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Visual Acoustics – sp – This is a documentary about the life and work of Julius Shulman who is a well known photographer of great architecture particularly in the Los Angeles area. He is a remarkable man now in his 90s who actually was present and answered questions at the screening we attended. The film includes discussions with many of the great architects who are still alive and were filmed visiting and discussing some of their great accomplishments with Mr. Shulman. There are some breathtaking scenes of homes in the hills of Los Angeles. Do not miss this film if you are interested in Southern California architecture. 2008

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Man on Wire – rm – This is the true story of the wire walking Frenchman who actually walked between the two World Trade Center towers in the 1970s. Much of it was a reenactment with some documentary footage. We read numerous movie reviews which were very positive. However while we found it interesting we didn’t think that movie achieved any stimulating insight into the main character or his side kicks. (In English) 2008

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Letter to Zachary – nf- This is a documentary in the genre of the 20/20 or 48 hours television series. It is the story of the life and the murder of a young doctor lovingly and painstakingly made by his childhood buddy for the son of the victim who was born after his demise. It will pull your heartstrings as well as infuriate you at the alleged murderess and the legal system, which can’t prevent even more tragedy from occurring. If you are of the right mindset for this story, you will get caught up in it and feel great admiration for the grandparents who are the heart of the movie. 2008

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Capitalism: A Love Story – rm – Michael Moore set out to make a movie to show how things have changed in this country so now maybe 99% of the wealth is controlled by 1% of the people. The post World War II development of a healthy middle class which he experienced in his youth in Flint Michigan, no longer exists there and not in too many other places in the USA. There are lots of rich people still around but tons of hard pressed people losing their jobs and their homes. He is contending that because we have capitalism, doesn’t mean that we have true democracy. He makes his point by documenting the well-known stories of the changing economic conditions and by using very personal vignettes, which he poignantly captures on film. Is he being completely fair to all the Wall Street bankers and CEOs some of whom have taken major government positions whom he now depicts as only trying to make more money for their old firms and their own portfolios? Is he being fair to Senator Chris Dodd whom he shows was given a mortgage on favorable terms because he was considered a friend of the CEO of AIG when so many others were defaulting on sub prime mortgages? Was the government bailout all-bad, as he seems to be saying? Moore certainly knows how to push our emotional buttons as he shows the faces of the children as their parents try to resist foreclosures of their homes. How can we not be stirred up by the valiant attempt of workers who refuse to leave their now closed factory because they weren’t given wages they were owed? ? Moore’s parting shot is a piece of an obscure video of FDR calling for a new Bill of Rights where everyone is entitled to a job, a descent living, a home and healthcare. Moore shows how the United States helped our defeated enemies achieve these goals after WWII but have not accomplished them ourselves. If you leaned towards his point of view at the beginning, you will be moved towards some kind of action. If you have been on the other side of the philosophical spectrum, you most probably will soften some of your resistance. If the film has a weakness, it is it’s inconsistent form, which veers between being a documentary, a polemic and a comedy. Whatever it is, it is worth seeing and should not be missed. (2009)

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Waltz with Bashir – nf – We had never seen an animated documentary before but that is the essence of this movie. It won many film festival awards as well as a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film and an Academy Award nomination in this category. Israeli Director Ari Folman set out to fill in the gaps in his memory concerning his experience in the Israeli army during the first war in Lebanon in the 1980s. He does this by interviewing soldiers who served with him at that time, some of whom he hasn’t seen in more than twenty years, plus others who went through this experience, whom he recruits by newspaper advertisements. In most cases he uses their recorded voices in the film but his team has a done a brilliant job developing techniques for depicting the story in cartoon animation which is based mostly on scenes recreated in a studio. The result is a realistic dramatic account of what was a very traumatic experience as this 19-year-old man went through the war and witnessed frightening horrible things. This presumably is why he has these memory gaps and why some of the narrators up until now have had difficulty in saying what they had seen. The key event is the massacre at Sabria and Shatila where the Christian Phalangists murdered Palestinian and Lebanese civilians. This group was a Lebanese political faction allied with the Israeli army who are shown stationed on the periphery of this area but voicing objections once they realized what was happening. The more you understand the history and the politics of this time the better you can appreciate the movie. However, the anti war theme is loud and clear and is punctuated by the massacre scene transitioning into actual newsreel footage of the aftermath of this horrific event. (2008)

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Four Seasons Lodge – rm – We were drawn to the subject matter and sought out the one theatre showing this movie. It is a documentary about a  group of elderly Holocaust survivors in their 80s and 90s who come together each summer for a vacation in bungalow colony in the Catskills .They greet their old friends with such warmth as they are so glad to see each other once again. They dance to a small live band playing their kind of music. They feel a special kinship for each other for good reason as they share the special experience as survivors. There aren’t many details described about their experience in the camp but the men seem more willing to bring up the subject. One man mentions that the infamous Joseph Mengale experimented on him when he was a child. Another notes how he could never get sick when he was in the camp because that would mean he was sent off to the ovens. He then adds he has continued never to be sick a day of his rather long life, almost as if he is still afraid of the fate that would await him if he slows down. One man became a very accomplished professional soccer player in Germany after the war but felt that his achievements were underplayed in the press because he was Jewish. Two women note that after the war they had no family but each other. They continued to be soul mates during their marriages and now into their old age as widows are dear friends. The aging bungalow colony is facing extinction as the people in charge are planning to sell it but there is a protest from the lodgers. Their determination to see their reunion home be there for whatever additional summers they may have is a metaphor for their ability to survive. The Holocaust and Jewish museums will deliver much more in depth stories and information then was presented here about the Holocaust experience. The people here will probably remind you of relatives you have known. It is important and worthwhile that this slice of the latter part of their lives has been captured. It would be most likely cherished by their families. It is something that the rest of us are glad we have in the closet but probably would not feel a need to recommend that others watch it. (2009)

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Gotta Dance – sp – When the New Jersey Nets Professional Basketball team decided that they wanted to include a senior dance group among their half time entertainment, they advertised that they were holding open auditions. Film Producer and documentary filmmaker Dori Berinstein saw the ad and grabbed her camera equipment and decided this was the subject of a film that she wanted to make. The rest is history. 11 women and one man ranging in age from the sixties to the eighties made the team. This documentary film is about these people, their individual stories and how they came together. It showed how it is never too late to do something you really love doing and do it well. It could have been anything, but in this case it was dancing and much to even the dancer’s surprise they were molded into a cohesive group with a main feature of hip hop dancing. The film maker skillfully weaved the dancer’s interesting personal vignettes with the story of their training to ultimately perform in front of 20,000 people in a packed arena. There were moments of suspense and moments where you could share their jubilation. The film succeeded not only in telling this unusual and inspiring story but also by appearing to touch the emotions of most of the audience who gave six members of the group who visited our screening a standing ovation. (2009)