Adhocumentaries

The Tank Man

23 years ago an unknown man stood up to a column of tanks after they were involved in the brutal repression of Chinese dissidents and critics. The historic, inspirational moment is only one part of a much bigger story of a time of massive Chinese protests and attempts to change the fabric of Chinese society:

"People thought that the old regime was somehow about to fall. And indeed it was hard to imagine how it could be otherwise at that moment."

No Logo (2003) - 40 minutes on Youtube.

The Light Bulb Conspiracy: the untold story of planned obsolescence.

Planned Obsolescence is the deliberate shortening of product life spans to guarantee consumer demand.

As a magazine for advertisers succinctly puts it: The article that refuses to wear out is a tragedy of business – and a tragedy for the modern growth society which relies on an ever-accelerating cycle of production, consumption and throwing away.

The Light Bulb Conspiracy combines investigative research and rare archive footage to trace the untold story of Planned Obsolescence, from its beginnings in the 1920s with a secret cartel, set up expressly to limit the life span of light bulbs, to present-day stories involving cutting edge electronics (such as the iPod) and the growing spirit of resistance amongst ordinary consumers.

How TV Ruined Your Life - "Aspiration: how TV rubs our noses in other people's 'superior' lifestyles"

Global Voices tells the story of how this short, heartfelt 3-minute video made by a Saudi filmmaker changed the lives of family living in abject poverty in a cemetery. Three hours after the video was posted, Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel tweeted through her official account:

Al-Waleed bin Talal Charity Foundation will provide the family with a permanent residence, we are currently contacting Bader AlHomoud

Louis Theroux makes an endearing exploration of one of the biggest jails in Miami, where inmates wait for weeks, months, and sometimes years to even go to trial. Worse than many prisons, this temporary holding facility represents some of the worst aspects of America's broken justice system:

The Power of Nightmares: the Rise of the Politics of Fear is a 2004 3-part film series by Adam Curtis. It's a brilliant look at the power of our time and explores ideas including the parallel rise of neoconservatism and radical islamification, and the notion that "Al Qaeda" as widely understood is an utter fabrication.

"The story starts just after the Second World War, when political philosopher Leo Strauss begins to formulate his ideas: freedom and liberalism lead to decadence, therefore a politician must promote strong myths to counter that liberalism. Such myths can be religion, patriotism or the threat of an outside enemy. It doesn't matter that a leader believes in them himself (in fact, it is preferable he doesn't), they are important to unite an otherwise uncontrollable populace. In the next decades some of his followers like Paul Wolfowitz, John Ashcroft or William Kristol set about putting his ideas into practice, first during the cold war and now during the Bush-era. 

Curtis draws parallels between the ideas of Strauss and those of Sayyid Qutb, who can be considered the godfather of radical Islamist thought: he too considered freedom dangerous and he too promoted the use of religion and fear to accomplish his objectives: to overthrow the corrupt regimes of the Middle East and replace them with Islamist societies.

Both groups would develop independently, meet when fighting a common enemy in Afghanistan and diverge again until September 11, 2001. The final part shows how, since the the US invasion of Afghanistan, the Neo-cons have kept the threat of Al Quaeda alive through misinformation, outright lies and spurious arrests of 'sleeper cells' (all of which later turned out to be innocent). As was evident on November 2, their tactics have paid off.

Watching The Power of Nightmares we're reminded that we're living in a world of fantasy and deception, lead by politicians who have little respect for truth, decency or human lives. There isn't much to be optimistic about, but as long as documentaries like this can be made and broadcast on national television, there's a dim ray of hope for democracy after all."

"Fault Lines" is a short film by Al Jazeera; an excellent and succinct account of the issues that are bringing Americans and supporters around the world into the streets.

"Only when we come to terms with our true nature will we be able to divert from our brute heritage and be able to create a society where we can share the world together."

In this segment from The American Ruling Class (2005), Barbara Erenreich speaks passionately on behalf of the unjustified, intentional misery of low-wage earners in America.

There is something fatally attractive about joining the ruling class, starting of course with the pay, but also with the prestige and the like. But fatally ought to go with attractive, in many cases, because it means for a large part you're getting ready to forget about half of what you learned at Yale or anywhere else, that there are obligations in this democratic republic which I still, perhaps naively, believe need to be factored in. I do not actually believe that society is best served by everybody running avidly after their own self interest. I particularly think: that it is betrayal when the best and the brightest decide that their being the best and the brightest means that they jump on the gravy train and tell everybody else kiss mine as I leave the room. If there is no last morality here to be offered, it is an individual question. The last thing people always say as they go out is not 'I wish I had had more money.' They're usually wishing something else, about what they did with their lives. (former State Dept. spokesman)

The film is a peculiar, unique "musical dramatic documentary" that explores the moneyed seat of power that has been influencing American policy towards its interests for decades. Who are the ruling class? What's an alternative to the status quo that can be more in line with our imagined, socially-conscious ideals? John Kirby, the filmmaker, presents an enlightening, amusing look at this deeply problematic facet of modern society. His audience is specific. He is speaking to people like me; young mid-twenties, concerned, and modestly privileged enough to make choices, but for whom it is too easy to make the easy ones. The film features some outstanding voices of our time, including scenes with Howard Zinn and Kurt Vonnegut.

"Edward Bernays: Assassin of Democracy" addresses how Bernays, a founder of public relations, was a part of the force that actively, purposefully fanned the fires of fear of nuclear annihilation during the cold war, largely to serve corporate interests and prop up banana republics. The clip is a telling excerpt from Adam Curtis' brilliant 3-part documentary, Century of the Self.

The Observer once wrote that the underlying theme in Curtis' works has been to "look at how different elites have tried to impose an ideology on their times, and the tragicomic consequences of those attempts."

I Am - a documentary by Tom Shadyac trailer - 2:30 minutes| film - 76:00 minutes

...what I Am accomplishes in 76 minutes is to lift up the wellspring of compassion and empathy that is hard-wired in each of us, point to the invisible threads of energy that bind us, and remind us that, in the words of the late Howard Zinn, "change comes from millions of tiny acts that seem insignificant." (HuffingtonPost)

Many documentaries today do a fantastic job of educating audiences about a particular issue, but have little to offer in terms of practical solutions beyond a vague sense of guilt about not being informed earlier. I Am is optimistic, forward-thinking and solution-minded. It's informed me in the way that I will make films in the future, and I hope other filmmakers take notice.

MORE REVIEWS

"Filmmaker Tom Shadyac: from "Liar" to truth seeker" (Reuters)

"Whatever Happened to Tom Shadyac?" (Entertainment Weekly)

"Tom Shadyac: Life begins after you give away your Hollywood toys" (LA Times)

A Reassuring Fable - by The Sagan Series. 3:57 minutes

"If we crave some cosmic purpose, then let us find ourselves a worthy goal"

A concise, compassionate argument that "we are the custodians of life's meaning".