First Position

2100   

90 minutes

English

Documentary

5 Stars

What are you willing to forfeit to follow your dream? This documentary follows young dancers training for the Youth America Grand Prix competitions which very well will make or break their careers in ballet. Young people from around the world train and compete, and only a few in each category will progress. At stake are medals, scholarships, and possibly jobs. Would you give up your childhood to follow your dream? These kids did, and don't seem to miss it. I know nothing about dance, but I do love to watch it, and I found this documentary to be informative, and well done. Suitable for all ages.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmiBXdBNIXE

Ansel Adams: American Experience

2002

1 hr 40 min

English

Documentary

5 Stars

A marvelous documentary about one of our greatest photographers and nature conservationists, and how he became so. Narrated by David Ogden Stiers, we meet Adams as a young boy, and follow his life as he follows his dream. His father is to be commended for the courage it must have taken to not just allow young Adams to live his own life, but to encourage it. Adams' photography spoke for his nature conservancy, rather than longwinded speeches. If you are looking for his technique, how he framed, how he used filters, etc., don't waste your time. This documentary doesn't give us that. Nor did it show how many shots he took of the same scene, bracketing each one. It somewhat gives the impression he saw, he shot, he developed a price winning photo.

Trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0_ygvc99G8

The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn

1986   

1 hour 27 minutes

English

Documentary

4 Stars

This is an excellent tribute to one of, if not the best actors ever to grace a screen. (Is my bias showing?) My only complaint is the poor sound quality. If I turned the TV up loud enough to hear the voices, it seemed to vibrate. Hepburn and Tracy not only were lovers, they acted well together and appeared in nine or so movies with each other. It's obvious from this tribute their love did not die when Spence did. Hepburn reads a poignant letter at the end, one she wrote after his death.

Katharine Hepburn reads her letter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8szArd5dIBE

Hey, Boo: Harper Lee & To Kill a Mockingbird

2010

82 minutes

English

Documentary

5 Stars

An interesting documentary about Harper Lee. This is a short movie, and seemed even shorter. This is mostly clips from the movie and comments from those who knew her. I had forgotten (if I ever knew it) that she was Summer neighbors of Truman Capote when they were children. Lee's sister is interviewed, and gives some insights not generally known. The couple who made it possible for her to write the book are also interviewed, as well as such luminaries as Tom Brokaw, Andrew Young, Rosanne Cash, and many more. This is not an in-depth documentary, but it isn't all fluff, either. I thought it well worth my time. Enjoyable and Informative.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7hE4MCHIjQ

Up The Yangtze

2007   

93 minutes

English (Subtitles where Chinese used)

Documentary

5 Stars

When the Three Gorges Dam was built, it was a good thing – except for the very poor who were displaced. This documentary follows a young girl who wants more than anything to go to a school of higher learning, but must get a job to help her family. Her family gets her a job on a cruise ship that caters to "foreigners" and we see her learn her job, and learn about the world outside her own small village and family. This documentary shows the juxtaposition of old v. new – economy, culture, life-styles, loss v. gain. This movie beautifully shows the cost of progress.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV3tQ7G2Ve4