Andrew Callaghan. © 2022 HBO, A24, Strong Baby Productions, Abso Lutely Productions, and Channel 5. Directed by Andrew Callaghan.
The Most Stupidest Day of The Decade Unfolds.
I can't believe I'm writing another political film/television review but this one is a different breed. This is raw and real news from a smart-ass person. If you love Channel 5 or are familiar with Andrew Callagahn's videos, this is his documentary debut and it's a wild one. It's off the roof with realism, stupidity, reality, and truth. I am surprised that HBO allowed this and I'm glad they did to show that they have the balls to put this up on streaming. This is what news journalism should be now and in the future and this documentary goes beyond the line. Join me across America during the 2020/2021 election year into the events of January 6. Put your seatbelt on, it's going to be a bumpy ride of a review. Story: The documentary follows Andrew Callaghan as he travels across the United States in the months preceding the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He interviews both sides of the political spectrum and hears truthful or stupid thoughts on both sides while drinking Modelo. This is a pretty short documentary but it has a lot to unpack from the election to the January 6 event. It's pretty chaotic from the material to the editing. The filmmaking in the documentary is amazing. I loved how they had not one but two different camera angles and shots to make the documentary more ambitious and real. All are up-close as much as possible and shot with different cameras to make it authentic. It's not all about the fancy Natgeo cameras, it's about using the cameras in a creative way. With the help of the editing, it's well done by showing as much chaos as possible and really showcasing the weird moments. The zoom-in moments were hilarious and how comedy was used through editing was pretty smart and strong. I love how it cuts to the crazy moment and goes into a much more serious segment and show how America is reacting to these events. The editing is the highlight throughout the filmmaking here and I thought it was very strong. The segments themselves are pretty interesting and entertaining. We get to see the weird side of the republican party, mostly blamed on Alex Jones. He is the antagonist of the documentary and honestly one of the people who started this whole chaos. Besides the infamous bench press scene with Jones drinking tequila, that scene would not show up on any other network besides Channel 5. That's literally fucking insane. I really enjoyed the protest scenes because the way they edited them was funny and made it dramatic as possible. What's pretty interesting in one of the segments was that they humanize everyone including the people that social media hates. I won't say which one but it's nice to see them open up to their truth and mistakes. I love when journalists let every be themselves and humanize their views and see their true selves. It's raw that this kind of documentary goes into these parts including the family. We get to explore a republican family and see how young these kids are getting brainwashed with untruthful facts. But also seeing the positive light in their family. Showing the light and darkness of these events.
This film is not just for Gen-Z people but for everyone. It has your adult moments and the goofy moments and it's balanced so well with its tone. If you are expecting this documentary to be fun, then this documentary completely succeeds but also is serious with its journalism. Having people just talk and letting them be wild in their space is honestly powerful. It feels like you're watching a Zoo documentary and looking at the different types of people going at it. No boundaries and I love when they let the filmmaker show raw moments or dumb moments that are integral to the story it's trying to communicate. With all the segments and rallies, what I learned, in the end, was that January 6 was a disastrous day in the 2020s and it caused a negative impact on America. But also I learned that the events leading to the 6th were pretty divisive yet people trying to just move on with their lives. We see people who are just there for the chaos or want to express their opinion or sitting on the sidelines eating popcorn. Everyone shown in the documentary had a purpose and their actions led to this historical day. The documentary showed rawness and unfiltered bullshit which makes this documentary so amazing. Plus, the comedy really makes it more entertaining and less informative. It's more of showing the rawness of these events than information which makes it stronger on its own.
The only thing that held back this documentary was its short runtime. While it was fast-paced, it did run out its steam by the end. I wanted more but that was the only thing. The gangster guys, in the beginning, were random but it made sense because it was hilarious. This is its own thing and I respect what Andrew Callaghan has done. He really is changing the journalism game. This is by far one of the strongest documentaries I have seen in a while. It had rawness, chaos, and moments that will make you cringe, laugh, or feel bad. It's basically Vice News on steroids with actually great dumb journalism. I really loved this documentary and I cannot wait for more Channel 5 content. This is my news station from now on. Sorry, Philip DeFranco. Now Streaming only on HBO and HBO Max. Vizeit Score: "A" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2023. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr.
1 Comment
Jenny Slate. © 2021/2022. A24 and Cinereach. Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp. Watched it at AMC Theaters
Quick Review: This film was too cute that I cried after the film was over like 30 minutes ago. This film was very creative in its presentation but what really sold me was just the shell itself. The main character was too adorable and Marcel has a lot of charm. This film was very charming and heartwarming. Not even Pixar can achieve this level anymore since Toy Story 4. Marcel voiced by Jenny Slate did a fantastic job with the character. Her small voice really made this film soft yet real with many interesting quotes about life and innocence. Plus, the concept of the loneliness really hit me hard during this film. This film deals with many adult and real-life themes but into a soft kids' message that even adults will pick up. This film is very funny yet sad at the same time. It deals with death in the final act which really sold me due to the amazing directing from Dean Camp. A lot of hard emotions and I cried like two or three times. This film was very emotional within its story and characters. But the ending was very wholesome and I found myself smiling till the end. This was really a heartwarming film with great cinematography and animation. I loved the mockumentary look and the pacing was great. The human characters were great as well. While this film was short, it felt right and there was a lot of heart and soul behind this film. Also, some nice voice cameos which really made this film more fantastic. Plus, I liked how they have taken the real-life viral video into the story. This was really a joy to watch this film in a theater. I don't know how they pulled it off but it really worked. My emotions were through the roof and this film really got me when I saw the little shell on screen. That's cinema right there ladies and gentlemen. I highly recommend watching it and it's a perfect gateway into A24's library and a film I will look back when someone discusses about animation or documentary. Vizeit Score: "A+" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2022. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. © 2021/2022. NEON and Participant. Directed By Jonas Poher Rasmussen. Thank you Variety for providing this screener.
Quick Review: “Flee” is already the best documentary film I’ve seen this year. It will be part of the 2021 list but it’s a well made film. The story is pretty sad and heartbreaking. Moving from country to country and getting caught along the way was horrible. There was some parts you can breath from all the trouble they went through. The Cruise ship scene was the most saddest scenes because they thought they would be safe, but unfortunately, they ended back in Russia and got beaten down. Immigration is still a huge topic, not just around the Hispanic community, but the whole wide world. The LGBT side story wasn’t forced which I’m glad for because so much films push diversity but poorly or just for political reasons. But the main focus was the immigration theme and it’s very important to see it from a different perspective. The animation is very well done and it’s creative in many parts of the film. The pacing is well done and I liked how even the actual interview is animated. This documentary was a surprise. Now playing in select theaters and on VOD. Vizeit Score: “A-“ Copyright © 2022. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. |
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