Senna (2010)

I’ve never cared for Formula 1 at all, but the strength of Senna is such that for 100 minutes I did care.  Though I was aware of the final outcome, the way the story is told; Senna’s rivalry with Alain Prost, as well as showing the politics of the various teams, was engrossing.  The documentary is made completely with historical footage of races, interviews and home videos; but there is also interview voice over if the footage is silent.  In this way, Senna is more akin to The Imposter rather than a Michael Moore or Morgan Spurlock film, which perhaps results in a less biased documentary, but I’m not the person to know.  I’m not familiar with anything else that director Asif Kapadia has made, though on the strength of BAFTA-winning Senna I quite fancy seeing Odyssey, and his forthcoming Amy Winehouse documentary could also be interesting.

A fascinating insight into a sportsman I knew nothing about, told with skill and emotion, Senna is definitely worth seeing, even if you hate F1.  But, well, you know, that’s just, like, er, my opinion, man.

Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)

Capitalism: A love Story is a documentary by the indefatigable Michael Moore  This time he tackles the state of America’s economy due to the unstoppable force of Capitalism.  Some of the facts that he comes out with are astounding and it’s a wonder the country doesn’t fall apart.  Of course Michael Moore makes documentaries about contentious issues, and for that reason he tends to be shocking, and perhaps a little sensationalist.  So for what is essentially a one-sided account of capitalism we should maybe take some of it with a pinch of salt.  Though one can scarcely believe the completely amoral (if not illegal) behaviour of companies such as Walmart who take out life insurance on their employees (unknown to them) on the off-chance that they die giving the company a healthy payout, while grieving family receive relatively little.  Not to mention the idea of sub-prime lending which helped the world into a financial crisis.  Capitalism: A Love Story is a very interesting film which is likely to make your jaw hit the floor or have you shaking your head in disbelief.  But, well, you know, that’s just, like, er, my opinion, man.

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011)

Morgan Spurlock, famously of Super Size Me, wanted to make a documentary about advertising and product placement in today's movies.  However, wanting to do it differently, he made the movie purely using money that he raised from sponsors and advertising within the film.  Which he managed.  The film itself is simply Spurlock trying to generate interest in potential advertisers to invest in his film, the product of which you are watching.  Which is all a bit weird.  Towards the end he is excited about the release of the film and how it’s all starting to come together, and then of course it ends, because that was the film!

The result is an interesting documentary about how powerful advertising is within the movie industry.  There is the occasional interview with the likes of J. J. Abrams, Quentin Tarantino and Brett Ratner, but Spurlock spends most of the time discovering the techniques that the industry uses to target audiences.  One company even does an MRI scan on him to see how he responds to various product images!   I think perhaps I expected a little more from the film, such as a few case studies of specific films and how advertising influenced the production/direction.  Of course perhaps he wanted to, but wasn’t allowed.  A very interesting film, and a window into a business we don't really know much about, all told with Spurlock's enthusiastic, perceptive and amusing style.  I for one will probably be more aware of product placement in movies now.  But, well, you know, that’s just, like, er, my opinion, man.

The Imposter (2012)

This really is an incredible story, but then often the most amazing stories are true.  This one is about a French guy by the name of Frédéric Bourdin, who is a serial identity thief.  In this case he pretends to be an American kid called Nicholas Barclay, a boy who went missing from Texas three years ago. Despite being  in Spain, Frédéric finds out that an American family are looking for a lost child and so he poses as Nicholas.  The most amazing thing is that the family take him in, so desperate are they to find Nicholas!  No matter how crazy it is that Frédéric pretends to be Nicholas, it's very weird that the family take him in - no questions asked!

The film is shot as a documentary but there are sections of drama which are often seamlessly merged into the documentary sections.  Director Bart Layton also makes tremendous use of light; whether it is dawn over San Antonio, light shining through blinds and showing the passage of time, or simply dramatic sunlight through oppressive cloudy skies.  This all adds up to a movie that is more than just a documentary, it looks stunning too.  Definitely worth seeing; a film in the mould of Catfish, but  better looking.