Waste Land (2010)

Agg..what an awesome film. Our Cape Town bergies could learn a thing or 2 from watching this hehe..

This was not the kind of documentary with twists and turns but a simple film about ordinary people. What so clearly starts about an artist, Vik Muniz who decides that he is going to create portraits made from recyclable garbage transforms into an incredible tribute to the people who work and sift through the tons and tons of garbage deposited daily on the largest landfill in Brazil. I absolutely loved ALL the characters and was touched by the dignity, emotion and spirit of each and every one of them. The women were especially endearing and I found most of them quite beautiful, the irony not being lost on where they spend their days. There are 3000 “pickers” that work and live in this landfill, clearly very devout and supportive of each other. Even I was amazed at the resourcefulness of the group, with Irma, who has worked there for 30years, feeding her group the most amazing meals from the trash. She boasts of rib stews and roast beefs, being cooked right there on the dump.

It was also very interesting to see where our trash goes after it leaves our door on bin day every week. It was amazing to see what we consider trash is considered very desirable in monetary terms when it lands on the other side. Dont get me wrong, this film does not glorify the job they do, its a hard and stressful life and a means to an end. Most of the women commenting that it was this or prostitution for them.

The end result of Vik Muniz art is also amazing and incredibly beautiful even thou I know nothing about art. I would most definitely love to own a piece myself. The pickers help him with his project and their sense of pride and accomplishment after their portraits are completed is really carried forward to the viewer. I did find the first few 15 minutes hard to watch as I found the artist quite arrogant and was going to turn it off but I'm so glad I stayed with it, was really worth the watch.

You could study these for hours.

I will add that this reminded me of a few years ago, I packed a full black bag of my then baby daughters clothing to give to a friend and left it by the front door. My husband, thinking it was trash, threw the bag into the bin. Needless to say, I was furious and for years, still got pissed off everytime I thought about it. However, I can calmly say all is finally forgiven after watching this film. I can only imagine it was a joyous day for whomever found that bag when it got to our cities landfill.

If you manage to watch this film, also take note of the philosophical quotes to come from Valter, some of them are absolute gems. The movie is in Brazilian so you will need the .srt files if you grab it.

God Grew Tired Of Us (2006)

This is a remarkable story and an enduring testament to the thousands of peope who flee their homelands, leaving behind loved ones and family, in search of a better life in other countries when their own has become inhabitable be it from war, famine or just basic survival. Considering we live in a country where thousands attempt to enter every day, I will forever look at our refugees in a different light.

The story revolves around 3 men who were part of the Sudan's Lost Boys. I had never heard of them before but their story is beyond horrific and there is a very brief background in the film to give you probably just the basic idea but its enough to tell you what these boys have endured. The US government promised 3800 of these boys asylum in the states and of course, this film follows their story. These young men have never experienced things that we take for granted and you cant help but chuckle when one of them, on the plane to the states, opens a block of butter, sniffs it and pops it in his mouth!eeewww.

Anyhow, the film shows how they have to integrate into American society, their homesickness and loneliness away from the only family they have known (the young men left behind), cultural differences and most poignantly, their guilt at being one of the chosen ones to get asylum. John Bul Dau, whom I immediately took a shining to for his gentle nature, intelligence and perplexity at his new environment (shocking to be told you cannot just walk into your neighbours home LOLOL) , took on 3 jobs at one stage to send money to his family, remaining lost boys in Africa and pay his way.

John Bul Dau-My New Hero

Its a lovely film which will make you laugh, cry and after the credits have rolled, will have you googling to see what you can do to help. Its really a must see and a terrific film about overcoming the odds.

PS: And do yourelf a favour and read about the lost boys of Sudan, every human should KNOW their story.

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!

Man on Wire (2008)

“If I die,what a beautiful death”- Philippe Petit





There is no chance of really giving any spoilers to this film as the poster clearly tells you what this film is about. And I will say, its a MAGNIFICENT account of Philippe Petit's walk on a tightrope between the once famous Twin Towers in 1974. Philippe basically narrates the story but it does jump back and forth abit between his training, the actual planning of the event, his early years etc and then the re-enactments of actually illegally hauling tons of equipment to the top of the towers undetected. However, the story is very easy to follow and he tells it so well. He's very animated and dramatic besides being a funny guy. He also tells the story with such passion you can hardly contain yourself by the time he actually steps out into the clouds. We are also treated to some footage of when he walked over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Notre Dame de Paris but obviously these were minor feats compared to his Twin Tower walk.I'm not going to mention the suffering of a serious case of vertigo more than once in my chair, nor the involuntary kegels I kept getting every time the camera panned over the edge of the towers while watching this movie...



Rather you then me!!



He starts basically from the beginning when he heard about the towers being built and actually managed to convince himself they were being built especially for him. You also know from very early in the film that he was going to do this walk, regardless of what stood in his way and if it was the very last walk he ever took. He explains the intricacies involved in detail, such as the tightness of the rope, weather conditions 450m above the ground and of course, the problem of getting his wire from the one tower to the other. His friends who help him achieve this goal, also give very interesting details and interviews regarding the events.

I have to say, when he finally walks out on the rope, its very hard not to feel emotional or moved as it really is beautiful. I found it hard not to cry. For 45 minutes he literally danced, lay down, taunted the police and even saluted. There is no live footage of the actual stunt from the roof tops but the pics really do say it all. Over and above the actual story, I just want to mention that this film has some awesome footage of the building of the towers. I also tried not to think too much of what became of the towers and 9/11 but you cant help but think of the victims who where stuck on the top floors and jumped...this film puts in perspective just how high it actually is up there.



Having a chat with God?



The irony is not lost on me...

I lmao when he said after he came off the rope and was arrested on the spot by police, the most dangerous part of the whole episode was when he was handcuffed and almost shoved down a flight of stairs, nearly breaking his neck. I absolutely LOVE LOVE this film and have it on all my wishlists, this one is a definite keeper.

Please note that if you do download get this from somewhere, make sure you grab the .srt file too as a lot of it is in french and you will need the subtitles.





Exit Through The Gift Shop (2010)




 

Ive decided to do my first review on Banksy's Exit through The Gift Shop in honour of it being awarded an Oscar nomination. In all honesty, I had never even heard of Banksy before watching this documentary and jumped onto google right after i finished the film. He has an extraordinary history. Basically he is a famous graffiti artist from the UK who has never been seen(bar close associates), is extremely elusive nor does anyone supposedly know his true identity however, he leaves his mark all over the place. Apparently, should you wake one morning and discover you (or your establishment) has been visited by him during the dead of night, the value of your property could fly through the roof as his work seems quite valuable besides the fact, his art really REALLY is a work of genius (and I'm no arty farty).

One of Banksy's Murals

                                                    

Exit through the Gift shop (despite the movie poster initially giving me no clues as to the content of the story) is a thoroughly enjoyable and riveting story, even if you are not into art. The film is actually about a french amateur film maker, Thierry Guetta who documents the graffiti artists around his city and then decides to track down Banksy who is a legend in his field. Banksy in turn lands up supporting Thierry when he tries his hand at art and turns the camera on Thierry.

It was hard for me to decide if Thierry aka Mr Brainwash (hmmmmm....) was genuinely naive or in on the joke as some of his art is totally outrageous but thanks to a massive campaign lead by top graffiti artists..Mr Brainwash seemed to have found success. This ads to the mystery around the film as to was Mr Brainwash created for the amusement of Banksy and co, or did they really believe he had some talent?? Can anyone just become an artist?? You can be the judge! Even though I was covering my eyes in embarrassment for Thierry in some parts, he is a genuinely likable character and I REALLY wanted him to succeed.Its also an awesome look into the lives of these nocturnal creatures that create art while we all sleep. Besides some truly hilarious LOL moments in the film, its was an eye opener in what people are willing to believe in the name of hot trends, pop culture and celebrities.

This one definitely deserves its Oscar nod and is a remarkable, funny and fascinating doccie. If you hadn't heard of Banksy and his friends before now, you will spend hours after watching the film, trawling the net for info...

PS: Ive tried hard not to add any spoilers as with any doc, the less you know beforehand, the greater the impact when you watch it but if you do watch this one, would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.