Soul Power

This documentary was put together in 2008 using some of the many hours of film shot before and during the 1974 concert in Kinshasa, Zaire, around the big event of the heavyweight boxing championship between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. You might have seen some of the footage shot if you watched the 1996 documentary When We Were Kings that focused on the fight itself; this one focuses on the concert. If you like soul music I really recommend this DVD, both for the music and the dancing. There were African and American musicians and dancers, as well as a great Cuban group showcasing Celia Cruz -- all wonderful to watch and listen to: BB King, James Brown, The Spinners, Miriam Makeba and more.

The Secret in their Eyes

This film won Best Foreign Language Film at the recent Oscars; since I haven't seen any of the other contenders I can't offer my opinion on whether or not it deserved to win or compare it to the others. But I will say that I found it quite an interesting and compelling film, though I probably wouldn't rave about it quite as much as some film critics have. It's from Argentina and is a haunting mystery/thriller with political overtones and also includes personal/intimate life details of the various characters including unrequited love spanning many years. The cinematography is beautiful and an interesting style and the characters also kept my interest throughout. One thing I very much appreciated was the sense that in some way that I can't really explain the whole film was presented with a strong flavour of Argentina and would have been a very different film if it had been made in North America or Europe. I don't know if this film will ever come to Halifax (I'm on vacation in Berkeley, California) but I'm sure it will be available on DVD at some point.