Why not fold documentaries into my list of the "Best Films of 2011?" After all, a movie is a movie, right? Yes, and some years I've thrown them all into the same mixture. But all of these year-end Best lists serve one useful purpose: They tell you about good movies you may not have seen or heard about. The more films on my list that aren't on yours, the better job I've done.
That's particularly true were you to depend on the "short list" released by the Academy's Documentary Branch of 15 films they deem eligible for nomination. The branch has been through turmoil in the past and its procedures were "reformed" at one point. But this year it has made a particularly scandalous sin of
omission. It doesn't include "The Interrupters" (currently scoring 99% on the Tomatometer), which has received better reviews and been on more critic's Best lists than any other.
That's particularly true were you to depend on the "short list" released by the Academy's Documentary Branch of 15 films they deem eligible for nomination. The branch has been through turmoil in the past and its procedures were "reformed" at one point. But this year it has made a particularly scandalous sin of
omission. It doesn't include "The Interrupters" (currently scoring 99% on the Tomatometer), which has received better reviews and been on more critic's Best lists than any other.
- 12/25/2011
- by Roger Ebert
- blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
While the television premiere date of a documentary that’s been playing on the festival circuit for nearly two years isn’t necessarily the hottest of news, when it’s a film as wonderful and as dear to my heart as One Lucky Elephant, I can’t help but mention it. My deeply personal reactions to film that center on animals (particularly documentaries) are well-known – in short, I am almost guaranteed to cry. One Lucky Elephant made me cry more consistently than any other film (animal-centric or otherwise) that I’ve ever seen. It is a lovely, moving story – but more than that, it also tackles a very controversial subject. The film centers on circus producer David Balding, a man who has spent his entire life (personal and professional) wanting his own elephant. When Balding acquires orphaned baby elephant Flora, he thinks that his dream has finally come true, a dream that will allow him to save...
- 11/28/2011
- by Kate Erbland
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
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