The economy may be failing, but Hollywood’s hype machine has been working overtime. It’s latest manufactured frenzy has finally reached a crescendo: Watchmen hits theaters today. Does it live up to the hype? Does it live up to the graphic novel? Does it live up to its own three hour run time? In searching for answers to these questions, the FilmCouchers meet in a epic battle on the precipice of the Apocalypse, or you could say, we disagree.
Karina checks in with an update on the True/False Film Festival. The little Missouri fest is quickly becoming one of the places to see top-notch documentaries. We discuss Love on Delivery, October Country, and We Live In Public.
0:00 - Intro
3:57 - Watchmen
25:30 - True/False
Karina, not sure if you were planning to write a review, but I’d be curious to hear why you were disappointed by Rough Aunties. Maybe it just stuck out for me since it was pretty much the only verite-style documentary at True/False (save Burma VJ, which I was just slightly underwhelmed by), but it wrecked me and I was impressed by that subtle but really effective (I thought) transition from the women’s work to their home lives. Been enjoying the roundup (you saw many of the films I wanted to but missed), keep up the good work. And right on about We Live in Public; unprompted, I just wrote a very long email to a friend about how much off-the-mark and irritating it was.
Chris, I think Rough Aunties is an extremely well-intentioned film so I haven’t decided yet whether or not I think it’s worthwhile to write a full review. But I didn’t find it emotionally affecting, and in terms of craft, it reminded me an awful lot of an episode of COPS.
Speaking of documenting True/False, I made an amateurish doc on my experience at the 2007 festival. It’s about an hour long. Check it out if you’re interested: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9218275393940356443
Just so you know….
Um, you guys mispronounce Columbia in the introduction of FilmCouch #111. I believe I heard “Columbus, MO,” this is incorrect. It is… “Columbia, MO.”
Love your show.
Love your Web site.
Come to True/False next year.