Coming to Discovery+ tomorrow, Thursday, October 13:
A RADICAL LIFE
Director:
Ricki Stern
World Premiere:
Hamptons 2022
About:
An unfiltered look inside the mind of Tania Joya, the former First Lady of ISIS, who spent twelve years married to the highest ranking American in ISIS.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to OVID tomorrow, Thursday, October 13:
HIGH ON CRACK STREET: LOST LIVES IN LOWELL
Director:
Jon Alpert, Maryann DeLeo, Richard Farrell
Select Festivals:
IDFA, DOC NYC
About:
A harrowing chronicle of addiction in an economically depressed blue-collar Massachusetts town.
The film screened at DOC NYC for its 20th anniversary, for which our program notes read:
Jon Alpert and Maryann De Leo teamed with former drug addict Rich Farrell, a resident of Lowell, Massachusetts, for this harrowing chronicle of addiction in the economically depressed blue-collar town. Filmed over a year and a half, Brenda, Dicky, and Boo-Boo are followed in and out of crackhouses, rehab, and jail, seeking an escape from the despair of their surroundings. Their lives later served as the inspiration for THE FIGHTER, for which Christian Bale, portraying Dicky, won an Oscar.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to Peacock today, Wednesday, October 12:
I LOVE YOU, YOU HATE ME
Director:
Tommy Avallone
World Premiere:
Peacock (October 2022)
About:
A docuseries chronicling the backlash against Barney the Dinosaur in the 1990s.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, October 11:
AMERICAN RAPSTAR
Director:
Justin Staple
World Premiere:
CPH:DOX 2020
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, SXSW, Doc’n Roll
About:
An eye-opening exploration of the SoundCloud rap phenomenon, a scene of troubled, young, lo-fi rappers that has used social media to develop a rabid fan base.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to OVID today, Tuesday, October 11:
CALIFORNIA DREAMS
Director:
Mike Ott
Premiere:
Berlin Critics Week 2017
Select Festivals:
SXSW, Docville, Sarasota, San Francisco, Champs Élysées
About:
Five people pursue unlikely aspirations of Hollywood fame in this hybrid.
I previously wrote about the film here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, October 11:
HALLELUJAH: LEONARD COHEN, A JOURNEY, A SONG
Director:
Daniel Geller, Dayna Goldfine
World Premiere:
Telluride 2021
Select Festivals:
Venice, IDFA, CPH:DOX, Vienna, Gent, Tribeca
About:
The definitive exploration of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen as seen through the prism of his internationally renowned hymn, Hallelujah.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to HBO and HBO Max tomorrow, Tuesday, October 11:
38 AT THE GARDEN
Director:
Frank Chi
World Premiere:
HBO (October 2022)
About:
A chronicle of the extraordinary ascendance of point guard Jeremy Lin during his landmark 2012 season with the New York Knicks.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to PBS tomorrow, Tuesday, October 11:
BECOMING FREDERICK DOUGLASS
Director:
Stanley Nelson
World Premiere:
PBS broadcast (October 2022)
About:
A profile of one of the most influential voices for democracy in American history, exploring how Frederick Douglass, born into slavery, played a role in securing the right to freedom for African Americans.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to theatres today, Monday, October 10:
TAMING THE GARDEN
Director:
Salomé Jashi
World Premiere:
Sundance 2021
Select Festivals:
Berlin, CPH:DOX, New Directors/New Films, Shanghai, Cinéma du Réel
About:
An artful look at the unusual disruption caused by the removal and transport of several massive trees from small Georgian villages.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to PBS’s POV tonight, Monday, Oct 10:
ACCEPTED
Director:
Dan Chen
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2021
Select Festivals:
New Orleans, Double Exposure, Hot Springs Doc, Full Frame, Cleveland, San Diego Asian, Los Angeles Asian Pacific, Sidewalk, Denver
About:
The ambitious students of the TM Landry Prep School enjoyed a remarkable 100% acceptance rate into the country’s most elite colleges until an explosive New York Times article exposed the controversial teaching methods of its dynamic founder.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
what (not) to doc 