If you’re in the final stretch of the school year, you may have resorted to showing some movies in the classroom. Rather than rely on your DVD collection or school’s library, why not take advantage of Netflix, Hulu, or the newest addition to the streaming world…YouTube Movies!
Earlier today, YouTube just added 3,000 free movies to its on-demand service. There are a lot of great documentaries and academic-oriented movies that will surely help make summer come just that much faster.
Today’s move marks YouTube’s biggest push yet to bring professional, magnetizable content to its platform. To see which titles are now available on YouTube, click here. YouTube’s new video service will also be hosting movie reviews and behind-the-scenes movie extras typically found in DVD and Blu-ray releases.
Super Size Me
First-time director Morgan Spurlock takes a look at the subject of obesity in the United States, specifically zeroing in on the business and culture surrounding the nation’s fast-food industry in this 2004 documentary. In addition to studying the marketing of fast food to American children and unsuccessfully attempting to gain an interview with McDonald’s executives, Spurlock attempts to become one of his own subjects by documenting a one-month binge during which he survived only on items from the McDonald’s menu, forcing himself to eat three meals a day and try every offering at least once. Super Size Me premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.
The End of Poverty
The aphorism “The poor are always with us” dates back to the New Testament, but while the phrase is still sadly apt in the 21st century, few seem to be able to explain why poverty is so widespread. Activist filmmaker Philippe Diaz examines the history and impact of economic inequality in the third world in the documentary The End of Poverty?, and makes the compelling argument that it’s not an accident or simple bad luck that has created a growing underclass around the world. Diaz traces the growth of global poverty back to colonization in the 15th century, and features interviews with a number of economists, sociologists, and historians who explain how poverty is the clear consequence of free-market economic policies that allow powerful nations to exploit poorer countries for their assets and keep money in the hands of the wealthy rather than distributing it more equitably to the people who have helped them gain their fortunes. Diaz also explores how wealthy nations (especially the United States) seize a disproportionate share of the world’s natural resources, and how this imbalance is having a dire impact on the environment as well as the economy. The End of Poverty? was an official selection at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.
Fuel
A talented young track runner finds his longtime plans to escape his tyrannical stepfather and rescue his girlfriend from a dead-end existence thrown into jeopardy by his incontrollable temper, the result of overexposure to gasoline fumes. As a young boy, Emilio promised Sandy that they would one day run away together, and start a new life somewhere else. When Emilio discovers that he can run like the wind, he sees his gift as his ticket out; if he can just land a scholarship, then he can quit working at his stepfather’s gas station and keep his promise to Sandy. Unfortunately for both Emilio and Sandy, the temperamental track star’s unpredictable violent streak may be the one fatal flaw in his otherwise foolproof plan.
The Battle of Britain
June 1940 marked a pivotal moment in the Second World War. That month witnessed Nazi Germany’s most aggressive move against England: the deadliest continual air strike in military history, the Battle of Britain. In an address to Parliament, Prime Minister Churchill predicted calamity just days prior to the strike. Few could have foreseen the extent of the destruction, but fewer still could have imagined the heart-tugging stoicism and courage with which the English people responded. This package from The Timeless Media Group revisits those crucial hours and days with a collection of films that evaluate the Battle of Britain from many different angles. It begins with The Battle of Britain, wherein two pilots reflect on their experiences during these battles. The second installment in the package, a patriotic title called The Battle of London, evaluates the direct impact of the Battle of Britain on the citizens of London. The documentary V.I.!,produced by Britain’s famous Crown Film Unit, tells the horrific tale of the development of the V1 Rocket, and the Nazis’ decision to unleash it on England. Finally, the American-produced documentary London Can Take It!, from 1940, evaluates the triumphant role played by London citizens in defending the City of Big Ben during the Battle of Britain – a citizenry described by the documentary as “The Greatest Civilian Army Ever Assembled.” This package also includes an array of thematically-related bonus films, including English Wings Over Water, Target for Tonight, The Air Plan and RAF in Action.
The Empire In Africa
Located in Western Africa, Sierra Leone is a nation caught in a struggle between extreme poverty and extreme wealth; while diamond mining provides the bulk of the country’s income, most of its people struggle to survive by raising their own crops. In 1991, a civil war broke out in Sierra Leone, with a rebel group called the Revolutionary United Front taking on government forces in a bid for a more just economy and an end to hunger. However, the forces behind Sierra Leone’s mining interests were more interested in protecting their investments than changing the economy, and both the nation’s military and the RUF fell into indiscriminate violence against all parties involved. In all, 70,000 people lost their lives in the nearly 15 years of fighting, while millions lost their homes and many thousands were maimed. Filmmaker Philippe Diaz took a camera crew into Sierra Leone in the midst of the fighting to document the bloodshed and tell the story behind the brutality; The Empire in Africa is the result, which incorporates interviews with politicians and military figures with footage of the mayhem. The Empire in Africa received its North American premiere at the 2006 Slamdance Film Festival.
Google Me
What’s in a name? In this documentary, director Jim Killeen discovers that a number of people in the world share his name. Using the internet search engine Google, Killeen tracks down six men also named Jim Killeen, from a priest in Ireland to a swinger in Colorado.
Though the documentary shows the differences in men with this name, it also demonstrates the similarities between people’s lives despite disparate backgrounds.
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Director Robert Luketic adapts Ben Mezrich’s best-seller Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions to tell the true-life tale of six genius students who used their brains to beat considerable odds. Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) may be shy, but his wallflower reputation betrays his inner brilliance. As smart as Ben may be, however, if he can’t pay his tuition he’ll be kicked out of M.I.T. Fortunately, the answer to all of Ben’s problems is right there in the cards. Recruited to join a team of extremely gifted students who have used their mastery of numbers to beat the odds at blackjack, Ben procures a fake identity in order to join the casino scammers and their brilliant leader — eccentric math professor and stats genius Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) — in some highly profitable weekend excursions to Las Vegas. Counting cards isn’t illegal, and by using a complex series of signals, this team has cracked the code. Of course, it doesn’t take long for Ben to become seduced by the glamorous Las Vegas lifestyle, and the attention afforded to him by his sexy teammate Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth) finds him pushing his luck to the absolute limits. Laurence Fishburne stars as Cole Williams, the Sin City security chief who catches on to the group and makes it his mission to expose their lucrative blackjack scam.
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mandla! A Revolution in Four Part Harmony
Lee Hirsch spent nine years putting together the ambitious documentary Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony. The film records the history of music being used as a form of social protest against Apartheid in South Africa. Interviews and archival footage help to tell the tales of figures like Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, Abdullah Ibrahim, and Vuyisile Mini. Mini’s songs became such a powerful social force that his remains were exhumed and reburied in order to show proper respect after the end of Apartheid. This look at political oppression and the courage required to fight it was screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.
HOME
Internationally renowned photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand makes his feature directorial debut with this environmentally conscious documentary produced by Luc Besson, and narrated by Glenn Close. Shot in 54 countries and 120 locations over 217 days, Home presents the many wonders of planet Earth from an entirely aerial perspective. As such, we are afforded the unique opportunity to witness our changing environment from an entirely new vantage point. In our 200,000 years on Earth, humanity has hopelessly upset Mother Nature’s delicate balance. Some experts claim that we have less than ten years to change our patterns of consumption and reverse the trend before the damage is irreversible. Produced to inspire action and encourage thoughtful debate, Home poses the prospect that unless we act quickly, we risk losing the only home we may ever have.
First Orbit
A real time recreation of Yuri Gagarin’s pioneering first orbit, shot entirely in space from on board the International Space Station. The film combines this new footage with Gagarin’s original mission audio and a new musical score by composer Philip Sheppard. For more information visit http://www.firstorbit.org/
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In your article you state "If you’re in the final stretch of the school year, you may have resorted to showing some movies in the classroom. Rather than rely on your DVD collection or school’s library, why not take advantage of Netflix, Hulu, or the newest addition to the streaming world…YouTube Movies!"
It is a violation of copyright law to show movies for entertainment no matter if they are owned by the teacher, rented from a video store, or streamed from Netflix, Hulu or YouTube Movies. Fair Use policies do allow the teacher to show those movies if they are directly related to instruction.
With respect to copyright, teachers should check if their school boards pay for a license to show movies in class – if that is the case, all they may have to do is list the movies shown and submit that list to the administration.
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it is the must moovies and educational
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