IN DEPTH: Part Two of the 2009 Academy Documentary Shortlist

Yesterday we previewed the first five (in alphabetical order) Oscar Doc Feature shortlist contenders. Today, it's numbers 6-10, starting with the Silverdocs champ, THE GARDEN.

THE GARDEN

Directed by Scott Hamilton Kennedy
IMDb page
Rotten Tomatoes page - No rating yet

Festival premiere - Silverdocs
Additional festivals of note - Los Angeles
Festival laurels - Grand Jury Prize, Silverdocs

Cinema Eye Eligible? - Yes
IDA Nomination - No
Gotham Nomination - No

Distribution:
Theatrical gross to date -

Sample review:
"It's tempting to call "The Garden" a story of innocence and experience, of evil corrupting paradise, but that would be doing a disservice to the fascinating complexities of a classic Los Angeles conflict and an excellent documentary that does them full justice."
- Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Tribune

Notes:
Scott Hamilton Kennedy’s follow-up to his acclaimed 2002 debut OT: OUR TOWN made a splash when it premiered and took top documentary honors at this year’s Silverdocs - it became the first film to take a major festival award over jury favorite TROUBLE THE WATER.  THE GARDEN has another thing going for it, which is its underdog, activist themes, often catnip to Academy voters.  Might there be additional enthusiasm for themes of community organization in the post-election, pre-inauguration voting period?

Trailer

GLASS: A PORTRAIT OF PHILIP IN TWELVE PARTS

Directed by Scott Hicks
IMDb page
Rotten Tomatoes page - 78% (18 out of 23)

Festival premiere - Toronto 2007
Additional festivals of note - Full Frame

Cinema Eye Eligible? - Yes
IDA Nomination - No
Gotham Nomination - No

Distribution: Koch Lorber
Theatrical gross to date -$20,018

Sample review:
"Hicks devotes segments to fairly straightforward, mundane studies of Glass' family, his spiritual explorations, and his workaholic ways, but the actual biography only comes through sporadically, without much critical or historical context."
- Noel Murray, Onion A/V Club

Notes:
The nonfiction feature debut by Oscar nominated filmmaker Scott Hicks (SHINE) reminds us that when a film about music does make it to the shortlist, dollars to donuts it’s about a composer.  Hicks portrait of the great Philip Glass (whose documentary scoring for numerous films including KOYAANISQATSI changed the way we listen to nonfiction) has been a bit of an underdog since its premiere in Toronto last year.  But it built up some momentum during IDA DocuWeek screenings in August and now looks to continue a longshot run for the final five.

Trailer

I.O.U.S.A.

Directed by Patrick Creadon
IMDb page
Rotten Tomatoes page - 92% (44 out of 48)

Festival premiere - Sundance
Additional festivals of note - Silverdocs, IDFA

Cinema Eye Eligible? - Yes
IDA Nomination - No
Gotham Nomination - No

Distribution: Roadside Attractions
Theatrical gross to date -$797,433

Sample review:
"This documentary manages to do something damn near impossible: make the subject of the U.S. national debt understandable and, moreover, render it interesting and urgent."
- Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle

Our thoughts:
"Beyond its timely concerns, it's a pleasure to see Creadon's pop culture sensibilities in action, applied here to a more serious, wonky topic.  And as in WORDPLAY - which featured a wonderful cameo by former President Clinton - Creadon gets great material from his interviewees.  This is likely to be the only doc this year to feature heroic supporting turns from Warren Buffet (in full storytelling mode) and former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin."

Notes:
Patrick Creadon’s follow-up to WORDPLAY has only become more resonant and important in the months since its Sundance debut.  While predictions of a major financial crisis were debatable in January, the film reached theaters in August just before the economic disaster became impossible to ignore.  While I.O.U.S.A. made sense as a primer to potential trouble in January, it now seems both prescient as a well as a well-thought out explanation of how and why we are where we are.  Remarkably even handed and featuring exceptional graphic design, don’t be surprised if the headlines help move this film to nomination.

Trailer:

IN A DREAM

Directed by Jeremiah Zagar
IMDb page
Rotten Tomatoes page - No rating yet

Festival premiere - SXSW
Additional festivals of note - Full Frame
Festival laurels - Emerging Artist Award, Full Frame

Cinema Eye Eligible? - Yes
IDA Nomination - No
Gotham Nomination - No

Distribution: Pending - HBO Is set to screen the film next year

Sample review:
"(T)he confluence of (subject Carroll Pickett's) crisis of conscience with old-fashioned, investigative journalism allows the film to examine questions about justice and morality without seeming didactic.
- Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Notes:
A stunning debut from Jeremiah Zagar that takes the (seemingly) oldest saw in nonfiction – here’s a movie about my unconventional, dysfunctional family – and weaves a beautiful, aching film about art and relationships.  It’s not often a genre that the Academy responds to – one can’t imagine the film being shortlisted last year – and it’s inclusion is perhaps the strongest evidence of a (positive) change of thinking among some of those viewing screeners this year.

Trailer:

In A Dream Trailer from Herzliya Films on Vimeo.

MADE IN AMERICA

Directed by Stacy Peralta
IMDb page
Rotten Tomatoes page - No rating yet

Festival premiere - Sundance
Additional festivals of note - Los Angeles

Cinema Eye Eligible? - Not at present.
IDA Nomination - No
Gotham Nomination - No

Distribution: Pending

Sample review:
"Using maps, photos and the words of surviving gang members, "Made in America" presents a portrait of a city section gone crazy with blood vengeance. Because Peralta constructs his work as a symphony, with music continually pushing it forward in delineated sections, auds are unlikely to be conscious of how pic carefully delineates the gang war's roots and causes. Result is a doc with the thrust of entertainment, but the content of a thoughtfully researched book."
- Robert Koehler, Variety

Our thoughts:
"(I)n the end, I wish the film was even more of a history of the neighborhood and concerned itself less with the gang rivalries of the past two decades.  I'm not sure how people who live in regions not affected by gangs might respond to this dominant element of the film, but for me, a lot of the information related to the gangs was treading familiar turf."

Notes:
Stacy Peralta’s MADE IN AMERICA is one of the most surprising films on the shortlist – a poppy, graphic, sleekly made film about a Los Angeles subculture (one that doesn’t often appeal to the Academy’s tastes) from the king of LA subculture docs. Probably unlikely to have a cultural reach of his breakthrough DOGTOWN AND Z-BOYS – word on the film was surprisingly quiet during its Sundance premiere and the film later avoided most festival screenings, save a high profile LA Film Fest appearance. 

Trailer:

Coming up: A look at the final 5 shortlisted films, including frontrunners MAN ON WIRE and TROUBLE THE WATER.

Comments

[Rose]

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE DOCUMENTARIES CHOSEN FOR THE OSCAR BID. HOWEVER, I THINK THE ACADEY SHOULD TAKE A BETTER LOOK AT HOW THEY CHOOSE THESE DOCS AS SOME HAVE PAID TO BE IN THEATERS IN LA & NY WHILE OTHERS THAT WERE OVERLOOKED ACTUALLY WERE PUT OUT IN THE THEATERS BECAUSE THEY WERE PUT THERE BY DISTRIBUTORS. THIS IS NOT A TRUE FAIR PICTURE OF THE BEST DOCUMENTARIES. SOME OVER LOOKED & SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN DEAR ZACHERY, BIGGER STRONGER FASTER*, YOUNG AT HEART.

[ALICE]

Agree. The Academy should take another look at the rules. This was just plain wrong. Lots of people don't get it, and probably won't even want to go and see them anymore. There's enough problems with getting the documentary catagory up to par as it is. Michael Moore is not the only great documentarian. I didn't see Religulous yet, but wouldn't the public wonder why the top grossing doc didn't get a nod? Other feature documentaries that have secured awards or nominations at the pretigious Sundance Film Festival and other International Festivals SHOULD have been nominated. Can someone explain the process, it doesn't seem right.