DIFF 2015 Review- THE LOOK OF SILENCE- Jonesy's Take

THE LOOK OF SILENCE

Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer

Synopsis: A brother of a victim of the military overtake of Indonesia is on a quest to confront his brother's murders.

DIFF 2015 Review: RAIDERS! THE STORY OF THE GREATEST FAN FILM EVER MADE- Jonesy's Take

RAIDERS! THE STORY OF THE GREATEST FAN FILM EVER MADE

Directed by Jeremy Coon and Tim Skousen

Starring: Eric Zala and Chris Strompolos

Synopsis: A documentary following two friends as they try to film the one scene missing from their RAIDERS shot-for-shot remake they started as kids.

THE HUNTING GROUND Review- Jonesy's Take

Directed by Kirby Dick

Written by Kirby Dick

Synopsis: A look at the growing rape problem on college campuses, and the students who decide to take a stand. 

This review originally ran on CentralTrack.com

Thin Line Festival Review: ENERGIZING OUR WORLD - Jonesy's Take

ENERGIZING OUR WORLD

Directed by Susan Sember

Starring: Edward James Olmos

Synopsis: A documentary about innovative ways to create a sustainable world.

ENERGIZING OUR WORLD will play as part of the Thin Line Festival on Sunday, February 22nd at 8:15 pm. You can purchase tickets here.

Netflix Instant: TV and Movie Picks- New Year's Edition

Have you recovered from your New Year's hangover yet? Have you had your traditional black eyed peas for good luck for the new year? Are you already sick of all the football going on this weekend? Well, welcome to the first Netflix column for 2015! I have a couple picks for you as always. One great television show has finally made its way to streaming, and I have a couple films, which are all perfect for a lazy weekend before back to the real world on Monday.

FRIENDS

It's finally here! No longer do the people have to watch reruns on TBS after work. Now you can flip to any season and watch any episode of one of the greatest and most rewatchable sitcoms out there. Perfect lazy weekend show to watch.

HEY BARTENDER

The fancy cocktail is slowly making its way back to bars. If you're an adult, no longer are the days where you order a liquor and soda or tonic. Fancy and fresh cocktails are the way to go. This documentary follows some of the forefront bartenders and bars who are trying to revive this pastime. This doc also makes me want to try everything they make. Great drink porn.

ELECTION

Usually dark comedies don't necessarily have a great rematch factor, but that is not the case for ELECTION. In what could easily be Reese Witherspoon's greatest role, this film follows a very determined and assertive student as she runs for student body president. Matthew Broderick plays her teacher, who's life is slowly falling apart and decides to take his frustration out on her. It's quite wonderful in all of its darkness and snark. 

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A COUP IN CAMELOT Review- Jonesy's Take

A COUP IN CAMELOT

Directed by Stephen Goetsch 

Synopsis: An in-depth examination with new evidence about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. 

Ever since his assassination, controversy and conspiracy has surrounding John F. Kennedy. Numerous specials and films have tried to shed light on the events on that fateful day in November. A COUP IN CAMELOT is another such documentary, but instead of bombarding us with conspiracy theorists and wild accusations, the filmmakers used previously unseen documents, information, and technology to piece together the events.

The film is broken up into five sections: the secret service, forensics, transportation of the body, the autopsy, and Lee Harvey Oswald. Each section is rich with facts, most of which the audience weren't familiar with. For example, the standard secret service protocol for a motorcade was very different than in previous instances. It takes us step-by-step of what the process should have been and what it ended up being, which helped seal the president's fate. There are some particularly graphic images during the autopsy section which aren't for the faint of heart. Even though they are vivid, they're important to attempting to solve this mystery.

There are only a handful of experts who provide the talking heads throughout the film, which helps to not feel as overwhelmed with the amount of information that's being conveyed. This documentary could have easily gone the conspiracy theorist route with testimony from people believing various ideas about who/what organization was responsible for the assassination. However, Goetsch was smart in keeping with experts in various fields looking at the evidence. Some experts just reexamine the evidence while others use new technology to view the evidence is a new light.

The famous Zapruder film is put through a modern digital upgrade which makes the images crisper, thus we're able to see even more detail of the assassination and the movement of JFK's body when he got shot. The movement is important because it unravels the lone gunman theory and opens up the possibility of someone else pulling the trigger from another location.

One aspect the film touched on but could have spent more time diving into was the reason why all of this happened. There's no doubt there was foul play surrounding Kennedy's death. It was very clearly a compartmentalized operation, but what was the ultimate motivation. Also, who developed this whole plan? All of these thoughts could easily be explored in another film, but COUP leaves us with some lingering questions. Most logical people could look at the evidence and know something fishy went down, but knowing motivations would bring about a closure that hasn't really happened yet.

This film is easily one of the most eye-opening documentaries in recent memory. It would have been easy to write off this film as just another documentary about the Kennedy assassination, but the filmmakers went with a more compelling, fact-based approach which makes this a must see for anyone interested in this mystery.

Fantastic Fest 2014 Review: MY LIFE DIRECTED BY NICHOLAS WINDING REFN- Jonesy's Take

MY LIFE DIRECTED BY NICOLAS WINDING REFN

Directed by Liv Corfixen

Synopsis: A documentary about Refn while he's trying to make and produce ONLY GOD FORGIVES. 

OCFF 2014 Review: TO BE TAKEI- Jonesy's Take

TO BE TAKEI

Directed by Jennifer M. Kroot

Starring: George Takei

Synopsis: A documentary about the life of the pop culture icon. 

For Funsies: TRANSFORMERS: THE PREMAKE

With the impending release of TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION next week, I figured it'd be a good time to post about TRANSFORMERS: THE PREMAKE by director Kevin Lee. It's a 25 minute short film available on YouTube that chronicles the crazy amount of video and documentation that people have uploaded to the internet about the making of TF: AOE. Without narration, it manages to be a very compelling look at the politics behind making such a huge world-spanning movie and how its production affects those that are in whatever country or town that the movie happens to be filming in. Additionally, it's a great look at how the creation of media begets more media in the form of these candid videos of the crew filming stunts or the Autobot vehicles. For a very interesting read, you can also go to Slate to read the filmmaker's thoughts, which are very cool to read.  



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Netflix Instant TV and Movie Picks- Jonesy's Birthday Edition!

It's my birthday! Well, Wednesday was, so it's really my birthday weekend because birthdays should always last more than one day. DIFF is now over, and so we're back to our regularly scheduled Netflix programming. I have a combo of films for you that sort of represent what I love about movies: a great drama, a musical, and a documentary.

Enjoy!

SHORT TERM 12
This is a fantastic little film about a young woman, Brie Larson, and her struggles to balance life and work as she runs a home for troubled kids. It's heartfelt and will make you want a hug by the end, but her performance is outstanding.

THE APPLE
This is such a weird musical. It fits into the category of ROCKY HORROR as to how semi-crazy it is, but it ends up being a really fun experience. Plus, it's choreographed by Nigel Lithgow, who is the genius behind So You Think You Can Dance. 

TALHOTBLOND
I've heard about this film a couple months ago, and it sounds like the type of documentary I love. It starts off as a basic story of a cyberspace love triangle, but there are so many twists and turns that, by the end, it sounds like a script straight out of Hollywood. 

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DIFF 2014 Revew: THE CASE AGAINST 8- Jonesy's Take

THE CASE AGAINST 8

Directed by Ben Cotner and Ryan White

Synopsis: An in depth look at the trail of overturning prop 8 in California. 

THE CASE AGAINST 8 plays again tonight, 4/10, at The Angelika, and you can purchase tickets here!

DIFF 2014 Review: NO NO: A DOCKUMENTARY- Jonesy's Take

NO NO: A DOCKUMENTARY 

Directed by Jeff Radice

Synopsis: A look into the life of former MLB pitcher, Dock Ellis

DIFF 2014 Review: WEB JUNKIE- Jonesy's Take

WEB JUNKIE

Directed by Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia

Synopsis: A documentary detailing how China is dealing with its teens addicted to internet gaming. 

WEB JUNKIE plays again on 4/8 at 1:30pm at The Angelika in theatre 8.

DIFF 2014 Review: EVOLUTION OF A CRIMINAL- Jonesy's Take

EVOLUTION OF A CRIMINAL

Directed by Darius Clark Monroe

Synopsis: A film maker goes home to tell a story that about his teenage years.

EVOLUTION OF A CRIMINAL plays again on 4/5 at 9:30 pm at The Angelika in theatre 4.

Netflix Instant TV and Movie Picks

Greetings everyone! It's the final weekend to get all your shopping done, and if you would rather avoid the malls, like me, then I have some Netflix Instant suggestions for you to watch while you shop online from the comfort of your home.

Enjoy!

BLACKFISH

If you missed this film in theatres or when CNN aired it, now is your chance to see one of the best documentaries this year. I was blown away by this film. It's tense, eye-opening, and lives up to all the hype surrounding it. It's definitely one of those documentaries which will (and already has) change the way the public feels about a certain subject. 

LAST CALL AT THE OASIS
I saw this documentary during the Dallas International Film Festival a couple years ago. It's very dense and goes into great detail about the water crisis all over the world. It's an almost overload of information, but it brings to light a problem that many of us are unaware of.

STREET DANCE
After watching the two suggestions above, what better way to cleanse your palette than with a cheesy dance film? We are suckers for dance films with great dance scenes but horrible acting. And STREET DANCE is great and laughable entertainment. 

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Netflix Instant TV and Movie Picks

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like Netflix is starting to get more and more awesome movies each week. Each one of my picks this week is something I either really enjoyed in the theatre or a film that I would pay on-demand prices for. But thankfully, they're streaming!

SKYFALL

Having just seen MOONRAKER for the first time this week, my appreciation for the James Bond series has grown. It's a daunting task to come into an established series and try to bring something new. Though SKYFALL isn't my favorite of the new Bond films, it's visually the most stunning and has one of the more interesting antagonists. Plus, it's hard to resist Adele's theme song. 

ONLY GOD FORGIVES

I've heard very polarizing opinions of this film. Director Nicolas Winding Refn is back with his BFF Ryan Gosling, after their success with DRIVE, with another dark and very bloody film. If anything, everything I've read say that the film is visually fantastic, but the story and violence could be a turn off.  

SOMM

As a beer connoisseur, I know that whatever knowledge I hold is nothing compared to the experts. And if I thought beer experts knew a lot, it's almost nothing compared to the wine experts that try to become a Master Sommelier. The test is usually taken three or four times by candidates before they pass. This documentary follows four candidates as they put their lives and relationships basically on hold as they study for countless hours and put themselves through grueling prep work. 

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Dallas VideoFest 26 Review: VESSEL - Jonesy's Take

VESSEL

Directed by Diana Whitten

Synopsis: A documentary that follows the organization, Women on Waves, as they try to bring abortion options to women in countries where it is outlawed. 

Netflix Instant TV and Movie Picks

Happy October my film loving friends! We're in the a great time of year where the candy corn and pumpkin-flavored everything is flowing. For my picks this week, the films all have horror aspects to them. One is a documentary about a classic horror film, one is a retelling of a series of murders, and the final is a small, tense indie thriller.

ROOM 237

THE SHINING is a staple horror film for any filmbuff. Kubrick is known for his obsessive nature as a filmmaker, and there have been many different types of theories and stories surrounding the production of THE SHINING. ROOM 237 is a documentary that focuses on some of the more "out there" theories floating around including Kubrick helping with faking the moon landing or Minotaur symbolism sprinkled within the film. It's a well made film and worth a watch, even if the points are a little outlandish. You can check out our review of it here!

SNOWTOWN

I've heard about this film when it was released that it was making waves in the festival circuit. It's about the Snowtown murders that happened in South Australia. They're also know as the "body-in-barrels" murders, which makes the film even more intriguing.  

SILENT HOUSE

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE was one of my favorite films a couple years ago. It made waves at Sundance, and the star, Elizabeth Olsen, had another film premiere that pretty much made her the festival darling, SILENT HOUSE. Though it's a simple story of a young woman being terrorized in her family's vacation home, what makes this film remarkable is the appearance of the film being done in a single, long take. It's quite a technological spectacle, and though the film itself isn't as solid as it should be, Olsen, as always, is fantastic. 

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Fantastic Fest 2013 Review: MIRAGE MEN - Jonesy's Take

MIRAGE MEN

Directed by: John Lundberg, Roland Denning, and Kypros Kyprianou

Synopsis: A documentary focusing around Area 51 and the cover-ups the government put in place to protect secret military operations. 

Fantastic Fest 2013 Review: TALES FROM THE ORGAN TRADE - Jonesy's Take

TALES FROM THE ORGAN TRADE

Directed by Ric Esther Bienstock

Synopsis: A documentary that shows various sides of the black market of organ trading.