Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to NYC’s Rooftop Films next Wednesday, August 10: AT THE EDGE OF RUSSIA

Director Michal Marczak has already had success on the festival circuit with his first feature, picking up awards at Nyon, Hot Docs, and Planete Doc Review, in addition to screening at other renowned festivals like Karlovy Vary and True/False.

I wrote about the film out of True/False for indieWIRE, saying:

A newcomer plays a central role in Polish director Marczak’s stunningly shot debut doc feature. The fresh-faced Alexei arrives in remote Siberia to serve as a border guard and is put through his paces by the grizzled and more experienced older soldiers already stationed there. With no women in sight – aside from fatigue-clad girls on calendars – the men act like boys when they’re not practicing drills or digging ice shelters: singing songs, arm-wrestling, and cracking jokes to pass the time in a region that the closing titles reveal has never even had any border encroachment. Like other T/F titles FAKE IT SO REAL and fellow soldier-focused ARMADILLO, AT THE EDGE OF RUSSIA provides a fascinating portrait of a fraternity of men, passing on wisdom despite being stuck in an absurd situation.

Note: Marczak will be present for a post-screening Q&A.

Coming to NYC’s Maysles Cinema (as part of a special Masterclass with director Steve James) this Thursday, August 4: AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR

Steve James partnered with his HOOP DREAMS cinematographer/producer, Peter Gilbert, to co-direct this portrait of prison chaplain Carroll Pickett. The film bowed at SXSW in 2008, picked up awards at fests including Full Frame, Atlanta, DOC NZ, and DocAviv, was shortlisted for the Oscars, and was broadcast by IFC.

The filmmakers use Pickett’s unusual career as the throughline for this poignant and careful meditation on the death penalty. As the death house chaplain for the Huntsville TX “Walls” prison unit, Pickett’s main responsibility for over a decade was to counsel inmates in the hours before they were executed by lethal injection. Unbeknownst to his family, he recorded his thoughts about each prisoner after each execution. These tapes, together with Pickett’s present-day interview, provide a deeply intimate perspective on dying, and on questions of punishment, guilt, and innocence. Threading in and out of Pickett’s recollections are the stories of specific prisoners who left a lasting impression – including Charles Brooks Jr, the first prisoner to be executed by lethal injection, and, most significantly, Carlos De Luna, the convict who Pickett became convinced was innocent, leading him later in life to become an anti-death penalty activist.

Coming to NYC’s Museum of the Moving Image as part of its Errol Morris’ America series this weekend, July 30-31: FAST, CHEAP & OUT OF CONTROL

After THE THIN BLUE LINE, Morris’ 1997 film on four eccentric visionaries may be his best known, making a topiary gardener, a robotics expert, a lion tamer, and a naked mole rat behavioralist into unlikely doc stars.

I’ve previously written about the film here.

Coming to NYC’s reRun Gastropub Theatre for a one-night only screening this Thursday, July 28: DAMN!

Director Aaron Fischer Cohen makes his documentary feature debut with this surprisingly engaging behind-the-scenes profile of the eccentric New York State gubernatorial candidate Jimmy McMillan. The film has screened at the Brooklyn and Little Rock Film Festivals, and will be coming to Manhattan for a week-long run and simultaneous DVD/VOD release next month.

The film chronicles the unexpected developments that bring McMillan’s 2010 bid for New York State Governor into the popular consciousness. Though he has sought office since the early 1990s, his “The Rent is Too Damn High Party” fails to get much traction until a clip of his scene-stealing speech at a televised debate becomes an overnight viral sensation. DAMN! follows what happens next, as McMillan assembles a team to help him ride his viral fame to a hopeful election upset. Fischer Cohen has amazing first-hand access to the price of YouTube infamy. Given McMillan’s signature haircut, shocking white beard, and unusual background – Vietnam vet, karate black belt, former stripper, and 1970s soul singer – he offers plenty of fodder to keep audiences engaged. But the film points out the fleeting nature of today’s fast paced news and entertainment cycle – even as the clock counts down to the election, McMillan tries desperately to extend his 15 minutes for as long as possible – and before the next viral video overshadows his own.

Note: Jimmy McMillan and the filmmakers will be present for the screening.

Coming to NYC’s Maysles Cinema (as part of a special Masterclass with director Steve James) this Friday, July 29: HOOP DREAMS

Steve James premiered his epic at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary. Later that year, the film went on to screen at both Toronto and the New York Film Festival, but was famously not nominated for an Academy Award, generating significant criticism. It was recognized by numerous film critic circles, the Directors Guild of America, the Independent Spirit Awards, and even the MTV Movie Awards, and landed on many best-of-the-decade lists.

Steve James’ intimate yet epic film follows William Gates and Arthur Agee, two African-American high school students, over their entire school career as they try to become professional basketball players. In between them and their goal is real life – and life in the inner city is not always conducive to their dreams. Despite setbacks and tragedies, they and their families remain committed to their dreams of success. The film is not just about basketball – it’s about boys becoming men, coming of age, and navigating their relationships with family, friends, and community. Exploring issues of race, class, education, and socioeconomic status, James’ film serves as a powerful portrait of both the potential of the American dream of making one’s own fortune, and the harsh reality that everyone won’t be able to realize that dream.

Coming to POV next Tuesday, August 2: STEAM OF LIFE

Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen’s intimate look at men in saunas has screened extensively since its premiere at the beginning of last year, appearing in the lineups of numerous international and US documentary and generalist festivals. It was also nominated for Best Documentary at the European Film Awards.

My thoughts on the film can be found in my roundup of DocPoint NYC here.