Movie Room Reviews has reviewed the upcoming documentary from Morgan Spurlock, Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?  Spurlock is fast-becoming a popular movie maker with a hugely clever, witty, dangerous and thought-provoking follow up to his hugely popular Super Size Me.

Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? offers all the elements of a great documentary.  Spurlock blends together a great mix of humor, education, danger, and entertainment and he may just be positioning himself as America's greatest documentary film maker.  Read the complete MOVIE ROOM REVIEW!

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Ironico e divertente mantiene però lo stile documentaristico della precedente produzione, in cui Morgan parte per un viaggio, più vicino a casa, nell'alimentazione "fast food" americana.

Where in the world is Osama Bin Laden? è stato presentato all'ultimo Sundance Film Festival 2008

Fonte: Cinematical

An example is an episode of 30 Days on same sex parents. For those of you remember the brilliant documentary Supersize Me, this is creator Morgan Spurlock's television show takes that concept and fits it into an hour. It takes pretty open-minded, yet passionate and dedicated people and has them live the lifestyle that is the complete opposite of what they believe in or are used to, such as a gun control advocate living in a house where guns are a big part of their daily life, and a great episode where Spurlock and his girlfriend attempt to live solely on minimum wage jobs.

In this episode, a woman who passionately believes that kids need a mother and a father as parents and that gays should not be parents lives with a gay couple and their 4 adopted sons for 30 days. And for me, and this woman, the most powerful part of her experience is when she goes and speaks with kids who have aged out of the foster care system. The kids talk about how awful it was to live in group homes because there are not enough foster homes for kids, arguing that prohibiting gay people from fostering and adopting children is harming kids. And it appeared that having this mom live with this family showed her that these parents were just like most other parents - loving, dedicated, and raising wonderful children, although she still clung to the idea that, in theory, she still opposes gays parenting.

It is extremely frustrating to me that people still have these perceptions on professional and personal levels. Professionally, it has become quite clear to me quite quickly, that we desperately need foster parents and the fact that many places (luckily not in my state) deny people from caring for needy children based on who they love is absolutely ridiculous. Not only are gays just as capable to parent as straight people, but we are also in a crisis and desperately need as many qualified people as we can get (it is interesting to me to note how this also seems similar to gays in the military).

On a personal level, as a gay person, I find it extremely offensive that people automatically discount me as someone who can parent based on who I am attracted to. And I know, that even though I live in a fairly welcoming area, that I am still at risk at being accused of false allegations and people protesting against my parenting children. I feel that I am even at risk of this type of complaints just as a social worker working with children. It angers me that no matter how academically qualified, passionate, and dedicated I am to my job, ridiculous charges can still be slung at me. I just hope that this changes quickly.

Meanwhile, just a friendly reminder, there are only 138 shopping days until Christmas. Unless, of course, you're an E.W. Scripps, SSP, shareholder. Then it comes on Sept. 10, according to a press statement issued Thursday, which reads, in part:

"The board of directors, which includes five new members who were elected at the June 13 shareholder meeting, established the current dividend consistent with the previously stated objective of returning approximately 50 percent of the company's expected free cash flow to shareholders in the form of dividends."

Sept. 10 is when E.W. Scripps, which owns the Record Searchlight, will issue a 15-cent dividend on 54 million shares of stock. That pencils out to some $8 million in dividends -- and if I understand the above quote, the corporation had some $16 million in free cash flow. Not a bad ROI for the quarter. Meanwhile, have I mentioned my $28,000-a-year reporter wages from 2007 and the $324-a-week California SDI salary that I'm currently surviving on (and paying my medical bills with) following workplace sexual harassment?

Check out the "What Would Jesus Buy" trailer (and Rev. Billy on Starbucks coffeehouse closures below it) and Spurlock's Web site. Site: http://wwjbmovie.com/

"What Would Jesus Buy" trailer.

The Rev. Billy on Fox re: Starbucks coffeehouse closures.

This is a doco about a Milwaukee husband and wife Neil Diamond tribute act - Lightning & Thunder. It follows their triumphs as they build their fan base in the Milwaukee area, culminating in a performance at the State Fair with some help from Eddie Vedder (Lightning did not even know who he was). Then tragedy strikes and a car drives through their front garden while Thunder was gardening and severs her leg. Thunder goes through depression, weight gain and medication addiction while Lightning tries to continue on. A bizarre story of a couple who truly believe they were put on Earth to entertain and follow their dreams despite the financial hardships and family stresses. A tragic tale of twists and delusions.

• Where in the World is Osama bin Laden

This is a Morgan Spurlock doco about finding Osama. Morgan's partner is pregnant and Morgan decides he needs to fix the world before his child is born and who is enemy No#1? Osama bin Laden. Morgan travels through the Middle East to find Osama. Morgan Spurlock makes entertaining docos, there were plenty of laughs (Osama/MC Hammer), a great opening sequence with the Morgan v Osama computer game and as he prepares himself in America. The rest of the doco is set in various countries in the Middle East talking to ordinary people and commentators about Osama and the war on terror. He meets lovely hospitable people and faces a near riot in Hasidic area of Tel Aviv but needs to find Osama before his baby is born. While entertaining, I was disappointed with the moral of this tale, Morgan telling us that Arab people are just like us, you know. They just want to live a peaceful life and raise their families and many thought Osama was just causing trouble for them. Wow, really! What did he expect? Aliens? Crazed maniacs? I had assumed that Morgan Spurlock was a clever bloke and would be above all that American demonisation of Middle Eastern people. I was wrong.

• Jack's Wife/Season of the Witch

Another George A Romero, this time about an empty nester housewife and her struggles to find herself. Joan is in therapy, hangs around drinking with the other wives and had some really odd dreams. Her husband is away a lot and her daughter no longer needs her, so who is Joan? Joan goes with one of her friends to a tarot reading by a local witch. She borrows a book and become fascinated by Wicca. Her daughter brings her lover to the house and there is an attraction between him and Joan. Whilst the acting was dodgy and shrill, some arty-farty editing and the electronic experimental music got on my nerves, this was an vaguely interesting tale of a woman finding the power to be herself through witchcraft. Awesome 70s hair and make-up too.

Well, for one thing, this culture is not only responsible for climate change through altering the atmosphere, we also chop down vast areas of ancient forests, areas which are essential for our life, but more importantly areas which are home to vast arrays of non-human life. An area the size of Wales disappears forever from the Amazon each year for example. Policy made in the US and in Europe ensures that this destruction will continue and the economic model we operate will ensure the destruction grows each year.

Not only that but this culture is also responsible for massive dead zones in the ocean. Partly through the actions of drag net fishing and partly due to vast numbers of plastic bags and packaging circulating round and round. These dead zones are giant and they are persistent. It's rarely reported on, for how pressing and important it is, but they're out there.

We dig up massive piles of crap to get at the minerals we want. We leave these massive piles of crap, called tailings, sitting around so the heavy metals in them have plenty of time to wash out and pollute rivers and so on. Our economic model ensures we dig up ever increasing amounts of minerals and leave ever bigger piles of crap. The companies which own mines often promise to bury the tailings back in the mines when they are done excavating, yet this rarely happens. Never happens is probably closer to the mark, but I don't know how I'd go about proving it and someone would almost certainly point out one mine which had in the whole of human history, and then wouldn't my face be red!

We are directly or indirectly responsible for the deaths of over 200 species a day and are racing to an extermination level of 50% by 2050. Since this is an official figure it's probably horribly conservative and we are probably looking at a figure closer to 60% by 2025. Whichever it is, what gives us the right to kill so much bio-diversity? Who do we think we are? We didn't know the effects of a McDonalds diet on an individual before Morgan Spurlock did his documentary Super Size Me. Most nutritionists knew that a McDonalds diet wasn't good for you, but no one knew just how bad for you it could be. All three of the GPs Morgan goes to before he starts his experiment say that he's going to be able to metabolise most of the crap he'll be putting into himself. None of them predicted that he'd increase his body weight by over 10% in a week. Each of them were floored by the figures. What am I rambling about? We don't even know the effects of what we do to ourselves. How can we be so arrogant as to think we know the effects of removing 50% of the bio-diversity of the planet?

What I'm getting at is that business as usual isn't a good thing. So the catch 22 situation would be for business as usual to continue and that would be facilitated by the discovery that there was way more oil than we assume there is.

Sicko. (2006)

I first saw this on the bootleg at my buddy Jims house. While you may not agree with Michael Moore's views, the facts presented in the movie are pretty affective. Reading news report of people bitching about HMO's doesn't really make you think twice. But seeing someone who has to choose between which finger to attach after a freak accident due to not being able to afford the entire surgery, it has an entirely different effect.

Quote: "Keeping people hopeless and pessimistic - see I think there are two ways in which people are controlled - first of all frighten people and secondly demoralize them. An educated, healthy and confident nation is harder to govern."
_____

Super Size Me. (2003)

Yeah the movie didn't make me stop eating McDonalds right after I initially saw it. But after catching it on TV a year ago, I've only eaten it once. A horrible stomach ache soon followed and I haven't set foot inside since.

Quote: "See, now's the time of the meal when you start getting the McStomach ache. You start getting the McTummy. You get the McGurgles in there. You get the McBrick, then you get the McStomach ache. Right now I've got some McGas that's rockin'. My arms... I feel like I've got some McSweats goin'. My arms got the McTwitches going in here from all the sugar that's going in my body right now. I'm feeling a little McCrazy."
_____

Super High Me. (2007)

TV's Doug Benson (High Times Stoner of the Year) takes a play from Morgan Spurlock's playbook and decides to smoke the herb all day, every day, for 30 days. Tries to remember to film it and make his scheduled doctors appointments. Then reports back on what affects it has had on his body. What's not to like?

Quote: "It is rude to bogart a joint with your vagina. Don't do it fellas."
_____

Good Copy, Bad Copy. (2007)

Before you see this movie, please [illegally] download DJ Danger Mouse's The Grey Album, Girl Talk's Night Ripper, and Girl Talk's Feed The Animals. Then once you've listened to those three albums, you can then watch or download Good Copy, Bad Copy for free here: http://www.goodcopybadcopy.net/.

Quote: "I'd be happy paying royalties for every sample on the record. But thats not what it would be, you know? To actually license a sample would cost millions of dollars which I cant afford. If sampling would be this form of music that, you just can't make music off of cause you'd have to give all your money away, that would still be cool. It would still be this, you know, new way to make music. I think that would be wonderful. But in a theoretical world, if I could clear every sample on there, and I had a million dollars or a billion dollars to do it, it would still take me 50 years to go through the legal hassle. And that's just absurd."
_____

Fahrenheit 911. (2004)

OMG two Michael Moore movies as billyG's top 5?! Is he a hardcore liberal?!? Does he <3 Michael Moore's terrible voice narrating a movie for 90+ minutes? No. No he doesn't. And I'm not even registered to vote. But the war is still going on, our country is on the brink of falling into a depression, and it's time for a change (vote Obama!). Fuck Bush.

Quote: [quoting George Orwell] "It's not a matter of whether the war is not real, or if it is, Victory is not possible. The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous. Hierarchical society is only possible on the basis of poverty and ignorance. This new version is the past and no different past can ever have existed. In principle the war effort is always planned to keep society on the brink of starvation. The war is waged by the ruling group against its own subjects and its object is not the victory over either Eurasia or East Asia but to keep the very structure of society intact." 
_____

Pretty sure a lot of people are going to disagree with my choices this week, and that's fine. Opinions are great. But no one will know your opinion if you don't leave comments. If you agree and <3 me, then leave a comment. If you disagree and </3 me, then leave a comment. You don't need to register with WordPress to do this.

Next week I'll be back with... a surprise. But the genre chosen has some of my all time favorite movies.

I've always thought that Ms. Moore was a safe target. Sugary sweet, teen pop with some sort of evangelical bru-ha-ha lurking in the distance....or maybe that was just her character in Saved?

Anyway, I think that this is what happens when you're out of touch with your people - gay people, black people, Latin people - whoever you people may be, check-in sometime soon because the times they are a changing. The other night I was doing my frantic avoid going to bed blog surfing, when I came across a really funny blog - did I bookmark it? No. Do I have any fucking clue where I found it? No. Bad blogger. Bad blogger.

On this mystery blog was a link to AfterEllen.com. There are links to AfterEllen on many a rainbow blog, but I've never really checked it out. Or maybe I did once, but was annoyed with all the L Word promotional crap. This time, however, I got sucked in by an article about Morgan Spurlock's FX series 30 Days. The premise is that you send a person with very strongly held beliefs into the beast of the belly for 30 days and see what happens. The particular episode that was being discussed was about a Mormon mom who goes to spend 30 days with a set of dads and their four adopted kids in Michigan. It sounds like great stuff that didn't get bogged down by sentimentality and fear of asking hard questions.

I was feeling so good about my AfterEllen experience at this point that I kept clicking around. Did you know that Jackie Warner was supposedly seen hooking up with Elizabeth "This is my lover CIndy" Keener?

Scintillating!

As I'm clicking around I see Ms. Moore out of the corner of my eye. WTF? I click. I am shamed. There she is at a GLAAD award ceremony, or something, presenting an award or introducing something. Anyway, there she is cheesing it up with Elizabeth Taylor. THEN I go on to read that her mom divorced her dad and is now dating a woman.....

Where does the madness end? Is Clay Aiken really straight? The Jolie-Pitts NRA members?

Stop! Just stop! You're killing me.

Top brass still can't find way
to send Bin Laden to justice.

ALLEN PARK, Michigan — When challenged to force a 6'2", 244-pound linebacker from entering the National Football League, top U.S. Army officials are master strategists. But when their mission is to force a lanky, frail terrorist stricken with kidney failure and a bum hip to justice, it becomes the longest most anticlimactic battle of sudden death ever played out on a field.

West Point graduate Caleb Campbell was one day from donning a Detroit Lions uniform before he learned that the Army had a different uniform in mind for him.  Unbeknownst to him or anyone else, Army brass rewrote its own rulebook regarding soldiers playing professional sports two weeks ago, stating that fatigues come before the league.

The Army strictly enforces its rules of engagement, and when they use the word 'engagement' as a transitive verb, the rules themselves can be bent or broken in time of conflict upon a soldier's discretion. However when it's used as an intransitive verb, the ass of said solider is theirs. Campbell's, by the way, is headed to Afghanistan.

Army officials point out that this doesn’t mean Campbell’s dream of playing in the NFL are dead, unless of course he gets himself fragged, comes under friendly fire, comes under not-so-friendly fire, returns from his tour with a limb missing, loses his mind or becomes dibilitated by some yet-to-be diagnosed syndrome related to his service to his country.

In the event the latter happens, Army officials aren't likely admit such a syndrome for at least 12 years which makes Campbell fully fit in their eyes to pursue whatever dream he desires.

les DÉTAILS:
• Fragging is when a dick in your unit assassinates you
• Bin Laden feared Morgan Spurlock making a sequal
• Rankings: Forbes names Detroit worst U.S. city to live in; Afghanistan worst country to live in.

Though the whereabouts of Bin Laden are sketchy, it was reported throughout the past year that his biggest fear was Morgan Spurlock following-up his 2008 film Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden with a sequel. But after having heard that American audiences were not interested in the film, the mastermind terrorist doubts another camera crew will be tracking him down anytime soon.

Hear that?  Dead wrong.

I said that everyone comes away from Morgan Spurlock's new show 30 days with their mind changed.  Well, one traditional mom proved me wrong.  After staying 30 days with a two exceptional gay parents and their four adoptive sons, she didn't change her mind about gay adoption (she was against, the couple was clearly for).  The best she could do was to "agree to disagree."

I can hardly even process this nonsense, er, her mindset.  A woman whose close friend was shot and killed learned to appreciate guns, and a straight mom couldn't budge more than a centimeter on gay parenting even after being shown the horrors of foster care?  The main culprit behind the woman's refusal to consider gay adoption seemed to be religion and I can understand that many people take their faith quite seriously, but I think that we can at least temporarily take the mindset of someone else.

I understand how the straight mom felt, alone, ostracized, and threatened.  However, when the episode ended with both gay parents crying after the mom walked away from their final discussion, well, they won me over.  She just seemed heartless.  And so the question is, what could she have done better?  Assuming that breaking her religious beliefs would truly affect her on a deep and personal level, what could or should she have done differently to protect those beliefs, but still respect the gay parents?

The gay couple (two men) was almost perfect as far as parenting is concerned.  It would be difficult to fault them for many aspects of their parenting and watching them both sobbing quietly when the woman told them that she couldn't accept them as parents was pretty painful.   Is that really what Jesus would have done?

Yeah this is the same guy who does "Super Size Me". And yes, he is the coolest guy in Hollywood. Click on the picture to watch a sweet mock-up episode of 30 Days where Morgan "turns into a vampire" for a month. It's pretty sweet.

Not what I expected.

Starring Morgan Spurlock. Directed by Morgan Spurlock.

I remember back a few years ago when a documentary called “Super Size Me” was released. In it a guy from New York City (Morgan Spurlock) wanted to see what would happen if he ate McDonald's fast food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a period of 30 days. Contrived, true, but never before had a documentary shown as what we do to ourselves. Following that FX network gave him a show and he produced “30 Days,” where various people did things for 30 days to see what would happen to them: one mom did binge drinking to show her newly college-attending daughter would would happen, a guy became Muslim, and even Morgan and his wife decided to see if they could live on minimum wage (both him and his wife ended up in the hospital). When he announced he was going after Public Enemy #1, Osama Bin Laden, I had high hopes for what he would find, if anything.

“Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden,” falls short of expectations. Spurlock, expecting a baby within a few months, decided that he could try making the world safer for his kid if he could hunt down and bring to justice OBL. Whether you believe in his reasoning or not (a little past contrived if you ask me) you're in for a trip to countries that hate us, or rather the American government (a resentment felt even inside the U.S.)

From New York to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Tora Bora, Tel Aviv, and back Spurlock finds what citizens in other countries really think about us: they hate the American government, not so much the people. Through animated sequences an explanation is given as to who the U.S. Sided with and why, which leads to understanding why others can be so pissed at us. And with the fact that the American people are shielded from this information (or blissfully ignorant) we have a deeper look into ourselves.

My complaints about this movie: the beginning starts with immature computer animation. In it a CG Spurlock does battle with a CG Bin Laden “Mortal Kombat”-style, using everything from “Redneck Power” to a “power mustache.” This would have worked better if it had been restructured to the end of the film; it was amusing, but not needed.

Once you get past that Spurlock goes on the hunt for OBL but twenty minutes it becomes “I'm an expecting father. What advice to do you have for me? By the way, what do you have against America?”  The actual “hunt” seems to be derailed by constant worry about becoming a dad and missing his wife's delivery which brings me to ask, why did he leave so close to the end of his wife's pregnancy?

What did impress me about the film is the fact that rich people not caring about the lower levels/citizenry is a concept not confined to the U.S; the Middle East has malls as well as shantytowns. Then again, they also have villages wiped out by tanks and artillery. If Spurlock wants to visit places that have that “third world feel,” he should do more traveling across the States.

I'll recommend this film for people who want to see what other cultures think of us. For those who already know here's another factoid for ya: they love wrestling. Who knew?

Does he find the Notorious OBL? His “journey” ends in Pakistan where all “intelligence” points to (except the Pakistanis, who say he's in Afghanistan). Looking at a giant metal sign that says “Attention Foreigners: No trespassing beyond this point...” Spurlock stops and turns around. “I've got a kid coming. It's not worth it.”

My grade: C+/B-

Miss Belgium and Miss Luxembourg moments before the swimsuit competition.

Says here sales at European McDonalds (McDonaldses? McDoni?) have surpassed those of the U.S. market. Sure, the euro/dollar exhange rate has something to do with it, but note that the Old World is outspending America while patronizing half as many locations.

The greatest beneficiary of this news, of course (other than McDonalds shareholders), would be Morgan Spurlock, who can now extend his career another 18 months or so by making the National Lampoon’s European Vacation of binge-eating documentary sequels. As we speak, he must be busy storyboarding scenes of his enormously engorged self struggling to pedal a bicycle up the winding cobblestone alleys of Nice. Or yakking over the side of a gondola in Venice.

Now. Having read the first line of this post, the Evil suspects that many of you heaved an eye-rolling sigh. In a sense, he sympathizes; we all wish the U.S. could be known for more than fast food, Die Hard movies, indifference to soccer and unilateral action in the Middle East. But the Evil isn’t here today to moan about America exporting its crass culture to the previously enlightened denizens of Europe. They’re the ones choosing to stuff their faces/brains/rapidly expanding waistlines with this junk, after all.

At moments like these, it’s important to remember that the people who invented the term “cultural imperialism” considered it an improvement over the original kind, with the smallpox and religious oppression and slavery in the diamond mines. Junk food and film may be overwhelming, even wiping out, indigenous culture, but that has to classify as progress over wiping out indigenous populations. At least by the populations in question. Baby steps, people. Baby steps.

Besides, some of those motherfuckers can order a beer in their McDoni. Just saying: the Evil’s liver is having trouble feeling sorry for Europe's clogging arteries.

I keep watching as the episodes are posted on Hulu  (unhook your cable now, it's too expensive when so much is free online!), and I've been waiting for one person to come out of his/her thirty days unchanged.  It has yet to happen.

More interestingly, the show is actually educational.  It's as if Mr. Rogers came back with some sass.  We get to watch as the participants spend a final night in their hometowns and vow to never change their minds.  Then, there  is the obligatory annoyance, followed by some combination of fear, anger, and sadness as the hunter learns what it is to torture an animal and the Spurlock duo hits the ER at 4 AM.  Yes, there is some repetition, but it's somewhat cleansing to see that people can change their minds.

Plus, what do you know about working a minimum wage job?  How about coal mining?  Same sex parenting?  Animal activism?  The list goes on and on.  Plus, Spurlock doesn't just recruit ordinary people who kind of dislike something.  He finds a person whose friend was killed by a gun and asks that person to be pro-firearms for a month.  He takes a person whose identity is hunting and asks him to consider that chickens have rights.

Siskel and Ebert can say what they like, I'm giving this one two thumbs up.  And you, reader?  What have you learned from television lately?

One of these unknown movies I recently discovered is “Chalk”, a comedy-mockumentary that focuses on the lives of three teachers and an assistant principal who go through the challenges of an entire school year together.

Mr. Lowrey (played by Troy Schremmer) is a first time history teacher who finds that his chosen profession isn’t as easy as he was hoping. He struggles to gain respect not only from his students but from the more experienced teachers as well. Coach Webb (played by Janelle Schremmer) is a female gym teacher who is struggling to get her students to take her class seriously, and is worried that people are starting rumors about her sexuality behind her back. Mr. Stroope (played by director Chris Mass) is on his third year teaching and wants nothing more then to win the teacher of the year award. The new assistant principal, Mrs. Reddell (played by Shannon Haragan), is determined to help the school but she misses being a teacher, and sometimes regrets taking the new job. The teachers are all very different which helps make the movie unique and actually fun to watch.

The best part about “Chalk” is how the movie was filmed. Mike Akel used over 60 hours of footage which was filmed while improvisation was used through the entire process from writing, production, and post-production until the final version was made, which makes the film similar to the TV show “The Office.”

“Chalk” was written and directed by Mike Akel and Chris Mass, both who used their own personal experiences in public education for their inspiration. The film’s cast is all unknown and there are no big names in the movie, but it isn’t needed with “Chalk”. Morgan Spurlock, the mastermind behind the documentary “Supersize Me”, said he enjoyed “Chalk” so much that he would help publicize the movie.

The movie is rated PG-13 for some language, and runs at only an hour and 20 minutes. “Chalk” is a great film for a student, a teacher or anyone who is interested in becoming a teacher. It’s one of the best mockumentaries I have ever seen, and I recommend it for anyone. The movie won a couple awards and only made $300,000 in the box office so it may be a hard to find, but with a little searching you should be able to find yourself a copy.

Many of you remember 2004's Super Size Me where Morgan Spurlock had McDonald's every meal for 30 days. He documented the effects it had on his body and the results were not that surprising. He went to a doctor and had numerous tests done to see how the food damaged his personal health. He gained over 25 pounds and his cholesterol shot to dangerously high levels.

After smoking weed one day, comedian Doug Benson watched Super Size Me and was inspired.

Super High Me documents Benson not consuming marijuana for 30 days and then smoking and otherwise consuming cannabis every day for 30 days in a row. Benson claims that Super High Me is "Super Size Me with weed instead of McDonalds". To make sure alcohol wouldn't affect the results, he didn't drink for the two months he filmed the documentary. The film also includes interviews with marijuana activists, dispensary owners, politicians and patients who comprise the medical marijuana movement. Benson claims that he tells kids "you should not smoke pot until you become a professional comedian". The DVD was released on April 20, 2008.

Benson took various tests to gauge his physical and mental health both after 30 days of not using pot and after doing so for 30 days straight. Benson's physician concluded that Benson's health was unaffected by his use of cannabis. Benson did gain 8 pounds during his high month, but his sperm count actually increased and he scored seven times better on an ESP test (Seven versus one correct guesses out of 25). His overall score on an SAT test increased, though his math score was slightly lower.

Someone was kind enough to leave a link to download the movie in the comments. Download, watch, and enjoy!!!

YRB Magazine releases its Politics Issue, #84, guaranteed to spark up conversation and indefinite controversy. The issue revolves around the upcoming presidential election from the point of view of hip-hop stars, musicians, young wounded Iraqi veterans, and every day people. Featured artists and rap legend Nas takes the cover, and features include The Game, Morgan Spurlock, Serj Tankian and Emmanuel Jal. The Politics Issue is sure to press some buttons, open some eyes, and offer guidance to people craving real insight to tough issues our country is faced with.

The upcoming issue tackles the tough world of politics, and in true YRB fashion, it is a no holds bar debate. The issue covers everything from a break down of hard-hitting issues, the war in Iraq, cool ways to support your favorite candidates, and how to wear your heart on your sleeve with politically incorrect fashion statements. 

The following features are broken down in the issue:

YRB Radar introduces readers to the latest up-and-coming artists in the music world. These individuals all represent different parts of the music industry, as well as different parts of the world, and will be making their mark on us soon. Artists include jazz sensation Esperanza Spalding, hipster rappers The Knux, Estonia pop star Kerli, Akon prodigy Colby O-Donis, and hip-hop rock MC’s Saturday Knights.

YRB Profiles rapper Emanuel Jal, Boston band Street Dogs, reality TV winner from Survivor Africa winner Ethan Zohn and independent documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock to ask them tough questions about their personal views on the condition of our country, and what they are doing to help make the world a better place.

The Game talks to YRB about everything from growing up in Compton, how his California roots shape his identity and the rap he creates, as well as his run ins with the law. He discusses how he is changing with the times and how his music will reflect that.

Nas is interviewed about his 9th and most controversial album to date, and his justification behind focusing it around the “N” word. The motivation behind the album is about uniting people, regardless of race or ethnicity, while not caring who he offends in the process. He offers his political opinions and hopes for the future election.

The Voices section is sure to hit an emotional note by showcasing young wounded Iraqi veterans, and the hardships they have endured off and on the battle field. These veterans let loose by giving us a true insight as to what their struggles were, as well as how they have changed physically and emotionally as a result. Also, regular, everyday people give us their views on everything from the War in Iraq, President Bush, who they think would make the best future president, and more.

Top 20 Ways to Spark Change by Johnny Mundo offers advice to wannabe advocates of the political world to get involved and ways to achieve positive change. Ways include Going Green, Get Rowdy at a Protest, Don’t End Up in Jail, and more.

As always, YRB has the sickest graphics and the best of what’s new on the art scene in their Visual Anarchy section.  The politically driven artwork represents the artists’ views (and dismays) of our current economic status. These pieces show the struggles everyday Americans endure, from rising gas and oil prices, to oppression and widespread political corruption.

In addition to the special features in the Political Issue, YRB shares with you its album, gadget/electronic, and video game reviews keeping readers on the cutting edge of technology and music and the latest must haves they can’t live without.

Fase Pioneira
1878 - Edward Muybridge registra o galope do cavalo em 24 fotogramas.
1888 - Louis Augustin Le Prince registra o movimento nas ruas de Londres.
1891 - Etienne Jules Marey registra os pássaros e o movimento do corpo humano.
1894 - Thomas Edson filma o barbeiro, o trapezista e uma luta de boxe
1895 - Os irmãos Lumière filmam funcionários saindo da fábrica e o trem na estação

Diversos curtas metragens eram exibidos em sequência numa única sessão para a platéia. Poderia aparecer qualquer coisa em cena, o público apreciava apenas o fato da imagem projetada na tela simular o movimento.

Os primeiros documentários de longa metragem:

Nanook, o Esquimó (Nanook of the North, 1922), de Robert Flaherty
Encouraçado Potemkim (Bronenosets Potyomkin, 1925), de Sergei Eisenstein
O Homem com a Câmera Cinematográfica (Chelovek s Kinoapparatom, 1928), de Dziga Vertov

Dez documentários imperdíveis:

Uma Verdade Inconveniente (An Inconvenient Truth , 2006), de Davis Guggenheim;
O documentário denuncia do ex-candidato a presidente dos Estados Unidos, Al Gore, coloca o tema do Aquecimento Global na pauta das discussões políticas no mundo inteiro.

Tiros em Columbine (Bowling for Columbine, 2002), de Michael Moore;
A irreverência de Michael Moore investiga o que levou duas crianças a cometerem um massacre na escola onde estudavam e retrata uma sociedade viciada em armas.

Quem Somos Nós? (What the Bleep Do We Know!? , 2004), de William Arntz;
Uma série de questionamentos básicos como De onde viemos? Para onde vamos? numa releitura sobre a própria realidade que nos cerca e a maneira como enxergamos a vida.

Ilha das Flores (Idem, 1989), de Jorge Furtado;
Divertido, sem deixar de ser crítico. Uma investigação caótica, lúdica e imprevisível sobre as condições do subdesenvolvimento e como isso afeta nossa vida cotidiana.

Fahrenheit 9/11 (Idem, 2004), de Michael Moore;
Michael Moore ataca novamente com uma análise detalhada sobre os acontecimentos do fatídico onze de setembro e das ingerências do presidente dos EUA, George W Bush.

Cabra Marcado para Morrer (Idem, 1985), de Eduardo Coutinho;
Documentaristas procuram fazer um registro dos conflitos no campo em 1964. Quando ocorre o golpe militar, todos são perseguidos. Anos depois, eles retomam o projeto.

Uma Breve História do Tempo (A Brief History of Time , 1991), de Errol Morris;
As teorias da física sobre o universo, o tempo e a origem da vida numa linguagem acessível, baseada no livro homônimo escrito por Stephen Hawking.

Super Size Me - A Dieta do Palhaço (Super Size Me, 2004), de Morgan Spurlock;
O documentarista decide se alimentar apenas dos lanches fast food rica em gordura. Em apenas um mês, quase perde a noiva, o médico acompanhante e a própria vida.

Ricardo III - Um Ensaio (Looking for Richard, 1996), de Al Pacino;
Um exercício metalinguístico onde o famoso ator entrelaça a interpretação da peça, com os ensaios, testes de elenco, apresentação no palco e entrevista com o público.

Marcha do Imperador, A (Marche de l'Empereur, La, 2005), de Luc Jacquet.
A metáfora da luta pela vida e pela sobrevivência focalizando uma família de pingüins imperadores em pleno continente gelado da Antartida.

Confira o clip legendado da música de Melissa Etheridge - I Need To Wake Up, trilha sonora do documentário Uma Verdade Inconveniente ( An Inconvenient Truth , 2006 ):

E você, quais os seus documentários favoritos?

The dizzying throng bursts into Wal-Mart, tramping one another like a stampede of desperate, hungry animals. Their ire is raised at each aisle as the throng bursts forth, pouring through the rows and lanes of the box store with desperation and glazed-over pupils. Focused entirely on Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii, the throng reaches the apex of their journey and collides in a violent heap, pulling and pushing one another and forcing elderly women to the ground for a better vantage point. The fray reaches its climax when one of the blue-vested villains shouts, “We’re all out.” And that’s when all hell breaks loose…

It’s just another Christmas. The obsession over getting the perfect gift has reached a fever pitch and people are willing to do just about anything to be the Holiday Hero, even if it means acting like a complete fool.

Enter Reverend Billy and his Church of Stop Shopping. This crew of exuberant performance artists and activists has formed around the enigmatic figure of Reverend Billy (Bill Talen) and is practicing their brand of fighting the commercialism of the holidays. Using the form of revival meeting and exuberant preaching, Billy and his supporters congregate in box stores, chain stores, and on sidewalks to preach the message of “Stop shopping!”

What Would Jesus Buy? is a 2007 documentary that follows the exploits of Reverend Billy and his church as they journey to the “Promised Land” on Christmas Day. The Promised Land in this case is, of course, Disneyland. Directed by Rob VanAlkemade and produced by Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), this film is wildly funny and thought-provoking, shedding light on the enigmatic character of Reverend Billy and showing the real face of Bill Talen at the same time.

The format is that of a basic documentary, as small sound-byte organized interview segments fill the gaps between the footage of Reverend Billy and his church on their journey to Disneyland. Along the way, there is a bus accident and a few incidents that bring Billy close to being arrested. He preaches outside of a Target, for instance, and “baptizes” a baby in the spirit of anti-consumerism. Billy’s church actually has nothing to do with religion, though, and his followers simply congregate to fight the “evils” of commercialism and corporate greed using the lexicon of religious language and dogma.

The use of this religious context leads to some hilarious moments, such as when Billy “exorcises” the demons in credit cards or when he tries to pull the evil forces out of a Wal-Mart sign. His theatrics are pulled right from the sensationalized preachers of old-time evangelism and he plays the role perfectly. The church behind him is generally comprised of ordinary folk dressed in choir uniforms, all of them fully behind The Good Reverend in his quest to stop the “Shopocalypse.”

What Would Jesus Buy? centers around the idea of returning meaning to Christmas, adding quickly that any “meaning” from the holiday does not need to be centered around a religious belief but rather around a belief in the possibility of peace. After featuring footage of the dizzying spectacle of holiday shopping and highlighting stories of individuals obsessed with it (like the disturbing display of a young woman with an entire closet filled with clothing and accessories for her dog or the story of a store employee spit on and cursed out by an elderly woman for not having the right game system in stock), the documentary attempts to show that there is another way to celebrate the holidays.

“You don’t have to buy a gift to give a gift,” Reverend Billy opines outside of a shopping mall.

In this day and age of obsession over consumption and of Christmas spending reaching thousands of dollars a person, Reverend Billy’s simple message is needed more than ever.

North America is spiralling into debt, with literally trillions of credit card debt hovering over us like a dark cloud. Perhaps the only thing that can save us from the Shopocalypse is a credit card exorcism and a little simplicity. In that regard, What Would Jesus Buy? gets things just about right. Besides, who can argue with the ridiculously funny visual of Mickey Mouse on a cross?

8/10

Trailer:

Check it out.

Cheers,

Tom