Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to PBS’s American Masters series tomorrow, Friday, May 19:
JAMES BEARD: AMERICA’S FIRST FOODIE

Director:
Elizabeth Federici

Premiere:
Sonoma 2017

About:
A portrait of the influential food author, instructor, and personality.

While devotees of the Food Network and culinary magazines like Bon Appétit have no doubt heard of the James Beard Foundation Awards, it’s less certain that they know for whom the awards are named. Federici constructs a loving tribute to the man whose name has come to represent the highest honor in the American culinary world today, tracing the importance of Beard’s role in the history and development of modern food culture. He was the first would-be television food star – a bit too early to the table in the 1950s – and popularized entertaining at home with his nearly two dozen cookbooks, while also being a key presence at just about every social event one could imagine attending. The film draws on some enjoyable archival material, though it largely depends on a parade of interviews with and anecdotes from a who’s who of the culinary world and with those who knew the man best.

Coming to theatres and to VOD this Friday, May 19:
FIGHT FOR SPACE

Director:
Paul Hildebrandt

Premiere:
DOC NYC 2016

About:
Members of an African-American Baltimore high school stepping team pursue their goals of higher education.

I wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
In 1962, spurred by the Cold War, President John F Kennedy famously made the bold proclamation that NASA would send astronauts to the moon by the end of the decade, not because it was easy, but because it was a challenge. The Space Race inspired a generation to pursue careers in science and technology, but as the balance of world power shifted, interest in space exploration declined. Paul Hildebrandt’s film serves as an urgent call to re-awaken our sense of wonder and discovery.

Coming to theatres this Friday, May 19:
ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL

Director:
Steve James

Premiere:
Toronto 2016

Select Festivals::
New York, Chicago, IDFA, Palm Springs, True/False, Cleveland, Full Frame, Dallas, Hong Kong, Montclair

About:
A small Chinatown bank becomes the only institution to face criminal charges as a result of the 2008 financial crisis.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to HBO tonight, Monday, May 15:
MOMMY DEAD AND DEAREST

Director:
Erin Lee Carr

Premiere:
SXSW 2017

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, Docaviv

About:
A girl plagued by health problems and her doting mother find themselves at the center of a shocking crime.

Dee Dee Blanchard was a loving, protective caretaker to her wheelchair-bound young daughter Gypsy Rose, who suffered from a range of debilitating physical and developmental conditions, including leukemia, multiple sclerosis, and mental retardation. The Hurricane Katrina survivors charmed everyone they met in their new community of Springfield MO with their devotion to one another. When Dee Dee is found brutally murdered, with Gypsy Rose nowhere to be found and her Facebook page celebrating her mother’s death, their close-knit community begins to question everything they thought they knew about the pair. But this dark turn in the Blanchards’ story is not the strangest thing that emerges, as this riveting film reveals. Carr expertly peels back a lifetime of deception, neuroses, and abuse to reveal a surprising, disturbing true crime tale which prompts the audience to change their sympathies with each twist and turn.

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, May 15:
FOREVER PURE

Director:
Maya Zinshtein

Premiere:
Jerusalem 2016

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Toronto, IDFA, CPH:DOX, Zurich, Chicago, Palm Springs, Gothenburg, Watch Docs, Cleveland, Seattle

About:
Fans turn against an Israeli soccer team when the owner signs two Chechnan Muslim players.

Zinshtein’s film focuses on Beitar Jerusalem FC and an outspoken group of fans, known as La Familia, as both players and adherents reckon with the divisive decision of team owner Arcadi Gaydamak to add Zaur Sadayev and Dzhabrail Kadiyev to the roster. Long linked to conservative political party Likud, Beitar experiences a shocking backlash as La Familia organizes protests adorned with racist slogans and rejects formerly beloved team players who dare to support Sadayev and Kadiyev. Zinshtein captures the scandal as it unfolds, expanding beyond the pitch to impact larger Israeli society, while she also explores Gaydamak’s motivations and the financial and political undercurrents of sports.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, May 12:
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.

McDonnell and Golden chronicle the 150+ days Elián Gonzales spent in the media spotlight after he was rescued from drowning by two fishermen, Donato and Sam, following an attempt by Elián’s mother to take a boat from Cuba to Miami. Caught in a very public tug-of-war between his father, still in Cuba, and his Miami relatives, including his surrogate mother figure, cousin Marisleysis, which quickly became emblematic of US/Cuban relations, and, particularly, the contentious relationship between Cuban-Americans and their home country. Utilizing contemporary news footage alongside new interviews with principal players in the saga – including a now 23-year-old Elián – the filmmakers craft a comprehensive and engaging film from a familiar story. While perhaps too grounded in a play-by-play of Elián’s time in Miami, and somewhat shortshrifting the details of his subsequent life in Cuba, the film offers an intriguing wider, critical scope as it considers the impact this political hot potato issue had on the 2000 US presidential election.