AN EXPERIMENTAL LIFE
This week I went to the Tulsa United Film Festival. I skipped kickoff night (didn't get notification in time), but went to opening night. These were the films I saw: Eagles in the Chicken Coop: fun concept - juxtaposing serious art with porn - asking the question 'What would it be like to try to make the one in the genre and marketing requirements of the other'? Felt a bit long, but still … [Read more...]
Endings, a film by Chris Hanson and his film students at Baylor University, took the cake on day two at the Southern Winds Film Festival in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and was well-rewarded (along w. my pick for yesterday, Simmons on Vinyl) in the awards ceremony. Endings' most intriguing point is the namesake Ending itself. We are used to stories in which adults sacrifice themselves for children. We are … [Read more...]
While I prefer more hard-hitting film (and less pretty than Food Inc), I did especially like the segment that touched (far too briefly) on WTO, World Bank, and IMF involvement in keeping the impoverished people of the world working at just above starvation for the comfort of the West. Perhaps films like this are the Stony Brooks Farms of documentaries - they'll go places that work by PETA won't. … [Read more...]
Dirt! The Movie is fantastic. It's about soil, yes, but really it's about biology, anthropology, and culture. Highly recommended. Widely available. … [Read more...]
The trailers and excerpts don't do it justice. This, to me, is the most powerful film about animals ever. I can't recommend enough that you skip the excerpts and go all the way through the film. Widely available. … [Read more...]
This is a great little college lecture on how the 5th Amendment to the US Constitution applies to interactions with law enforcement. Whether you're involved in a simple march for Earth Day, a rally outside the WTO, or just got pulled over in your car, this is a helpful lecture. … [Read more...]
Hachiko is a great little film. It's not epic. But it's incredibly revealing and goes quite well with Clever Monkeys, if you've seen it. When I listen to people who have never read anything about the psychology of dogs, who claim they don't really think, have an emotional life, or communicate, and are focused solely on gratification, it's helpful to have ways of dispelling the ignorance. I don't … [Read more...]
A lot of the early parts of the film are old hat for some of us, but the later stuff is enraging and, in my mind, makes the documentary. Highly recommended. Full documentary is here: … [Read more...]
This documentary is about the international pedophile ring run by Larry King in the US and involving key US political figures. Scheduled for the Discovery Channel in 1994 (according to TV Guide), but pushed to cancellation by powerful members of US Congress, and all copies officially destroyed, you're unlikely to find this documentary in your local video store. Discovery Channel & Yorkshire … [Read more...]
Excellent piece of skeptical analysis of 9/11 events. At its core, a refutation of the ad hominem claim that only kooks and crackpots are skeptical of the official and popular version of events. … [Read more...]
He calls men Susie and Barbara. He always has a comeback. He tells it like it is, and doesn't stick around for the chips. He's Dr. Cox from Scrubs, and he is magnificent. … [Read more...]
Radio Transcript Host: Daniel DiGriz Guest: Batman DiGriz: We're back with tonight's guest, the unmistakeable and always enigmatic Batman. <applause> DiGriz: So... what's the deal with this whole bat thing. Why not Aardvark Man or Gopher Man or Koala Man? Why bats, specifically? Batman: I... you're making fun of me. DiGriz: No, no, I'm not. I … [Read more...]
Radio Transcript Host: Daniel DiGriz Guest: Jason Voorhees DiGriz: OK, our next guest is Jason Voorhees. You may know him simply as Jason, notably from his work at Camp Lake Crystal, his tour of Manhattan, and his well publicized recent fight with Freddy Kreuger. <applause> DiGriz: So, Jason, welcome back. <audience laughter> Jason: It's … [Read more...]
One of the best documentaries ever on media, news reporting, and engineering public perception. … [Read more...]