Weekly Netflix Pick on We Got This Covered

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Adam A. Donaldson

14banksy_CA0-articleLargeIt’s time for the second of We Got This Covered‘s new weekly feature, “We Got Netflix Covered.” Handling the documentary pick is trickier than you think, and for week #2, I had a tough time deciding which of Netflix’s many docs deserved to be highlighted. So failing all other considerations, I chose a personal favourite of mine, the street art doc Exit Through the Gift Shop.

The film is directed by Banksy, a renowned street artist known as much for his anonymity as he is for his skills with a spray can. But Exit isn’t about Banksy, it’s about a man named Thierry Guetta who’s begins making a documentary about street art only to segue into becoming a street artist himself. Or does he? Is all this a gag about the crass commercialism of art with Guetta’s Mr. Brainwash as an elaborate straw man? Or maybe truth really is stranger than fiction. You decide.

We Got Netflix Covered Week 2

You can read my original review of Exit Through the Gift Shop on Film Beatnik.

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New Weekly Feature on We Got This Covered

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Adam A. Donaldson

mitt-documentaryWe Got This Covered kicked off a new weekly feature this week, a list of picks from various genres available to stream on Netflix Watch Instant. It’s an interesting idea, one I can’t take credit for, but with so much to watch on Netflix, it helps to have someone in the know to point you in the right direction. I’ll be handling documentaries.

My first pick is Mitt, which is also the first documentary picked up by Netflix. The titular subject is Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee for President of the United States in 2012. The director, Greg Whiteley, had incredible access to Romney and his family during the entire campaign, and the film shows the behind the scenes conversations and decisions that drove Romney through the process, from the primaries to Election Night.

I won’t go so far as say that Mitt, had it been released at a different time, would have changed the outcome of the election, but it does do a lot to humanize a man who more often than not has come off as robotic and out-of-touch. But my all means, check out my full recommendation at We Got Netflix Covered.

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Ontario Election Underway on Guelph Politico

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Adam A. Donaldson

election2014 copy

It seems like this election has been in the works since the last one ended in October 2011, but now it’s finally here! Unofficially, the election began last Friday when the NDP under leader Andrea Horwath refused to endorse the budget outlined by the Liberals under Kathleen Wynne, but Lieutenant-Governor is dropping the writ today. Later, you should see signs go up wherever you are in the Province of Ontario, and if it hasn’t already begun, the door-knocking and canvassing should begin soon.

On Guelph Politico, I will naturally be covering the election, and yes, that has already begun. I’ve posted a few stories about points of interest including Guelph MPP Liz Sandals’ refusal to get on Twitter and the initial campaign bumps of PC leader Tim Hudak. As the election season progresses, I’ll be posting new editions of the Guelph Politicast featuring interviews will all the Guelph candidates. I’ve already reached out to those campaigns and hope to start booking interviews soon.

In the meantime, I’ll keep writing about all the issues and other that comes up during the course of the campaign, right up until Election Day on June 12. You can follow the Guelph Politico election coverage here.

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Guelph Politicast with Author Chris Turner

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Adam A. Donaldson

The War on Science Chris TurnerFor the latest edition of the Guelph Politicast, the podcast component of Guelph Politico, I interviewed Chris Turner. Big deal, right? Who is this Chris Turner guy? Well, we wrote a very powerful new book called The War on Science: Muzzled Scientists and Wilful Blindness in Stephen Harper’s Canada, and if you belief in evidenced-based policy and the right of scientists to talk about science without the interference of government bureaucrats, then you should read this book.

Or listen to my interview with Turner.

Listen to the latest edition of the Guelph Politicast here.

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Review of ‘The Unknown Known’ on Politico

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Adam A. Donaldson

unknown-copyThe new Errol Morris documentary, The Unknown Known does a lot to reflect the charisma of its subject, the former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. What it doesn’t do is make all those that want to dine out on Rumsfeld’s failure as one of the Iraq War’s architects feel any better. Rumsfeld isn’t made to reconsider what a misadventure that was, and it reinforces the idea that he doesn’t care either.

No matter how you feel about Rumsfeld, you have to at least respect the fact that we would sit down for a grilling by a man who’s hardly friendly, let alone an ally. It also makes for a nice booked with Morris’ other interview with a former Secretary of Defense, The Fog of War. It’s interesting to compare and contrast the careers and points of view of both men, both leaders at the start of unpopular wars, and who learned very different lessons.

You can read my review of The Unknown Known on Guelph Politico.

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Quintessential Batman on Nerd Bastards

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Adam A. Donaldson

The-Long-Halloween-1996In a project I’ve been dabbling with pretty much since the start of the year, I finally posted by list of the Quintessential Batman stories on Nerd Bastards yesterday.

The project was simple in concept if not in execution. The challenge from Nerd Bastards boss Luke Gallagher was to come up with a comprehensive list of the best Batman stories across comic books, movies, and TV series. Considering the hundreds of hours of Batman screen stories and possibly thousands of issues of Batman and related comics, to parse that down to 10 was no easy task.

So I parsed it down to 12. Well, 12 and a bonus.

So what did I leave off? Part of my wanted to work one of the Arkham City video games into the mix, and maybe one of the more recent comic book stories like “The Court of Owls,” or “Death of the Family.” I also wish I could have found a stand out episode of Batman Beyond proper, and I wish I had the time to re-watch the whole show to find one.

Anyway, it’s a list I’m proud of. I’ll be interested to see if nerdery notes whether I missed anything obvious.

Quintessential Batman: The 12 Most Impactful Experiences of the Dark Knight

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