Barbershop Punk may be a clever play-on-words on how a barbershop quartet member became a “punk” and questioned the corporation controlling his uploads, but it’s really about regulation of the internet.
Directors Georgia Sugimura Archer and Kristin Armfield weave a personal story with the facts of a case that effects every single American who uses the internet. All Robb Topoloski wanted was to share early recordings of barbershop quartet music with others on the internet. When uploading, he started noticing that the P2P (peer-to-peer) programs were considerably slower no matter what time of day. As a software engineer with over 15 years experience, he began to devise a method of tracking these speeds. He then posted his findings to a message board and soon he was in the middle of a national debate.
I really like the idea that it was just one guy who started it all. Rather than just accept it, he sought out more information about his ISP (Internet Service Provider) to figure out the problem. Although the film did try to address the idea of questioning authority (in this case, corporations), it is too spread out to get a clear message.The film has a narrative feel, but changes gears to documentary intermittently. Although Robb’s story is compelling, it really wasn’t necessary to share as much personal information about him. I would have rather the film focus more on facts and really keep up the momentum about the injustice of the regulation. Those also interviewed are: Henry Rollins, Janeane Garofalo, Ian MacKaye (musician and owner of Dischord Records) and Damian Kulash(of the band OK Go). The interviewees really do not form a cohesive voice, and it seems like there was a lot of material that had to be cut.
The film also explores how it used to be that the public feared the government, but now, it’s large corporations that control the most influential commodity: information. As the protests grow for Occupy Wall Street, this is one of the topics that should be addressed prominently. Most people take for granted that the internet is a free space, however, we still need a way to access it and that is where the trouble lies.
What do you think? Should corporations be allowed to choose what information gets a slower download? After all, they aren’t blocking it, just slowing it down. The film explores both sides, but clearly leans on the side of the consumer and the right to have information available equally.
Rating: Drags here and there, but it’s a must see for eye-opening information. 6/10
NYC theatrical premiere with a week-long run, November 11 -17 at the reRun Gastropub Theater, 147 Front Street (mezzanine), Brooklyn, NY (www.reruntheater.com)
The filmmakers will host a Q & A discussion following the 7pm on Friday, November 11 screening featuring Robb Topolski and experts in the field of Internet law and Net Neutrality.
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