Blackfish
This documentary highlights safety issues regarding killer whales kept in captivity. It examines the documented dangers of keeping these huge creatures in confinement. It reveals the horrible conditions in which these creatures are kept as well as the deaths of many whale trainers. The film showcases live video footage of killer whales both in captivity and in the wild. Interviews with several former trainers are also featured in this revealing documentary.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
This is the compelling tale of Jiri Ono, 85, widely regarded as the greatest Sushi chef in the whole wide world. Jiri Ono is a legend of the Japanese culinary Art of Sushi. Jiro is the proprietor of SukiyabashiJiro, a restaurant situated in a Tokyo subway station. The restaurant is rather small, seating only ten but quite expensive. He charges three hundred dollars for a single meal of sushi in his restaurant. Notwithstanding its modest appearance, this restaurant attracts pilgrimages from lovers of sushi all around the globe and many book seats several months in advance and forking out princely sums for a seat in this world famous restaurant. Jiro’s two sons are also profiled in this documentary and one of them is primed to take over from his dad and perpetuate the family tradition.
The documentary highlights the finer human aspects of family life and the quest for perfection in human endeavor.
Charles Bradley: Soul of America
This documentary chronicles the rise to fame of Charles Bradley at the relatively old age of 65. Bradley grew up in the ghettoes of America. He did odd jobs to survive, playing small gigs and often playing back up for various bands from Seattle, through Florida, Maine and Brooklyn. Finally, fate dealt him a fair hand when a co-founder of Daptone Records, Gabriel Roth discovered him. Eventually, he secured a record deal along with Menahan Street Band which propelled him to national acclaim and success. Their 2011 record, No Time for Dreaming was acclaimed as one of the best of its category that year.
Fed Up
Fed Up painfully confronts America with the sordid details of her self-indulgence in diet and its ravaging consequences on the health of a nation. Childhood obesity has taken on epidemic proportions in American society. The movie looks at the underlying factors behind childhood obesity focusing on the dangers of dietary sugars. This documentary is thorough in revealing the dangerous implications of America’s uncontrolled addiction to unhealthy diets. The documentary features sobering and even frightening statistics and interviews with experts who outline America’s unregulated addiction to junk foods.
Somme
The Somme chronicles four men’s attempts to pass the most difficult examination in the world of winery, The Master Sommelier exam, a feat successfully performed by only 214 men in the world. They study through the night attempting to memorize obscure facts about different kinds of wine, their production methods and wine making regions of the world. The Somme is a truly heart rending tale of human doggedness in the face of impossibility.
Alive Inside
This is a moving account of the healing power of music over forms of mental ill health. Michael Rossato Bennett documents how music is used to fight the adverse effects of Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia. Music and Memory is a non-profit organization dedicated to using music to combat loss of memory among victims of mental disease. Dan Cohen, founder of Music and Memory is fed up of America’s ailing healthcare system and takes it upon himself to find solutions. The documentary show cases and scenes where patients of Alzheimer’s disease respond positively when music from their past is played.
