Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, February 2: FOR GRACE

Kevin Pang and Mark Helenowski’s portrait of a driven chef made its debut at SXSW last year. Other fests have included DOC NYC, Nashville, Hot Docs, Bentonville, Documentary Edge, Seattle, SF Doc Fest, Melbourne, Chicago, and Tallgrass. The doc now comes to iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, and other VOD platforms via FilmBuff.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Already recognized with two Michelin stars, chef Curtis Duffy has grander ambitions for his latest venture, Grace. If Duffy has his way, his new Chicago restaurant will receive three stars, and be recognized as the best in the country. But first, he has to open Grace to his exacting standards, and this perfectionism will come at a great personal cost. FOR GRACE expertly blends Duffy’s tragic personal story with an inside look at the world of luxury dining.

Coming to VOD today, Monday, February 1: GAME FACE

Michiel Thomas’ look at the coming out process of two LGBT athletes made its bow at the Miami LGBT film fest last year. In addition to DOC NYC, it toured extensively on the LGBT circuit, including Frameline, QDoc, Inside Out, FilmOut San Diego, Vancouver, Real Affirmations, Mix Copenhagen, and Austin, among others. The doc now premieres exclusively on VOD on Netflix before expanding to other platforms including iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon Prime tomorrow.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
While societal acceptance of LGBT people has grown significantly in recent years, resistance remains in certain domains, such as the sports world. GAME FACE follows two athletes who are contemplating coming out: Mixed Martial Artist Fallon Fox, a transgender woman who worries about unwanted media scrutiny, and Terrence Clemens, an up-and-coming college basketball player seeking redemption for past mistakes. Michiel Thomas captures their struggles and triumphs as they navigate the fraught terrain of living their lives openly in the public eye.

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, February 1: NO MÁS BEBÉS

Renee Tajima-Peña’s investigation of forced sterilizations of Latina immigrants had its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival last year. Its circuit also included DOC NYC, Ambulante CA, Austin, and various university and conference screenings.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
When Latina immigrants checked into Los Angeles County hospital to give birth in the 1960s and ’70s, the last thing they expected was to leave sterilized. Was there informed consent, as the physicians who performed the procedures maintain, or was this part of an insidious, racially motivated plan to limit the population of an unwelcome minority? With the help of a hospital whistle-blower, a fearless young lawyer takes on the medical establishment to seek justice for these courageous women.

Coming to theatres next Friday, January 29: REQUIEM FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM

Peter Hutchison, Kelly Nyks, and Jared P Scott’s cogent exploration of inequality in America had its world premiere at Tribeca last year. Screenings followed at IDFA, AFI Docs, Vancouver, Antenna, Adelaide, and DocPoint, among other events.

While the topic of inequality has been covered in several documentaries over the past decade, Hutchison, Nyks, and Scott’s essay film benefits from placing their entire focus on one man’s take: Noam Chomsky. Claiming that the four years of interviews that make up the project constitute the famed linguistics professor’s last extended participation in such projects, the filmmakers make the most of the octogenarian intellectual’s analysis, thought-provoking and far-reaching despite a relatively concise presentation. Ten chapters lay out Chomsky’s principle of the concentration of wealth and power, demonstrating how the American system of democracy has essentially been hijacked by corporate interests with the aim of maintaining a divide between the super wealthy and everyone else. Presented as an extended talking head interview, the filmmaking trio liven things up visually with striking money-themed graphics, but even in their absence, Chomsky’s measured, thoughtful delivery proves captivating. While much of what he says is, by his own admission, hardly a surprise, its assemblage and tidy organization here makes this an essential contribution to the body of work exploring modern inequality.

Coming to DVD next Tuesday, January 26: MEET THE PATELS

Geeta V Patel and Ravi V Patel’s comedic look at love, tradition, and family had its world premiere at Hot Docs in 2014, where it picked up an award. Further fest exposure followed at DOC NYC, Los Angeles, Traverse City, Hamptons, San Diego Asian, Dubai, Bentonville, Seattle, and Sydney, among many others, as well as news that a fiction version of the film is in development.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to DVD next Tuesday, January 26: IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE

Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg’s look at a father and son’s second chance debuted at Tribeca last year. Other fests included Nantucket, New Orleans, Bentonville, Nashville, Provincetown, Martha’s Vineyard, and Monrtclair, among others.

I previously wrote about the doc here.