Aside from the rarity of being a twin (roughly only 33 out of every thousand births are multiples of any kind), being born at the same time as another human being imparts a special bond that people born through single births simply can’t understand. Growing side by side as their bodies develop turns into growing older at the same rate and often going through the same familial issues. It’s the shared experience of brothers and sisters – complete with different personalities and personal quirks – amplified even further through closer proximity. But what happens when someone’s biological other half passes away?

This is the question director and twin Anna van der Wee looks at in her hour long documentary Lone Twin (airing Wednesday, February 15th at 9pm on TVO), a deeply personal and soul searching look her own loss and struggles to come to terms with a fractured sense of identity following the loss of her brother Dirk when they were only twenty years old. Anna, who always acted as the wild child to Dirk’s calm loner, takes stock of failed past relationships that she sees now as not working out because she was always searching for a replacement to Dirk. She talks at length about feeling alienated from her family after her parents and older sister monopolized their grief to the point where they acknowledged Dirk’s death, but not the fact that Anna was still alive, the scarring from which Anna admits hurts almost worse than Dirk’s passing.

Following a brief look at twins through history (from the Greek mythology of Cator and Pollux to the modern mythology of Luke and Leia Skywalker) and interviews with various twins talking about their deep personal bonds, Anna sets out in search of other “lone twins” and talks to experts (many of which are also twins) about personal identity following the death of such an extremely close loved one. A particularly bittersweet section of the film finds Anna talking to Graeme, a sweet and lovable Star Wars cosplayer (complete with a really awesome Boba Fett costume) who only lost his brother two years ago. With the memory still fresh, Graeme constantly wonders if he should hold back introducing himself to people as a twin since it was a huge part of his identity that suddenly doesn’t exist anymore.

The first part of the film takes a little while to get going, but as it gets more and more personal, Lone Twin offers some keen insight into a world that few people outside of those living within it can really comprehend. Anna van der Wee does a great job behind the camera telling a story equal parts personal and universal, while never shying away from people in her past telling her answers she doesn’t necessarily want to hear. Lone Twin equates losing a twin sibling as losing a family member, a best friend, and part of one’s soul at the same time, and it does a fine job showing just how awful that truly sounds.

Lone Twin airs on TVO Wednesday February 15th at 9pm on TVO.

Back in 2006, musicians Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova starred in a film that shocked both the box office and the Academy Awards. Made for $100,000, the John Carney directed musical romance Once became the little movie that could, sticking around for months in theatres and netting an Oscar for the two singer-songwriters for the song “Falling Slowly.” The duo, known formally as The Swell Season – which also serves as the title of a new documentary about their life on the road and their personal interaction – became a bit of an international sensation that has been selling out shows and playing festival gigs around the world ever since.

It’s a great story, but despite having three directors on the documentary project designed to give fans of both the film and the band a glimpse behind the curtain, the appeal is limited and the scope of everything is distressingly narrow. While watching Once is a prerequisite before going into this film and having a love for the band’s non-film related material will help, the audience for this film really begins and ends with Swell Season fans and the mildly curious.

Between lengthy montages that belie a lack of focus (possibly brought on by too many cooks in the directing department) and some sometimes superfluous asides designed to pad out a 90 minute running time, viewers can easily see why Hansard and Irglova were such magnetic personalities in the first place. In the many performance segments of the film, Hansard’s intensity on stage and Irglova’s down to Earth shyness come through beautifully and do more to illustrate their relationship and seemingly preternatural songwriting chemistry than the film’s countless segments depicting autograph signings and post concert drinking sessions.

This isn’t to say that there isn’t a great deal of personal insight, but it’s quite likely that these aren’t the insights that fans are necessarily looking for or that the unfamiliar will be looking for. Much of the film’s personal story surrounds Hansard’s upbringing with his alcoholic father and doting mother in Ireland. The filmmakers go a long way to show how a man who dropped out of school to pursue his rock star dreams taps his own life for inspiration, but on the flip side, Irglova’s downright aversion to being on camera makes her seem a bit more histrionic than she probably is in real life. Uncomfortable with success, fans, and her true devotion to the touring lifestyle, there is precious little known about her past to suggest that she isn’t just coming across as burnt out or unreasonable.

Those looking for some insight into the duo’s former romantic relationship will also be sadly out of luck until the last 10 minutes of the film, and even then it’s all maddeningly dismissive because this is a movie that’s all about the music, man. That music is good and almost enough to warrant a pass for the film, but it’s hard not to shake the feeling that this is all more designed to be a bonus DVD to be packaged with a live album at some point rather than as a serious cinematic effort. Aside from some well shot black and white cinematography, nothing here is particularly cinematic in the way their original big screen outing was. Swell Season is a film that preaches to the already converted and least picky fans of the band, but it might not even be able to properly capture just what the audience gets from their live shows or the music that drove their first big success.

Featuring nearly 100 films (mostly documentary), the 2011 edition of Planet in Focus kicks off tomorrow, October 12th, and runs until Sunday, October 16th. Below is a short list of the films that we think are worth watching, but for more of the films playing at the festival be sure to check out the full Planet in Focus 2011 schedule here.

Revenge of the Electric Car, dir. Chris Paine

It’s not often that a documentary warrants a sequel, but if there were ever a subject matter worth revisiting it would be the storied tale of the electric car. Revenge of the Electric Car is director Chris Paine’s follow-up to his sobering doc Who Killed The Electric Car? The film is a decidedly optimistic look at the emerging field of electric vehicle production and four individuals at the centre of this EV renaissance. Revenge of the Electric Car is the opening night gala of Planet in Focus 2011.

Screening: Oct 12 2011 – 7:00 PM at the TIFF Bell Lightbox
More info here.

Darwin, dir. Nick Brandestini

A documentary portrait of the isolated California community of Darwin – population 35. Inhabited by hippies, artists, miners, and ex-cons trying to live off the grid, the town — which has no government or economy of any kind — struggles to get by in the shadow of a military base and bombing range. What makes the residents of this shade of a town decide to stay?

Screening: Oct 15 2011 – 9:30 PM at the ROM
More info here.

The Whale, dir. Suzanne Chisholm & Michael Parfit

The Whale is the strange story of Luna, a young killer whale who lost contact with his pod off the coast of Vancouver Island. Desperate for companionship Luna began to follow local boaters in Nootka Sound, vying for their time and attention. The locals obliged the young orca, but it wasn’t long before Luna’s arrival set off a conflict between the Canadian government, marine mammal NGO’s and the local First Nation.

The Whale was produced by Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson, with Reynolds providing the film’s narration. The film is the closing night gala of Planet in Focus 2011.

Screening: Oct 16 2011 – 7:00PM at the TIFF Bell Lightbox
More info here.

The National Parks Project

Sections of The National Parks Project (which played in its entirety at Hot Docs earlier this year) will be playing at Planet in Focus 2011. The short film anthology invites some of Canada’s most talented filmmakers and musicians to take on some of Canada’s most amazing landscapes. Read our full review here.

Screenings: Being screened before multiple feature length documentaries.
More info here.

View the full Planet in Focus 2011 schedule at their official site here.

Sarah Palin, remember her? She’s the ex-Alaskan Governor/Ex-McCain running mate that may have cost the Republicans the last Presidential election, assuming it wasn’t because of how badly Bush left the country or that people may have legitimately wanted to see Obama take office… in case you needed a refresher. Anyways, in case you didn’t know there was once a scenario where she could have been in the White House, which British documentarian Nick Broomfield would like you to know would have been catastrophic. In Sarah Palin – You Betcha! he and his tiny team cozy up in Wasilla, Alaska to get opinions and footage from her friends, colleagues and even Palin herself. Two thirds of those goals do not go very well at all, and for some bizarre reason Broomfield lets you in on every production misfortune.

From Kurt and Courtney to Biggie & Tupac, it has always been Broomfield’s style to let you in on every moment, but in Sarah Palin, in which Nick takes on a subject with the highest barricade to clamber over, it seems all the more deflated. Things go okay at first, getting into the antler packed household of Palin’s parents, though his material with them is gentle at best. From there Broomfield begins an odyssey of people he can and cannot talk to. Old friends of Sarah’s: Depends. Members of the current Palin household: No. Levi: Can’t afford it. Palin herself: No, but Nick is sure naive about it. Old colleagues with an axe to grind: Very yes.

There is definitely something to be said about the new Wasilla dynamic, a heavily Evangelical town of single-digit-thousands now with an even line drawn through it of pro-Palin’s and anti-Palins. Some talking heads certainly have some interesting, if not enlightening things to say about the pitbull with lipstick, like a gay-supporting priest who describes Palin in the way Dr. Loomis describes Michael Myers. Otherwise, even the most close-knit ex-Palin pals get around to the conclusion you may already know: Palin is aggressive, misguided, misinformed, anti-intellectual, stubborn, scary, and very thankfully not in the White House. Which kind of brings about the most groan worthy point.

What is the point of doing a Palin doc at this point in time? Certainly her name carries a lot of news hype, but is there any actual relevance? She doesn’t seem to have any intentions to run in the 2012 election, and even if she did it’s overwhelmingly doubtful that she’d actually succeed. But, people still like to talk about her. On the streets you wouldn’t turn your head if you overheard her name pop up in passing conversation. She’s raised the bar on the political freakshow, and even if she isn’t the freakiest in the circus, she’s still the feature attraction. Nothing in You Betcha! will reveal any juicy new details or revelations about the Palin and her clan.

Even beyond Palin’s irrelevance, You Betcha! isn’t well made. Broomfield constantly looks like a wiener or a creeper, and never on top of the situation even the three-to-five times he manages to crack out witty joke. There’s a scene where he tried to crash an Evangelical congregation where Palin was speaking. Upon failing to get in contact with her, he then settles for speaking over a megaphone to get people’s attention as the flock leaves, which they do, because the echo and speaker music drowns out his mega-speaker to a whimper. And you see that. You also see, twice, the car-driving-up-and-introduction beginnings of an interview shoot forty minutes after you’ve seen extensive material from said interview. Broomfield also zooms in to the face of all of his subjects, letting you see every pore and makeup flake on the big screen. One time he zooms in on a picture of Palin hanging on a wall so close the lens clunks against it. That was the best part of the film.

Not far below the skin of every mature person is a raging, nonsensical beast of pure impulse. One which usually doesn’t show up until each thread of control is unraveled. Or after they’ve annihilated a row of drinks. Some people, however, are much more comfortable with their wild child, and in a new media savvy world they’re recorded, and later seen, these folks can be found at practically every turn. From Knoxville and his Jackass troupe to a kid secretly being recorded, shirtless and flipping out over a World of Warcraft suspension. But before there was a guarantee that every piece of footage would have an audience, Ralph Zavadil would probably still have subjected himself to documented, self-inflicted humiliation. In the St. Catherines area, he was known as local TV spirit Cap’n Video. If he saw a post, he’d climb it and then jump from it. See a wall? He’d run into it. If he saw a raw egg, he’d eat it through his nose. In Beauty Day, the audience gets a thorough profile of a semi-retired goof, long after his raid on the airwaves but still more than ready to slip back into the wacky-tight-pants.

There’s a misconception that his folly pool-sheet jump, which ended with his face meeting the pavement and a broken neck, ended his career. Not at all, it was simply his firmest hand shake with infamy (or at least Real TV.) Before then, Zavadil was a radioactive rubber ball, who filmed himself spontaneously jumping from high locations, subjecting his face to foods and oozes or zipping about on his homemade motorized skate deck. But no party lasts forever. While the attention of his ill-conceived dive ushered in opportunities, the steady build up of opponents and concern over his amplitude of miscalculated stunts and pot busts led the small town hero of television to eventually fizzle out, forcing him to face the only thing that really seems to make his stomach churn. Normalcy.

Film is no stranger to the non-conformist card, and between the tropes of anti-heroes and the high school outcasts who dream of replicating them, profiling someone who is “normaphobic” doesn’t sound like a fresh idea. But Beauty Day may be the first, if not strongest case, because it recognizes its effect on a real life person, not some dramatic excuse to cause trouble. Zavadil recalls a rather extreme falling out with a regular job and life, one which, believe it or not, left him in worse condition than a lifestyle of falling through shed roofs. Through this, you aren’t just seeing footage of a guy with a sadistic self-deprecating sense of humour on behalf of director Jay Cheel, you’re seeing a sudden epiphany of a born-to-be weirdo, and the nature of Ralph’s evolution isn’t necessarily limited to off-kilter antics.

What’s fascinating is how much Zavadil films himself in general. He introduces the viewer to his video tape storage room, lined wall to wall with cassettes. Throughout you see the rough cut VHS footage, not just from his TV face, but personal adventures as well, most notably a definitive road trip with a track-driving ex.

When the time comes for Zavadil to celebrate his alter-ego’s birthday, his snap-back into the old ways seems so natural. Even those close to him, his mother and best friend, previously responding to his lifestyle in humorously mixed ways, seem neither surprised or hesitant to support when he slides back on the goggles and spandex. Blooming again, Ralph Zavadil becomes Cap’N Video, spreading his wings and flying (literally) like the free bird he is. Often the Cap doesn’t do things the smartest or safest way, and at one moment my Dad, who I saw the film with, reeled in his chair and squealed, “Euugh, why didn’t he just use sugar glass?!” The difference between Cap’N Video and the Jackasses, Dudesons and YouTube phenoms we’ve all become familiar with is Video’s urgent sense to do something, fast, satisfyingly, regardless of impact. Perhaps the lack of punning or discursive set-ups to stunts, stood in by a gross, foreign, location-less accent rambling about the “beauty day” is just another display of how much of his prime he made up on the spot.

Never does Zavadil, Cheel or anyone caught on film bother defending, justifying or make pale reasoning out of Cap’N Video’s cult-pop nonsense. You simply have to personally know and feel the tug of insanity, and while that may not make you eat dog hair, you can probably understand the appeal of throwing a pillow at someone across the couch when there’s nothing better to say.

The Bloor Cinema (Photo by Christopher Paulin)

It’s the end of an era for the historic Bloor Cinema, and the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the Annex rep theatre. Earlier today, Hot Docs announced that it has entered into a joint venture with Blue Ice Film to manage and program the theatre beginning this Fall. The group also plans to revitalize the space by making much needed upgrades to the Bloor’s technical equipment; that means new projectors, a new sound system, new seating and more. A major overhaul of the lobby and the façade are also in the works.

Given the status of Hot Docs as one of the world’s largest documentary film festivals, it should come as no surprise that theatre plans to screen primarily documentary films when it re-opens. Hot Docs has called the Bloor Cinema home for more than 12 years, so in addition to regular doc programming they will continue to host their annual festival and Doc Soup screenings at the venue. The cinema will continue to play host to other festivals as well; fans of Toronto After Dark will be relieved to know that the horror festivals will continue to call the Bloor home for the time being.

Hot Docs’ executive director Chris McDonald calls the revitalization “a remarkable opportunity”, citing independent theatres like the Bloor as an integral part of Toronto’s film culture.

It is a relief to see the cinema in the hands of devoted film-lovers like Hot Docs and not in the clutches of hungry developers eager to replace Annex landmarks with discount stores and condos. This can only be a good thing for cinema in Toronto, we are very excited to see what Hot Docs has planned for the space.

Hot Docs will be consulting with industry stakeholders and the public on their proposed changes to the theatre. Anyone interested in providing feedback should contact feedback@hotdocs.ca.

Read the full press release here.

Bruce Wayne may not have laser vision or super speed, but he does have a force much more potent than any cackling villain can handle. Suspension of belief. In a real world, with accountable gravity, lack of paranormally enriched radiation and the existential crisis of life without a structural narrative, superheroes and vigilantes are far less common than in the realm of comic books. Then again, so are the problems they are typically forced to deal with. In Superheroes, Michael Barnett introduces to a gallery of men and women in North America who take it upon themselves to don masks and capes, lurking the streets for criminals to thwart, or, perhaps just tourists to pose for. But in a subculture that is so much more showmanship than substance, Barnett’s film begins to stumble on almost identical faults.

Displaying a wide range of results and an even wider range of delusion, Superheroes skips along the USA to spots from New York to Orlando that have seemingly attracted like-minded Captain America hopefuls. Mr. Xtreme, a Power Rangers buff smothered in stickers and sports equipment, spends most of his time as a dreamer, patrolling with little incident and with more stories about how ‘cool things could be.’ A group of actively training New York youths are a little bit more pro-active, though admittedly still off target, as they patrol late-night streets with mock-sting operations, baiting predators to attack the female member of the troupe. One Master Legend stands out, not because he’s getting the job done, in fact he’s the furthest off the mark, but he’s the only one under the impression he possesses actual superhuman abilities. He never displays these powers during his adventures, explaining his plight to laughing locals and drinking beer out of the back of his van. Very rarely do you see or even hear mention of successful triumphs against evil, though the most righteous, and thankfully common tactic, is hand delivering care packages and help to the less fortunate. It’s easy to get wrapped up in judging the actions of the subject matter, but what’s really under the knife here is the film itself.

They say that the presence of a photographer has an effect on the subject, but imagine if that subject wore a zebra striped mask and an emblem on their chest. The whole time you get the sensation of a performance underway. Even if Barnett wasn’t encouraging them to make their case as it were, he also wasn’t changing the tide much to siphon more earnest footage. For example, we’re receiving a lot of lines I’m certain these cloaked folks have riddled off before, and Barnett brings us along for a ride divisively constructed by the subjects themselves. Of all of them, the most humble profile is Mr. Xtreme, who’s living condition is a cluttered apartment. Xtreme is too portly for his own custom outfit and fails at a karate tournament he invites the crew to watch.

A question that is never answered, and thus means that it was probably never asked, is why dress up at all? As hypocritical as it is to have Stan Lee voice his concern for these misguided samaritans (the man had his own reality show where he had costumed contestants attempt to out-hero one another) he also brought up the only example of a real-world hero who made sense. According to Stan the Man, one Captain Sticky took to the roads in a glamorously decorated Lincoln using the attention garnered from dressing with a cape to point the spotlight at corrupted landlords and fraudulent practices. Sticky’s approach was decisive, strategic, direct and sound, a lot of things those featured in the film are not.

When Superheroes isn’t trying to excuse the subject, it’s doing the opposite, reaffirming a sad stereotype you were already walking in with. Barnett seemed to stroll into this matter expecting the documentary to create itself, and to a point it does, but with a lot of focus on the glamorization of the production itself bundled with an easy and mildly concerning subject matter, you’re left feeling like you’re missing a whole lot. Like Superman taking down a common thug, the solution for Barnett must have just seemed too easy.

The National Parks Project documentary is about two hours long. Two things will result from this: 1) If you see it in a theatre, your ass and legs will hurt by the time it’s over; and 2) If you see it in a city, you will emerge from the film incredibly restless after seeing thirteen of this country’s prettiest places.

Honouring Parks Canada’s centennial, three producers rounded up thirteen directors and three musicians for a national park in each province. The goal was to have the musicians create soundtracks based on how they were affected by the nature and experience of being in the national park. What was confusing though was who really dictated each film? Was it the filmmaker or the musicians? There’s a mix of short films that feature music heavily, while others barely have any music in them at all. The former tended to be the much more beautiful pieces, especially if you could see the musicians in action – unfortunately, most of the docs barely show them.

Gwaii Haanas, British Columbia leads us in with gorgeous underwater shots and lonely forest coastlines. It seems like there was much more effort put into this doc than most of the others, it features a lot of interesting camera angles and details that set it apart. Though its musicians – Sarah Harmer, Bry Webb and Jim Guthrie – are barely shown, the music they create is chilling, perfectly matching the scenery. Starting off the doc with this short film made it hard for the other films to live up.

Waterton Lakes, Alberta shows us Laura Barrett, Cadence Weapon and Mark Hamilton as they experience the native people’s history and become one with the bones left behind. Their incredibly different musical styles come together in this blend of kalimba, ukulele, soft vocals and rapping. This is another visually impressive short as well, from zooming shots of the natives to soaring shots of the park.

Gros Morne, Newfoundland, known for its epic scenery, is doubly epic due to the presence of Melissa Auf der Maur; the bassist is shown wielding her axe while poised perfectly on a top of a cliff as the sun sets. It’s a chilling moment as her bass reverberates into the horizon. Casey Mecija shines as a leading lady for New Brunswick, as her and the rest of the team take the film into fictional territory to the tune of the eerily cute song “Mystic Morning.”

Some shorts just don’t live up, though. Bruce Peninsula, Ontario seems like it was recorded on a VHS camera, and they just seem to shoot trees as a car drives through the park. It goes off kilter with random commentary about the internet, in six vague chapters. Wapusk, Manitoba has the musicians talk about how they write music, which is interesting, but doesn’t flow with the rest of the doc. The filmmaker even uses colourful objects placed through the park to prove the point of ideas coming together, but somehow it brought the Teletubbies to mind for me. Cape Breton Highlands, Nova Scotia focuses on the people of the town more than anything else. Nahanni, Yukon barely gives us any music from Shad, Olga Goreas and Jace Lasek, choosing instead to end the film on a visual note.

I could keep going, but seeing this film is much more important than just reading about it. Seeing these peaceful and somber places of Canada, where hardly anyone is around is such an experience just to watch. Imagine how it must have been for those who worked on the films? So many talented people took part in this project. I’m still overwhelmed by the entire thing, trying to take it all in. Besides the great filmmakers, Paul Aucoin must also get a huge mention for his work recording and mixing most of the music on site. Even though a lot of the music can begin to sound the same after a while (especially because of the similar sounding reverb-y guitars that are used to show the pensive, somewhat anxious areas), I’ll definitely be getting my mitts on the soundtrack. Some of these songs are chilling and if it can continually bring up this kind of imagery, I’m all for it.

The National Parks Project is now on DVD and will have a showing on May 19 at the Royal Cinema with a heap of performances by the musical participants. You can find more details here.

Come May 19 as well, you’ll be able to watch the short films on the project’s intense website, NationalParkProject.ca. And if you head there now you can toggle between each park, listen to the music, check out who’s involved where and much more, although I’d say if you listen to much of the music before seeing the films, it might take away from the experience. However, I would say it’s useful for acquainting yourself with the talent involved in each film, as that information isn’t shown during each short.

It’s been about six months since Conan O’Brien took back the night with his talk show on TBS, but any fan of his or at least anyone still interested in what happened while he was off the air will want to see this documentary.

The film begins by explaining the controversy surrounding O’Brien’s ouster from NBC that favoured Jay Leno and the resulting ban from television, radio and the internet for six months. From there it chronicles the planning and execution of the Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour and Conan’s energies throughout it.

As my film companion Lindsay from Broken Pencil pointed out before it started, would Can’t Stop be about how Conan can’t stop working, or how he can’t turn off the funny? Turns out, it’s a little bit of both. The doc really tries to show Conan’s vulnerabilities during his down-time: his need to be in front of an audience, his stresses about actually being in front of an audience and as the tour winds down, everyone going past exhausted into slightly insane. It becomes evident that the root of most of Conan’s jokes (at least in this doc) comes from that classic gut feeling of self-deprecation. Conan cracks plenty of jokes that demean or draws attention to himself – “Paparrazzi!!” he shouts as a plane flies over him signing an autograph.

But that kind of thing is obvious, and this is getting too serious. Can’t Stop brings laughs every minute, whether it’s the tall guy, sidekick Andy Richter’s trained one liners, assistant Sona Movsesian’s unassuming funny business or the ridiculousness of certain fans. Sequences of quick editing helped, too. When Conan talks about something it will snap to an example. There are a handful of celebrity encounters as well, the funniest probably being with Jack McBrayer (Kenneth from 30 Rock) when he visits Conan backstage with Jon Hamm at one of the shows. Conan proceeds to make a ton of jabs at him about being “a hick,” and he just takes it.

I don’t want to give too much away, that would be an incredible buzz kill if I subtracted from your potential laughter. If you’re a fan of Conan, see this doc. It’s like a backstage pass to not only his sold out tour but to those six months where forced incognito turned into dark circles under eyes and some really funny moments.

This year’s Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival kicks off today and runs through May 8. For nearly twenty years Hot Docs has showcased the best in documentary film from around the world, and 2011 is no different. Featuring over 200 films in total, picking which films are worth seeing is a tall order for even the most seasoned fest-vet.

With that in mind, allow us to present the second part (part one here) of our Hot Docs coverage – A selection of documentaries that may just pique your interest. Be sure to check back over the next week or so for our full reviews.

The Hollywood Complex

Welcome to the land of the horrifyingly precocious! Television pilot season in Hollywood is a time when thousands of aspiring child actors and their families descend upon Tinsel Town. These children come from all over the world for a shot at stardom; some are legitimate young talents, while others are the victims of stage parents grasping vicariously at unfulfilled dreams. The film documents a fascinating and often disturbing world where children, sometimes as young as three, are objectified and treated more as products than people.

The film follows several families as they travel from audition to audition hoping to find that big break for their wannabe child star. What’s most striking about the film is just how far some families are willing to go in the pursuit of their children’s success; from the huge expenses incurred for agents, head shots, acting classes and accommodation, to the strained relationships between spouses living thousands of kilometres apart. The sacrifices made these parents and their children might be crazy by any standard, but whether it’s delusional hope or genuine talent driving these people, you’ve got to admire their tenacity. The Hollywood Complex is both a charming and funny family drama and a sobering examination of the entertainment business. - Will Perkins

The Redemption of General Butt Naked

Although the film sounds like a fun afternoon for the kids, the title actually refers to Liberian preacher Joshua Blahyi, who is more commonly known by his rebel leader moniker General Butt Naked. The General commanded the Butt Naked Brigade, a group of child soldiers who believed they were protected by magical powers and therefore did not need protection from bullets – not even clothes – and acquired a reputation as crazed, homicidal mercenaries responsible for thousands of deaths.

The film begins with the General’s return to Liberia after a ten year absence. He is now called Joshua, has been converted to Christianity, and often preaches forgiveness for one’s enemies. While some do not believe such a man could change, he makes some grand gestures by helping members of his former brigade to kick their drug habits and welcomes the chance to testify at a public hearing that could find him guilty of war crimes.

The film follows six years of Joshua’s life as he tries to settle his young family in a country that he hurt so badly. The film offers a unique perspective as stories of madmen are not usually told by the madman them self. In this film, Joshua’s brutal honesty and acceptance of his past allows us to hear his story in his own words. – Brian Crosby

See the trailer for The Redemption of General Butt Naked here.

A Rubberband is an Unlikely Instrument

Director Matt Boyd’s fly-on-the-wall doc about Brooklyn based musician, artist and eccentric Walter Baker is a strange little film. What makes it strange is that it’s a feature length documentary where not that much happens. It’s not that Rubberband is an uneventful film, it’s that viewers may expect more from a film about a character like Baker. The concerns of Baker and his family are entirely familiar and ordinary: making ends meet, dealing with marital problems and midlife crises, family tensions arising from disagreements over religion and politics, etc. It’s easy for viewers to sympathize with these issues, and yet, Baker is a very difficult person to like.

The film’s subject is a wonderful multi-instrumentalist (the rubberband is an unlikely instrument!) and composer, but it’s never entirely clear what it is that Baker does for a living. We know that his wife is a poet, however the only way to describe Baker would be to call him a self-absorbed, aging hipster who is equal parts romantic and cynic. How can an audience sympathize with a man who spends more time ruminating on his problems than actually solving them? Boyd’s film is a melancholy character study of a man who just can’t seem to find his place in the world, and at times doesn’t seem to want to. - Will Perkins

See the trailer for A Rubberband is an Unlikely Instrument here.

National Parks Project

The National Parks Project is a collection of thirteen short films set in each province and territory of Canada. The films use video landscape photography and music in an attempt to emphasize the character and history of a national park. Each one is envisioned by a different director including Project Grizzly director Peter Lynch and Antanarjuat director Zacharias Kunuk with music by folks such as Sarah Harper and Sam Roberts.

The Project is less a documentary and more a series of art films. The strength is in the visuals, which are nice, but in this post-Planet Earth era, it is hard to impress. There are no stories or characters to follow although some of the shorts do feature people and make use of poetic dialogue. The project might have been stronger if it had a different identity, perhaps not being classified as ‘a documentary’. The individual films seem more suited for a screening at an art gallery than as a singular film. - Brian Crosby

See the trailer for The National Parks Project here.

I have no intro for this piece. You see, the Hot Docs Film Festival, showcasing the best in the world of documentary filmmaking, is bigger than ever this year with over 200 movies being screened of the course of 11 days. I have seen about 60 of them in the past three weeks and reviewed most of them for another site. I understand that the choices are overwhelming this year, but here I am to briefly give all you fine Dork Shelf readers my top five picks of the festival and five other films that are in smaller categories of competition that you shouldn’t overlook.

Top Picks:

Wiebo’s War (Canadian Spectrum) – A stunningly stark portrait of what could make a man turn to terrorism, Weibo’s War follows accused Alberta oil pipeline bomber and Christian evangelical Wiebo Ludwig in his deeply personal fights against what really are injustices that have been committed against his family. The picture of a man who could be pushed to far are reinforced by the fact that director David York lived with Ludwig and was granted access to some deeply personal home movies shot by the family. No matter what you might think of the man, his religion, or his methods, it is very clear to any viewer that something is certainly rotten in Denmark. Fair warning, however, some of the depictions of what happens after a gas leak are not for the squeamish or faint of heart.

Beauty Day (Canadian Spectrum) – Three years before Jackass went on the air, Niagara area resident Ralph Zavadil was doing his own idiotic stunts for viewers of public access television. After his most famous stunt goes awry and becomes a television sensation, Ralph’s story is just beginning. Director Jay Cheel might have stumbled onto one of the best documentary subjects in years. Ralph is both wiser for having lived a rough life, yet unrepentant and looking to get back into the filmmaking aspect of things one final time. Full of belly laughs and more heart than a Care Bears convention, there is no more entertaining film at HotDocs this year. It is also one of the best films of the year overall.

Hell and Back Again (Special Presentation) – Director Dennis Danfung, a photojournalist, creates a film that would have made his colleague the late Tim Hetherington proud. Hell and Back Again follows the life of a young American soldier both on the ground in Afghanistan and back home after being shot through the hip and in need of lots of physical and psychological therapy. This is unlike any film made on the conflict in Afghanistan and unlike any war film you have ever seen before. What this young man is going through at home is just as scary as anything going on in the middle of a war zone. The film doesn’t try to make any easy answers. It simply exists and is far more cinematic than it sounds. It might be the best edited film of the year in any genre.

Family Portrait in Black and White (Canadian Spectrum) – A movie about a foster family with 18 kids might sound like a snoozer, but this film is one of the most complex pieces of filmmaking I have seen in years. It is the story of Olga, a woman who is raising 18 foster kids in a substandard home in the Ukraine. 16 of those kids are black or mixed race and live in a country where neo-Nazi rallies are routine. Every person in this film is totally fleshed out and no one is quite what they seem. An interesting look not only at racism and families, but hording and the nature of forgiveness. Give it a chance. I am willing to bet you will like it.

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey (Special Presentation) – There isn’t much in the way of dramatic tension on display in this film about how puppeteer Kevin Clash became the voice and actor behind one of the most beloved Muppets of all time. But it is a movie about the Muppets. And there is a large section of the film dealing with Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. It’s nerd credit is secured several times over. And it’s just a ton of fun.

Best of the Rest:

Becoming Santa (Workers of the World) – This might be the first documentary with an outside shot of being a film families could enjoy year after year. The story of a man who has lost the holiday spirit and decides to become Santa Claus for a year is surprisingly insightful and consistently funny. It might seem weird watching a Christmas film at the end of August/beginning of May, but see it now and avoid the rush.

Bob and the Monster (Next) – The story of the early 90s LA punk scene and the horrors of drug addiction are both front and centre in the story of former Thelonious Monster lead singer turned Celebrity Rehab counselor Bob Forrest. The film blends archival footage, current interviews with musical heavyweights like Anthony Keidis and Courtney Love, and some really great stop motion animation to create one of the best stories of redemption in years.

The Redemption of General Butt Naked (World Showcase) – Cutsey title aside, General Butt Naked was a bad man. Joshua Blahyi was the head of one of the most notorious and unothodox killing squads during Liberia’s long running civil war and was responsible both directly and indirectly for the deaths of 20,000 people by his own approximation. Before the end of the war, however, he devoted his life the Christ and set out on a journey of asking for forgiveness from all that he had wronged or cause suffering to. Blahyi is an interesting character no matter what you might think of his “salvation,” but it the film is definitely entertaining and will leave you with a lot to talk about.

Superheroes (World Showcase) – The idea of making a documentary about real life superheroes that patrol American city streets in the name of justice sounds like a novelty, but director Michael Barnett has created a surprisingly dark film about the subject. Some of these people are far from saints and others are just so inept and misguided that you genuinely worry for them. All of them suffer from some psychological trauma that has led them to this point whether they admit it or not. Definitely not what I expected, and probably not what you would be expecting either.

Boy Cheerleaders (International Spectrum) – This film about a squad of, you guessed it, boy cheerleaders (aged 8-14) is precious, funny, and profane all at the same time. Filled with some extraordinary young men from a run down South Leeds estate with some big dreams, we follow the DAZL Diamonds as they make their way from TV shows to botched practices as they gear up to become the first all male cheer squad to win the UK nationals. Heartwarming without being pandering, this is feels like a proper follow up to Billy Elliot, only with strong single mothers instead of disapproving fathers. A great film to take your mother to since it’s final showing is on mother’s day.

This year’s Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival kicks off tomorrow and runs through May 8. For nearly twenty years Hot Docs has showcased the best in documentary film from around the world, and 2011 is no different. Featuring over 200 films in total, picking which films are worth seeing is a tall order for even the most seasoned fest-vet.

With that in mind, allow us to present the first part of our Hot Docs coverage – A selection of documentaries that may just pique your interest. Be sure to check back over the next week or so for our full reviews.

Beauty Day

Ralph Zavadil is is a man who lives on impulses. It’s an subconscious force we all juggle with but for Zavadil his method has taken a life all it’s own. A literal persona, Cap’n Video predates Jackass, Dudesons and even Tom Green, it turns out that the roots of absurd, intense televised shenanigans were planted in St. Catherines of all places. The Cap’n would document spur of the moment stunts around his neighborhood, some with greater success than others, one in particular leaving him with a broken neck and global infamy. Beauty Day looks at a man after that, a man who had an early fallout with conformity, living with a storage room full of tapes and a wardrobe full of clothes that remind you of Pogs, who’s documented so much of his life on video and is ready to do it all again in a heartbeat. - Zack Kotzer

See the trailer for Beauty Day here.

Screenings: Friday Apr 29 6:45 p.m. at Isabel Bader Theatre; Saturday, May 7 4:15 p.m. at Isabel Bader Theatre.

Who Took the Bomp? Le Tigre on Tour

Named after the first line sung on the debut, self-titled album, Who Took the Bomp? follows NYC trio Le Tigre in 2004 into 2005 while they tour for their third album, This Island, through four continents and 10 countries. The band (who have been on hiatus since 2007) known for their LGBT and feminist rights activism is Kathleen Hanna, Johanna Fateman and JD Samson. They asked a friend to capture the tour and what we get is a mixed bag of backstage hilarity, notable performances and a lot of commentary on issues through interesting interviews with the band members. We’re shown the warm relationships between the three women through quirky on-stage dance moves, a funny fake work-out video, hotel banter and times when they meet uber-masculine bands Slipknot and Hatebreed. The performances are stitched together from numerous shows, making for interesting viewpoints and illustrating how on their game they were. What starts out as a simple look into touring turns into tackling issues of homophobia, fandom, riot grrrl history and feminism, showing how strong Hanna, Fateman and Samson are and the backgrounds they come from. If you’re not familiar with the group, you’ll be a fan after watching this documentary. - Jessica Lewis

See a clip from Who Took the Bomp? Le Tigre on Tour here.

Screenings: Wednesday, May 4 at 7 p.m. at the Royal Cinema; Thursday, May 5 at 11:45 p.m. at the Bloor Cinema; Friday, May 6 at 9:30 p.m. at TIFF Bell Lightbox 3

The Extraordinary Ordinary Life of Jose Gonzalez

No stranger to the festival circuit of the last year, this documentary delves into the mind of the melancholy Swedish-Argentinan acoustic guitarist Jose Gonzalez. The beautiful film lets us watch him as he records his 2007 album In Our Nature, tours the world and contemplates his life and way of living. Not your ordinary music documentary, it dabbles in animating his family history and brainstorms, as well as fictionalizing certain events in his life. Most of the film has subtitles as Gonzalez usually speaks in Swedish or Spanish. The most fascinating parts of the film are when he seems to be quietly thinking to himself, usually about science or his work ethics. “Hello, hello. Sometimes I wonder why I’m so slow. Why does it take me forever to write a song?” or “What happens to your brain when you play melancholy songs all the time?” What may read here as oh-god-that-sounds-emo is heart-wrenching as Gonzalez explains how he tries to battle his inner critic. For a talented musician who seems to enjoy staying away from the spotlight, this documentary lets his dedicated fans and interested viewers in on new territory. - Jessica Lewis

See the trailer for The Extraordinary Ordinary Life of Jose Gonzalez here.

Screenings: Saturday, April 30 at 10 p.m. at TIFF Bell Lightbox 3; Monday, May 2 at 7 p.m. at The Royal Cinema.

Boy Cheerleaders

Prepare to have your heartstrings tugged by the Dazl Diamonds, a boys cheerleading team from South Leeds, UK. The BBC documentary focuses on the team’s road to the national cheerleading championships (where they compete against 13 girls teams) and the struggles of a few of the team’s members with their families or school. Disappointingly, the documentary doesn’t show us the school’s reaction to a team of young boys cheerleading or delve very deep into how the boys feel about it. It’s great to see that things are more progressive, but admittedly this could be a huge pull into watching the documentary, and it falls short. Even so, seeing the boys work through their speed bumps is powerful, especially with the pushes from their wound-up but dedicated coach Ian Rodley. Harvey is the shining star – “I’m getting the feeling I’m becoming Billy Elliott” – and his team, coach and mother (the latter begrudgingly) see it as they help him in the path of his goal to be a dancer. The mothers of the three boys showcased are film gold as well, as they were once troubled young women, even in jail, but they’re very emotional about their boys having a better future, pom poms and all. - Jessica Lewis

See the trailer for Boy Cheerleaders here.

Screenings: Friday, April 29 at 9 p.m. at Cumberland 2; Sunday, May 1 at 4:30 p.m. at TIFF Bell Lightbox 3; Sunday, May 8 at 6:45 p.m. at Isabel Bader Theatre.

Superheroes

While Batman and Spider-Man have lived promising lives as vigilantes, crime and punishment in the real world tends to be a bit more complicated than simply stopping the bad guy. Nevermind in masks and capes. But that hasn’t discouraged a series of individuals across America from taking up the mantle of costumed crime fighter, taking to the streets in theatrical uniform to end evil in the forms that they see fit. With a myriad of methods and an even vaster range of delusion, these self-branded heroes seek to snuff out misery even if it means smudging the law themselves. Or drinking beer out of the back of their van while posing for pictures. - Zack Kotzer

See the trailer for Superheroes here.

Screenings: Monday May 2 9:00 p.m. at Bloor Cinema; Wednesday, May 4 4:00 p.m. at TIFF Bell Lightbox 2; Sunday, May 8 7:00 p.m.
The Royal Cinema.

A Simple Rhythm

“Rhythm gives things a sense of predictability,” says Charles Spearin, a musician in Broken Social Scene and Do Make Say Think, and known for his album The Happiness Project, for which he found music in his neighbors’ voices and put instrumentation to it. Spearin is one of the focal points of this Toronto-made documentary, a look at the structure of human and natural beats. Taken through pulse, light, music and the synchronicity of falling into step with someone, we’re presented facts and opinions by Spearin and other interviewees: math professor Steven H. Strogatz, director of the Global Consciousness Project Roger Nelson, professor Caroline Palmer and nurse Menaka Ponnambalam. A lot of the film is pretty imagery focusing in and out on nature. Sometimes it can feel a little obvious (look at the rhythm of water falling off this icicle!), but this is a well done version of something everyone must ponder once in a while. It doesn’t really have a big question or a big answer besides “how do we find what the beat is?” which actually provides a great platform to Spearin to play on. This is more of a gathered observation, which might leave you in a quizzical state. Spearin’s part is the most fascinating and his compositions along with other musicians add another layer of beauty. - Jessica Lewis

See the trailer for A Simple Rhythm here.

Screenings: Friday, Apr 29 at 7 p.m. at the Royal Cinema; Saturday, May 7 at 6:30 p.m. at Cumberland 3; Sunday, May 8 at 3:45 p.m. at the ROM theatre.