tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post7572599567265538370..comments2024-03-28T06:14:54.076-04:00Comments on And So It Begins...: No Cameras AllowedAlex Withrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-52003117388503774142014-09-05T12:54:37.545-04:002014-09-05T12:54:37.545-04:00Hey Marcus's dad (if that is indeed you), than...Hey Marcus's dad (if that is indeed you), thanks so much for the comment. It was great to have some of these things cleared up. <br /><br />I'm not sure what this sentence means: "The part about the Mark V: You hope your brain surgeon has the best equipment for your mental rearrangement, so it goes with film artists as well." But that's all good. Really cool of you to stop by.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-83197526425841082632014-09-04T20:11:58.828-04:002014-09-04T20:11:58.828-04:00Alex, this is Marcus's dad. The film is as tr...Alex, this is Marcus's dad. The film is as true as the sunrise today; completely ligit, untouched by MTV. Oh yeah, the part about being broke: that was ligit too. I know because his parents are cheap SOB's. The part about the Mark V: You hope your brain surgeon has the best equipment for your mental rearrangement, so it goes with film artists as well. relax, enjoy the film, don't get a mortgage, get a R.V..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-60828059524380846732014-08-22T18:09:52.964-04:002014-08-22T18:09:52.964-04:00It definitely makes for an interesting viewing. I ...It definitely makes for an interesting viewing. I was very impressed with its overall style.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-41239754561019439392014-08-22T16:22:59.355-04:002014-08-22T16:22:59.355-04:00Oh, this sounds very interesting. Valid or not, it...Oh, this sounds very interesting. Valid or not, it does look entertaining. I might check it out at some point.Joshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08596682195753811295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-73443435691816630222014-08-21T19:17:10.955-04:002014-08-21T19:17:10.955-04:00Likewise, it is great that a fellow critic "g...Likewise, it is great that a fellow critic "gets" what I'm going for in my review. So thank you, kind sir. Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-6230219517415686612014-08-21T07:32:46.270-04:002014-08-21T07:32:46.270-04:00Great piece Alex; I love how you've done some ...Great piece Alex; I love how you've done some honest-to-goodness investigative journalism here, but haven't let the potential inauthenticity of the film overshadow its work as a piece of entertainment. It's great to see a critic identify the flaws in a film but look past them to evaluate the work as a whole.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-39284780217093551062014-08-19T12:08:15.828-04:002014-08-19T12:08:15.828-04:00Thanks Aditya! Thankfully, while No Cameras Allowe...Thanks Aditya! Thankfully, while No Cameras Allowed is much about it's maker, it's still a well put together film. Herzog is such a fascinating storyteller - I love his stance on truth in films.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-19659982725732015972014-08-19T11:23:15.800-04:002014-08-19T11:23:15.800-04:00This seems like a really fascinating film, and I w...This seems like a really fascinating film, and I will see if I can find it. While I am not the biggest fan of documentaries set around their maker (I didn't like Catfish all that much), this seems very interesting. I also agree wholeheartedly with what you said in your review and Stergios' comment above. I was quite surprised to learn that there are certain parts of documentaries that are staged, but I think Herzog summed it up excellently. Yet another brilliant review, Alex :)Aditya Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-2419915707747145092014-08-19T10:40:00.068-04:002014-08-19T10:40:00.068-04:00Yeah, definitely fair enough. I would be curious t...Yeah, definitely fair enough. I would be curious to hear your thoughts on the validity of the film. But I will say this... the movie really does <i>look</i> great.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-22229205940531627482014-08-19T00:14:32.700-04:002014-08-19T00:14:32.700-04:00I don't know if I want to see it. Plus, I ten...I don't know if I want to see it. Plus, I tend to avoid anything involving MTV. thevoid99https://www.blogger.com/profile/03055459287396592446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-54135920231118543832014-08-18T17:25:54.143-04:002014-08-18T17:25:54.143-04:00Hell yeah man, you seem to completely "get&qu...Hell yeah man, you seem to completely "get" what this film is selling (as did I), so I'd LOVE to hear what you think of this film.<br /><br />"...not even a documentary can depict our universe and our reality to the fullest." YES. Exactly. Couldn't agree more. And one thing I'll say - I loved my time with No Cameras Allowed. The film is a lot of fun and breezes by. I only started to question its validity after the fact. But during, I loved it.<br /><br />Thanks so much for the comment!Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-64450555354005472302014-08-18T17:23:30.187-04:002014-08-18T17:23:30.187-04:00I'm lucky - one of the very few theaters No Ca...I'm lucky - one of the very few theaters No Cameras Allowed played in is only about 5 miles from my house. It's actually a chain of theaters, about 7 of them around LA, owned by one guy. They show only indie films, including some deep cut indies like No Cameras Allowed. So every Friday, I go on their website and read the bios of the new movies they have. No Cameras Allowed sounded interesting, so off I went.<br /><br />Now, there is a <i>little</i> bit of the "Look at me! Look at me!" vibe to No Cameras Allowed, but it definitely doesn't dominate the film. I too am not a fan of docs that predominately focus on their maker. (Catfish is a great example of that - what a crap film.)<br /><br />I'd honestly be interested in your thoughts on No Cameras Allowed. Haney has said he encourages people to download the film illegally, so, have at it!Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-1497022180681418892014-08-18T16:23:10.605-04:002014-08-18T16:23:10.605-04:00Great review, as always. I'm so taken with thi...Great review, as always. I'm so taken with this kind of vivid, enthusiastic, sometimes even flawed, but constantly fascinating filmmaking. I really am, man. And it's so awesome to read from you something that was always on my mind while watching a film: "Film is a medium based on manipulation." It is the art of illusion. A filmmaker has only way to reach an audience and take them on a journey with him and that would be to somehow manipulate the way the audience thinks and feels. Even if it's a documentary we're talking about, it doesn't matter that much indeed if it's more staged than spontaneous, if the filmmaker has the ability to make you dive into the universe he has created. Because simply put, not even a documentary can depict our universe and our reality to the fullest. Fictional techniques such as editing, scripted narration and staged shots, let alone the use of music that you mention and obviously cinempatography (and really that's just to name a few) are definitely parts of making any film and a documentary is really no exception. But if a fimmaker has the balls and the enthusiastic approach in his work that will make you dive into his view on our reality, that's something, no doubt about that. "No cameras allowed" truly seems to make for an interesting and entertaining watch and I'm really egaer to watch it. Thank you for another excellent post.Stergiosnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-30207540512860715502014-08-18T15:55:10.192-04:002014-08-18T15:55:10.192-04:00This sounds interesting. I've never heard of t...This sounds interesting. I've never heard of this doc before and am curious how you managed to stumble upon it. Was it showing in a theater near you or did the reddit Q&A catch your attention? <br />But aside from that, while I love a good doc (and Mr. Herzog is definitely one of my favorites as well) this sounds like one of those where the film is entirely focused on the documentarian. I've seen quite a few docs like that and the either bore the fuck out of me or just plain piss me off. A 20-something year old guy sneaking into big festivals, and who apparently has quite a bit of cash, just seems like one of those projects where the filmmaker is going, "Oh look at me. Look at how edgy I am. I'm totally doing something original." Am I on the right track with that or is it just my wild imagination putting these ideas onto this film? maskofgojirahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18305737005899440472noreply@blogger.com