New to DVD/VOD this week:
MIKE WALLACE IS HERE
Director:
Avi Belkin
World Premiere:
Sundance 2019
Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Sheffield, True/False, Docaviv, AFI Docs, Cleveland, Full Frame, Montclair, Sarasota, Doc10, Annapolis
About:
An exploration of the evolution of television journalism through the life and work of the legendary 60 MINUTES correspondent.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to HBO tonight, Wednesday, October 30 and to theatres this Friday, November 1:
THE BRONX, USA
Director:
Danny Gold
World Premiere:
LA theatrical release (October 2019)
About:
A nostalgic love letter to the NYC borough.
Danny Gold’s very old-fashioned doc revels in nostalgia, following octogenarian Hollywood producer/manager legend George Shapiro back to his old neighborhood to reminisce about the good old days, reunite with members of his “Bronx Boys” group of childhood friends, and meet with present-day students of his beloved DeWitt Clinton High School. But first, viewers must suffer through a terribly conceived opening musical number, and it’s likely many will choose to tune out before it’s finished. For those who soldier on, they’ll still have to endure a near-constant, always distracting background score, unfortunately. Leaving that aside, Shapiro is supplemented by a chorus of celebrities with fondness for The Bronx, including Hal Linden, Alan Alda, Melissa Manchester, Colin Powell, and Rob Reiner, also sharing heartfelt and amusing memories of the past, and, to balance out their general homogeneity of age and race, profiles of the more diverse present-day Bronx students. While there are occasional interesting anecdotes or bits of history, the film aims for a naively positive take, skimming past the borough’s dark days of the 1970s and ’80s. As a result it feels overly simplistic, and it’s hard to imagine a non-NYC audience taking much of an interest.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to theatres today, Wednesday, October 30:
17 BLOCKS
Director:
Davy Rothbart
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2019
Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Karlovy Vary, Traverse City, AFI Docs, Zurich, Melbourne Doc, Milwaukee, Nashville, Woods Hole, Heartland, Hot Springs Doc, Antenna Doc, Woodstock
About:
A longitudinal portrait of an African American family in Washington DC.
The doc screened as part of Nantucket, for which our program notes read:
In 1999, nine-year-old Emmanuel and his family began to film their lives in Washington DC. Though they live just 17 blocks from the US Capitol, their dangerous neighborhood is a world away, plagued with poverty, addiction, gangs, and gun violence. Befriended by filmmaker and journalist Davy Rothbart, the family continue to document their experiences over the next two decades, together constructing an affecting, deeply intimate portrait of love and loss.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to HBO tonight, Tuesday, October 29:
ANY ONE OF US
Director:
Fernando Villena
World Premiere:
SXSW 2019
Select Festivals:
Mountainfilm, Bentonville, Newport Beach, Greenwich
About:
A professional mountain biker is followed for two years after a spinal cord injury.
Paul Basagoitia suffered a serious spinal cord injury upon a crash landing during a mountain bike competition. Though it’s determined that he may never regain mobility, Basagoitia pushes himself over the course of the next two years, experiencing exhilarating progress and frustrating setbacks alike, with supportive partner Nichole by his side. Interspersed is a chorus of others who have had spinal cord injuries, relating their own experiences and how their lives have changed. While this inclusion attempts to universalize Basagoitia’s story, and is not without some added emotional heft at times, it comes off as too surveylike as a whole. The real power is in Basagoitia’s vulnerability, as he works through both traditional and alternative therapies, and comes to grips with his new reality.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, October 29:
JAY MYSELF
Director:
Stephen Wilkes
World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2018
Select Festivals:
deadCENTER, Newport Beach
About:
A renowned photographer prepares to leave his longtime home and studio.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens today, Monday, October 28:
MADE IN BOISE
Director:
Beth Aala
World Premiere:
AFI Docs 2019
Select Festivals:
Margaret Mead, GlobeDocs, Hot Springs Doc, Woodstock
About:
An exploration of how and why Boise ID has become the center of America’s surrogacy industry.
For individuals or couples seeking to have children through surrogacy, Boise has emerged as the unexpected site of a surrogacy boom, credited to a relatively affordable cost of living, a population of healthy young women, and a faith-based community that values families. Beth Aala profiles four women who have become part of this industry, helping others experience the joys of parenthood while also benefiting financially, as well as the expectant parents. While not without controversy or health complications – both explored candidly here – the film provides a positive and often moving look at and demystification of the surrogacy process.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Festival:
The 62nd DOK Leipzig
Dates:
October 28-November 3
About:
Approximately 80 new and recent docs – not counting many more retrospective screenings – are showcased at this acclaimed German event. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to PBS’s American Masters tonight, Friday, October 25:
ROTHKO: PICTURES MUST BE MIRACULOUS
Director:
Eric Slade
World Premiere:
American Masters (October 2019)
About:
A biography of the influential abstract expressionist artist.
Eric Slade’s too-brief portrait traces the path Marcus Rothokowitz, took from Dvinsk, Russia to Mark Rothko, celebrated American painter. With Rothko’s deceptively “simple” canvasses now going for astronomical figures at auction, the film explores the many layers to his work and to his life, tragically cut shot by suicide in 1970. Interviews draw from his children as well as art historians and curators, as well as the curious and not fully successful inclusion of actor Alfred Molina, who played Rothko in the Tony-winning play RED. Clips from the latter attempt to liven up the oc, but feel a bit too forced and at odds with the otherwise straightforward PBS-styled biographical approach.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, October 25:
MAKING WAVES: THE ART OF CINEMATIC SOUND
Director:
Midge Costin
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2019
Select Festivals:
Cannes, BFI London, Munich, Deauville, Sitges
About:
An exploration of the largely overlooked history and craft of film sound.
Film sound is a vital element of the cinema experience, but an invisible one, and easy to take for granted. While the audience, etymologically, should be predisposed to hearing films, it is usually instead predisposed to focus on film visuals. Director Midge Costin’s doc asks viewers to shift their attention to the aural realm, and how a largely unsung team of sound engineers, sound editors, and sound effects specialist, among others, contribute to the success or failure of a film. The film gathers notable directors, like David Lynch, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Ang Lee, together with sound wizards like Walter Murch and numerous other craftspeople and technicians who are not household names, to explore the various elements that come into play to build a film’s sound elements, using clips from a wide range of mostly American films to illustrate their points – and to break up the fairly conventional talking heads approach. The result is an engaging and surprising accessible behind-the-scenes peek into a part of the filmmaking process that has a lot more impact than might be assumed.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Festival:
The 23rd Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival
Dates:
October 24-29
About:
This respected Czech event presents approximately 100 new and recent features, as well as a robust schedule of retrospective programming. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
what (not) to doc 