This already made its way around the interwebs last week, but in case you missed it:
To commemorate the 48th anniversary of the Kennedy Assassination, Errol Morris crafted a short film about The Umbrella Man, the mysterious figure seen standing under an open umbrella in the Zapruder film, despite the fact that it was a beautiful, clear day in Dallas on November 22, 1963. The man has long been at the center of conspiracy theorizing, and in just 5 minutes Morris manages to get to the bottom of this particular American mystery.
To call Morris a documentarian is selling him short. I like to think of him as a non-fiction poet, visually organizing reality for us to better understand it, and The Umbrella Man is quintessential Morris. Its the best five-minute film you'll see all year. Speaking of best-of-the-year proclomations, Morris' newest feature, Tabloid, is now available on DVD, and it may be the best film I've seen in 2011. It's certainly the funniest. It's a Rashomon-esque love story featuring kidnapping, kinky sex, and sensationalistic headlines. You should watch it. Here's the trailer: