Category Archives: Releases

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, July 5: STAR MEN

Alison Rose’s chronicle of a reunion of astronomers made its debut at Sheffield last year. Screenings followed at CPH:DOX, Cambridge, RIDM, Cork, and Docville, among other events.

Driven by the Cold War’s space race, astronomy was a high priority in 1960s America, and resulted in the recruitment of international experts to US universities like CalTech. Five such British astronomers bonded on a research trip through the deserts of the Southwest, visiting observatories, and now, fifty years later, the four surviving friends decide to recreate that journey. Amiable and intelligent, the four titular star men reminiscence about the past and what inspired their course of study, while also offering a sensitive consideration of aging and mortality, even if the road trip structure seems more of a distraction than an appropriate vehicle through which to really focus on their lifelong passion for the stars. Laying this aside, what truly hampers the project is the unfortunate presence of the filmmaker both within the space of the film, and, most unnecessarily, as its narrator.

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, July 5: A SINNER IN MECCA

Parvez Sharma’s clandestine chronicle of a religious pilgrimage debuted at Hot Docs last year. The doc went on to screen at Sheffield, Outfest, and LGBT fests in Chicago, Toronto, Philadelphia, Sydney, and Dublin, among others.

I previously wrote about the film here.

New to DVD this week: ELSTREE 1976

Jon Spira’s look at the making of STAR WARS from the margins made its bow at BFI London last year. It has also screened at Sitges and at a handful of smaller events before a limited theatrical and VOD release last month.

Named after the studio where and year when George Lucas’ unexpected blockbuster was made, Spira’s film assembles a series of interviews with nearly a dozen individuals who were there. But, with one notable exception, these don’t include the likes of stars like Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, or Carrie Fischer. Instead, Spira’s protagonists settled for bit parts – some named, others part of a sea of extras, including bar patrons, X-Wing pilots, or Stormtroopers – giving them a very brief brush with fame that nevertheless has left a lasting impact. The odd man out here is David Prowse, who enacted the role of Darth Vader, but was essentially made to play second fiddle to the character’s ominous voice, as performed by James Earl Jones. Subjects offer a too-brief reminiscence of their experiences auditioning or on set before moving on to reflect on their largely average lives which followed, and on their later intersections with the enduring fandom of the STAR WARS franchise. While the balance here is decidedly off – more behind-the-scenes details about their experiences with the film would be welcome rather than the overlong consideration of their uneventful careers – the film does offer a curious window into the notion of celebrity and its limits. On a technical level, Spira depends too much on largely static talking heads, but intermittently livens up the proceedings with evocative action figure close-ups and quirky tableaux reimagining the participants’ offtime at Elstree.

Coming to PBS’s America ReFramed tonight, Tuesday, June 28: BURIED ABOVE GROUND

Ben Selkow’s intimate look at PTSD debuted at Woodstock last year. Other screenings have included SF Indie, Cleveland, Fargo, Vail, and several mental health community screenings.

Seeking to expand awareness about the impact of trauma in a variety of forms, Selkow’s film profiles three individuals suffering from PTSD: combat veteran Luis, domestic abuse survivor and addict Erundina, and Hurricane Katrina survivor Ashley. Of these, Luis’ is the most compelling, if familiar, story, and includes the added benefit of focusing on his experiences with a golden retriever service dog. The other two strands are less successful, unfortunately. While Erundina’s story offers the most twists and turns, it could have benefited from expansion, and could easily have taken over all the space allotted to Ashley, whose inclusion feels the least developed or fitting for the film. Still, these additional perspectives do attempt the admiral goal of expanding the audience’s consideration of the range of PTSD sufferers.

Coming to DVD and VOD today, Tuesday, June 28: FRANCOFONIA

Alexander Sokurov’s Louvre-focused look at art and history made its bow at Venice last year, picking up two awards. Screenings followed at Toronto, London, San Sebastian, Thessaloniki, Reykjavik, Haifa, and Vancouver, among other festivals.

I previously wrote about the film here.