Some Assembly Required

Film #30 of '08 and Film #4 of SIFF was Some Assembly Required.

My NetFlix rating: 3.5 stars
Jamie says: Very nicely done documentary about kids competing in a contest to build their own toys. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wonder how many variations of the contest documentary we'll see before it goes out of vogue.
RIYL: Spellbound, Mad Hot Ballroom, Word Freak, Word Play, etc.

Official Site
SIFF page

In Search of Kennedy

Film #28 of '08 and Film #3 of SIFF was In Search of Kennedy.

My NetFlix rating: 3 stars
Jamie says: Some great footage but an oddly edited film...and as J-Ho pointed out it's pretty weird that we managed to watch a whole film on Kennedy without learning anything new about him...
RIYL: Pontificating about what would've happened if Kennedy hadn't been assassinated

Official Site
SIFF page
Trailer

Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Tennis Shoes

Film #27 of '08 and Film #2 of SIFF was Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Tennis Shoes.

My NetFlix rating: 2.5 stars
Jamie says: So-so documentary about a fascinating man. Will be screening as a part of the American Masters series on PBS.
RIYL: Prairie Home Companion...but you probably already knew that

SIFF page
Official site

American Shopper

My final film of this year's SIFF and Film #33 overall was the world premier of American Shopper.

In a previous post I dubbed Trekkies as the 'best Christopher Guest movie that Christopher Guest never made'. That trophy now has a new mantle. American Shopper is a documentary (though it could be considered a mockumentary since folks were in on the joke) about a man who starts a new sport called Aisling. Aisling basically involves sort of an odd mix between interpretive dance and grocery shopping. Dangling a $10,000 prize to the winner of the inaugural contest, the sport's inventor, Jonathan Sawyer is able to drum up interest from a diverse set of contestants who are out to win. The result is hilarious, at times moving, and mostly just awesome. Funniest film I've seen in awhile.

Official Site

The Pervert's Guide to Cinema

Film #5 of this year's SIFF and Film #32 overall was the disturbingly named The Pervert's Guide to Cinema.

The Perv's Guide is a tour through cinema led by psycho-analyst Slavoj Zizek. Zizek provides narration weaving through numerous films from David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick to Disney and Charlie Chaplin. Along the way Zizek uses Freudian pyschology to dissect the way we interact with cinema exploring its relation to ego/superego, fantasy/reality, etc. You can get an idea of the dialogue here. I found it fairly interesting for the first hour and half or so, but 2 1/2 hours of it got the best of me. If you liked Waking Life you might dig this one.

Official Site
Rotten Tomatoes
Wikipedia

About a Son

Film #28 of '07 and #4 of my SIFF experience this year was Kurt Cobain: About a Son.

About a Son is not your classic rockumentary. Instead director AJ Schnack has put together a visual montage of scenes from modern Aberdeen, Olympia and Seattle set to audio clips of Michael Azzerad (Our Band Could Be Your Life) interviewing Kurt Cobain for what would later become the biography Come As You Are. The scenes are meant to invoke the memory of Cobain and provide us with a connection to where he came from. Filling in the gaps is an ass-kickin' soundtrack of some of Kurt's favorite tunes supplemented by a score composed by local lumanaries Ben Gibbard and Steve Fisk. Also mixed in are photos by grunge-rock photographer extraordinaire Charles Peterson. The film doesn't really add up to the sum of it's parts, but it's a unique approach and an honest effort to present Cobain warts and all.

Brian's review
Info on forthcoming Barsuk soundtrack
Sidetrack Films site

Big Rig

Film #27 of '07 and film #3 of my '07 SIFF was Big Rig.

Big Rig is an excellent new trucker documentary from Doug Pray (Hype, Scratch). The film starts on the East coast and winds its way Westward (Grapes of Wrath like) introducing us to individual truck drivers along the way. Rather than trying to tell one specific story, Pray provides the truckers an opportunity to tell their own stories as best they see fit. Common themes include the infrigement on individual truckers rights by government regulation and the disappearing middle class. Mostly though you're along for the ride, following the road wherever it may lead. It's a fun ride and one that'll probably change your peception of what truck drivers are all about. My vote for the coveted Golden Space Needle out of what I've seen so far.

Official Site
The Stranger review

The Fever of '57

Film #26 of my '07 list and film #2 of my SIFF experience was the world premiere of The Fever of '57.

Based on the book Sputnik: The Shock of the Century, Fever is a documentary about the launching of Sputnik and the subsequent reactions. Initially lauded as a scientific leap forward for all of mankind, American reaction to the launch soon turns to fear as speculation that the satellite could be misused for nefarious military purposes spreads. The following months led to an arms escalation that brought us to the brink of war. Presented with mounds of excellent archival footage, director David Hoffman tells a forgotten tale of American history that is every bit as fascinating as the Cuban Missle Crisis (and will leave you with a new found respect for Eisenhower). Well worth seeing.

Official Site
Seattle MetBlogs review

King of Kong

Film #24 of my '07 movie list was also film #1 of my Seattle International Film Festival.

King of Kong is a documentary about Redmond, WA's own Steve Wiebe a former Boeing engineer set on breaking the world record for the arcade version of Donkey Kong. Along the way he encounters a delightfully evil advisary (Billy Mitchell) and a number of unbelievable obstacles. Avoiding the formulaic approach of similar eccentric competition-based documentaries, the film provides a fresh take on the genre. The result is a delightful film that was a big hit with the SIFF crowd.

Opens in theaters in August. According to director Seth Gordon a feature film version is in the works. I'm picturing Ben Stiller as Billy.

Official site
Another officialish looking site
Philly.com review
Geeks of Doom review