Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to NatGeo this Sunday, June 11:
HELL ON EARTH: THE FALL OF SYRIA AND THE RISE OF ISIS

Directors:
Sebastian Junger and Nick Quested

Premiere:
Tribeca 2017

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, Greenwich, Provincetown

About:
A comprehensive exploration of the conflict in Syria and the origins of the Islamic State.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to Showtime tonight, Friday, June 9:
BECOMING CARY GRANT

Director:
Mark Kidel

Premiere:
Cannes 2017

Select Festivals:
Edinburgh

About:
The story of how working-class Archie Leach became debonair actor Cary Grant.

Based on an unpublished memoir, and peppered with clips from his movie career as well as rare home movies, Kidel’s film traces Leach’s re-invention, while also exploring the lasting impact of his upbringing. Of particular note is his long-held belief that his mother abandoned him as a child – Grant later learned his father had her committed and the actor developed a relationship with her after his success. He linked this formative sense of betrayal to both his lifelong distrust of women and a string of unsuccessful marriages. Curiously, the film never entertains the question of Grant’s potential gay relationships, though his onscreen appeal to both men and women is noted by film historians. Much of the introspection that characterizes the memoir is born of Grant’s participation in extensive LSD psychotherapy in the late 1950s, here represented in not entirely effective re-enactments, but the film otherwise offers viewers with an engaging overview of the development of the charismatic performer’s life and career.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, June 9:
RAISING BERTIE

Director:
Margaret Byrne

Premiere:
Full Frame 2016

Select Festivals:
Sarasota, Bentonville, AFI Docs, Atlanta Docufest, Chicago, Citizen Jane, Cucalorus, Big Sky Doc

About:
An observational coming-of-age portrait of three African-American teenagers in rural North Carolina.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to theatres this Friday, June 9:
NIGHT SCHOOL

Director:
Andrew Cohn

Premiere:
Tribeca 2016

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Heartland, SXSWedu, St Louis, BendFilm

About:
A profile of three adults seeking to better their lives through education.

I previously wrote about the doc for Nantucket’s program, saying:
Single father Greg dropped out of high school to sell drugs, but now wants to make a better life for his young daughter. After always caring for others, grandmother Melissa sets out to prove that she can accomplish a goal for herself. Shynika dreams of leaving her dead-end minimum-wage job to become a nurse. In this deeply affecting portrait set in urban Indianapolis – a city with one of the lowest high school graduation rates in the United States – they return to school to earn their high school diplomas and to end the cycle of poverty inextricably tied to educational opportunities.

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, June 6:
THE FREEDOM TO MARRY

Director:
Eddie Rosenstein

Premiere:
Frameline 2016

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Hawaii, Savannah, Big Sky Doc, Sebastopol Doc, Jewish fests in SF, Boston, Denver, and Philadelphia, LGBT fests in Houston, Austin, Durham, Atlanta, Melbourne, Seoul

About:
A behind-the-scenes look at the fight to legalize same-sex unions in America.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, June 6:
ELIÁN

Directors:
Ross McDonnell and Tim Golden

Premiere:
Tribeca 2017

Select Festivals::
Montclair

About:
A look back at the story of the 6-year-old Cuban boy who became a symbol of US/Cuban relations in 1999-2000.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, June 6:
A GOOD AMERICAN

Director:
Frederich Moser

Premiere:
CPH:DOX 2015

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Palm Springs, Rotterdam, Portland, Sedona, Diagonale, Movies That Matter, Cleveland, RiverRun, DOXA, Docs Against Gravity, Biografilm, Dokufest

About:
The little-known story of how the NSA abandoned an effective intelligence-gathering system before the 9/11 attacks.

I previously wrote about the doc here.