hibishop Reviews

Air Guitar Nation (2006)

"To ere is human. To air guitar is divine."

[10/10 · 26 June 2006]

I saw this film at SilverDocs 2006, AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Film Festival in Silver Spring, MD. I was initially hesitant to see this movie, because seriously, how good can a film called "Air Guitar Nation" be? In actuality, I was surprisingly entertained and amazed by this engaging film.

Unlike some documentaries that seem rushed or incomplete, "Air Guitar Nation" is a finished work. The film begins by introducing a score of wholly unique and zany, yet ultimately very human competitors into the world of air guitar. Though comical at first glance, the competitors rise above the visual silliness of strumming air to let their personalities warm the hearts of the audience.

By the end of the film, I was rooting whole-heartedly for all the competitors as they battled for the World Air Guitar Championship. I walked out of the theater with the sounds of great music in my head and a newfound respect for air guitar in general. And once at home, I blew the dust off my own air guitar and jammed out a few solos!

Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999)

A Great, if not the Greatest, Show Ever Made

[4 March 2004]

"Homicide: Life on the Street" is a wonderful show. It follows the lives of the Detectives of the Baltimore Homicide Unit as they arrive on the scene of another grizzly murder. The show is about the detectives and how they deal with the day to day task of investigating the dead and hunting for the killers. In this way, the characters are richly developed, more than any other 'cop show' I know. The show is based after the non-fiction book, "Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets" by David Simon which chronicles the lives of the Baltimore Homicide Unit for a year. It's a great book, by the way - a great side addition to the series or visa versa. To put the show into context with other TV 'cop shows,' "Homicide" is like the first half hour of "Law and Order" episodes, in that it deals with the detectives and the investigations of the crimes. However, "Homicide" does not focus entirely on the crime scene like "C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation," rather the show tends to focus on, like I said earlier, the characters. Great characters. Great acting. In fact, you can find many of the same actors reused in episodes of "Law and Order," "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit," "Third Watch," and HBO's "Oz."