Detour (1945)

You’re no gentleman, see?

This is a film that I’ve heard a lot of people discuss over the years. Errol Morris put it in his top five films alongside Psycho and Sullivan’s Travels. It’s available for free online. Plus, it’s only 67 minutes long so film lovers have no excuse to skip it.

Edgar G. Ulmer is the director. He has directed a lot of films. Four of them (including Detour) received 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s not an insignificant feat. I’m going to try to catch up with his other well regarded films in the coming months.

Gut reaction: 4.5/5

One film I liked more: The Thin Blue Line

One film I liked less: U Turn

A Wilderness of Error: The Trials of Jeffrey MacDonald (Book)

Several months ago, I wrote a brief post about a book called Believing is Seeing written by Errol Morris. I decided to read his other book because it was super cheap on Amazon and I’ve been becoming increasingly interested in “true crime” writing. This is an investigation into the many trials of Jeffrey MacDonald, the man convicted of murdering his wife and two young daughters in the famous green beret murders. As a person in my thirties, I didn’t know anything about this case. The murders happened 13 years before I was born.

This is an incredibly captivating book. It’s tempting to jump even further into this mystery but I think it’s best left alone. A brief search into this topic shows legions of people lining up on either side of the issue of MacDonald’s guilt. As always, Morris engages with epistemological questions while carefully picking up and investigating each piece of evidence.

The Act of Killing

I’m a gangster; a free man.

I’ve been anticipating this film since I first heard that Werner Herzog and Errol Morris were executive producers on it. It opened at Madison’s Sundance 608 this weekend and I was able to catch the late Saturday show after my daughter was asleep. At this point, I can’t really write much about it. There are fine summaries all over the internet that explain the context and the controversies involved.

I think The Act of Killing is a great film and one that should be watched by many more people than will be able to see it in theaters. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have an MPAA rating and it is only showing in 29 theaters in the United States. 

Gut reaction: 4.5/5

 

Believing is Seeing: Observations on the Mysteries of Photography (book)

Valley of the Shadow of Death, 1855

My fascination with Errol Morris has led me to his book Believing is Seeing: Observations on the Mysteries of Photography. I’m only half way through the opening essay on the Roger Fenton photograph reproduced above, but I’m really enjoying it so far. It offers insights into his approach to documentary film making.

Here is a write-up in the Sunday Book Review.

Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.

If Leuchter had gone into those archives…

The Nazis were the first Holocaust deniers.

Did Christ have a diploma in Christianity?

This is a great film. Watch it. Not sure how long it will be available, but it’s up right now here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bsyQe5jmFc

The Umbrella Man

In historical research there may be a dimension similar to the quantum dimension in physical reality. If you put ANY event under a microscope, you will find a whole dimension of completely weird, incredible things going on. 

This is a short documentary Errol Morris made for the New York Times.

It’s only six minutes. Here is a link to stream it:

http://www.nytimes.com/video/2011/11/21/opinion/100000001183275/the-umbrella-man.html

Gates of Heaven

Where’s the elephant?

I’m continuing to catch up with Errol Morris films. I like this one a lot.

Vernon, Florida

Gobble gobble

After listening to Errol Morris discuss The Fog of War last night, I decided to catch up with some of his earlier films. I don’t like this as much as his other work, but it’s still pretty engaging. The turkey hunter kind of reminds me of a my dad.

The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara

In the end, it was luck. We were *this* close to nuclear war, and luck prevented it.

I told my dad about this movie after I saw it for the first time. As a Vietnam veteran, he was interested in seeing it but we never got a chance before he passed away. Tonight’s showing with Errol Morris in attendance would have been the a good way to see it with him. The Q&A was incredible. History is a crime scene.

FILMMAKER ERROL MORRIS IN PERSON!

One of my favorite filmmakers is coming to campus tomorrow night. My university is awarding him an Honorary Doctorate at commencement this year. It should be a cool event.