Dad's in Heaven with Nixon

Release Date: September 14th, 2010

Genre: Documentary

Stars: Tom Murray, Chris Murray

Synopsis: A portrait of the filmmaker's family, particularly his autistic brother, and their trials and breakthroughs in spite of a difficult relationship with their father.

AltAss Ratings (On a scale of 1 to 5 asses)

Plot:                                            

The decision to share an intimate family struggle with mental disorder is sure to be appreciated and helpful to many who face similar circumstances while managing to peak the interest of a broader audience.

Writing / Production:              

The filmmaker often fails, particularly during the first half of the film, to focus on the most interesting and entertaining aspect of the story he is trying to present (his autistic brother).  Instead he focuses on the havoc instilled upon the family by his dead bi-polar father which is relevant historical information that unfortunately hijacks a large part of the film along with old home movie reels.  Thankfully, the second half of the documentary is much more enjoyable.

Acting:                                     

The most entertaining character in "Dad's in Heaven with Nixon" is the filmmaker's brother Chris Murray who is a charming and funny man with a child's innocence that has not let his autism keep him from living a full, happy, and independent life. 

Originality:                              

I know that there are documentaries about mental disorder and autism but I don't think they have become common enough to make audiences grow tired of them.

Overall:                                   

This film would have been a real gem if the rest of the Murray family would have got out of the way and let it be even more about Chris.  As it stands I would still reccomend a look as the interviews with the filmmaker's brother are priceless and you can always fast forward through the uninteresting material to get to them.

Click here to find a better movie.

What did you think?  Leave a comment below to tell us how you'd rate this film!

Gasland

Release Date: December 14th, 2010

Genre: Documentary

Stars: Josh Fox

Synopsis: The filmmaker recieves an offer of thousands of dollars to lease his land for the purpose of drilling for natural gas and his investigation of the possible negative consequences of the process end in shocking and horrifying revelations.

AltAss Ratings (On a scale of 1 to 5 asses)

Plot:                                                

"Gasland" takes on a very interesting subject matter that will undoubtedly be relevant to a world wide audience.

Writing / Production:              

The interviews of the residents affected by natural gas drilling were informative and effective but became very repetitive.  This combined with the monotonous voiceover from the film maker, it became challenging to remain invested.  The last segment of the documentary when an authority figure finally agreed to talk on camera and the footage from the congressional hearing was much better. 

Originality:                                  

Very much in the spirit of a Micheal Moore movie but not quite as entertaining.  "Gasland" is still very original in breaking important information about natural gas drilling to the general public.

Overall:                                         

While I understand the appeal of going for a feature length film, the cause and certainly the value of "Gasland" would have been greatly furthered by cutting it to just under an hour.  Nevertheless, the subject is still very important and if you can't stomach the entire documentary you should at least search for videos of flammable tap water on YouTube.

Click here to find a better movie.

What did you think?  Leave a comment below to tell us how you'd rate this film!

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Release Date: December 14th, 2010 (DVD)

Genre: Documentary / Comedy

Stars: Banksy, Thierry Guetta, Shepard Fairey, Space Invader

Synopsis: Details the story of a man who devotes his life to documenting the underground world of street art and winds up becoming an artist himself.

AltAss Ratings (On a scale of 1 to 5 asses)

Plot:                                              

A very fascinating story that is funny and also says a lot about the condition of our society.

Writing / Production:                 

The one flaw I found with this film is that for the first half it is unclear as to why Thierry Guetta is the main subject of the documentary as opposed to the talented street artists who risk their life and freedom to make a statement that may only be visible for a matter of hours.  Once the twist is unveiled that Guetta used his connections from the hours of recording these artist to leverage his own success as an artist, the beginning makes more sense and it would have been more effective to reveal that fact a bit sooner.

Acting:                                       

While there aren't "actors" in a documentary the subject characters are entertaining and interesting which helps to make the film fun to watch.

Originality:                                  

The exposure to street art combined with this unbelievable tale of a man who gains overnight success in the art community by somewhat questionable methods provide extremely fresh material.

Overall:                                       

"Exit Through the Gift Shop" is a comical expose of a quirky man who loves street art and a serious indictment of how his own art work became worth thousands of dollars.  Hopefully this documentary will not only entertain audiences but also encourage them to value independent thought especially when it comes to viewing and purchasing art. 

Click here to see more good movies.

What did you think? Leave a comment below and tell us how you'd rate this film!