Tag: Documentary

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Movie Review

Badass Beauty Queen: The Story of Anastasia Lin (2019)

Director: Theresa Kowall-Shipp

Writer: Theresa Kowall-Shipp (Screenplay)

Plot: BADASS BEAUTY QUEEN is the story behind Miss World contestant Anastasia Lin using her most powerful weapon, her beauty to stand up to an oppressive regime.

Runtime: 1 Hour 5 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Eye Opening Documentary

Story: Badass Beauty Queen: The Story of Anastasia Lin starts as we learn Anastasia Lin’s story from being born in China under the strict rules, before moving to Canada as a teenager where she learn more about the oppressive regime being used in the country. When Anastasia learns more she wants to make a stand, which sees her enter the Miss World competition eventually becoming Canada’s pick for the 2015 competition, with her message being about letting Chinese express their own culture and beliefs.

When Anastasia starts trying to speak out, her family in China starts suffering and when the pageant gets moved to China, she isn’t welcome into the country giving up her place in the competition. One year later she enter again and finds herself being muzzled by the pageant from speaking out about her beliefs which go against what China believe in even when the 2016 competition was set in America this time around.

Thoughts on Badass Beauty Queen: The Story of Anastasia Lin

Final Thoughts – This documentary show the power that a beauty competition tries to hold over the entries if they want to enter with political beliefs which will upset certain countries, but they are pushing for human rights. We get to see how being pushed out of the competition only drew people towards her and her causes, this also shows how much corruption can seen when it comes to handling keeping sponsors happy no matter what they believe. Anastasia used her power to help guide young people who have been held back by strict human rights violations to learn to stand up no matter how many people want to stand in their way.

Overall: Inspirational young lady.

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Movie Review

The Great Hack (2019)

Director: Karim Amer, Jehane Noujaim

Writer: Karim Amer, Erin Barnett, Pedro Kos (Screenplay)

Plot: The Cambridge Analytica scandal is examined through the roles of several affected persons.


Tagline – They Took Your Data. Then They Took Control

Runtime: 1 Hour 55 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Interesting Political Documentary

Story: The Great Hack starts by looking at a digital media professor that has studied how digital adverts are processed, how our data is being collected using the Trump campaign as a study which included a company known as Cambridge Analytica. We see how an investigative reporter looked into the information that was used to help with the Brexit campaign showing us just how valuable data has become in the world market.

We see the whistle-blowers that came forward to show how the information was collected and how it was used to push people into leaning in certain directions. We also get to dive into the idea of how data was collected, used to create adverts and how it was taken not just from you, but from your friends on Facebook.

Thoughts on The Great Hack

Final Thoughts – This is a documentary does show the light of how one scandal shock the world in the social media world, with data being stolen to help create certain political situations including Trump becoming President and Brexit. Seeing how different people react, including the journalists that are looking to make a story that has enough evidence to not be a career destroyer, a former employee trying to right her wrongs and how the same formulas to create certain moments that will see the users believe whatever they read. This does get very political and shows how the movie ‘They Live’ is slowly becoming a reality. The only negative I truly found in this movie, comes from how Brittany Kaiser, one of the whistle blowers does just seem to be on a holiday all the time through the story.

Overall: Interesting look at the political data breach scandal.

Rating

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Movie Review

World’s Most Dangerous Paper Route (2019)

Director: Matthew Hausle

Writer: Paul Freedman (Screenplay)

 

Plot: The story of the unsung heroes who deliver the ‘Stars And Stripes’ military newspaper to soldiers in Afghanistan. Part of the film shows the paper delivery to Camp Lightning after 90 minutes on a Chinook helicopter, two miles up a mountain, and further travel on Humvees.

 

Runtime: 58 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Important to See How the Stories are Told

 

Story: World’s Most Dangerous Paper Route starts by telling us what the Stars and Stripes newspaper is and why it was created, to give the American soldiers in the military a chance to read about the stories of conflict they are fighting and has been running for years now, still being used today. We get to see how the journalists and photographers were able to capture some of the most shocking, important and special moments in conflicts.

 

Thoughts on World’s Most Dangerous Paper Route

 

Final Thoughts – When you look at this documentary you get to see just a newspaper can help tell the truth about war, be it for the real world or more importantly for the soldiers that want to know what they are fighting for. The insight these journalists have in beyond brilliant, we get to see how they can have intimate stories that show how united the soldiers are. We get to see how journalists have worked from the early 1950’s right up to the current affairs issues that have been able to show the conflict, we get to see how the paper has evolved to deal with the change in technology. We get to see the good the paper has created to survivors of the wars. One of the weaknesses comes from the almost glossed over moment of looking at how difficult to deliver the paper is, which wile learning how important the paper is, it would have been interesting to focus more on how difficult it would be to spread the word this paper does. The documentary does connect the members of military that will always be one of the go to for the many people in the services.

 

Overall: Headline worthy documentary.

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Movie Review

Bob Fosse: It’s Showtime! (2019)

Director: Lucia Helenka

Writer: Lucia Helenka, Stephen Arnell (Screenplay)

 

Plot: A story about the 8 time Tony Award-winning director, choreographer, and cinematographer Bob Fosse which focuses on some of the gray areas of his life and his self-destructive side. It highlights his ability to adapt for each new decade moving from stage, to film, to TV filling the space with artistic genius. Including a specially recorded dance sequence “in the style of Fosse.”

 

Runtime: 1 Hour

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Fascinating Look Behind the Glitz and Glamour

 

Story: Bob Fosse: It’ Showtime starts as we see how Bob wanted to work in Hollywood, not making it there first, he ends up diving in choreography on Broadway, it isn’t long before he becomes the most popular pick in town winning Tony Awards for his work, we see how he went onto movies, with only his second movie being Cabaret, before his success went to his head, seeing him turn to his addiction controlling his life, even if he went onto become a legend on the industry.

 

Thoughts on Bob Fosse: It’s Showtime

 

Final Thoughts – We know the name Bob Fosse, because of his legacy, with his reputation in choreography, Oscar Winning movies and Tony Awards, but learning more about the man behind his legacy is interesting to learn like always. We get to see how film critics, modern British music talent who have performed in his creations before and dance experts that all get to talk about the influences that Bob gave them. We do spend a lot of time looking at his lifetime achievements, but one side that becomes even more fascinating is seeing how his work is still being used today to influence the modern creators and even used in modern culture terms. We do get to learn about another man that ended up going through difficult times away from the spotlight where everything seems so bright for them.

 

Overall: Documentary on an icon.

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