Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to VOD today, Friday, February 28:
WHILE I BREATHE, I HOPE

Director:
Emily Harrold

Premiere:
New Orleans 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Hot Springs Doc, Cucalorus, Toronto Black, Oxford,

About:
A portrait of a young African-American politician in the South.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to Showtime tomorrow, Friday, February 28:
THE KINGMAKER

Director:
Lauren Greenfield

World Premiere:
Venice 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Toronto, Telluride, Camden, London, El Gouna, Hamptons, Chicago, AFI Fest, Mill Valley, Warsaw

About:
A candid portrait of Imelda Marcos as she influences politics in the Philippines behind the scenes.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to NYC’s JCC Manhattan tomorrow, Thursday, February 27:
HUMAN NATURE

Director:
Adam Bolt

World Premiere:
SXSW 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Hot Docs, Full Frame, AFI Docs, CPH:DOX

About:
An exploration of the potential implications of a major DNA technology.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Breakthroughs in scientific discovery have never been as potent, controversial, or radical as the gene-editing technology called CRISPR. With the ability to rewrite DNA and alter life as we know it, CRISPR also offers an opportunity to eradicate diseases and genetically engineer our children. Leading scientists, journalists, terminal patients, and bioethicists debate the significance of the science and the moral quandaries of CRISPR in this timely, cutting-edge documentary.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, February 21:
ONCE WERE BROTHERS: ROBBIE ROBERTSON AND THE BAND

Director:
Daniel Roher

World Premiere:
Toronto 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, IDFA, Boulder, Miami Jewish, Calgary

About:
A candid recounting of the history of the legendary music group.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
The Band got started as a group of musicians backing up Bob Dylan on tour, but grew into a legend in their own right, starting with the 1968 album Music from the Big Pink (recorded in Woodstock) and culminating in their 1976 farewell concert filmed by Martin Scorsese for THE LAST WALTZ. In the aftermath, The Band members went their separate ways, battling addiction and broken friendships, never recapturing their original bonds.

Filmmaker Daniel Roher focuses on The Band’s founder Robbie Robertson, who started opening up in his candid book TESTIMONY: A MEMOIR. Robertson gives an emotional account of The Band’s history, artistry, and the tensions that divided fellow members Garth Hudson and the now-deceased Levon Helms, Rick Danko, and Richard Manuel. We hear other testimonies from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, and Scorsese (also the film’s executive producer) who decode the magic of The Band’s haunting songs such as “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.”

Even for casual listeners, this film is eye-opening for its portrayal of the magical years when The Band shared a deep brotherhood and created music that left a lasting mark.

New to DVD this week:
SCANDALOUS

Director:
Mark Landsman

World Premiere:
Hamptons 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Austin, Kansas, Denver

About:
An exploration of the influential tabloid, the National Enquirer.

I previously wrote about the doc here.