Document This- Food, Yoga and Old People

I promise, this isn't turning into a blog on documentaries- it's just that I watch them for a few minutes before I go to bed, while I workout, as I fold laundry and sometimes while I grade papers. I read that often too, it just takes longer to finish books... I just don't want anyone to think I'm cheating on books. I solemnly swear the things with the pages and words will always be number one in my heart. These week there were three:

Forks Over Knives
2011
96 minutes
This is an interesting film that pushes a plant based diet, meaning that we should basically become vegans and eat clean and whole foods. They provide a lot of evidence in the form of studies, expert advice, and case studies that support this cause. It makes perfect sense to me- we do not need to eat meat, preservatives, or chemicals. Unfortunately, just because it's the right thing to do doesn't mean it's easy, nor does it mean that I'm going to do a complete overhaul of my diet. The main things that I will take away from it is that we are prevent and treat many cardiovascular problems through improving our diets, that protein does not have to come from meat (as I am learning through my meat-free Lent diet right now), and that moderation really should be the focus for us all.

Should You Watch It? I think it would be a really great eye-opener for all Americans, although, like my husband is constantly reminding me, it does "have an agenda." Sometimes it can be helpful to visually see the information through a movie that just hear or read it.

Enlighten Up!
2008
81 minutes
This movie is about a filmmaker/yoga addict who decides she wants to basically convert a normal person into a yoga-enthusiast and see if they can find a meaning to the practice. She chooses Nick, a writer from NYC, as her subject. He explores many different types of yoga and even travels to India. He really tries to learn more about himself, his spirituality, and how to overcome the whole "I do yoga for the physical aspect" in order to focus on enlightenment. I think as a whole it may not have been as inspirational or thought-provoking as I had hoped, but it was really neat for me to see the different practices yoga has to offer.

Should You Watch It: If you practice yoga and have 81 minutes to spare, I'd say sure. Everyone else may be bored or intimidated by the crazy-ass positions the yogis practice. I did appreciate seeing him struggle with his journey to define his spirituality, since that's something I can semi-relate to.

Young@Heart
2007
108 minutes
I love this movie. Love, love, love, love. It tells the story of a group of senior-citizen that sing together in a chorus that tours North America and Europe, singing contemporary music. Their voices aren't necessarily great, but these elderly people have so much determination and heart it'll make you cry (like me... over and over again). They're wise, funny, and there's a 92-year old-lady that's a little horny. During the course of the documentary they prepare for an upcoming show and must overcome obstacles such as difficult lyrics, illness, and death (more crying... I'm a definite movie crier). My favorite scene is where they perform at a jail- there's nothing better than watching convicts with tats and missing teeth sway and grin at old people singing Sonic Youth's Schizophrenia.

Should You Watch It? Yes! It's really fantastic. If you only have streaming on Netflix it ends on 4/1, so hurry.


I created a tab at the top for the documentaries I write about. I know, it's awesome and will probably enhance your lives in a million ways. You're welcome.