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
Category: Documentaries
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
Collective – interesting story/boring movie
B- Documentary Directed by Alexander Nanau My press release calls this Romanian film a "docu-thriller." It's certainly a documentary, but it's not very thrilling. You won't be sitting at the edge of your seat. It's difficult to care about the protagonists because we never really know anything about them except for their work. Catalin Tolontan, … Continue reading Collective – interesting story/boring movie
More Mill Valley Movies: New Orleans, Laurel Canyon, & the Chicago 7
Since the drive-in experience, I've been watching Mill Valley Film Festival movies from the comfort of my couch. So far, I've seen two musical documentaries and two films about the 1960s - and I only saw three movies. A Take Me to the River New Orleans Here's one documentary that will make you tap your … Continue reading More Mill Valley Movies: New Orleans, Laurel Canyon, & the Chicago 7
Little-known documentaries worth watching
Three weeks ago, I posted an article about little-known but excellent movies worth watching. That time, I stuck to narrative (i.e. fictional) films. This time, I'm doing documentaries - including one by Ken Burns! Four of the five got very short theatrical runs; the other went from festivals directly to television. Two are about women … Continue reading Little-known documentaries worth watching
How Jimmy Carter Rocked the White House
B Political & musical documentaryDirected by Mary Wharton Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President. It's a ridiculous title for a political documentary, and yet it's appropriate. This extremely flattering portrait of the 39th President spends most of its time covering Carter's love of music. But melody isn't what we think of when we consider Carter. We … Continue reading How Jimmy Carter Rocked the White House
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