British director Kevin Macdonald (“The Last King of Scottland”, “Touching the Void”) asked people around the world to document important moments of their lives on July 24 2010 and upload those videos to youtube. More than 80.000 people from 192 countries participated and submitted more than 4500 hours of digital film.

Using that material Macdonald then, together with his editor Joe Walker, cut a film that’s partly happy, partly sad, and sometimes thrilling. Produced is the movie by “Blade Runner” director Ridley Scott. Starting this July it will hit theaters in the US.

The first video below is part of “the creators project”, a docu series done by VBS. It gives some interesting insight into Brain Farm’s camera and technical equipment that allows them to capture their amazing footage. The second one is their general reel which has just more of those action and nature moments like the footage of the avalanche in the beginning.

DARK SIDE OF THE LENS from Astray Films on Vimeo.

The end of the year is a big time for lists, and publications, and publications that make lists.  It’s kind of like VH1, except instead of Carrot Top commenting on MC Hammer’s pants or how hot Brooke Shields was in the 1981 Calvin Klein campaign, we have a tweed-coated columnist telling us about the year’s best…everything.

Although I normally skim over these lists skeptically (did Adventureland REALLY make it onto a list for the ten best movies of the decade?), I was blown away by the New York Times Magazine’s’ “9th Annual Year in Ideas” list. It’s full of discoveries that are cool (face-detecting digital advertisements that move and respond to passers-by), relevant (a beer bottle is more effective at cracking the human skull if it’s empty, rather than full), and futuristic (the development of an ethical robot; a Google algorithm applied to the analysis of animal extinction). From start to finish, the list offers a broad and refreshing look at the innovations that will likely shape the kinds of technological, cultural, social and artistic strides that will be made in 2010.

Oh, and for whoever got my name in the Secret Santa pool, I wouldn’t say no to Ruppy the flourescent dog. (It sure beats my invisible one.)

Many of us know David Lynch—maybe not personally or through some weird Kevin Baconesque degrees of separation game—but by his visually eery and idiosyncratic movie direction. Since June, 01 2009 he has been doing: Interview Project. A collection of interviews that captures different people along a road trip taken throughout the USofA. Not much more to say here, other than they are pretty interesting. Enjoy!

My wife and I have been waiting for this one for awhile. She’s primarily interested because she seemed to enjoy the Alice Sebold book it’s based on, while I’m into it because it was filmed in and around the Philly suburbs where we both grew up and still live.

Part of the movie (or at least a scene) takes place in MacDade Mall, a local shopping center where I was gainfully employed in the late 80s by both The Radio Shack (selling Tandys and Optimus car stereos at a 6.75% commission, and no, we never called it “The Shack”) and The Carlton Shop, locally infamous for selling cut-rate Bugle Boys, Triple Fat Goose jackets, and knockoff pairs of “Z. Cavaruccis.” The mall has been largely abandoned for at least half a decade but has strangely remained open, flanked on both ends by an Acme and a Kmart, with a lonely Fashion Bug remaining the only store open in an otherwise empty mall.

Along comes Peter Jackson, who—from what I hear—has an obsession for detail in his sets. The Lovely Bones crew spent several weeks preparing the mall for the shoot. And not just a store here or there, but the entire mall, circa 1971. From the food court and a movie theater (now showing: “Live and Let Die,” “American Graffiti”), to a head shop and record store (pristine Bowie albums in cellophane in the racks). I visited the set back in December 2007, and the result was nothing short of fascinating. Jackson’s storied level of detail was there, down to period Mastercard and Diners Club stickers on the storefront windows.

I was able to get off a number of blurry iPhone shots but Dylan Sheridan, a set dresser on the crew, did a much better job of documenting his work. So here’s a look at the mall from “The Lovely Bones” from both of our perspectives.

Every store in the mall had beautiful vintage signage, some intricately backlit:

“Love” head shop, selling beaded curtains, jeans patches, and Led Zep blacklight posters:

Top Tunes Records. The racks were fully stocked with multiple copies of vintage LPs, just in case someone in the theater can read the spines, I guess:

Love the classic oil lamp in the window:

Movie theater marquee:

I unfortunately forget the other pictures and showtimes, but they were all awesome:

Bauermans Furniture. Window signage was advertising a holiday sale:

Toto’s Toy Town, complete with a working train layout, which the set dressers were detailing with foliage. I wonder how that figures into the film:

The toy store was fully stocked with 1971 toys and board games. Stay Alive, anyone?

Bobo’s Big Sandwiches getting the hand-painted sign treatment. I wish stores these days applied this level of care and detail to their signage:

I’m pretty sure my mom shopped at the Baste ‘n’ Stitch. And my wife would shop there today:

The newsstand was a study in detail:

This nondescript store at the end of the mall used to be the smoke-filled Time Zone arcade, where I once spent an entire summer’s salary on Spy Hunter. That was before I discovered booze:

I know several photographers who would buy the entire stock of this store, even at today’s prices:

And finally, the lunch counter. Which was actually a lunch counter in the mall’s heyday. Part of me was hoping that some genius developer would walk in, declare the mall “perfect,” buy the whole thing outright and just reopen all the stores as-is.

So this month it’s one year I am living in Philadelphia, the city of pretzels, brotherly love, huge city parks and that “old” – spelled with an “e” at the end – neighborhood filled with historic landmarks and people wearing white scruffy wigs. As you know, I come from the Old World and this is why I am spoiled when it comes to talk about history. I guess you can’t help if you grow up in a town that has being busy since the Western Roman Empire. But one thing that fascinates me of America is the appreciation and effort to preserve old – but indeed recent – traditions and cultural roots that instead other countries just don’t care that much about (hello, Italy). This said, it happened to me to recently discover Folkstreams, an amazing source of documentary films about American folklore. The selection of films is pretty good, and in the lazy sunday afternoon of yesterday I decided to watch a documentary from the 70s about letter cutting, in both monumental inscriptions and on gravestones titled “Final Marks: The Art of the Carved Letter”.  Maybe it’s because I don’t know anything about engraving monuments, or maybe it’s because I can look at letters for hours/days/months and never get bored, but I really liked this film. It’s about these extraordinary carvers  of The John Stevens Shop, founded in 1705 in Newport, Rhode Island that is one of the oldest continuously operating businesses in the country. They carved all the most important and symbolic sites like the John F. Kennedy Tomb, the World War II Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial, but also institutions like Yale and Harvard Universities. Would you be able to make an R that cool?

You’ll make me happy if tonight you’ll watch this movie, both having an espresso or sipping from a large cup of coffee to go.

Bigger.Stronger.Faster.

What’s more American than steroids? Not much! Remember, “if you’re not first, you’re last” here in America and this documentary has the facts to prove it. This film takes an in depth look at Steroid use in America and the affects they have on sports, the youth of America, and users. Recommended for any gym rat, athlete, or avid sports fan.

Man on Wire

There isn’t much that is more exciting than watching a person tightrope walk from one side of Notre Dame to the another. What about walking across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia while traffic is passing below. How about that same person walking from Tower 1 to Tower 2 in New York City. Watching Philippe Petit tightrope walk in the most dangerous of situations is breathtaking, but listening to the planning that went into making it all possible just might be more interesting. 3/4 English, 1/4 Subtitle, 4/4 awesome!

Planet B-Boy

Whether you can pop and lock or not, this documentary will send you out the club this coming weekend. The best break dancers in the world come together for the annual competition held in Germany. You probably won’t be able to keep up with these dudes, but watching the well thought out choreography and individual moves is awesome. An additional sub story about a son’s quest to earn his father’s honor only makes this film that much better. Also half subtitled, but well worth the read.

King of Kong

Did you know that original arcade video games can run out of memory and what’s known as a killscreen occurs? I didn’t until I watch two guys competing to become the world record holder of Donkey Kong’s top score. This documentary is really well thought out, featuring a hero, villain, wise men, and a bunch of dorks. No subtitles here, just a bunch of awesome and a guarantee that while you might not know who Billy Mitchell is, you won’t be able to stand him after you watch this.

The Bridge

While this might be one of the most creepiest documentaries I’ve seen in quite sometime, it’s still very interesting. This one’s definitely not for everyone as it focuses on the Golden Gate Bridge being one of the most soughtafter placing to commit suicide. The film includes interviews with the loved ones which took the jump, an interview with a teenager lucky enough to survive a jump, and video of actual jumps. Depressing throughout, but informational if you can handle it.

This Film Is Not Yet Rated

Are you interesting to know who is in charge of deciding if a movie is PG-13, R, or NC-17? If so, watch this doozy. Director Kirby Dick devises a master plan to revile the hidden identity of the MPAA rating board. He then submits his film to that same rating board for a rating, which he clearly doesn’t receive. An interesting take on censorship in America and how it’s…well…nonsense.

Air Guitar Nation

It’s no surprise I’m ending this post with one of the best. Similar to Planet B-Boy this documentary follows the air guitar competition through the United States all the way to the annual contest held in Finland. Most find this idea brilliant or ridiculous, clearly it’s both. Entertainment at it’s finest, not to mention you’ll want to either enter next year’s competition or attend it.

Still many more documentaries to come, let’s consider this Part 1 of an endless number of possible updates. Please leave comments with some that you’d recommend to us.