DOTW Poll Choices: Week 11

This week's poll choices:

Turtle: The Incredible Journey

Synopsis: Attempting a perilous odyssey its ancestors have undertaken for millions of years, one loggerhead turtle swims from a beach in Florida across the Atlantic Ocean, encountering stunning sea creatures as well as serious hazards created by modern man.

Instant Netflix

Steve Jobs: One Last Thing

Synopsis: Legendary businessman and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs changed the way Americans live, think and work before his death in 2011. This documentary traces his turbulent career and includes interviews with his associates as well as his rivals.

Instant Netflix

180 Degrees South

Synopsis: Inspired by pioneering outdoorsman Yvon Chouinard's freewheeling 1968 van trip to Patagonia, South America, a band of bliss-seeking surfer-mountaineers sets out -- in 2007, by boat -- to remake the journey in this adventure documentary. Jeff Johnson and his buddies hug the coast, stopping at the Galapagos Islands and Easter Island before arriving in Patagonia -- a region that's still breathtaking but is now besieged by environmental threats.

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Bully

Synopsis: Exploring the subject of school bullying from a personal angle, this eye-opening documentary tracks the stories of five different families whose children are struggling to defend themselves on a near-daily basis.

Instant Netflix

Vote for your favorite one and we'll review it next week!

Doc on,

- @kellclagg

Doc News: RGIII Documentary

Being a Washington, D.C. native, naturally I've been a huge Redskins fan since birth. RGIII has given this city hope we haven't had in a long time. Winning the division title last season and hoping for an even more awesome season this year, we give a lot of thanks to our new quarterback, Robert. He suffered a tough injury and has been in rehab since last season. ESPN has produced a documentary following his journey to return to the field, airing tonight at 7pm.

 


 I'm pretty excited to say the least.

 - @kellclagg

DOTW Winner: Week 10

The winner of this week's documentary poll by an overwhelming majority...

Camp 14: Total Control Zone

Synopsis: Through interviews and footage of a North Korean re-education camp, director Marc Wiese paints a shocking portrait of inhumanity as he chronicles the harrowing story of Shin Dong-huyk, who was born inside the camp but escaped at age 23.

Instant Netflix

Make sure you watch it this week and look out for our review next week!

Thanks for voting doc friends,

- @kellclagg

DOTW Review: Vanishing of the Bees

Remember that time you went to the grocery store, walked through the produce section and picked out the fruits and vegetables that you've had since you were a child? Now, imagine apples, blueberries, avocados, leafy greens and pumpkins disappearing. (go in depth with this article by Business Insider.) Watching the big game without a side of guacamole dip doesn't sound as much fun, does it? Vanishing of the Bees (2009, UK) takes us inside the honey bee farmers that see the effect of CCD first hand. CCD or Colony Collapse Disorder affects farmers across the world but to this day scientists can't prove the cause of it. Two American honey bee farmers are highlighted throughout the film as we learn about their lives before and after CCD became widespread. The documentary takes a while to get going but towards the end, the NCIS investigating keeps you interested.

Here it goes: Farmers started using chemicals developed from war. Chemicals were thought to be great because they made sure the vegetation stayed "healthy" from disease or insects. New technologies allowed for the pesticides to be grown with the plant versus sprayed. Bees cannot survive with the pesticides so they disappear. Farmers  need the bees since their monoculture style of farming can't exist without the pollination. Something like that. You can still find diverse farms that maintain a healthy balance of pollination without harmful pesticides. These farms will have multiple kinds of fruits and vegetables spread throughout followed with flowers. Bees can survive in this environment and so can the crop because diverse farms eliminate the risk of plant disease and insect invasion. See links below to help save the bees. WATCH THIS DOC AND BE MIND BLOWN.

I'll take it one step further. The US Government supported the monoculture to create the cheapest food possible. Support your local farmers with Local Harvest.
Grocery Store Without Bees!!!
5 Steps to Help Our Disappearing Bees

Bonus: if you like Ellen Page then surprise because she's the narrator

Cheers
- @chaseappich

PS
Honey Bees are not to be confused with the Honey Badger or Honey Booboo

DOTW Poll Choices: Week 10

The choices for this week's documentary of the week poll:

Camp 14: Total Control Zone

Synopsis: Through interviews and footage of a North Korean re-education camp, director Marc Wiese paints a shocking portrait of inhumanity as he chronicles the harrowing story of Shin Dong-huyk, who was born inside the camp but escaped at age 23.

Instant Netflix

Square Grouper

Synopsis: Documentarian Billy Corben shines a spotlight on three unusual and interrelated stories about drug trafficking in Florida during the 1970s and 1980s, when marijuana smuggling was big business practiced by everyone from ordinary folks to pirates. Interviews and archival footage examine the practices of the incendiary Ethiopian Coptic Church, the jobless fishermen who grew pot in Everglades City and the enterprising members of the Black Tuna Gang.

Instant Netflix

Forks Over Knives

Synopsis: Focusing on research by two food scientists, this documentary reveals that despite broad advances in medical technology, the popularity of animal-based and modern processed foods have led to epidemic rates of obesity, diabetes and other diseases.

Instant Netflix

My Amityville Horror

Synopsis: In this riveting documentary, Daniel Lutz discusses what happened in 1975 when his family was plagued by supernatural happenings at the notorious Amityville house in Long Island. Psychologists, reporters and eyewitnesses examine Daniel's testimony.

Instant Netflix

Vote for the one you want to watch and we will review the winner!

Doc on doc friends,

- @kellclagg

DOTW Winner: Week 9

And the winner of this week's poll is....

Urbanized

Synopsis: The third part of Gary Hustwit's design film trilogy, Urbanized looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design, explores a diverse range of urban design projects around the world, and frames a global discussion on the future of cities.

Instant Netflix

Make sure you watch it this week and look our for our review next week!

Doc on,

- @Kellclagg

DOTW Review: Park Avenue

I have to say that I'm pretty excited to write this doc of the week review. Park Avenue is hands down one of my favorite documentaries of all time...I'm probably being a little dramatic but it's definitely in my top 5. To give you a summary- It's about the growing gap between the rich and the poor in America. On one end of Park Avenue live some of the richest people in this country located in the famous Upper Eastside apartment, 740 Park Ave. On the same street just across the river less than five miles away in the South Bronx, live some of the poorest people in America. It explains how the "game of life" seems to be rigged in favor of the rich and exposes the infamous Koch brothers (who live in 740 Park Ave). Their influence on the political world has controlled some law making decisions that helped the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. 

“Nobody’s money talks louder than David Koch’s," says the narrator, Alex Gibney.

In my opinion, the rich have become a lot more powerful recently than in years past. It has a lot to do with campaign funding and our reliance on large corporations (and their money). We aren't really a "true democracy" anymore when we're controlled and filtered by corruption. Both the democratic party and extreme tea party members in the government act hypocritically. OK that's the end of my political rant because I could keep going for hours.

Back to the doc- an interesting part of the documentary was how the doorman of the apartment building said these billionaires who lived there were also extremely cheap. He would help them load up their cars for their weekend trips to their vacation homes and not get a dime...rude. I also liked the example/experiment they gave of playing the rigged monopoly game and how personalities changed as the game went on. The person who started off with more money and ended up winning the game by a landslide also felt entitled to their winnings. It really made me reflect on how I could relate to this and I think most of us have probably had one of those monopoly moments. I do this from time to time, take for granted what I've been given in life and make justifications for why we all think we worked equally as hard to get where we are today in comparison to others. Some people have it a lot harder and don't get the same opportunities as us solely because of what they were born into. I think this documentary gives you a different point of view of how decisions are made in this country and why it seems to be harder for the less fortunate to "make it" in America now. I DEFINITELY recommend everyone to watch this documentary.

Feel free to comment and share your opinions on it as well! I love hearing what other people have to say (the whole reason I started this blog) :)

Doc on friends,

- @kellclagg

DOTW Poll Choices: Week 9

Here are this week's DOTW poll choices!

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Synopsis: Filmmaker Thierry Guetta's project to chronicle the underground world of street art takes a fascinating twist when he meets elusive stencil artist Banksy, who turns the project around to film Guetta while he reinvents himself as a street artist.

Instant Netflix

Broke (30 for 30)

Synopsis: Documentarian Billy Corben examines the harsh realities behind the flashy careers of professional athletes, the majority of whom will go bankrupt soon after retirement due to poor judgment, medical problems, greedy hangers-on and plain old bad luck.

Instant Netflix

Jeffrey Dahmer Files

Synopsis: Stripping away the headlines and hype, this documentary spotlights the people who surrounded serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer during and after his arrest. Comments by neighbors and police create a portrait of Dahmer that's disturbingly normal.

Instant Netflix

Urbanized

Synopsis: The third part of Gary Hustwit's design film trilogy, Urbanized looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design, explores a diverse range of urban design projects around the world, and frames a global discussion on the future of cities.

Instant Netflix

Make sure you vote for the one you want us to review next week! 

- @KellClagg

DOTW Winner: Week 8

The winner of this week's doc of the week poll is...

Vanishing of the Bees

Synopsis: This documentary details the economic, political and ecological consequences of a dwindling world honeybee population. It's a phenomenon with a name -- Colony Collapse Disorder -- but no explanation or solution exists.

Instant Netflix

Make sure you watch it this week and look out for our review next week!

- @Kellclagg

Doc News: Weekly Update

Whenever one of us (Kelly, Chase and Hanna) finds an article or hears about a new documentary in the works we try to make sure it gets tweeted on our Doc Club twitter @thedocclub. If it's super cool we post it on the blog as a Doc News post. The point of our twitter is to tweet documentary related news and try to connect with people through our mutual love of docs (how cute). This week there seemed to be a lot of doc news tweets so I thought I should compile it into one post for those of you who missed them. Aren't I sweet...

Upcoming Football Documentary- The United States of Football Trailer on http://t.co/4x3nf3fMrI http://t.co/11DALhMP9D via @devour
— #DocClub (@TheDocClub) August 7, 2013

Discovery Channel angers fans and scientists after airing fake Shark Week documentary | http://t.co/BZ1pgLyWoq
— TIME.com (@TIME) August 7, 2013

NBC news take a look at how a social issue documentary's impact can spread: http://t.co/xCkOtphROG
— dogwoof (@dogwoof) August 7, 2013

Essential #Documentaries About China http://t.co/Yv5t2zO2Sh #LastTrainHome
— POV (@povdocs) August 5, 2013

Top 10 Must Watch Documentaries For Entrepreneurs and Students http://t.co/9bb1GxV7wx via @sharethis
— #DocClub (@TheDocClub) August 8, 2013

#DocNews: CNN documentary 'Weed' premieres this Sunday at 8pm http://t.co/ccjsLLKQ9J
— #DocClub (@TheDocClub) August 9, 2013

#DocNews: Director Werner Herzog's latest documentary project- Texting and driving http://t.co/RQeJEMfexy
— #DocClub (@TheDocClub) August 9, 2013

If you saw any interesting documentary related stories please share them with us via our twitter or email docclubblog@gmail.com. We appreciate your help :)

Stay informed doc fans,

- @Kellclagg

Guest Review: The Secret

When I was asked to do a guest review I jumped at the opportunity. Mainly because I've made a promise to myself recently to take on new challenges. I also am trying to pull myself out of a funk, a funk of which I've been in for almost a year. So it was only right that my first review be about the motivational documentary, 'The Secret'.

The Secret is an educational documentary based off of the book by the same name written by Rhonda Byrne. If you are anything like me, you read in spurts, sometimes reading regularly for a few months on end, only to then go on a reading hiatus. The film version of 'The Secret' is absolutely perfect for people like us.

From the very beginning this film speaks to you. Literally, it speaks to you. This is not a documentary where you are being told about something. 'The Secret' is a conversation being had with you; it's interactive and thought provoking. Certain types of people will find this documentary not only entertaining; but useful. 'The Secret' is one of those documentaries that can be used as a daily tool; you can apply the knowledge and teachings to your life as you see fit. I personally am an individual who is currently trying to improve my life and would recommend this film to just about anyone.

'The Secret' might be difficult to watch in groups; especially where the make up is diverse. I categorize it as a motivational documentary that should be viewed alone: or with a companion you feel comfortable with. There are parts in this 'experience' that ask you to actually participate, there are other parts in which you might feel compelled to speak out. I can say one thing, if at the end of this film you don't feel motivated to do things differently you might not be alive.

The positivity in this film could be a little much for some viewers; as the collection of narrators have different personalities, but one underlying message... people who gravitate towards darker, tear jerker documentaries should probably wait until they are in a better mood to give this film a look.


Good Viewing,

Henry "H.O.” Olawoye
@H_O_Boomaye

DOTW Poll Choices: Week 8

Here are this week's choices for our doc of the week!

Vanishing of the Bees

Synopsis: This documentary details the economic, political and ecological consequences of a dwindling world honeybee population. It's a phenomenon with a name -- Colony Collapse Disorder -- but no explanation or solution exists.

Instant Netflix

Dark Days

Synopsis: Documentarian Marc Singer trains his camera on a group of homeless people who live in an abandoned New York City railroad tunnel. At night, they retreat underground, where they have a sense of community that many surface dwellers would envy.

Instant Netflix

Benji (30 for 30)

Synopsis: This gripping documentary tells the story of Ben Wilson, a good-natured and beloved teenage basketball phenom from Chicago's South Side whose life was tragically cut short by violence in November 1984.

Instant Netflix

Please Vote for Me

Synopsis: Though China's government is Communist, the third grade election for the prestigious position of Class Monitor at the Evergreen Primary School in Wuhan is being decided by a democratic vote. In this enlightening documentary, filmmaker Weijun Chen captures all the action as the three candidates -- two boys and a girl -- go all out to win: performing in a talent show, debating each other and delivering speeches to their classmates.

Instant Netflix

Vote for the doc you want to watch next week on our weekly dotw poll at the top of our blog!

Doc on,

- @kellclagg

DOTW Review: Talhotblond

So I'm gonna be honest because I like you guys, I slipped a little on this week's doc review. I didn't do my research (rookie mistake) and the documentary was taken off the Instant Netflix section so that sucked. Also, what I didn't realize is there are two different "Talhotblond" movies and I failed to specify which one we were supposed to watch. I ended up googling a way to watch it free online and was lead to the lifetime version of the movie (not knowing there were two different movies). If you watched the original documentary version then I apologize and invite you to comment with your review of that one!

Now for the review- Directed by Courteney Cox this Lifetime Original Movie is based on a true story. Thomas Montgomery is an average middle-aged working man who lives a pretty boring life. He's a family man and has two daughters with his wife, Carol Montgomery. His life gets a little more exciting when he decides to start playing online poker and meets a girl named Katie. He introduces himself as "Tommy," a younger U.S. Marine. As you can guess, they start an online relationship that escalates pretty quickly. A three way love triangle emerges involving Thomas' co-worker/family friend, Brian. Lies are revealed, someone dies, someone goes to jail and there's a twist at the end.

This is a classic Lifetime Original Movie. Not really a documentary but it was entertaining to watch. I would be interested in watching the real documentary which would shed some light into the real story that it was based on. "Catfish" stories are always going to be intriguing though, especially when it results in a murder. I don't know if I'd say that I recommend this movie to anyone but I didn't hate it. PS the scene where Thomas smells the package of underwear from Katie was probably the creepiest scene in the movie. So there's that.... The End. 

Keep it real doc fans. I'll do better next week.

- @kellclagg

DOTW Winner: Week 7

With a close race the winner by one vote is...


Park Avenue

Synopsis: Documentarian Alex Gibney focuses on the gap between rich and poor by examining New York's Park Avenue, home to America's highest concentration of billionaires. Meanwhile, down the street, South Bronx is the poorest congressional district in the U.S.
Instant Netflix







Make sure you watch it and look out for our review next week!

- @kellclagg

Guest Review: Cleanflix

I think I was 12 when I went to summer camp. While there some of the older boys were said to be showing a XXX film in their room. Being 12 I didn't realize how odd that was for a group of males to gather together to see such a thing. I did however know it was wrong.. Or at least naughty.

Flash forward to being 37 and I was suddenly aware exactly how wrong. You see there's a city in Utah that realized this for me, for you, for us all... any form of profanity and or sexual content is seriously wrong. So much so that to see it would seriously fu.. sorry.. upset you for the rest of your life due to exposure.

This is very well explained in the movie 'Cleanflix' where we are welcomed to a society where under prophetic guidance a population has decided, or had it decided for them, that to consume any R rated film would render them weak to the charms of pre marital sex and or mall gun rage.

Whilst laughable at the start that grownups can't handle the notion of violence or sex it becomes quickly apparent that like in any other society business conquers all. There actually is a demand for 'cleaned up movies' as such a computer editing geeks take out all adult themed material from major movies for their patrons to enjoy no doubt with some home popped corn and maybe an O'douls or two. Some even suggest their skills to remove such content improves on the art they are altering, you'd be correct in your assumption that the original creators of these movies don't subscribe to that same opinion.

Cleanflix takes you on a tale of religion, law suits, business, and scandal that for the most part seems fairly unbelievable if true (and it clearly is) except for the scandal which considering the location and code of morals that followers of the LDS church outwardly adhere to one must imagine goes on fairly regularly behind closed doors.

This doc is well worth a look in the same way that the Truman Show was as it's a truly bizarre world that these people live in, you tend to wonder who's pulling the strings off set.

- @il_moniker

Instant Netflix