Headz in the Cloudz

Defamation documentary trailer

Does Israel use the Holocaust as an excuse for their continued issues with the Palestine people? According to this film, yes. Are people who criticise Israel’s foreign policy often unfairly labelled anti-Semitic? Again, yes according to this brilliant documentary made by an Israeli-Jew. Instead of passing judgment himself, filmmaker Yoav Shamir is smart enough to put himself and his camera in the right places, surrounded by the right people, and let the people damn themselves. Read more

Mad Hot Ballroom

Set in the bustling metropolis of New York, this brilliant documentrary by Marilyn Agrelo takes an insiders look at the annual ballroom dancing contest that sweeps through the public school system every year, wrapping a select group of Gotham kids up in the excitement and emotion that characterises the event. Who would have thought such a traditionally staid pursuit could be so dramatic?

Man on Wire

These days it seems that everyone has an angle, every communication is a means to an end, and every action is loaded with meaning and purpose. It is invigorating then to learn of the true story of a man who never sold out and believes in art for art’s sake. Frenchman has never been classically trained in tightrope walking, and claims to have been obsessed with the wire and climbing since a young age. His most famous feat involved erecting and then walking across a wire between the Twin Towers in New York, an achievement it is now impossible to replicate, and that achievement is the focus of this documentary. It also covers the public and illegal wire-walks leading up to this momentous event, and goes in painstaking detail over the preliminary work and planning, training and finally the good fortune required. The technical explanation perhaps drags in places. However, it is still a worthy portrait of one of the most memorable and unique occurrences of all time.

Power Hog Piggy Bank

Now, this is clever. The Power Hog Piggy Bank is a ‘power consumption metering piggy bank designed to sensitize kids to energy cost associated with running electronics devices’. Just plug the little fella’s tail into a power outlet, then with every coin deposit, you get thirty minutes of electricity. Made from Sabic resin, the Power Hog is totally recyclable. Yes, yes, it’s electric. But naturally so.

Cook. Eat. Drink. Live? Yes, yes, yes

I had a delectable time at the Cook. Eat. Drink. Live foodie event in New York a few weeks back, sampling the wares of an eclectic range of goodies, eating way too much chocolate (though, really, how much is way too much?), and drinking enough wine to fill up the belly of a small, albeit plump, hamster. And I came out of the experience, the lip-smackingly, hip-shakingly fun experience, with just one simple conclusion: the world needs more of these events, where the only objective is to stuff your gullet and drink, drink, drink. Next please! [photos by Alison Zavos] Read more

Asleep On The Subway

You know the feeling: your eyes are getting heavy, heavy, your brain is switching off. And the next thing you know, or you don’t know, as the case may be, you’re a drooling, snoring mess on the R train into Manhattan. Oh, what’s that? That’s just me? Nope. It’s not. There’s a whole website devoted to capturing people at their most vulnerable moment, Asleep On The Subway. The indignity, the shame! We like. Read more