Production still from Michael Tully’s “Septien”

Recap of Day 4 at SXSW 2011.

• JOHN’S GONE
• SCENES FROM THE SUBURBS
• SEPTIEN
• THE OTHER F WORD

Production still from “Fightville”

Recap of Day 5 and wrap-up of SXSW 2011.

• FIGHTVILLE
• HOW TO DIE IN OREGON
• HESHER

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Recap of Day 3 at SXSW 2011.

• WEEKEND
• CONAN O’BRIEN CAN’T STOP
• THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD
• 13 ASSASSINS
• PAUL
• THE FUTURE

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To lie or not to lie, that is the question. Not posed by William Shakespeare of course but rather by the growing interest of “documentary” films today. I recently screened two widely discussed films, “Catfish” and “Exit Through the Gift Shop”. But rather than simply review them, I’ve decided to take a different approach.

What these two films have in common and why I’ve chosen an alternate path to writing this article, is because both films have been questioned of their legitimacy. What’s odd, is that these aren’t the first documentaries to be asked of this however it seems to be a growing trend. Though with all of this controversy surrounding these films, you have to wonder if that was the producer’s plan all along.

Let’s begin first by analyzing each film separately and then from there decide which film in fact holds merit, and which film simply is holding your cash. The first film is “Catfish”, one that I had high expectations for and one that I also enjoyed. Although it should be pointed out that going into this film without knowing it, I believed it to be a work of fiction. The film revolves around the relationship between the center piece of the documentary (also the filmmaker’s brother) and a girl he meets online. I can’t say much more than that although, in the digital age we live in today the film is very interesting. Later, when curious of the film’s reception, I researched it and discovered that the film was actually listed as a documentary. Upon realizing this I also found that many, like myself, questioned the very same thing. What is used as proof of the film’s fraud is that there are scenes that are too convenient to the “arc of a story” and to the “composition of a film”. Furthermore, at the Sundance Film Festival and when asked about the film’s legitimacy, the director’s of the film shut down the Q & A panel, which didn’t help. Regardless of the films authenticity, I still enjoyed it but also can understand why a simple concept and modest budget would attract producers.

What’s truly astounding about this argument in general is while seeing the second documentary, “Exit Through the Gift Shop”, I believed the film to be real. Although once again, once finished with the film I learned that others like me had also wondered of this film’s “true meaning”. The difference in contrast is far more apparent than with “Catfish”. This reason being that the film centers around a street artist known as “Banksy” who is infamously known for his elaborate pranks and also serves as the film’s director. When figuring this out and looking back at the film, of course I became more curious. My final bit of curiosity relied on whether or not the film itself was just another media stunt or if it was making an extremely ironic point about media stunts in general. Though real or not, like “Catfish”, this film is one that is highly entertaining and shouldn’t be missed.

So, two documentaries, real or fake, have been released and it raises the idea of whether or not it matters. In comparison, the recent film “I’m Still Here” about actor Joaquin Phoenix’s recent “retirement from acting” anchored completely on the idea of whether or not the film’s plot was real. When discovered that [SPOILER ALERT] it was in fact a fake, many wrote the film off in its entirety. While somewhat harsh, it’s easy to understand since the film had no real story other than the audience wondering if the film was based on truth. Once again a problem many of Hollywood films are faced with today, you have to base a film around a story not a concept.

While the subject of fake documentaries may be shocking to some, in filmmaking it’s nothing new. The difference being that in most “fake documentaries” or “mockumentaries” as they are often called, the lie is more forthwith. Whether it’s in film with a movie like “Best in Show” or in Television with examples like “The Office” and “Modern Family”, the concept has been seen before. What’s important to realize in all of this is that just like any human being it is what’s inside that counts, and if the film, like a person, has no heart then it’s not worth the effort.

Having spent some time browsing the Criterion Collection’s site recently, I got inspired by the celebrity ‘Top Ten Criterion’ lists (not to mention some awesome best-of-the-decade lists from my friends Will Gray and Jordan Poss) and decided to make my own.

Here are my favorite Criterion films:

1: Yojimbo – Kurosawa molded the way I think about cinema more than any other director. ‘Yojimbo’ is the best film about violence ever made, and one of Kurosawa’s biggest hits. I put off seeing this film for years, even while being inspired by Kurosawa’s other masterpieces (‘The Seven Samurai,’ ‘The Hidden Fortress,’ ‘Rashomon,’ ‘Throne Of Blood,’ ‘High and Low,’ and ‘Madadayo’ in particular), and finally saw it in college. It’s an inspiration to me to this day.

2: Brazil – Terry Gilliam’s emotionally exhausting, hallucinogenic, hilarious masterpiece says more about who I am as a person than most starkly realistic dramas. Gilliam has always been a technical master, though an excessive and oftentimes frustrating filmmaker. His creativity often gets the best of him, and it’s a shame that Brazil is his only film that shows focus and emotional power. As literate and poetic as 1984, this Monty-Python-meets-George-Orwell journey into madness is the powerful tragedy of a man who can’t stop dreaming.

3: Rebecca – I don’t care of Hitchcock disowned this film; it’s one of his best: a literary girl-power drama with moral complexity that gives p.t. Anderson’s films a run for his money. And it’s packaged like a gold-plated bullet by Hollywood’s greatest sorceror.

4: Do The Right Thing – Raw, angry, profane, hilarious, ecstatic—Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing channels much of the conflict I witnessed as a child growing up in Baltimore (even though the film takes place in Brooklyn), and it’s directed with a humanity, empathy, and glee that evokes adolescent joy. Yeah, it’s angry, and yeah, the ending’s controversial (the first time I saw it, it just made sense to me–a character made a decision, and that decision caused a riot), but it is essential viewing for anyone who wants to know what it means to be an auteur. The clip below changed my life.

5: 8 ½ - Probably the pinnacle of 60s filmmaking. Ar self-absorbed, auteur-ego-worship extravaganza that became one of the greatest films ever made: a cartoonish, deeply personal ‘dream-autobiography’ of the Italian celebrity/filmmaker Frederico Fellini. This is the only Fellini film I’ve ever seen more than ten minutes of… but I could watch it over and over again.

6: Hoop Dreams – My second favorite documentary (behind my favorite film The Fog Of War) is an epic tale of the American dream. It’s the story of two young African American teenage boys fighting to keep their dream of getting into the NBA; a longitudinal documentary following them through all four years of high school. Words can’t describe the power and near-perfection of this film, the countless ‘I’m-a-guy-so-I-shouldn’t-be-crying-right-now’ moments on their journey to manhood. I took this film home once and watched it in the living room with my family, fully expecting them to walk out after ten minutes… only to watch, elated, as they finished the film with me.

7: Hard-Boiled – Profoundly influential, John Woo’s hyper-kinetic, technically astonishing, nine-mil-in-both-hands blast-fest is one of the greatest–and most stylistically excessive–action films ever made. I heard about it in high school: a friend told me that the climax of the film, a set piece in a hospital, was an hour long. I had to see it. I found it a couple years later on VHS at a Best Buy in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and was enraptured at first viewing. Later, I found the film onceagain–the out of print Criterion Collection edition–for ten dollars at a Blockbuster in Spring Valley, California.

Just a quick note: I can see why the Criterion Collection edition of this film wasn’t in print for long: the transfer kinda stinks. The extras are great (it even includes one of Woo’s student films), but the newer, non-Criterion version released a year ago is probably a better bet if you’re on the market to buy it.

8: Howards End – Rich and literate, with an entrancing atmosphere that threatens to envelop the viewer, Howards End represents the pinnacle of the Merchant/Ivory experience. This E.M. Forster adaptation of intersecting social classes also features top-of-their-game work from Anthony Hopkins (in the middle of his four-banger ‘best run of the 90s’ performances, which also include The Silence Of The Lambs, The Remains Of The Day, and Shadowlands), Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Vanessa Redgrave. It’s the ultimate British costume drama; and the ultimate in fine, classically-styled film.