Cast: Jimmy Page, The Edge, & Jack White
For complete info on this great documentary, see IMDb's It Might Get Loud page.
Since I love U2 and like Led Zeppelin, I was very interested in seeing It Might Get Loud as soon as I found out about it (not long before it opened in LA, surprisingly). We went to see the documentary late opening night and the theatre was packed. This is a very well done documentary. I'll probably end up owning it, though I've already added it to my Netflix list to at least rent it to watch all the special features. I'm sure they cut a ton of footage from the film and I hope they put a lot of it on the DVD when they release it.
I was surprised that I found the parts about Jack White the most interesting. He's an intriguing guy and I didn't really know anything about him, since I'm not a fan of The White Stripes. I found the parts about The Edge and Jimmy Page great, too, but I knew a lot of the information on them. I liked the locations of the documentary and was amazed by some of the old footage they dug up. There were some great early shots of all the bands. Seeing the three musicians play each other's songs together was really cool.
If you like Led Zeppelin, U2, or The White Stripes; I highly recommend seeing It Might Get Loud when it gets to your area (I believe the wide release is August 28th). It's already playing in LA, OC, & NYC.
Grade: A
Labels: 2009, documentary, Led Zeppelin, movie, musical, The White Stripes, U2
Reviewed by Kat at the 10:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen
For complete information, see IMDb's The Pixar Story page.
This documentary wasn't quite as interesting as the book The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company, but you can cover a lot more in a book than you can in an hour and a half long documentary. I've been a fan of Pixar since they released Luxo Jr. and I love that they finally released the shorts on DVD last year (too bad I didn't realize it was available on Blu-ray before I purchased it). If you're at all interested in the history of Pixar, you will definitely enjoy this documentary. If not, then clearly it's not worth renting The Pixar Story.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2007, animated, documentary, John Lasseter, movie, Pixar, Tim Allen, Tom Hanks
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Tom Jones, Harvey Schmidt, Jerry Orbach, Rita Gardner
For complete info, see IMDb's Try to Remember: The Fantasticks page.
Anyone who enjoys the longest running Off Broadway show, The Fantasticks should rent this DVD (or watch it instantly through Netflix). I really enjoyed seeing the interviews as The Fantasticks closed it's amazing run. Looking back, I can't believe that I didn't realize it was still playing. I was in NYC during the run of The Fantasticks, but never had any clue it was still there. Such a shame that I got into reading Playbill.com daily and really understanding where I could find accurate theatre information too late.
If you aren't a theatre fan, clearly this documentary is not for you. If you are, add it to your list now!
Grade: B+
Labels: 2003, documentary, movie, musical, Off-Broadway, theatre
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast includes too many Broadway greats to list them all…
For complete info, see IMDb’s Show Business: The Road to Broadway page.
This documentary is wonderful for anyone who truly loves the theatre – especially those who have been involved in theatre (performing, lighting, set design, costumes, etc.). I highly recommend renting this well-done documentary to everyone who enjoys the theatre even half as much as I do. I’m a bit theatre-obsessed, so I’m not sure there are too many people out there who are not still involved in the theatre who love it as much as I do… They do a great job telling you all about every aspect of getting a show on Broadway, which is very interesting.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2007, Broadway, documentary, movie, musical, theatre
Reviewed by Kat at the 5:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Al Gore
This is a very well done documentary about global warming. It's not really new information, but it's presented in a unique way and is very well done. I didn't realize how much Al Gore had been doing to try to raise awareness about global warming until watching this DVD. Hearing about it on the news doesn't compare to actual clips of him presenting the information to audiences.
Definitely worth renting.
Grade: B
Labels: 2006, documentary, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:45 PM show | 0 screams
This is a very interesting documentary about a group of children in Washington, D. C. preparing to perform Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods at the Kennedy Center. Every step is shown, from the auditions to parts of the performances. Not nearly as good as Mad Hot Ballroom, but definitely worth watching for those who love Sondheim and musical theatre.
Grade: C+
Labels: 2004, documentary, movie, musical, Stephen Sondheim
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
For complete info, see IMDb's 7 Plus Seven page.
I enjoyed the second installment of the Up series. The teenagers were almost as amusing as they were at age 7. I'm looking forward to seeing them at 21 in the next movie when we get it.
This series is an interesting documentary and the second movie was a bit more organized. At times, Seven Up seemed to meander a bit, but this time they have the earlier clips of each child to keep you connected with who they were 7 years ago and who they are at 14.
Grade: B
Labels: documentary, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
For complete info, see IMDb's Seven Up page.
A friend of mine recommended the entire Up series, so I added them to my rental list. I agree with Craig. Seven Up was very entertaining. Mad Hot Ballroom was a bit better, but when you consider that this documentary was made in 1964, it makes sense that newer documentaries will be a little more interesting. They're not as outdated. Also, since Mad Hot Ballroom had a single purpose and was more organized, it was easier to follow.
I like the idea of following different children from all kinds of backgrounds and watching them every 7 years as they grow up. I definitely recommend renting the series from what I've seen of the first two movies.
Grade: B-
Labels: documentary, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Morgan Freeman (Narrator, US version), Emperor penguins
For complete information, see IMDb's La Marche de l'empereur page.
If someone had told me a few weeks ago that I would be moved by a movie about a bunch of penguins, I would have told them they were nuts. I've always loved animals and enjoyed documentaries on many species, but I was never terribly moved by them. And, I would have never recommended them to anyone who didn't like to watch the Discovery Channel or Animal Planet randomly at times.
March of the Penguins is different somehow. I think it's a combination of the fact that they follow the penguins through an entire breeding season and Morgan Freeman's voice. The two together make for an amazing movie. The cinematography in March of the Penguins is truly amazing. I was so involved in the story (yes, there is a story) that I actually cried at one point. I was so moved.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2005, documentary, family, Morgan Freeman, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:50 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: To see all the amazing Broadway stars who appear in this movie, check out IMDb's Broadway: The Golden Age page.
I can't say enough wonderful things about this movie! I wish I'd seen it in theatres. Unfortunately, it somehow missed my radar (and perhaps city). I bought it almost immediately after renting it through Netflix and can't wait for the others he's making! Some of the stars interviewed surprised me, like Douglas Sills (a personal favorite of mine), Daisy Eagan, and Marisa Jaret Winokur. There were also a lot of the standard favorites like Angela Lansbury, Jerry Orbach, Patti LuPone, etc.
The varying views were wonderful to hear from the theatre world. It was nice to see that not everyone thinks that the Broadway of old is totally dead. I have hope for the future and recommend this HIGHLY to anyone who loves theatre!
At times, it was a bit too cyical, but I think that the interviews offered enough other opinions to allow for thoughts other than the negative ones.
Grade: A
Labels: 2003, Broadway, documentary, Douglas Sills, movie, musical
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:40 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: For complete cast info, see IMDb's Fahrenheit 9/11 page.
Such a great movie! Perhaps if more people had seen this Bush wouldn't have been re-elected. Then again, that's a moot point anyway, since enough people didn't see it and Bush is the president again. Only a few more years till 2008...
Until then, study up on what Bush did so that we think about whether anyone he endorses can be trusted with our country in times of crisis.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2004, documentary, history, movie, war
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Bill Paxton, Dr. John Broadwater, Dr. Lori Johnston, Dr. Charles Pellegrino
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Ghosts of the Abyss page.
This was a very interesting documentary about the real Titanic. I wouldn't say it was worth rushing out to see in IMAX, as we did, but it was worth seeing. I'd recommend renting it if you're interested in the Titanic history. It's always interested me, so I found it worth watching. If you're just interested in the Titanic because of the movie, it may not be as cool, but I still think it's a neat film and one worth renting.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2003, documentary, family, IMAX, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:55 PM show | 0 screams