C+ Documentary Directed by Barak Goodman and Chris Durrance We all know that gerrymandering is a threat to our democracy. Filmmakers Barak Goodman and Chris Durrance want us to understand how we can end this problem. But their documentary is sometimes scattered, unfocused, and conventional. It's also occasionally boring. Gerrymandering has been around almost as … Continue reading Gerrymandering gets boring in Slay the Dragon
Category: Documentaries
Robbie Robertson and…oh yeah, The Band
B Musical documentary Directed by Daniel Roher The Band was one of the best groups in the history of rock and roll. As The Hawks, they beautifully backed Screamin' Jay Hawkins and then Bob Dylan. But when they just played only with each other, the music turned into magic. Daniel Roher's documentary, Once Were Brothers: … Continue reading Robbie Robertson and…oh yeah, The Band
Movie sound explained in Making Waves
B+ Documentary Directed by Midge Costin George Lucas argues that "Sound is 50 percent of the movie experience." In Midge Costin's entertaining documentary, Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound, audio geniuses like Walter Murch, Ben Burtt, and Gary Rydstrom show us how that 50 percent is created. Directors like Steven Spielberg and David Lynch … Continue reading Movie sound explained in Making Waves
Doc Stories closes with Martin Scorsese & Bob Dylan
Note: I've altered this article to correct an error. Doc Stories (a festival I didn't have time to cover) closed Monday night with a bang - a celebration of Martin Scorsese's non-fiction work. Not surprisingly, it was a packed house. SFFILM Director of Programming Rachel Rosen started the event with a wonderfully short introduction, followed … Continue reading Doc Stories closes with Martin Scorsese & Bob Dylan
The Cave will shake you to the core
A documentaryDirected by Feras Fayyad This fly-on-the-wall documentary about the Syrian war left me shaken and disturbed. That's appropriate. You shouldn't be able to watch screaming, terrified children and exhausted and hopeless adults, while death and destruction rains down overhead, and not be moved. The fact that it's real makes it all more terrifying. If … Continue reading The Cave will shake you to the core
How Roy Cohn ruined America
B+ Biographical Documentary Directed by Matt Tyrnauer Filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer makes a strong argument. His documentary, Where's My Roy Cohn?, suggests that if it were not for the famous lawyer, our country wouldn't be in such a mess. I'm not entirely convinced, but Cohn was certainly a major part of the problem. A malicious genius … Continue reading How Roy Cohn ruined America
A space-age orphanage, cinematic sound, & trying to get pregnant: Saturday at the Mill Valley Film Festival
Here's what I saw on my first day at this year's Mill Valley Film Festival. Filmmaker Q&As followed all three films. Journeys Beyond the Cosmodrome The festival is presenting this program as a feature preceded by a short. But these are really two very short documentary features. So, I'll give each one a quick review. … Continue reading A space-age orphanage, cinematic sound, & trying to get pregnant: Saturday at the Mill Valley Film Festival
