Milwaukee Film Festival 2014: Expedition to the End of the World

The documentary Expedition to the End of the World is a beautifully shot movie.  It is an interesting movie that takes us to part of the world that no one has seen. 

As the fjords in Greenland melt a new part of the ocean has opened up. A group of artists and scientists set out to explore this part of the world that no one has ever seen before. As they travel on the ship their eclectic personalities cone out. Their is a lot of philosophizing along with new discoveries. 

The appeal of this film is the cinematography and the scenery. The movie looks amazing. If you loved nature documentaries like "Winged Migration" and "Microcosmos" you will love this one.  But along with the scenery there is the group of people that adds another level to the movie. There is talk about the meaning of life, what it means to be an artist, and stories about being attacked by a polar bear. 

My biggest fear going into this movie was that it would be another doc about global warming. While that is an important topic I just didn't feel like sitting through another movie like that. Luckily this movie isn't about global warming. The scientists do talk about it and what it means for the future of the world it doesn't linger on it too long. And it is unavoidable to not think that without global warming their whole trip would not be possible. But while it is always there and in the back of your mind the movie focuses on exploration and the fascinating people on the trip.  

Overall: 3/5 Good movie but does get a bit dull at times and found myself losing interest at parts.  But worth checking out for the beautiful scenery.  

Movie Review "Hairy Who and the Chicago Imagists" Milwaukee Film Festival 2014

Day 2 of the Milwaukee Film festival saw me going with my artist friend to see the movie about the Hairy Who.  Not really being into the art scene I had no idea who they were and what they did so I was going into the movie blind.  Which is one of the reasons why I love film festivals to see movies I normally wouldn't see and step out of my comfort zone.

So who are the The Hairy Who and the Chicago Imagists? Well they are a collection of artists with various styles who got together in Chicago in the 60's.  With influenced that range from abstract and surrealism, to comic books and advertisements.  Their artwork was like something people had never seen before and even though there were some graphic pictures they became popular with local collectors.  The incubator for the Imagist was the New Hyde Park Gallery which celebrated local and upcoming artists.  The Hairy Who was just the start and a few other collectives followed.  Their work separated them from other contemporaries in New York and San Francisco and came to represent the Midwest.

The movie is a very informative art history lesson and the artists themselves are very interesting.  But not having an interest in art I felt a little bored.  There were a lot of things that influenced these artists but not having that background  knowledge of who they were talking about it didn't mean much to me. While I can't appreciate the technical aspect of the craft I can appreciate the aesthetics. While some were bizarre there were some that looked really cool. So I do admire them for doing what they wanted to do and not compromising.

Overall: 3/5. An art history buff would love this movie but just wasn't for me. My artist friend who saw it with me loved it. So if art is your thing then this is worth checking out. But if art isn't your thing you might want to skip it.   

Jim Wirsum-Screamin' Jay Hawkins-1968

Ed Paschke-Minnie-1974

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Movie Review "1971" Milwaukee Film Fest 2014

"1971" is a powerful story about a pivotal event that I was unaware of.  In 1971 a group of citizens calling themselves "The Citizens Commision to Investigate the FBI" broke into an FBI office and stole documents. These documents proved that the FBI was spying on their own citizens.  Sound familiar?  Well the movie couldn't be more topical in the age of WikiLeaks and Edward Snowden.  It raises the questions were they heroes or just criminals.  Their actions predated Watergate and in some ways probably helped pave the way for the Watergate scandal.

The event in question was the break in at an FBI Field office in Media Pennsylvania.  A group of citizens that were never caught stole the files and anonymously mailed them to various newspapers.   What was the FBI doing? Well they were spying on citizens.  They had undercover agents in different groups that they felt might be "anti-America".  Groups like the Black Panthers, Anti War groups, Women groups, and hippies.  Not only were they spying on them but they were attempting to disrupt the groups by spreading rumors and making people feel paranoid. This was at a time when the FBI had very little or no oversight and a lot of public support.

How did "The Ctizens Commision to Investigate the FBI" get their start? Well before the became the commission they were a group of anti war demonstrators in Philadelphia.  They heard about an attempted break in at an FBI office in Rochester NY.  That break in was stopped and that group was arrested.  What the group in Philadelphia decided to do was break into a field office that had very little security.  They also decided to do it on the night of the Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier fight of the century so most people were distracted.  Their success was largely due to their thorough preparations and good timing.  What they did not know till much later was how big of an impact they would have on the country. 

The Washington Post was the only paper that had the courage to publish the files.  Nothing like this had happened before and since the files where stolen all the other papers decided to give them back to the FBI.  But the Washington Post decided that the info in the stolen papers were too important not to publish.  After they were published Anericans and politicians were shocked by what they found out. And the FBI went on a giant manhunt to capture the people responsible. But they were never caught.  The members remained a mystery till now when they decided to tell their story.  And what a story it is  

The documentary has interviews with the members along with home footage they took and reinactments.  It is expertly put together to tell their story.  The recreations are seemless and really helps you feel the tension.  The story of Bonnie and John Raines is one of the more powerful stories in the documentary.  While most of the other members were younger Bonnie and John were married and had children.  They knew if they got caught they would go to jail for a long time and leave their kids parentless.  The fact that they still chose to do it is amazing and kind of unimaginable if you are a parent. Their decision adds another level of intensity to the story and keeps us on the edge of the seat. The movie also has tons of humor that breaks up the intensity and makes the whole experiance a fun ride similar to a Hollywood thriller. 

In the end their actions opened the eyes of the country and the government.  Congressional hearings were formed and J. Edgar Hoover's unquestioned authority came to an end.  The FBI now had to follow stricter rules and Congress formed an oversight committee.  These rules stayed in place till the Patriot Act repealed some of them.  We now live in a time when we never know who is watching us.  It makes you pause and reflect on how far are we willing to let the government go to make us feel safe.  It was pointed out that them not ever being found probably helped the story stay focused on the FBI and it makes you wonder if Edward Snowden would have had better success if he had remained anonymous. Instead of hearing where he is hiding maybe we would still be talking about what he revealed. 

Bonnie and John Raines were in attendance at the screening and did a Q&A at the end. It was interesting to hear them talk about what they did and how difficult their decision was. But their views on current events was the most interesting. They see Snowden as a modern day hero. One of the quotes from John was"A nation governed by fear is a poorly governed nation".  Basically citizens should not feel like they are constantly being spied on.  

Overall 5/5-a great documentary that plays out like a thriller.  Keeps you on the edge of your seat and laughing.  Not only that it teaches you a history lesson and the power a few people can have.  

6 Movies We are Excited for at the Milwaukee Film Festival

Every year I look forward to the release of the Milwaukee Film Festival Program. I go through the program book page by page and read about every movie. Then I get down to the difficult work of trying to plan my festival schedule. This is not easy because as much I would like to see every movie playing I don’t have that much time between my actual job and spending time with my family. But after reading the whole thing I try to pick the movies that I consider a must see. Sometimes it’s because it is generating Oscar buzz or got big praises from previous festivals. Or it’s just sounds the right kind of zany that I will like it.


This year Chris and I will give you the six movie we think are a must see at the festival.

1. The Imitation Game- The movie is about Alan Turing who helped crack the Enigma code during World War II and then was arrested for being homosexual. But afterwards was The movie got rave reviews when it premiered at The Tulluride Film Festival. And everyone will be talking about Benedict Cumberbatch's performance come Oscar time.

2. Wetlands- Anytime a movie is called "The Grossest Movie of the Year" it gets out attention. The movie is about an 18 year old German girl who has an obsession with bodily fluids.  I have heard it's not one to eat popcorn while watching.

3. Witching and Bitching- Every year my friends ask me what is the craziest horror movie playing at the festival. This year it is Witching and Bitching. A movie about four guys that rob a store then end up in the Spanish countryside just in time for witch ritual.  It's said to have copious amounts of sex, gore, and comedy.  Sounds like the perfect midnight movie.

4. An Honest Liar- this documentary about  magician James Randi features a lot of people in the magic industry.  It looks like a fun documentary about a really fascinating guy.  Chris also has family connections to the magic world so that makes this a must see.

5. The Surface - The Surface is a thriller that tells the story of two strangers that meet out in the middle of Lake Michigan. It stars Sean Astin who was in one of our favorite movies The Goonies. The movie was filmed here in Milwaukee with local crew. One of the crew members is a friend of Chris so that has us very excited to see the finished product.

6. Shorts: Stranger than Fiction - I recommend everyone check out at least one short program. The documentary shorts is one of my favorites and after introducing the program last year it am glad it is back. You always learn something new and there are some strange people in the world and this is a fun way to learn about them.

One additional movie that is always a must see but I can't tell you the name. And that's because it's a secret. The Super Secret Screening is always a surprise till they start the movie. Last year it was Short Term 12 the year before that was Silver Linings Playbook. So you never know and it's always exciting that way.

Besides recent movies there are lots of other programs worth checking out.

The Mary Poppins Sing-A-Long- This sounds like a whole lot of fun and something to take the kids too.

Top Secret! With the directors Zucker, Abrams, and Zucker in attendance. The kings of comedy during the 80's Top Secret! was their follow up to the classic Airplane. It will be great to hear what they have to say about the movie and the many attempts to copy their success.

Man With a Movie Camera- One of the events I love at the film festival are the silent films they show that has live music played to it.  It's like a movie and a concert all in one.  This year the movie the 1929 film Man With a Movie Camera. The movie is a documentary about a man making a documentary.  

Milwaukee Film Festival: Which Way is the Front Line From Here? The Life and Times of Tim Hetherington

Restrepo was one of my favorite documentaries in recent years so when I heard that one of the co-directors Tim Hetherington had died it was a sad occasion.  Sebastian Junger the other co-director of Restrepo made a moving portrait about the life of his friend Tim Hetherington.

The movie uses archival footage and interviews with Tim's parents and friends to trace his life and how he it led him to become a photojournalist.  Luckily for everyone Tim did a few interviews before his death so we get to hear  him talk about how he approaches his work.  What set Tim apart from other photojournalists that covered war was he wanted to show normal people and the quiet moments.  While I don't understand all that photography mumbo jumbo you can tell that Tim had a different way of taking his pictures.  He also had a different philosophy.  While some photojournalist likes to remove themselves from their subjects Tim always interacted with them to make them more at ease.  Whatever he did it is apparent that he was able to get some great pictures.

This is such a moving portrait of a great man.  It is obvious that Sebastian Junger and Tim became great friends and Sebastian wanted to make a movie tribute to him.  I think he succeeded.  You get the feeling that Tim's career was just taking off.  He just started dabbling in movies and I can't help to think that he would have made some more great documentaries in the future.  His love of the people affected by the war was so immense and he wasn't that adrenaline junkie you get the feeling some war photojournalists are.

This is the second movie I have seen during the festival that deals with photojournalists.  The first one was during the documentary short Eddie Adams: Saigon '68.  It would have been amazing to see these two sit down and discuss what it means to be a photojournalist because I think they had different philosophies.  In the Eddie Adams documentary the big question is can a single picture tell the whole story? While this doc doesn't get into that much there is a clip of Tim saying that no a single picture can not. It is interesting going to a film festival and watching movies about photographs.  But a single shot can convey so much emotion and tell at least part of a story.  I feel I have a new appreciation for photojournalists and will be recommending both movies to my photography loving friends.

Overall:  5 out of 5.  Loved learning more about the man and how he approached his profession.

Milwaukee Film Festival 2013: Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me

I will have to admit I didn't know much about Elaine Stritch before hand.  All I knew of her was she played Alec Baldwin's mom on 30 Rock which turns out is just a small blip in her storied career.

The documentary follows the 87 year old through the highs and lows of what it means to be an aging performer.  There is archival footage of her past to give those of us who know little about her career at little background but the majority of the film is a candid look at her life now.  From struggles with alcoholism and diabetes to the joys of performing on stage.

What made this movie truly great was the openness and unfiltered access we get to her.  The film does not shy away from showing the non glamorous side.  We see her as she gets frustrated with forgetting song lyrics and as she becomes confused when her blood sugar drops.  The most touching real moment in the movie is when we see her being discharged from the hospital after being there a few days for her diabetes. But then we also get to see her talking and hanging out with other celebrities like Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, and John Turturro. Elaine is blunt and calls it like she sees it and creates some funny moments.  One of the sadder moments was when she was hanging out with the late James Gandolfini.  He seemed to have such great admiration for her and it is sad that he is no longer with us.

Overall: 5 out of 5.  It feels refreshing to see a movie about a celebrity as raw and unfiltered as this.  It was great to have Elaine at the film and do a Q&A afterward.  She was exactly how you would expect her to be, gracious and funny.

Milwaukee Film Festival 2013 Shorts: Stranger than Fiction

Even though this was the second day of the Festival it was the first day I was able to attend.
Decided to start my festival experience off with the documentary shorts.

Documentary shorts are one some of my favorite movies.  There are so many interesting people and things in the world that short films can highlight.  And spending 10 - 15 minutes learning about them is perfect.  This is the first year that I have been going to the festival that they have had a whole program of documentary shorts and it did not disappoint.

First up in the program was The Flogsta Roar. This 18 minute documentary is about a university in Uppsula Sweden.  Every night at 10 pm the students yell out their window.  This is a ritual that has been going on for over 20 years.  We meet some students and teachers that live there and learn about their anxieties.  The movie brought back memories of my college experience.  There are ups and downs and just weird people.  There is some one stealing food from a fridge, a teacher that is obsessed with the pots and pans and also a student who had someone in the dorm room next to her commit suicide.  But they all get a chance to release their anxieties and tensions at 10 pm when they yell out their windows.  It's ridiculous, humorous, and sad all at the same time.  It manages to capture that unique environment that is college.

Next up was the short Pouters. This short was about pigeon enthusiasts in Scotland. I honestly had no idea what was going on. It appears that there is some kind of weird competition where you try to get someone else's pigeon to come to your coop.  These people are odd and extremely obsessed with pigeons.  This was one of my least favorite of the shorts but definitely interesting.

This was followed by Vladimir Putin in Deep Concentration. This 9 minute doc quickly goes through the life of Vladimir Putin.  I have to admit I know very little about him and his rise to power.  What this movie does it tells some of his backstory but comes to the conclusion that we know very little about him personally and he is a master at image control.  For a short doc I learned about one of the most powerful man in the world and this is one person that probably deserves a full feature doc.

From Russia to Christmas.  Mr. Christmas tells the story of a man who every year puts on one of the most extravagant Christmas light displays.  It is a fun and touching story as we learn his process of putting up the lights and his motivation.  This is a fun charismatic guy who loves Christmas, misses his wife, and loves his cat.  A fun enjoyable short.

After celebrating Christmas the next stop on our short film road trip was to India for Unravel.  Every wonder what happens to clothes that are sent to be recycled?  Well they are sent to India where they are sorted, torn up, and made into thread to be used for blankets.  The movie focuses on the India women who work at the factory that tear up the garments.  These women live in a small town and try to imagine what kind of people wear these clothes and why they would just throw them away.  The movie makes you think about our love of clothing and the excesses we have.  It is funny to see how they imagine the Westerners.

Back in the US we head for We Will Live Again. This is a fascinating doc and a little disturbing that challenges some of our beliefs.  We have all heard of Cryogenics but I have never see the inside workings of one.  This short takes us on a tour of The Cryonics Institute from the delivery to the freezing of their "patients".  The manager doesn't consider them dead just "metabolically challenged" and refers each one as a patient.  A perfect example of what a documentary short can be.  Takes us to a world we have never seen and challenges us.

For the last short we head to Saigon in 1968.  Eddie Adams: Saigon '68 tells the story of a single iconic picture from the Vietnam War.  The amount of power a single picture can have is amazing.  We learn about the famous photographer Eddie Adams from his diary and interviews from those that knew him and were there when the picture was taken. The picture in question is the Pulitzer Prize winning image of a South Vietnamese police officer shooting a Vietcong prisoner in the head.  The story of who the officer was and who he shot is told as well as the effects the picture had on support of the war and on Eddie Adams himself.  A powerful look at how one picture changed many lives and a discussion if a single picture can tell the whole story.  Definitely my favorite doc of the program.

Best Documentaries of 2012

My picks for the best movies of 2012 will be posted later this week but there are some deserving documentaries that didn't make it on my list that I wanted to highlight.  So I decided to make a list of my favorite documentaries of the year.  While I may not have seen a large number of documentaries I have seen some great ones. And I have to thank The Milwaukee Film Festival for the opportunity to see some of these great movies.

5.  As Goes Janesville- This documentary hits close to home.  This documentary follows 5 people as they cope with the economic recession.  They come from different backgrounds and are affected differently.  But in a case of being in the right place at the right time (or wrong time depending on your perspective) the movie captured the political turmoil around Governor Scott Walker's elimination of the collective bargaining rights of public employees.
My full review here

4.  The Queen of Versailles- Another movie about the economic downturn and another movie that happened to be in the right place at the right time.  The Queen of Versailles starts off about the building of the largest house in America but quickly switches to a family coping with economic problems.  While the family remains wealthy the movie finds a way to make them sympathetic even when their problems is nothing compared to others. The movie is currently streaming on Netflix.
My full review here

3.  The Imposter- This is one of those movies that if it was a fiction  movie no one would believe it.  Told through interviews and recreations the movie is about a family who's son goes missing and is possibly found in France.  But who is the person that claims to be this kid?  The movie takes unexpected twists and turns.
My full review here

2.  The Invisible War-This was sort of a last minute decision during the Milwaukee Film Festival but wow was I blown away.  The movie tells the heartbreaking stories of women and men who were raped in the military.  The movie is about the constant cover up of these abuses and the military culture that allows these abuses to continue.  It is a sad movie that will hopefully cause some changes. It is currently streaming on Netflix.
My full review here

1.  Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God- With lots of great movies at the Milwaukee Film Festival this was the stand out of the documentaries.  This is another heartbreaking look at sexual abuse and cover ups this time by Catholic Priests and the Vatican.  One of the main focuses of the movie is the Saint John's School for the Deaf in St. Francis Wi. While the movie is very good what made this an exceptional experience was getting to see it with the subjects that are featured in the movie.  The movie will be on HBO later this year. My full review here

The Movies that Shaped My Obession

I figured if you are going to read my movie reviews, which I hope you do, you might want to know a little about me and the movies I like.

People always ask have I always wanted to be a film critic? The answer is no. My passion and obsession with movies grew gradually. I have always like movies. Even as a kid I would watch movies all the time. The Goonies and Stand by Me were some of my favorite movies as a kid. But it wasn’t until my college years that movies became an obsession.

I decided to make a list of movies that played an important part of shaping my passion. This is not a list of my favorite movies because it is a movie that I didn’t like that probably had the biggest impact. But I will start with the movie that had a big impact on me as a kid.

 

 

The Stuff- I am sure very few people have even heard of this movie, but it does play an important part in my movie history. While it is not the first movie I saw in the theatre (my parents took me to see E.T. at a drive in but I fell asleep) it is one of the first horror movies I saw. At a sleepover when I was in 4^th grade my friend rented a bunch of horror movies and the first one we watched was The Stuff. For those that don’t know it is about this stuff that looks like marshmallow fluff that turns people to zombies. Stupid premise but to a nine year old it was great. That night we also watched A Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween 2. While A Nightmare on Elm St. has become one of my favorite horror movies The Stuff still holds a special place as the first horror movie I saw. After that my and my friend would rent all the horror movies we could. I think this disturbed my mom a little because she would always say “Why don’t you get something nice like a Disney movie” Don’t worry mom I turned out ok even after watching all those horror movies.

 

 

Titanic- OK I know what you’re thinking “Titanic really?” Well yes. For a movie I didn’t like very much it had a big impact on my relationship with movies. This is when my obsession really started. The two main effects of the movie had little to do with the movie itself and more to do with the way it was received in the world. The first effect was the box office. The amount of money it made was amazing and the number of weeks it spent at number 1 unprecedented and has yet to be matched. It intrigued me to why a movie that I felt was mediocre at best (at the time I would have said it was awful) was doing so well. Because of that I started checking the box office results weekly. I found a website and would read it a couple of times a week. I was fascinated by why some movies made a lot of money and others didn’t and why movies that made a lot opening weekend weren’t the ones that were number 1 all time. For a while I had the top 10 grossing movies of all time and the top 10 opening weekends memorized. The second big effect Titanic had on me was my obsession with The Oscars. Which is still somewhat inexplicable why I am so obsessed to this day. I remember watching the Oscars with my mom as a kid and we would always try to guess who was going to win even though we hadn’t seen any of the movies. But when Titanic was getting all the Oscar talk about best picture I couldn’t believe it. So, I made it a point to watch every other movie that was nominated that year (I still think Good Will Hunting should have won). But after that it was all over. I have seen every movie nominated for best picture since then. I now follow the Oscar race closely and always have an idea of who the favorites are to be nominated. Every year I try to see all the nominees before the nominations are even announced so when the Academy gets it wrong I can authoritatively say who I think should have won. My obsession with the Oscars culminated with me watching every movie that won best picture and blogging about it. Check out that blog at www.stevesmoviepage.blogspot.com.

 

 

Men in Black- While Men in Black was a good movie the reason it is on here is because it was the first movie I ever saw by myself in the theatre. There was something always a little weird about going to see a movie by myself. One summer day in Boston it was hot and I was bored. Most of my friends went home for summer break so I decided to see a movie by myself. The first time it felt weird and like everyone was looking at me. And even after the first time it was a while before I did it a second time. Then I met someone who was also a big movie buff and he said he goes to movies by himself all the time. This made me feel a little better. When I moved to Wisconsin and didn’t have any friends in the area it became commonplace to see a movie by myself. While most of the movies I see now are by myself there are times when it does get depressing and I say I won’t go to another movie by myself. But that doesn’t usually last long.

 

 

Super Size Me- This is the movie that opened my eyes to how good documentaries could be. It was funny and informative. Before it I always thought that documentaries were boring educational movies. But after seeing Super Size Me I was hooked. Documentaries are now one of my favorite types of movies. I try to convince people to give them a chance that they are not all as boring as some people think they are.

 

 

Casablanca- You might be wondering why an old movie is on this list. Well this is the movie that made me realize that old B&W movies can be good. I am ashamed to admit that I use to think that old movies were just boring and if it wasn’t in color it wasn’t worth watching. In 1998 the American Film Institute (AFI) released their 100 Greatest Movies of all time. After I moved to Wisconsin I had a lot of free time and Blockbuster was still around and had this deal where you could rent one new movie and get an older movie for free. Well never one to pass up a deal I decided to watch all the movies on the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time list. Casablanca was listed a number 2 and I couldn’t believe how great that movie was. Bogart is amazing the dialogue was great. I loved it. And I went on to watch the rest of the movies on the list thanks to Blockbuster and TCM. After that was done I watched the 100 Greatest Thrills and started watching movies that were on IMDB Top 250. I now have a pretty good list of favorite older movies. Even though the AFI Lists are criticized for not having foreign film’s on it. I credit it and Casablanca with introducing me to great old movies.

 

Stephanie Daley- A movie I am pretty sure no one has ever heard of but it in 2006 it was the first movie I saw at Sundance. Going to Sundance in 2006 was a complete fluke. My dad invited me on a ski trip to Salt Lake City and while I was looking into the trip I discovered that Sundance was going to be going on the same time he was planning on going. I figured it would be impossible for me to get tickets but it turned out that it is not that hard. So, I flew in a few days before my dad and saw a couple of movies including Stephanie Daley, and I was hooked. I have been back 3 times since and now watch a larger variety of independent films. One year I got tickets to the documentary short program and that has become one of my must sees every year I go now. It also led me to being on the Short Film Selection Committee for the Milwaukee Film Festival. 

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Milwaukee Film Festival Day 11: The Jeffrey Dahmer Files

When I saw that there was another Jeffrey Dahmer movie coming out I was wondering what new could there be to talk about.  Seems like this has been covered enough.  Well I was wrong.  The movie uses interviews of the investigators and one of his neighbors to tell a personal story of the effect Dahmer had on them. In between interviews there are reenactments of Dahmer's everyday life like him on a bus or drinking beer by the State Fair.  

I really like the interviews with investigators especially the detective who initially interviewed him. It gave great insight to how overwhelmed the police really were. I think the most interesting interview was with the neighbor. A women that was friendly with him and initially couldn't believe that he had done anything wrong. The reinacments had me a little confused. I wasn't sure what they were trying to portray. But the director said afterward that he was trying to show the mundane parts of Dahmer's life. The ending of the movie left me wanting more. Like there could have been a bit more about the trial and Dahmer's murder in jail.

Overall 4/5 stars. Very well done and left me wanting more info.

Milwaukee Film Festival Day 10: Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is a documentary about Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei.  After designing The Birds Nest for the Beijing Olympics Ai Weiwei garnered international fame.  As is fame grew overseas the Chinese government started to crack down on his activities.  The government started following him and set up cameras around his studio.  Yet with the power of the internet Ai Weiwei's found a way to get around the government and his international fame continued to grow.  The documentary follows him as he prepares for several overseas exhibits and he increasingly clashes with the government.  Eventually the government takes him to an undisclosed location and interrogates him for almost 3 months for "tax evasion".  He was released after international pressure. 

The film captures his life and art beautifully.  He turns out to be a fascinating subject and while I don't always get his work it is amazing what he can do and get away with in under such strict government control.  But thanks to twitter, which he is on constantly, and his loyal followers he is able to get his message out. 

Overall: 4/5 Slow at times in the middle but inspirational and fascinating. 

Milwaukee Film Festival Day 10: As Goes Janesville

Check out my blog post on The Oak Creek Patch for my review of As Goes Janesville
Movie Review: As Goes Janesville

If you didn't get to see it at the festival the 60 minute version that aired on PBS is online.

http://m.video.pbs.org/video/2286056600/

4/5 Stars - Great documentary and very timely. 

Milwaukee Film Festival Day 9: The Imposter

The Imposter is a fascinating documentary. Part reenactment and part interviews it tells the story of a family whose son goes missing when he is 13 and is truly a case of truth being stranger then fiction.

Three years after he goes missing a person claiming to be him turns up in Spain. Obviously by the title it turns out he is an imposter and not the missing boy. But the situation gets even more bizarre after the family takes him home and accepts him as their missing son.

Interviews with the family and the imposter shows the complex and bizarre situation. The movie leaves you shaking your head and wondering what the truth really is.

Overall 4/5. Bizarre and fascinating. With more twists then expected.