Coming to VOD via Hulu today, Monday, November 11:
THE GIFT: THE JOURNEY OF JOHNNY CASH
Director:
Thom Zimny
World Premiere:
SXSW 2019
Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX, Telluride, Nashville, Belfast, Melbourne, New Zealand, Mill Valley
About:
An oral history of and tribute to the legendary country musician.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres for one-night only fan events nationwide tomorrow, Tuesday, November 12, then expanding to a limited release this Friday, November 15:
EVERYBODY’S EVERYTHING
Directors:
Sebastian Jones and Ramez Silyan
World Premiere:
SXSW 2019
Select Festivals:
Sidewalk, Minneapolis, Jihlava, Indie Memphis, In-Edit Barcelona
About:
On the life and death of emo-rapper Lil Peep.
Gustav Ahr started making and releasing music online from his bedroom in Long Island, eventually moving to Los Angeles and using the professional name Lil Peep, based on a nickname his mother gave him. He found wild, unexpected success with his work attracting followers on SoundCloud, leading to sold out shows on tour, modeling in Paris Fashion Week, and, just two weeks after his 21st birthday in 2017, an accidental overdose that claimed his life. Viewers over a certain age never will have heard of the performer, but, for his generation, he had a brief but significant impact. It’s primarily for this latter group that directors Sebastian Jones and Ramez Silyan have composed their elegy, in many ways presuming the audience already knows the subject intimately, which my be offputting for some. Still, even as they capture their subjects’ raw reckoning with their loved one’s loss, the filmmakers do attempt to trace how young Gus, struggling with depression and the impact of his parents’ divorce, made the transformation to Lil Peep, ill-prepared to handle immediate fame and the dangers that accompanied it, creating a somewhat accessible cautionary tale in the process.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to HBO tomorrow, Tuesday, November 12:
VERY RALPH
Director:
Susan Lacy
World Premiere:
Rome 2019
About:
A biographical portrait of pioneering fashion designer Ralph Lauren.
Timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Ralph Lauren brand, celebrated in the film’s culmination, filmmaker Susan Lacy’s film is a handsomely mounted tribute to to the designer, as well as an exploration of how he developed his iconic brand. The more straightforward biographical elements retell Lauren’s American success story as the son of immigrants whose unique sense of style paved the way for him to become a transformative menswear designer, but the more compelling material delves a little further into his savvy understanding of brand-building. Developing a unique sense of Americana that both draws from the past but manages to remain timeless, Lauren created an aspirational brand that surprisingly resonated with a diverse audience, despite – or maybe because of – its distinct connotations of privilege. While Lacy gathers a surprising who’s who of famous admirers and fellow fashion icons to discuss Lauren’s importance and impact, it’s in the moments when this aspect of the brand is discussed that the film stands out.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens today, Monday, November 11:
THE INTERPRETERS
Directors:
Andres Caballero, Sofian Khan
World Premiere:
Mountainfilm Telluride 2018
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Austin, San Diego, DocuWest, Napa Valley, Woodstock, Hot Springs Doc, Chagrin Doc, Portland
About:
Interpreters for American military forces face an uncertain future.
I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, US military forces relied on local translators to provide the communication critical for mission success. Serving side by side with foreign soldiers, these loyal interpreters, invaluable to the Americans, are deemed traitors by Islamic extremists. After US troops withdraw, interpreters confront their fates: wait for promised but long-delayed special visas into the US, risk their lives to flee as refugees, or stay in their countries, facing certain death if discovered.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres today, Friday, November 8:
WATSON
Director:
Lesley Chilcott
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2019
Select Festivals:
Hamptons, Biografilm, Zurich, EarthxFilm, Melbourne, Camden
About:
A profile of the controversial ocean activist, Paul Watson.
Paul Watson has dedicated his life to preserving the fragile ecosystem of the oceans from the harm that humans cause. He was one of the co-founders of Greenpeace until a disagreement with that organization’s nonviolent approach led to his departure to form the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. At Sea Shepherd, Watson and his dedicated team risked their own lives regularly to prevent illegal whaling and fishing, and used the media to chronicle their daring encounters and influence public perception. Because of the nature of his activities, and the powerful forces he has dared stand against, Watson has found himself labeled an eco-terrorist and subject to international warrants. As a result, he has had to step down from active participation in Sea Shepherd’s missions lest he jeopardize the organization’s ability to function. Director Lesley Chilcott draws on an extensive archive of Watson’s lifetime of activism, including harrowing footage of the barbaric treatment of marine life he has fought against, to craft a compelling, if at times difficult watch.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres today, Friday, November 8:
THE KINGMAKER
Director:
Lauren Greenfield
World Premiere:
Venice 2019
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Toronto, Telluride, Camden, London, El Gouna, Hamptons, Chicago, AFI Fest, Mill Valley, Warsaw
About:
A candid portrait of Imelda Marcos as she influences politics in the Philippines behind the scenes.
The film is screening as part of DOC NYC’s Short List, for which our program notes read:
Acclaimed photographer and filmmaker Lauren Greenfield continues her exploration of extreme wealth with the most political work of her career. Filmed over five years, this portrait of Imelda Marcos chronicles her efforts to exert control in the Philippines through support for President Rodrigo Duterte and the candidacy of her son Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos. Greenfield includes the voices of political dissidents who give damning testimony against the Marcos family.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres today, Friday, November 8:
THE ALL-AMERICANS
Director:
Billy McMillin
World Premiere:
Los Angeles Film Festival 2017 (under original title THE CLASSIC)
About:
An intimate look at a legendary high school football team rivalry.
The East LA Classic is the homecoming game for both James A Garfield High School and Theodore Roosevelt High School, rivals since the first game in 1925. The event is so popular, it annually draws audiences of 25,000. Beyond exploring the significance of this sports event to the community, the film explicitly confronts the stereotypes and prejudice facing Latinx people – with East Los Angeles notably home to America’s largest Latinx immigrant population. Director Billy McMillin grounds his film through the perspectives of four players and two coaches as they prepare for the game and deal with everyday obstacles as Latino men. While much of the focus on the Classic itself feels very familiar from other high school sports docs, this perspective on American identity and the specific experiences of members of the Latinx community help to distinguish the project.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, November 8:
16 BARS
Director:
Samuel Bathrick
Premiere:
DocLands 2018
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Miami, Big Sky Doc, Salem, Virginia, Milwaukee
About:
An acclaimed musician leads a transformative program in a Virginia jail.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
New to VOD this week:
MAN MADE
Director:
T Cooper
World Premiere:
Atlanta 2018
Select Festivals:
Guadalajara, New Orleans, Thessaloniki Doc, Cleveland, Bentonville, Southern Circuit, Heartland, Sidewalk, Frameline, Outfest, Inside Out, NewFest, LGBT fests in Hamburg, Seattle, Melbourne, Memphis, Rochester, Miami, Portland, Halifax, Kansas City, Austin, Hong Kong, Tel Aviv, Lisbon, Taiwan
About:
Profiles of several transgender men who compete in a bodybuilding contest.
Director T Cooper’s thoughtful but somewhat scattered project ostensibly focuses on trans bodybuilders as they prepare for Trans FitCon, the only trans bodybuilding competition in the world. Aside from a small handful of scenes of working out, and Trans FitCon footage in the final stretch of the film, the project actually more or less ignores the bodybuilding to instead chronicle other, far more familiar issues related to transitioning and the trans experience. Cooper’s four subjects are likeable and interesting, but there could have been more time devoted to what bodybuilding does for them, the power of the sport to transform their bodies and to give them confidence, as well as addressing transphobia in the sport and in sports in general, which could further distinguish this project from the countless others that also explore details around transitioning, surgery, pronouns, and family relationships. The return to Trans FitCon towards the end of the film is also complicated by tangential explorations of new characters, while losing sight of the four principles.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
New to DVD this week:
SUPER SIZE ME 2: HOLY CHICKEN!
Director:
Morgan Spurlock
World Premiere:
Toronto 2017
About:
The director takes on fast food once again, opening up his own chicken restaurant.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
what (not) to doc 