doc it out

The subject of The Kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt by Victoria Bruce and Karin Hayes has been rescued after being held hostage by Colombian FARC soldiers for 6 years. Betancourt was kidnapped in the midst of a bid to become president of Colombia. She was rescued as part of an undercover sting that included a group of 15, including three American soldiers who were captured when their drug surveillance plane crashed. There are still an estimated 700 people being held hostage by FARC. More on the rescue from the CBC>>

I read Hunter Thompson’s work in a course called “Creative Non-Fiction.” Our studies began with The New Journalism writers as it was they who broke the barriers of reportage to tell stories that included the look, feel and ambiance of the room and their subjects. The style is much emulated today but rarely executed with the freshness of Thompson, Capote and Wolfe’s heydays. I’ve been wanting to see Alex Gibney’s Gonzo: The Life & Times of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson in hopes that it might somehow help me connect with Thompson on the level of realism. Who is this man? How did he write like that? The film delivers a healthy realism, but not without a heaping dose of signature Thompson flare.

The first few minutes looked very cartoony with some wierd After Effects experiments, and I was thinking that I was in big trouble if the whole movie was going to be like that. In some sense, it was, but it really started to work as the movie went on. The best part of the film is the extensive archival material recorded by Thompson and his friends–both audio and film, in addition to copious amounts of photographs of the late writer. It’s interesting how people who are so famous within their own lives are so well documented. It really helps when the movie about their life is going to be made.

I just watched a very wonderful film, Train on the Brain by Alison Murray. I have to admit to being in a bit of a viewing slump. I’ve been busy with my job and trying to get settled here in Austin. I have a few films atop my TV that deserve my attention. To be honest, the thing that jolted me out of my slump was that I had told the distributor that I’d watch it and I felt like I needed to get back to him (take note: he’s a follow-upper and he’d already nudged me).

Ah, but the film was just what I needed! Murray finds herself drawn in some indomitable way to travel across the country on the train. Embracing the hobo life when she had no “rational” reason for doing so. But she takes to it so fully, while making a film about it, that the film stands as one of the few stories about true freedom. Freedom from bureaucracy, family ties, material belongings but also artistic freedom. The friendships are fast and intense and end not abruptly but like a berg of ice broken into two that slowly drift apart.

Oddly nostalgic at times, but also whimsical and driving. Striking cinematography with amazing scenery, and music that moves your spirit along with the hobos and trains. The film is a true pleasure.

Hollywood Can Suck It is the name of Scott Beiben’s distribution effort. Scott, this is a totally awesome choice with which to launch this company. Hollywood Can Suck It.