Category Archives: Documentary

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, September 6:
SUPER SIZE ME 2: HOLY CHICKEN!

Director:
Morgan Spurlock

World Premiere:
Toronto 2017

About:
The director takes on fast food once again, opening up his own chicken restaurant.

Nearly 16 years ago, director Morgan Spurlock turned himself into a human guinea pig to demonstrate the unhealthiness of a fast food diet in SUPER SIZE ME, and in the process launched a successful career as a playfully investigative documentarian. Shortly after this, his latest feature, launched in Toronto two years ago, Spurlock published an account of his sexual misconduct over the years, resulting in the shuttering of his production company and the relegation of this doc into limbo until now. Though billed as a sequel to his debut film, this project is in many ways more similar to his self-reflexive look at branding and advertising, POM WONDERFUL PRESENTS: THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD. The conceit here is that Spurlock decides to open a chicken restaurant, even raising his own chickens, but, in the process, he reveals the hidden side of industrial food production, and how marketing has been employed to try to convince consumers they’re making healthier choices. The culmination of his efforts is the launch of his restaurant in Columbus OH, with its walls festooned with slogans demonstrating the absurdity of ad-speak, and menu items showcasing transparent techniques to win over the customer, like a fried chicken sandwich with painted-on grill marks. Though the film won’t win over viewers who take issue with Spurlock’s brand of filmmaking, It’s a watchable and often amusing bit of manufactured theatre.

Coming to DVD and VOD tomorrow, Friday, September 6:
BLUE NOTE RECORDS: BEYOND THE NOTE

Director:
Sophie Huber

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2018

Select Festivals:
IDFA, CPH:DOX, Palm Springs, Vancouver, Sound Unseen, SF Jewish

About:
A look back at the influential jazz label.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to theatres this Friday, September 6:
LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE

Directors:
Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2019

Select Festivals:
Provincetown, AFI Docs, Atlantic

About:
A look back at the celebrated pop artist’s career.

Singer Linda Ronstadt emerged in the folk music scene of the 1960s, but, as shown in directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s loving, if somewhat conventional, biopic, she never let a specific genre define her. Over the course of her long career, which ended just a few years ago in 2011 when she retired due to Parkinson’s, Ronstadt continually challenged the music industry – and herself – by tackling a wide range of styles, not in desperate attempts at reinvention, but instead because she had a genuine interest in everything from classic Mexican ballads, opera, rock, and jazz – and she could sing them all beautifully. This aspect of her career, as well as the singer’s candid insight into the male-dominated world of 1970s rock culture in which she made her mark as a best-selling artist, helps elevate this project and reminds viewers of her impact in entertainment.

New to DVD this week:
LOOPERS: THE CADDIE’S LONG WALK

Director:
Jason Baffa

World Premiere:
Santa Barbara 2019

Select Festivals:
Cleveland, Boulder, Newport Beach

About:
A celebration of the unsung heroes of golf.

In this inside-baseball approach to the world of golf, director Jason Baffa reviews the role of the caddy historically as it has changed to move beyond simply carrying a golfer’s clubs to serving as a partner, confidante, and game advisor. Several caddies are profiled, including individuals who went on to successful careers as golfers themselves or in other disciplines, such as narrator Bill Murray, a former caddy whose credits, of course, include the iconic comedy CADDYSHACK. Brief consideration is given around issue of race, gender, and class in the profession, and the talking heads, anecdote-oriented proceedings are livened up with some playful animation and archival footage. While suitable for sports programming in addition to its natural audience of golf fans, the doc is ultimately too niche to appeal to a broader viewership.

Coming to DVD and VOD today, Tuesday, September 3:
BEHIND THE BULLET

Director:
Heidi Yewman

World Premiere:
Slamdance 2019

Select Festivals:
GlobeDocs, Thin Line, Cinequest

About:
An exploration of the impact of gun violence from the perspective of those who used the weapon.

In Heidi Yewman’s thoughtful but somewhat unsatisfying project, she profiles four stories involving gun deaths or injuries. Though it’s not immediately clear until close to the end of the film, all four cases focus on individuals who pulled the trigger, in very different circumstances: gang violence, self-defense during a home invasion, accidental shooting due to unsecured home firearms, and unsuccessful suicide attempt. The latter is a late revelation; for most of the film’s running time, this thread is focused on the long process of Christen’s recovery from disfiguring facial wounds, with the circumstances behind them unstated. Not every thread feels as developed or interrogated as it might have been, and one, dealing with a child’s accidental killing of his younger brother, is particularly frustrating in its displacement of accountability to “God’s will.” While arguably providing an opportunity to reach audiences on both sides of the gun control debate by not actively proselytizing, the film’s near-avoidance of the issue lends an incomplete feel to the project as a whole.