HotDocs 2010 Movie Picks

Mike: Hi, this is Mike from SubStream.com and this is a very special
time for us here on the website and in the City of Toronto because
it’s the start of one of our favorite yearly film festivals Hotdocs
when millions or thousands of people have descended upon
Toronto or descend upon downtown Toronto from other parts of
Toronto to watch hundreds or thousands of really good
international feature length and short documentaries.

So yeah, were excited about it we love it every year, I'm here with
Rile our Hotdocs expert who I know has been watching some
critics screenings and screeners and stuff like that. So what have
you got picked out for us and for everyone else in terms of what to
look for this week at the festival and if you're not local to Toronto
what to look for in blockbuster or maybe even in actual movie
theater a couple of months down the road.

Rile: Well as usual they’ve done a great a job sort of programming a
wide variety of documentary films reaching all corners of the
globe, different subject matters, funny ones, there are serious ones,
there are documentaries that you want to try and change the way
things are in the world much like you know the code did last year
which also showed at Hotdocs and then there’s other ones that just
kind of want to give you an impression. Something that you maybe
don’t think a lot about in that category for sure is the headlining
documentary of the whole festival the one that’s opening the whole
shebang.

It’s called Babies that’s what its call it, just babies, four babies
from different parts of the world and there's no narration, there's no
interviews. It’s just beautifully shot well cut together sequences of
the first year in a bit in the life of these four babies and as they
learn to walk and talk and it’s just kind of fascinating to watch and
it feels way more like a nature documentary than it does anything
else.

And yeah, that’s definitely worth watching somewhere in the same
sort of category as films like Baraka or anything like that if you’ve
seen it. There’s another really cool documentary about an
underrated, under appreciated comedian named Bill Hicks called
American the Bill Hicks Story. Bill Hicks if you don’t know he is
just outspoken comedian in late 80’s, early 90’s who talked about
religion and politics and society and censorship because he ended
up being censored a few times.

And then he died way before time due to pancreatic cancer. It’s the
sort of like the first main stream film kind of dealing with his life
and career and there’s even rumors now that I just read today about
Ron Howard film biopic that maybe will star wrestle pro. So that’s
going to be a cool one and to check out too I think because this is
kind of an important figure. And then there’s all this other stuff too
that you know we probably don’t have time to talk about today.
There’s a film called Waste Land which is about an artist in Brazil
who makes art out of garbage.

And the People versus George Lucas which people all over the
internet nerds are talking about nonstop. There’s one called 12 &
Delaware which is about a pro life center and an abortion clinic
that are directly across the street from each other and Someone in
Florida should be interesting. So yeah, there is like tons of really
cool films playing including the second film that’s opening the
whole festival rush beyond the lighted stage which you saw and
like.

Mike: I did and I mean if you want to talk about going into a film with
kind of lowered expectations for me that was it which is probably
really unfair because the guys that made the rush beyond the light
of stage film have never made a bad film. They’ve made some
really good films including metal head bangers journey and Global
Metal, a sequel to film and they're really talented local guys
making really interesting films about really interesting subjects.

You know I went to this film not super excited because I really
don’t like rush and I never liked rush. And I think that the sign of a
really good film made by really good film makers is that you can
enjoy the absolute shit out of the movie that they’ve made without
actually liking what the movie is about.

You know it doesn’t make me appreciate rush anymore than I did
when I went in as musicians but it’s a fascinating movie and it’s
really, really, really well made. But of course the film festival
wouldn’t be a film festival if just a bunch of movies being played
on a bunch of different screens. There's got to be a lot of other stuff
going on that makes it interesting worth going to it. I mean it’s
absolutely the case with Hotdocs. As a film festival so what else is
going on that people interesting dock heads can check out.

Rile: Well if you are in aspiring documentary film maker there are tons
of panel discussions and speakers with topics ranging from like
distributing your documentary and financing it and you know, how
to script it.

So if you're interested in making a documentary from yourself it’s
worth while checking out this panel discussions and speakers.
Check the site over the next week and a half. We’re going to have
some reviews up. We’re going to go to the opening night gala and
talk to some filmmakers. We’re going to go to the closing night
gala when they give out the awards and talk to some filmmakers
then as well. So it’s going to be an exciting week and a half, so
stay tune to the Sub Stream if how you get to the Sub Stream is by
tuning your computer. It’s the tune button.