Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, October 9: IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE

Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg’s exploration of second chances and fatherhood had its world premiere at Tribeca this year. It has also screened at Nantucket, Bentonville, Nashville, Provincetown, Martha’s Vineyard, Monrtclair, and the upcoming New Orleans film fest.

I previously wrote about the film for Nantucket’s program, saying:
Looking to set down roots and start a family with his new wife, Grammy-winning hip hop musician Che “Rhymefest” Smith buys the childhood home of his estranged father, Brian, whom he hasn’t seen in two decades and presumes is dead. Che is surprised to learn that Brian is still alive and, cognizant of his own share of parental mistakes, he decides to seek him out. Che discovers the alcoholic living on the streets not far away and begins a tentative friendship that soon blossoms into the kind of familial relationship that both men crave – but also one that brings unexpected changes and complications. Filmmakers Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg present a candid and sensitive exploration of African-American fatherhood across generations.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, October 9: A WOMAN LIKE ME

Alex Sichel and Elizabeth Giamatti’s hybrid exploration of Sichel’s struggle with cancer debuted at SXSW this year. Screenings followed at Nantucket, BAMcinemaFest, Hot Docs, Frameline, Citizen Jane, and Woodstock.

I previously wrote about the film for Nantucket’s program, saying:
Faced with terminal breast cancer, filmmaker Alex Sichel finds solace in Buddhism, alternative medicine, and making a film about her fictional doppelganger confronting the same diagnosis, played by actress Lili Taylor. As Alex struggles to make sense of a death sentence, navigates the thorny problem of how to talk to her young daughter about cancer, and feels the strain the situation puts on her relationship with her husband, she finds reserves of strength and hope by channeling her efforts into her craft. Scenes from the fictional film she’s making are smartly interwoven with their real-life inspiration, demonstrating the power of art to illuminate reality and create a space of transformative reflection.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, October 6: PARTICLE FEVER

Mark Levinson’s exploration of the Large Hadron Collider debuted at Sheffield in 2013. It also screened at the New York Film Festival, Telluride, Vancouver, CPH:DOX, Dubai, and True/False, among others.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, October 6: MATEO

Aaron I Naar’s look at unlikely mariachi premiered at SXSW last year. Other fest screenings have included Hot Docs, Martha’s Vineyard, Sound+Vision, Camden, Hot Springs Doc, In-Edit, Cork, and Rotterdam, among others.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Now in theatres: STRETCH AND BOBBITO: RADIO THAT CHANGED LIVES

Bobbito Garcia’s look back at an influential hip hop radio show had its world premiere last month at Urbanworld. It will also screen later this month at BFI London.

Broadcasting from Columbia University’s WKCR, DJ Stretch Armstrong and host Bobbito Garcia created a late-night radio program in the 1990s that has since been heralded as the best of all time. In an age before .mp3s and the widespread adoption of the Internet, in-the-know fans stayed up all night to listen in or recorded the show on cassette tapes to discover the cutting edge of hip hop. Stretch and Bobbito debuted the likes of Nas, the Notorious B.I.G, and Jay Z – before they had record deals, as demonstrated in an impressive body of archival recordings on display here. While Garcia’s film tends to dwell in anecdotes, only briefly detailing the interpersonal issues, and changing tastes, that led to the program’s demise, it’s a testament to the duo’s winning personalities that this remains pleasantly engaging throughout, even to a non-hip hop fan.