This documentary by Earl Morris focuses on four men who are wired to their respective occupations/interests: Dave Hoover, Ray Mendez, Rodney Brooks, and George Mendonca. Each of these men have a passion for what they do. Neither are they famous nor do they have anything in common except their interest in their uniquely respective subjects.
Dave Hooper, who idolized Clyde Beatty, is a retired circus wild animal trainer of large jungle cats. I learned that if a big cat becomes unruly and leaves his place inside of the large circus cage with the idea of eating the lion tamer, then an aimed four-legged chair or stool against the lion is effective in controlling the situation. The reason is that the lion or tiger will be distracted by each individual chair leg because it is single-minded. Before long the animal forgets why he is acting the way he is so he goes back to his place in the large cage.
Ray Mendez is obsessed in his study of the instincts of African naked (hairless) mole rats. Maintaining a small colony in his office laboratory, he creates museum environments for them.
Rodney Brooks, a robot scientist at MIT, studies artificial intelligence in his lab. He says it's easier and cheaper to send robots into outer space (like Mars) because they are like the movie title says. This system is far less expensive than manned space missions. And they should be able to repair themselves.
George Mendonca, is the designer of the oldest northern topiary garden in the Unites States ("Green Animals" in Portsmouth, Rhode Island) for a rich woman, the now deceased Alice Brayton. Miss Brayton used to entertain Eisenhower and Kennedy families until she died at an advanced age in 1972. After the woman died, George continued to work there until his own time on earth was up. Using hand shears, George trims hedges to look like animals (giraffes, elephants, bears, etc.). I still have a picture of him back when I visited the place in 1977. Green Animals remains a popular tourist attraction in the Newport area and is run by The Preservation Society of Newport County.
Errol Morris directed "Gates of Heaven" (1978), "The Thin Blue Line" (1988), and "The Fog of War" (2003), the last of which he won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. In "Fast, Cheap and out of Control" he meshes the stories together and intertwines them with cuts from old time movies and serials. The film was nicely filmed by Robert Richardson. Somehow it all works.
Dave Hooper, who idolized Clyde Beatty, is a retired circus wild animal trainer of large jungle cats. I learned that if a big cat becomes unruly and leaves his place inside of the large circus cage with the idea of eating the lion tamer, then an aimed four-legged chair or stool against the lion is effective in controlling the situation. The reason is that the lion or tiger will be distracted by each individual chair leg because it is single-minded. Before long the animal forgets why he is acting the way he is so he goes back to his place in the large cage.
Ray Mendez is obsessed in his study of the instincts of African naked (hairless) mole rats. Maintaining a small colony in his office laboratory, he creates museum environments for them.
Rodney Brooks, a robot scientist at MIT, studies artificial intelligence in his lab. He says it's easier and cheaper to send robots into outer space (like Mars) because they are like the movie title says. This system is far less expensive than manned space missions. And they should be able to repair themselves.
George Mendonca, is the designer of the oldest northern topiary garden in the Unites States ("Green Animals" in Portsmouth, Rhode Island) for a rich woman, the now deceased Alice Brayton. Miss Brayton used to entertain Eisenhower and Kennedy families until she died at an advanced age in 1972. After the woman died, George continued to work there until his own time on earth was up. Using hand shears, George trims hedges to look like animals (giraffes, elephants, bears, etc.). I still have a picture of him back when I visited the place in 1977. Green Animals remains a popular tourist attraction in the Newport area and is run by The Preservation Society of Newport County.
Errol Morris directed "Gates of Heaven" (1978), "The Thin Blue Line" (1988), and "The Fog of War" (2003), the last of which he won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. In "Fast, Cheap and out of Control" he meshes the stories together and intertwines them with cuts from old time movies and serials. The film was nicely filmed by Robert Richardson. Somehow it all works.