GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS (2024) – Movie Review
Girls will be Girls is Indian director Shuchi Talati’s narrative feature about Mira (Preeti Panigrahi), a smart but naive teenage girl who is trying to figure out what being a woman is all about. Mira is the best student in her coed high school and, as such, is given the position of prefect, which puts her […]
Read MoreDocumentary Retroview: THE END OF AMERICA (2008)
The End Of America presents the ten step blueprint that Hitler and other dictators used to subvert democratic process and put an end to personal freedoms. It compares, step by step, events leading up to establishment of the Third Reich with what has happened in the United States in recent years. Very convincing. Very scary. Should be required viewing for anyone old enough to vote or join the army.
Read MoreJOYCE CAROL OATES: A BODY IN SERVICE OF MIND – Documentary Review
Filmmaker Stig Bjorkman. a longstanding friend of Joyce Carol Oates. gives us a respectful and intimate documentary that spends its hour and a half on current interviews with Oates, as well as clips from her past interviews with Dick Cavitt and other broadcast presenters and select readings from her writings that are voiced by Laura […]
Read MoreGUGA HUNTERS OF NESS (2011) – Documentary Retroview
In his first documentary feature, Scottish filmmaker Mike Day chronicles an age-old tradition that’s observed in August of each year by the hale and hearty men of Ness. Known as Niseach men, they live in a small, remote town on the northern tip of the Isle of Lewis, one of the Outer Hebrides chain off […]
Read MoreMOSSVILLE: WHEN GREAT TREES FALL – Documentary Review
The November 2019 release of Todd Haynes’ compelling truth-based narrative Dark Waters reminded moviegoers about how chemical titan DuPont de Nemours’ corporate greed delivered death-dealing PFOA pollution to six water districts around its plant in Parkersburg, West Virginia, poisoning some 70,000 people, including factory employees, their families and others living in the area — some […]
Read MoreKhodorkovsky (2011) – Documentary Retroview
Mikhail Khodorkovsky is an icon in Russia, and throughout the rest of the world, too. He’s young, attractive, smart and extremely rich. And he’s in jail. German filmmaker Cyril Tuschi profiles the fascinating Khodorkovsky, tracing his life and career from the time his early childhood, through his standout student career in Soviet Russia and his rise to prominence in post-Soviet Russia’s growing capitalist economy.
Read MoreFull Battle Rattle (2008) – Movie Review
Disneyland For War Games Somewhere in the Mohave Desert, the U.S. military maintains a large rural compound that contains several fake Iraqi towns. It’s here that American soldiers are sent to practice battle tactics and learn to deal with Iraqi people before their deployment to Iraq. The towns look real enough, with accurate street plans […]
Read MoreAPOLLO 11 – Documentary Review
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the mankind’s first landing on the Moon, Apollo 11 is being released theatrically and on line. The new documentary, a compilation comprised entirely of previously seen archival footage, offers viewers an extraordinary ‘you are there’ experience of the moonshot, especially the film is seen on IMAX or other large screens.
Read MoreJANE’S JOURNEY (2010) — Documentary Retroview
In case you were enthralled by Jane, filmmaker Brett Morgan’s award-winning documentary profile of Jane Goodall, you’ll find more about the good doctor in Jane’s Journey, directed by German documentarian Lorenz Knauer and released in 2010. Goodall is world famous and deservedly beloved for her ongoing research about the chimpanzees of Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania, and for her ongoing nonprofit Roots and Shoots programs that bring education and eco-friendly enterprise to people in need around the world. She is a diminutive woman whose accomplishments are larger than life. In Jane’s Journey, Knauer chronicles Dr. Goodall’s personal evolution to become the iconic activist environmentalist she is today, and follows her on her tireless travels to help poor people by bringing hope and practical solutions into their lives.
Read MoreBLACKFISH – Documentary Retroview (2013)
The blackfish referenced in this documentary’s title is actually named Tilikum. He is arguably the world’s best known killer whale, or orca, and he currently resides at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida. Tilikum, who has been captive and on display at the theme park for more than two decades, is regularly featured in SeaWorld’s animal shows at Shamu Stadium. He is responsible for the deaths of three human beings, including Dawn Branceau, a highly skilled and experienced whale trainer who was one of the SeaWorld staffers working most closely with Tilikum until her death in February, 2010.
Read MoreDocumentary Review: RESTREPO
Filmmakers Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger follow a platoon of U.S. soldiers, the Second Platoon, Battle Company, 173rd Airborne Brigade, during their 15-month deployment to Afghanistan’s remote Korengal Valley. Without comment or personal intervention, the filmmakers show what it’s like to be at war. The soldiers are in constant danger, under extreme stress and always fearful. Filmmakers who follow soldiers into combat are also in danger. Tim Heatherington was subsequently killed while filming in the Middle East. Read my review….
Read MoreMovie Review: GOOD HAIR
Chris Rock’s smart commentary on ‘good hair’ (ie straight hair) is hilarious and, alarming. Compelled by concerns about what his daughters will face in the future, he addresses the serious social, political and economic implications of the ‘good hair’ precept. Jeff Stilson perfectly captures Rock’s intent and delightfully subversive attitude. Good Hair rocks! Read the review
Read MoreNow’s the Time To Establish Your Documentary Viewing Club
There is a constant complaint among documentary fans: “We can’t find the film we want to watch at our local theater. And,no matter how often we request the manager to program documentaries, we can’t get the films we want to see on the schedule.” That, unfortunately, is the reality of current film distribution. The situation may change in the future, but at present very few documentaries get wide theatrical releases — even though nonfiction film has constantly growing fan base. It’s frustrating for filmmakers, too. There is a remedy. Read on…
Read MoreFilmmaker Kirby Dick Outs Sexual Bias and Abuse
In his documentaries, filmmaker Kirby Dick takes on tough issues related to sexual bias, violence and abuse. He challenges institutions, authorities and media those who would hide the outrageous statistics related to rape on college campuses nationwide and across the breadth of the US military establishment, and outs hidden bias towards homosexuality and bad behavior directed towards homosexuals. His incessant righteousness in filmmaking makes us want to know more about him. Hence, this profile. Read on…
Read More