Hot Docs 2013 Film Review - High Five: A Suburban Adoption Saga

Martin and Cathy Ward decide that they want to adopt a child.  When we first meet the Surrey B.C pair they have two young girls living with them from the Ukraine to see if they will adapt to their new surroundings. During the visit the Wards learn that the sisters Alyona and Snezhana have three other siblings back in an orphanage in the Ukraine, an older sister plus an older and younger brother. The Wards decide that they will attempt to adopt all five children and bring them to B.C.

Director Julia Ivanova followed the Ward family for 4 years to tell their story.  The Documentary shows the various aspects of adoption in a hyper situation. Firstly the Wards are adopting multiple children, second they are adopting them from a foreign country where English is not the first language. Next none of them are newborns and among them are two are teenagers.  Plus there will be some psychological and cultural issues relating to their harsh upbringing and parenting in the Ukraine vs. Canada. Lastly the financial reality of a jump from a couple to a family of seven is hard to predict.

Martin and Cathy have a great spirit and put all of the efforts into making a safe home for the children.  They next bring all of the children over for a visit but are only able to adopt Alyona and Snezhana at first. The other three have to go back to the Ukraine. A year later they are able to adopt the other three and after extensive renovations to their home the family is united.

The first crack in the family unit is the rivalry between Alyona, Snezhana and Yuliya. The middle daughters were there first and appear to defend their turf against their later arriving elder sister which effects Yulia deeply as being the eldest looked out for her siblings in the past.  Yuliya the former matron of the group appears to like her new dad Martin more and has a rivalry with Cathy and rebels. This coupled with Martin taking a job in the Yukon to earn more money for the family leaving Cathy running the household heightens the tension between the two.

Seeing her attitude leads to a split of the former strong bond with her brother Sergei the second oldest and her only sibling that shares the same father and mother.

Director Ivanova becomes almost the 8th member of the family. She interviews each family member as the tension and conflicts arise. An especially heartbreaking scene is her interview with Alyona, Snezhana and Yuliya when the two younger sisters tell Ivonova straight out that they don't want to play with Yuliya, she can't use their things and they don't want her around.

High Five a Suburban Adoption Saga tells the complicated story of a multiple adoption. It shows that despite well meaning parents personality conflicts, cultural differences and financial consequences can be very difficult to overcome.

Director Julia Ivanova makes this Documentary a personal piece and it's one that I recommend.

*** 1/2 out of 4

High Five: A Suburban Adoption Story| Julia Ivanova | Canada | 2013| 95 Minutes.

Hot Docs 2013. 

Tags: Adoption, Ukraine, Sibling Rivalry, Teenage Rebellion, Matriarch, Diplomatic Red Tape.

Hot Docs 2013 Film Review - Bending Steel

The central figure in Dave Carroll bending steel is an awkward person. He does not relate well to other people. When he speaks he puts emphasis on the wrong syllable, leaves too long empty spaces when responding to a question and tends to look down to the ground when engaged in a conversation.

Chris Shoeck exists on the edge of society.  He is a New York City personal trainer by day and spends a lot of time by himself when he is not working.  His fortunes start to change when he begins to bend nails in his cramped basement storage locker area in his attempt to become strongman. He first meets up with Chris Rider a Pennsylvania Strongman nicknamed Haircules known for his long hair and stunts like ripping a phone book or a full deck of cads in two.  Rider teaches Shoeck the proper pacing of his act. To make sure that the audience can see clearly as he works and the key part to display the bent item  to the crowd upon completion of the act. Through Rider Shoeck enters the strongman community and meets some of the legends in the sport and gains the stage name Chris "Wonder" Shoeck due to his ability to bend iron bars despite his small stature.

Director Carroll mixes in old black and white footage of the old master strongmen from the early twentieth century. Showing that at their peak Strongman shows sold out Madison Square Gardens and were a regular feature on Coney Islands.  Most of the filming is a one camera shot with questions coming to the subjects from off camera.  Carroll shoots Shoeck mostly in the corner of the frame and in the shadows. This shooting technique serves to amplify his isolation and loneliness.


Chris does fit in with the Strongman group and becomes one of the performers on a return to Coney Island show that he promotes by giving away flyers on the boardwalk and appearance on an independent radio show that appears to be run out of a store front.

An ongoing sub plot is Shoeck's battle to bend a 2 - inch thick iron bar. He starts to work on the bar in the first act but is unable to budge it at all and continues to try new techniques and angles as the movie progresses. His colleagues encourage him pointing out that bending steel is not about strength but more mind over matter. The bar becomes his holy grail as it's mounted on the wall in his home to be looked at and studied.

The most uncomfortable moments of the Documentary are the two occasions when Chris goes to visit his parents the second of which accompanied by Rider. By they way they speak to each other one would think that they were total strangers. They also show no support of his new activity and when he leaves them tickets for the upcoming Coney Island show it's clear that they will not attend.

Bending Steel is an original story with a quirky protagonist. Carroll lets his subject be himself and the audience can see Shoeck grow as the film progresses and he gains more confidence in is skills. He relaxes as the piece unfolds often conducting his interviews with the director in his favourite was chair smoking a cigar. Director Dave Carroll tells a different kind of story and it is one that I can recommend.

*** out of 4.

Bending Steel | Dave Carroll | U.S.A. | 93 Minutes.

2013 Hot Docs Film Festival.

Tags:  Introvert, Carnival Performers, Strongman, Coney Island, Loneliness, NYC

Hot Docs 2013 Film Review - The Human Scale

Cities, who are they built for is the question that is explored in the Human Scale. Starting from the post world war two area and exploring 4 continents the film explores the decades long move toward the automobile and gives compelling arguments as to why city planners should move away from the catering for the car.

The main voice behind the shift is Danish architect Jan Gehl. He saw the state of the downtown centre of Copenhagen and decided to take a position on a downtown street and watch people. What he found was that Copenhagen had become a space for cars, the people had nowhere to gather or to sit or to comfortably move at a walking pace.  His solution remove cars from the downtown core, along with the parking spaces along the canal replacing them with bike lanes, benches, pedestrian walkways and green spaces to give the space back to the people.

Next the focus is on New York State in the 50's and city planner Robert Moses expansion of the New York State highway system. The result more roads, more cars, more congestion and traffic still did not move. New York has evolved in a 90-10 ratio towards cars while Gehl's philosophy favours people 90-10. The Gehl Architects were hired by the New York Transportation Authority and invited to observe the Times Square area.  The group reached similar conclusions that they had in Copenhagen. Give the space back to the people. Their recommendations led to today's Time Squares featuring outdoor seating, bike paths space, places for the citizens to stop sit and enjoy the area. A cell phone video of an impromptu Christmas time Times Square snowball fight after the changes an ultimate sign of citizens taking back city space.

The original city for the people first philosophy is Sienna, Italy they have many places for people to gather, places to sit and an abundance of pedestrian walkways in the centre of the city. People were meant to gather is groups and not be isolated in suburban single-family dwellings.

The main theme of the Documentary is that the population continues to grow and will reach 6.5 billion by 2050. People continue to move on mass from the country into the cities and the infrastructure cannot support the influx of people unless there is a significant shift. A move is needed from Cities that are based on a 60 km per hour car pace to a 5 km per hour walking pace.

Down in the southern hemisphere the director interviews the city planners in Melbourne. They realized in the 1980's that the city centre was slowly dying. They needed a way to revitalize but did not have the space. The solution:  Use the labyrinth of the back alley spaces that formally housed dumpsters, doorways and loading docks for cafe's which lead to stores and a whole shopping areas in between buildings and the main streets. They were able to shift back the ration in the downtown core to 5% car traffic and raised the pedestrian traffic by 37%.

In Asia the group looks a Dhaka in Bangladesh and the move backed by the IMF to build more roads for vehicles. Local group have appeared to reject this Western idea the city has a population of 10 million and continues to grow.  It's a very fragile location that is always on the verge of a severe earthquake that could reduce many of the city buildings to rubble. The majority of the population will never own cars and the loans from the IMP at exorbitant interest rates will take several lifetimes to repay for roads that will be used by the few.

What would you do if you had the chance to start over? That is the question being asked in Christchurch. The cities downtown core was destroyed by a 2011 earthquake. The public had a say and contrary to the wishes of the banks and big multinationals won height restrictions of six stories with plenty of public places for sitting and gathering along with bicycle paths.

Beautifully shot and well paced The Human Scale brings an important message that will become critical as we march toward the year 2050.  We have to move to cities that are livable healthy and geared again toward Humans that work at eye level and not built to impress travellers in airplanes on final approach. It's a film that I can recommend.

The Human Scale | Andreas Dalsgaard| Denmark| 2013 | 83 Minutes.

2013 Hot Docs Film Festival.

Tags: City Planning, Architecture, World Cities, Cars vs. People, Population Growth, City Centres, Urban vs. Rural.

Hot Docs 2013 Film Review - As Time Goes By In Shanghai

Meet the world's oldest Jazz band.  Shanghai's Peace Old Jazz band is based out of the Peace Hotel in Shanghai, China. The band members range in age from 65 to 87. Many of the members have seen several changes in China starting from the World War Two, running through the Cultural Revolution and into modern day Shanghai.

The documentary follow the group as they prepare for a spot in the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam the focal point of a 7 day tour of the Netherlands. The film opens with the group at the Jazz festival looking at the stage and commenting on how big the venue is for their group that is used to playing in a small room in Shanghai.

The film flashes back three months to the preparation of the group for the event. The viewer first gets an in depth look at each band member starting with the leader of the band Old Bao who is an accomplished musician in his eighties that plays drums, clarinet and saxophone. He recounts the visits of the U.S navy band in the 40's and how Jazz was flowing in the ballrooms all around Shanghai.  The clubs all closed in 1953 with the early signs of the Cultural Revolution. Musicians had to then play in secret muffling the sounds of their instruments.

As part of their preparation the group decide to hire a female singer to augment their stage presence. They are looking for someone that can sing the Standards such as In the Mood, As Time Goes By and Sinatra's Fly Me To The Moon along with the Chinese traditional songs. The audition process provides the films best comic moments as the band members openly criticize the short comings of the candidates and each others musical styles plus despite their advanced age show that they are still men as they attempt to impress and chat up the women during their auditions.  The other source of comedy is the banter between the band mates and their manager. Despite booking the concert in Rotterdam the band members act as if he is not needed and eventually do not allow him on the trip opting instead for a local guide in the Netherlands.

The story of band member Old Sun is the most compelling. In his eighties like Old Bao, Sun will not talk much about his past. His musician days date back to the post war era but unlike Bao he was deported during the Cultural Revolution for anti government activities. He also lost the love of his life during this time  a National Party supporter that begged Sun to come with her and her family to Taiwan but he instead chose to stay on the mainland and they never saw each other again.

As Time Goes by In Shanghai is a strong narrative and living historical document of China and Shanghai spanning 70 years. The music is a great mix of Jazz and Chinese traditional songs. However the highlight of the film is the interplay, banter bickering and true friend ship between the band members themselves.  This is a film that I can definitely recommend.

*** 1/2 Out of 4

As Time Goes By in Shanghai | Uli Gaulke | Germany/ Netherlands | 2013 | 90 Minutes. 

2013 Hot Docs Film Festival. 

Tags: Shanghai, Jazz, The Peace Hotel, North Sea Jazz Festival, Seniors, Chinese Cultural Revolution, The National Party.

Film Review - Star Trek - Into Darkness

J.J. Abrams and the Bad Robot crew take their second shot at the Star Trek Universe with Star Trek
Into Darkness. The timing of this film is a little different from the normal 2-year sequence of sequels.  Into Darkness appears 4 years after it's 2009 predecessor and gives the impression that Abrams and the Bad Robot team did not want to rush but instead took their time to get the film right.  The good thing about sequels and especially those of an iconic franchise it that the first movie already introduced the characters and their inter relationships therefore it's right to the action.

Opening with the Enterprise crew on an observatory mission of a primitive tribal society. The Enterprise crew decide to help when they realize that the civilization is threatened by it's own environment.  Their decision is contrary to the prime directive on which Star Fleet is based. Upon their return to Star Fleet headquarters in San Francisco Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zackery Quinto) both are disciplined for their actions.

In a bit of a departure we see a Star Trek installation on earth outside of the U.S.  A good part of the first act takes place in London where we are introduced Jonathan Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) a mysterious figure that is willing to assist a Star Fleet officer with his family health issue for a price.

Pacing is a key element to this film. Kurtzman, Lindelof and Orci's script keeps the action coming on a regular basis. The scrip also has a couple of nods to Abrams next project that also has the word Star in the title. In one Kirk, Spock and Uhura ( Zoe Saldana) are in a shuttle that looks suspiciously like the Millennium Falcon being chased by a patrol. In attempt to escape pilot Kirk takes the shuttle towards a narrow passage and debates openly with Spock whether or not the shuttle will fit into the tight space.

Cinematographer Daniel Mindel work is notable on this film. The visuals are sharp and similar to his work on the 2009 reboot the piece has to be one of the brightest out there in recent memory. The first time the Enterprise appears fully on screen then heads into warp leaving the signature trail is stunning. However there are some issues with the 3D version as in some frames the early part of the film the action moves faster than the technology.

The stories main thread centres on the enemy within. The role of villain shifts during the film however the narrative never verges far from this main theme. Distrusting superiors until you dig a little deeper for more information on your own is also prevalent. Michael Kaplan's costume design also picks up on these dark ideas.  Opposed to the iconic yellow, blue and red Start Trek uniforms the cast wears a collection of black and grey totalitarian looking outfits. The dress uniform at Star Fleet headquarters is  charcoal with hats that harken back to armies or secret police of the mid 40's. James Harrison is clothed in a dark cloak in one of the early fighting scenes then continues dressed in black for the rest of the film.

The main actors continue to grow into their roles in this second outing and it's evident that the writing team tried to find at least a moment for each of the main characters to shine.  One of the stronger instants is Sulu's (John Cho) speech while occupying the Captains Chair. The current reboot has created a new triumvirate of Kirk and Spock with Uhura replacing Bones as the third member.  However Bones (Karl Urban) has some memorable moments in the film notably in an away mission with the new science officer (Alice Eve) where they're tasked to diffuse a volatile object. Cumberbatch is an excellent choice as the shadowy Harrison who is equally adept in the lab as he is in battle. The key to any sequel is a strong villain. Harrison is more than a match for Kirk and Spock, an enemy squadron attempting to oppose him or Peter Weller's hawkish head of Star Fleet Admiral Marcus.

Two important elements of an action film are sound and editing. Both are categories are handled well.  Sound is key in many scenes especially during the warp speed chase. Perhaps the best edit in the production in a transition scene from London to San Francisco focused on an item falling into a drinking glass in each location.

Star Trek Into the Darkness has all the elements of a summer popcorn movie excellent pacing, relentless action and images that need to be seen on the big screen. If you're not a trekker or a hard core fan of the original series then this film is aimed at you. However if your niche is the original Star Trek and the traditional roles of the holy trinity of Kirk, Spock and Bones then you may find the film a bit lacking. Overall as someone who really came on board with The Next Generation it's a film that I can recommend.

*** out of 4

Star Trek | Into the Darkness | J.J. Abrams | U.S.A. | 2013 | 132 Minutes.

Tags: Sci-fi, enemy within, Iconic Series, Trekkers, Prime directive, terrorism, totalitarianism.

Hot Docs 2013 Film Review - Good Ol' Freda

Silicone valley is full of secretaries, janitors and receptionist who were original employees at a Dot.com start up and became millionaires when those companies went public. The entertainment world  is famous for former assistants, publicist and bodyguards who take an advance and write a tell all book about their celebrity employer. Freda Kelly has none of these qualities. She was the only Secretary that  the Beatles ever had and later became their Fan Club manager.  Kelly was a very private person who did not tell her story until more than 40 years after her association with the band ended.

Freda worked in a typing pool in 1963 Liverpool having left school at 16. She was invited by two of her colleagues to go to the Cavern Club for lunch and saw one of the Beatles early shows at the club. After the first visit she was hooked and became a fixture at the lunch time sets and well known to all of the band members and their manager Brian Epstein. Therefore it was a natural fit when Epstein set up his office on the second floor of his fathers store Mems to hire Frieda as his secretary.

Director Ryan White presents an excellent tale and brings out all of Freda's qualities. She was a fan of the band but not a fanatic. Did her job well and always had the band members and fans best interest at heart. Shot mainly in a one camera interview style with questions coming from off screen Freda tells her story and lets her personality come out. Her account is very straight forward but deliberately cryptic when she discusses her individual relationship with each Beatle. One great passage is her description of Ringo's request to have her help him to answer his fan mail.  Freda would not do it herself but agreed to come round to his home and give his mother a few pointers.  It turned out he had 9 letters and that initial visit started a close relationship with Freda and Ringo's then the other Beatles parents.

Filled with old photos and stills of the band the film brings you right back to the height of Beatlemania. Especially poignant are the behind the scene shots in the Cavern Club during the lunch time performances. A key point was when Paul no longer wanted Frieda to refer to him as a Beatle when she put updates on his activities in the Official Beatles Fan Club Newsletter. While around the same time John was off doing the bed in with Yoko Ono in Montreal. Freda tells part of her story as she looks through a few boxes that she has kept in her attic She reads from a Beatles newsletter all that start with Dear Beatle People and end with Lots of Good Luck and Tarrah for now.

Freda talks of the memorabilia that she had in her office which she gave all away as in her mind it belonged to the fans. Two other quick points on her character were her attempt to slip in her autograph book for a signature but did not want to say who the autographs were for or when she fired all of her assistants when one tried to put in her own hair to send to a fan claiming that it was Paul's.

Freda Kelly had the dream job of any young Liverpudlian. Still working as a secretary for a law firm today. She did not take advantage of her position and presents a unique inside view of the Beatles and their families that even her family did not know many of the details until the making of the documentary.  Good Ol' Freda is a film that I can recommend.

*** 1/2 out of 4.

Good Ol' Freda | Ryan White | U.S.A. | 2013 | 86 Minutes.

2013 Hot Docs Film Festival.

Tags: Beatles, Music, Liverpool, the 60's, Founding Employees.

Hot Docs 2013 Film Review - The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne

Opening at a San Diego Courthouse we meet Jean a senior citizen who's best friend is on trial for theft of an emerald ring from a Macy's department store. Her friend Doris Payne who is 81 years old and could easily be anyone's sweet grandmother. This is where Directors Matthew Pond and Kirk Marcolina catch up with Ms. Payne and begin to tell her life story.

Doris Payne grew up in West Virginia in the segregated south, born to a black father and a Cherokee Mother. Here father was abusive to her mother and Doris often saw and heard the results of their fights. As a reward for good grades her mother agreed to buy Doris a new watch. She was in the jewellery store trying on various pieces when a white man entered the store and demanded that she leave. During the confusion and commotion as the distracted Jeweller complied and turned Doris out he forgot that she still had on an expensive watch. Doris alerted the Jeweller at the doorway. The incident was the chance event that started her method of thievery, midsection and distraction.

In a series of interviews Payne tells the stories of her greatest heists starting with trains trips to Chicago and New York for jobs then switching to flights to Japan, London and Monte Carlo to apply her craft. Doris Payne is a fascinating subject. She draws you in with a smile, turn of phrase or a gesture. An exceptional actress she could play any role required to get into a position where she was alone with a disarmed sales clerk with thousands of dollars with of Jewellery laid out for her to inspect. In addition to the interviews the Documentary features recreations to support the narrative.

The Directors do not always glamorize the subject. They show the real daily life of the 81 year old Payne complaining of breathing problems but still continuing to smoke. She is living in a half way house where she has to check in and out and shares a room with a roommate. Even at a local fair she checks out the trinket rings and cant help her nature and walks away with one in her pocket. They focus in on the fact that if she is found guilty and has to serve 5 years the verdict would be just about a death sentence for Payne at her advanced age with her current medical conditions. She has two children a son who has a history of drug problems and a daughter who agreed to be interviewed but her identity is kept hidden.

The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne is captivating look at a life long a jewel thief who is on trial for her life. Payne a masterful manipulator and charmer swears that she didn't do it and wants her day in court. She also claims to have stolen 2 million dollars in Jewellery and spent every penny. This is a documentary driven by the feisty personality of a singular individual and a film that I can recommend.

*** out of 4.

The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne | Matthew Pond and Kirk Marcolina | 2013 | U.S.A. | 73 Minutes.

2013 Hot Docs Film Festival.

Tags:  Crime, Jewel Theft, Segregation, Heists, Jet setting, Court Case.