B+ Documentary Directed by Morgan Neville I'm not a Christian, but it strikes me that Fred Rogers - the ordained minister who created a long-running, completely secular children's television program - is an excellent example of what a Christian is supposed to be. He was kind and self-effacing. He taught pre-school children how to handle … Continue reading The Goodness and Flaws of Mr. Rogers
Category: Documentaries
Filmworker: Obsessed with the Obsessed
B+ Documentary Directed by Tony Zierra Like many great artists, Stanley Kubrick was an obsessive perfectionist. You already know that. What you probably don't know was that he had an equally obsessive assistant - a man who gave up a promising acting career to stand in the shadows, on call 24/7, to help Kubrick create … Continue reading Filmworker: Obsessed with the Obsessed
Three Identical Strangers and their strange, entwined lives
A Documentary Directed by Tim Wardle As I write this review (in April), Three Identical Strangers is the best new documentary I've yet seen this year. In 1980, 19-year-old Robert Shafran, Edward Galland, and David Kellman met each other and discovered they were identical triplets, separated at birth. Even their adopted parents didn't know that … Continue reading Three Identical Strangers and their strange, entwined lives
Love & Bananas (but mostly elephants)
B+ Documentary Directed by Ashley Bell The title Love & Bananas, along with the photos used to promote this documentary (including the ones below), suggest a joyful movie about the loving relationship between humans and elephants. And yes, there is a good deal of upbeat, lovable footage about these giant land mammals. But that's only … Continue reading Love & Bananas (but mostly elephants)
RBG: The life and importance of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
A- Documentary Directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen Make no mistake, there's nothing objective about Betsy West and Julie Cohen's biographic documentary about the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. They clearly believe that the Supreme Court's progressive hero is a rock star, a superhero, and a major bulwark protecting American democracy. I happen to … Continue reading RBG: The life and importance of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
May Festivals: DocLands & CAAMFest
We have two film festivals coming up in May. Unfortunately, I don't have time to cover each of them properly, so I'll just give you a quick rundown. DocLands The Bay Area hosts almost as many documentary film festivals as it does Noir fests. This Marin County-based, four-day festival runs from May 3 through May … Continue reading May Festivals: DocLands & CAAMFest
2 Judges (both women) and a reluctant Buddhist: Friday at SFFILM Festival
I should explain why some of my reviews are constricted to 75 words or less. Every festival that shows new films sends a Hold Review List to press covering the event. The movies on this list either have an American distributor or are negotiating with one. The distributers don't want long reviews published too soon, … Continue reading 2 Judges (both women) and a reluctant Buddhist: Friday at SFFILM Festival
