I found out about this documentary film as it used to be listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I had no idea about it prior Reading about it, it did sound like it could be worthwhile, directed by Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line, A Brief History of Time). Basically, it profiles four men with extraordinary (unrelated) careers. Dave Hoover is a retired professional lion tamer, he formerly worked in the circus training lions to do tricks. George Mendonça is an elderly topiary gardener, working to create animal-shaped shrubs at Green Animals Topiary Garden in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Ray Mendez is a naked mole-rats expert, a specialist who studies the hairless burrowing creatures. Rodney Brooks is a scientist working at M.I.T. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), he specialises in designing bug-like robots. Besides their interest and enthusiasm for what they do, these four men have nothing in common. They narrate the film in their own words, making eye contact with the audience, with a camera technology called the Interrotron, the invention of director Morris. As they are explaining about their professions and what goes into them, these are overlapped and interrelated to one of the other professions, using archive footage. Archive footage seen throughout includes the four men working in their professions, related material of their jobs, television and film footage, news reports and more. A musical score, from composer Caleb Sampson, and performed by the Alloy Orchestra, is heard throughout. The four men, all quirky with eccentric characteristics, make what they are talk about, even if it is either strange or unrelatable, surprisingly interesting. The use of overlapping and other editing techniques throughout are clever. If you are looking for a different kind of documentary, this is certainly one to be seen, an interesting and worthwhile film. Good!
Review of Fast, Cheap & Out of Control
