Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, November 19: THE MOTIVATION
Adam Bhala Lough’s skateboarding competition doc debuted at Tribeca this year. It went on to Newport Beach before a series of one-off special screenings at skateparks and in theatres, as well as a VOD release in the Summer.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, November 19: AT NIGHT I FLY
Michel Wenzer’s look at the impact of an arts program on prison inmates debuted at Sheffield in 2011. It also screened at FilmFest München, Tempo Doc, Planete+ Doc, Thessaloniki Doc, Raindance, and MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight, among others. FilmBuff now releases the doc on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, Xbox Video, Cinemanow and Vudu.
I previously included the film in my Thessaloniki Doc coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, November 19: INFORMANT
Jamie Meltzer’s complex profile of a notorious activist turned FBI source made its world premiere at San Francisco last year. Its fest circuit included New Orleans, DOC NYC, IDFA, Cleveland, Florida, Big Sky, Thin Line, Denver, Woodstock, Austin, and Sebastopol Doc, among others. The film also enjoyed a limited theatrical release this Fall.
I previously wrote about the doc out of DOC NYC here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, November 18: INDIAN RELAY
Charles Dye’s trackside exploration of a Native American equestrian sport premiered at the National Museum of the American Indian this past Spring. It’s also screened at community screenings in New Mexico, Montana, Idaho, Santa Fe, and Seattle, among others, before making its broadcast premiere in Montana last month. Independent Lens now brings the doc nationwide in nearly 1000 PBS broadcasts in commemoration of Native American Heritage Month.
With origins as a competitive sport going at least as far back as the mid 19th century and likely earlier, the unique sport of Indian relay horse racing has proven popular in the American West but remains largely unknown outside. Dye’s film introduces viewers to the competition, where up to eight jockeys ride bareback, switching to a new horse after the first two of three laps, often at over 40 miles per hour. Following three teams hailing from First Nations in Idaho and Montana, Dye chronicles the ups and downs of one season for young neophyte Miles of the Blackfeet Nation, the up-and-coming Tissidimit team from the Shoshone-Bannock Nation, and early favorites MM Express from the Crow Agency of the Apsaalooke Nation. While there are a few too many subjects crammed into the film’s television hour length to form a fully-rounded picture of any of them, Dye manages to successfully capture the energy – and danger – of the sport, the love shown to the horses, and how the relay offers its participants, and spectators, the opportunity to honor Native traditions and culture.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to HBO as part of its Docs Fall series tonight, Monday, November 18: WHOOPI GOLDBERG PRESENTS MOMS MABLEY
Whoopi Goldberg’s funny and engaging tribute to the legendary African-American comedian debuted under its original title, I GOT SOMETHIN’ TO TELL YOU, at Tribeca this past Spring. Other stops on the fest circuit have included Mill Valley, Austin, Provincetown, LGBT fests in Seattle and Washington DC, and Chicago’s Black Harvest, among others.
I previously wrote about the doc out of Tribeca here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Released on DVD last week: BLACKFISH
Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s exploration of the consequences of keeping killer whales in captivity debuted at Sundance at the beginning of the year. Other screenings have included DOC NYC, Nantucket, Seattle, Sarasota, Vancouver, Provincetown, AFI Docs, Miami, Moscow, Melbourne, and Sydney, among others. The film has enjoyed a limited theatrical release and has been broadcast on CNN.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to Al Jazeera America Presents tonight, Sunday, November 17: TINY: A STORY ABOUT LIVING SMALL
Merete Mueller and Christopher Smith’s personal chronicle of living with less debuted at SXSW. It’s gone on to screen at DOC NYC, Hot Docs, IFF Boston, Mountainfilm, Tallgrass, Hollywood, and Hot Springs, among others.
I included the doc in my Hot Docs coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres and VOD this Friday, November 15: DEAR MR WATTERSON
Joel Allen Schroeder’s tribute to CALVIN & HOBBES had its world premiere earlier this year at Cleveland. Its festival circuit has also included New Orleans, deadCENTER, Wisconsin, Chagrin Doc, Savannah, and Kansas City, among others.
CALVIN & HOBBES, in many people’s eyes the last, best syndicated comic strip of all time, came to an end in 1995 after a decade of creator Bill Watterson’s inspired, imaginative, and hilarious work. Still fondly remembered, perhaps in part because of Watterson’s refusal to bow to pressures to commercialize his creation via merchandising, the strip inspired director Schroeder to examine its history and impact to this day. Despite its title, the film (thankfully) purposefully avoids seeking out the notoriously reclusive cartoonist – though the director does visit Watterson’s hometown of Chagrin Falls OH – to instead focus on the inventive work itself, turning to scores of cartoonists and art historians for their reflections. As a great admirer of the comic strip, the project holds great appeal, and is very watchable, despite fairly conventional filmmaking, a distractingly overused score, and the fairly superfluous inclusion of the filmmaker as a character – to the latter point, Schroeder features plenty of other speakers who testify about their love and connection to CALVIN & HOBBES, so his own presence feels fanboyish. Still, Schroeder’s film does offer great background about the history of the comic strip, employs illustrations well, and evokes happy memories of pouring through collections like SOMETHING UNDER THE BED IS DROOLING, and, in doing so, amply succeeds in its mission.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, November 12: MORE THAN HONEY
Markus Imhoof’s tribute to the honeybee had its world premiere at Locarno last year. Its fest circuit included Toronto, Palm Springs, Cleveland, Santa Barbara, Sarasota, Montclair, Vancouver, and Seattle, among others, before enjoying a limited theatrical release this past Summer. FilmBuff now releases the film on iTunes, Xbox Video, and Sony Playstation.
I previously wrote about the doc out of Toronto here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, November 12: BROADWAY IDIOT
Doug Hamilton’s charting of the development of Green Day’s rock opera debuted at SXSW this past Spring. The doc went on to screen at Newport Beach, Lincoln Center’s Sound + Vision, London, and the CBGB Film Festival before being released theatrically and on VOD last month.
I included the film in my SXSW coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
