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Reviews
The Human Experience (2008)
Could be touching if not for the cast
This 'documentary' was shot well, edited well, and had a decent soundtrack. Unfortunately it followed a bunch of naive New York urbanites as they anecdotally experienced the world and made vague references to discovering the meaning of live/human experience. It gave me the same feeling as if I had watched a real housewife of Orange County take a mission trip to Africa with a mega church. I was amazed at how uninformed these guys were as to the amount of suffering in the world, I'm also amazed that they don't realize they are at the tip of the iceberg of suffering. People can make a difference in the world, but what this film left out was that it doesn't generally happen by going to a developing nation and changing some bandages; doing so might make one feel helpful and needed, it will also provide fodder for an 'inspirational' book or documentary if that is your thing. I realize this wasn't meant to be a how-to on solving global inequality or poverty alleviation, but I also don't see how viewing people in relatively bad situations who are happy to be alive provides the key to life.
It was alluded to that the cast didn't necessarily have an easy life by Western standards, but had this film followed the cast of Jersey Shore around the world, I don't think it would be as popular and I don't see how it is that far off. I enjoyed several of the commentators throughout the film and would like to have heard more from them, unfortunately they were spliced together with the unintelligible mumblings of the main characters.
Northville Cemetery Massacre (1976)
Interesting and Bloody Cult Film
The DVD came out this Halloween, and I was able to get a copy signed at the 30th Anniversary re-release party in Northville. I hadn't heard about it before, but growing up in the area I was excited for it. It was made almost a decade before I was born so I felt no nostalgia for the time period and the way of life. I did however enjoy seeing what is now a fully-developed town back when it was just farm land.
The quality of the DVD menus and extras are phenomenal. I'm very glad the spent the time and money on creating a quality product. Since I hadn't seen it before, I can't say if the video or sound was remastered. It seemed like there could have been more work done to spruce up the actual film (there are a few jump cuts that seem almost accidental and the audio doesn't always line up with the mouths).
I enjoyed the extreme violence (not something you want to watch while babysitting) and the demonization of the 'pigs'. It certainly speaks of a different time and is rewarding with an interesting combination of action, drama, and comedy. I think I enjoyed most the fact that this was an actual motorcycle club and not actors (for the most part).
In conclusion, this film is never very believable, but is almost always enjoyable. If you are from the area (and not too sensitive to violence, sexuality, and language) definitely pick up a copy. I think this film crosses a few lines (in a good way) and takes you out of your comfort zone. It never really makes you think, but the motorcycle club is well developed as a single character (none of the members really stand out individually) and at times the cinematography is surprisingly good. It's not incredibly well put-together, but for its time and budget, I would consider classifying it as amazing.