Tag Archives: Documentary

post

The Bootleg Files – Agueda Martinez: Our People, Our Country

Posted on by

BOOTLEG FILES 825: “Agueda Martinez: Our People, Our Country” (1977 Oscar-nominated documentary short).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the proverbial cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

For many years, the films nominated in the Academy Award categories for short subjects were the most mysterious titles in the annual Oscar ceremonies. Between the evaporation of the theatrical shorts market in the early 1960s and the relatively recent dawning of the streaming era, these films were unknown and inaccessible to the vast majority of movie lovers.
Continue reading →

VHS Massacre Too (2020)

Posted on by

“VHS Massacre” was one of many looks back at the golden age of VHS and how physical media is dying in the age of streaming. Thomas Edward Seymour produced a very good and insightful glimpse at a time where the death of physical media seemed imminent. So it feels only logical that he’d follow it up with a further look in to the death of physical media. The problem though is that “VHS Massacre Too” is a less focused and somewhat confused successor that never quite knows what it’s trying to tell its audience.

Continue reading →

Star Wars Kid: The Rise of the Digital Shadows (2022) [CINEJOY 2023]

Posted on by

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.

Continue reading →

Back to the Drive-In (2023)

Posted on by

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.

Continue reading →

post

The Bootleg Files: The River

Posted on by

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.
Continue reading →

Diomysus (2022) [Slamdance 2023]

Posted on by

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.

Continue reading →

Subway Stops (2023) [Slamdance 2023]

Posted on by

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.

Continue reading →