A- show business documentary Directed by Mariem Pérez Riera Rita Moreno has been an exceptional performer since before I was born, and she's still going at it. But I had to watch Mariem Pérez Riera's outstanding documentary, Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It, to realize just how difficult it was … Continue reading Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It
Category: Documentaries
Street Gang for kids
B+ show business documentary Directed by Marilyn Agrelo I was born too early to experience Sesame Street as a child, but I enjoyed the show with my son in the late 1980s and early 1990s. So, I was delighted to watch this documentary about the show. Marilyn Agrelo's Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street is … Continue reading Street Gang for kids
SFFilm Wednesday: COVID in China & sexism in Saudi Arabia
Here are two films worth seeing. You can stream them through SFFilm until late night Sunday. And if you miss them at the festival, I'm pretty sure they'll be available elsewhere in the near future. A In the Same Breath Be prepared to be angry and to cry, as you watch people lose their loved … Continue reading SFFilm Wednesday: COVID in China & sexism in Saudi Arabia
Stray: Dogs run free
C+ animal documentary Directed by Elizabeth Lo Don't expect a happy documentary about the wonderful relationship between people and our four-footed best friends. This documentary is about something far less enjoyable: How wild dogs manage in urban areas without a human to give them food and shelter. That's a good subject for a doc, but … Continue reading Stray: Dogs run free
The People vs. Agent Orange
B political documentary Directed by Alan Adelson and Kate Taverna Don't worry, the pictures of children with horrible birth defects are few in this very message-heavy documentary. This story doesn't need such images to boil your blood - what people say into the camera does the work without them. During the Vietnam war, the American … Continue reading The People vs. Agent Orange
Bringing life to M.C. Escher
A Documentary Directed by Robin Lutz The big shock in Robin Lutz's documentary, M.C. ESCHER: Journey to Infinity, comes early. The creator of so many mind-bending woodcuts didn't consider himself an artist. When rock star Graham Nash told the creator of all those mind-bending images that he was an artist, Escher refused the label and … Continue reading Bringing life to M.C. Escher
Sex & animation combine in Romantic Chorus
B Animated documentary Directed by Jeff M. Giordano This strange, unusual documentary studies human sexuality. But don't get too excited. It isn't exceptionally erotic, and I don't think it was intended to be so. For 84 minutes, people talk about their sex lives, their desires, and their experiences. But since this is a movie and … Continue reading Sex & animation combine in Romantic Chorus
Rolling Thunder Revue on Blu-ray
With a title like Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese, you know this movie isn't going to be entirely serious. Yes, it's a documentary by one of our most brilliant and generally serious auteurs. But it's also a rockumentary. And since it's tongue-in-cheek and isn't totally real, it's also a mockumentary. … Continue reading Rolling Thunder Revue on Blu-ray
Through the Night: Daycare around the clock
B Documentarydirected by Loira Limbal The new documentary called Through the Night is not about young people partying until dawn. Instead, it's about very young people, as in children, and the adults who are paid to take care of them. The film has an important point to make, but that's overpowered by the sheer joy … Continue reading Through the Night: Daycare around the clock
Crock of Gold: When punk went Irish
B+ Music documentary Directed by Julien Temple If you're not familiar with The Pogues, you have a treat to discover. For some 27 years (not including five inactive ones), this Irish band melded punk rock, traditional music, and deeply-felt left-wing politics. But film director Julien Temple doesn't seem to really care about the Pogues. His … Continue reading Crock of Gold: When punk went Irish
