Category Archives: Documentary

Coming to VOD today, Friday, November 18: SOUR GRAPES

Jerry Rothwell and Reuben Atlas’ chronicle of an unprecedented wine fraud debuted at Hot Docs. Screenings followed at the recently concluded DOC NYC, Sheffield, Melbourne, Hamptons, and Tallgrass, among other events. It now comes to VOD via Netflix.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Rudy Kurniawan, an unassuming young Indonesian man, makes a splash when he begins to attend specialty wine auctions. An apparent wine savant, his aggressive buying helps lead the wave that sees fine wine prices skyrocket before the 2008 financial crisis. Kurniawan amasses $35 million from auctioning off rare wines from his own collection. But after suspicious bottles are discovered making their way through elite wine circles, controversy erupts, prompting an investigation with surprising results.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, November 18: MAGNUS

Benjamin Ree’s portrait of the “Mozart of chess” debuted at Tribeca this Spring. Screenings followed at Munich, Traverse City, Moscow, Zurich, Vancouver, and the Hamptons, among other events.

Even as a young boy, Magnus Carlsen was more at home lost in thoughts than engaging in more physical pursuits. Encouraged by his supportive parents and sisters, he took naturally to chess, and soon emerged as a naturally gifted, intuitive prodigy. Ree follows Magnus, now in his early 20s, as he is on the cusp of fulfilling his lifelong dream of competing for the World Championship in 2013. The perspective of the introverted young master is broadened considerably through interviews with his family, particularly his father, and home video and other archival footage that shows Magnus’ rise through the world of competitive chess. The crux of the film, however, comes in surprisingly tense game play in both the qualifying competition and then his face-off with the reigning world champion, Viswanathan Anand – a feat for such a cerebral and individual game, and effective not only for viewers already well-versed in chess.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, November 18: MARATHON: THE PATRIOTS DAY BOMBING

Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg’s revisitation of the aftermath of the devastating 2013 Boston bombing made its debut at the Hamptons last month. It also screened at the just-wrapped DOC NYC.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
On April 15, 2013, two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring hundreds of others. Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg’s powerful film reveals the immediate impact of the terrorist attack on Boston as the city goes on lockdown and a manhunt ensues for the bombers, soon revealed as two brothers, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Running parallel to the FBI’s investigation are the affecting stories of several survivors who suffered serious injuries in the bombing. Marathon follows them over the course of three years as they contend with the aftermath, showing physical and emotional fortitude in the face of tragedy.

Coming to NYC’s Museum of the Moving Image tomorrow, Friday, November 18: NE ME QUITTE PAS (DON’T LEAVE ME)

Sabine Lubbe Bakker and Niels van Koevorden’s profile of a pair of alcoholic friends debuted at IDFA in 2013. It went on to screen at Tribeca, Sydney, Traverse City, London, Chicago, Talinn Black Nights, Cleveland, and One World, among other events.

Living in a remote Belgian village, Marcel and Bob are old friends, and they’re both prone to excessive drinking and long, often very funny, conversations. As the film opens, the middle-aged Marcel’s marriage has just ended, and he turns to the older Bob for companionship and, it’s clear, an escape from his deep depression. Even as the pair provide unexpected onscreen comedy, their talk turns to joking about suicide methods, and Marcel recognizes his problems with drinking. The filmmakers maintain just the right balance between humor and pathos, finding genuine comedy in the men’s rapport without either condescension or pity as they craft an indelible portrait.

Coming to VOD via Sundance Now today, Thursday, November 17: MISSING PEOPLE

David Shapiro’s portrait of a driven art collector with a tragic past had its world premiere at Hot Docs last year. It went on to screen at DOC NYC, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Hamptons, Atlanta, and Sarasota, among other events.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Martina, the director of a prominent NYC gallery, is an obsessive collector of the work of late outsider artist Roy Ferdinand, which chronicled a violent, sexual pre-Katrina New Orleans. When she meets Ferdinand’s sisters, they are drawn together by common experience: Martina too is haunted by the spectre of her own brother, the 14-year-old victim of an unsolved murder in 1978 Queens. David Shapiro intricately weaves together the stories of these two brothers in this indelible nonfiction mystery.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, November 18: OFF THE RAILS

Adam Irving’s chronicle of a man’s obsession with NYC transit made its debut at Full Frame. Screenings have also included DOC NYC, Hot Docs, Sarasota, RiverRun, Newport Beach, San Francisco Doc, Provincetown, Sidewalk, Woods Hole, DocUtah, Hot Springs Doc, Savannah, Denver, and St Louis.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Irving’s film tells the stranger-than-fiction story of serial MTA imposter Darius McCollum, who has been jailed more than 30 times for illegally driving buses and conducting subway trains. After finding sanctuary from childhood bullies in the subway, McCollum, who has Asperger’s syndrome, developed an obsession with the transit system. Though he has never missed a stop in his unorthodox 35-year “career” operating mass transit vehicles, unforgiving authorities have damned him to the revolving door of the criminal justice system.