Which Film is Better - North Face or Into Thin Air ?

I'll won't keep you long on this post :-)  Into Thin Air by Jon Krakaur is by far not only a tremendous book but it was made into a great documentary film as well.


The film, "Into Thin Air", is far superior to the film "North Face"


With that in mind, North Face is still a terrific film. It is not a documentary but it is based on true events during World War Two. It involves two German soldiers tasked to climb the unclimbable North Face. The German Government meant it for propaganda but the two soldiers really wanted to do it in the spirit of climbing, not for any Nazi cause.


I wrote an article that reviews the "North Face" film and hope that you enjoy it.


North Face DVD Movie Review: Great German Foreign Film Rating

Monsters - Great Alien Invasion Movie

Monsters is a 2010 film set in modern day USA and Mexico. Aliens (as in from outer space) have occupied part of Mexico and the United States and are constantly attacked by the USA and Mexico military. Travelling on foot, two people are trying to get through the 'infected' zone without being killed by aliens or bombed by the military.


This film great. There is not a lot of action, rather the film takes its own time in a not too slow, not too fast pace.  


What impresses me in this film is how life seems to go on in spite of the alien occupation. This isn't a classic sci-fi shooter. Unlike the movie "Cloverfield", which I loved,  where there is total crisis and lives are disrupted, the Alien-human war in Monsters is going on for years and  virtually taken for granted by by society.  Feels realistic in a way. Maybe this is what happens during long and protracted wars?


The actors, none of whom you'd recognize, are terrific and believable.  


The film was supposedly filmed on virtually no budget, but it doesn't feel cheap at all. It feels like a multi million dollar film without all the pretentious, over reliance on special effects.


Check it out. It is a heck of a flick.

Lebanon - Das Boat in a Tank

This 2009 film I once heard described as "Das Boat" in a tank. The remarkable part about this film is that the entire film is shot from a view within a tank.  It is also its downfall.  .  I was intrigued by the film and enjoyed it overall, but confines of the space also seemed to confine the ability of the film to develop.


Maybe, though, this lack of development is the point. Instead of a complex film, perhaps the film was intended as simply a shallow, myopic view of war..... much like a tank crew would experience..

In many ways, I felt the film could be adapted into a play or even should have been one instead of a movie. 

My recommendation is to check it out sometime but don't expect too much.  I think you'll like it, just not if you were expecting a masterpiece.

Hell's Angels by Howard Hughs

Howard Hughs' film "Hell's Angels" is a World War One film written in 1930.


For a 1930's film, I found it very innovative and daring for its time.  


The film is shot in mostly black and white but also features a few color scenes that were considered revolutionary in it's day. 

The film is daring for 1930. Sexually suggestive scenes, the horrors of war, the futility of death, infidelity and some incredible aerial scenes that feel so real, and in some cases, are very real.

The acting is a bit over dramatic and forced at times but that seemed to be fairly common of the era.


The film is a cinematic masterpiece. Watch it sometime, especially if you enjoy the black and white classics.

Exit Through The Gift Shop Movie DVD Review

What a terrific documentary. Runner up in 2011 for a best documentary Oscar, this film documents street art. Street art is in essence, illegal graffiti.  The film does a tremendous job of showing the stealth and beauty of this art, as well as the fascinating, eccentric subculture that participates.


"Exit Through the Gift Shop" pulls you right into the film. The film is not judgmental at all. If anything, the film embraces this style of art. It is as if you are stealing the night with the artists themselves. Best of all, these artist are not just simple punks spraying profanity on the walls, they are truly making very profound and prolific art.  


Definitely see this film.  I thought I would be bored or perhaps angry at the film. I felt no negative emotion, although it did at times make me question authenticity or, better stated, sanity of the art world. But isn't that what art is all about? 


Check it out.

Another terrific art documentary is Art of The Steal about the 'theft' of the Albert Barnes, Barnes Foundation art collection. Check out my review here

AntiChrist - Most Disturbing Film Ever

This 2009 film is by far the most disturbing and graphic films I have ever seen.  The movie is about a couple, devastated by the death of their only child, who moves to a remote wooded cabin to heal.


This film is very artistically shot and has some great performances by Willem Dafoe and Charolette Gainsbourg. It borders between dark fantasy and devistating reality.


This movie is very sexually and violently graphic. It is not for those with a weak stomach. I felt so disturbed by some scenes, I had to get up and pace around. 


I thought the violence was far too much and was likely overdone for shock value. The film is well acted and has some visually artistic scenes, but I think only a few ultra die hard art film fans will find this stimulating.


I was glad I saw it, but I'll never watch it again.

Barnes Collection - Art of The Steal Movie Review

If you haven't heard of the Barnes art collection, I'll give you a quick primer.  Albert Barnes aquired a profound collection of the most important impressionist and modernist art in the world. When he died his will demanded that it remain in his home located in Lower Merion, PA.  Eventually, powerful interests in the state of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia forced the collection to be removed from Barnes' Lower Merion home and into Philadelphia (the expected move is in 2012)


"The Art of The Steal" is documentary that follows all of the conspiratorial events that led up to the decision to "steal" the collection from the Barnes foundation.


The film is very good. It really drives home how powerful interests can form a coalition and force anything to happen, against all wishes.  The events leading up to the decision to move Albert Barnes' art is a bit convoluted but this film makes it very easy to follow.


This film really made me think.  It isn't just some high brow, aristocratic artistic dilemma. It raises questions about exactly how sacred a man's last will and testament really is. You want your property to be doled out a certain way after you die and it may, or may not as this film shows, turn out that way at all.

The Art of The Steal also does a nice job of demonstrating how different motives can compete against one another. The people who can defend the Barnes collection work for or depend on the forces who want to take it.


There are some great conspiratorial aspects to the film as well.


Good film to watch. Check it out.


More Best Movie Reviews By TurtleDog

Great and Disturbing Foreign War Film


Film on The Gritty Life of a Derivative Trader