"Happy"

This film should be required viewing for all humans. It shows you what's important in life to find happiness.

"First Position"

I don't actually have that much to say about this film other than it fits into a sub-genre of documentary that profiles high-achievers (e.g. "Spellbound") which I find fascinating. You get to know the young dancers and some of their parents and teachers.

"Chasing Ice"

I expected to be bored by this film (I don't find geology particularly exciting) but was instead fascinated and horrified. I was in awe of the main dude's tenacity to capture time lapse of our disappearing glaciers. It's horrifying how fast they are dying and really illustrates in a visceral way what climate change is doing.

"Persistence of Vision"

Richard Williams is famous in the animation community. His book on animation is considered the best available and a lot of people have seen his work on "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?", which was to direct the animation. Basically, he's incredible.

But something went wrong with his personal project, "The Thief and the Cobbler". This film goes back to Richard's earliest animations (which are breathtaking) and tells the story of his masterpiece and his life so far. It's a fascinating story.

"Under African Skies"

This film is about Paul Simon's collaboration with South African musicians to make his album "Graceland" and reuniting with them twenty-five years later. But it's also about the power of art to endure beyond politics and the human connections that occur with music. Music can touch hearts on a deep level.

I didn't expect to be so moved by this film, but I was. Maybe partly because I have some memories with the music- I remember listening to a few songs repeatedly from "Graceland" as a kid, probably on cassette. My mom's a Paul Simon fan. I also have memories of hanging out at home, being lazy on a Sunday, hearing Ladysmith Black Mambazo CDs that my parents would often play.

Aside from my personal memories, there's something moving to me about artists connecting with one another, collaborating and looking right past politics, race, gender, cultural background, even language, to make beauty together. And then to share it with the world- besides a successful cross-cultural collaboration, "Graceland" was a huge commercial success.

One of the scenes that really got to me when they play Saturday Night Live. The album hadn't been released so nobody had heard any of the music, but the audience went totally crazy. They knew immediately that there was something special there. They loved it.

As a very picky consumer of music now, some of Paul Simon's Western musical style doesn't do much for me personally- I find rock structure and convention pretty boring, but I loved the African elements of the music. Of course Paul Simon deserves full credit and praise for doing this crazy "Graceland" album, for putting it all together despite a difficult political environment on top of the regular work of art. And I also realize that the folk/rock is his contribution, just as Ladysmith contributed their beautiful singing. That's what he does, even if it's not my favorite aspect.

Anyway, great film!

"Monster Road"

"Monster Road" (2004) - Directed by Brett Ingram

The film centers on two men: Bruce Bickford, an artistic genius, the in-house clay animator for Frank Zappa from 1974-1980, and his father George Bickford, the self-proclaimed “smartest person around.”

The film captures a short period of time in the lives of father and son. Footage of Bruce’s earliest work is woven with stories of his childhood. His most recent work, which he spends hours creating in his studio (the basement of his childhood home outside of Seattle) is a window into the mind of an artistic genius. He is childlike, in the sense that he seems unaffected by the stress of typical American adult life (as he has managed to avoid it) and is captivated by the wonder of it all. A huge element of his work is his fascination with being a “little dude.”

George, a former Boeing engineer, faces the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. What remains of his vast knowledge and skill is behavior reminiscent of Cold War era paranoia. The walls of his home are filled with magazine cut-outs of “honest men” and hand-written notes like, “what will we do when the oil runs out?” The moments where George speaks are some of the most profound moments of the film. Bruce speaks about his father’s disappointment in him, and how he couldn't get over the fact that Bruce didn't have a real job until he “got Alzheimer’s and forgot.”

Bruce’s animations are surreal, psychedelic, beautiful, terrifying, and utterly otherworldly. Everything George says is a perfect little gem, worthy of hanging on the fridge. The original music by Shark Quest is brilliant. The pace is perfect.

It’s hard to talk about this film. Just see it.

"Cinemania"

"Cinemania" shows us the lives of a handful of obsessive film watchers. One guy is so dedicated that he eats food to constipate himself so he can keep to his viewing schedule with no prolonged bathroom breaks. Each person is quirky, fascinating, and definitely not quite "normal".