WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? REVIEW :: DOCUMENTARY :: 065

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

Fred Rogers was one of my first influences growing up. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was a major part of me and my sister’s childhood (besides Sesame Street and our favorite, Reading Rainbow). As good as some of these other children’s programs were, none delivered more of a caring message as Mr. Rogers did – as he would always end his show with…

“You’ve made this day a special day just by being you. There’s no one in the world quite like you, and I like you just the way you are.”

My wife and I had the opportunity to see the first showing at the Aperture Cinema in downtown Winston-Salem Friday night. We managed to find good seating towards the middle of Studio 2, and although the space was fairly cramped and the screen a bit higher than it needs to be, we were able to physically “hold up” for the 94 minute running time. My wife Jennifer was adequately prepared to brave the movie with her new neck stabilizer.

99% ON ROTTEN TOMATOES

It was hard for me to rate this one. If anyone was to rate the documentary based on who the man was, and how important he was, it would obviously be a 10! It currently has a 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes with only one critic holding out with a negative review.  Did this one critic want to merely stand out from the crowd or does he have some legitimate points?

MY TAKE

My take on this documentary is as such – It was an extremely moving film about the Fred Rogers, his television show and the impact that it had on society. It was also a refreshing film that reinforces all the positivity, love and kindness that seems so rare in our nation currently. There was a lot that you learned about Mr. Rogers, from his distaste for programs that encouraged violence and consumerism, to the insecurities that he had later in his career. The viewer was reminded just how amazing he was with children, how honest and sincere he was and how gently and simply he’d lead you along the path of understanding – whether the topic was divorce or even the tragic events of September 11th. After watching this great film, and you realize that the world will not likely see another quite like him… it leaves you wondering what Fred Rogers would think about the state of the world today – even though they try to tackle that tough question in the film. 

MY SCORE

Won’t You Be My Neighbor gets an 8-out-of-10 bear claws for a couple of reasons. First, is the documentary crafted in the best possible way with respect to the subject? My answer – Somewhat. Director Morgan Neville does a good job at weaving the various clips, behind-the-scenes and interviews from the early days of the show to today, but it felt that once we were getting to a deeper understanding Mr. Rogers, the direction moved elsewhere. And while the documentary styling was soft and simple – just as Mr. Rogers would have like it, it would also have been interesting to have known more about where and how Fred Rogers grew up, who his influences were and (even) how he handled the diagnosis of cancer that took his life at the age of 73. There is still a lot that Joanne Rogers (his widow) knows, that fans of his would love to know – and as much as we loved the show, we all loved and would have loved to know the man even deeper.

YOUR THOUGHTS

In all of my reviews I try to give my readers my honest thoughts and certainly why I rate the movie the way I do – not just a quick thumbs-up or thumbs-down and certainly not a lengthy description of the plot. That is far too dull and something you can easily pick up by watching the trailer.  However, I do hope you are enjoying my reviews, and they are inspiring you to check out a film or even re-watch one! Won’t You Be My Neighbor is a wonderful film that should be interested for all… but please give me your personal thoughts when you get a chance. I’d love to hear them!

ESSENTIAL NOTE BEFORE VIEWING!!!!

Don’t forget to bring some tissues. When we watched it, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house/theater… certainly including me (I’m such a softie!)

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THIS IS IT :: DOC :: 041

The world loves Michael Jackson.   I love Michael Jackson. 

 I wish I could have loved this movie. 

A month ago, I watched clips of people’s reactions after watching this film and most of them came out teary-eyed and praising of the picture. 

Here’s what I saw:

I saw a very thin and pale version of the King of Pop, singing and dancing at 50% of his capacity in the rehearsals for his sold-out London concert.  His crew, Kenny Ortega and a slew of awe-struck dancers working tirelessly to make the show fast, bold and worthy of  “The final curtain call.”

This Is It, was a draw-out (111 min), behind-the-scenes of a concert that never happened.  Viewers are briefly entertained by new segments of “Smooth Criminal” and a redone, 3d version of “Thriller,” but besides this… all you see is a master of music working and perfecting the final presentation of his craft.

In an entire room of people that love Michael Jackson’s music, we all enjoyed it as background music as we played Bejeweled, uploaded pictures to facebook, and downloaded iTunes to their new netbook. 

I believe that Michael Jackson was our “Ambassador of Love” to the world.  There are very few people on this planet who have not heard his name.  His influence is felt in the lives of virtually everyone who has (heard his name), but this film didn’t show Michael the way that I want to remember him.  In his videos, in other documentaries, I’ve seen him much more happy – displaying his voice, dance and passion with more freedom and exuberance . 

I’ll simply watch (any of) the other videos/documentaries if I want to remember him.  Either that, or listen to my Jackson playlist that I’ve had since music could be put on computers.

What did you guys think?  Did it make you think it was any better than what we’ve seen from Michael Jackson in the past?  It feels bad to say, but to me, it seemed the simple and logical way to make millions on his name and legacy.

WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? :: DOC :: 009

Chris Paine‘s 2006 documentary film, Who Killed The Electric Car? is an entertaining and thought-provoking look at the history, the production and the cold-blooded-murder of the electric car.

It was the film’s tagline that made me quickly put this title into my Netflix queue and with great haste, move it to the top of my gigantic list;

In 1996, electric cars began to appear on roads all over California.  They were quiet and fast, produced no exhaust and ran without gasoline….. Ten years later, these cars were destroyed.

Is there a conspiracy against clean air, clean roads and the use of clean, reusable energy?  Was it a lack of consumer confidence or was it “this conspiracy.”  Jenny and I had to investigate for ourselves, so we popped in the dvd.

When I was about 10 years old, my parents took my sister and me to Walt Disney World in Florida.  Besides seeing the killer whales at Sea World, I was absolutely entranced by a sleek, shiny, solar & electric “car of the future” that they had on a rotating wheel at the Epcot Center.  Now, 21 years later, it probably can still be seen in the Future World showroom… because, let’s face it, it’s not here.  The sad truth is that it was here,… the future that I always felt would come, but “big business” and other “powers that be” decided that it would be more profitable to go back in time rather than forward.  Shame on you General Motors!

Who Killed The Electric Car? is an entertaining film with an important message.  The film features such celebrity electric car (EV-1) leasees such as: Alexandria Paul (kudos to her for standing tall and getting arrested for the cause), Mel Gibson, Tom Hanks, Ed Begley Jr.,  and Peter Horton.  I’m not a car fanatic,… but I hope in 10 years I can drive a car as dope as the EV-1 was.  I won’t hold my breath though.  Watch this film!