View Full Version : Searching for Sugarman
Has anybody seen this documentary? We watched it last night and I can't get it out of my mind.
ToomuchStuff
2-9-13, 5:04pm
Has anybody seen this documentary? We watched it last night and I can't get it out of my mind.
Looks interesting (had to google it to see if it was "Searching for" or if you meant you were searching for a documentary called "sugarman")
First thing it brought to mind, was if he was that popular over there, why was there no royalties from South Africa? (back royalties due)
I am so curious to learn more about him. What a story! To be oblivious to the impact you are having in another country. To not receive a dime from his record company but being the kind of guy he is, he would have given most of it away anyway. What a trip for his kids. Amazing on so many levels.
They showcase bits of his songs in the film and it leaves me wanting to hear them all in detail. Had I heard this music back in the day I would have been a fan. He was a victim of lack of promotion. I don't buy that it was because he is hispanic and was overshadowed by Dylan and Cat Stevens. Good music is good music.
Amazing ... music, man, movie. I would have loved his music too if I'd had known he existed. Better late than never. (I shed a few tears ... )
Simplemind
2-9-13, 11:50pm
We loved it so much we are watching it again tonight with our son before we send it back. He was listening to the intro and kept asking.... who is singing this? Told him it was a mystery and he had to watch to find out.
ToomuchStuff
2-10-13, 12:12am
I am so curious to learn more about him. What a story! To be oblivious to the impact you are having in another country. To not receive a dime from his record company but being the kind of guy he is, he would have given most of it away anyway. What a trip for his kids. Amazing on so many levels.
They showcase bits of his songs in the film and it leaves me wanting to hear them all in detail. Had I heard this music back in the day I would have been a fan. He was a victim of lack of promotion. I don't buy that it was because he is hispanic and was overshadowed by Dylan and Cat Stevens. Good music is good music.
One of the first search results, turned up YouTubes pay thing (you can rent full movies online). Other Youtube links, showcased whole songs. I watched the 60 minutes interview one.
I know that it's a top rated one for the year. Haven't decided if I'll seek it out or not, but your post gives me reason to do that. I watch a fair amount of documentaries.
We just added this to our Wish List on Netflix.
Is Netflix a good resource for documentaries? (Or is there a better one?) I'm not much interested in fiction, so I haven't subscribed.
Simplemind
2-10-13, 11:18pm
We watch a lot of documentaries, all through Netflix.
iris lily
2-11-13, 11:47am
Is Netflix a good resource for documentaries? (Or is there a better one?) I'm not much interested in fiction, so I haven't subscribed.
oh sure, Netflix has all documentaries put out on dvd. But your public library probably is a good source, too. It depends how often you look for something at the library that they don't have. My library has 25,000 dvds so that's a lot to choose form, but I still use Netflix.
oh sure, Netflix has all documentaries put out on dvd. But your public library probably is a good source, too. It depends how often you look for something at the library that they don't have. My library has 25,000 dvds so that's a lot to choose form, but I still use Netflix.
Good point. I do check out the occasional DVD, but it hasn't occurred to me to browse for documentaries. I guess I'd like a comprehensive list to choose from, since most of them seem pretty obscure.
ETA: So if I put "documentary" in the subject line in my library system's search engine, lookee here! D'oh.
In my defense, documentary isn't a subject...
The Storyteller
2-11-13, 5:28pm
This won a BAFTA last night.
iris lily
2-12-13, 12:05am
oh sure, Netflix has all documentaries put out on dvd. But your public library probably is a good source, too. It depends how often you look for something at the library that they don't have. My library has 25,000 dvds so that's a lot to choose form, but I still use Netflix.
Here's how I attack documentaries:
I look for film titles on Rotten Tomatoes
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/
to find the best films of last year. That site is full of people who love docs so you will find a long list; usually the top 20 film of the year list is heavy on documentaries. The creme rises to the top. I use that site and the Oscar nominations for Best Documentary and often Tribeca and Sundance festival highly rated films.
I saw a film about the Elephant Flora at our local St. Louis Film Festival in 2010 where it didn't seem to generate huge interest, but I thought it was the best film of the festival. That thing didn't make it out on the film festival circuit for some time, and I was thrilled when I saw it finally made a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes for best of the year of 2011. These documentaries are shopped around for a while before they take off and most will not come to your local movie house.
iris lily
2-12-13, 12:19am
...
ETA: So if I put "documentary" in the subject line in my library system's search engine, lookee here! D'oh.
In my defense, documentary isn't a subject...
Library catalogs are fairly useless much of the time. They are fine for known-item searches but for this purpose not helpful and I say that as someone who has rather a lot of experience with library catalogs :) which is why I use Rotten Tomatoes to vet my choices.
ToomuchStuff
2-12-13, 2:53am
DON'T use the video store. I was looking for a dvd that should be under scifi, tv, import, and sometimes drama, and asked the store and they told me Doctor Who, they put in the documentary section.:0!
The Storyteller
2-12-13, 3:23pm
Library catalogs are fairly useless much of the time. They are fine for known-item searches but for this purpose not helpful and I say that as someone who has rather a lot of experience with library catalogs :) which is why I use Rotten Tomatoes to vet my choices.
Ours is pretty good, but then I'm biased. Ours, you can search by collection, and most of our Nonfiction DVD collection is made up of docs. By selecting Nonfiction DVD collection and leaving the search field blank, you get a listing of all our nonfiction, which you can then sort by subject.
I'm also fortunate in that I am the one who orders all the DVDs and Blu-rays. Lucky me.
I recently watched it as an Amazon Instant Download. Enjoyed it very much, but it had some loose ends that seemed to not add up (apologies for the mixed metaphor). Since then I've done some internet research on Sixto Rodriguez and come to the conclusion that "Searching for Sugarman" is a docudrama rather than a documentary. The film makers appear to have taken artistic license with some the facts to improve the story. Still it's a very good story.
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