Simon Chinn Movies
Oscar-winning director James Marsh (Man on Wire) shifts his focus from man to monkey to tell the remarkable story of Nim, a chimpanzee who managed the unique feat of learning sign language after being raised like a typical human child. Interviews with Nim's trainers as well as other key researchers are combined with archival footage to offer incredible insight into the experiment that would forever alter our perceptions regarding the differences between man and beast. By attempting to turn Nim human, scientists learned more about the true nature of humanity than they ever thought possible. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Documentary filmmaker Bart Layton uses vivid reenactments to tell the tale of a Texas family whose prayers are answered when their missing teenage son returns home after nearly four years, and the mystery that begins to emerge as the newcomer's actual identity comes into question. San Antonio, Texas: 1994. A local teen vanishes after going out to play basketball. As the clues run cold over the next three years, his grieving family continues to fear the worst. Incredibly, in 1997, they receive word that their son has been found in Spain. Despite being ruthlessly tortured by his abductors, he miraculously appears to be in good health. But the more questions that inspectors ask, the less his answers seem to add up. And while his tattoos match those of the kidnapping victim, that's just about where the resemblance ends. Meanwhile, everyone but the victim's family seems to recognize that something is amiss. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Two South African music lovers embark on a mission to uncover the fate of an obscure, 1970s-era U.S. rocker whose debut album became a surprise hit in their home country, and uncover a shocking secret along the way. Sixto Diaz Rodriguez had the kind of musical career that every aspiring rock star fears -- lauded by critics but ignored by the public, he released two albums before unceremoniously disappearing from the spotlight. But while sales of Rodriguez's debut CD Cold Fact fell flat in the U.S., overseas in Australia and South Africa, the fans couldn't get enough. In apartheid-torn South Africa in particular, Cold Fact became something of an anti-establishment classic, eventually going platinum. Later, rumors began to swirl that Rodriguez had suffered a horrible death. When Rodriguez's second album Coming From Reality makes it's belated debut in South Africa, a pair of devoted fans take it upon themselves to uncover the facts surrounding the mysterious musician, and get the surprise of a lifetime while attempting to track the profits from his record sales. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
On August 7, 1974, a 24-year-old French high-wire artist named Philippe Petit committed one of the most astonishing performance stunts of the late 20th century: he strung a thin cable in between the two towers of the World Trade Center and not only walked across, from one building to another, but did a nerve-wracking series of knee-bends and acrobatic movements on the cable, some 1,350 feet above the ground, before turning himself in. This occurred to the consternation and chagrin of Port Authority policemen, who immediately arrested Petit for the act -- prompting many to dub Petit's stunt "the artistic crime of the century." James Marsh's documentary Man on Wire revisits and recounts this chain of events some 34 years after they occurred. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
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