Thursday April 24, 2003
- Peter attempted to do a comparison of the mockumentary and documentary format this week. He even brought a book on documentary film theory. Lucky for us, his display of academia was cursory. Using films directed by and starring Christopher Guest such as Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and, his latest, A Mighty Wind, he attempted to display the similarities and differences between the two genres.
- Following in the same vein of mockumentaries, Jenn talked about a Canadian film called Fubar starring some fellow Calgaronians(?), one of which went to her high school. The film follows a couple of headbangers, Dean and Terry, as they attempt to reach Fubar: Fucked up beyond all recognition. While the director insists he's interested in learning more about the 'banger, the film at times comes across as poking fun at this type of lifestyle, sometimes you just gotta give 'er.
- Terry Gilliam's failed attempt at bringing Don Quixote to the big screen is wonderfully and yet saddeningly documented in the film Lost in La Mancha. I had the opportunity to see the documentary, The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of 12 Monkeys that was made by the same filmmakers, Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe. The Hamster Factor follows the making of the film 12 Monkeys, as well as providing some insight into captain chaos' methods of creating movies. What's interesting to note is that The Hamster Factor was made as a 'plan b' in case something disastrous were to happen during the making of 12 Monkeys. Now, unfortunately, we see 'plan b' in effect with the release of Lost in La Mancha. 12 Monkeys is an excellent film and you can find The Hamster Factor included with it in the special edition DVD. I recommend watching 12 Monkeys first, following it with The Hamster Factor. Hopefully one day, Don Quixote will be brought to life by one of my favourite directors and as an added bonus, Lost in La Mancha will be included with the DVD as the 'plan b' that was probably its original intent.