Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to HBO Max this Sunday, August 22:
MR SOUL!

Director:
Melissa Haizlip

Co-Director:
Sam Pollard

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2018

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, True/False, AFI Docs, New Orleans, Rotterdam, Durban, BlackStar, Urbanworld, Pan African, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, London, Indie Memphis, Woodstock, Heartland

About:
A portrait of the pioneer behind SOUL!, the acclaimed African-American public television cultural variety show.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, August 20:
ON BROADWAY

Director:
Oren Jacoby

World Premiere:
Hamptons 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, New York Jewish, RiverRun, Atlanta Jewish, Miami Jewish, Sedona, Boulder Jewish

About:
A history of and love letter to Broadway.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
For anyone who loves theater, this contemporary history of Broadway is a joy, packed with legendary stars and performances. Key players—Helen Mirren, Christine Baranski, August Wilson, James Corden, Alec Baldwin, John Lithgow, Viola Davis, Hugh Jackman, and Ian McKellen—take us behind the scenes of Broadway’s most groundbreaking shows, from A Chorus Line to Hamilton. The film includes performances by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Patti Lupone, Bernadette Peters, James Earl Jones, and Mandy Patinkin.

Coming to theatres and VOD tomorrow, Friday, August 20:
BARBARA LEE: SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER

Director:
Abby Ginzberg

World Premiere:
San Francisco 2020 (unscreened)

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, San Francisco Jewish, Pan African, Cleveland

About:
A portrait of the outspoken US Congresswoman.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
An intimate, inspiring, and timely portrait of Congresswoman Barbara Lee, a true pioneer of American civil rights who was the lone voice in opposition to the authorization of military force after the September 11th attacks. A unique selection of political commentators, activists, politicians, and family members add depth to the story of the highest-ranking Black woman in the US Congress. Uncompromising and conscientious to the core, she is its most steadfast voice for peace, and for economic and racial justice.  

Coming to theatres this Friday, August 20:
MOMENTS LIKE THIS NEVER LAST

Director:
Cheryl Dunn

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2020

Select Festivals:
Docaviv, Melbourne

About:
A compelling, immersive portrait of the late artist Dash Snow.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Dash Snow rejected a life of privilege to make his own way as an artist on the streets of downtown New York City in the late 1990s. Developing from a notorious graffiti tagger into an international art star, he documented his drug- and alcohol-fueled nights with the surrogate family he formed with friends and fellow artists Ryan McGinley and Dan Colen before his death by heroin overdose in 2009. Drawing from Snow’s unforgettable body of work and involving archival footage, Cheryl Dunn’s exceptional portrait captures his all-too-brief life of reckless excess and creativity.

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, August 17:
THE SEER AND THE UNSEEN

Director:
Sara Dosa

World Premiere:
San Francisco 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Hot Docs, New Horizons, Reykjavík, Melbourne, Camden, RIDM, Leeds, Palm Springs, Available Light, Big Sky Doc, Seattle, Ashland, Thessaloniki Doc

About:
An eccentric Icelandic environmentalist is on a mission to protect the natural habitat of elves from development.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Iceland, famed for lush landscapes and stunning scenery, is a mystic country where many believe in magic, trolls, and elves. Among them is Ragga, a colorful environmentalist and respected seer, who whispers with elves, providing a conduit to these otherworldly neighbors. When economic development threatens sacred volcanic rocks where many elves live, Ragga and her friends unite to protect the sacred land. This delightful film invites viewers to appreciate the possibilities of our wondrous world.

Premiere:
New York Film Festival 1970

About:
A classic behind-the-scenes look at the album recording of a Sondheim musical.

As explained in its opening card, Pennebaker was approached to film the album recording as a pilot for an intended television series, but the larger project never took off after the lead producers left NYC to head MGM in Hollywood. What remains is this compelling hour-long film, one of Pennebaker’s most enjoyable projects. The Direct Cinema master films the marathon 14-hour recording session with the COMPANY cast, plus a notable pick up shot a few days later, distilling it into a compelling exploration of artists performing under intense pressure. Recorded just after COMPANY debuted on Broadway, the cast gamely belts out their songs as the session wears on, taking direction from the cocky young Stephen Sondheim and producer Thomas Shepard. It all culminates in the dramatic final scene, the recording of the final song, Elaine Stritch’s solo “The Ladies Who Lunch,” which doesn’t go according to plan despite take after take.

Coming to Discovery+ today, Monday, August 16:
THE SMARTEST KIDS IN THE WORLD

Director:
Tracy Droz Tragos

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2018

About:
American teens studying abroad offer a lens on contrasting educational systems.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Based on Amanda Ripley’s bestselling book, Tracy Droz Tragos’ film follows four American teenagers who go abroad to study in the Netherlands, Finland, Switzerland, and South Korea–nations that dramatically outperform the US in education. Following her acclaimed debut about three boys in an impoverished community, RICH HILL, the filmmaker now turns to those who are most impacted by the shortcomings of the US education system—students themselves—to find out what could improve our schools.