Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to virtual theatrical today, Friday, July 24:
HELMUT NEWTON: THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL

Director:
Gero von Boehm

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2020 (cancelled)

About:
A portrait of the often controversial fashion photographer.

The work of German photographer Helmut Newton is synonymous with transgression, eroticism, and, for some, a disturbing misogyny. Working for Vogue and other influential fashion magazines beginning in the late 1950s, but truly emerging as an iconic image maker in the ’70s and ’80s, Newton focused on the female body, often nude, more than fashion. Influenced by the imagery of Leni Riefenstahl and his time as an apprentice to the underappreciated but pioneering Weimar era photographer Madame Yva, Newton eroticized and fetishized the body, both celebrating it and holding it at a distance, something to be desired, but also, perhaps, to be feared. Filmmaker Gero von Boehm followed the photographer prior to his accidental death in 2004, while also speaking to several of his muses – beyond his wife and business manager, June, models like Grace Jones, Charlotte Rampling, Isabella Rossellini, Claudia Schiffer, Hanna Schygulla, and Marianne Faithfull. Their affectionate for Newton – a self-described “naughty boy” – and admiration for his professionalism seem to disavow the charges of objectification and the darker undercurrents of his work, but the film would have benefitted from delving deeper into the criticism. Still, von Boehm’s portrait conveys his subject’s charisma and serves as a fitting showcase for Newton’s striking imagery.

New to VOD via Netflix this week:
THE REMIX: HIP HOP X FASHION

Directors:
Lisa Cortés and Farah X

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2019

Select Festivals:
Urbanworld, New Orleans, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Napa Valley, St Louis, Sound Unseen, Woodstock, Bahamas, Sidewalk, Harlem DocFest, Boston Women’s, Doc’n Roll

About:
An exploration of the intersection of fashion and hip hop in the late 1980s and ’90s.

It’s undeniable that hip hop has been wildly influential as a cultural force since its origins in the 1980s. Filmmakers Lisa Cortés and Farah X focus on one specific aspect of its reach – the world of fashion. With the growth of hip hop music also came the development of a wide range of looks and styles, eventually leading to lucrative brands. This entertaining doc reveals some of the individuals behind the fashion, perhaps well known from within the hip hop scene, but not necessarily given the credit or wider acclaim they were rightly due before their creativity was co-opted and appropriated by corporations. Figures like Misa Hylton, April Walker, Kerby Jean-Raymond, and Dapper Dan – pivotal in establishing the iconic imagery of hip hop culture – come out from behind the scenes to claim the spotlight and reveal the sometimes contentious history of their visionary looks.

New to VOD via Sundance Now this week:
NEW HOMELAND

Director:
Barbara Kopple

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2018

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, IDFA, Sarasota, Cleveland

About:
Refugee boys attend a summer camp to help with their adjustment to a new country.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Two-time Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple chronicles the experiences of five refugee children from war-torn Syria and Iraq whose families have resettled in Toronto. In this sweetly observed group portrait, Kopple follows the boys over several weeks as they attend a summer camp in the wilderness, a Canadian rite of passage. We watch as some boys thrive while others struggle, putting the best intentions of the camp counselors to the test.

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, July 21:
THE GRAND UNIFIED THEORY OF HOWARD BLOOM

Director:
Charlie Hoxie

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2019

Select Festivals:
Santa Barbara, Design Science

About:
A portrait of a music publicist turned eccentric scientific philosopher.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Howard Bloom spent much of the 1970s and ’80s as the publicist for iconic musicians including Michael Jackson, Prince, Joan Jett, Run DMC, and Aerosmith. When a rare disease left him housebound for 15 years, Bloom reinvented himself as an author, publishing several books on evolutionary psychology and humanity’s role in the universe. Now, in his 70s, the eccentric philosopher readies an unfathomably long masterwork that will unify all of his unorthodox theories, and makes plans for his legacy.

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, July 21:
GEORGE W BUSH

Director:
Barak Goodman

World Premiere:
American Experience (May 2020)

About:
A two-part biography on the life and career of the 43rd president of the United States.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to PBS’s POV tonight, Monday, July 20:
WE ARE THE RADICAL MONARCHS

Director:
Linda Goldstein Knowlton

World Premiere:
SXSW 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Nantucket, San Francisco, Seattle, Traverse City, AFI Docs, Frameline, Inside Out, Outfest Fusion, IFF Boston, Bentonville, March on Washington, Cine Latino, Virginia, Milwaukee, Hawaii, Palm Springs, Rocky Mountain Women’s, Athena

About:
A portrait of a group of young girls of color on the front lines of social justice.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Finding that traditional youth organizations aren’t directly focusing on the issues facing young girls of color, two moms, Anyavette Martinez and Marilyn Hollinquest, begin their own troop, the Radical Monarchs. Based in Oakland, a city with a long history of social justice movements, this progressive group is more likely to participate in protest marches than in bake sales. This inspiring film follows the founders as they try to expand the organization while contending with the country’s growing political divides.

New to DVD this week:
SACRED WATER

Director:
Olivier Jourdain

World Premiere:
DOK Leipzig

Select Festivals:
IDFA, Thessaloniki Doc, Docs Against Gravity, Docpoint, Docville, Margaret Mead, BelDocs, DOXA, Moscow Doc, Ischia, Zanzibar

About:
An exploration of female sexual pleasure in Rwanda.

As recounted in Olivier Jourdain’s light but enjoyable film, there is a well-known legend that explains the apparent widespread phenomenon of female ejaculation in Rwandan society. While her husband was at war, an ancient queen found unexpected sexual release with a servant, producing enough sacred water to fill Lake Kivu, one of the African Great Lakes. Since then, the story goes, Rwandan women have been encouraged to find their own water, for both their own sexual pleasure and to keep their men happy – not surprisingly, the focus here is exclusively on heterosexual couplings. Providing an insider’s perspective is popular radio host and sexual health educator Vestine Dusabe, who discusses in frank terms the importance of female sexual pleasure and awareness of their own bodies, both through her regular broadcasts and visits to schools and communities, but she is but one of several figures who populate the film, from doctors providing remedies for “dried up” water to ordinary Rwandans speaking openly about sex while swimming. The result is a look at a refreshingly open approach to sex education that foregrounds the pleasure for both women and men, unconnected to reproduction, religion, or shame.

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Friday, July 17:
BLESSED CHILD

Director:
Cara Jones

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2019

About:
An inside look at life in a controversial religious movement.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
This intimate film revisits director Cara Jones’ upbringing within the Unification Church of Reverend Sun Myung Moon – commonly known as the Moonies – where her parents are high-ranking members. Home videos reveal never-before-seen footage of the inner workings of the controversial movement, considered a cult by some. After Jones separates from the church, she must come to terms with the shift in her relationship with her parents and with the impact of this unusual background on her family.