Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to theatres this Friday, January 23: RED ARMY

Gabe Polsky’s chronicle of the Soviet Union’s premier ice hockey team debuted at Cannes last year. It went on to screen at Telluride, Toronto, DOC NYC, the New York Film Festival, Chicago, Zurich, Austin, Vancouver, Karlovy Vary, Atlantic, and the Hamptons, among others.

Even for non-fans of the sport, hockey became the must-see face-off between the US and the USSR in the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics. The victory of the underdog American team – the so-called “Miracle on Ice” – was jingoistically spun to speak volumes about the superiority of the country – and capitalism – over the Soviet system, nevermind that the Russian team went on to win back-to-back gold in the 1984 and 1988 games. Polsky’s vibrant film moves beyond the singular 1980 showdown to reflect on the history of the Red Army team, its players, and the power of sports within the USSR. At its center is Vyacheslav “Slava” Fetisov, the team captain, a bristly, cocksure, and often very funny protagonist who reflects on the rigor and effectiveness of Soviet training, and the bonds of brotherhood it forged. If this inside view of Soviet-era ideology through athleticism isn’t fascinating enough, Fetisov recounts the paradigmatic shift that took place for teammates with the collapse of the USSR – a swirl of NHL contracts, culture clash, betrayals, unexpected lows, and triumphant comebacks, both on the ice and off.

Coming to theatres this Friday, January 23: MISS HILL: MAKING DANCE MATTER

Greg Vander Veer’s profile of a pivotal figure in American dance debuted as the opening night film of the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Dance on Camera last year. Other fest berths have included Sarasota, Berkshire, Dance Camera West, St Louis, and Vancouver.

Martha Hill may not be as well-known as the other Martha of contemporary dance, Martha Graham, but in many ways, as argued in Vander Veer’s loving tribute, she’s just as – perhaps even more – significant. While Hill’s on-stage career was brief, her influence was felt more as an educator and advocate, proving instrumental in reshaping the nation’s positioning of dance not as a sidelined form of girls’ physical education, but as a full-fledged art form. At both the groundbreaking Bennington School of the Dance and at Juilliard, where she founded the dance department, Hill championed the art form, significantly arguing that dancers should have grounding in both modern techniques and classical ballet training. Vander Veer’s coverage of Hill’s behind-the-scenes role in legitimizing dance-as-art may at times feel hagiographic, a bit too insider, and somewhat repetitive, but gains significant power in the second half, when he tackles the political machinations behind the establishment of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, which sees a fascinating David vs Goliath face-off between George Balanchine’s New York City Ballet and Hill’s Juilliard.

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, January 20: AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY: THE EVOLUTION OF GRACE LEE BOGGS

Grace Lee’s profile of the acclaimed civil rights activist made its bow at the Los Angeles Film Festival in 2013. It went on to screen at DOC NYC, AFI Docs, Woodstock, Athena, and the San Diego and Seattle Asian fests, among others. It now comes to VOD platforms including iTunes, Amazon Instant, Google Play, and Vudu.

I previously wrote about the film here.

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, January 20: DICK: THE DOCUMENTARY

Brian Fender’s candid profile of men and their privates made its bow at the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival in 2013. IndiePix released the doc this past Fall on VOD.

I previously wrote about the film here.