Category Archives: Documentary

Navalny: An Ongoing Thriller

By C.J. Hirschfield (January 17, 2023) Two years ago, an extraordinary documentary on Russian opposition party leader Alexei Navalny was recorded. The film has just been released; he has not. Having been charged with everything from fraud to having created an extremist group “with the purpose of inciting hatred toward officials and oligarchs,” he currently […]

Navalny: An Ongoing Thriller

The Forever Prisoner (2021): It was torture indeed

HBO documentary “The Forever Prisoner” is often sobering and chilling in its calm but blistering presentation on what the US government allowed to happen in the name of War on Terror. While it did not surprise or shock you much if you are familiar with its main subjects, the documentary is still captivating as providing […]

The Forever Prisoner (2021) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): It was torture indeed

The Raincoat Killer: Chasing a Predator in Korea (2021)

Directors: John Choi, Rob Sixsmith Writers: Nicolina Lanni, Rob Sixsmith, Conal Whyte Stars: Kwon Il-Yong, Kim Hee Sook, Cho Wook Hee RATING: 4 Stars From 2003 to 2004, in a span of less than a year, Yoo Young-chul killed a total of 20 people in various parts of Seoul, targeting victims including wealthy elderly people, […]

The Raincoat Killer: Chasing a Predator in Korea (2021) Netflix Review

Velvet Underground Documentary

Todd Haynes is not a joker. He took the task of creating the perhaps definitive Velvet Underground documentary very seriously. “The Velvet Underground”, is a sparsely titled, restrained, bleak, avant guarde mirror reflecting the velvet evolution: the conception, birth, life and death of the most important band that ever was. It is 180 minutes of […]

The Velvet Evolution: Review of the 2021 Todd Haynes Velvet Underground Documentary

When All That’s Left is Love (2019)

Director: Eric Gordon Running time: 1hr 17mins In the end, statistics are just numbers – and this means they always have an element of comfortable distance to them. For instance, 44 million people worldwide living with Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia. In a world of 7 billion human beings, the true horror […]

When All That’s Left is Love (2019) – 5 stars

“The Sleepless Unrest”

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 “Low ceilings” just means its out of date.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: “Ailey”

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.

Tribeca 2021: “Ailey”

SEX, DRUGS & BICYCLES (2020)

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)