February 12th, 2010 by CJ Not long ago, I was sent a documentary about Marines from 1st Battalion, 4th Marines. The documentary was shot and narrated by 1st Lieutenant Michael Scotti. Inspired to enlist after the death of a high school classmate, Scotti joined the...
This shocking war film is the perfect example of a truly excellent documentary. The film was shot by Lieutenant Mike Scotti, who served on the front lines during the 21-day advance to Baghdad in 2003. The film starts with Scotti on a 40-day trip across the Arabian...
“The Stench of War” When America premiered the riveting made-for-television sequel Iraq War 2: Electric Boogaloo back in March of 2003, it was billed as a new and exciting way to “experience” battle from the comfort of one’s shrapnel-free couch. This time...
This timely, honest and compelling documentary follows the experiences of First Lieutenant Michael T. Scotti in the U.S. Marines during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Michael took a home video camera and shot lots of footage throughout his deployment overseas from Kuwait...
Severe Clear (2009)–***1/2 Tomorrow may be your last chance to see Severe Clear in a theater when the film screens at LA’s Archlight Cinemas as part of IDA’s 13th Annual DocuWeeks showcase. I’ve sat on the a DVD screener of the film for a couple weeks now, partly...
By Matt Zoller Seitz on 07/30/2009 “I Am a Camera” could be an alternate title for Kristian Fraga’s “Severe Clear.” This documentary about one Marine’s experience in Iraq is opening for a one-week Oscar-qualifying run at New York’s IFC Center (it’s part of DocuWeeks...
by Hap Erstein Severe Clear (12 pm Sunday, Movies of Delray; 12 pm Monday, Lake Worth Playhouse): By now, there have been so many documentaries on the Iraq War, it seems difficult to approach the subject with a fresh cinematic perspective. But that is what director...
Severe Clear is the Iraq documentary I’ve been awaiting conscientiously if not eagerly. There certainly hasn’t been a shortage of retrospective examinations from a position of authority – e.g. the macrocosmic No End In Sight and the microfocused Standard Operating...
by Eric Kohn Kristian Fraga’s “Severe Clear” breaks free of the “Iraq war movie” stigma by remaining essentially apolitical. The movie exclusively relies on cheap camcorder footage shot by U.S. soldier Mike Scotti during the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, offering a...
by Erik Childress Films about the Iraq war and the lack of interest at the box office has been well-documented. Aside from Paul Haggis’ excellent, but overlooked In the Valley of Elah, films like Grace Is Gone, Stop-Loss, Home of the Brave and The Lucky Ones have been...
