Well, this has got to be the laugh out loud funny documentary of the year.

Ok, now we all know someone who likes to make movies. Right? Someone who writes their own screenplays. Entices friends and family into playing roles in these films? Now of course, I'm not mentioning any names here, but we all know some such individual who fits that description, right? ;)

For all those who know, or have known, such a person, this is a movie to see.

The documentary follows the life of Mark Borchardt for two years, as he works on finishing his film, "Coven". We see him hanging out with friends, location scouting, expounding about how he wants various scenes to be shot. His friend Mike is quite hilarious, mostly in the way he often doesn't say anything. But when he does, it can be quite a hoot. Of course, there's lots of stuff with the rest of his family. And Uncle Bill... Oh, Uncle Bill. lol.

I suppose a lot of what makes this movie interesting, aside from the colorful assortment of characters, is the way Mark persists, persists, and persists. So much stuff keeps going wrong, and he just keeps coming back to finish his movie. What is he driven by? Clues in the dialog: Doesn't want to work in a factory. Wants to be wealthy. Wants to make something of his life. Can't see how anybody would spend their whole lives at the grind.

I guess that's an inspiration in a way, despite all the idiosyncratic behavior and just plain oddness at times, we see that this is a guy who's really putting his whole heart and soul into something. Strange as the end product (covered in the next movielog entry) may be, it's something he cares enough about to devote years of his life to. That's pretty cool.