Contrary to a bunch of reviews posted already, I thought this was really well done. The scenes and shorts are *not* at all like what you see on the supposedly "imbedded" journalism and "true-to-life" stuff on pbs, cnn, etc. You just don't get clips like this of people speaking candidly, with real shots inside homes and villages, on television. And the editors and journalists did a good job picking truly interesting scenarios to involve themselves in. Yes, the pieces are short, but so is the modern attention span. I don't think that was necessarily a bad choice. It's not meant to be exhaustive journalism. It's more revelatory, I think, than anything else. Fascinating, really. And it definitely is journalism. What amazed me, the several times I've seen this (rented it, then bought it), is what a good piece of investigative journalism it turned out to be, without undue effort to be "scholarly" or "academic." The book is a cool addition to the dvd, with some interesting stories that don't turn up in the film-work. Filming and editing, music, etc. are spot-on, if a bit dark at times. In addition to showing clips that would never make it on to tv, I think the pieces probably also turn out well due to the nature of the reporters, and Vice, themselves-- due to an artistic inclination, I think. if you ask interesting questions-- if you yourself are interesting, and interested, you're more likely to get interesting results-- which they do.
Highly recommended.
Also, plugging: To Cook is Divine, Italian, Filipino, and Southern-style Vegetarian Recipes from Outside the Box for a bit of culture.
* The "PLO Boyscout" camp footage is unlike anything you will see in the mainstream or "left" media, but extremely insightful. I wish everyone would watch this who forms an opinion on the conflict in the middle-East and *then* form their opinion.
July 21, 2008Well... I'm never really let down with Vice, however this video left me with that feeling as though I was blue balled. Why? Well I thought it was going to be someone informative or show so actual stuff but the whole DVD came across as a fake. They get wasted and chat with people and nothing seems to add up. I mean getting drunk and going to places is fun and all but I felt this movie just didn't pack any punch.
vice... you have let me down with this one. Don't think I'll be purchasing another DVD from you in the near future but I will keep all your mags as they rule.
June 2, 2008A cool idea but filled with short clips that don't really go anywhere. Save your money and watch it on youtube.
November 20, 2007I gave this DVD to my 19 year old son. He really enjoyed it.
January 19, 2007The Tape is a collection of some incomplete stories. The visit to russia, pakistan and that eastern bloc country were pretty good. I wouldn't consider them serious journalist though.
January 16, 2007More reviews at Amazon.com ...
Daily Birthdays
(18 reviews)
