocent test with a high school project turned in to one of the most viral videos every conceived on the internet. It’s also probably the earliest incident of internet bullying ever to develop, as a young high schooler by Ghyslain Raza became the object of media scrutiny and mockery by literally everyone from the UK to America.
Tag Archives: Documentary
Back to the Drive-In (2023)
In 2020, when the pandemic hit America and the government was demanding strict social distancing laws, the sudden need for the American Drive-In signaled an incredible renaissance. What was once considered an antiquated facet of movie going suddenly began thriving once again. Everyone in desperate need of the experience of movie going took their vehicles to the lots again, and it indicated that no matter what happened, you couldn’t kill the movies. Then the pandemic loosened its grip on the country.
The Bootleg Files: The River
BOOTLEG FILES 826: “The River” (1937 documentary produced by FDR’s Farm Security Administration).
LAST SEEN: On various Internet sites.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: In collections of public domain documentaries.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A lapsed copyright.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: A 4K restored version would be wonderful.
In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal policies brought forth the Resettlement Administration, a federal agency designed to assist the nation’s financially struggling rural communities. By this point in the Roosevelt presidency, there were a growing number of critics who argued the New Deal programs were using taxpayer funds to finance lofty socialist endeavors.
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Diomysus (2022) [Slamdance 2023]
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS BLOCK
Emily Morus-Jones’ documentary short is an absurdist and colorful look at a subset of society that is often misunderstood and demonized by the public. She emphasizes the inherent prejudice of said subset by exploring their world through mice. Mice are some of the more misunderstood animals and through great puppetry, we learn about the lifestyles of the polyamorous.
Subway Stops (2023) [Slamdance 2023]
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS BLOCK
The streets and subways of New York City are filled with a colorful variety of performers, panhandlers, and personalities, and there have been some films based around this environment. The whole ecosystem of New York City thrives on artistic expression and people performing, and it’s a shame that Joe Zakko’s documentary short feels like a missed opportunity.
Meet Me in the Bathroom (2023)
For years I was very keen to what was considered the last wave of rock and roll in the early aughts. I only was aware of it because MTV decided to air a lot of the more listenable brand of near rock and roll. From The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Hive, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, I loved all of it. But it being MTV they only scratched the surface of it all. “Meet Me In the Bathroom” is an okay documentary that has the ability to really capture a moment in time, a moment when rock and roll was really booming. It could have been a chronicle of a big final gasp for the music genre, and most times it feels like the directors left so much out, preventing it from feeling cohesive and even coherent.
South Beach Shark Club: Legends and Lore of the South Florida Shark Hunters (2022)
The “greatest shark fisherman in the world”, Rene De Dios is discussed as well as the shark fishing culture of South Beach Miami in the 1970s and after.