Category Archive

This is a rather obscure documentary that can be viewed on Vimeo, but one that deserves to be seen. The film follows a small team of people that prepare camp on Union Glacier in Antarctica. This camp will serve as base camp for numerous expeditions each year. It’s hard work, and the conditions are harder, but through it all they find a way to enjoy it. The actual work of the team is interesting, but the real joy in this film is what they do the rest of the time. It’s like an episode of M*A*S*H that’s set in Antarctica and directed by Wes Anderson. I love Wes Anderson films, …

If you were going off the trailers alone, your first instinct might be to say that Wild is a knock-off, female version of Into the Wild. You could be forgiven for thinking that; after all, both movies are based on true stories of someone going on an extremely emotional, physical and spiritual journey. Both movies are told in a non-linear fashion, so as to link past events with new experiences. Heck, both movies feature “wild” in their titles! But I find there is one key difference between the two that makes Wild the better film. And that difference is that the main character is actually likable. It’s no secret that …

Virunga is a new Netflix original documentary from executive producer Leonardo DiCaprio. It takes its name from the Virunga National Park in Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is gorgeously put on film here. The film follows a park ranger tasked with taking care of orphaned gorillas, most left for dead by poachers. He is the heart of the film, his love for the gorillas is so genuine and pure it aches. I think I might have watched an entire film just about him, but the film also follows his fellow park rangers, they are responsible for fighting poachers. When I say fighting I mean literal fighting, with automatic weapons. …