Many of the DVDs that circulate from our library entertain,
but we also have a growing collection of instructional and documentary films. Matawan Aberdeen Public Library is sharing
some of these films in a series we are calling “It’s Real on Reel: A
Documentary Series”. Okay, we don’t have
the reels, but films often still involve reels for theater display, so I’m
sticking with the title.
Documentary is a slippery term. It used to be about
depicting things as they are, or in the case of historical events, as they
were, in a supposedly truthful or objective manner. Documentaries were observational, acting as a
“fly on the wall”. Now, more and more documentary
filmmaking is all about ethics, politics and an aesthetic approach, and as such
it is a highly subjective or personal matter.
The films we have chosen for this series more closely fit this approach.
Fat, Sick and Nearly
Dead (Monday, January 23) chronicles Joe Cross’s journey, figuratively and
literally, as he adheres to a strict juice diet, while also traveling across
America, speaking with Americans about diet, nutrition and health. Joe is
morbidly obese and suffers from an auto-immune disease. While on his trek, he
meets Phil who is even more overweight and suffers from the same auto-immune
disease. The changes in both men’s lives are amazing to watch.
Inside Job
(Monday, January 30) has producer/director Charles Ferguson speaking at length
with journalists, politicians, and financial insiders in order to offer a
clearer picture of the economic meltdown that hit America starting in 2008.
Academy Award winner Matt Damon narrates this unflinching look at the
deep-rooted corruption that has left millions of middle-class Americans jobless
and homeless as the major corporations get bailed out while paying millions in
bonuses.
Page One- Inside the
New York Times (Monday, February 13) examines the transformation of the media industry at its time of greatest
turmoil. Editors and publishers grapple with challenges like the Internet,
small screen computers, and readers' expectations that news online should be
free. Page One gives an up-close look at the vibrant cross-cubicle debates and
collaborations, tenacious jockeying for on-the-record quotes, and skillful
page-one pitching that produce the "daily miracle" of a great news
organization.
Gasland (Monday,
February 27) documents Josh Fox's cross-country
odyssey to find out if the controversial process of hydraulic fracturing - or
fracking - is actually safe. Fracking is personal to him since he has been
offered large money for fracking rights on his land. Josh learns of things gone
horribly wrong, from illness to hair loss to flammable water, and his inquiries
lead him ever deeper into a web of secrets, lies, conspiracy, and
contamination. Unearthing a shocking story about a practice that is
understudied and inadequately regulated, GASLAND races to find answers about
fracking before it's far too late.
While these filmmakers’
motivations were personal, they cover topics that impact us all. All
films are going to be shown on a Monday at 7:00 pm so please join us as we screen these real reels.
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