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Reviews
The Unauthorized Full House Story (2015)
Unexpectedly good and gave me deeper appreciation of Full House
I didn't expect to enjoy this so much. Once I started watching a little I knew I would enjoy it and really wanted to make time to watch it fully. I've watched a lot of Full House over the years and this gave me a lot more appreciation for the show and what is portrayed here to have gone on behind the scenes. It gives more depth to the actors. I found it entertaining. I especially liked that they cast people that looked similar to the actual actors. I don't see this as disrespecting Full House, unless disrespecting means taking the actors off unrealistic pedestals of perfection.
Moon Inside You (2009)
Offbeat documentary of attitudes about menstruation, and a supportive look at it
I enjoyed this film. At the start, I was worried it might be some preachy, fluffy piece. Right off the narrator's style was gentle and inquisitive. I was floored when some of the women interviewed refused to describe their menstrual cycle as a time for irrationality and being less-than-fully-there, instead re-framing it as being less directed at serving others and connecting with oneself. There is an interview with one of the doctors who helped make the implant for controlling menstruation, and it's chilling. In the end, it was a little light, but I was still surprised at how little fluff and compromise there was, and how it didn't try to wrap it all up with a simple answer. It's one of the few films I will be actively recommending to friends.
Hoarders (2009)
Hoarders and interventions; valuable tool for facing one's own hoarding
Having a full-blown hoarding mother and some tendencies myself, a friend suggested I watch a few episodes in order to better see how it affected me as a child and how serious it is. At first I thought it might be the typical exploitative program, but after watching the first episode I was having useful insights. In each episode one or two situations are introduced. Then, some kind of intervention is attempted, usually in response to some external event like threatened eviction or the city being called in. We are able to see how professional organizers approach the hoarders, and how the hoarders respond. In particular, we see all the ways they deny or minimize the problem and thus stay stuck in it.
After watching several episodes, I brought my mother over so we could watch together. Each episode turned into a few hours of regular pausing and discussion of what we were seeing. It allowed more objectivity, since we were partly discussing other people rather than ourselves. My mother reported that she had felt enthusiasm and done some cleaning of her own house later that day. There was one professional organizer who had an amazing attitude of respect for the hoarder, not pressuring but simply assisting where possible, in order to achieve the most long-term change. I will always remember her as the model for how I can be towards my mother, rather than judgmental and ultimately harmful towards her progress, not that feeling such things isn't completely understandable.
Even though the show is probably mere entertainment for most people (nothing wrong with that!), it's great that it also serves such a valuable role for viewers who also deal with hoarding as well.
Look (2007)
Interesting to use only security camera footage, but poor script
This movie is basically several stories woven together, with the technical constraint of only using footage from any security cameras that would have seen them. It's an interesting approach, but beyond that I found the actual stories lacking.
This wouldn't be so bad if the packaging didn't make it out as a movie that showed why security cameras were bad; ironically, almost all the significant things the cameras capture the characters doing involve breaking the law or other poor things that you want cameras to capture. Regardless, with so many cameras out there, there's no way even a small fraction of them can be watched by people all the time, since there are so many millions of hours produced each day.
At some point I also realized that *none* of the shots in the movie are from actual security cameras, rather they're all done with movie cameras and then digitally altered to look like security camera footage (blurry, camera ID and time text overlay). Sometimes peoples' faces are pixelated out, as if these were real security camera shots, even though this is just fiction. This for me seemed almost deceptive, trying to trick the audience into believing it was from real security cameras. I don't even think cameras are legal in dressing rooms, as in the gratuitous opening shot of the movie.
I found this movie disappointing, but still have to respect the creators for the interesting technical constraint of having all shots from security cameras. That's its only saving grace.
Call Me Malcolm (2005)
Down-to-earth interviews about Malcolm's experience and relationships
This film was pleasant to watch. It consists of Malcolm talking about his process of self-discovery and connecting with old friends. He talks about how he felt before his cure, and how the cure has affected his relationships, due to the changes it caused to his appearance. It was very down-to-earth, and focused more on everyday aspects than medical ones. Malcolm is enjoyable to listen to because he's articulate and carries a clear point, rather than drifting off into excessive detail. He is very even-handed, able to get his ideas and experiences across without blaming or putting down others, which makes it refreshing to watch. This would be a great film to introduce the topic to someone unfamiliar with it.