Barbershop Punk (2010)

Is "The Man" controlling the vertical, the horizontal and the channel you'll be on? In a privatized American Internet, is big business "Big Brother" or does the free market protect and ... See full summary »

Directors:

Georgia Sugimura Archer, Kristin Armfield

Writer:

Georgia Sugimura Archer

Stars:

Janeane Garofalo, Henry Rollins, Damian Kulash

Cast

Credited cast:
Janeane Garofalo	...	Herself
Henry Rollins	...	Himself
Damian Kulash	...	Himself
Ian MacKaye	...	Himself
Wes Armstrong	...	Himself
Jim Ladd	...	Himself
Chip Pickering	...	Himself
Jack Burkman	...	Himself
Ted Miller	...	Himself
Jason Devitt	...	Himself
John Perry Barlow	...	Himself
Michael Copps	...	Himself
Destiny Topolski	...	Herself
George Ford	...	Himself
Rick Carnes	...	Himself

Storyline

Is "The Man" controlling the vertical, the horizontal and the channel you'll be on? In a privatized American Internet, is big business "Big Brother" or does the free market protect and serve the needs of the average citizen with its invisible hand? With the simple act of swapping files, barbershop quartet baritone Robb Topolski finds himself at ground zero of a landmark case whose outcome will affect the rights of every American citizen. Following one man's personal quest to defend what he believes to be his inalienable rights, BARBERSHOP PUNK examines the critical issues surrounding the future of the American Internet and what it takes to challenge the status quo. Contemplating the future of the American Internet and the inalienable rights under review.

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Plot Keywords:

internet | civil rights

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Genres:

Documentary | News

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 November 2011 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Evil Twin Productions, This End Up Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Color:

Color (HD) Color

User Reviews

Thought-provoking documentary

Let me start by giving you some advice: Watch this at home, not in a theater. I was very glad I did because there were several points in the movie where my family wanted to pause it and talk about some idea or concept. If you do see it in a theater, it might be a good idea to bring a pen and paper so that you can jot down your thoughts.

Like most good documentaries, this one makes you want to keep discussing political issues after the movie ends. It presented these issues – net neutrality, common carrier laws, government regulation vs. free enterprise – in a way that makes you want to research them later. It leaves you wanting more, and that is a good thing.

The movie did seem a little bit short to me, at 1 hour 17 minutes, but it packs in a lot of information without ever getting boring. Overall a wonderful effort, definitely worth seeing if you care at all about freedom and the Internet.