Category Archives: Recommendations

New to DVD and VOD this week:
MAKING THE GRADE

Director:
Ken Wardrop

Premiere:
SXSW 2018

Select Festivals:
Hamptons, Seattle, Newport Beach

About:
On piano teachers and their students in Ireland.

In Ireland, approximately 30,000 students of various ages take different levels of piano exams each year. Demonstrating his signature humanism and warmth, director Ken Wardrop offers a peek into the lessons of a cross-section of these Mozart hopefuls, from the beginning grades through to the most proficient. Though neither the exam nor its results are revealed here, it’s clear that not everyone in the film will pass, as, in many ways, that’s besides the point. The film never dives deep into any individual stories, but the result is an affectionate mosaic of the relationship between piano teacher and student, while at the same time a love letter to music education and appreciation.

Coming to DVD/VOD today, Tuesday, November 20:
LIFE IN THE DOGHOUSE

Director:
Ron Davis

Premiere:
Provincetown 2018

Select Festivals:
Frameline, Newport, Sedona

About:
A gay couple turns their home into a dog rescue.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to the JCC Manhattan tonight, Monday, November 19 and to theatres this Wednesday, November 21:
THE WORLD BEFORE YOUR FEET

Director:
Jeremy Workman

Premiere:
SXSW 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Denver, IFF Boston, Nashville, RiverRun, Newport Beach, deadCENTER, Heartland, Bergen, Woodstock, Hot Springs Doc

About:
A man explores NYC by walking every single one of its streets.

The doc screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Executive produced by Jesse Eisenberg and directed by DOC NYC alumnus Jeremy Workman (MAGICAL UNIVERSE), this film is at once a love letter to NYC and a reminder of the joy and wonder of discovery, as experienced by a man on a personal, if inexplicable, mission. For more than six years, Matt Green has been methodically walking the streets of the city with the goal of eventually covering every single block, more than 8,000 miles. He has happily given up virtually everything to enable this personal quest—including his engineering job, apartment and possessions. As revealed in this charming portrait, the discoveries the easygoing urban explorer makes along the way prove the best reward.

Coming to America ReFramed tomorrow, Tuesday, November 20:
MORONI FOR PRESIDENT

Directors:
Saila Huusko and Jasper Rischen

Premiere:
Big Sky Doc 2018

Select Festivals:
Los Angeles, Frameline, Seattle Queer, DocuWest

About:
A gay ex-Mormon campaigns to lead the Navajo Nation.

Frustrated by a good old boys network and the lack of clear self-determination among his people, young academic Moroni Benally throws his hat in the ring for the presidency of the Navajo Nation, arguably the most powerful Native political position in the US. Facing off against an incumbent with deeper pockets and political connections, Moroni struggles to get his message across to voters, who seem more receptive to empty platitudes than to informed political engagement. Moroni’s sexuality and former religion, while discussed, are not a main focus of the campaign, but do serve to inform his character and context, with other gay Navajos also profiled through the course of this likeable film.

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, November 19:
THE JUDGE

Director:
Erika Cohn

Premiere:
Toronto 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, IDFA, One World, Tempo Doc, CPH:DOX, Salem, Full Frame, San Francisco, Cleveland, Calgary Underground

About:
A portrait of a pioneering woman in the male dominated world of Islamic law.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, November 16:
UNDER THE WIRE

Director:
Chris Martin

Premiere:
Sheffield 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Reykjavik, Cologne, Hamptons, AFI Docs

About:
The story of war correspondents Marie Colvin and Paul Conroy.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
War correspondent Marie Colvin repeatedly and selflessly put her life on the line to report the atrocities unfolding in conflict-ravaged Syria, specifically against its innocent civilians. This gritty adaptation of fellow correspondent Paul Conroy’s titular book puts the viewer under fire on the frontline alongside the intrepid journalists, using harrowing on-the-ground footage. A heart-gripping story of friendship and extraordinary courage, Chris Martin’s film is testament to journalists who risk it all and pay the ultimate price.

A new docuseries coming to SundanceTV this weekend, Saturday, November 17 and Sunday, November 18:
JONESTOWN: TERROR IN THE JUNGLE

Director:
Shan Nicholson

Premiere:
DOC NYC 2018

About:
A detailed look at the rise and fall of Jim Jones and Peoples Temple.

The first half of the series premiered as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Based on the best-selling book by investigative journalist Jeff Guinn, THE ROAD TO JONESTOWN: JIM JONES AND PEOPLES TEMPLE, and timed to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Jonestown massacre, this new series from SundanceTV chronicles the rise of Jim Jones, a charismatic preacher turned manipulative cult leader who ordered the deaths of his own followers. Chilling interviews with Peoples Temple survivors along with newly declassified archival material offer the definitive account of the tragedy that captivated the world.

Coming to Investigation Discovery tomorrow, Saturday, November 17:
A MURDER IN MANSFIELD

Director:
Barbara Kopple

Premiere:
DOC NYC 2017

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, IDFA, Cleveland, Montclair, Sydney, AFI Docs, Traverse City

About:
A man confronts the lifelong legacy of the murder of his mother by his father.

I previously wrote about the doc for Nantucket’s program, saying:
Two-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple explores the legacy of the 1989 murder of Noreen Boyle in Mansfield, Ohio, and the life-changing impact this crime had on Boyle’s family. As a 12-year-old, Noreen’s son Collier took the stand in his mother’s murder trial and testified against his father, John. Nearly two decades later, Collier returns to Ohio to confront his imprisoned father, who still maintains a hold on him, in an attempt to free himself from the burden of this tragedy.