The Family of Brenner: !010: The Class in Film: "Waiting for .

I'd be damned shocked if I even had any loyal readers left. and kids, I can't say I charge you.I've been awful, read: awful at updating this thing, and I'm sorry about that, because lord knows I've got the thoughts and opinions to take this bad boy up.A lot has happened since we last spoke: the election, the fact that the Gator chomp is ok but this: Devier Posey taught me how to Dougie, isn't, the world banned Four Loko, but right now I'm here to review some GD movies, so let's get to it.

really saw this flick weeks ago, but for some reason just never got round to blogging it.So here goes nothing.Now documentaries don't usually find their way to my movie schedule too often, I wish to see myself pretty damn well informed, and usually already know 99% of what's in them (let's be honest: almost every documentary ever made is a dumbed down adaptation of a book, which is a dumbed down adaptation of some research because Americans are damned stupid), but since I'm obsessed with how stupid people are, this one was right in my wheelhouse.Acclaimed documentarian Davis Guggenheim (the manager of "An Inconvenient Truth") takes aim at the American education system, once the envy of the world, and now a glaring eyesore.This documentary does an awesome job at certain things but fails at others, and seems at times to lose lot of its actual mission.It focuses on the failings of public schools, especially in interior cities, where "dropout factories" often neglect to graduate 60-70% of their classes.Considering the demographic reality of what a high school drop out can trust to accomplish in modern America, the devastating long term impact these failing schools can get on their surrounding communities is evident.Guggenheim chooses to reach the subject matter heft by centering on 5 families, each who have their hopes for their childrens' future pegged on gaining access to prestigious charter schools that succeed where the world schools in the sami communities fail miserably.Guggenheim sets his sights on two things in particular: teacher's unions (which, like all public employee unions - can be pretty damn evil), who concentrate on keeping jobs over ensuring quality education and school bureaucracies, which hog resources and change the direction from educating.The growth of charter schools over the preceding 20 years has made it manifest that inner city kids can be educated, so it is the school systems themselves that are failing.Of course, there are counter-points to everything, but Guggenheim does a big job in effectively and often powerfully demonstrating the societal costs of shitty teachers, shitty schools, and a shitty education.This flick's major failing, for me, was in not demonstrating the actual techniques that provide these charter schools to succeed where their traditional brethren fail.That is a major defect in an otherwise powerful message.Guggenheim focuses on those who try to reform education, and experience had success in doing so.There should be no question that the American educational system is an embarrassment, one we should all be ashamed of.People are dumb, very dumb, and without outrage, that's never going to change.Actually this flick reminded me a lot of the absolutely essential television serial "The Wire", which if you haven't watched, get the fuck off of the net and go get that happen already, in that the failings aren't due to any bad intentions on anyone's part, just ossification of institutions and a whole lot of CYOA at all levels(that's covering your own ass) without taking any chances.While it can be manipulative at times, on the whole, the film does a secure job of effectively delivering a much-needed message.If we don't wake up, and sooner rather than later, it will be too late, and our order will suffer those advantages that allowed Us to get what it is today.Education is the base of "democracy", and dumb kids become dumb voters become dumb workers and so on.7.5/10.