Freakonomics is one of my favorite books ever. The authors Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner use economic models to explain things like why most drug dealers still live with their moms and what the similarities are between school teachers and sumo wrestlers. A must read.
And now its turned into a movie, and not by the least. The people making this movie are also the people behind Supersize Me, Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room, Jesus Camp and The King Of Kong. Which all happen to be among my favorite documentaries ever. Lots of favorites! Let’s just hope it doesn’t suffer from the ‘The book was so much better syndrome’.
Collapsus is a new take on the documentary. This 40 minute documentary, which is available online, sketches our future during what is called ‘peak oil’, the moment oil production is at its maximum. The expected effects of this on our lives and our unavoidable shift to alternative energy sources are the subject of this documentary, which is also described as an ‘energy thriller’.
Interesting, but what makes it special is that it is a ‘hybrid’ documentary. Multiple fictive characters guide the viewer through the storyline through film, animation and interactive elements. A welcome shift from the usual ‘talking heads’ telling the world is going down we see too often if you ask me.
Collapsus was created by the dutch broadcaster VPRO in collaboration with SubmarineChannel. A great project, definitely worth checking out!Have a taste with the trailer below.
I only learned of J. Dilla after he died 4 years ago. I got my hands on Donuts through a friend, and was hooked right away. Ever since I have been digging further into the work of this hip-hop prodigy. Stussy has now made a very nice documentary on Dilla. In this 3 part piece his life and work are illustrated and discussed by people who where close to the man.
It consists of 3 parts, of which only the first two part have been released up to date, but they are incredibly interesting. Check them out below:
Part 1:
Part 2:
As soon as part 3 is released, I will update the post.
Tonight I’m checking out the award winning documentary Art & Copy by Doug Pray. It reveals the work and wisdom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of our time – people who have influenced our culture, yet are virtually unknown outside their industry. All these guys started in advertising’s “creative revolution” of the 1960s.
These artists and writers all brought a surprisingly rebellious spirit to their work in a business more often associated with mediocrity or manipulation: George Lois, Mary Wells, Dan Wieden, Lee Clow, Hal Riney and others featured in ART & COPY were responsible for lines ingrained in our minds like “Just Do It,” “I Love NY,” “Where’s the Beef?,” “Got Milk,” “Think Different,” and brilliant campaigns for everything from cars to presidents. They managed to grab the attention of millions and truly move them. Visually interwoven with their stories, TV satellites are launched, billboards are erected, and the social and cultural impact of their ads are brought to light in this dynamic exploration of art, commerce, and human emotion.
Looking forward to this one! Here’s the trailer for now.
Update: Great documentary, although I expected a little more on the social impact of advertising. Nevertheless, go check it out!
Banksy is hitting the movie scene with his new documentary Exit Through The Gisftshop. The movie was added at the last minute to the main program of the Berlinale, and tells the story of the talentless street artist and Banksy groupie Thierry Guetta. After meeting Banksy, who forces him to make a documentary of the footage Guetta shot over eight years. After Banksy re-edits the dramatic results Guetta shoots to fame, starts calling himself Mr. Brainwash and becomes a phenomenon. Check out the trailer below.
Question is whether Mr. Brainwash is real or is Banksy moving into acting too? Mr. Brainwash didn’t help much when interviewed for The Wallstreet Journal…
Pretty funny how things sometimes seem to pop up right when they apply to your personal situation. Lemonade is one of those things.
The movie evolves around what people who were once paid to be creative for a living do when they’re laid off? They get creative with their own lives. Lemonade is an inspirational film about 16 advertising professionals who lost their jobs and found their calling, encouraging people to listen to that little voice inside their head that asks, “What if?” Check out the trailer below.
Last night I watched the multiple award winning documentary The Cove, and I must say it knocked me of my feet. It tells the story of the brutal slaughter of tens of thousands of dolphins in Taiji, Japan.
It is the story of Ric O’Barry, the man who captured and trained the dolphins used in the 1960’s TV hit Flipper. After working closely with these dolphins over the years he came to realize that these amazing, highly intelligent and self aware animals suffer greatly in captivity. After one of the dolphins died in his arms he has made it his personal mission to free as much dolphins as possible.
This mission has brought him to Taiji in Japan, where there is a thriving industry based on these whales and dolphins. At first glance it all seems friendly but there is a hidden, entirely different world behind it. A world of capturing dolphins and selling them to aquaria around the world, and mass slaughtering the ones that aren’t sold for their meat. A world the Japanese desperately want to keep a secret.
This documentary reveals the almost military operation conducted by the team to make this documentary. The have captured images of this before hidden brutality. Now it is their mission to spread the message, and put pressure on Japan to stop this brutal killing. Although it contains some gruesome images I think you must see this film. Open your eyes to what is happening. Help spread the word and try to stop this.
Check out the trailer below, and go get your hands on a copy of it!
I posted about this great documentary back in may. For those of you who have missed this post, RiP: A Remix Manifesto is a documentary film about what our current culture of filesharing etc. is doing to copyright etc. Very interesting stuff. But what I wanted to let you guys know, is that it will be on TV tonight, for dutchies only… It will be on Nederland 3 at 20.30h in Het Uur van de Wolf.
In 1966, Paul Van Doren opened his small shop in Anahem, California. Here he sold simple rubber and canvas shoes. On his first day he sold a dozen, which then were made to order since there was no back stock yet. Within a few years, skateboarders the world over would be sporting the sticky-soled kicks and Vans would become a sub-culture status symbol.
Now the story of this iconic American brand is celebrated in “Vans: Off the Wall: Stories of Sole from Vans Originals”. I haven’t been able to check it out yet, but according to Valet it promises to be like opening a time capsule. The book is packed with vivid photography and firsthand accounts from legends like Tony Alva, Joel Tudor, Steve Caballero, Stacy Peralta, Oliver Peck and Steve van Doren, Paul van Dorens son, lifelong employee and the designer behind Spicoli’s famous checkerboard slip-ons.
Always wondered what would happen if you’d put diva Joan Collins and Banksy, the king of street art, at one table? No? Neither had I, but director Ivan Massow has made a movie about is.
An interesting clash between celebrities from a totally different caliber… Download the movie or buy the DVD on the site, or can you? It might just be another trick, knowing good old Banksy…
In 1966, Paul Van Doren opened his small shop in Anahem, California. Here he sold simple rubber and canvas shoes. On his first day he sold a dozen, which then were made to order since there was no back stock yet. Within a few years, skateboarders the world over would be sporting the sticky-soled kicks and Vans would become a sub-culture status symbol.
