Recently I saw GasLand, a documentary directed by Pennsylvanian born Josh Fox, who also stars in and narrates the film, as it follows his cross country trek through neighborhoods and small towns of America, which, after greedy gas and oil companies have drilled near their land, have had their water tanks and wells mixed in with natural gas that poisons them (Some can even light their kitchen sinks on fire), and those who have been prolonged to the contaminated water for extended periods of time have suffered devastating bodily harm.
I liked this movie, but it still has faults. One of the slight issues I had with the film is that it got pretty repetitious at points, and the film is also very dense in exploration. Not exactly a huge problem, but anyone who isn't giving the film their strict concentration from the word "Go" may find it hard to keep up. On an aesthetic level, it also looks amateurish. Still, it's an admirable piece of education, and a great first step into documentaries for Fox.
What he lacks in professional documentation, he makes up for with his footage, and his priorities. He gets his facts straight and neatened, and occasionally provides a tickling joke or two. And the film's final ten minutes is an inventively shot and edited sequence, and one of the sole standouts as well. The film's audio is also fine tuned, specifically coming equipped with a toe tapping banjo and fiddle score.
And while amateurish, I have to commend Fox for sticking to his guts. Not everyone can make a great first documentary, but he provides something thought provoking, and a film that's completely sure of itself, both in tone and in presentation.
**1/2 out of ****
I liked this movie, but it still has faults. One of the slight issues I had with the film is that it got pretty repetitious at points, and the film is also very dense in exploration. Not exactly a huge problem, but anyone who isn't giving the film their strict concentration from the word "Go" may find it hard to keep up. On an aesthetic level, it also looks amateurish. Still, it's an admirable piece of education, and a great first step into documentaries for Fox.
What he lacks in professional documentation, he makes up for with his footage, and his priorities. He gets his facts straight and neatened, and occasionally provides a tickling joke or two. And the film's final ten minutes is an inventively shot and edited sequence, and one of the sole standouts as well. The film's audio is also fine tuned, specifically coming equipped with a toe tapping banjo and fiddle score.
And while amateurish, I have to commend Fox for sticking to his guts. Not everyone can make a great first documentary, but he provides something thought provoking, and a film that's completely sure of itself, both in tone and in presentation.
**1/2 out of ****