Netflix Worthy: Shut Up and Sing

I recently saw Barbara Kopple's Shut Up and Sing on the Dixie Chicks, their stand against Bush's invasion of Iraq and the huge backlash it caused from the country music world. I had never really knew the details of what went down but I now have a lot more respect for the band. Well made film.

Netflix Worthy: Valentino: The Last Emperor

A lot friends complain that the movies available on netflix instant are booty. While I wish that all titles were available for streaming, I've still been able to fill my instant queue with tons of films I've been meaning to watch. Valentino: The Last Emperor was one of them.

As foreign as the elitist world of haute couture fashion is to me, I was drawn in by the pressure and high stakes of Valentino's world. The access that the director Matt Tyrnauer got with the icon and the honest interviews from people around him really made the film. The story structure of Valentino's possible retirement and his relationship with partner Giancarlo Giammetti made the film interesting even if you have no interest in fashion.

Netflix Worthy: Facing Ali

Based on the book with the same name, Facing Ali is one of my favorite docs I've seen this year. I might be a little biased since I end up loving most films or books about Ali, but the fact that so much has been done on the legend over the years, makes this film even more impressive. We have heard all the soundbites and seen all the footage before, but it's the personality and vulnerability in the interviews that make this film. I'm convinced there are few things more entertaining than when old boxers talk story.



The use of text and the way the interviews were shot create a style that is both nostalgic and new. Hands down, the best interview in the film is with Leon Spinks. Dude is hilarious! When talking about Ali's politicization and name change he says:
"After Ali changed it from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, everybody else started turning to Muslim. My name is Cooly Clala Cleely or Hooly Hooly or Walla Walla. I mean what the fuck is that? Well, my name's Leon and there ain't nothing white about that."

If your a fan of Ali I would highly suggest reading Redemption Song: Muhammad Ali and the Spirit of the Sixties and watching When We Were Kings. But you probably have already.

Netflix Worthy: The Two Escobars

ESPN Films' 30 for 30 series is one of my favorite programs on TV. What's even better is that most of the films are available on DVD as soon as they are aired so you can watch them without commercial breaks, the way that they were meant to be seen. I think The Two Escobars is the second best film in the series so far, Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. the New York Knicks is still my favorite.



I loved director Jeff Zimbalist's previous film Favela Rising. Co-directed with his brother Michael, Zimbalist brings the same colorful visual style, drum beats, and social critique to the story of Colombian drug king Pablo Escobar and what is known as narco-fútbol. I still don't know what the hell I'm looking at when I watch a soccer game, but as the most popular international sport, especially in the third world, the political back stories of the game are fascinating.

If you don't have netflix you can watch the whole film on youtube.

Netflix Worthy: It Might Get Loud

Wish I would have caught It Might Get Loud (Dir. Davis Guggenheim, 2008) in a theater with a big sound system. I recommend it to any guitar nut, especially if you're a fan of Led Zeppelin, U2 or The White Stripes. The film does a really nice job of creating nostalgic scenes with all three artist as they literally walk you through significant locations in their careers. My favorite scene is when they tell the stories behind their first guitars. Jimmy Page is ice cold!