Blogcritics Category: Video: Documentary

Top 10 Worst Films of 2008

Ross Miller — Tue, 6 Jan 2009 22:39:36 EST

A list of my top 10 worst movies of 2008.
"Ten at a Time" is a series of my top 10 lists of movies in different areas, like a particular year or lists of a more specific nature like a certain genre. Most of the lists will be retrospective, meaning I will be looking at years past, now having had the chance to view a lot of films I might not have seen in the cinema, and am now...

How to Divorce and Not Wreck the Kids Filmmaker Shares Stories of 'Good' Divorces

Diane Kristine — Mon, 5 Jan 2009 11:08:51 EST

Documentary aims to prove the end of a marriage doesn't have to be the end of a family.
After hearing Maureen Palmer's personal tale of divorce, which involved sharing a home with her ex-husband for the benefit of their children, I had to ask: "Are you special?" Palmer, whose documentary How to Divorce and Not Wreck the Kids airs January 8 on CBC, laughed. "I'm not special. I'm really quite flawed. No,...

2008: The Year in DVDs

Chris Beaumont — Sun, 4 Jan 2009 14:15:06 EST

A bunch of DVDs that grabbed my attention in 2008.
Coming up with lists like these is always a difficult task. Well, at least it is for me. Every year, around this time, all manner of year end and recap lists appear. Some are good, some are bad, and some just don't make sense. Now, I would love to offer up a top ten DVD list for 2008, but I am, frankly, unable to do so. There are a couple of...

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Sun, 4 Jan 2009 14:15:06 EST

Movie Review: Frank & Cindy

Luigi Bastardo — Sat, 3 Jan 2009 16:57:41 EST

Adam Becvar (aka Luigi Bastardo) has found THE quintessential independent documentary! Frozen River be damned!
Ladies and gentlemen, it is with an overabundance of confidence and pride that I present to you Frank & Cindy, an independently made documentary from boy genius G.J. Echternkamp, a lad whose last name I dare don’t attempt to pronounce. This fascinating 73-minute feature explores the dysfunctional lives of G.J.’s own mother and...

Movie Review: The Dungeon Masters

El Bicho — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:21:35 EST

I enjoyed what I saw, but it was no different from learning about the lives of any three strangers.
Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival and making its way across the country, Kevin McAlester’s The Dungeon Masters is a documentary that falls into the genre that explores the nerdish or geeky subculture. Here, the viewer is introduced to three current players of the game Dungeons & Dragons, Scott Corum, Richard Meeks,...

Movie Review: Bettina

Lou Novacheck — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:43:32 EST

She was suffocating in her own greatness.
Bettina tells an incredible story. Bettina is also Sam Bassett’s first professional film project ever, and he’s come through with flying colors. It’s a low-budget film, and it shows, as it’s meant to, and most definitely not in a bad way. Actually, it enhances the movie, lending an extra soupcon of authenticity, and driving...

DVD Review: American Teen

Arlo J. Wiley — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:12:45 EST

A slick and suspiciously rehearsed documentary.
The MovieTeenagers are often looked upon with derision, and that's a fact which boggles my mind. Every teenager wants to be taken seriously and treated with respect, but then when those same teenagers grow up, they're cranky adults who look down upon the next generation. Of course, those are wild generalizations, but one's teenage years...

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Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:12:45 EST

DVD Review: American Teen

Andy Sayers — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:42:03 EST

Reviewing the documentary hit of Sundance 2008, a revealing look at high school life that feels a little too much like reality TV.
You generally don't want to judge a film by its advertising campaign, as the creation of the film and the marketing of it are generally two separate entities. But in the case of the documentary American Teen, new to DVD as of December 23, you can't help but feel that how director Nanette Burstein put the film together was influenced by how...

Movie Review: Of Time and the City

Bags — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:08:04 EST

Terence Davies' affecting personal memoir of growing up in post-war Liverpool.
There is nothing more likely to make me balk with horror than anything fitting the description of "English heritage cinema." I think of all of those horrifying Merchant-Ivory productions which wistfully yearned for a glorious, happy period of imperial dominance which clearly never existed in the real world. For many, the antidote to that...

DVD Review: Man on Wire

Dusty Somers — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:26:55 EST

The fascinating journey of a man who walked across the sky is one of the best films of the year.
As gripping as the best caper films, and as fascinating as the best fiction screenplays, Man on Wire is one of the best films of the year, documentary or otherwise. It’s a brilliant and beautiful piece of filmmaking that’s worthy of the incredible feat it tells of, and in many ways, just like feat it's vibrant, whimsical and...