Documenting

So I’m home sick today – which is giving me time to get caught up on some things (um, sleep) and also gives me the opportunity to watch some mindless TV.  As Scotty and I don’t have a TV, this means finding something on iTunes.  For the past 7-8 months I’ve been completely disgusted by the movies on offer – they’re either puerile and revolting or sappy and shallow.  So, I’ve been renting documentaries.  And I am loving it.  Scotty and I have been enjoying this new trend in documenting all sorts of things and it’s spurred some good conversations.  It also affects how I see the world- thanks to “Objectified” I now see more elements of design everywhere and I have a new-found respect for my OXO vegetable peeler.  Here’s some of the documentaries that have stood out.  Just so it’s easy for you to learn more about each film, each image is linked to a trailer from the movie, so just click away!

Objectified – great documentary about how design surrounds us.  Interesting discussion on the role of designers in enhancing the human experience.

Lemonade is a uplifting take on how people’s lives are changed when they’re handed that dreaded pink slip.  The filmmakers followed several people in creative jobs who had been recently laid off to see what they did with all that free time.  The results are inspiring.

Following the process from inspiration to idea to marketing concept, Art and Copy follows some of the best people in advertising.  Very interesting.

A serious one here, Manufacturing Consent was produced back in the 80s (I think) and is basically a collection of lectures and interviews with Noam Chomsky.  His view of politics and media is fascinating and this is definitely a thought provoker.

Surfwise is definitely the wackiest of the bunch.  This tells the story of the Paskowitz family – all 10 of them!  The Paskowitz parents decided to live off the grid and in a camper with their eight children and basically spend a lot of their time surfing.  Years later the children have all grown up and are now looking back on their less-than-conventional upbringing.

For all you fellow Apple people out there, this one’s a good look at the company behind the products we love!  As stated in the movie, “Apple is able to make products you don’t even know you need until you see them.”  Of course, this documentary is full of quirky characters and definitely worth seeing.

This one has been out for a while and my brother first introduced me to it almost two years ago, but I think that no documentary list is complete without Man on Wire.  If you haven’t seen it, you can rent it on iTunes!

We’ve watched a few others including The September Issue and Freakonomics but were less impressed with them.  Of course, as all of these are documentaries, they may contain material offensive to some, so if you have any concerns, feel free to email me.  And now that I’ve shared some good ideas for your Friday night rental, would you mind sending some suggestions my way?  I’m stuck at home with this nasty cold and need something to occupy my poor stuffed up brain.