Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.

Harry, Quint, and I dealt with a bizarre series of e-mails over the weekend from a guy who was actively angry at us for not reviewing EXPELLED here on AICN yet.

Let me say this for the record: I love documentaries. I love the form, and as long as I’ve been a film freak, I’ve been a documentary freak in particular.

I’m sure at some point I’ll see EXPELLED. I was invited to see it before it opened, but my schedule never matched up to any of the available screenings. That’s happened with many movies so far this year for me. At least 40 I can count. It’s part of what happens when you do this for a living... you make choices about what gets seen when, based on any number of different reasons. Sometimes it’s because you don’t love the trailer. It just doesn’t move you. Sometimes it’s because there’s something else screening the same time that you want to see more. Sometimes you’re not a fan of the filmmaker. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.

But as far as there being some organized agenda against a particular film or even a type of film here at the site... bullshit, and I find it offensive to even have it suggested. Some other moron keeps trolling various talkbacks calling the site “liberal propaganda.” Considering how apolitical my love of film has been over the years, I personally find that description repulsive. I don’t like propaganda of any stripe. I love documentaries, but I hate one-sided bully pulpit filmstrips that are just designed to jam some idea down your throat. No matter what the idea is.

Capone happened to catch two documentaries that he’s reviewing together for us today, and unfortunately, neither one is EXPELLED. However, one of them is one of the most well-liked documentaries to be released in recent memory, and I’m looking forward to checking it out. I’ll give you a hint... it ain’t the Morgan Spurlock film...

Hey people. Capone in Chicago here with a couple of choice documentaries for you to check out.

YOUNG@HEART

I've been on a documentary kick lately. I've been catching up on docs I missed at SXSW and have seen some truly inspired works that I'll probably compile into a single report. I just interviewed Errol Morris this week about his harrowing new film and Morgan Spurlock about the film chronicling his tour of the Middle East in search of Osama Bin Laden. But few documentaries of late have made me as happy about being alive as YOUNG@HEART, an uplifting, glorious, funny, entertaining and deeply touching work about a senior citizens chorus in New England that specializes in songs you wouldn't really think seniors would be singing. If you've ever wanted to see folks in their 80s and 90s sing Radiohead, James Brown, The Clash, Prince and even Sonic Youth, look no further. I was absolutely convinced that this film would be the most manipulative movie I saw all year, and I could not have been more wrong. This film was the closing night offering at SXSW for a reason: because it absolutely rules.

Chorus Director Bob Cilman is a pushy SOB who pulls no punches if one of the members isn't pulling their weight or if he thinks a song isn't going to work for the group. His process of teaching the songs to the chorus is remarkable, and the speed at which they learn to perform them is incredible. But unlike most chorus groups, the Young@Heart Chorus must be versatile and adapt quickly in the always-likely event that one of its members becomes sick or even dies. (This is a major influence even during the short time filmmaker Stephen Walker follows the group's progress as they rehearse for a new show.) So watching one singer perform a solo version of Coldplay's "Fix You" while oxygen tubes run into his nose takes on a meaning that is undeniable. But the film is far from all serious. I laughed so often during Young@Heart that I missed a great deal of dialogue. This film is a stitch. I particularly loved Eileen Hall, a 92-year-old (when the film was made a couple years ago) British war bride, who opens the film with a show-stopping version of The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go." The movie (which concludes with highlights from the finished show) is a guaranteed crowd pleaser that will introduce you to some of the most delightful individuals you will ever see on film. I hope I'm able to sing "I Feel Good" when I'm that old. You will adore this movie.

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN?

In the school of documentaries where the filmmaker decides not only to place himself in front of the camera to discuss whatever subject matter he/she is discussing, but also to become the focus of the film, Morgan Spurlock is at the top of the heap. His SUPER SIZE ME is classic "taking one for the team" as he ate nothing but McDonald's food for 30 days. His fantastic FX series "30 Days" is often powerful in unexpected ways as he and others live the life of a person sometimes totally dislike them, often diametrically opposed to their core beliefs. The show actually makes me anxious in the best possible way. But his latest feature, in which he and a film crew set out to find the world's top terrorist is a bit different. Sure, Spurlock is still squarely in the middle of the action--from military survival training to going country to country in the Middle East on his hunt.

I was never 100 percent convinced that Spurlock was really looking for Bin Laden, but that's not really the point. He was spurred on to make this journey happen when he and his wife discovered that they were unexpectedly pregnant, which led him to consider the world in which he would bring his baby into and the type of world that could spawn a man like Bin Laden. So armed with etiquette lessons and a friendly demeanor Spurlock travels to some of the world's hottest hot zones hoping to shed light on the state of the Middle East and the world. He interviews leaders and everyday people hoping to discover the source of anti-American feelings in the region, how Bin Laden could come from such a prosperous family in Saudi Arabia and to experience first-hand the overwhelming amount of hospitality given by the people.

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN? is just as interesting for what it doesn't do as for what it does. It doesn't engage in a major bashing of the Bush administration; nor does the film tackle the much-touted belief that the U.S. knows where Bin Laden is, but that it's far more profitable and useful in maintaining power to keep him alive. Spurlock's goal is not to create world peace, but his slightly hippie-ish approach to this film makes it feel that way at times. When he's not asking random store clerks where Bin Laden is hiding, he's making sure to point out just how much "like us" these people are that he is seeing. If you care at all about this film, you probably already know whether or not Spurlock finds his intended target. But that never stops the movie from being a great crash course in Middle Eastern politics. I was particularly intrigued by his visits to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Israel, where he is attacked by Orthodox Jews, which is funny to watch until you realize that the guy was probably in serious danger.

I believe Spurlock set out to make a movie that might inspire others to consider other cultures before setting down a path toward hating a certain country or people or religious group. He wants a peaceful place to raise his child, and while the film often comes across as unfocused, the messages that do come through are positive and hugely entertaining. Spurlock is gifted in front of the camera, and his people skills are second to none. You can't help but wonder what would have happened if the director and his crew did, somehow, arrange a meeting with Bin Laden. Could they handle it? Would they have even gone through with it? As a guy eagerly awaiting the birth of his first child, Spurlock would have been crazy to go through with something like that, and I guess that was always in the back of my mind while watching this still-entertaining and humorous work. I'd say if you're a fan of Spurlock's, you'll probably have more fun with the new "30 Days" season starting at the beginning of June than you will with WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN?

Capone