Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, June 2:
THE INCOMPARABLE ROSE HARTMAN

Director:
Otis Mass

Premiere:
SXSW 2016

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Hot Docs, Bentonville, San Diego, Portland

About:
A portrait of the renowned pop culture photographer.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
A fixture of the NYC nightlife and fashion scenes for decades, photographer Rose Hartman has shot some of the most indelible images of pop culture, such as Bianca Jagger atop a white horse at Studio 54. Known for her ability to gain entrance into any social gathering, and possessed of an uncanny eye for candid shots, the brash, at times difficult, and always incomparable “Tasmanian Devil of photography” reveals a vibrant life in images.

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Thursday, June 1:
THE LOST ARCADE

Director:
Kurt Vincent

Premiere:
DOC NYC 2015

Select Festivals:
Rotterdam, IFF Boston, Melbourne, Sidewalk

About:
A love letter to NYC’s Chinatown Fair.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, May 30:
BEHEMOTH

Director:
Zhao Liang

Premiere:
Venice 2015

Select Festivals:
IDFA, New Directors/New Films, Dubai, True/False, DocAviv, Moscow, Sheffield, Melbourne, Stockholm, Hong Kong, Istanbul

About:
A poetic meditation on the environmental impact of China’s rapid economic development.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, May 29:
FARMER/VETERAN

Directors:
Alix Blair and Jeremy M Lange

Premiere:
Dallas 2016

Select Festivals:
New Orleans, Big Sky Doc, Cucalorus, Sidewalk, Hot Springs Doc, Brooklyn

About:
An Iraq War veteran finds solace in farming more than from the scores of meds he is prescribed.

Alex is a 32 year old retired US Army Staff Sergeant suffering from PTSD who has turned to farming a small plot of land with his fiancee and eventual wife, Jessica. Shaken after three tours of duty in Iraq, he confesses to having psychotic thoughts, worries about harming the incredibly patient and supportive Jessica, and harbors delusions about his time in the service. Although the couple, and Alex in particular, initially take to farming, its challenges – and those of his mental health concerns – start to catch up with them. Blair and Lange sensitively and compellingly capture their subjects, and the difficult transition from soldier to civilian.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, May 26:
BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB: ADIOS

Director:
Lucy Walker

Premiere:
May 2017

About:
The Grammy Award-winning musicians who engendered worldwide interest in Cuban music take a final tour.

I previously profiled the doc when it was originally scheduled to debut at Sundance this past January here. It was unexpectedly withdrawn from the festival before its premiere, reportedly due to post-production delays.

Coming to PBS’s American Masters tomorrow, Friday, May 26:
JACQUES PÉPIN: THE ART OF CRAFT

Director:
Peter L Stein

Premiere:
American Masters (May 2017)

About:
A celebration of the acclaimed French chef and his impact on American food culture.

Stein’s entry into the long-running PBS biography series hews close to its conventions, but despite some minor superfluous re-enactments, still manages to serve up an appealing overview of Jacques Pépin’s life and culinary career. The film traces his path from apprentice work in Lyon, success as a young chef in Paris, and appointment to serve French heads of state, only to risk everything by leaving for New York City. Successfully re-establishing himself in a foreign land, he surprisingly declined multiple invitations to serve as the Kennedy White House chef in favor of taking on the challenge of running a test kitchen for Howard Johnson’s. A near-fatal auto accident a decade later set Pépin off on yet another path, putting him in the spotlight as a food writer and television host, and inspiring generations of professional and amateur chefs with his attention to the mastery of the fundamental techniques of cookery. Stein capably covers the culinary icon’s achievements, even as a minor stroke begrudgingly slows down the affable and now octogenarian Pépin from his active schedule of travel and appearances.