into eternity (michael madsen)

really interesting, especially the part where they discuss what to do for future generations after they finish building the nuclear waste cemetery: should they put danger signs outside or should they keep the location secret? and i loved the use of kraftwerk's 'radioactivity' at the biginning (i know, it might seem a bit obvious, but it works really well!). nonetheless, not everything is good news. i wasn't convinced at all by the guy himself, neither his narration nor his scenes talking to the camera with a burning much for added dramatic effect. mind you, had it been orson welles, with the same match and his amazing voice and diction, it would have been genius! but madsen is just 'a guy', and the result is just a bit wanky...trying, but not really getting there. but maybe it's just me! don't get me wrong, i really liked the documentary as such, the content is top notch and there are some really beautiful scenes in it, it's just the actual guy that annoys me a little bit...

Rating: 7/10

mc5 - a true testimonial (david c. thomas)

my opinion is 100% biased, so stop reading if you have problems with that. i love the mc5 and i really enjoy watching music documentaries, so this is the perfect combination for me. obviously, i couldn't care less about seeing wayne kramer or rob tyner as old men, but i loved hearing them tell the stories of their good old days with the band and john sinclair and the white panther party. if to this you add amazing footage of them onstage (including fred sonic smith's spaceman suit), the joy is complete. a must for any music lover.

Rating: 9/10

waltz with bashir (ari folman)

even though i've never been a big fan of war movies (with the exception of kubrick's 'paths of glory'), i have to admit that this documentary really worked for me. the visual side is really beautiful, all the different animation techiniques work really work together and they fit the narration perfectly. and then, of course, there's the story, a man's 'journey' (i hate that word) of self-descovery trying to find out what his mind is blocking. really powerful. and the last scene creates a rush of emotion that runs through the viewer's body, everything becomes even more real.

Rating: 8/10

paris is burning (jennie livingston)

i couldn't help thinking of ms honey sweetcheekz when watching this. the combination of fashion, attitude and music is just awesome. they all looked amazing! i love the balls they celebrated, and the outfits.... nyc in the 80s must have been incredible. those kids surely know how to throw a party. i didn't know voguing started being a kind of duel on the dancefloor, a real duel where people set their differences... dancing! how cool is that? still, i simple have no time for bitchy queens (all the 'shading' bit and stuff). it doesn't matter how fantastic you look, the minute you start bitching like that you loose all the cool points, i'm afraid. but, all in all, such an enjoyable document of an era.

Rating: 7/10

the cave of forgotten dreams (werner herzog)

really interesting, the notion of it all leaves you in awe, how these images were produced more than 30,000 years ago, the skill they show, the range of movement, the variety of fauna... simply amazing. and, as mr shanks said, they don't seem to be first drafts, they probably were rehearsed before, done several times before they decided to paint them on the rock... and the techniques were most likely passed on from generation to generation. still, i found i was feeling more mesmerised by the facts than by the actual images. good thing is, though, herzog doesn't talk as much as in 'encounters...', i always find him a bit annoying after a while. so that's a plus. and the music is incredible, probably my favourite part of the film! but, still, totally recommendable, just go and see it, you won't regret it.

Rating: 7/10

sweetgrass (castaing-taylor)

A film about shepherds and their sheep, and their last journey through some american mountains in search of some green pasture during the summer. with almost no dialogue; only the constant baa-baaing of the animals. you would think you'd be bored after minute 5. quite the contrary. i felt completely mesmerised by this unsentimental epic trip. i love how not everything is nice here. for example, they portray the cuteness of the first steps of lambs together with the crudeness (and stupidity) of tail-docking. without any judgement; the images speak for themselves. still, i'd have liked the two final explanatory paragraphs to be at the beginning and not at the end of the movie, in order to have a better idea of what you are watching. but, as i said, i found it totally hypnotic, i loved it.

Rating: 8/10

punk: attitude (don letts)

 it was only after the first 5 min that i realised i had watched this before. i loved it the first time and i loved it again. i really appreciate the fact that they talk about something else than british punk, as i've always preferred the american bands. so seeing the ramones, the stooges and mc5 on the screen was a total joy. i'm not that keen on the last part of the documentary, when they talk about east-coast hardcore and the like, never been a big fan, but, yeah, two thumbs up for this wonderful documentary. Also, it's always a pleasure to hear sensible people like thurston moore, siouxsie and henry rollings speak.

Rating: 9/10