A LEGO Brickumentary
A look at the global culture and appeal of the LEGO building-block toys.
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- Cast:
- Jason Bateman , Jamie Berard
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Reviews
I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
Let's be realistic.
It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
LEGOs are a whole thing nowadays. Well, if I'm being honest, and I like to be honest, it's been a thing for quite a while now. There are annual conventions. There are subcultures devoted to building from a kit or building freeform fun or to particular collectible sets. It's a toy that's as attractive to adults as it is to kids, and it doesn't show signs of slowing down.Now, when I was growing up, there weren't very many LEGO sets. The space one was considered a Big Deal around my house. The LEGO guy had an astronaut helmet! And there were all kinds of pieces you could use to build a wacky spaceship, directions be darned. In fact, I don't remember ever following directions for a LEGO set. We'd just pick up pieces and see what happened. Nowadays, though, there are thousands of themed sets, from Harry Potter and Star Wars to the old classics like pirate ships or the aforementioned astronauts. And with the huge success of The LEGO Movie, The LEGO Batman Movie, and the LEGO Ninjago Movie, it's hard to see the product's popularly dwindling anytime soon.This documentary touches on everything LEGO, from its old-timey beginnings as an amusing pastime for the kiddies to the marketing behemoth it's become. We learn how LEGOs are used in a New Jersey school to help autistic children communicate. We learn that people have used LEGOs to make actual, usable, real life things like houses and cars. We learn that LEGO can even be used as an art medium. We learn, too, that the LEGO company itself evolved from being a typical create-from-within corporation to one that gladly welcomes the ideas and visions of its customers, even holding contests to get new ideas for LEGO products.This Brickumentary is a fine film. There are plenty of human-interest stories, as one might expect, and more than one will jerk at the ol' heart strings. And, as noted above, there are also several real-world applications on display. When's the last time you saw a toy being used by adults to produce practical results? Probably half past never! Sure, it's a huge commercial. There aren't many warts on display, no disfigured minifigs. But that's okay – the universal appeal of the toy made me happy to learn more about it. If you're looking for a tell-all, keep walking. But if not this film fits like, uh, two interlocking bricks, or something.
This movie was nothing but dope. As dope as The Lego Movie. A LEGO Brickumentary explores what seems to be by the documentary standards a history of the invention of Lego, but mostly it goes through how Lego has changed lives since it's invention. It's a geek culture that I am aware of but sadly I'm not fully a part of, despite my admiration to the product. The filmmakers due an amazing job of impressing me with how far beyond the bricks have come from being just a toy.It's fitting that the documentary spends a lot of time unavailing a life size X-wing fighter from the movie Star Wars, another product that sparked the same type of geek culture.But the movie documents how Legos are more awesome than the Star Wars movies (except Star Wars geeks have better nicknames). The documentary showcases how Kids teens and Adults use Legos literally as a tool for the imagination, similar to a pen and a pad (and this is what I love most about the toys). It also shows the growing cult phenomenon that goes outside of the Lego company with people who are able to make a living off of Legos without the company's permission and how Lego encourages this, not something you expect from the #2 biggest toy company in the world.I feel like Lego does not get enough credit that it deserves, I'm hoping this doc changes that. It has inspired me to pick up the Legos I have.
"LEGO toys build anything. Especially pride." LEGO A LEGO Brickumentary is a memorable documentary about one of the world's most successful businesses devoted to only one toy, but perhaps the most creative toy ever devised. Although the doc could be considered an extended ad for the little building blocks, and in a way it is whether the filmmakers mean it or not, the film is a colorful—in all senses of the word—history. Its founders and artists are more creative and enthusiastic, I suspect, than even lucky Google employees.Or maybe even eccentric: the founder, Ole Kirk Christiansen, kept building new factories after at least three in a row burned down, the first one the original LEGO factory in Denmark. That joyful determination pervades the enterprise, where artists and scientists collaborate (Lego is a model of creativity sharing) like brainy kids given their first Gilbert chemistry sets.If one doesn't work for LEGO, it doesn't mean you aren't invested in the product: Brickartist Nathan Sawaya in Manhattan claims to spend more than $100,000 a year on the bricks. His full-size human and animal LEGO artworks show his investment and enthusiasm as well as mesmerizing subjects.It's worth seeing if only for the grand creations such as a full-sized plane and a village so beautifully appointed you'll want to shrink just to live there. If I sound rhapsodic, then so be it, for I am good with following the instructions when my grandson Toby and I put a themed model together. I leave digging out old bricks to create something unique to Toby.If you loved The Lego Movie, this doc will show you the models used in that lovable film, and if you wonder what AFOLS is (Adult Fans of LEGO), or if you're curious how LEGOs are used in therapy, then sit back and relax with this unusual Brickumentary.
Greetings again from the darkness. Toys can be fun, educational, relaxing, challenging, and yes, even profitable. No toy exemplifies all of these characteristics better than LEGO. Co-directors Kief Davidson and Daniel Junge go "Beyond the Brick" (the film's original title) as they explore the history and community of these fascinating plastic pieces. Founder Ole Kirk Christiansen (of Denmark) began as a maker of wooden toys, but in 1947 he discovered a plastic molding machine which, within a couple of years, revolutionized his company and the toy industry. The company is still family-owned and is now a $4 billion company and the second largest in the industry despite competing in only one category of toys. It's a remarkable business case study, and an equally remarkable study in social impact. If you own LEGO pieces from 1955, they will still work with the bricks and pieces being produced today planned obsolescence is not part of the LEGO business strategy. The film introduces us to the designers, the master builders, and the community of LEGO aficionados known as AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO). We also learn of a LEGO language filled with acronyms that permeate the competitions, fairs, and conferences. In the early 2000's, the company posted its first ever loss, but quickly rebounded by listening to their loyal customer base and making the necessary product changes. Last year's award-winning animated THE LEGO MOVIE has stimulated even more interest in the tubes and studs as well as permanently stamping our brains with the "Everything is Awesome" song. Jason Bateman narrates the film – as a minifig – and adds a splash of color and visual acumen to the story telling process. It's important to note that visuals are a key factor in some of the breathtaking creations of the brand's most committed devotees. This includes the work of one who re-creates classical artwork for a gallery in NYC, and a stunning life-sized model of the Star Wars X-Wing Starfighter in Manhattan. We also see how LEGO plays a role as Autism therapy for kids, and even for mock-ups at NASA.The LEGO community is most impressive. They actually participate in suggesting and designing new products, and the online network of LEGO stop-action short films act as a combined marketing strategy and challenge to other users. LEGOLAND doesn't draw much attention here, but the loyalty and creativity of the customers is quite something to behold. It's a reminder that the smartest companies collaborate with (rather than dictate to) their customer base but most can only dream of this deep LEGO relationship with AFOL.