MIFF 2013 - Day 2
FATAL ASSISTANCE
A depressing doco about the state of humanitarian aid in Haiti. Not the best doco I've seen though, and it too often chooses cheap shots over analysis to beat you over the head with its message. That being that money is power, and aid is used to bully the people it's intended to help. Still, you get some interesting insights into the difference between the idealism of aid and the practical realities of helping people recover from a major disaster.
I DECLARE WAR
A bunch of kids are out in the woods playing capture the flag, but it all goes a bit ugly. There's a coup in the opposing camp, a kidnapping, torture, a femme fatale and a betrayed lover (of sorts). The relational complexity of the story is what takes a cute idea, using real weapons to illustrate the kids imaginations, and turns it into a solid film.
PATRICK
I haven't seen the original, is it any good? I'm not sure this was. The cinematography annoyed me and the first act bored me. Once it gets going it's fun, but it's too uneven to be held up as a good example of the genre.
DOWNLOADED
I feel old. I remember Napster when it first hit. I remember hating Metallica for suing them. And Alex Winter has done a really good job of gathering together all the people involved and telling the story of the birth of Napster, and how it got smothered in the crib. It's interesting to see the state of things now, versus then. And it's especially interesting to hear from Shawn Fanning, the generally quiet creator of the software who had no idea what he was in for.
A depressing doco about the state of humanitarian aid in Haiti. Not the best doco I've seen though, and it too often chooses cheap shots over analysis to beat you over the head with its message. That being that money is power, and aid is used to bully the people it's intended to help. Still, you get some interesting insights into the difference between the idealism of aid and the practical realities of helping people recover from a major disaster.
I DECLARE WAR
A bunch of kids are out in the woods playing capture the flag, but it all goes a bit ugly. There's a coup in the opposing camp, a kidnapping, torture, a femme fatale and a betrayed lover (of sorts). The relational complexity of the story is what takes a cute idea, using real weapons to illustrate the kids imaginations, and turns it into a solid film.
PATRICK
I haven't seen the original, is it any good? I'm not sure this was. The cinematography annoyed me and the first act bored me. Once it gets going it's fun, but it's too uneven to be held up as a good example of the genre.
DOWNLOADED
I feel old. I remember Napster when it first hit. I remember hating Metallica for suing them. And Alex Winter has done a really good job of gathering together all the people involved and telling the story of the birth of Napster, and how it got smothered in the crib. It's interesting to see the state of things now, versus then. And it's especially interesting to hear from Shawn Fanning, the generally quiet creator of the software who had no idea what he was in for.
posted by Andrew Lee at 11:59 PM
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