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I have been waiting for a good night to watch this.  Les Choristes is a gentle film about students in a reform school.  An example of how cruelty breeds cruelty and how kindness and respect can foster the like. I’ll admit Im a sucker for a teacher flick and Ill be watching Stand and deliver later this month.

Les Choristes isn’t the best film around not will it be very important but what it is thought is good.  Like a stranger returning a lost wallet.  There are a few moments in the film that are shot spectacularly and the performances are charming.  But as I sat with my wife I was told the subtitles were absurdly wrong most of the time (it was even obvious to me on occasion), and I wasn’t charmed as I expected to be.  Maybe it was what I bought to the film or maybe its that Im a teacher and am constantly charmed and inspired everyday by students and their amazing potential that this film didn’t have the effect that I expected.  So in all kindness I would like to say than you students for ruining a film for me. It’s the best way to ruin a film.

I have to leave this one a surprise. Ill leave the review vague and a little awesome.  I’ll just suggest that you watch this for yourself.  I was honestly startled, frustrated, and inspired throughout the film.  it is in classic Herzog style. Herzog I believe wants to be comfortable in front of the camera at times but he is incredibly uncomfortable while on screen

When white people rap it’s only about the money.

Herzog brings us into the heart of Amish country to witness a world championship being claimed in a small dark room surround by people looking to get a deal and make a dollar.  The 13th annual World Champion of  Auctioneering is documented by Filmmaker Werner Herzog in this documentary.  In a film that is a staple in nay documentarians viewing Herzog explores auctioneering with a fascination and reverence that is matched only by pilgrims in the promise land.  Hand held shots and framing that is awkward and often catches in plain view their fellow filmmakers shooting b-roll this documentary seems unplanned as if they just happened in Amish country and thought “hey whats that crazy sound” and walked into the contst and started filming.

The fascinating thing is that this film may only be a total of 15 shots as the bulk is a rather uninterrupted capturing of each contestants calls.  Herzog allows you to revel in the variety and nuanced performances of each contestant.  and after a while you cant but help relating it to something ala Eminem freeform lyrics.

This is absolutely unintentional as he was actually making this in the early 70′s before rap was around really, or at the least on the mind of a german filmmaker.  What a wonderful fun documentary.

7 down.  The Kid is a gateway drug for Silent films.  Most people I know remember this as the first real silent film they watched.  Chaplin is magical in this film.

The Kid is one of the first mainstream films that has a very easy to follow story and a thread of social commentary, political commentary without being ham-fisted.  This film is where modern Americans fell in love Chaplin, and where we saw the bravery of a filmmaker to say important things in a beautiful way that will be in our memories forever.