Author Archives: basiltsiokos

Coming to NYC’s reRun Gastropub Theatre for a one-night only screening this Thursday, July 28: DAMN!

Director Aaron Fischer Cohen makes his documentary feature debut with this surprisingly engaging behind-the-scenes profile of the eccentric New York State gubernatorial candidate Jimmy McMillan. The film has screened at the Brooklyn and Little Rock Film Festivals, and will be coming to Manhattan for a week-long run and simultaneous DVD/VOD release next month.

The film chronicles the unexpected developments that bring McMillan’s 2010 bid for New York State Governor into the popular consciousness. Though he has sought office since the early 1990s, his “The Rent is Too Damn High Party” fails to get much traction until a clip of his scene-stealing speech at a televised debate becomes an overnight viral sensation. DAMN! follows what happens next, as McMillan assembles a team to help him ride his viral fame to a hopeful election upset. Fischer Cohen has amazing first-hand access to the price of YouTube infamy. Given McMillan’s signature haircut, shocking white beard, and unusual background – Vietnam vet, karate black belt, former stripper, and 1970s soul singer – he offers plenty of fodder to keep audiences engaged. But the film points out the fleeting nature of today’s fast paced news and entertainment cycle – even as the clock counts down to the election, McMillan tries desperately to extend his 15 minutes for as long as possible – and before the next viral video overshadows his own.

Note: Jimmy McMillan and the filmmakers will be present for the screening.

Coming to NYC’s Maysles Cinema (as part of a special Masterclass with director Steve James) this Friday, July 29: HOOP DREAMS

Steve James premiered his epic at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary. Later that year, the film went on to screen at both Toronto and the New York Film Festival, but was famously not nominated for an Academy Award, generating significant criticism. It was recognized by numerous film critic circles, the Directors Guild of America, the Independent Spirit Awards, and even the MTV Movie Awards, and landed on many best-of-the-decade lists.

Steve James’ intimate yet epic film follows William Gates and Arthur Agee, two African-American high school students, over their entire school career as they try to become professional basketball players. In between them and their goal is real life – and life in the inner city is not always conducive to their dreams. Despite setbacks and tragedies, they and their families remain committed to their dreams of success. The film is not just about basketball – it’s about boys becoming men, coming of age, and navigating their relationships with family, friends, and community. Exploring issues of race, class, education, and socioeconomic status, James’ film serves as a powerful portrait of both the potential of the American dream of making one’s own fortune, and the harsh reality that everyone won’t be able to realize that dream.

Coming to POV next Tuesday, August 2: STEAM OF LIFE

Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen’s intimate look at men in saunas has screened extensively since its premiere at the beginning of last year, appearing in the lineups of numerous international and US documentary and generalist festivals. It was also nominated for Best Documentary at the European Film Awards.

My thoughts on the film can be found in my roundup of DocPoint NYC here.

Coming to NYC’s Rooftop Films this Thursday, July 28: FAKE IT SO REAL

Robert Greene premiered his look at wrestlers at True/False earlier this year. I wrote about the film in my coverage of T/F for indieWIRE, saying:

As suggested by its title, Greene’s film confronts artifice, in the form of its subject. In his third feature-length doc in as many years (OWNING THE WEATHER premiered at Full Frame 2009, while KATI WITH AN I screened at T/F last year), Greene profiles a group of would-be professional wrestlers – they haven’t quite been able to make money yet – during the lead up to one of their shows in North Carolina. Exploring what goes into the sport/spectacle – from character development to physical training – the film also brilliantly captures a unique men-only world – veteran performers haze rookie pretty boy Gabriel, curiously obsessed with playfully questioning his heterosexuality – a recurring theme for the group which also includes another wrestler who portrays a flamboyant gay character.

Note: Greene will be present for a Q&A after the screening, joined by subjects from the film, who will then engage in a live wrestling “Battle Royale.”

Coming to NYC’s Museum of the Moving Image as part of its Errol Morris’ America series this weekend, July 23-24: GATES OF HEAVEN

In 1978, Morris made his documentary debut with this understated gem that helped to establish him as one of the US’ most notable documentarians. The film screened in the New York Film Festival and went on to a successful theatrical release. It famously was the subject of a wager between the director and Werner Herzog, who pledged to eat his shoe if Morris made GATES and managed to get it shown in theatres. The result was documented by Les Blank in his short film, the aptly titled WERNER HERZOG EATS HIS SHOE.

This unusual, and unusually affecting, film focuses on pet cemeteries – the people who run them and some pet owners who have buried their beloved animals there. As in Morris’ other films, he turns the cameras on his interview subjects and lets them tell their stories, directly to the camera, and unmediated beyond his editing choices. The soft-spoken but at times intense Floyd McClure, also known as Mac, is the focus of the first half of the film. He speaks at length about his strong feelings that animal companions should be granted a respectful resting place, both for their own sake and for those they’ve left behind. His solution was the ill-fated Los Altos, CA’s Foothill Pet Cemetery, an alternative to rendering plants that dispose of animal remains – an industry that is heard from here as well, via a kind of smarmy, kind of funny plant owner. The second half of the film zeroes in on Cal Harberts, his wife, and their two sons, who run the successful Napa Valley Bubbling Well Pet Memorial Park, as well as a church that preaches that God will welcome both two-legged and four-legged creatures at the gates of heaven. In between are comments from pet owners about their loss, including the show stealer, Florence Rasmussen, who delivers a meandering monologue about her life that doesn’t appear to have much to do with the rest of the film, but provides a remarkable moment that matches the strange mix of pathos, humor, irony, and Americana that is captured so seemingly effortlessly by Morris through the entire film. This one definitely is worthy of its label as a “classic” – if you haven’t seen it yet, make sure that you do.

Coming to NYC’s Maysles Cinema (as part of a special Masterclass with director Steve James) next Thursday, July 28: NO CROSSOVER: THE TRIAL OF ALLEN IVERSON

Oscar-nominated director Steve James went back to his hometown of Hampton, VA for his part in ESPN’s 30 FOR 30 series. It had its world premiere at SXSW last year.

No stranger to basketball – besides his acclaimed HOOP DREAMS, he played in high school – James relates the contentious 1993 story of up and coming court star Allen Iverson. Clearly on a path from high school stardom to the NBA, Iverson took a detour in 1993 when he was allegedly involved in a racially charged fight at a local bowling alley. Tried together with a group of his friends as an adult, Iverson faced a potentially career-killing trial, and one which split Hampton, leaving painful wounds to this day. Given his connection to Hampton and its community, James takes a personal approach to the story, narrating and also appearing in the film conducting interviews with not only people close to the Iverson case, but with his mother and family friends. Regular readers of this blog will note that I’m generally not a fan of filmmakers inserting themselves in their films in this manner, and I’m not convinced this was the best tactic for James to take, though there is justification for such an approach. Still, it’s not employed consistently enough to my liking, making these elements pale in comparison to segments in which James is not as present. Despite this, the film as a whole offers a provocative close reading of a specific incident that put in relief the intersection of race, athletics, and the justice system. In so doing, the film successfully moves far beyond being a doc about sports to address much more expansive concerns.

Note: James will be present for a post-screening Q&A.