MIFF 2014 - Day 2
After many long years, it was nice to be back in the Capitol theatre again. And thank you to the MIFF volunteers there who helped me find my mobile phone after I lost it there.
Dinosaur 13
It's one of those stories that would can't quite believe really happened. A group of paleontologists discovered the most complete skeleton of a T-Rex found to date. The pay the landowner $5000 for the fossils, but in what should have obviously been a bad sign, he says there's no need to sign a contract of sale and a handshake will do fine. A year or so later the company is raided by the FBI with the National Guard in tow. What follows is a headscratching case where the US Government tries to prosecute the researchers for theft, fraud and a whole bunch of other things. And it doesn't end well for anyone really. The government look stupid, one of the paleontologists serves a two year sentence for "failing to fill out forms" and they lose the rights to the dinosaur they discovered. The motivations for the grandstanding prosecution are never really explained, but the film discusses the fact there appears to be a kind of holy war between academic and commercial paleontologists. Whatever the reason, it's a sad story.
The Overnighters
And speaking of sad stories, this is one of the most provocative documentaries you're likely to catch this year. Williston, South Dakota has become a boom town due to fracking. The oil drilling has attracted people from all over the country, and the increase in population, and rents, means a lot of people seeking work are homeless, even if they manage to find employment. Pastor Jay Reinke, in the spirit of good community, opens his church and carpark to people with nowhere to stay, but the endeavour puts a strain on his church and their relationship with the community. I don't think you'll find a better film about the difficulties and moral complexities of charity anytime soon. The men Pastor Jay supports love him, but many are quick to turn on him when they are expected to be responsible for their actions. Setting boundaries and defining consequences is a tough ask, and very quickly things get ugly. And Jay himself has his own demons to battle. It's a depressing story about people trying to do good, and not always succeeding.
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
Mark Hartley is an excellent documentarian, so it's shame he's retiring from the field to focus on narrative cinema. But he leaves it with a thoroughly entertaining look at Cannon films, responsible for so many b-grade blockbusters of the 80s. And, surprisingly, a few quality films too. It's incredible to see how many films they churned out before they crashed and burned. Anyone who remembers films like American Ninja, Missing In Action, Masters of the Universe and countless other examples of trash cinema should hunt this film down.
Dinosaur 13
It's one of those stories that would can't quite believe really happened. A group of paleontologists discovered the most complete skeleton of a T-Rex found to date. The pay the landowner $5000 for the fossils, but in what should have obviously been a bad sign, he says there's no need to sign a contract of sale and a handshake will do fine. A year or so later the company is raided by the FBI with the National Guard in tow. What follows is a headscratching case where the US Government tries to prosecute the researchers for theft, fraud and a whole bunch of other things. And it doesn't end well for anyone really. The government look stupid, one of the paleontologists serves a two year sentence for "failing to fill out forms" and they lose the rights to the dinosaur they discovered. The motivations for the grandstanding prosecution are never really explained, but the film discusses the fact there appears to be a kind of holy war between academic and commercial paleontologists. Whatever the reason, it's a sad story.
The Overnighters
And speaking of sad stories, this is one of the most provocative documentaries you're likely to catch this year. Williston, South Dakota has become a boom town due to fracking. The oil drilling has attracted people from all over the country, and the increase in population, and rents, means a lot of people seeking work are homeless, even if they manage to find employment. Pastor Jay Reinke, in the spirit of good community, opens his church and carpark to people with nowhere to stay, but the endeavour puts a strain on his church and their relationship with the community. I don't think you'll find a better film about the difficulties and moral complexities of charity anytime soon. The men Pastor Jay supports love him, but many are quick to turn on him when they are expected to be responsible for their actions. Setting boundaries and defining consequences is a tough ask, and very quickly things get ugly. And Jay himself has his own demons to battle. It's a depressing story about people trying to do good, and not always succeeding.
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
Mark Hartley is an excellent documentarian, so it's shame he's retiring from the field to focus on narrative cinema. But he leaves it with a thoroughly entertaining look at Cannon films, responsible for so many b-grade blockbusters of the 80s. And, surprisingly, a few quality films too. It's incredible to see how many films they churned out before they crashed and burned. Anyone who remembers films like American Ninja, Missing In Action, Masters of the Universe and countless other examples of trash cinema should hunt this film down.
posted by Andrew Lee at 10:57 PM
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