Paradise Lost: Metallica, The Root of All Evil

Title: Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hill (1996)

Genre: Documentary

Director: Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky

Tagline: Whose innocence is really lost?

Grade: B

Good Movie For: People with a strong stomach, teenage sleuths, Metallica fanatics

I don't entirely know how I came about selecting this movie for my Netflix queue. It might have been mentioned on a tv show that I was watching. A friend might have recommended it to me. A stranger might have whispered it into my ear. All I know is that it ended up in the top slot and I had to watch it. I had briefly read the synopsis of the film on the DVD cover so I knew the gist of what the film was about, but it didn't fully prepare me for what I watched. 

The film is pretty long for a documentary. Typically docs round out at about an hour and a half. This was two and a half hours, but even with the prolonged build up, I was still completely enthralled in the story of these three young men. The concept reminded me of The Thin Blue Line in the aspect that there is a definitive verdict to the trial, but the filmmakers present a case where you aren't entirely sure who is and isn't innocent. 

The film was good and interesting. What I didn't like about it though was the horrifically graphic images that the filmmakers chose to include. I understand that the images and pictures were used to drive home a point of the gruesome nature of the murders, but there inherently is a fine line between emphasis and the gag reflex. Looking past that though, this was a good watch. But refrain from listening to Metallica after. People will think you're worshipping Satan. 

You might want to say a couple hail mary's before too.

You know.

Just to be safe.

Blackfish: Don't Fuck With Them Killer Whales

Title: Blackfish (2013)

Genre: Documentary

Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite

Tagline: Free Willy has taught us nothing

Grade: A

Good Movies For: People with hearts, People who live on earth, People who breathe

When I was 10 I saw Keiko at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. I had seen the Free Willy movies so I knew who he was. Hundreds of people crowded around the the glass wall of this giant aquarium as the all too familiar curved dorsal fin swam around. We had gotten a new panoramic 35mm camera. I remember snapping shots of him in the water. Those pictures are in a box somewhere, but now I don't know if I have the heart to look over them with fondness. 

I had been hearing a lot of buzz around this movie for the past couple of months. I initially wanted to watch it in theatres, but then it went on dvd and digital stream with a fucking quickness. I had been putting it off because of that pesky thing called school, but when I finally watched it. Shit.

I loved The Cove, and from what I was hearing this was quite similar. It was good. Really good. Good enough for me to force my family to watch it during our happy and joyful Christmas party. They call me The Mood Killer.

 Blackfish is an activist movie, much like The Cove. It has a stance and it's stance is clear, but it's delivery isn't one that is met with a grain of salt. The movie directly tackles the inhumanity that these animals face, specifically when it comes to the realm of America's favorite water spectacle, Sea World, but instead of having random people talk about the horrors, it has a cast of former Sea World trainers to dish the dirt. 

Blackfish was a good movie. It lets you peek behind the curtain to see the sadness and anguish that are covered by the splashes sent by Shamu. You should watch this. Everyone should watch this, but only when your faith in humanity is at an all time high. This is the swift kick needed to tumble you down that optimistic slope.