Posts filed under 'Documentary/History'
CHELY WRIGHT: WISH ME AWAY- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “This poignant documentary, filmed over three years, profiles country music star Chely Wright, a devout Christian whose struggle to succeed in the music biz while hiding her homosexuality from her conservative family and fans caused her much anguish.”
A very good review in the NY Times on 6/1/12 and elsewhere as well. TRDB.
3/19/13- I liked this documentary very much as it portrayed well her courage in “coming out” publicly. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
Tags: documentary
June 12th, 2012
OC87- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “Bud Clayman’s ambition to become a filmmaker was derailed in college, when mental illness overwhelmed him. But 30 years later, he overcame this obstacle and made a documentary about his struggles to fulfill his dreams.”
5/25/12- Good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
May 26th, 2012
PINK RIBBONS, INC.- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Who really benefits from the pink ribbon campaigns: the cause or the company? In showing the real story of breast cancer and the lives of those who fight it, this film reveals the co-opting of what marketing experts have labeled a “dream cause.”
Weak review in the NY Times on 6/1/12 but fairly good reviews in general. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
May 23rd, 2012
THEY CALL IT MYANMAR: LIFTING THE CURTAIN- Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Shot clandestinely over a 2-year period by best-selling novelist and filmmaker, Robert H. Lieberman, this film provides a rare look at the second-most isolated country on the planet. It lifts the curtain to expose the everyday life in a country that has been held in the iron grip of a brutal military regime for 48 years. This unique feature length documentary, culled from over 120 hours of striking images, is an impressionistic journey. Interviews and interactions with more than 100 people throughout Burma, including an interview with the recently released Aung San Suu Kyi, are interwoven with spectacular footage of this little seen nation and its people.
Good audience reviews so far. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
May 20th, 2012
INDIE GAME: THE MOVIE- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “This captivating documentary follows several independent game designers as they painstakingly develop their games and hope for breakthrough success. It also explores the quirky sensibility these personalities bring to their art form.”
5/18/12- Very good reviews all around and also in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
May 19th, 2012
MANSOME- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “From director Morgan Spurlock and producers Will Arnett and Jason Bateman comes a raucous but thoughtful documentary examining what defines masculinity in our modern culture of male grooming products, suave celebrities and avant-garde facial hair.”
5/18/12- Bad reviews all around including today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
May 19th, 2012
NEVER STAND STILL: DANCING AT JACOB’S PILLOW- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Legendary dancers and choreographers Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, Suzanne Farrell, Mark Morris, Judith Jamison and Bill Irwin appear alongside new innovators to reveal the passion, discipline and daring of the world of dance.”
5/18/12- Today’s NY Times thought it was OK but too pedantic. They liked the dancing. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
May 18th, 2012
TALES FROM DELL CITY TEXAS- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this documentary, filmmaker Josh Carter travels to Dell City, Texas — population 569 — and helps the residents make their own shorts about the town, producing a charming look at their community and their lives in this remote rural area.”
5/18/12- Good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
May 18th, 2012
LOST BOHEMIA- 2011. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “For over 100 years, the most significant 20th century artists and performers have lived and worked in the 165 landmark Studios atop Carnegie Hall, including Marilyn Monroe, Isadora Duncan, Barnett Newman, Norman Mailer, Marlon Brando and George Balanchine. In 2001, the Carnegie Hall Corporation began to systematically evict the artists (some in residence for over forty years), destroy the Studios and convert the spaces into offices. Alarmed by the situation, photographer Josef Astor, a resident of the Carnegie Hall Studios for over twenty years, began to film his neighboring artists, the ballet school, drama classes, dancers, singing teachers, sculptors, painters and writers. Over a period of eight years, first-time director Astor filmed several hundred hours of the remaining artist tenants as they fought to preserve the Studios for future generations. LOST BOHEMIA is Astor’s intimate, affectionate portrait of these extraordinary people and chronicles the pleasures and struggles of working artists in New York City. LOST BOHEMIA is the only film documentation of the Carnegie Studios, the artists and the Studio’s significant history. Vintage film, photographs, television footage, materials from the artist’s private collections and music complete the documentary’s story.” Excellent reviews. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
May 11th, 2012
THIS IS NOT A FILM- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “When the Iranian government banned director Jafar Panahi from making a film for 20 years, he titled his next project This Is Not a Film. The resulting documentary covers a day in Panahi’s life as he reflects on his unhappy situation.” Excellent reviews. TRDB.
3/12/13- You have to admire the film maker who smuggled this film out of the country while he was facing charges against the state. However, I can’t say that I enjoyed this bland movie. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
May 11th, 2012
Newer Posts
Older Posts