Saturday, June 12, 2010

Convention - Movie Review

Convention (NR) 95 minutes C+
A conventional summer

Starring Katherine Archueletta, John Hickenlooper, Kevin Scott, Guillermo "Bill" Vidal, Chantal Unfug, Lee Ann Colacioppo, Kevin Dale, Curtis Hubbard, Jeremy Meyer, Gregory Moore, Allison Sherry, Barbara Cohen, Mark Cohen and Glenn Spagnuolo.

Convention is a new documentary film by AJ Schnack that chronicles behind-the-scenes planning and preparations during the 2008 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Denver.

I enjoyed the film and was surprised by old emotions that resonated while reliving the historic event. But, unless you’re into politics, interested in journalism, live in Denver or was involved (volunteering, campaigning, attended, etc…) I don’t see this being of much interest to most.

Perhaps a better Denver documentary with slightly more universal appeal and shot around the same time period (summer of 2008) is ‘Hick’ Town. A documentary that followed Mayor John Hickenlooper pre-DNC, it’s less about the DNC and more about the charismatic politician that Time magazine called one of the top 5 big city mayors in America.

Convention may not be the best documentary you'll see this year but it's a worthy account of how the Mile High City handled an enormous and potentially volatile event.

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