Dear Zachary: A Letter To A Son About His Father (2008)

I simply cannot go into too much detail about this film and the less you know, the better. The story revolves around Dr Andrew Bagby, who was allegedly murdered by his girlfriend. She then subsequently announces she is pregnant with his son. Andrews life-time friend then sets out to make this moving legacy for Zachary about his father with interviews and short stories from friends and family which clearly show how loved and respected Andrew was. Andrews parents, The Bagby's then try everything in their might to have the young baby near to them considering Andrew was an only child. This little boy was literally all they had left.

 This film was a Tour de Force on the emotions. It stays with you LONG after the credits have rolled and quite frankly, I don't think I will ever forget it. Its very traumatic and as the film hurtles along to its conclusion, which you don't see coming, you will be left shaken to the absolute core, heart-broken and moved beyond anything you might have seen before. It also has to be one of the worst travesties of justice I have yet to witness.

It really is a masterpiece and I HIGHLY recommend it, I have it on all my wish-lists. The film is also in real-time so we see it as it happens. I sincerely doubt the film-maker and friend of Andrew, Kurt Kuenne, could ever in his wildest dreams, imagined what the out-come would be. Just be sure to be seated through-out, should you be standing when all is revealed, its so shocking, its enough to bring you to your knees in disbelief and horror.

Steal it, download it, BUY it....its a must!!!!!

Animals are Beautiful People (1974)

Here's one for us South Africans...who could forget this..well, I did. For 28 years. And I cannot tell you how happy I am that I came across it again after all this time. Formerly known back in the day as just "Beautiful People" the film puts a new(old) spin on nature documentaries.

I can emphatically say that even thou this film was made in 1974, it has not aged a day. I found it just as fantastic, delightful and entertaining as I did when i was a kid. The drama, action, romance, hilarious comedy and musical timing was a treat to watch again. How did I ever forget the drunk animals on marula fruit, the salt eating monkey, the *get away* bird and the poor lost warthog.

Do yourselves a favour and watch this one with your kids..its an absolute gem and a true African classic. What I also enjoyed was there were very few "sad" moments eg: no out-bursts of tears from said little ones when the lion eats the baby buck. It was just pure joy from beginning to end. Maybe a little unrealistic as far as proper nature docs go but still...

 You can bet your arse Ill be sitting this film through again with my little one on the weekend. And quite simply, I cant wait!!

Just a quickie.

I just wanted to add that I get alot of my "what to watch"  from a blog called The Documentary Blog.
Its literally my bible for whats hot in the doc world

They have a list of the 50 top docs of the decade that I have systematically been working through.
Documentary List

When I started, I hadn't watched nor heard of any film (except for Bowling for Columbine) on that list however,  almost a year later and I'm almost through it bar for a few I'm finding almost impossible to download  get my hands on but still searching. I will be absolutely elated the day i can look at that list and say Ive watched them all. Its been an awesome adventure so far and Ive learnt how small my little world was..there is so much happening out there that we don't know about. Everyone has a story, no matter how big or small.

Anyhow, its an awesome blog and its also great for whats currently out there of interest.

Hookers at the Point (2002)

This film is about the hookers who ply their trade in the Bronx, NY along the streets of Hunts Point.
Although I found the characters interesting although sad and depressing sometimes, there are quite a few funny moments. I dont have to tell you that these girls are full of character at the best of times.
There is not much of a story as per say as the camera just follows the stories of the girls who frequent this street and then follows up with them a few years later. I found it quite unusual to find girls in this trade who say they do it for the love of the "game" barring the fact that they are all hooked on some kind of drug or another. In the beginning, I was quite gob-smacked at the outfits these woman wore on the streets, lolol..ive never seen anything quite like...i found myself regularly sniggering and LOL at them and their one-liners are GREAT but they do seem to be victims of their circumstance, trapped in a world almost impossible to leave.

The only thing that put me off was when the girls picked up their dates (hehehe) they kept their mikes rolling so we are regularly subjected to the slurping, sucking and dirty talk emancipating from the vehicles. (nevermind that there is a camera aimed at said vehicle so we get to see it bouncing away with the inevitable head bobbing ) At first, I found it hilarious at the things these chicks would say to their johns, towards the end, i started to find it annoying. You know the saying, too much of a good thing etc etc...its like they read off their script which i suppose they do, just the men changed for each scene.

Anyhow, this film is very watchable and you cant help but feel genuine sorrow for the ladies but its not one Ill add to my dvd collection. If you come across it then yes, watch it (although I seriously doubt any SA peeps will be able to get it anywhere)..dont bother breaking the law to get your hands on it! ;-)


If you really want to watch it and in SA, let me know..sharing is caring!

Zoo (2007)

"We are not who we appear to be"

Well, I just finished watching Zoo, its centred around the man who practically killed himself by doing the deed with a horse in Seattle some years back exposing a group of men who had some kind of bea.stia.lity farm on the go. There really is not much to the story in all honesty and I found it very difficult to follow as actors and voice overs are used and even the actors are somewhat hidden.

 Regarding my feelings following the film, I was actually relieved when it was over. The serene melodic music through-out made me irritated in parallel to the subject at hand. Its almost like the film-maker is trying to evoke feelings of sympathy for the men and the dead man, as we hear from them how normal they are and who is society to judge, how much they love their animals etc etc blah. I mean, come on, ABUSE is ABUSE! I have no idea what the film maker was trying to gain (lolz, maybe someone can tell me??) and it annoyed me to hear their stories of woe after they were bust and most lost everything after being named and shamed.

I would much have preferred it to have been more with hard-facts, more real life stories as it is such a taboo subject and not so focused on these men...who I might add, one even had the gall to say how irritated he was that the death had happened because he had invited his friend to the farm for that weekend. The way he said it, IMO sounded to me like the death was a terrible inconvenience as their weekend get togethers were essentially a thing of the past however, something tells me that it wasnt long before the operation just moved venues.

However, I suppose one does question the morality of it all and yes, who are we to judge althou the movie does bring about the notion that these animals are not harmed. The SPCA person who dealt with the case left me with the most poignant questions and she relates that after dealing with this case, she did extensive research on the subject and has come away with feelings of doubt herself. She says there is a possibility that humans could love another species as intensely, if not more, than their own.She sums it up that these *zoo* people, as they are called, bestow a remarkable about of love,care and devotion upon their animals.
If there was more facts and information, I possibly could have come to the same conclusion but I simply didnt. The men in question annoyed the crap out of me.

Hmmm...I didnt take the bait lolz, didnt go googling afterwards like I usually do (hehehe,thanks, thought I would skip this lesson on s.e.x 101) and finally, its watchable as there are no actual scenes. The filming is rather beautiful in itself with farmlands/views etc.

Psycho, you have to watch this one and tell me if I just didnt get it! lolololol.