Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, November 3:
A GRAY STATE

Director:
Erik Nelson

Premiere:
Tribeca 2017

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Hot Springs Doc, Poland’s American Film Festival, Stockholm, Milwaukee, Melbourne

About:
An investigation into the seemingly suspicious death of a right-wing filmmaker.

I previously wrote about the doc for Nantucket’s program, saying:
After leaving the US Army, Iraq veteran and aspiring filmmaker David Crowley embarked on his passion project: GRAY STATE, a dystopian story about America under martial law. A fan base of libertarians, survivalists, and fringe thinkers eagerly awaited the film – but Crowley never completed his epic, prompting conspiracy theories that he got too close to the truth. Director Erik Nelson combs through Crowley’s archives to uncover what really happened in this insightful, disturbing film executive produced by Werner Herzog.

Coming to theatres and to VOD today, Wednesday, November 1:
FRANK SERPICO

Director:
Antonino D’Ambrosio

Premiere:
Tribeca 2017

Select Festivals:
Traverse City, Martha’s Vineyard, Poland’s American Film Festival, Athens, Vancouver

About:
A portrait of the famed 1970s police corruption whistleblower.

Immortalized by Al Pacino in Sidney Lumet’s 1973 film SERPICO, the titular subject of Antonio D’Ambrosio’s documentary emerges from decades relatively out of the public spotlight to share his story personally. As recounted in that classic street drama, Frank Serpico, an Italian-American cop morally opposed to the extensive corruption within the NYPD, reported his fellow officers only to face retaliation in what he considers to be a set-up that nearly cost him his life and left him with bullet fragments in his head. As a result, the Knapp Commission was set up to investigate police corruption, and, after testifying there, Serpico left for Europe to deal with the aftermath of his travails, including PTSD. D’Ambrosio has the charismatic Serpico’s full cooperation for this real-life retelling of the story, which also features a surreal reunion with one of his partners, who still denies that he was involved in any kind of set-up or cover-up. Ultimately, the doc serves not only as a candid supplement to Lumet’s dramatized version but also a reminder of the ability of ordinary individuals to affect change, no matter how systemic or daunting the issue may seem.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, October 31:
DAWSON CITY: FROZEN TIME

Director:
Bill Morrison

Premiere:
Venice 2016

Select Festivals:
New York Film Festival, London, Rotterdam, Göteborg, Thessaloniki Doc, BAFICI, It’s All True, Docs Against Gravity, Seattle, Melbourne, EBS Doc, Sydney

About:
Lost films discovered preserved in the Yukon permafrost are used to tell the story of their origins.

I previously wrote about the doc here.