Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to select theatres and to virtual cinemas this Friday, August 28:
MR SOUL!

Director:
Melissa Haizlip

Co-Director:
Sam Pollard

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2018

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, True/False, AFI Docs, New Orleans, Rotterdam, Durban, BlackStar, Urbanworld, Pan African, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, London, Indie Memphis, Woodstock, Heartland

About:
A portrait of the pioneer behind SOUL!, the acclaimed African-American public television cultural variety show.

Between 1968-1973, NYC’s public television station produced SOUL!, a weekly performance-oriented variety program made by and primarily for African-American audiences. The show quickly grew in popularity, drawing regular viewership by more than half of African-American households across the nation. At the heart of SOUL! was its creator and host, Ellis Haizlip, whose forward thinking approach to shining the spotlight on Black culture introduced audiences to a wide range of artists and thinkers, from popular singers and avant-garde jazz performers to outspoken poets and controversial political activists. Haizlip emerges as an intriguing, singular figure, an openly gay man who rejected the showboating of the traditional host role but whose insightful interviewing skills and curatorial acumen gave the program its revolutionary edge. Here, his niece, Melissa Haizlip, crafts an illuminating and fascinating portrait not only of her uncle, but of his landmark program, fondly remembered by a generation influenced by its positive representation and message of uplift and excellence – but largely unknown to viewers who came of age after 1973, when political pressures from the Nixon administration forced its cancellation. This portrait, with its extensive footage from the show, helps re-establish SOUL!’s vital position in cultural history.

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, August 25:
OTHER MUSIC

Directors:
Puloma Basu and Rob Hatch-Miller

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2019

Select Festivals:
Montclair, Maryland, Calgary, Vancouver, Nashville, Cork, St Louis, Sound Unseen, Cleveland

About:
A love letter to the now-shuttered NYC record store institution.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to select theatres and to virtual cinemas tomorrow, Friday, August 21:
DESERT ONE

Director:
Barbara Kopple

World Premiere:
Toronto 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, AFI Fest, Double Exposure, Palm Springs, Full Frame, Big Sky Doc

About:
An up-close look at the mission to free American hostages during the 1979 Iranian revolution

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to DVD and VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, August 18:
CREATING A CHARACTER: THE MONI YAKIM LEGACY

Director:
Rauzar Alexander

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2019

About:
A legendary Juilliard acting teacher gets his time in the spotlight.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, August 18:
CARE TO LAUGH

Director:
Julie Getz

World Premiere:
Heartland 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Austin, Salem, RiverRun, Bentonville

About:
A stand-up comic balances the demands of his career with caregiving for his parents.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
From his humble beginnings parking cars at the Comedy Store, Jesus Trejo is relentless in his pursuit of stand-up stardom. For Jesus, who drives hours for a three-minute open mic stint, comedy is both a dream and an escape from the heavy demands of caring for his aging parents. Undeterred, Trejo funnels his experiences as a caregiver into disarmingly funny material for his stand-up routine. With tenderness and lots of humor, this heartwarming film sheds light on the increasingly common reality many adults face as their parents grow older.

Coming to DVD via Criterion in a new digital restoration tomorrow, Tuesday, August 18:
TOWN BLOODY HALL

Directors:
Chris Hegedus and DA Pennebaker

World Premiere:
Whitney Museum (April 1979)

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, IDFA

About:
Feminists face off with author Norman Mailer in 1971 New York City.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
In 1971, DA Pennebaker filmed an event at New York’s Town Hall exemplifying the crosscurrents of feminism. On stage, Norman Mailer engaged in a debate with THE FEMALE EUNUCH author Germaine Greer, lesbian journalist Jill Johnston, critic Diana Trilling, and others. It took several years for the film to be completed with Chris Hegedus, and today it still crackles with vitality.