what (not) to doc

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, November 21:
THE PULITZER AT 100

Director:
Kirk Simon

Premiere:
Hot Docs Doc Soup (June 2016)

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Denver, Documentary Edge

About:
An examination of the rich legacy of the Pulitzer Prize.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, November 21:
CALIFORNIA TYPEWRITER

Director:
Doug Nichol

Premiere:
Telluride 2016

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Denver, Cleveland, Nashville, Big Sky Doc, Mill Valley, Documentary Edge, Woods Hole, SF DocFest

About:
An appreciation of a bygone but once ubiquitous technology.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to HBO tonight, Monday, November 20:
BALTIMORE RISING

Director:
Sonja Sohn

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Urbanworld

About:
A candid look at a city as it reckons with a controversial death.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Actress Sonja Sohn was unforgettable in HBO’s THE WIRE as Detective Kima Greggs. Now she returns to Baltimore as a documentary filmmaker to explore the city in the tense period after Freddie Gray was killed while in police custody. Her film follows activists, police officers, community leaders, and gang affiliates struggling to hold Baltimore together. We witness people of varying backgrounds who discover a common humanity when they often saw each other only as adversaries.

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, November 20:
SHADOW WORLD

Director:
Johan Grimonprez

Premiere:
Tribeca 2016

Select Festivals:
Edinburgh, San Francisco, Encounters, Durban, Guanajuato, New Zealand, Dokufest Kosovo, Vancouver

About:
An exploration of the dark connection between political power and the global arms trade.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to truTV this Sunday, November 19 and to VOD this Monday, November 20:
THE PROBLEM WITH APU

Director:
Michael Melamedoff

Premiere:
DOC NYC 2017

About:
A South Asian comedian humorously confronts the impact of a long-standing pop culture figure.

I previously wrote about the series for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Hari Kondabolu has had a nemesis for nearly his entire life, someone who has plagued the stand-up comedian since he was a child, subjecting him to ridicule and racist comments: Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, better known as the Indian owner of the Kwik-E-Mart on THE SIMPSONS. For Hari, Apu represents an outdated and offensive South Asian stereotype, made worse by being voiced by a white man, Hank Azaria. Hari sets out on a comedic quest to confront Azaria and make sense of the long-lasting cultural impact of his troublesome character.

Coming to SundanceTV for a two-night special event tomorrow, Saturday, November 18 and Sunday, November 19:
COLD BLOODED: THE CLUTTER FAMILY MURDERS

Director:
Joe Berlinger

Series Directors:
Kahane Cooperman and Allison Berg

Premiere:
Sundance TV (November 2017)

Select Festivals
DOC NYC (sneak preview), IDFA

About:
An intimate and at times humorous portrait of an unstoppable Holocaust survivor.

I previously wrote about the series for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger’s gripping SundanceTV docuseries reexamines the infamous 1959 murder of a Kansas family that Truman Capote explored in his landmark non fiction novel IN COLD BLOOD. Drawn from exhaustive research, including Capote’s notes and correspondence with the killers, as well as present-day interviews with figures involved with the case, the series offers an illuminating look at the tragic crime that continues to fascinate the American public. Part one explores the horrific crime and the extensive search for the killers, part two profiles suspects Perry Smith and Richard Hicock and details their interrogation, part three explores their confessions and the trial, as well as Truman Capote’s role in researching the case, while part four continues with Capote’s strange relationship with Smith, the convicted killers’ executions, the triumph of Capote’s book, and the aftermath for all involved.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, November 17:
ATOMIC HOMEFRONT

Director:
Rebecca Cammisa

Premiere:
AFI Docs 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, St Louis, DocuWest, Hot Springs Doc

About:
Ordinary citizens uncover the atomic secrets of St Louis.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Rebecca Cammisa (WHICH WAY HOME, SISTER HELEN) explores the atomic secrets of St Louis MO documenting the history of a uranium processing center. The film investigates how government and corporate negligence led to the illegal dumping of Manhattan Project radioactive waste throughout North County neighborhoods. We witness the power of a citizens’ movement that confronts state and federal agencies in an effort to get to the truth and keep their families safe.

Coming to theatres and to Netflix tomorrow, Friday, November 17:
JIM & ANDY: THE GREAT BEYOND – FEATURING A VERY SPECIAL, CONTRACTUALLY OBLIGATED MENTION OF TONY CLIFTON

Director:
Chris Smith

Premiere:
Venice 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Toronto, AFI Fest

About:
A candid behind-the-scenes look at an actor committing to a role.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Director Chris Smith (AMERICAN MOVIE) teams with producer Spike Jonze to create an unforgettable portrait of two comedians, Jim Carrey and Andy Kaufman. Carrey was so dedicated to embodying the role of comedian Kaufman that he constantly stayed in character for the months of filming THE MAN ON THE MOON. During that time, a camera crew captured his disruptive behavior on and off set. Now that footage is interwoven with a probing new interview with Carrey.

Coming to Discovery tonight, Thursday, November 16:
HOT GREASE

Directors:
Sam Wainwright Douglas, Paul Lovelace, and Jessica Wolfson

Premiere:
DOC NYC 2017

About:
An intimate and at times humorous portrait of an unstoppable Holocaust survivor.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Over the past decade, biodiesel has developed from a curiosity to a growing industry with the potential to undercut the dominance of Big Oil and fuel America’s transportation needs – and it all starts with recycled cooking oil. Once considered waste, fast-food grease is now a hot commodity, supporting a cottage industry of grease collectors and even grease thieves. Sam Wainwright Douglas, Paul Lovelace, and Jessica Wolfson’s engaging film profiles biodiesel’s innovators, entrepreneurs, and influential supporters like Senator Al Franken, working to ensure the future of this green energy source.

Coming to theatres this Friday, November 17:
BIG SONIA

Directors:
Leah Warshawski and Todd Soliday

Premiere:
Napa Valley 2016

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Seattle, Cleveland, Sun Valley, Big Sky Doc, Milwaukee, Durban, Jewish fests in San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, Palm beach, Charlotte, Kansas City, Southampton, and Miami

About:
An intimate and at times humorous portrait of an unstoppable Holocaust survivor.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
As one of the few remaining survivors of the Holocaust, Sonia has shared her inspirational story for years. More recently, after initial resistance, her daughter has joined her, taking on the legacy so that no one ever forgets. The colorful 90-year-old, filmmaker Leah Warshawski’s grandmother, has spent decades honoring another legacy, running her late husband’s tailoring business, the last shop in an otherwise dead mall. When she is served with an eviction notice, Sonia must face her biggest fear: retirement.