Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, August 5: MODERN LIFE

Raymond Depardon’s exploration of rural France debuted at Cannes in 2008. Its extensive festival circuit included Rotterdam, London, Sao Paulo, San Francisco, Portland, BAFICI, Seattle, Jeonju, Palm Springs, and Jihlava, among others. The doc was recently released on VOD by Cinedigm, and is now out on DVD via First Run Features.

The third in a series by the acclaimed filmmaker, Depardon’s film takes as its subjects a handful of French dairy farmers. Visiting each in turn, with simple, personal narration establishing basic facts, and his camera trained on the road ahead, the filmmaker provides a literal travelogue through the French countryside, before settling at the table, in the barn, or in the field across from his often laconic subjects. They represent a traditional existence that would seem to put an ironic spin on the film’s title, though the encroachment of modernity is borne out as Depardon subtly teases out the increasing challenges of maintaining their routines in the face of senescence, economics, or, in the case of the unforgettable octogenarian bachelor Privat brothers, their nephew’s new wife, an interloper from the city. Elegaic and humanistic, with moments both bittersweet and humorous, the film bears witness to a vanishing way of life.

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, August 5: BILL T JONES: A GOOD MAN

Gordon Quinn and Bob Hercules’ profile of the acclaimed choreographer’s creative process premiered at Full Frame in 2011. It went on to screen at Silverdocs, Woods Hole, DOXA, and the Southern Circuit before a limited theatrical release and broadcast on American Masters. FilmBuff now releases the doc on Amazon Instant Video.

I previously wrote about the film out of Silverdocs here.

Coming to DVD and VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, August 5: DREAM DECEIVERS

David Van Taylor’s chronicle of disaffected teens and heavy metal on trial debuted simultaneously on POV and at NYC’s Film Forum in 1992. The film was nominated for an Emmy and won an IDA Award, and is now being released on DVD and VOD by First Run Features.

In December 1985, two teenagers near Reno NV carried through on a suicide pact, just after listening to their favorite band, Judas Priest. Ray Belknap succeeded, while James Vance survived, but was left horribly disfigured, and later died under unclear circumstances three years later. Alleging that subliminal lyrics in the heavy metal music prompted their suicide plans, their parents unsuccessfully sued the band. Van Taylor gained access to both families and to the band – a reflection of a more innocent, less media-wary culture 25 years ago – to document the trial and the larger, disturbing issues at its core. A product of its time, there are a few clunky aspects to the film, like meandering scenes with some uninvolved metal fans meant to expose a general sense of teenage alienation. These have nowhere near the impact of Vance’s mother responding too defensively to very revealing cross-examination about her son, or to unsettling interviews with Vance himself before his death. Regardless, what emerges is a captivating portrait of denial, with parents too easily ignoring or excusing more likely factors of depression, violence, and drug and alcohol abuse in their homes, and instead deflecting the responsibility all-too-quickly, and unconvincingly, on external factors like popular music.

Coming to HBO tonight, Monday, August 4: NIXON BY NIXON: IN HIS OWN WORDS

Peter W Kunhardt’s damning reveal of the disgraced former President makes its debut as part of HBO Documentaries’ Summer series, in conjunction with the upcoming 40th anniversary of Nixon’s resignation from the presidency.

Culled from over 3700 hours of secret recordings the President made while in office – and fought to keep classified until his death – Kunhardt’s film delivers on its title, offering Nixon’s uncensored, off-the-cuff commentary on the major concerns that affected his administration, from Vietnam to Watergate. Acknowledging from the outset the criticism that such a project of editorial selection would engender, the film offers a 1982 warning from Nixon’s former chief domestic advisor, John Erlichman, about forming an erroneous impression of his complex boss based on snippets of tapes. As a sort of corrective, Kunhardt interweaves footage from Nixon’s post-presidential public interviews – his official reflection on key events of his time in office. Presented in juxtaposition with the more candid closed-door recordings, however, they generally don’t do the man any favors, as he is caught in misdirection or outright lie more than once, or spews uncomfortably racist, anti-Semitic, and sexist rhetoric as a matter of course. While more conventionally presented than Penny Lane’s playful OUR NIXON, Kunhardt’s project provides an insightful, incendiary peek at a paradoxically distrustful yet unguarded world leader.

Coming to DVD and VOD next Tuesday, August 5: BREASTMILK

Dana Ben-Ari’s eye-opening exploration of mother’s milk had its premiere at Woodstock last Fall. It went on to screen at DOC NYC, Citizen Jane, and Australia’s Human Rights Arts & Film Fest before a limited theatrical release. In addition to DVD, the film will be available on VOD platforms including iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, and directly through its website.

I previously wrote about the doc upon its release here.

Coming to DVD next Tuesday, August 5: MORE THAN THE RAINBOW

Dan Wechsler’s portrait of a New York cabbie-turned-photographer made its debut at DOC NYC in 2012. It went on to screen at SF DocFest and at the Coney Island Film Festival, and enjoyed a limited theatrical release this past Spring.

I previously wrote about the doc upon its release here.

Coming to DVD next Tuesday, August 5: 12 O’CLOCK BOYS

Lotfy Nathan’s portrait of an African-American dirt-biking subculture had its premier at SXSW last year. It went on to screen at Hot Docs, Full Frame, Maryland, Sundance Next Weekend, Philadelphia, and CPH:DOX, among others.

I included the doc in my SXSW coverage here.