Issue 41: Sydney Brown's Sixty Seconds
By Sydney Brown

Sydney Brown’s Sixty Seconds

THEME WEEK!!!!!!

Well, I’ve been watching documentaries. Not intentionally, but it just so happens I have seen five lately. And it just so happens my column usually involves five movies. And it just so happens my intros are usually short, and here I am done with it.

Helvetica (2007) ***

A documentary about a font. A font? Yes. A font. A look at why the Helvetica font, created only fifty years ago, is the most used typeface in the world. The film also looks at graphical styles from the ‘50’s but it’s the interview subjects that make the film, from the egotistical to the flamboyant. The film’s strength is also its weakness as a few of the interviewees are just a tad dull. Though anecdotes about Coca-Cola using the font for print ads and how one might save a boring Bryan Ferry interview by changing a font are hilarious. You won’t look at a bathroom sign the same after this.

The Hole Story (2005) **1/2

A pseudo-documentary about a filmmaker traveling to the Midwest to investigate a mysterious hole in a lake only for the hole to have disappeared by the time he gets there. Film turns into a plight for the documentarian to find ANYTHING to shoot leading to some very funny moments. However the film loses its luster around the halfway point and somewhat limps to the end. Film is noteworthy for using the real citizens and real situations though in scripted form. Would have been an excellent short, just not enough meat to sustain a feature.

The Filth & the Fury (2000) The Sex Pistols ***1/2

The history of The Sex Pistols told by the members themselves, (even dead member Sid Vicious), and through amazing clips and footage of the band at their decadent worst. Director Julian Temple had filmed so much of the band over the years and had access to so much of their lives, he paints an almost perfect picture of 70’s British unrest. The Pistols going nuts on live British TV is worth the film alone. Much better than the earlier drama Sid & Nancy.

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007) ***½

Hysterical documentary about two men battling to attain the highest Donkey Kong score and the measures each man will go through to get it. Film clearly establishes sides pitting the bearded egotistical champ against the down-on-his-luck nice guy. Brilliant look at a culture that perhaps never fully grew up, it’s incredibly ironic when a six year-old girl makes the smartest observation in the movie. A must-see.

The Office: Season Three (2007) ****

Yeah, okay, I’m cheating. Probably the best sitcom on television, and damn, if it doesn’t compete with the UK version. Season three arguably is the best season of this mockumentary of office life in Scranton. While Steve Carell is no Ricky Gervais, and the office romance has a twinge of “been there”ness to it, the supporting characters and brilliant scripts more than make up for it. If you even think about starting fresh with season 4 without a rewind, think again, buster.