what (not) to doc

Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction series tomorrow, Tuesday, March 27 and to theatres and VOD this Friday, March 30:
THE CHINA HUSTLE

Director:
Jed Rothstein

Premiere:
Toronto 2017

Select Festivals:
Hamptons, Palm Springs, CPH:DOX

About:
An exposé of a multibillion-dollar stock market fraud centered around China’s economic boom.

As detailed in Rothstein’s investigative doc, in the wake of the 2008 devastating financial crisis, which should sensibly have led to greater caution about the idea of ever-growing markets, some investors sought to recoup their losses by speculating in China. Using reverse mergers to gain access, since foreigners aren’t allowed to invest directly, registered but defunct American companies were taken over by a Chinese company, becoming shell companies for the Beijing economic miracle and open to US investors to seek profit. The problem: many of the Chinese companies involved have been grossly overvalued, creating a house of cards that will eventually tumble. The film follows the efforts of those who would expose this fraud – and, explicitly noted here, profit off of the reckoning by shorting the companies’ stocks – and those who are only to happy to perpetuate the falsehood so long as they can continue to make money, even if others will lose their shirts in the process. While prone to talking heads and occasional overdramatic flourishes, Rothstein’s film succeeds in clearly and concisely explaining market details that otherwise might be sleep-inducing, and benefits from some memorable subjects.

Coming to National Geographic beginning tonight, Monday, March 26:
ONE STRANGE ROCK

Producers:
Nutopia and Protozoa Pictures

Premiere:
National Geographic (March 26)

About:
A ten-part series exploring the unique wonders of the planet Earth through the eyes of astronauts.

An ambitious production that eschews the typically placid style of many science and nature programming with a more cinematic approach – occasionally veering too much towards over-the-top blockbuster territory – this informative and engaging series seeks to explain how our fragile planet enables and maintains life against all odds. Among the noteworthy aspects to this NatGeo series is its star wattage – it is executive produced by Darren Aronofsky and narrated by Will Smith – and the singular perspective brought to each episode by astronauts. These men and women, having left the planet and viewed it, and the celestial bodies around it, from a decidedly different vantage point – lend the proceedings an awareness of and appreciation for a universal perspective.

Coming to PBS’s Reel South series on The WORLD Channel this coming Sunday, March 25:
FIRST LADY OF THE REVOLUTION

Director:
Andrea Kalin

Premiere:
Sidewalk 2016

Select Festivals:
Hot Springs Doc, Rocky Mountain Women’s, Oxford, Salem, Maryland, RiverRun, WorldFest Houston

About:
A profile of a Southern belle turned Central American political figure.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to PBS WNET tomorrow, Saturday, March 24:
MANKILLER

Director:
Valerie Red-Horse Mohl

Premiere:
Los Angeles 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Athena, GlobeDocs, Palm Springs, Sedona, Rocky Mountain Women’s, American Indian, Austin, imagineNATIVE, United Nations Association, Mill Valley

About:
A portrait of a pioneering Native American leader.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Wilma Mankiller rose from poverty to become the first female chief of the Cherokee nation. After a forced relocation from her native Oklahoma at 10, Wilma developed her activist chops in turbulent 1960s San Francisco, fighting for land rights during the Alcatraz Occupation. Back with her people, she organized around issues of social and economic justice, advocating passionately for Native American self-determination even as she battled rampant sexism, political rivals, and significant health challenges. Valerie Red-Horse Mohl’s engaging film tells the story of this guardian of Cherokee heritage and unsung American heroine.

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Saturday, March 24:
ESCAPES

Director:
Michael Almereyda

Premiere:
BAMcinemaFest 2016

Select Festivals:
Rotterdam, San Francisco (both as WIP)

About:
An unconventional biography of occasional actor and BLADE RUNNER screenwriter Hampton Fancher.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to VOD via Hulu tomorrow, Friday, March 23:
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS 2: THE NEXT STEP

Director:
Luc Jacquet

Premiere:
French theatrical release (February 2017)

Select Festivals:
NY International Children’s, Sofia, Hong Kong, Zurich

About:
A follow up to the 2006 Academy Award-winning portrait of the emperor penguins of Antarctica.

More than a decade since the original film charmed audiences around the world, Luc Jacquet returns to the inhospitable polar breeding grounds of the titular figures for another beautifully lensed look at their lives. Much of what’s presented here is comfortably familiar, from the struggles of new penguin fathers to keep their soon-to-be-hatched offspring warm, to the pleasing resonance of Morgan Freeman’s narration – this English language version once again dispensing with the clunky conceit of anthropomorphic narration that characterized the 2005 French original. Where the sequel slightly differs is in more of a focus on the father penguins’ relationship with the hatchlings and their growth in the latter sections of the film, a consideration of the impact of climate change on their environment, and in taking advantage of advancements in camera technology to offer viewers a crisper view of the birds’ harsh habitat and, especially, their underwater escapades. While hardly reinventing the wheel, this new film serves as an easily watchable update of the story of the emperor penguins for a new generation.