American Birder
Enjoy beautiful birds and lovely banjo work in this new short film by Daniel Roca.
Movie Review: Ghost Bird
Back in September, Scott Crocker's Ghost Bird played at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, and Arthur and I went down to see it. The movie was pretty limited in its theatrical run, so if you didn't get a chance to see it, you're in luck because it comes out on DVD tomorrow.
Crocker's documentary follows the saga of the search for the (presumed extinct) Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and the frenzy that ensued after a video purported to capture an IBWO in flight was made public. According to the official website:
Ghost Bird is a feature length documentary about an extinct giant woodpecker, a small town In Arkansas hoping to reverse it misfortunes, and the tireless odyssey of the bird-watchers and scientists searching for the Holy Grail of birds, the elusive Ivory-billed woodpecker.
Promotional material for the movie made me think it would be primarily about the crazy changes that happened in and around Brinkley, Arkansas following the rediscovery. The movie does take a humorous (and ironic) tone when Brinkley is the focus, but the film tells so much more. Bird experts, ornithologists, museum curators, and others all weigh in on the controversy, and the tales they share are maddening, amazing, and fascinating.
Birders and non-birders alike will enjoy this well-made, informative and entertaining documentary. Whether you followed the 2004 Ivory-billed Woodpecker rediscovery story closely or not, check out Ghost Bird. I give Ghost Bird 5 Goldfinches out of 5.
Ghost Bird is available for streaming via Amazon. My review is based on a theatrical screening.
Movie Review: Kestrel's Eye
Back in October I had a look through Netflix's catalog of streaming titles, looking for bird-themed movies available on Instant Watch. After Rare Birds, I watched Mikael Kristersson's Kestrel's Eye, a documentary that follows a pair of Common Kestrels without any narration or commentary. Note:...
More Netflix Instant Watch for Birders
Netflix has been in the news a lot in the last couple of weeks, mostly because of the outrage they faced from customers after an announced price hike. We're still happy with Netflix, although we'll probably switch to streaming-only before the price hike deadline. Since my post Netflix...
Movie Review: Hoot
Wil Shriner's Hoot tells the story of three young environmental warriors who band together to save a colony of Burrowing Owls from the bulldozers of development in Florida. Hoot is based upon a young adult novel by Carl Hiassen. The story revolves around new kid in town Roy...