Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to Netflix today, Friday, May 1:
ELLA BRENNAN: COMMANDING THE TABLE

Director:
Leslie Iwerks

Premiere:
New Orleans 2016

Select Festivals:
Miami, Mill Valley, Santa Barbara, Boulder, Dallas,

About:
A profile of the New Orleans restaurateur, known for Commander’s Palace.

Iwerks offers a comprehensive and appealing, if fairly conventional, tribute to the now 90-year-old matriarch of the Brennan family, who have roots in New Orleans but whose culinary empire extends far beyond that storied city. The film, however, largely sticks close to home, detailing how a young Brennan began working with her beloved older brother in their first restaurant, Brennan’s, and how his untimely death pushed her to assert control, ultimately expanding to the now legendary Commander’s Palace. In the process, her embrace of local cuisine fostered the widespread dissemination and appreciation of regional American cooking, and launched the careers of celebrity chefs like Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse – and Brennan doesn’t even cook!

Coming to Showtime tomorrow, Tuesday, May 2:
JACKSON

Director:
Maisie Crow

Premiere:
Los Angeles 2016

Select Festivals:
New Orleans, Human Rights Watch, San Francisco Doc, GlobeDocs, Marfa, Sidewalk

About:
A look at the battle over reproductive rights in Mississippi.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to Independent Lens today, Monday, May 1:
NATIONAL BIRD

Director:
Sonia Kennebeck

Premiere:
Berlin 2016

Select Festivals:
Tribeca, San Francisco, Sheffield, Sydney, Melbourne, Camden, Hamburg, Zurich

About:
A profile of several whistleblowers who have spoken out against the US drone program.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, April 28 and to NatGeo this Sunday, April 30:
LA 92

Directors:
Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin

Premiere:
Tribeca 2017

About:
A revisitation of the incidents that sparked what were known as the LA Riots in 1992.

Lindsay and Martin’s project, one of several commemorating the 25th anniversary of the protests that brought Los Angeles to a standstill, eschews present-day commentary to instead assemble a gripping narrative from archival sources. The result offers an immersive unfolding of the inciting episodes that painted in stark relief the systemic racism in both law enforcement and the judicial system, most notably the shooting of an African-American teenager by a Korean bodega clerk and the vicious beating of Rodney King by several police officers – both crimes which saw little to no punishment meted out. As LA’s underserved communities – largely but not exclusively African American, responded with escalating protests, looting, violence, and arson, the viewer is reminded not only of the 1965 Watts riots briefly shown here, but, of course, of the persistent abuses of justice that have spawned the Black Lives Matters movement in the present day – and is forced to wonder why the situation still hasn’t improved.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, April 28: HAROLD AND LILLIAN: A HOLLYWOOD LOVE STORY

Director:
Daniel Raim

Premiere:
Cannes 2015

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, RiverRun, Jerusalem, Edinburgh, Rotterdam, Ashland, Vancouver, various Jewish film fests

About:
A portrait of an unheralded couple and their behind-the-scenes roles in Hollywood history.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, April 28:
BOONE

Director:
Christopher LaMarca

Premiere:
SXSW 2016

Select Festivals:
New Orleans, Portland, Berlin, Maryland, Virginia, IFF Boston, Ashland, BAFICI, Thessaloniki Doc, Wild and Scenic, Woods Hole

About:
An observational portrait of a small Oregon farm.

LaMarca takes a strictly verité approach in this beautifully made, evocative look at what turns out to be the final year of Boone’s Farm, located in rural Jacksonville OR. Immersing the viewer in this setting, the film offers little in the way of explaining the relationships between the three farmers who run Boone’s, focusing instead on the hard work they do, following the natural rhythms of the farm as they tend to their goats and other livestock, make cheese, and keep up with repairs and other chores. There’s an undercurrent of sadness that comes to fruition as it’s eventually revealed that Boone’s is being sold off, but this lends the project more of a poignancy than a depressing air.

New to DVD this week:
AMERICAN ANARCHIST

Director:
Charlie Siskel

Premiere:
Venice 2016

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Hamptons, Chicago, Vienna, Stockholm, Thessaloniki Doc, Vilnius, Cleveland

About:
The author of a notorious book is forced to reckon with its destructive impact.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to theatres today, Wednesday, April 26:
OBIT.

Director:
Vanessa Gould

Premiere:
Tribeca 2016

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, AFI Docs, GlobeDocs, Philadelphia, Provincetown, New Zealand, Traverse City, Hot Springs Doc, Denver, Palm Springs

About:
An inside look at The New York Times obituaries department.

Gould profiles the small editorial department of the paper of record responsible for summarizing the lives and accomplishments of a select few of the just departed, often under punishing deadlines – no pun intended. Writers and editors determine who merits the limited space that they have available, set out to confirm that their subjects have actually died – not always the case in an era of false news and rumor, and delve into the essentials of their lives. While they have headstarts on some, having crafted advanced drafts for aged public figures, for example, other deaths come as a surprise, necessitating a quick turnaround to come up with their memorial. Gould benefits from a lively cast of subjects, and from the enthusiasm and respect they show for their unusual beat.