If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front directed by Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman (2011)
For the past few years Michael Moore has added a few very intriguing documentaries to the Traverse City Film Festival lineup that have to do with some sort of environmental rights. This years big entry appeared to be If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front. The name pretty much sums up what you get in this doc. Continue reading
Project Nim directed by James Marsh (2011)
Nim is a chimpanzee that shortly after his birth was taken away from his mother to live with a family while being raised as a human child. At the families home, Nim was breast-fed by the mother, was allowed to run wild through the house, smoked pot and drank, all in the name of of science. The experiment was to see if Nim could be taught to communicate using sign language. Continue reading
The Most Beautiful directed by Akira Kurosawa (1944)
Shot during World War II, The Most Beautiful, is nothing more than an ode to the girls who dedicated themselves to their country during the war. This was not shown in the United States because it was said to be anti-American. There was one line in a song the girls sang about destroying America. I guess that is pretty anti-American but it also was made in Japan during a war against America. Continue reading
The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail directed by Akira Kurosawa (1945)
In Kurosawa’s third film, a lord and his six samurai guards must disguise themselves as monks in order to evade the Shogun, also his brother, who is angry about his brothers earlier actions. Understanding who these characters are and what they are attempting to do is not necessary to enjoying this early Kurosawa picture. What you get is a glimpse, the running time clocks in at just under an hour, of the famous directors future. Continue reading
