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mishinka-1
Reviews
Speaking in Tongues (2009)
Surprisingly engaging documentary
The "Speaking in tongues" team does an amazing job at clarifying and focusing on a topic that, initially, would prompt more tedium that fervor. Bi-lingual education might be a hot topic in the educational sphere but is not a natural shoe-in for exciting fare on the big screen. I was floored however, by the artful weaving of elements I witnessed when watching this movie at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival last year. It was only just that the piece went on to win the Audience Award for best Documentary Feature as the unassuming topic steadily and competently gains greater currency as it winds its way along the path of its 4 or 5 main characters, children and young people in school in San Francisco and abroad. By the end of the movie, the audience was left thoroughly gripped by the stories told and inspired by the amazing progress portrayed. Concurrently, without wonkishness, Jarmal and Schneider manage to layout the current state of affairs on this often muddled and misunderstood approach to truly furthering a young person's outlook and skills. A must see for people in this field and a great watch for all.
Why We Fight (2005)
Excellent Political Doc - for both sides of the aisle
Am currently wrapping up watching Jarecki's "Why we fight" and have become increasingly impressed with this piece. The topics, such as an American culture of militarization, justifications for wars - current and past, Eisenhower's warning of the Military-Industrial complex are very compellingly brought to life in this film. For example, you hear testimony from people whose position put them in the line of fire (or, if not that, at least put them in line to execute orders relative to the Iraq war) as well as a host of higher-ups from the DOD and the CIA. There is no simple red and blue view on things, people come away talking to the greater complexity of the issues involved. Consistently across party divides however the Bush party line of declaring war, WMDs and preemptive action, seems to be brushed aside or at least not taken at its face value.
Other notes: the editing is superb and - as other have noted - it does not smack of cheap parlor tricks of the likes used in Fahrenheit 9/11 (although I do like that movie too, but not for the politics).
Interview production, stock footage fit the film perfectly and are well-considered. Sound and audio quality are fine and enhance the experience.
Finally (and I think I read this from a review here on IMDb), I most value this movie as a starting pointing for non-partisan debate. If you've kept up strict support with Iraq and the official reasoning up until now (I guess now that puts you somewhere in a 25 - 40 percentile in the US) I encourage you to watch this for the common sense stance I believe it takes.
Cheers, mishinka