Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to DVD and digital tomorrow, Tuesday, August 11:
ASIAN AMERICANS

Series Producer:
Renee Tajima-Peña

World Premiere:
PBS broadcast (May 2020)

About:
A sweeping overview of the Asian experience in America.

I previously wrote about the docuseries here.

Coming to POV tonight, Monday, August 10:
ABOUT LOVE

Director:
Archana Atul Phadke

World Premiere:
Sheffield 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, DMZ Docs, Mumbai

About:
An observational portrait of three generations of the filmmaker’s family.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
In this intimate and often funny observational portrait, director Archana Phadke trains her camera on three generations of her family, all living together in the same home in Mumbai. As the household prepares for her brother Rohan’s wedding, Archana – determined, like her sister, to remain single – captures the rhythms of the ever-busy household. Coming into particular focus are Archana’s long-suffering grandmother, Neela, who tends to her ailing, sexist husband, and her mother, Maneesha, who confesses a secret escape from her own feelings of marital frustration.

Coming to virtual cinemas tomorrow, Friday, August 7:
RIVER CITY DRUMBEAT

Directors:
Marlon Johnson and Anne Flatté

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2019

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, SXSW EDU, San Francisco, Miami, Salem

About:
The co-founder of a celebrated Louisville drum corps passes the torch to the next generation.

The film screened at DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
For 30 years, the indefatigable Nardie White has offered a path to empowerment for African-American youth in Louisville KY through his River City Drum Corps. White has dedicated his life to teaching communities about their Pan-African roots, but with retirement approaching, he must train his successor. Set against the backdrop of the American South and featuring glorious drum battles, this uplifting film is a timely reminder of the incredible change one person can create.

Coming to select theatres and to virtual cinemas this Friday, August 7:
CREEM: AMERICA’S ONLY ROCK ‘N’ ROLL MAGAZINE

Director:
Scott Crawford

World Premiere:
SXSW 2019 (under its original title, BOY HOWDY! THE STORY OF CREEM MAGAZINE)

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Freep, Cleveland, Maryland, Asbury Park

About:
The history of the influential Detroit-based rock publication.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Cheekily declaring itself “America’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Magazine,” CREEM launched in 1969 Detroit as an irreverent upstart to rival the pre-eminent rock publication of the day, Rolling Stone. Scrappy, subversive, and gleefully puerile, the magazine soon became wildly popular, thanks in large part to its forward-thinking publisher, Barry Kramer, and its gonzo journalist, Lester Bangs. Scott Crawford’s film offers a riotous look back on CREEM‘s history, the dysfunctional family of outsiders behind its pages, and its lasting impact on music and culture.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, August 4:
CAPITAL IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

Director:
Justin Pemberton

World Premiere:
Sydney 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Melbourne, New Zealand, Jerusalem, Hamburg

About:
An adaptation of the unexpected international bestselling economics book.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, August 4:
RED PENGUINS

Director:
Gabe Polsky

World Premiere:
Toronto 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Hamptons, Palm Springs, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Santa Barbara, Miami Jewish

About:
A look back at an American-backed hockey team in post-Soviet Russia.

The film screened at DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Filmmaker Gabe Polsky’s previous film, RED ARMY, was an entertaining history of Soviet hockey players migrating to the United States. Now he examines a reverse trend after the Soviet Union’s collapse, when American hustlers tried bringing capitalism to Moscow by investing in its hockey team. This dark comedy contains strippers, gangsters, and live bears serving beer on ice. It’s a lively history lesson that helps us understand relations between the US and Russia today.