Rating: 
Summary: Hard Won Beauty and Grace
Review: I strongly disagree with the reviewer from Aberdeen, WA. I have watched this DVD twice and found it to convey Ani's illuminating spirit, raw power, and unorthadox grace. We all have to pick our battles and use our assigned gifts to enable a sense of change in our private and public lives. I found Ani's commentary on her hometown, the legal system, and even the relationship she has to her music all aspects of her deep-rooted sense of social responsibility. At no point did she yell or be disrespectful to her audience, coworkers, or interviewers. I am slightly irritated that so many seem to confuse Ani's communication of self-resolve with adolescent rebellion. One of my favorite aspects of Render, is when it dips into the more tedious, unglamourous moments of creating music (on stage and in the studio) and being able to witness Ani's professionalism and self-discipline when few others are around.
I highly recommend this DVD to those who appreciate Ani as a self-made woman (not deity) who venerates life and the ability to affect positive change.
Rating: 
Summary: It's Why We Love Her!
Review: Fans of Ani Difranco know that her art is a moving target and therefore a simple live concert video, though highly satisfying, would have fallen short of the promise that the title of her latest masterpiece puts forth."Render - Spanning Time with Ani Difranco" is exactly what we want: a glimpse into her world that adds color and depth to the stories and emotions expressed in her music. In it we are treated to real life moments and given a sense of the camaraderie between the artist, her band and especially, her fans. This is demonstrated best when, during a live performance of her song "Dilate," she stops and respectfully requests the fans not sing along. After the song's completion she takes the time to explain why she made the request. Artists rarely display such confidence in their audience and she is rewarded for her willingness to take such a risk: the fans love her even more for it. "Render" also shows us some of the behind the scenes activities of her record label, road crew and includes a sequence documenting the editing and mixing process in the recording studio. Not to mention some potent interview scenes where Ani lays down some of her views of America. At a time when we are being sold a party line that we are all in it together, she steps up and points out the many ways in which our society has become frayed and that we have strayed from the promise of our roots. And in so doing, she challenges us to change it. It's a winner all around and it's why we love her!
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable, Thoughtful, and Personal
Review: People often chasitze Ani Difranco for being too preachy of an aritst. I find that funny when the majority of songs that she creates are the reason that we all are fans of her. These songs have the same message she mostly talks about in Render, so I assume it's that most of Ani's fans only like to hear her opinions when there is a guitar playing along. I don't think that's fair. With Render, Ani Difranco takes you into what she experiences by touring with her band. You see her extended family, and you see her diligent work ethic and devotion to her craft. It's a film showcasing her and her beliefs, so if people cannot accept that, then they shouldn't have bought the DVD in the first place. After all, the DVD says directly Spanning Time with Ani Difranco, not Ani Difranco live in Concert (although I would be excited if she ever decided to release a DVD of that stature). Also, I personally like most of the songs on the DVD, to the person that called them B-Sides. In fact, My IQ is one of my favorite poems by her, and Overlap is one of my favorite songs. Besides, the most important thing about this DVD is the overall impression, which I think is shown very well. Regardless of wehether or not you agree with her politics, this DVD shows them well researched and in a manner that is obviously just her voicing her opinion based on the things she's learned. To the person who said "why does she say don't judge people for their worst moment in their lives." I didn't see you complaining about the song "Fuel" on Little Plastic Castle, so I don't know why you're suprised she's against capital punishment. You get to get inside the mind of Ani Difranco, a compelling mind at that. And while I don't agree with her not liking people to sing along at her shows, if you've been to her shows the people sometimes get out of hand and distracting. She's not a popstar, she's a folk singer so we don't want to see her dance and put on a circus like extravaganza. We want to hear her play, therefore Ani is valid for not wanting distractions so that she can do her best job live. I've seen her twice; she doesn't disappoint!
Rating:
Summary: Editing included...I loved the DVD
Review: I thought that the DVD was edited in a manner that coinsides with Ani's style. Although I don't know here engough to make that judgement, I still think it works for her. I didn't think that it was "annoying" as one "critic" said. It's a presentation and she did a great job. Her music is somthing I like more and more. I have to get use to listening to songs that tell an actual story rather than numb my mind while I drive to work. Some of the songs I even have slight dissagreement with but I like them for that very reason. How fun would it be to be her. Or maybe even a band member of hers? We should all try to control the direction of our lives more and be ourselves. Loved the DVD
Rating: 
Summary: difranco's pretentious foray into film disappoints
Review: ani difranco's "render" dvd falls exceptionally short of capturing the excitement of her live concerts. this dvd is victim of poor editing, interjecting lengthy commentary during live footage and subsequently ruining the experience. furthermore, the style of this film is self-consciously "artsy," utilizing focus variations, slow motion, etc. to evoke an artificial, contrived "psychedelic" motif that is not advantageous to conveying the power of difranco's captivating live performances. perhaps most disappointing is the greatly inflated sense of self-importance that ani exemplifies during the course of the film.
difranco takes an opportunity to disparage her audience for turning her emotional art into a "soccer chant" by singing along, severing any semblance of genuine artist-audience interaction by creating clear boundries between the divine artist and the subservient flock of elated fans. issues of political importance are rendered nearly intolerable through difranco's elitist persona. despite ani difranco's musical brilliance, "render" displays a side of ani difranco that is utterly unattractive: a little folk singer who finds solace in marijuana, ostentation, and laughing at her own jokes. while ani's career has produced music of immeasurable quality, her personality is surprisingly difficult to swallow, and this dvd is surprisingly difficult to watch.
Rating:
Summary: Everyday silence meets Ani DVD soundtrack...antics ensue..
Review: I bought this dvd not knowing what to expect, really. I didn't know if it would be a structured sort of step-by-step dvd of her concert with little background video, or a documentary of pre-show preperations with very little music. Happily, it was a mixture of both, showing clips of Ani playing on stage and her doing her every things, like painting her nails and mixing her own music at Righteous Babe Records. If you're not a huge Ani fan then sitting and watching the dvd will probably grow boring quickly, but its nice to have in the background while surfing the web or some other attention-commanding activity.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: I thought this would be more of a music and concert DVD. Instead It was a diatribe on Annie's radical left wing politics. She is a very talented singer, songwriter and guitarist and she is certainly entitled to her opinions, but the film would have been much better if she made her points in her songs. At some point you get tired of being preached to.
Rating:
Summary: I love you Ani....
Review: I bought this because i am a huge fan of her music, the DVD is something I can watch over and over agian.
Rating:
Summary: Editing included...I loved the DVD
Review: I thought that the DVD was edited in a manner that coinsides with Ani's style. Although I don't know here engough to make that judgement, I still think it works for her. I didn't think that it was "annoying" as one "critic" said. It's a presentation and she did a great job. Her music is somthing I like more and more. I have to get use to listening to songs that tell an actual story rather than numb my mind while I drive to work. Some of the songs I even have slight dissagreement with but I like them for that very reason. How fun would it be to be her. Or maybe even a band member of hers? We should all try to control the direction of our lives more and be ourselves. Loved the DVD
Rating: 
Summary: for hardcore Ani fans only
Review: Although I consider myself a fan of her music, I found this DVD to have done a disservice to Ani DiFranco. The picture is often not synchronized with the sound, and the erratic editing, poorly done video effects, inter-cutting of home movies, and chronically skewed camera angles serve only as an obstruction to the performances and interviews. These techniques might have added to the film had they been used sparingly, but serve here only as a constant annoyance. She is credited as co-director, so perhaps she should have entrusted the film solely to a more experienced filmmaker?
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