Month: December 2014

THE UNION: THE BUSINESS BEHIND GETTING HIGH (2007)

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“I want to get highhhhhh, so high.” B-Real

A entertaining, informative documentary directed by Brett Harvey about the history of marijuana in the U.S. and Canada and chronicling the many uses of this incredible plant that is classified as (criminally) illegal in many countries.

It presents the facts about marijuana and goes behind the veil of the underground market; from the growers to the dealers, the police to the doctors and politicians, we get to see how this multi-billion dollar industry works and how there is more profit from it being illegal than if it was available as easily as tobacco and alcohol.

It remains in the same punishable category as heroin and cocaine in the U.S. and the discrepancy in affects and effects is indoubtable.

Adam Scorgie presents this informative doc that starts in British Columbia in Canada and explores how 85% of the home-grown BC bud is exported to the U.S.. He does so with little fanfare or sensationalism, which is refreshing at a time when the presenters present more of themselves than the subject matter.

Whilst treading some of the same ground as Grass, Ron Mann’s documentary on the American war on marijuana, it is a timely film that highlights the ridiculous nature of these outdated, mis-informed and ultimately, business biased laws.

If you don’t know about the many uses of this incredible plant, where have you been? For the already converted, this doc is worth a look.

BUY THE DVD HERE

DOWNLOAD THE FILM ON iTUNES HERE

3.5/5

GOMORRA (2008)

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A gangster film with a difference; gone are the romantic, sweeping strokes of the films we know and love, and in its place is a City of God style realism that takes you to the heart of this violent world.

Based on Roberto Saviano’s best selling account of the Camora, an crime organization in Naples that is akin to the Sicilian Mafia and directed by Mateo Garrone, this incredible film is so engaging for a film that eschews conventional story-telling and in its place gives the audience a documentary style that grabs the viewer and doesn’t let go until the final credits.
Garrone lived for 2 months in the Scampia area that the film takes place in before filming the movie and Saviano, the writer of the book, had to go into hiding after the publication in fear for his life.

The violence is quick and over before you know it, making it all the more visceral and shocking, but it’s the threat of violence that looms over the proceedings that lingers. The estate that much of the film takes place in is steeped in poverty and the residents are trapped in a cycle of war between the gangs that live there.

The word mafia is never used in The Godfather, and the same happens here, Camora is never mentioned.

Gomorrah won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes the year it came out and well-deservedly so. This is a film like few others. It feels like a documentary and this is down to the brilliant editing of Marco Spoletini, the impeccable direction of Garrone but the main honours should go to the actors. Toni Servillo is the only really well-known actor here, the rest are a mixture of seasoned theatre actors and kids from the street (as in City of God).
They are so committed and rooted in reality that you never see the acting and this is testament to Garrone’s direction and their incredible talent.

The last shot is so powerful, it’s been a while since I felt this way at the end of a film.

With the release of the television series, it was finally time to watch this film that has been on my radar since it came out and what an experience it was.

This is a brilliant indictment of the corrupt, broken system that is in place in Naples to this day; brutal, raw and honest.

A must watch.

BUY THE FILM ON BLU RAY DVD HERE

DOWNLOAD THE FILM ON iTUNES HERE

4/5