Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to DVD this Friday, February 13: EXPOSED

Beth B’s look at the re-emergence of burlesque had its world premiere at Berlin in 2013. Other fest screenings included DOC NYC, DOK.fest Munich, Planete + Doc, Transylvania, Sydney, Moscow, Revelation, Melbourne, and Pornfilmfest Berlin, among others.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, February 6: THE OTHER MAN: FW DE KLERK AND THE END OF APARTHEID

Nicolas Rossier’s portrait of the last white leader of South Africa made its debut at Durban last year. It went on to screen at IDFA this past November.

While Nelson Mandela and his role in the foundation of post-apartheid South Africa has been the subject of numerous documentaries, less attention has been paid to FW de Klerk, the nation’s president who oversaw the dismantling of the racist policy, and who instituted sweeping changes including Mandela’s release from prison. Rossier’s film aims to unpack de Klerk’s complex legacy, exploring, essentially, a leader who actively worked to bring about his own reign – one who ultimately publicly spoke out against the policy of apartheid, even if he disturbingly preferred the disingenuous term “separate development.” While the director benefits from direct access to the former president, with candid interviews offering some insight into de Klerk’s often pragmatic decisions, the most provocative aspects of the film emerge from archival footage – chiefly the signal of the turnover of power when Mandela publicly questioned de Klerk’s honesty, de Klerk’s decision to have Mandela address the nation after a violent racial massacre instead of himself in hopes of defusing a potential nationwide powderkeg, and the former leader’s testimony at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, in which he disavowed knowledge of assassination and violence against ANC leaders. Particularly in showcasing numerous critics who express skepticism or absolute disbelief of this latter claim, Rossier demonstrates a willingness to eschew hagiography, even if it seems his ultimate goal is to bolster the idea that de Klerk deserves more praise than he’s typically received for his pivotal role in partnering with Mandela to save South Africa from civil war and global sanctions by abandoning a repressive policy once embraced by his political party’s leadership.

Coming to theatres and to VOD tomorrow, Friday, February 6: MAD AS HELL

Andrew Napier’s chronicle of the unlikely career of one of the world’s most popular online news hosts made its debut at Hot Docs last year, where it picked up a media award. It also screened at Santa Barbara. It now comes to theatres in New York City and Los Angeles, and to VOD platforms including Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, iTunes, Playstation, Vudu, Xbox, and YouTube, as well as Brighthouse, Clearleap, Comcast (Xfinity), Cox, RCN and Time Warner Cable.

Napier’s film focuses on the Young Turks, a political news program which has drawn over two billion views on YouTube since its inception, and, in particular, its founder and primary host, Cenk Uygur, a Turkish immigrant who abandoned a legal career to pursue a talk show dream. Napier reveals his unusual story, revealing his transformation from moderate Republican to liberal Democrat to a progressive critical of both parties and of corporate personhood – all the while avoiding hagiography to present the affable figure in a more rounded manner. As Uygur and the Young Turks’ popularity grows, so to do the opportunities to infiltrate mainstream media – but, as the film shows, this comes with a cost that Uygur may not be willing to concede. Napier offers an engaging look at media and political criticism through the ups and downs of the Young Turks program, revealing the possibilities, and limits, of new media.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, February 6: BALLET 422

Jody Lee Lipes’ behind-the-scenes look at the creation of a dance bowed at Tribeca last year. It went on to screen at Seattle, Zurich, Vancouver, Philadelphia, and Goteborg, among others.

In Lipes’ exquisitely shot film, Justin Peck, a 25-year-old dancer and choreographer with the New York City Ballet, is followed as he creates the company’s 422nd original production. Eschewing talking heads for a strictly observational approach that proves mesmerizing, Lipes reveals the creative process, step-by-step, from Peck’s tentative initial development to his ballet’s ultimate execution on the stage at Lincoln Center. What seems, at first glance, to be a simple concept proves deceptively more nuanced, as Peck, his dancers, and their team of musicians, costumers, and designers tackle the new project over the course of a scant few weeks, see it to fruition, and, in a perfectly realized denouement, reveal the realities of a dancer’s life. The result is a film that transcends its core, devoted audience to offer even non-dance fans a singular experience.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, February 6: 1971

Johanna Hamilton’s exploration of a pivotal act of civil disobedience had its world premiere at Tribeca last year. It went on to screen at IDFA, Sheffield, AFI Docs, Traverse City, and CPH:DOX, among others, and recently won the Cinema Eye Honors’ Spotlight Award and the IDA ABCNews VideoSource Award.

Hamilton’s film tells the story of The Citizens’ Commission to Investigate the FBI, a group of citizen underground activists who planned and staged a raid of a regional FBI office in Media PA, in the process exposing the agency’s controversial and illegal surveillance program, COINTELPRO, which existed to infiltrate, subvert, and disrupt various social and political movements, from Civil Rights groups to anti-war efforts. Vowing secrecy since the titular year, Hamilton’s appealing chronicle allows the unheralded Commission’s members to finally reveal their identities and share their story – and the motivations for their actions – for the first time. While re-enactments are employed to recreate the break-in – never my preferred manner of exposition – they are at least used sparingly and are well-produced, lending a tension to the participants’ compelling retelling. Ultimately, the true power in the film is its reminder of the dangers of unchecked power – clearly attaining an unfortunate topicality in light of the more recent actions of the NSA – and in the potential impact of an aware and dissenting citizenry willing to make personal sacrifices in the face of its government’s ethical and legal transgressions.