Documentin' it Up!

This weekend was spent primarily on 2 things, cleaning my closet (which, finally is now DONE), and catching up on my documentaries list. Luckily Netflix instant watch seems to have an affinity for documentaries, so once again they came to my rescue!

                                                                                 

• The Order of Myths - It's colorful, funny, and also deeply disturbing. What poses on the surface as a film about Mardis Gras in Mobile, Alabama, is actually about one of the last strongholds of racism in the town. Mardis Gras in Mobile has always been split up into 2 celebrations, the the white Mardis Gras and the black Mardis Gras. While, in the movie,some of the town's residents on both sides claim "that's how they like things." Filmmaker Margaret Brown, who is from Mobile herself, covers the events of Mardis Gras from all different perspectives, including those of Mobile secret societies, such as The Order of Myths. If you're from the north, watching the film feels like walking into another world, one that you're unsure if you want to stay in or not. Either way, it's an eye opener, and it will definitely hold your interest. 

                                                                                

• Jesus Camp - "and let me say something about Harry Potter... Warlocks are the enemies of God! And I don't care what kind of hero they are, they're an enemy of God, and had it been in the old testament, Harry Potter would have been put to death." Yeah... that about sums up Jesus Camp for ya. Through a variety of scare tactics, Children's minister, Becky Fisher, turns kids into soldiers for the army of God, showing them how to speak to Jesus in tongues, and cry till you have no more tears. Jesus Camp is a terrifying look into evangelism, and its growing emphasis in focusing on children. Clips of a particular group of kids engaging in a summer "Bible Camp" are juxtaposed with clips from liberal Christian radio host Mike Papatonio, who watches in horror as evangelists take over the Congress, the Senate, the White House, and now our kids. Every time I see this movie, it gets more and more frightening. In Mike's words, "There's a special place in the afterlife for those people who mess with kids." 
  

                                                                                  

• The Pixar Story - After Jesus Camp, I needed something a little lighter, so Pixar was the obviously place to turn to. Unless you've been under a rock for the last 10 or 15 years, you're aware of Pixar's massive success, but how much do you know about their humble beginnings or the people who started it? This documentary begins by following the early of career of animator John Lasseter, who would go on to become one of the founding fathers and chief visionary behind the company. If you thought having hit after hit was easy for these guys, you have no idea. See them go from being entranced by 1982's Tron, to creating their iconic first short film, Luxo Jr., to Toy Story, to today. I'm a bit of an animation/apple nerd, so I thought this was extremely interesting, but if you don't really care about how animated films get made, then this movie probably isn't for you. 
  

So that about covers it. I'm looking for more to watch, so suggestions are welcome!