SIFF: Three Capsule Reviews
Wonder Women: The Untold Story of American Superheroines: For several generations of American women, Wonder Woman has been an icon of female empowerment and solidarity. This documentary traces her history and influence from World War II through today, and discusses how her character changed (often not for the better) and evolved (into something much better), and influenced the heroines who are her legacy, including the likes of Ellen Ripley, Sarah Connor, Buffy Summers, and others. The historical review and analysis featured in the film is informative and entertaining, and the energy and enthusiasm of everyone involved--from Gloria Steinem to Lynda Carter--is clear and infectious. A delightful 62 minutes, this documentary is well worth watching, and then watching again.
El Gusto: The Good Mood: In 2003, director Safinez Bousbia walked into a shop in Algiers to buy a mirror, and walked out with a mission: to reunite the Jewish and Muslim members of an orchestra formed in the 1950s and torn apart by the Algerian revolution. The group played a form of music called chaabi, a fusion of Arabian and Andalusian music. The film follows the director's quest to find the musicians, to understand the forces that drove them apart, to learn what chaabi is all about, and to reunite them for a concert. We don't learn much about the director's quest to find the individuals featured in the film, but I suspect that's just as well. Though the movie is only 88 minutes long, there were times when I felt that it dragged a little bit though I can't say precisely why; the discovery process would have made it longer. The story of the Algerian revolution becomes the core of the movie, and the music is the binding force throughout the story. It was interesting to hear some of the stories the men told about the war and about their emigration. Hearing the music was fun; it made me want to revisit my brief flirtation with belly dancing. Interestingly, some of the men were shown belly dancing, and I was reminded that it started out as a male art form. (I've seen professional male belly dancers--a whole different experience.) While the documentary was good, and the music terrific, it could have used a little trimming and a little more focused storytelling.
The Central Park Effect: Each year in the spring and the fall, thousands of exotic birds invade Manhattan's Central Park in the course of their annual migration. Through interviews with ornithologists, park officials, and bird watchers, and through really gorgeous high-definition photography, the documentary traces a year in Central Park, explores the whys and wherefores of the phenomenon, and what it means both to New York City and to environmental science. The images of the birds are wonderful, and the interviews with the park's regular bird watchers are delightful. Lean, focused, and beautifully shot, this film is a visual feast and a love letter to birds and Manhattan. I couldn't recommend it more highly. It was delicious to my eyes. And it turns out that HBO will be running it sometime this summer (thanks to varina8 for the tip!).
El Gusto: The Good Mood: In 2003, director Safinez Bousbia walked into a shop in Algiers to buy a mirror, and walked out with a mission: to reunite the Jewish and Muslim members of an orchestra formed in the 1950s and torn apart by the Algerian revolution. The group played a form of music called chaabi, a fusion of Arabian and Andalusian music. The film follows the director's quest to find the musicians, to understand the forces that drove them apart, to learn what chaabi is all about, and to reunite them for a concert. We don't learn much about the director's quest to find the individuals featured in the film, but I suspect that's just as well. Though the movie is only 88 minutes long, there were times when I felt that it dragged a little bit though I can't say precisely why; the discovery process would have made it longer. The story of the Algerian revolution becomes the core of the movie, and the music is the binding force throughout the story. It was interesting to hear some of the stories the men told about the war and about their emigration. Hearing the music was fun; it made me want to revisit my brief flirtation with belly dancing. Interestingly, some of the men were shown belly dancing, and I was reminded that it started out as a male art form. (I've seen professional male belly dancers--a whole different experience.) While the documentary was good, and the music terrific, it could have used a little trimming and a little more focused storytelling.
The Central Park Effect: Each year in the spring and the fall, thousands of exotic birds invade Manhattan's Central Park in the course of their annual migration. Through interviews with ornithologists, park officials, and bird watchers, and through really gorgeous high-definition photography, the documentary traces a year in Central Park, explores the whys and wherefores of the phenomenon, and what it means both to New York City and to environmental science. The images of the birds are wonderful, and the interviews with the park's regular bird watchers are delightful. Lean, focused, and beautifully shot, this film is a visual feast and a love letter to birds and Manhattan. I couldn't recommend it more highly. It was delicious to my eyes. And it turns out that HBO will be running it sometime this summer (thanks to varina8 for the tip!).