It doesn’t look like much. The Harrisville, Rhode Island home might not get a lot of second or third looks on Zillow. “Needs paint” translates as “rustic” and “historic.” “Low ceilings” just means its out of date. But “historic” is right on the mark. This 300 year-old wood frame/clapboard house is where the events depicted […]
Documentary Review: The “Conjuring” house goes AirBnB — “The Sleepless Unrest”
Tribeca 2021: “Enemies of the State”
Rating: 4.5 out of 5. Nowadays, it is so difficult to differentiate the truth from lies. False allegations and conspiracy theories are easily being spread to be sold as the truths. But the only person who knows what is the truth and what is not is the one who becomes a ‘target’ of it. […]
Dancing is an important element that helps tell the story of love, passion, struggle, pain and even death. It also reveals the identity of the one who performs it and of those who watch.
From director Jamila Wignot, “Ailey” is a beautifully crafted documentary that centers around Alvin Ailey, an African-American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
The appealing documentary Brewmance traces the evolution of the American craft beer phenomenon – and it’s quite a story. The United States may have been the richest and most powerful country in the world, but before bottled Anchor Steam came out […]
BREWMANCE: barley, hops, yeast and underdogs
Greetings again from the darkness. For anyone who still believes documentaries are dry and boring, the cure is this latest from Jonathan Blank, a filmmaker who returns to Holland 25 years after his first documentary, SEX, DRUGS & DEMOCRACY (1994). Entertaining and informative is a terrific blend as Mr. Blank uses interviews, statistics, and animation […]
SEX, DRUGS & BICYCLES (2021, doc)
Auschwitz survivor Primo Levi wrote “Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common man, the functionaries ready to believe and to act without asking questions.” The thrust of that quote forms the backbone of Luke Holland’s engrossing new Holocaust documentary “Final Account”. In it Holland […]
REVIEW: “Final Account” (2021)
Not a fun time. Meet filmmaker Ali Tabrizi. He likes to do his part for the environment. He picks up trash on beaches, he always carries around a reusable water bottle, and he donates money to marine conservation groups. But can he be doing more? This documentary is about him traveling the world and conducting […]
“Plenty” of Fish in the Sea – Seaspiracy (2021)
Not every story can move us one way or another. Not because we are senseless, heartless or indifferent towards others but because we think no problem is bigger than our own. Then why, one may ask, should I even bother knowing what happens in the rest of the world when my own is in scrambles? […]
Hot Docs 2021: “Writing with Fire”
“The New Deal for Artists” was a mid-70s documentary for public television that gathered many of the folks who benefited from Franklin Roosevelt’s assorted New Deal work projects to talk about how that Great Depression “put people back to work” program benefited themselves, American art and America in general. From New York theater types to […]
Classic Documentary Review: “The New Deal for Artists” (1976)
Hot Docs 2021: “Philly D.A.”
Rating: 4 out of 5. Mass incarceration is one of the largest problems in the US. Maybe it’s because of the privatized prisons. But the numbers are rising at an alarming rate, and Philadelphia is the city that holds the ignominious record for being the U.S. city with most incarcerations ever. “Philly D.A.” is […]
These are twenty documentaries that you shouldn’t miss at the 12th Taiwan International Documentary Festival which will take place from April 30th until May 9th, 2021 in Taipei, Taiwan.
20 Documentaries you shouldn’t miss at the 12th Taiwan International Documentary Festival (Part 1)
Inside the Red Brick Wall will open the 12th Taiwan International Documentary Festival which will take place from April 30th until May 9th, 2021 in Taipei, Taiwan.
12th Taiwan International Documentary Festival – Opening Film
In villages in the hill country of extreme northwestern Italy life moves slowly, and can seem to revolve around an elite corps with names like Nina, Birba, Pepe, Leo and Siana, Tina and Jeri, Fiona and Titina. They are the adored dogs with the million Euro noses, “The Truffle Hunters.” Sure, their human partners are […]
Documentary Review: Superheroes with snouts — “The Truffle Hunters”
CJ reviews THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF.
The Painter and the Thief
SXSW 2021: “The Lost Sons”
Rating: 4 out of 5. There is no bigger moment than the birth of a child. The newborn brought to life should be cherished and celebrated. It seems nothing could stop life from being happily ever after, except for one event, the worst nightmare of any parent – the kidnapping of the child. It’s […]
“Long Live Rock,” a doc about the undying devotion of aging white folks to their favorite metal bands, is littered with tattoo stories, accident stories, mosh pit and crowd surfing tales and a few yarns that begin with “We were drunk, so” or “We were so drunk,” oft told from the front porch of a […]
Documentary Review — “Long Live Rock: Celebrate the Chaos” makes the case for Metal Longevity via its fans
In the Summer of 2020 news broke that “Full House” and “Fuller House” star Lori Loughlin was sentenced to jail time for buying her daughter’s place at college for $500,000 in 2019. Rick Singer also persuaded a number of his wealthy clients to part with large sums of cash in order to get their kids […]
New Netflix Documentary “Operation Varsity Blues” will Delve into The College Admissions Scandal
Sean “Puff Daddy, Puffy, P. Diddy” Combs lays out the mission statement for this new documentary about The Notorious B.I.G. right before the opening credits. “This story doesn’t have to have a tragic ending.” What follows in “Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell,” is an adoring, seriously upbeat portrait of New York rap icon […]
Documentary Review — “Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell”
HBO unveiled the official trailer for “Allen v. Farrow” on Tuesday, in the lead-up to the February 21 premiere of the upcoming four-part documentary exploring the abuse allegations against Woody Allen. The documentary, from filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, aims to offer a deep-dive into the the accusation of sexual abuse against Woody Allen involving…
‘Allen v. Farrow’ Trailer: HBO Docuseries Features New Interviews with Farrow Family
When all this “Free Britney” hysteria started, and every time it’s kicked up since, I’ve shaken my head at the conundrum her unique situation seems to present. Is Britney Spears still with us because of the draconian conservatorship her family imposed on her in the middle of her head-shaving, lashing-out hospitalizations of 2007-8? Maybe you’re […]
Documentary Review: “Framing Britney Spears” on FX/Hulu
