18First on my go-see-at-the-theatres list:
Pariah (2011), written and directed by Dee Rees
Read the synopsis here.
Paradise Lost changed my life a little when I watched it in high school. What does it really mean, to be judged by our peers? And what if one’s life is on the line? How are we okay with our government ordering individuals’ deaths, often on impatient whims, often without evidence? After almost 18 years, the West Memphis 3 were released from prison in August of 2011, but are still not “free”. This documentary series is as much a semi-biography of Damian Echols, Jessie Miskelly and Jason Baldwin as it is a hard observation of our justice system.
Catch the premiere of Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011), dir. by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky tonight on HBO, and/or read Ebert’s advance review of it by clicking above.
The shoot starts today (the 12th) at 9PM, takes place at North and Farifield at Cermak Produce, and will take place over four days. If you’re interested, please message me for the contact info. I’ve been told it’s a pretty casual production, so even if you’re only available for one day, I’m sure they’d be grateful for the help.
Sorry for the late details! Only just got ‘em.
Clip from the second documentary I watched last night:
This Filthy World (2006), dir. by Jeff Garlin
I’m not a fan of everything John Waters has made - I don’t think I’ll watch A Dirty Shame or even Pink Flamingos all the way through again - but I revere his vision and hold his artistic integrity and sense of humor in the absolute highest regard. This lecture doc shows Waters at his sharpest, real-talking and often pushing the boundaries with his captive audience: just the way he likes ‘em.
This one’s also under Netflix’s “Critically-Acclaimed Documentaries”.
Trailer for one of three documentaries I watched last night:
Pearl Jam Twenty (2011), dir. by Cameron Crowe
Only recently did I start actually listening to Pearl Jam, and while it came as a surprise to me that I actually do like them, I was even more surprised at how absolutely terrifying Pearl Jam’s explosive rise to fame really was for the band. This documentary features personal dialogs with each band mate - including the megadreamydreamy Chris Cornell - supplemented by tons of archival footage of Pearl Jam dating back to the band’s earliest days.
I’ve noticed, after watching a couple band documentaries of grounded groups who’ve gotten big real quick (Wilco, Sigur Ros), that there is a look that one seems to adopt after their career becomes its own entity beyond their control. Jeff Tweedy and Eddie Vedder both communicate with very quiet gestures that no matter what they do, complete control of their art is now impossible. They carry the emotional weight of people who have loved them, hired them, helped them get noticed and get signed, followed them, stalked them, tried to kill them, killed themselves, killed eachother. It’s bittersweet, and really made me think about why “getting famous” is always the end-all when really the apex of one’s art comes from the meaning the artist finds in their own work.
This documentary’s obviously great for any Pearl Jam fan who wants a more personal take on the band’s evolution, but it’s also a solid rock doc in general. Highlights definitely include the Ticketmaster trial, the hair (oh my god, all that hair), and learning about the phases through which the members of Pearl Jam constantly changed and bettered themselves as a group. Highly recommend; catch it under Netflix’s “Critically-Acclaimed Documentaries” section.
Crew Call for Chicago
My AD/Producer friend, who I’ve worked under for several commercial and independent productions, has a Gaffer friend who’s looking for a fledgling/student PA with some grip experience for a 4-day shoot. No pay, but this project would be a great addition to a young resume, and of course there will be food. If you’re in the Chicagoland area and are interested, or know of someone who might be, send me a message!
davidmanque asked: If at all possible, try to hold off on buying hard drives for at least a few months - the flooding in Thailand has decimated many of the factories that make HDs, and the result is highly inflated prices right now (up to 3x!) and very few good deals. If you have to buy some externals right now - make sure they're 7200rpm, and try to get some with USB 3.0. Western Digital, Seagate, and Samsung are all held in high regard. Hitachi has had some past issues but appears to make good drives now too.
Yikes! I had no idea about the flooding in Thailand. Unfortunately, I do need to get at least one drive in the next month or so. It’s time.
I’ve been looking at LaCie - I used them exclusively for video editing in high school and I remember them being very reliable, even for communal use - and I think they’re made in China, so I wonder if those prices have been affected at all.
*I’ve also heard good things lately about Hitachi, so I’ll definitely check them out. Unfortunately, despite all the recs I’m getting for Western Digital, I’m worried about their high crash rate… we’ve already had a couple drive crashes from almost-new drives, so I’m hesitant. I guess it’s all about luck of the draw, though - I know some people who’ve had their LaCie drives for 6 years, and others who’ve had their WD drives for years with no problems. My portable WD drive seems to be working great, though I wonder if it’ll crash now that I’ve acknowledged that.
Thanks for the feedback!
