6, 7, 8, 9, & 10

film 6 - el bulli: cooking in progress


it's not about the food, but it is. but mostly i think, the experience of flavours and sensations that the chefs of el bulli can impress on you. an interesting doco about a restaurant in catalonia, spain and the effort that goes behind the annual menu.

film 7 - sing your song


an awesome into a guy i thought only as a kitsch singer from the 50s, prone to wearing open neck flouncy blouses and singing calypso tunes. but harry belafonte is so much more than that. this man is an amazing human being who's been an advocate for civil rights and humanitarian causes since the 50s and was confidante to martin luther king jnr. and i also didn't know that he helped to organise the 1985 song "we are the world". the man continues to this day - in his 80s, that's pretty fantastic.

film 8 - life in a day


another good doco. in july 2010 film makers both amateur and professional were asked to submit videos of themselves, the day chosen was july 24. a year to that day later, i was watching the completed film that had been cut down from 4,500 hours of footage and 80,000 submissions. every moment around the world something good, bad, indifferent, beautiful, horrendous, magical and amazing is happening. totally super.

film 9 - the bengali detective


for the longest time i couldn't work out if this was a documentary or a film. a team of private detectives is led by an overweight man who dreams of stardom on a local dance tv show. there's a murder, a shampoo-watering-down scam, and family sadness all against the backdrop of kolkata, india. an endearing and funny film.

film 10 - presspauseplay


nothing new here. is technology supplanting or enhancing art? since every man and his dog can now pick up a digital film camera, manipulate music on a computer where has the craft of such arts gone? enjoyed the doco, but like i said, nothing new to be seen here, though i may have to pick up a book by one of the interviewees, seth godin, unleashing the ideavirus.