As 2008 comes to a close, we'll be looking at some of our favorite films of the year as well as some of the year's biggest issues and stories. I've also asked a couple other folks to give their takes on the same topics.
At Participant Media, Bryan Stamp worked on a number of notable docs this year, including Errol Morris' Oscar shortlisted STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE and two films that are sure to be seen more in 2009 - FOOD, INC. and PRESSURE COOKER.
In
2008, I saw many docs I liked and a few that I loved.
With special recognition to WALTZ WITH BASHIR, MAN ON WIRE, MY WINNIPEG, and THE CLASS for eschewing convention and transcending genres; and filmmakers Terrence Davies, Agnes Varda, and Guy Maddin, each for dramatically celebrating the places in their heart - with varying degrees of warmth, sentiment, humor, melancholy, absurdity, wit and charm.
These are my favorite nonfiction films of 2008:
IN A DREAM - my favorite surprise on the Oscar shortlist
TROUBLE THE WATER and THE GARDEN - two unflinching films that expose tragic injustice but more importantly honor the triumph of the human spirit
WILD COMBINATION - the series of festival posters is among my favorite designs of the year and Arthur Russell’s new album (released in October) is one of my favorite records of the year.
PRESSURE COOKER - I worked on this film, and I love it. The best film about teens, featuring one of the most memorable 'characters' in a doc this year- their teacher and mentor Mrs. Wilma Stephenson
BURMA VJ and UP THE YANGTZE - Two important international films that intimately document the poltical, economic, and emotional turbulence and injustice of two of most significant "issues" of recent history.
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD - That poor penguin. Only Herzog could make a film like this.
THE ORDER OF MYTHS - The complex dynamic of Mobile, Alabama and its tradition is a reminder that the we're not that far removed from our past, but plenty capable of overcoming it.
OF TIME AND THE CITY - Terrence Davies gets my vote for best voice over – sorry Herzog.
THE BEACHES OF AGNES - Agnes Varda’s beautiful recount of her life and films so far.
MY WINNIPEG - Why not? After all, Maddin himself calls it a docu-fantasia.
THE ENGLISH SURGEON - The music by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis is Cinema Eye worthy.
STRANDED - Simply, the most insightful documentary I saw this year.
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE - The most effective use of recreations - that snarling dog and shredded paper still haunt me.
I.O.U.S.A. - With expertly designed graphics by Brian Oakes - expanding and collapsing like the economy itself.
MAN ON WIRE - An instant classic.
WALTZ WITH BASHIR - Not sure about the last 30 seconds, though.
THE CLASS - I know Laurent Cantet has distanced himself from this categorization, and it’s certainly not a classic documentary; and I went back-and forth on how to define it. If you consider BORAT a documentary like many people did, including the NYFCC where it was a runner-up, then you have to also consider THE CLASS a documentary – not necessarily for the same reasons, but close. I’m not sure where I land on this issue, but I really wanted to list the film here and provoke discussion about what it means to be a documentary. And for the record, I don’t think some of the scenes in AMERICAN TEEN, for example, were any less rehearsed, re-shot, or manufactured. In either case, it’s one of the best films of the year.
THE EXILES (1961) - Kent MacKenzies's richly observed docu-realist account of one night in the life of a group of now displaced Native Americans in LA's Bunker Hill area. Gorgeously shot in black-and-white. The film was finally released here by Milestone (also responsible for last year's release of THE KILLER OF SHEEP). It may seem like a cultural artifact now, which doesn't give the film or its subjects enough credit.
And since this was also an election year, and there were no new entries to the sub-genre of election/campaign docs that I can think of (except Katy Chevigny’s ELECTION DAY), I’d also like to say I look forward to the upcoming films that chronicled this exhilarating, dramatic, suspenseful, and exhausting campaign season and landmark election.
MAN ON WIRE has emerged as the critics fave, which doesn’t surprise
me or inspire me; I love the film, but I don’t think it’s a shoo-in
for the Oscar (see below). And the IDA Awards came the closest they ever have
to nominating 5 worthy films, and awarding 2 great films (in fact, I don’t
think the Academy will nominate an overall better list, considering two of
my favorites of the year WALTZ WITH BASHIR and STRANDED didn’t qualify
for the Oscar, but were nom’ed by the IDA (who still failed to nominate the Oscar-bound
and critically adored ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD and TROUBLE THE WATER,
but still made room for YOUNG@HEART -- which isn’t Oscar-worthy, but I cried a lot.
A lot). And how could both orgs ignore THE ORDER OF MYTHS??
But man, will I be
psyched if the Doc branch nominates Errol Morris, Werner Herzog, and Steve
James all in the same year, even if I will concede that I think their eligible films are not my favorites in their individual bodies of work. Still, all three films
are Oscar worthy, and I especially think that Morris' SOP will age well.
With a record-breaking
94 films qualifying for the Oscar (20 more than last year), at least it seems
like the eligibility requirements are more “fair.” So stop
complaining. And next year they move the deadline to Sept 30 (congrats Thom Powers!).
Noteworthy -- for the first time since 2002 (when docs crossed over at the box-office
and BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE ushered in a mostly-sustained period of docs as box-office
bounty), the Academy didn’t nominate the highest-grossing doc of the year, which as a measure of success cannot be the sole gauge for best or worst films of the year, but certainly is important
to better understanding the year’s trends.
RELIGULOUS came late in the year, but came just in time. Kudos to Lionsgate for selling this film to a broader audience than Bill Maher’s limited appeal would have on its own. Unfortunately, the success of RELIGULOUS also validates the notion that a documentary must have a “star” in order to survive and thrive in this challenging marketplace. Looking at the charts, there may be some truth to that, but that doesn't mean it's fair.
The early spring saw a series of high-profile box-office disappointments that included Oscar-winner TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE, Errol Morris’ STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE, Morgan Spurlock’s WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA? followed by the mid-summer collapse of Sundance fave AMERICAN TEEN (from Paramount Vantage, which probably had the year’s highest P&A budget). And even Fox Searchlight, which had its first doc acquisition in over a decade with YOUNG@HEART, was reported to be disappointed with the $4 million box office take of that film. In the midst of this, MAN ON WIRE emerged as a one of the few films that hit with both audiences and critics.
Of course there
were a few other highlights: two concert films (although neither made a
profit), one well-made agitprop surprise hit EXPELLED (which probably made a
small profit after opening on 1000 screens, a record for a doc), and Herzog’s
ENCOUNTERS which is likely to net the director his very first Oscar nom, and perhaps a surprise
victory. Yeah, I said it.
Wait, there was also Alex Gibney’s other film - GONZO, but it seemed easy (and unfair) to ignore its under-the-radar success. GONZO was one of several high profile documentary releases from premiere doc distributor Magnolia (also including MAN ON WIRE and BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER*). Magnolia has FOOD, INC. and CASINO JACK coming out sometime in 2009 (Full disclosure: I worked on both of those films as well as STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE).
Of course Sony
Classics buys a lot too, despite going on record as not believing in theatrical documentaries. We’ll see if they can turn WALTZ WITH BASHIR into a
PERSEPOLIS-like hit, and watch in 2009 as they open the Toronto trio EVERY LITTLE STEP, SOUL POWER, and IT
MIGHT GET LOUD).
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