For the past twenty years Joan Rivers, once a notable female comedian, went from telling jokes to becoming a walking joke. And though she has always been convinced the audience was laughing with her, she’s been wholly unaware that the public is actually laughing at her. In spite of the obvious fact that Rivers long lost her comedic power after her stint on the Tonight Show, she’s gone from a legend to an absolute shell of a woman whose entire career has relied on gaining work more than garnering work of respectability. Whether it’s judging celebrities’ fashion and weight on a premium cable channel, appearing on reality shows for no apparent reason, or continuing her saggy dated comedy routine, River is indeed what the film proclaims her. She’s a real piece of work. And not one who is bound to become a female role model any time soon.
Tag Archives: Documentary
The Price of Pleasure: Pornography, Sexuality & Relationships (2008) (DVD)
“The Price of Pleasure” essentially has its intent kept under its belt from minute one. It’s an attempt to completely demonize and stigmatize pornography and the porn industry by only exploring the more exploitative aspects and demonstrating the ill effects of such a craze in America where money is made off of sex. The imagery is striking and disturbing, the editing is tricky, and the movie essentially seeks to turn the porn star in to something of a low life, never really remarking on how most of the pornography stars are voluntarily exploiting themselves and making a living out of something they don’t normally perform in life. Every business is exploitative, every business suffers casualties, and garners individuals who have been affected by it for better or for worse.
Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics (2010)
The purpose of “Secret Origins” is two fold. What with DC Comics finally putting their characters on the fast track to big budget films in the box office, this ninety minute documentary is meant to school new audiences that might be interested in learning about characters they’re only vaguely familiar with. If you’ll notice, the only characters spotlighted in this documentary are those that have had movies in theaters or have big budget movies coming to them, thus we get to explore Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Watchmen and The Flash, all the while this is meant as a promotional tool for the magic and wonder that is DC Comics. The documentary is really just a recounting of the creations of classic iconic superheroes from their company and there’s never really an exploration in to the darker side of the company.
Catfish (2010)
The big hook for “Catfish” has been the tagline “Don’t let anyone tell you what it is,” and this has had audiences providing theories since the trailer was released what the big hook is to the story. What is the big surprise in the climax? I won’t spoil it for you. At least I’ll try not to. I’ll leave it up to you. Nevertheless, “Catfish” is not a movie that you will expect going in and leaving and it will assuredly have you re-thinking your life and your overall view on personal relationships.
Best Worst Movie (2009)
There is a certain undertone of sadness present in “Best Worst Movie,” as its mainly a testament to the dangers of filmmaking and the potential for either making a masterpiece or what is considered the worst movie of all time. “Best Worst Movie” is a charming and enthusiastic portrait of the lives of an array of actors, all of whom took part in the 1990 abomination entitled “Troll 2.” What we learn is that these people have been affected by it and its cult status whether they know it or not and we follow star Michael Stephens around as he re-connects with his co-stars and attempts to comprehend why this film has suddenly caught on. Perhaps it was ahead of its time, perhaps cynical horror fans just need some absurdity and innocence and are just bonded with its sense of innocence and incoherency. Regardless Stephens, who refused to touch the movie again after starring as protagonist Joshua, grabs the legacy of this film and discovers an underground of followers who treat “Troll 2” as an almost religious experience.
Zombie Girl: The Movie (DVD)
Justin Johnson, Aaron Marshall, and Erik Mauck’s 2009 documentary from R Squared is probably one of the most simplistic stories ever told but also proves to be fodder for one of the best independent documentaries I’ve ever seen, a film about an enthusiastic little girl who loves movies and is doing everything in her power to make a zombie film, the film community of critics and movie buffs that embrace her for her enthusiasm, her mom willing to do whatever it takes to feed her daughter’s ambition–as long as she goes to school, and the movie that became a cult classic in its own right because of its charming production qualities and overall creativity.
October Country (2009)
Shot over a year from one Halloween to the next leading in to the family Halloween party, “October Country” is a documentary based not around monsters or demons or the undead, but around a family living in the shadows of their past. We visit the Mosher family, a small rather disconnected group of people all haunted by ghosts of war, and by their endless slew of bad decisions that have led them down a road of pain, misery, scars, and distorted memories keeping them in a state of ignorance and sadness that carries on from one generation to the next, all of whom hopelessly indoctrinated by cigarettes.