Change Your Image
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Reviews
Hardwood (2005)
Moving Piece
This documentary tells the story of Hubert Davis, the son of a legendary Harlem Globetrotters player, Mel Davis. Mel goes around the world, and tries to juggle his life and time with his families. Hubert tries to set out to reconcile issues between his father and estranged family, but really ends up examining how his father affected his own life. This is a very touching and emotional story of mending relationships, and unconditional family love, and I think that a documentary was the only way to achieve that. It helped to show the reality of family life, and humanity within the characters. I found the film very visually pleasing and along with the chapter breaks, the piece had very good pacing. Although it was a short piece, it had just enough in it to stay relevant, and didn't really need to stretch it out any more.
Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam (1987)
gripping
This piece was comprised completely of real film captured during Vietnam, which is really so hard for a person like myself to grasp. I wasn't alive for the war, and the only reference point I have ever had, was films like Apocalypse Now. To see these images, and to be told that they were in fact real, and not pre-planned and scripted was really shocking. The images ranged from uplifting shots of soldiers bonding together as Americans united against a cause, and devastating shots of bodies being carried away. The music was unfortunately very clichéd, and was not appropriate for the tone and mood of the piece. I think the narration from actors both worked for and against the final product. At times I could recognize the voice, and it would make me think of the person reading the letter instead of the letter itself. The most moving performance to me was that of Ellen Burstyn, who read the letter of the mother at the end. It was very moving, and appropriately emotional.