Author Archives: basiltsiokos

Coming to virtual cinemas tomorrow, Wednesday, December 2:
MAYOR

Director:
David Osit

World Premiere:
True/False 2020

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Nantucket, CPH:DOX, IDFA, Hot Docs, Full Frame, Camden, Maryland, DokuFest

About:
A portrait of the Christian mayor of Ramallah, Palestine.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
David Osit’s compelling film offers a portrait of Musa Hadid, the affable mayor of Ramallah, the historically Christian city that serves as the administrative center of Palestine. Hadid has day-to-day concerns to handle, from increasing tourism to planning the annual Christmas celebrations, but the darker realities of life under occupation are never too far away. Balancing absurd humor with unforgettable moments of gravity, Osit’s profile reveals a side of Palestine rarely seen in Western media.

Coming to Investigation Discovery tonight, Tuesday, December 1:
THE WITMANS

Director:
David Petersen

World Premiere:
Philadelphia 2020

About:
A family contends with the loss of one son to murder and the other to the criminal justice system.

In October 1998, 13-year-old Gregory Witman was found brutally murdered in his family home. Police determined the prime suspect was his older brother, Zachary, 15, who, despite maintaining innocence and being a minor, was tried and convicted of the crime, and sentenced to life in prison without hope of parole. David Petersen’s film offers a thorough examination of the disturbing case and its unanswered questions, but ultimately focuses on parents Ron and Sue Witman’s defense of Zachary and their efforts to see him released from what they view as a wrongful conviction. While hewing closely to the true crime documentary subgenre, and featuring a distractingly heavy-handed score, the project is well handled and serves as a thought-provoking indictment of the flaws of the criminal justice system and how it handles minors.

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, December 1:
HUMAN NATURE

Director:
Adam Bolt

World Premiere:
SXSW 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Hot Docs, Full Frame, AFI Docs, CPH:DOX

About:
An exploration of the potential implications of a major DNA technology.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to Showtime this Sunday, November 29:
MY PSYCHEDELIC LOVE STORY

Director:
Errol Morris

World Premiere:
AFI Fest 2020

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC

About:
A profile of Joanna Harcourt-Smith and her life on the run with Timothy Leary.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Oscar-winning filmmaker Errol Morris is drawn to larger-than-life characters, but Joanna Harcourt-Smith soars above them all. She’s a Scheherazade of sexual escapades and psychedelic tripping as she describes her life with the High Priest of LSD Timothy Leary through his period as an escaped convict who was recaptured in her company. Did she betray him as Allen Ginsburg and others suspected? Harcourt-Smith doesn’t hold back in questioning her own behavior in this humorous, outlandish chapter of 1970s excess.

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Friday, November 27:
ZAPPA

Director:
Alex Winter

World Premiere:
SXSW 2020 (unscreened)

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Camden, Montclair, Philadelphia

About:
The definitive portrait of musician Frank Zappa.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Through his pioneering band, Mothers of Invention, as well as his solo work, Frank Zappa embraced a variety of genres, from rock and jazz to experimental and classical music, ultimately producing more than 60 albums in a career spanning four decades. An outspoken critic of the status quo and staunch defender of free expression, he was an iconoclast who literally inspired a revolution in Czechoslovakia. Granted access to Zappa’s personal archives, including thousands of hours of unreleased music, films, and interviews, director Alex Winter has constructed the definitive portrait of the maverick musician. 

New to DVD this week:
CREEM: AMERICA’S ONLY ROCK ‘N’ ROLL MAGAZINE

Director:
Scott Crawford

World Premiere:
SXSW 2019 (under its original title, BOY HOWDY! THE STORY OF CREEM MAGAZINE)

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Freep, Cleveland, Maryland, Asbury Park

About:
The history of the influential Detroit-based rock publication.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to DVD/VOD today, Tuesday, November 24:
THE WALRUS AND THE WHISTLEBLOWER

Director:
Nathalie Bibeau

World Premiere:
Hot Docs 2020

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, DOXA, Taipei Golden Horse, Hot Springs Doc, Melbourne Doc, Newburyport Doc

About:
A former marine animal park trainer wages a war to save his beloved walrus.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Phil Demers, an eccentric free spirit, becomes an unexpectedly popular trainer at Niagara Falls’ Marineland after forming a bond with the park’s first walrus, Smooshi. For the next decade Demers cares for Smooshi and other animals in increasingly decrepit conditions. After he quits as a result of these concerns—and is accused of plotting to steal a walrus—Demers takes to social media and the courts, waging war to save Smooshi. Unconventional and heart-wrenching, Nathalie Bibeau’s film follows Demers on his crusade for justice.

Coming to HBO tomorrow, Wednesday, November 25 and to HBO Max this Thursday, November 26:
THE MYSTERY OF DB COOPER

Director:
John Dower

World Premiere:
Camden 2020

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Nashville

About:
An investigation into the identity of the infamous plane hijacker.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
In 1971, on Thanksgiving Day, a man calling himself Dan Cooper hijacked a commercial flight, holding passengers ransom for $200K. After his demands were met, he freed the hostages, forced the plane back in the air, and escaped mid-flight via parachute, never to be heard from again. Combining meticulous archival footage, stylish re-enactments, and in-person interviews with those who flew the plane and others who claim to know Cooper, this high-octane film attempts to solve the longstanding mystery of DB Cooper’s identity and ultimate fate.