V.I.D.E.O.S.: Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse

Very Interesting Documentary Everyone Ought to See is a series of blogs that educate the reader about documentaries that not only peak this writer's interest but will make one think about the life that they live and the lives of the rest of the world's people.

There are some movies out there that make you wonder how it was made, and then there are movies that make you wonder "Is this the same guy that directed that last masterpiece?"

Hearts of Darkness is one of the first documentaries of its kind to show the behind the scenes footage of what it was like to make Apocalypse Now, one of the most memorable, over-hyped war movies of all time.  It was hyped up as being the movie to completely define the entirety of war movies and Vietnam through the adaptation of Joseph Conrad's Hearts of Darkness by director Francis Ford Coppola.  The studio pretty much gave him the keys to the castle.

When you make a movie (so I assume) there are certain tasks and goals that need to be accomplished when you go out to direct a mega-movie such as this.  There is also the aspect of how one handles stress and manages others on the set.

Coppola was known for working with megastars like Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Deniro, and many of the other big names of the time that could carry a film.  Directing some of the best performances of a generation was Coppola's best attribute.  Studios figured that he was the guy to go to for turning a script into an Oscar masterpiece.

But then there are things that come out of nowhere when you begin to fly too close to the sun.  Coppola had to go out into the hot tropics and find ways to shoot his movie.  He had to figure out his script to follow, which he rewrote and rewrote, deal with talent that would seem difficult to deal with, and then put out the fires that would occur when the star of the movie suffered from a heart attack.

This is the making of the movie that broke Francis Ford Coppola.  It is highly entertaining, and if you've ever wondered where Tropic Thunder got some of it's comedy reference from, look no further.  This is the movie to watch and enjoy.

V.I.D.E.O.S.: Cocaine Cowboys

Very Interesting Documentary Everyone Ought to See is a series of blogs that educate the reader about documentaries that not only peak this writer's interest but will make one think about the life that they live and the lives of the rest of the world's people.

This documentary was one of the very first ones that I saw when I got into Netflix.  When I first read a summary about it, I was like "eh, this could be either really boring or might just peak my curiosity".  I wasn't expecting anything really big.

I was completely blown away.

This is THE DRUG & VIOLENCE documentary to see!  If you ever want to know why Miami is the way it is, or the history behind why it was the most violent city in America during the late 70's early 80's, or even why Scarface or Miami Vice, or any of that allure exists, watch this documentary.

One of the best things about the movie is the transitioning through the video footage, along with the interviews from the detectives, reporters, witnesses, and even the murderers within Miami during those times.  There is no narration from the director, but the stories just intertwine so perfectly.

The story is based on the real life murders, crimes, and acts of violence that was happening while Cocaine was being one of the biggest commodities in America.  We get introduced to how Cocaine came in through America without anyone noticing.  We learn how the dealers and operators made their bones.  And we also learn how one of the most powerful drug lords, Griselda Blanco(above), flooded the streets of Miami with the blood of so many men and women and ruled over the American Cocaine market.

The people being interviewed that aren't a reporter or a police officer are the actual criminals that were released from turning themselves in or making a deal with law enforcement.  The stories are fascinating and some of the details about one character, Rivi, are especially terrifying.  Here's a quick look at Rivi.

I cannot recommend this movie enough.  It's a story of rags to riches to rags.  It's a riveting documentary that will not disappoint!  Hope you get a chance to watch it sometime.

V.I.D.E.O.S.: Hot Coffee

Let's say that you go down to your local McDonald's or your local Dunkin Donuts.  You go through the Drive-Thru and order a medium hot coffee, cream and sugar.  Just like you have many times before.  But now look at the cup, and look for the saying that many companies now print on the cup.  That little saying that says "Contents Hot" or "Contents May Be Extremely Hot".  Ever wonder what made McDonald's or Dunkin Donuts print that?  The court case is the basis for this fascinating documentary.

Hot Coffee, is a documentary about the liability lawsuits, particularly, this infamous lawsuit about a woman who spilled hot coffee on herself and then sued McDonald's.  Now let me first ask you this question: If you knew a person, who spilled hot coffee on themselves and then sued McDonald's for money, what would you think about that person?  Now, remember that answer, for later and for when you end up watching this Doc.

This stunning documentary was one of the most memorable films I've seen in a while.  It's currently streaming on Netflix, if you have an account, and is probably one of the most eye-opening films about liability suits and tort reform.  I should warn you that there is a very graphic image in the documentary that is part of the lawsuit, and might make some people nauseous.

What is meant by liability suits is when the little guy can sue the big guy in the event that something goes wrong, with anything.  Medical issues, product issues, accidents, and pretty much anything under the sun.  Now, in the documentary we see more than just the one lawsuit of of Leibeck Vs. McDonald's.  We get a long and rich history about what the little guy has been able to do, and in one of the unfortunate cases, we see what has become of the little guy when they are up against the biggest businesses.

Now there are two sides to this coin.  There is the often complaint of frivolous lawsuits and the idea of everyone being able to sue anyone over anything.  In fact, I'm willing to say that an argument such as this would be something that could be brought up at a party, but won't get anyone really upset.  The discussion would be very interesting because across all different avenues, you could an argument for the little guy and for big business.  It walks that fine line.  Unless of course, you're at a party hosted by a lawyer who has strong convictions on such a thing.

But after viewing this movie, you'll definitely think more about product design, liability coverage, insurance lawsuits, and how much money is at stake when something is involved in liability coverage.  I recommend that you write down your thoughts on what you think of the person who sued McDonald's for spilling their hot coffee and then see if you're a changed person when the credits role.

Finally Finished Ken Burn’s National Parks

Okay, before watching this, all I knew was that it was 6 episodes long and it was a PBS documentary about The U.S. National Parks.  I have to say first, that about 12 hours of footage and history is in this thing.  It is A LOT of watching.  I recommend watching an episode every now and then and make it maybe a once a week thing.  It’s the most recent work from Ken Burns aside from his Baseball: Extra Innings.  After seeing it, I think the images and video footage is just amazing.  It rivals only Planet Earth from Discovery Channel.  It’s amazing to capture all of the history about most of the national parks and the legislature that surrounded them.  I think I can honestly say that after watching this, I would want to at least make it out to Yosemite, Yellowstone, and a couple other of the major original parks that people like John Muir cultivated and helped establish.  Alright, that’s enough of the hippy Mark Sheehan.  Back to life and what else to watch on whatever it is you watch.

One more reason to hate Ed Rendell and the City of Philadelphia…

I recently went thru my Netflix queue tonight and picked out a documentary that I have not seen or heard anything about: The Art of the Steal.  I had no idea who it involved or who it was made by.  I only knew that it was a catchy art film about a collection of art that was involved in the press.  After seeing it, I was shocked and appalled that something like this flies under the radar of national attention.  Now I don’t want to draw anyone away from seeing this documentary, mainly because it involves an art collector by the name of Albert C. Barnes, who had more post-impressionistic art than the Louvre, among other priceless pieces, and his collection is the more impressive collection in the world.  It was opened to students and people who were open to the idea of going to an art gallery to learn about the history and essence of these pieces of work.  It wasn’t a museum and wasn’t something that was generating money for a profit of a corporation. 

Now here’s where the story begins.  Barnes drafted a trust that would protect his assets and keep the art where it was: AWAY FROM THE CITY.  Governor Ed Rendell and many more politicians try to move in and take away the art from the city of Merion (5 miles from Philadelphia, by the way) and do it in a way that would make you never think. 

As a fan of Art in almost every form, this is the worst thing that can ever happen to a person’s legacy.  One creates a trust to protect the future of their assets, not to have them squandered by politicians who control zoning boards and pocket trustees of foundations.  After seeing the end of the documentary, I would urge any person who owns or collects priceless pieces of artwork to have them securely entrusted to a child or grandchild.  That was Barnes’ only mistake.  Not having a future to defend his priceless collection.

My Love for Ken Burns

I'm watching the second half of the Ken Burns documentary Baseball: The Tenth Inning. I must say, having James Earl Jones narrating this is absolutely perfect. There is really nothing I would like to add to this presentation. Ken Burns knows so much about history and everything about filmmaking. I might go buy a ton of his documentaries just so I can watch all of them and learn all of the things that I missed and didn't catch through all of my years of education. I could learn about Jazz, the Brooklyn Bridge, The War, Baseball, the Civil War, Congress, Huey Long, The Shakers, Thomas Jefferson, Mark Twain, the National Parks (Americas Best Idea) and all of the other things that I would like to waste time in front of my TV learning about. His next documentaries are on Prohibition, the Roosevelts, The Central Park fire, and the Dust Bowol which I can't wait to watch/learn about.

As I watch this, I find a couple of things funny. The first voice I hear is Michael Felger's and its when he was on WEEI. The next thing I see is the one face that every person in Boston around 1999 would recognize: Pedro Martinez. A tiny man, who scouts claimed would be too small to pitch in the big leagues, is pitching the best season that a pitcher has ever pitched. You can check on that, but I already know it. His 1999 season is considered the best season of a pitchers by any standard. His 2000 season is probably up there too. It segways into Roger Clemens, Ichiro, Barry Bonds, 9/11 and its effect on the game, and now its on to the World Series in which the Diamondbacks won over the Yankees. This would be the World Series that afterward, Buster Olney would write his book "The Last Night of the Yankee dynasty". I only remember Schilling and Johnson winning a co-MVP award during this series.

This is an interesting point in the film. Bill Costas says the phrase "The ball may be juiced and the players may be juiced" and as that happens the Tigers reliever Todd Jones throws a ball over the head of the catcher as if Todd Jones heard him. It's not hard to see that someone called out players for juicing. Chris Rock once said to Ken Burns himself, "If you could take a pill that made you get paid like Steven Speilberg, you'd take that pill." He's right, and the people that wouldn't take that pill to make more money aren't thinking of their family, but thinking of the 'integrity' of the game. The game of baseball isn't the most honest game by any means. The game of baseball will live on past a players years. A player only lives so long that he has to make every effort to get recognized, get that contract, get his 10 year tenure so he can retire with a baseball players pension, and maybe make a hitting instruction video or hold a camp for up and coming kids.

I'm not exactly defending players taking steroids, but I understand why they did it. Money. If you can get any advantage in doing something that everybody can get access to, then there is no reason why you wouldn't do it. I'm sure someone said that if you're not juicing, you're not competing.

There has to be something said about people like this. Ken Burns works for PBS and has been for 25 years, making some of the best documentaries that can be seen. Why hasn't he been glorified more? Maybe its the fact he's on somewhere between This Old House and Sesame Street. I just think that people don't give him enough credit for putting American History into perspective and also for putting it on film. I'm sure by the time he is done working he will have cataloged every major era or story in our history. God Bless Ken Burns.