Documentary

Air Guitar Nation

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  • Title: Air Guitar Nation
  • IMDb: link

“To err is human.  To air guitar is divine.”

Air Guitar Nation DVD review

The documentary Air Guitar Nation takes a look at the first ever American Air Guitar Championships as men like Dan Crane (AKA Bjorn Turoque) and David S. Jung (AKA C-Diddy) compete to earn a chance to travel to the International Air Guitar Championships in Finland to compete against air guitarists from all over the globe.

The documentary accepts and celebrates the absurdity of the situation and takes us all on a wonderful ride filled with people who view air guitar as a serious art form.

We watch the early competitions in New York and Los Angeles, then travel overseas and view the two week training course in Finland where the artists are instructed on the finer points of performing (including handling groupies!).  Silly?  You bet!

By the time the final competition arrives we are fully immersed in this world with our own favorites and are ready to root for them (or even take the stage ourselves and show them how its done).  Bjorn and C-Diddy push each other and the other performers from around the world to put on their best and leave it all out on stage.  Although only one is crowned champion all the performers earn the chance to live out a dream, and so each is a winner.  In a world where competition can divide and destroy it’s refreshing to see it bring together a diverse group from around the world in a peaceful competition and a shared dream.

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Nanking

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  • Title: Nanking
  • IMDb: link

“We have to keep in mind that it’s not just about the numbers of people who died; it’s also the manner which many of these victims met their deaths. “
—Iris Chang

nanking-poster

To tell the story a group of actors is assembled together.  Each is assigned a role and will read the letters, diaries, journal entries, and accounts of that person which are then intercut with real footage of Nanking.  This unusual set-up takes a little to get used to, but by the time the historical context is covered and the film moves into the gory and ghastly details of the Rape of Nanking you have forgotten the actors and are completely immersed in this horrific tale.

Nanking was the Chinese capitol in 1937 when the Japanese army invaded the country and took control of the city.  The occupation of Nanking lasted for more than six weeks and visited such atrocities on the civilian population it has been named the Nanking Massacre and The Rape of Nanking.  A small group of missionaries from foreign countries including America and Germany created a safety zone in the city for refugees and survivors.

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When Man Walked on the Moon

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  • Title: In the Shadow of the Moon
  • IMDb: link

“There are some men who lift the age they inhabit, ‘til all men walk on higher ground in that lifetime.”
—Maxwell Adams

In the Shadow of the Moon

In 1961 President John F. Kennedy presented a goal and challenge for the United States to land men on the face of the moon before the end of the decade.  This speech led to the creation of the Apollo program and their missions to the moon.

This new documentary from director David Sington and producer Ron Howard takes us back to the early days through the words and experiences of the surviving Apollo astronauts including Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Michael Collins, Jim Lovell, and Neil Armstrong (though in Armstrong’s case, only through archival footage).

With human ingenuity and hard work these men traveled through space and many of them stepped foot on the moon.  It was a time of magic and pushing the limits of all that was possible.

The film focuses mainly on the Apollo 11 mission, but also incorporates events from other space missions, including the near disaster of Apollo 13, into a well-managed format discussing training, lift-off, moon landing, return and life afterwards, with all the astronauts.

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The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

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  • Title: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
  • IMDb: link

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

Here we examine video games and the people who play them, not just for fun, but for recognition, glory, and world records; this is the subject of an outstanding documentary, with perhaps the best title of any film released this year (and the rest of the film ain’t too shabby either).

Director Seth Gordon paints us a surprisingly complex tale of two very different men.  Billy Mitchell is the king of his universe, the world record holder for Donkey Kong, who once played the first perfect game ever recorded on Pac Man, owns his own company, and is a longtime friend and contributor to Walter Day, the founder of Twin Galaxies (an organization which tracks video game records).

Mitchell was once named “the greatest video-game player of all time” and “Gamer of the Century.”  Confident and arrogant to a fault he is the undisputed master of his domain.

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The 11th Hour Approaches

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  • Title: The 11th Hour
  • IMDb: link

The 11th Hour

Well, it’s not An Inconvenient Truth (read the review), let’s get that out of the way first.  This new documentary on the increasing problems with the environment doesn’t have the jau de vive, the heart, or the spirit of Al Gore’s documentary from last year.  Though it may not live up to the Gore standard there is plenty to watch (especially in the film’s second half) and more than a little to discuss.

The documentary focuses our attention on the changing climate of the Earth due to a variety of factors including global warming, pollution, over population, and man’s destructive effect on the environment.  Leonardo DiCaprio narrates the film which is filled with interviews from scientists from many fields and countries including Stephen Hawking.

The documentary breaks down into two parts.  The first showcases the increasing dangers and causes and foretells of a dangerous and disastrous future if real change isn’t embraced soon.  This part of the film comes dangerously close to the scare tactics many wanted to, falsely, lay at the feet of An Inconvenient Truth.  This first section of the film comes off as part lecture and part blame instead of the imploring and instruction Al Gore utilized to much better effect.

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