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von Braun
Oct 30, 2009


Broder Daniel Forever

Sagacity posted:

I quite like documentaries about how factories work. Stuff like the BBC's "Inside the Factory", for instance. But are there any documentaries about the companies that design the factories and all the intricate conveyors and odd little devices that make up a factory?

This one is cool. Dunno were you can watch it though. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1149400/

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Sagacity
May 2, 2003
Hopefully my epitaph will be funnier than my custom title.
Excellent suggestions, thanks! The NYTimes documentary is of extra interest to me since my father-in-law used to work behind a Linotype machine and has witnessed the migration to desktop publishing first-hand.

Kull the Conqueror
Apr 8, 2006

Take me to the green valley,
lay the sod o'er me,
I'm a young cowboy,
I know I've done wrong
The Challenge is finally getting a limited release in the US and it's my favorite doc I've seen this year. The photography is absurdly good and it portrays a world that you think can't possibly be real. It also has a Morricone-esque score. It's this guy's first feature after a brilliant short called San Siro and I'm already convinced he's a world-class film artist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msiaw32R81M

GonSmithe
Apr 25, 2010

Perhaps it's in the nature of television. Just waves in space.

Kull the Conqueror posted:

The Challenge is finally getting a limited release in the US and it's my favorite doc I've seen this year. The photography is absurdly good and it portrays a world that you think can't possibly be real. It also has a Morricone-esque score. It's this guy's first feature after a brilliant short called San Siro and I'm already convinced he's a world-class film artist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msiaw32R81M

What the gently caress? This looks awesome.

Sleepstupid
Feb 23, 2009
Stumbled upon Resurface last night on Netflix--only 30 minutes long.

quote:

WAR. TRAUMA. SURFING.
Struggling with trauma and depression after his military service, Iraq war veteran Bobby Lane wanted to cross surfing off his bucket list before taking his life.

Resurface tells Bobby's story and explores the question: How can surfing change the lives of military veterans? More and more research has demonstrated the healing effects of surfing on the brain and body. Organizations like the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation, Operation Surf and Surf Action are now acting on this research, turning to ocean therapy to help active duty Marines and vets cope with physical and mental trauma.

Resurface focuses on these vets and how surfing and the ocean are helping them heal.

Is it possible to be depressing and super inspiring at the same time? Anyways, I really enjoyed this and really wished it was longer/more in-depth into some of the stories.

Ropes4u
May 2, 2009

Facing Darkness on Netflix is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.

In the spring of 2014, while the world stood by as Ebola consumed West Africa, one ministry stepped forward to provide aid and comfort. When two of their own medical personnel became infected with Ebola, Samaritan’s Purse, led by Franklin Graham, sprang into action to attempt the impossible – transport and cure. With only faith and determination, this is the story of how a committed team moved mountains to make way for a miracle. Following this moving story, audiences will hear from Samaritan’s Purse President, Franklin Graham, and Dr. Kent Brantly, the first American to survive Ebola, regarding their time in Africa, the organization’s mission, and their lives since the high drama of the epidemic.

Segue
May 23, 2007

I just saw the most viscerally unpleasant film I've ever seen, called Caniba. It's by the same directors who did Leviathan, the doc where they attached a bunch of cameras to a fishing vessel and immersed you in the ocean.

They do the same thing here, with extreme close-ups, out of focus "fleshy" shots and a slurping, biting soundtrack while interviewing Issei Sagawa, a real-life cannibal now incapacitated by a stroke, and his caretaker brother who also has bizarre fetishes.

It wasn't a punch to the gut like The Act of Killing. It doesn't stay with you and provide much context or depth. It's just unpleasant, exploitative sensory overload going on and on for the sake of art. There's a minutes-long extended shot paging through a manga created by Sagawa graphically detailing the crime which is just so wrong.

The theatre had several walkouts. It's an aggressively confrontational film, and I have no idea what to make of it. I'm not even sure it'll have much of a run as a gross-out movie as so much of it is extreme out of focus shots that only work within the sensory overload theatre context. But I imagine youtube clips will give it a second life.

Just wow.

Coaaab
Aug 6, 2006

Wish I was there...
Oh my God, Castaing-Taylor and Paravel made a movie about that loving guy in the style of Leviathan? No wonder I'm reading a lot of pissed off reactions on twitter. And now I'm imagining what it could look and sound like, even though it's likely I'll never make myself sit through that.

Mo_Steel
Mar 7, 2008

Let's Clock Into The Sunset Together

Fun Shoe
"The Vietnam War" by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick premieres tonight, Sept. 17th on PBS with a new episode every night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWFzaUlZz-k&hd=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XS811-ZDB8&hd=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPTKLuMWijU&hd=1

----------------------------------------

TONIGHT: Episode 1: Deja Vu (1858 - 1961)

The first installment of a 10-part, 18-hour history of the Vietnam War. After a long and brutal war, Vietnamese revolutionaries led by Ho Chi Minh end nearly a century of French colonial occupation. With the Cold War intensifying, Vietnam is divided in two at Geneva. Communists in the north aim to reunify the country, while America supports Ngo Dinh Diem's untested regime in the south.

----------------------------------------

Looking forward to this; I haven't focused much on the Vietnam War since I took a college course on it over a decade ago, so this should be an interesting watch; may need it's own thread to handle discussion. Reviews seem pretty positive:

Vox: The brilliant, infuriating, boring, hypnotic Ken Burns documentary The Vietnam War - The documentarian’s latest miniseries for PBS is a staggering achievement — and maybe his best work.

Washington Post: Yes, America, PBS’s ‘The Vietnam War’ is required viewing — all 18 hours of it

Mahoning
Feb 3, 2007
This is going to be amazing. Even Ken Burns is saying this is probably his best work.

Besides the amazing music of the time period, original music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross will be featured. Also some Yo Yo Ma.

I'm very excited for it.

LadyPictureShow
Nov 18, 2005

Success!



I stumbled upon the six-part documentary Time: The Kalief Browder Story.

A sixteen year old kid is arrested for 'attempting to steal a backpack' and spends 1,111 days in Riker's island, and spends an insane amount of time (like 800+ days) in solitary confinement before the charges are dropped.

It was absolutely horrifying, not just the jail part, but showing how much he struggled after he was released. It's an absolute goddamn gut-punch too because in part five, things sound like they're turning around for him. He's got like a 3.6 GPA in community college, an attorney has taken up his case, but then he commits suicide in his mother's house. I actually let out an 'oh noooooo' at that, loving horrifying and heartbreaking.

MonsieurChoc
Oct 12, 2013

Every species can smell its own extinction.

Mo_Steel posted:

"The Vietnam War" by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick premieres tonight, Sept. 17th on PBS with a new episode every night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWFzaUlZz-k&hd=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XS811-ZDB8&hd=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPTKLuMWijU&hd=1

----------------------------------------

TONIGHT: Episode 1: Deja Vu (1858 - 1961)

The first installment of a 10-part, 18-hour history of the Vietnam War. After a long and brutal war, Vietnamese revolutionaries led by Ho Chi Minh end nearly a century of French colonial occupation. With the Cold War intensifying, Vietnam is divided in two at Geneva. Communists in the north aim to reunify the country, while America supports Ngo Dinh Diem's untested regime in the south.

----------------------------------------

Looking forward to this; I haven't focused much on the Vietnam War since I took a college course on it over a decade ago, so this should be an interesting watch; may need it's own thread to handle discussion. Reviews seem pretty positive:

Vox: The brilliant, infuriating, boring, hypnotic Ken Burns documentary The Vietnam War - The documentarian’s latest miniseries for PBS is a staggering achievement — and maybe his best work.

Washington Post: Yes, America, PBS’s ‘The Vietnam War’ is required viewing — all 18 hours of it

Is there a way to watch it online for us canadians?

Mahoning
Feb 3, 2007

MonsieurChoc posted:

Is there a way to watch it online for us canadians?

I'm not sure, but if you go to pbs.org could you maybe just plug in a random US zip code? You could go check it out now with like an episode of Austin City Limits or something. I'm not sure if it checks your IP to make sure you're in the US.

I think the bad news for you if it does work will be that they don't stream concurrently with the broadcast so I think you'll be a day behind.

Mo_Steel
Mar 7, 2008

Let's Clock Into The Sunset Together

Fun Shoe

MonsieurChoc posted:

Is there a way to watch it online for us canadians?

PBS suggests some options will be available; I checked Amazon (Prime user) and was able to pre-order Episode 101 for $0.00 currently, with similar options showing on the other sites. Not sure if just the first EP will be free or the whole thing, but I imagine it'll be a good way to figure out if you'd want to put up cash for it. I watch Civil War about once a year it feels like so I've definitely gotten my money's worth there.

Mo_Steel fucked around with this message at 19:20 on Sep 17, 2017

Mo_Steel
Mar 7, 2008

Let's Clock Into The Sunset Together

Fun Shoe
I thought this first episode was good; it makes me hate basically every leader involved from the French to the Communists to the U.S. to the various Vietnamese leaders. To me the whole leadup rings of the saying that "everyone is the hero of their own story". The French leaders probably thought they were right to try and re-establish their colony so they could fund reconstructing their own war torn nation and after all other nations still had colonies; Ho Chi Minh clearly felt he was in the right in fighting for the independence of his nation, and amazingly I found a lot of sympathy for him. The Communists saw their struggle as a push back on the colonialism and exploitation of capitalism; the U.S. saw itself as defending freedom and protecting it's allies. They all seem to have been so sure they were in the right.

Actual history aside: I thought the production was well done, but I hope they stop with the stereotypical vietnam war scream thing. They played it at least 6 times there, and it was pulling me out of the film.

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD
Sep 14, 2007

everything is yours
Ho Chi Minh was right, though.

Mo_Steel
Mar 7, 2008

Let's Clock Into The Sunset Together

Fun Shoe

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:

Ho Chi Minh was right, though.

I'm inclined to agree; his country should've been independent of the French colonial powers. I think that's easier to see now than it was then however; a lot of bloodshed could've been avoided if the U.S. had supported his push against the French instead of being so afraid of Communism, but that's easy to say now when we know the outcome is that "scary Communism" isn't going to take over the world.

gently caress Domino Theory forever though good lord what a lovely foreign policy doctrine.

Lil Mama Im Sorry
Oct 14, 2012

I'M BACK AND I'M SCARIN' WHITE FOLKS

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:

Ho Chi Minh was right, though.

also, Ho Chi Minh did nothing wrong

Mahoning
Feb 3, 2007
It was really good. That had to be the toughest episode to write and direct. The blew through over 100 years of colonial rule in Vietnam and it never felt rushed and I felt very informed about Vietnam before US involvement.

Future episodes should be a bit less rushed as each one only looks at maybe 1-2 years of the war.

EL BROMANCE
Jun 10, 2006

COWABUNGA DUDES!
🥷🐢😬



I keep meaning to plow through all of the Ken Burns stuff, as he covers things I have super little knowledge about not being American. Our cables down and only one house has a TV antenna, but looking forward to catching up to this.

Mahoning
Feb 3, 2007
I think I have a Ken Burns thread OP that I was writing a few years ago saved on my computer somewhere. I got sidetracked and never made the thread, is it something people would be interested in? Seems like a good time to post it and I'd love discussing all of his stuff as it's all so good.

Barudak
May 7, 2007

Ho Chi Minh was right.

Still can't believe China wanted a piece of Vietnam after France and the US had given up.

EL BROMANCE posted:

I keep meaning to plow through all of the Ken Burns stuff, as he covers things I have super little knowledge about not being American. Our cables down and only one house has a TV antenna, but looking forward to catching up to this.

You need to know practically nothing about America to watch Ken Burn's Civil War and its basically Sistine Chapel of multi-part documentaries so go watch it ASAP.

EL BROMANCE
Jun 10, 2006

COWABUNGA DUDES!
🥷🐢😬



Yep I have Civil War and Baseball ready to roll when I have some time. Very much looking forward as only ever heard amazing things and presumed it would fit my ‘know nothing’ background.

Mo_Steel
Mar 7, 2008

Let's Clock Into The Sunset Together

Fun Shoe
Yeah Civil War is maybe one of the most moving things I've ever watched. The primary narrator's voice (and all the other narrators really) is basically perfect at sending shivers down my spine with the gravity of the events being described; at times romantic about valor, tragic about wholesale grotesque slaughter, the series does a good job of also focusing on more common individuals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0C-euAyCTU

Mo_Steel fucked around with this message at 04:00 on Sep 18, 2017

Mahoning
Feb 3, 2007
Uhhhhh, so PBS dropped ALL of the episodes of The Vietnam War on the PBS app. You can watch the entire series right now. drat.

DeimosRising
Oct 17, 2005

¡Hola SEA!


I wonder if Burns will touch on the Vietnamese-Cambodian War, perhaps the most righteous foreign intervention in human history. Nominally Communist or not Minh and the Vietnamese were not having any "but they're our bastards" bullshit with the Khmer Rouge. The UN continued to recognize the Khmer Rouge (!) and eventually forced a counter revolution and restoration of the monarchy.

Mo_Steel
Mar 7, 2008

Let's Clock Into The Sunset Together

Fun Shoe

Mahoning posted:

Uhhhhh, so PBS dropped ALL of the episodes of The Vietnam War on the PBS app. You can watch the entire series right now. drat.

Going to stick with one a night myself, that's way too much to marathon and appreciate.

ruddiger
Jun 3, 2004

Mahoning posted:

Uhhhhh, so PBS dropped ALL of the episodes of The Vietnam War on the PBS app. You can watch the entire series right now. drat.

Ffffffuck yeah.

Mahoning
Feb 3, 2007
Also, just so everyone knows....the PBS app has both the broadcast and explicit versions available to watch. I did notice a few times some swear words getting blanked out last night and it was a bit jarring so maybe seek out those explicit versions for the full Vietnam experience.

magnificent7
Sep 22, 2005

THUNDERDOME LOSER

Mo_Steel posted:

"The Vietnam War" by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick premieres tonight, Sept. 17th on PBS with a new episode every night.
Loving this. WOW.

LadyPictureShow
Nov 18, 2005

Success!



Ropes4u posted:

Facing Darkness on Netflix is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.

In the spring of 2014, while the world stood by as Ebola consumed West Africa, one ministry stepped forward to provide aid and comfort. When two of their own medical personnel became infected with Ebola, Samaritan’s Purse, led by Franklin Graham, sprang into action to attempt the impossible – transport and cure. With only faith and determination, this is the story of how a committed team moved mountains to make way for a miracle. Following this moving story, audiences will hear from Samaritan’s Purse President, Franklin Graham, and Dr. Kent Brantly, the first American to survive Ebola, regarding their time in Africa, the organization’s mission, and their lives since the high drama of the epidemic.

Hah, even though I followed the news closely during the Ebola epidemic (and it was obvious that if they were being interviewed, they survived, but it was still chilling to watch, especially as the doctors/workers were describing how burnt out, exhausted and hopeless they were starting to get.

I do knock it a little bit for focusing so heavily on Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, but only because their stories were so heavily covered in the press, as well as the Zmapp stuff and negotiating how to bring them back to the US. I would have liked if they had gone more in depth with the Liberian arm of the group, like Barbara, the nurse that caught it (after how harrowing/agonizingly in-depth the story was for the two Americans, her survival was basically 'Well, I said I will not die. And I didn't.') and Joseph the worker who at the beginning basically kicks the doc off with a laundry list of how many of his family members died.

Alhazred
Feb 16, 2011




Watching Time: The Kalief Browder Story and it does a really good job of showing of hosed up american prisons (especially Rikers Island) are.

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD
Sep 14, 2007

everything is yours

Mahoning posted:

Uhhhhh, so PBS dropped ALL of the episodes of The Vietnam War on the PBS app. You can watch the entire series right now. drat.

That's a good idea.

Ropes4u
May 2, 2009

LadyPictureShow posted:

Hah, even though I followed the news closely during the Ebola epidemic (and it was obvious that if they were being interviewed, they survived, but it was still chilling to watch, especially as the doctors/workers were describing how burnt out, exhausted and hopeless they were starting to get.

I do knock it a little bit for focusing so heavily on Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, but only because their stories were so heavily covered in the press, as well as the Zmapp stuff and negotiating how to bring them back to the US. I would have liked if they had gone more in depth with the Liberian arm of the group, like Barbara, the nurse that caught it (after how harrowing/agonizingly in-depth the story was for the two Americans, her survival was basically 'Well, I said I will not die. And I didn't.') and Joseph the worker who at the beginning basically kicks the doc off with a laundry list of how many of his family members died.

The opening with Joseph was perfectly crushing, its hard to imagine living with that every day for the next 40 years.

Mo_Steel
Mar 7, 2008

Let's Clock Into The Sunset Together

Fun Shoe
I started the episode a bit early tonight:

THE VIETNAM WAR
EPISODE 2: “Riding the Tiger” (1961-1963) - Watch it here

"As a communist insurgency gains strength, JFK wrestles with American involvement in South Vietnam."



------------

As this episode moved along, the feeling I got was of a pot of water on a stove: that moment when you start to see bubbles start to stream up around the edges, slowly and then faster and faster. The story right at the start is a good gut punch to get you settled in for over an hour of basically misery. I'm glad they included details about the civil rights movement and the Cuban Missile crisis because it helps demonstrate how these things don't happen in a vacuum. I can also see pretty clearly why people drew parallels between Iraq / Afghanistan and Vietnam and drat there was some real wishful thinking about how things were going with respect to "pacification" and training their fighters and it'll be over in 6 months. Nhu's wife's statements about the Buddhists made my jaw drop god drat.

The sound and music direction has been really on point, with the foreboding tracks overlaying some of the scenes really accentuating the events: the music as they laid out Ap Bac was foreboding, and it's clear it marked a turn in how things were going that some didn't want to see.

Mahoning
Feb 3, 2007
I knew it would be, but the original music from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is really good. Driving, foreboding, dark, with a pulsing beat that almost sounds like helicopter blades chopping.

DeimosRising
Oct 17, 2005

¡Hola SEA!


HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:

That's a good idea.

How is it? The Vietnam doc bar is set very high and my feelings on the war are such that too much "unbiased" pussyfooting will get me ornery

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD
Sep 14, 2007

everything is yours
I'm probably gonna crack it open this weekend, but I hope it's not as bizarre as that CNN one from last year.

Lil Mama Im Sorry
Oct 14, 2012

I'M BACK AND I'M SCARIN' WHITE FOLKS

DeimosRising posted:

How is it? The Vietnam doc bar is set very high and my feelings on the war are such that too much "unbiased" pussyfooting will get me ornery

Theres some both-sideism in the first ep i watched last night, im still gonna stick it out tho cause its pretty dope

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Mahoning
Feb 3, 2007
It's like The Civil War on steroids. Except without a clear good guy and bad guy.

It's very bleak. Bleak. So god drat bleak. It's almost hard to watch people continue to make mistakes that digs a deeper and deeper hole in Vietnam.

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