Take 4: Documented on Film

Some very good documentaries and mockumentaries make up this edition of Take 4. Some serious. Some light-hearted. Some interwoven with subtle humor that hits a home run. Some filled to the brim with in-your-face gags that strike out. Plus...our very first rating that surpasses the "Must See" mark. And in the next edition of Take 4, we visit four films starring one of Hollywoods favorite good guys. Stay tuned.

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Incident at Loch Ness (2004)

What's Being Documented?: The myth of the Loch Ness Monster. Well, actually, the documenting of the myth is what's being documented. A film crew filming a film crew. Where things go wrong...or do they?

We're Not in Kansas Anymore: If I have to tell you we're at Loch Ness in Scotland, then I give up...I really do.

The Starting Line-Up: Werner Herzog (director of many German films) plays filmmaker Werner Herzog and Zak Penn (screenwriter of such films as PCU and X-Men 2 and 3) plays screenwriter turned producer, Zak Penn. The sound guy is a real sound guy. The director of photography is a real director of photography.

Scenes to Look Out For: Look out for the underlying, subtle humor that pervades the entire film...it sometimes comes out of nowhere and surprises you. In a good way. A very good way. The tension between Herzog and Zak is great.

Random Trivia: When asked by an audience member after a viewing at the Edinburgh Film Festival 2004, whether any Nessies were harmed during the making of the film, director Zak Penn indicated that he could not guarantee that they were not.

Incident at Loch Ness in a Nutshell: Zak Penn: "When I look back, and I hear people talk about what suffering, I say to myself, "Who suffered more than I did"? I mean, other than the people who died. I mean, obviously, they suffered more because, well, they're dead. But, you could make the argument that they're dead, so they're not really dealing with it, whereas I live with the guilt, and I live with the sadness."

Curt's Take: I was SO pleasantly surprised by this, I don't want to give too much away. So, basically...a documentary is being filmed about the life of filmmaker Werner Herzog, who is traveling to Loch Ness to explore the role myth plays in culture. We get to see the crew of the film get brought on board the project, and watch the producer try to take over some creative elements of the project. If you don't like subtle humor...you may not "get" this. But it was very, very cleverly done...and one of the few DVDs I've viewed since I started Take 4 where I started to watch it a second time with commentary by Zak and Werner, which was great from the part I listened to. Plus, it's double-sided with more extras on Side 2 that I didn't get a chance to hit before returning it in the mail. So...yes folks...we have it. Our very first rating on Take 4 of "Buy. Watch. Repeat." Woo hoo! Rejoice! But...if you aren't a fan of understated humor...file this under "Must See."

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Spellbound (2002)

What's Being Documented?: The National Spelling Bee, and eight young contestants from across the country that are preparing for it.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore: We're in Washington, DC, the site of the spelling bee...but also at the contestants home towns across the country. I don't think any were in Kansas, though.

The Starting Line-Up: The eight kids and their parents. And the guy who reads the words. Hell, the words themselves almost take up the guise of a complicated and persitant protagonist against whom there can be only one victor.

Scenes to Look Out For: All of the "at home" scenes, which open up the film. They really set the stage for the different personalities and motivations that follow each kid to Washington from their home town.

Random Trivia: Although it lost to "Bowling for Columbine" as best Documentary Feature of 2002, it did garner many awards elsewhere, including best documentary at the SXSW Film Festival, the Santa Barbara Film Festival, the Woodstock Film Festival, the Hawaii International Film Festival, the Portland International Film Festival, and the San Francisco Documentary Film Festival, to name but a few.

Spellbound in a Nutshell: Ashley White (one of the eight featured spellers): "My life is like a movie...there are trials and tribulations, and then I triumph."

Curt's Take: Another "Must See." I watched most of this on a flight from Detroit to Dallas, so can't imagine what those around me were thinking. But I was just so drawn in. You really begin to connect with these kids as people, and get a gut-wrenching feeling whenever any of them step up to the microphone to spell anything. The kids and their families range from the quite loner whose parents just are glad he's doing this instead of getting in trouble, to the brainy athlete whose parents set him up with strict studying lessons and coach after coach to make sure he nails each word. Really powerful and heartwarming film...you gotta check it out.

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Bowling for Columbine (2002)

What's Being Documented?: Gun violence in America, with a focus on Columbine High School, and other locations where school shootings took place.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore: We're all over the map, including Canada, as Michael Moore crosses the country to investigate America's obsession with firearms and The Second Amendment.

The Starting Line-Up: Michael Moore, documentarian of Fahrenheit 9/11, The Big One, and Roger & Me...along with the television programs The Awful Truth and TV Nation. He specializes in making corprorate bigwigs uncomfortable through sometimes over-the-top media stunts, which can be both entertaining and uncomfortable to watch.

Scenes to Look Out For: There are a lot...but when two kids who were shot at Columbine (and survived) go to K-Mart HQ to try to convince them to remove the bullets that shot them from their store shelves...it's pretty powerful.

Random Trivia: After two years of trying to get an interview with Charlton Heston, Moore was going to give up. Showing up at Heston's house toward the end of the film for an interview was totally spontaneous - on the way to the airport, a staff member suggested that they find his house using a star map. And it worked.

Bowling for Columbine in a Nutshell: Michael Moore: "If you were to talk directly to the kids at Columbine or the people in that community, what would you say to them if they were here right now?" Marilyn Manson: "I wouldn't say a single word to them, I would listen to what they have to say and that's what no one did."

Curt's Take: This one is definitely a "Must See" in my book, but not because of my stance on gun control. It's a very powerful documentary that contains plenty of info you likely weren't aware of, and at the very least will get you thinking about things from some different perspectives. I'm not sure what Moore set out to accomplish with this, though...he seems to be trying to bash the NRA throughout the film, but then goes on to make the point that other countries have high levels of gun ownership, but with much fewer gun-related deaths. You kind of come out of this asking yourself, "So what IS different about America that makes us so trigger-happy?" The most valid direction he steers us in, but then walks away from to go back to bashing the NRA, seems to be the culture of fear that our news media surround us with. Anyway, watch it.

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Fear of a Black Hat (1994)

What's Being Documented?: A year in the life of the rap group, NWH (Niggaz With Hats)...and to be fair, it's a mockumentary, not a documentary. Picture Spinal Tap meets Boyz n the Hood. Except...not funny.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore: I guess we're in LA. I stopped caring after the first 20 minutes.

The Starting Line-Up: Let's check out the filmography of the three main actors, shall we? Mark Christopher Lawrence (as "Tone Def") was in Sprung (as "Brotha #3"), Child's Play 3 and Go With the Fro; Larry B. Scoot (as "Tasty Taste") was in Revenge of the Nerds II - IV and The Cheapest Movie Ever Made ('nuff said). Rusty Cundieff (as "Ice Cold") was in Tales from the Hood and Sprung...and not much else. So, yeah...nobody I'd heard of. Well, not completely true: I WAS surprised to see Penny Johnson play a small role as Re-Re, the mother of Ice's son. For those of you not in the know, Penny plays Sherry Palmer, the president's wife in the GREAT series 24.

Scenes to Look Out For: The ones that were on while I was asleep...probably about a 15-20 minute chunk that starts 45 minutes before the end of the film. Or maybe I just zoned out. Don't know. Don't care.

Random Trivia: Okay, this little tidbit makes me want to gag...when the film was screened at Cannes, the only slot it was allowed was a single midnight showing. Unexpectedly, it became the first film to sell out the slot. It was then extended to several other midnight showings, all of which sold out.

Fear of a Black Hat in a Nutshell: Guy Friesch: "Take away the pornography. Take away, you know, the, you know, women-bashing. Take away the "Kill Whitey" stuff. Take it all away, and you've got the kids next door, you really do." Nina Blackburn: "Next door to you?" Guy Friesch: "Not me."

Curt's Take: I was so tempted to turn it off and just give up...but I didn't. Even though I had lost all hope that the movie would provide me some value...any value...I just still had to see it through. Again, my mantra is "I watch bad movies so others don't have to." Really...it was quite bad, apart from a few humorous lines. But apparently it was well-received in Cannes. So while I give it a hearty "Run in Fear" and hope you heed my advice, if hip-hop and old-school rap is REALLY your scene...I mean...like...you live and breathe it...I guess I have to give this a "Worth Considering."