Coming to DVD/VOD today, Tuesday, June 16:
WHAT SHE SAID: THE ART OF PAULINE KAEL
Director:
Rob Garver
World Premiere:
Telluride 2018
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Berlin, Edinburgh, Karlovy Vary, Thessaloniki Doc, Miami, Cleveland, Montclair, Seattle, Docs Against Gravity, Transilvania, New Zealand, Vancouver, Mumbai, Rio, Docaviv
About:
A portrait of controversial and influential film critic Pauline Kael.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’s American Masters tomorrow, Tuesday, June 16:
MAE WEST: DIRTY BLONDE
Directors:
Sally Rosenthal and Julia Marchesi
World Premiere:
PBS broadcast (June 2020)
About:
A portrait of the trailblazing film icon.
While Mae West long ago became part of the Hollywood pantheon that makes her unforgettable, over time she’s been reduced to something of a caricature, remembered more for a catchphrase than for specific roles. Surprisingly, Sally Rosenthal and Julia Marchesi’s PBS documentary corrective is the first notable documentary about the controversial entertainment powerhouse, who ruled pre-Code Hollywood. They spruce up a conventional biography format with fantastic archival footage and numerous clips from her films, as well as commentary from historians, friends, and celebrity admirers. What emerges is an intriguing profile of a self-assured woman who insisted on controlling her own image and career, and who was particularly savvy about using controversy to her benefit. While some of the arguments presented about her films’ intersection with race and class matters are perhaps overstated, the documentary succeeds in reclaiming West’s revolutionary appeal and will inspire viewers to seek out her body of work.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to The WORLD Channel’s America ReFramed tomorrow, Tuesday, June 16:
LITTLE MISS WESTIE
Directors:
Joy E Reed and Dan Hunt
World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2018
Select Festival:
Southern Circuit, BendFilm, LGBT fests in Palm Springs, London, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Ft Lauderdale, and Melbourne
About:
A young trans girl is coached through her first pageant by her trans brother.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
If Ren could go back in time before she was four, she would tell her parents that she wasn’t happy living as a boy. Now, Ren is about to take part in a rite of passage for their community in West Haven, CT as the first out transgirl to compete in the Little Miss Westie Pageant. Coaching her through the competition: Her older brother Luca, who previously took part in the pageant when he lived as a girl. Gender dynamics evolve in front of the viewer’s eyes while two transgender siblings explore who they are in this intimate portrait.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, June 15:
RECORDER: THE MARION STOKES PROJECT
Director:
Matt Wolf
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2019
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, AFI Docs, London, New Orleans, Melbourne, Montclair, Maryland, SF DocFest, Sidewalk, Heartland, Antenna
About:
The story of a woman who recorded television news around the clock for thirty years.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS this Sunday, June 14:
PRINCE ALBERT: A VICTORIAN HERO REVEALED
Director:
Marion Milne
World Premiere:
Channel 4 UK broadcast (August 2019)
About:
A reconsideration of the importance and influence of Prince Albert on Victorian Britain.
In 1840, Albert left his homeland of Germany to marry his cousin, Victoria, the Queen of England. Viewed as an outsider by both the public and Parliament, and not given any direct responsibilities or power, he struggled to find his place. Arguing that Albert played a pivotal role that may have been obscured by history, Professor Saul David uses rare access to a trove of private documents to state his case in this conventional but informative biography. Though Albert was warned to stay out of public affairs, he soon developed a keen interest in social causes, turning public opinion to his side, culminating in his oversight of The Great Exhibition of 1851. Behind the scenes, his influence extended to advising Victoria on matters of governance, and to pushing forward a policy of the education of the masses as a means to fend off potential populist unrest that cost other European monarchies their power. While Marion Milne’s doc is limited by its short running time, it succeeds in presenting an intriguing glimpse of Albert’s accomplishments and lasting legacy.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to Showtime tonight, Friday, June 12:
RINGSIDE
Director:
André Hörmann
World Premiere:
Berlin 2019
Select Festival:
DOC NYC, New Orleans, Sydney, Hot Springs, Chicago
About:
A longitudinal portrait of two young boxers in Chicago.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Two young men strive to define their destiny in Chicago’s South Side in this poignant chronicle. Kenny and Destyne dream of boxing greatness, charting very different paths towards their shared goal. Kenny quickly moves into the pressure cooker of semi-pro competitions, while Destyne is imprisoned for a petty crime. Filmed over the course of eight years with incredible access and stirring intimacy, Ringside is a complex, emotional portrait of two youths on the brink.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to virtual theatrical today, Friday, June 12:
IN MY BLOOD IT RUNS
Director:
Maya Newell
World Premiere:
Hot Docs 2019
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Sydney, AFI Docs, Durban, New Zealand, Melbourne, Brisbane, DocsMX, Warsaw
About:
A portrait of a young Aboriginal Australian boy.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Dujuan Hoosan, a 10-year-old Australian boy, lives in two worlds. During the day he must speak English at school and conform to the modern world. Elsewhere, he is a vital member of the Arrernte tribe as a respected healer and advocate for Aboriginal rights. The confluence of these two realities overwhelms Dujuan, leading to trouble with the police and child services. Maya Newell’s evocative and shrewd profile of this singular child bursts with hope and imagination.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
New to DVD this week:
BECOMING LESLIE
Director:
Tracy Frazier
World Premiere:
SXSW 2019
About:
An affectionate portrait of a beloved crossdressing Austin legend.
A mainstay in Austin TX for the last 15 years of his life, Leslie Cochran was an attention-grabbing, crossdressing figure who waived his freak flag proudly until his death at the age of 60 in 2012. He ran for city office unsuccessfully several times, was often homeless (though friends sometimes would let him stay with them), and was usually drunk, subsisting through the kindness of friends and “tips” from fans. Tracy Frazier’s homegrown profile, which appears to be long in the making, attempts to go beyond the surface, delving into Leslie’s life before Austin and provide a sense of what shaped the noncomformist. To some extent, she succeeds, revealing a sad childhood of sexual and emotional abuse, as well as the deleterious impact of a traumatic brain injury, and an interesting earlier attempt at reinvention, when Leslie was known as “Trapper Al” in a small Colorado community. Ultimately, however, her project never manages to transcend its very local, very Austin perspective, limiting its appeal and reach.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Festival:
The 31st Human Rights Watch Film Festival
Dates:
June 11-20 (online)
About:
The NYC edition of this respected event presents eleven documentary features, available online throughout the US.
BELLY OF THE BEAST
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
New to VOD this week:
BORN IN EVIN
Director:
Maryam Zaree
World Premiere:
Berlin 2019
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, IDFA, Sarajevo, Morelia, Biografilm, Human Rights Watch NYC, Cologne, Heartland
About:
A personal film investigating the filmmaker’s birth in an Iranian prison for dissidents.
Actress Maryam Zaree was born in Iran, but has lived in Germany for most of her life. Both of her parents were dissidents critical of the Shah of Iran, but found no more freedom under the Ayatollah’s rule. Instead, they were both persecuted, leading to Maryam being born in Evin, a notorious prison. While Maryam’s mother has thrived since she found asylum in Germany, she has never wanted to discuss her experiences. Still seeking answers about her own past, Maryam sets out on a journey to find other victims of the regime, including others like her, who were born to dissidents in prison. Unapologetically a personal film – and one that doubles as a form of therapy, for good and bad – Zaree’s project finds power in providing a platform for Maryam and others to confront generational trauma.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
what (not) to doc 