Another Top Ten for your reading pleasure. Please feel free to comment with your favourite docs!
Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance
directed by Alanis Obomsawin, 1993
A stunning perspective from both on and behind the front lines of the 1990 Oka Crisis in Quebec. Here, relations between the Canadian government and First Nations people came to a head, and Obomsawin does an absolutely stellar job portraying the struggles of the Mohawks in Kanehsatake and the gross injustices they continued to endure at the hands of the ruling order.
A Place Called Chiapas
directed by Nettie Wild, 1998
Another intense Indigenous struggle is fittingly done justice on film. Chronicling the 1994 Zapatista revolution in Mexico, A Place Called Chiapas is another story of a subordinated group of people desperately trying to have their voices heard by a government who would rather have them wither in the periphery. Although it's difficult to cover the history experienced and issues faced by the people of Chiapas in a mere 90 minutes, this documentary is nonetheless a perfect starting point.
When We Were Kings
directed by Leon Gast, 1996
As far as sports documentaries go, there's none better than this one. Director Leon Gast went to Zaire in 1974 to make a film on the "Rumble in the Jungle" - a highly touted boxing match between Muhammed Ali and George Foreman. But because of legal issues, the material he gathered sat idle for more than 20 years. It was finally released, with old and new interviews with some of the key figures. The result? A phenomenal historical athletic (and political) documentary with voices like no other.
Richard Cardinal: Cry From the Diary of a Métis Child
directed by Alanis Obomsawin, 1986
A look at the deplorable efforts of the Children's Aid Society in housing Aboriginal foster children. Richard Cardinal was a Métis teen who hung himself. While this is not rare in many communities, Obomsawin shows you exactly why he did, and how his premature and tragic death could have been avoided. The most emotionally powerful documentary I have ever seen.
Gimme Shelter
directed by Albert Maysles, David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin, 1970
One of the first rock n' roll documentaries, and probably the best. For those unfamiliar, it chronicles the debacle that was the Rolling Stones' free concert at Altamont Speedway outside of Oakland. Free show+doped-up hippies+psychedelic music+Hell's Angels doing security=disaster waiting to happen. Too bad it was such a dark chapter in rock history - it was really a stellar lineup.
The "Up" Documentaries
directed by Michael Apted, 1963-1998
An innovative look at life's progression through a camera. Apted began in 1963 with 7 Up, profiling a group of 14 British children at the age of seven. Coming from a variety of backgrounds, the children were asked their life's goals and aspirations. The idea was to follow up with the same kids every seven years, well into the 21st Century. The most recent installment is 1998's 42 Up. These films are a remarkable look at how life can unfold, documenting these kids' journeys every step of the way.
Memorandum
directed by Donald Brittain, 1965
Holocaust survivors return to Germany two decades after fleeing the Nazi's scourge. A compelling illustration of the mentalities of both 1960s Germany and the Jewish people who initially fled - generally, shame and bitterness respectively. A truly powerful film, touching on how survivors have lived since, the trials of the Nazi war criminals, and how all parties are coping in the aftershock of one of the greatest horrors in human history.
Manufacturing Consent
directed by Mark Achbar and Peter Wintonick, 1992
An ominous look at how government and corporate media work hand-in-hand to create a monstrous and indestructible propaganda machine. Based almost entirely on the arguments of media watchdog Noam Chomsky and his struggles as a political outsider against said machine. Required viewing for anyone working in media. Very eerily prophetic.
Fahrenheit 9/11
directed by Michael Moore, 2004
Even if you haven't seen this yet, I don't have to summarize what it's about. You've no doubt heard. But whereas Moore's past documentaries have bordered on the incredible, F9/11 is a timely and effective look at how one group of people has lied to the people it rules and continually driven the country it runs into the gutter. Frustrating to watch because of the subject matter, but strongly compelling journalism on behalf of Moore and his crew.
Hype!
directed by Doug Pray, 1996
Pure nostalgia for anyone who grew up in the early 1990s. Hype! examines the incubation and explosion of the Seattle music scene at the time - paving the way for the "grunge" movement that gripped the mainstream for close to half a decade. Fascinating interviews with some of the key players (and our favourite musicians). Even if you didn't like grunge music, this doc is a great look at the nature of pop culture and the people who follow it.
While millions lament the end of summer, there is one significant cause for rejoice: the start of the new NFL season. It kicked into gear today, and I couldn't be happier. Hockey is definitely my favourite sport, but I hold an unwavering passion for NFL football that no lockout could ever shake. That first Sunday in September is like my second birthday - I'm tuned in, online; soaking up every minute detail of every single game.
Why does football take such hold? Well, the fact that it happens only once a week might have something to do with it. And that each team plays only 16 (16!) games a season (excluding the intensely amazing playoffs). As a fan, you have a week to gather your thoughts, strategize, and breathe and bleed your favourite team. For me, that's the tragic Buffalo Bills - the only team in NFL history to make four straight Superbowls, and subsequently lose them all. The Bills got off to a pretty decent start today, but couldn't step up when they needed to and lost to Jacksonville on the last play of the game. But where last season started with a bang and ended with a fizzle for the Bills, hopefully 2004 will have an opposite effect on this immensely-talented-but-underachieving team.
But I will say this now - they may as well give the Lombardi Trophy to the Philadelphia Eagles. This is the team that will dominate the 2004 season and win the Superbowl next January. I guarantee it. If they fail, I will eat fresh horse dung. Donovan McNabb threw three touchdowns to the overly eccentric but immensely talented Terrell Owens in their rout of the lame Giants. This trend will continue, sports fans. That is a grotesquely lethal combination that any offensive coordinator would love to have at his disposal. Who will they meet in the Big Dance? The Patriots. As much as I despise that team, Bill Belichick is a football genius, and could lead any squad to glory. But not this year, Bill. The Eagles will finally beat that monkey called the NFC Championship off their back, and arise victorious.
Tennessee and Indy will rule also rule the AFC. But those are teams that are destined for heartbreak, just like my beloved Bills. McNair and Manning are the two best quarterbacks in the game (and will be of all time), but fate just doesn't like them. Look for Seattle and Minnesota to make strong charges in the NFC as well.
And so begins another year of pigskin. I love it. I'll be sad come December when the Bills miss the playoffs again, but I take solace in the fact that this will be a season for ages. The talent pool is unprecedented - and who benefits? We, the loyal, die-hard fans of the most exciting league in pro sports - the NFL.
And with one final flick of a switch, it became home. Yes, I had a cable modem installed at my new digs here in Toronto today, and with that final piece, the puzzle is complete. Except for a few minor housewares left to buy, I am completely settled in my new apartment. And with everything in here, it actually looks BIGGER than before. Given that it's a downtown bachelor, there wasn't a heck of a lot of space to begin with - but now that I am comfortable in how I've organized my surroundings, it's actually pretty gnarly.
It's hard to believe, but this is my sixth distinct home in Toronto. Six different places to stumble home to and rest my weary head. It began with a fairly generous-sized single residence room at Ryerson Polytechnic University, and the current episode of this epic journey takes me to a decent little pad in the city's fashion district. There were many other venues in between, namely the Cabbagetown party-central (which many of my friends no doubt remember quite fondly) and the summer in Little Italy. There are both fond and forgetful memories abound - but it's really interesting to note how your home not only defines a certain period of your life, it helps define who you are at very specific points.
During my first year, I was a wide-eyed, impressionable kid from the Rez who was excited to kick off his urban life. Although I had international living experience by then, I had never carried out my day-to-day routine in an urban centre of such sheer magnitude. As the years progressed, I adapted many city characteristics, became more comfortable with my surroundings, and continued to explore the vast industrial and commercial landscape that we call the Canadian city.
This continued until I graduated. Each new apartment defined a new era. And today, I am officially an adult, begining my own adult life of living on my own. It's terribly exciting - it feels almost like that drive down to the city with my Mom and Dad the day I moved into Pitman Hall at Ryerson. There are no nerves, only hopes and expectations for this new and promising part of my life.
Did I mention I live in probably the coolest part of town too? That makes it even more killer. So now I'm officially online - I have another outlet for communication. This will also be one of my only modes of entertainment, so now I can finally make good on the promise to update this blog more frequently. Stay tuned...it will be an exciting fall, and an even more exciting year to come at yet another Toronto apartment.