Ed's Review Dot Com

BBC Scotland, Creative Scotland, Head Gear Films,

Simona Mauriello, Claire Greaney, Suzanne Coyle, Brogan McKay, Julia O’Rourke, John Whitehurst, Joe Bitter, John Carey, Sandun Verschoor

Jig is a documentary looking at the preparation for, and performance at the 40th Irish Dancing World Championships. From small kids just starting out, to near professional older teens, these kids work day and night to perfect their skills in the precise footwork it takes to compete in the World Championships. Irish dance is a unique performance art, depending all on the footwork, and it is a grueling sport. We look closely at the people who are fierce competitors. We see the extreme love they have for the sport as well as the sacrifice, pain, and suffering they go through to perfect their game. Each of the characters has his or her own story, and their situations are different. This is a look at the championships start to finish.

This is a well shot story, and very good if you’re interested in Irish dancing. However, if you’re not, there’s not much else here. There is a fair amount of suspense over who will win. It’s especially interesting watching the little girls compete. But they don’t ever explain the scoring system in the least, and it’s very weird. There is a whole page of numbers, and the scores are like, 27, 6, 1215, 82. I watched the tense contestants waiting as the scores were read, and they would suddenly erupt like they knew they won, while I had no clue what was going on. In other sports like gymnastics, figure skating, and the like, the announcers tell us the basics of the scoring system and it’s fairly simple. “Sally needs at least a 127 to take first place” In this sport, it could have used a little bit of explanation. Otherwise, there’s no real suspense or excitement. The dancing is very good, and the people are interesting, for sure, but it’s just no captivating unless you’re into the dancing. So beware if you’re not interested in a dancing documentary, as you could be bored to tears if you’re not. But if you are, this is a great way to learn the basic requirements of Irish dancing.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Woodshed Films, Inc

Yvon Chouinard, Jeff Johnson, Makohe

180 degrees South is a documentary, tree hugger sermon, outdoor showcase, and extreme sports film.   It is available on NetFlix “Watch Instantly”.  There are some problems with this film, but basically it’s beautiful.   Put aside the preaching of the environmentalist.  We understand that American’s are the most evil people on the planet, and man has destroyed almost all of nature with his greed and on and on and on.  But aside from that, this film is beautiful.  It documents a group who have dedicated their lives to doing what they want!   Hop on a boat and set off to Patagonia!  (This was in 1968).   The footage was found a few years ago by Jeff Johnson and he set off on a journey to recreate the trip.  The film is a compilation of the two trips.  On the way they visit the Galápagos Islands and Easter Islands, and some great surfing.  Then on to South America and a mountain climb of epic proportions.

The scenery is beautiful, and the cinematography is breathtaking.  If you love nature in it purest and untouched, this is a perfect way to see it.  If you love extreme sports like big wave surfing or mountain climbing, this is a way to enjoy it.

I enjoyed watching the views, and discounted a lot of the preaching, and all in all found it enjoyable.  I know some people loved it, and some hated it because they couldn’t get over the “message”, but I found it somewhere in the middle.   As a documentary, it was very well done, and worth the time I took to sit back and enjoy the scenery.