Dream Deceivers

A few weeks ago some friends and I were talkin' documentaries and listing some of our favorites. We all agreed that the Maysles were the kings of the genre (I fear Drew Barrymore's impending performance as Edie Beale), but I lamented the fact that I've never been able to scrounge up a rental or purchase of two movies I love and haven't seen in years. The first, "Cannibal Tours," is a scathing and alternately funny and depressing look at white tourists culture-clashing with natives of Papua New Guinea in the 1980s. It's far and away my favorite ethnographic film, as anthropology's only worth a damn when it's completely subjective.
Watch a quick, awesome clip here, more info here.

I was really, really excited to discover that somebody posted the other doc I've been wanting to watch again on Google Video. "Dream Deceivers" tells the story of two teenage boys in Reno who shot themselves in the face after getting really drunk and convincing themselves that the Judas Priest song they were listening to was subliminally urging them to do it. Remember when everybody was really concerned with subliminal messages? That was like a genuine anxiety gripping the nation. Anyway, the boys' families subsequently sued Judas Priest, and the film captures the trial and the life of the horrifically disfigured surviving teen. I just learned that the comic "Preacher" based the character Arseface on James Vance. It's virtually identical actually.

Watch the movie here. Anyone with even a passing interest in Judas Priest, 1980s metal culture, issues of personal responsibility, and/or music censorship will find it fascinating.

Gang Starr - Full Clip
EPMD - Headbanger