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
Category: Social Issues
Do the Right Thing in beautiful, new Criterion Blu-ray
Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing just may be the best film about race issues in America. Thirty years after its release, it's still as relevant as anything you're likely to see. The major difference is that now when police murder a black man, the event is recorded on smartphones and goes viral. Either way, … Continue reading Do the Right Thing in beautiful, new Criterion Blu-ray
Tre Maison Dasan: Three children of incarcerated parents
A- Documentary Directed by Denali Tiller When I saw this film before it screened at last year's SFFILM Festival, I assumed it would have a theatrical release, and therefore wrote the review below. But that release never materialized. Instead, PBS's Independent Lens picked it up and will broadcast it on April 1. And no, it … Continue reading Tre Maison Dasan: Three children of incarcerated parents
Capernaum: Growing up too fast in Lebanon
A Drama Written by Jihad Hojeily, Michelle Keserwany, Nadine Labaki, & Khaled Mouzanar Directed by Nadine Labaki Zain is probably about 12. No one knows for sure. He's on trial for stabbing and wounding a man. He's also suing his parents in court. No, not for neglect, but simply for bringing him into this world … Continue reading Capernaum: Growing up too fast in Lebanon
If Beale Street Could Talk it would praise this movie
A- Drama Written by Barry Jenkins, from the novel by James Baldwin Directed by Barry Jenkins The Republican establishment won't know what to say about Barry Jenkins' If Beale Street Could Talk. It's about a man falsely accused of rape, which as I write this is the Great Fear of the Fox News crowd. But … Continue reading If Beale Street Could Talk it would praise this movie
Monrovia Indiana: Not much to see here
C documentary Directed by Frederick Wiseman Frederick Wiseman's latest documentary studies life in a small, agricultural town in what we might call Trump country. We see people at work. We see people exercising. We see people joking around and telling funny stories. We see people in church and in town meetings. And when we don't … Continue reading Monrovia Indiana: Not much to see here
The War at Home seems so far away now
B Restored documentary Directed by Glenn Silber and Barry Alexander Brown I usually review new films. But this time, I'm reviewing a new restoration of a nearly 40-year-old documentary. Some people may find it nostalgic; I didn't. From the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, America was in a hopeless, unwinnable, far-away war in Vietnam. College students, … Continue reading The War at Home seems so far away now
