Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 12th, 2003
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 5th, 2003
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 5th, 2003
DC Talk made the jump from playing small churches and clubs to playing arenas following their Dove and Grammy award winning album, “Free At Last”. Though some of the songs sound a bit cheesy and dated now, they were right on target when released in the mid nineties, as evidenced by the packed arenas shown during the performances on this disc. The band was getting so big, in fact, that they decided to release a concert video/documentary to major movie houses nationwide. The footage was shot, the project was edited, t...ailers were assembled and sent out to the marketplace, and… nothing happened. For reasons not fully examined on this set, the artists, labels and studios never saw eye-to-eye, and the project was shelved in its nearly-complete form.
On the 10 year anniversary of this groundbreaking project, ForeFront Records returned to their archives, re-mastering and re-releasing the album and dusting off the old film project for new life on DVD. This two-disc set contains both the re-mastered CD and its DVD film counterpart. For better or for worse, the film is Free at Last.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 1st, 2003
I can sum up my feelings about the documentary “Stevie” with one word; “uneven”. Some portions of the film are surprising, touching and moving. Other portions, however, leave the viewer feeling a little sick, wondering how anyone could feel sorry for a person as desperately evil as Stevie.
In the end, all of the various problems with this film rest solely on the shoulders of its director. By bringing cameras into Stevie’s world, he has colored it, and made it something different than what it would otherwise...be. One of the greatest challenges facing documentary directors is the issue of how to capture the story while not affecting its outcome. James ignores this issue completely, however, and eagerly thrusts himself in front of the camera, actively engaging himself in the lives of his subjects.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 27th, 2003
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 19th, 2003
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 18th, 2003
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 9th, 2003
I had never heard of Seabiscuit until I saw a trailer for the movie starring Tobey Maguire. I had no desire to watch a movie about a racehorse and doubted the voice over as it tried to engage the audience by stating that the story of Seabiscuit were the things that legends were made of. Well that feeling of skepticism changed after I watched this documentary. This documentary follows the amazing story of Seabiscuit, possibly the most famous racehorse in American history. One of the opening lines states that in 1938, ...uring the days of the Great Depression, Seabiscuit had more headlines in the newspapers than Adolf Hitler and F.D.R. I actually rewound that part and listened to it twice to make sure that I wasn’t hearing things, but it was true! Either America was a very boring place during those years or there was something quite extraordinary about this horse…
This was the time if the Great Depression. 1 in 4 Americans were unemployed and the country was looking for a hero. This was in the days before televised events and horseracing was considered the pinnacle of sporting events. Celebrities would flock to see the races akin to them being sighted at a Lakers game these days. Millions of Americans would be glued to their radios to listen to the drama that the races would provide. And their favorite, Seabiscuit, would rarely disappoint.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 28th, 2003
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Hard Core Logo is a “documentary” about a fictional Canadian band of the same name and their last tour/reunion. Watch as the guys head off across the country and their van dies, gigs go very wrong and things start to unravel. Starring Hugh Dillon of the band The Headstones this is a rock and roll film without any frills, down and dirty and truer to life then most would admit.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 29th, 2003
Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore’s film Bowling for Columbine has done more then just win the Academy Award for best documentary film, it has also ruffled a lot of feathers. Moore’s extreme views, which are embraced by many, also seem to piss off a lot of people.
Moore’s extreme bias on the topic of gun control and U.S. war mongering has lead many to believe that Bowling for Columbine is more of a 2-hour speech then an award winning documentary. You may not like what he has to say, but y...u must give Moore credit for his dedication to his beliefs.
