Well, it is once again DOCday on the Sundance Channel. Today I watched several documentaries on such varied subjects as neighborhood communities, the Vietnam War peace movement and the unsanitary condition of the Ganges river.

First, I have to mention Unfinished Symphony. It is an extremely informational and touching piece about the anti-war movement by ex-Vietnam Veterans. It chronicled the march in Massachusets and the controversial decision to camp on the historic Lexington battlefield. It featured now-Senator Kerry from Massachusetts as a then-former Vietnam vet protesting the war. In addition it included commentary by anti-war and often anti-American spokesman Howard Zinn. It was a very good documentary about a not very well publicized era.
RATING 7 out of 10

Another one that I caught was Caesar's Park by Sarah Price. It was very interesting - but it felt more like an episode of COPS without the violence than a documentary. There was not much of a point to the whole thing as the filmmaker originally set out to document a small park in a working-class section of Milwaukee and instead told the story of a small group of neighbors. The feeling of the film was that Price thought of the people as lower class, unambitious dullards as she had spent her entire life travelling the world prior to making the film. It was interesting to watch - much like an accident on the freeway is an interesting gawk. I was left with the feeling that the director was a snob and was making fun of her subjects.
RATING 4 out of 10

The Holier it Gets has been splashed all over the Sundance Channel (pun intended) as the next great documentary. The 1999 film by Jennifer Baichwal tells of the children of Indian and Canadian parents fulfilling their father's wish to disperse his ashes in the Ganges river upon his death. Upon reaching Bombay, they discover that the river is unsanitary because so many people flock to the river to 'cleanse' themselves and leave dead bodies. They decide to journey to the headwaters of the river so that they can place the ashes in a pristine environment. It is a little over-the-top in terms of drama as the filmmaker narrates throughout with countless morose and melancholy thoughts and feelings. The children try too hard to make it a heart-wrenching drama and actually end up (to my thinking) dishonoring their father's wishes by refusing to do things according to Hindu customs. The water is too dirty to do it like the rest of the Hindu's - so they choose a cleaner location. There is no special ceremony required, but for drama's sake they decide they want to make one. They continually whine about the dirt, poor conditions and bugs. They bitch because the place of the ceremony wasn't beautiful. They complain that people walk around indifferent ot their little wanna-be ceremony. They even whine about the rain. It is a sad commentary about the arrogance of this man's children and their ambition to make a film over obeying their father's request. The filmmaker intends to make a moving piece about ancient customs - but ends up making an indictment of herself and her spoiled siblings. Shame on them for dishonoring their father with this self-aggrandizing fluff.
RATING 4 out of 10

Holi-days is an excellent film. This documentary examines the contrast and similarities of three different destination cities – Jerusalem, Florence and Las Vegas. Jerusalem, the religious focal point for much of the world. Florence, the home of the Renaissance, DaVinci, Michelangelo and Galileo. Las Vegas, sin-city. The film shows that in competition for tourism and the almighty dollar, Jerusalem and Florence have turned into theme parks that happen to have old buildings. You find historical reenactments, cotton candy, ice-cream and shopping, shopping, shopping. Las Vegas a city that continually destroys any semblance of history by implosion, gives more history to its attendees through attractions such as The Venetian, Paris, Caesar’s Palace, the Luxor, and New York – New York. You can see the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triumph, Statue of Liberty and the canals of Venice all in one place. Amid all the exchange of money and photo-ops – the only difference between the three cities is that Las Vegas is up front about its intentions. Attendance for each per year: Jerusalem 3 million - Florence 6 million - Las Vegas 36 million
RATING 8 out of 10

- posted by Chris @ 8:17 PM