Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to Investigation Discovery tonight, Monday, August 6:
SUGAR TOWN

Director:
Shan Nicholson

Premiere:
Investigation Discovery (August 2018)

About:
An investigation into the suspicious death of a young African American man while in police custody.

Long known for its sugar cane production, the town of New Iberia LA found itself the subject of national news and federal scrutiny following the 2014 death of Victor White III. Police claimed that the 22-year-old African American man committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest while under police custody, despite his arms being handcuffed behind his back after being searched for weapons. Faced with this preposterous story, White’s family spoke out, eventually triggering a larger investigation into a disturbing pattern of racially-biased policing under the command of the well-connected Sheriff Louis Ackal. While hewing close to true crime investigative conventions, Nicholson’s film proves both compelling and disturbing as it digs deep into the circumstances behind both White’s murder and the larger inquiry into Ackal’s office, culminating in a truly unsettling display of arrogance and presumed impunity by the sheriff during a tense deposition performed by the White family’s attorney.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, August 3:
KING COHEN

Director:
Steve Mitchell

Premiere:
Fantasia 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Fantastic Fest, Fright Fest UK, Vienna, Glasgow, Florida, Belfast, Cinedelphia

About:
A portrait of a master exploitation filmmaker.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Known as “the John Cassavetes of exploitation,” filmmaker Larry Cohen is responsible for such 1970s cult hits as IT’S ALIVE, BLACK CAESAR, and HELL UP IN HARLEM. Steve Mitchell’s rollicking tribute revisits the heyday of guerrilla filmmaking, when Cohen would shoot car chases, shootouts, and fight scenes without a permit on busy Manhattan streets, with the public none the wiser. Featuring interviews with admirers, including Martin Scorsese, JJ Abrams, John Landis, and Joe Dante, this portrait celebrates a true maverick of American filmmaking.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, August 3:
SCOTTY AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD

Director:
Matt Tyrnauer

Premiere:
Toronto 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Palm Springs, Rome, BAFICI, Provincetown

About:
The tell-all story of the man who catered to the sexual desires of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Scotty Bowers is an unsung Hollywood legend, known for catering to the sexual appetites of celebrities – straight, gay, and omnivorous – for decades. Filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer captures Scotty in his 90s as he delivers the ultimate counter-narrative of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Prepare yourself for a different take on Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner, Ava Gardner… the list goes on. Tyrnauer’s portrayal has a touch of GREY GARDENS as Scotty copes with hoarder tendencies to uncover buried secrets.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, July 31:
TOMMY

Directors:
Erin Leyden and Gentry Kirby

Premiere:
ESPN (September 2017)

About:
The rise and fall of a heavyweight boxing champion.

This 30 for 30 project looks back at the troubled life and career of Tommy Morrison, who, as a young, up and coming boxer, was spotted by Sylvester Stallone and cast in ROCKY V. Within a few years of that spotlight grabbing opportunity, Morrison faced off against George Foreman, beating the legend during his comeback, and claiming the heavyweight title for himself. While this was short-lived, Morrison’s star was on the rise until he tested HIV positive in 1996, derailing his career and contributing to an addiction-fueled downward trajectory. Despite a somewhat unsympathetic subject, Leyden and Kirby effectively chronicle Morrison’s sad story, which included multiple denials of his HIV status before he finally succumbed to AIDS in 2013.

Coming to NYC’s Film Forum this Wednesday, August 1:
THE ATOMIC CAFE

Directors:
Kevin Rafferty, Jayne Loader, and Pierce Rafferty

Premiere:
Film Forum (March 1982)

Select Festivals:
SXSW 2018 (restoration premiere)

About:
A compilation of clips from the first decades of the nuclear era reveal an undercurrent of denial and anxiety.

I previously wrote about the doc here.