Author Archives: basiltsiokos

Coming to The WORLD Channel’s America ReFramed tomorrow, Tuesday, November 24:
THE BLESSING

Director:
Hunter Robert Baker and Jordan Fein

World Premiere:
Full Frame 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Big Sky Doc, Docs MX, Telluride Mountainfilm, Woods Hole, Portland, Minneapolis/St Paul, Planet in Focus, Ashland, Dallas, Sedona, Bend, Calgary

About:
A Navajo family struggles with the contradictions of working for the coal industry.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Deep in the Navajo Nation, one family struggles to honor their ancestry while embracing the future. Lawrence, a single father, is employed by Peabody Energy, a company tearing apart his sacred homeland for coal. As he contends with the contradictions between his work and his heritage, his secretive teenage daughter, Caitlin, finds herself going against tradition to discover her own identity. With unparalleled access to reservation life and the palpable trust of their onscreen subjects, filmmakers Hunter Robert Baker and Jordan Fein craft a poetic and deeply moving family portrait.

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens today, Monday, November 23:
BELLY OF THE BEAST

Director:
Erika Cohn

World Premiere:
Human Rights Watch NYC 2020

Select Festivals:
Mill Valley, Heartland, Double Exposure, Cucalorus, Rocky Mountain Women’s

About:
A woman sterilized without her consent while in prison teams with a dedicated attorney to stop the process.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to Showtime this Sunday, November 22:
BELUSHI

Director:
RJ Cutler

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2020 (unscreened)

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Cannes, AFI Fest, Chicago

About:
A profile of legendary actor/comedian John Belushi.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
On John Belushi’s 30th birthday, he had the top TV show in SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, the top film in ANIMAL HOUSE, and the top record with THE BLUES BROTHERS. But his insatiable appetites and anarchic energy were fraught with danger. Filmmaker RJ Cutler (THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE) combines footage of Belushi’s legendary acts with rare footage and personal letters to his wife Judy to illuminate one of the great performers of the late 20th century.

Coming to virtual cinemas today, Friday, November 20:
KOSHIEN: JAPAN’S FIELD OF DREAMS

Director:
Ema Ryan Yamazaki

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2019

Select Festivals:
DMZ Docs

About:
An inside look at Japan’s popular national high school baseball championship.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Baseball is life for the die-hard competitors in Koshien, Japan’s national high school baseball championship, whose alumni include US baseball stars Shohei Ohtani and former Yankee Hideki Matsui. As popular as America’s World Series, the stakes are beyond high in this single-elimination tournament. For Coach Mizutani, cleaning the grounds and greeting guests are equally important as honing baseball skills, however, demonstrating discipline, sacrifice, and unwavering dedication. Director Ema Ryan Yamazaki follows Mizutani and his team on their quest to win the 100th annual Koshien, and, in the process, goes beyond baseball to reveal the heart of the Japanese national character.

New to VOD this week:
COWBOYS

Director:
Bud Force and John Langmore

World Premiere:
Austin 2019

Select Festivals:
Sun Valley, Thin Line, Lone Star

About:
A portrait of modern-day cowboys over a year.

Shot on eight ranches in seven states in the American West, Bud Force and John Langmore’s thoughtful film details the work of cowboys today over the four seasons. While some of the interviewees, particularly the older ones, relate stories of the past, and some evocative photography captures cowboys in some indeterminate prior decades, the film is very much rooted in the reality of the profession in the present, exploring the sacrifice and hard work involved. More of a portrait of a profession rather than of individuals, the project captures an essential way of life that is still hanging on despite feeling somewhat out of its time.

New to DVD this week:
DESOLATION CENTER

Director:
Stuart Swezey

World Premiere:
CPH:DOX 2018

Select Festivals:
Sheffield, DokuFest, Big Sky Doc, Slamdance, DOXA, Indielisboa, Chicago Underground, Revelation, Sydney Underground, In-Edit Spain, Cork, Freep, Florida

About:
A look back at underground happenings stemming from the 1980s LA punk and industrial scene.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to HBO tonight, Wednesday, November 18:
CRAZY, NOT INSANE

Director:
Alex Gibney

World Premiere:
SXSW 2020 (unscreened)

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, CPH:DOX, IDFA, Venice, Montclair

About:
A profile of a psychiatrist specializing in serial killers.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
As a Jewish girl growing up in the 1940s, Dorothy Lewis was driven to understand what makes people into killers, leading her to become a psychiatrist specializing in serial killers. Now in her 80s, she shares her controversial insights with Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney. The film draws upon Lewis’s writings (read by Laura Dern) as well as recordings she made with infamous killers including Ted Bundy. Critics have lauded Crazy, Not Insane as being “ominously absorbing” (Variety) with “clear-eyed compassion” (The Hollywood Reporter).

Coming to virtual cinemas today, Wednesday, November 18:
BORN TO BE

Director:
Tania Cypriano

World Premiere:
New York Film Festival 2019

Select Festivals:
Docaviv, Hamptons, Palm Springs, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Sarasota, Cleveland, Nashville, Cinequest, Seattle Asian American

About:
A portrait of a physician who specializes in gender transition surgery and his patients at Mt Sinai.

Dr Jess Ting heads up Mt Sinai’s Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery in New York City, but, as he explains early in Tania Cypriano’s affecting film, just a few years ago, he wasn’t even sure he understood what “transgender” meant. He quickly began to learn, drawing on the expertise of visiting surgeons like Dr Marci Bowers, and, in turn, mentoring a new fellow through the course of the film, pointing to the growing need of this specialization in the field – made clear as Dr Ting’s patients contend with months-long waiting lists for consultations, despite a growing staff. While following the unassuming, sympathetic doctor through his work, the filmmaker introduces several of his patients, each reflecting the significance these kinds of surgeries can have for their overall well-being, and providing a welcome humanization rather than a clinical focus on the medical procedures themselves.