Reviewed by GREG KINGDocumentaryDirectors: Bob Connolly, Sophie Raymond.This is not another of those films like Mr Holland’s Opus in which a dedicated teacher transforms the lives of their disadvantaged students through music.Rather this is a fascinating documentary that takes us inside a private girl’s school in Sydney and the music department, which holds a huge showcase concert at the Sydney …
MURUNDAK: SONGS OF FREEDOM
Reviewed by GREG KINGDocumentaryDirectors: Natasha Gadd, Rhys Graham.This locally produced documentary is both topical and timely.Murundak follows a group of aboriginal musicians, performing under the collective name of the Black Arm Band, as they stage a number of concerts aimed at raising awareness of indigenous issues. It follows the band from the concert halls of the Sydney Opera House to …
LAST TRAIN HOME
Reviewed by GREG KINGDocumentaryDirector: Lixin Fan.After seeing this documentary from China I am never going to complain about catching a crowded train in peak hour in Melbourne ever again.In China every year millions of peasants from the countryside make their way into the big cities to toil away in menial jobs to earn good money to make a better life for their families. Most of them have …
JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER
Reviewed by GREG KINGDocumentaryDirectors: Jon M Chu, Davis Guggenheim.Canadian teenager Justin Bieber is something of a pop sensation – a self taught musical prodigy who launched his music career through the social networking site YouTube. From those beginnings he has, in a couple of short years, grown into an international star, selling millions of records.Never Say Never offers a rather …
WAGNER AND ME
Reviewed by GREG KINGDocumentary:Director: Patrick McGrady.Actor, author and raconteur Stephen Fry loves the music of Richard Wagner. But he is also a Jew and lost many relatives at Auschwitz. So he is feeling a little conflicted over his love of the glorious music that was written by an anti-Semite and hijacked by the Nazis. Wagner’s music has become synonymous with their evil legacy, although most …
SMASH HIS CAMERA
Reviewed by GREG KINGDocumentaryDirector: Leon Gast.In an age when we crave more and more information about our favourite film stars and celebrities, the paparazzi and their intrusive cameras satiate our voyeuristic appetite for more. But their presence is despised by many, who view them as parasites. During last year’s MIFF we had Teenage Paparazzo, a fascinating documentary which introduced us to a …
