'Remake' A Review

Remake is a documentary from Ross McElwee about grief and memory. Similar to McElwee's breakout 1986's Sherman's March the film is framed around a conceit(in this case a fiction adaptation of Sherman's March in development) but is really an exploration of McElwee's personal struggles, in this case the untimely overdose of his son.

Through footage shot over the course of his son's lifetime, clips from Sherman's March, footage McElwee's son Adrian shot himself, all accompanied by narration from McElwee- his son's life, their relationship, the act of filmmaking, addiction and death are explored.

Visually the film is intimate and evocative, shot and cut in McElwee's typical analogue fluid style. As a documentarian McElwee is a singular talent. As a father though it is difficult for the viewer not to judge him. The effect feels incredibly honest, immensely human. But it is clear McElwee is culpable, to what degree who knows. But his obsessive need to document, his inability to identify his sons struggles, and his ignorance around addiction are very much apparent. McElwee himself has no insight to provide, he simply bares his soul and grief and pain and confusion to the viewer. Is this powerful? Yes. Is it cathartic? No.

Many artists have made art inspired by the failings of their parents or the failing of themselves as parents. It's a deep well, this joins a large catalogue. But other than sharing his grief with us and some musings on the nature of memory and film McElwee does not go beyond that. In any therapy session, in any 12-step meeting, in any bitch session between friends around the world the foibles of parents and children are discussed. This looks great, it is very effective, but it does not offer anything beyond which anyone with a child or a parent has some insight on. Every parent instills in their child some level of dysfunction or neurosis(however well-meaning), any substance abuse problem is potentially fatal. This is reality and unfortunately this only serves to reflect back to us that reality and does not go beyond that.

Incredibly crafted, brave, made by a flawed man who may not be an entirely worthy subject.

Currently in theaters.

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'Marty, Life Is Short' A Review

 Marty, Life Is Short is a documentary about actor/comedian Martin Short. Through talking head interviews, home videos, archival footage, and Short going about his day-to-day in the present his life and career are explored.

Like many of this particular brand of bio-doc there's not much depth here, more like a greatest-hits, which isn't bad or undeserved! Short is a singular talent with a long and eclectic career and it's fun and funny to revisit his characters and roles or discover some for the first time. But given his life includes quite a bit of untimely death and subsequently grief little time is really paid to that aspect aside from a platitude or two. Little time is given to how he actually created his characters or what is creative process is, one of the best sequences is him describing an SNL character, intercut with the sketch itself, inspired by a hyper-defensive make-up artist. Familial(and personal) substance use is clearly a pertinent topic(to what degree is certainly up for debate) but that is not addressed or really acknowledged.

The film is a sweet, relatively shallow, retrospective. Gives Short some much-deserved flowers, entertaining but thin.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

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'#SKYKING' A Review

#SKYKING is a documentary about the 2018 Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 incident where ground service agent Richard "Beebo" Russell stole a commercial propliner. Through FAA audio of the incident, talking-head interviews, social media and security footage, and reenactments Beebo's life and his ultimate suicide are explored.

Framed and edited almost like a thriller the movie certainly scratches the True Crime itch and some of the broader themes that motivated and shaped Beebo are investigated- class, race, religion, politics, masculinity- but ultimately drawing any kind of conclusion or pointed commentary is beyond director Patricia Gillespie ability or desire, you can almost see her walking the tightrope of analysis and commercialism and the movie concludes with a kind of dewy sentimentalism. It is startling how minimized just how dangerous this act becomes as the runtime progresses.

Suicide, economics, education, societal expectation these are all deep and complicated themes and the movie and the interview subjects provide periodic insight about Beebo and his broader story. There is justly sorrow here from his family and friends but the perspective they are able to provide(or at least what is shown) is limited and a lot of them(his mom in particular) are still very much in their grief in a way that makes the movie flirt with exploitation.

An investigation of a personal tragedy made public, emblematic of greater social problems(capitalism much?) that in the end fails to clearly state a thesis.

Currently streaming on Hulu.

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'Paralyzed By Hope: The Maria Bamford Story' A Review

Paralyzed By Hope: The Maria Bamford Story is a documentary about the life and career of comedian Maria Bamford told through talking-head interviews, archival footage, and snippets of Maria's current life.

She's an incredibly compelling artist who's been very open over the years with her various mental health struggles. It's nice to see, almost a comprehensive retrospective, of her stand-up career as well as inspiring to go through her life's trajectory- family issues, mental health, reconciliation- and all. It doesn't really offer anything beyond what her memoir does(in fact Sure, I'll Join Your Cult is probably more effective and moving coming directly from Bamford) but it is satisfying, well done, insightful, and often really funny.

A pleasing greatest-hits for the Bamford superfan, a great opportunity for more insight for the casual fan, and a good starting point for those who know her face but not her name.

A courageous look at the intersection of life, struggle, and art. Also funny.

Currently still on the festival circuit. Co-director Judd Apatow has sold his last couple documentary projects to HBO so presume it will end up streaming there at some point this year.

See It.

'Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare' A Review

Fukushima A Nuclear Nightmare is a documentary about the 2011 earthquake, resulting tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster. Through found, news and social media footage from the time and talking head interviews, the Fukushima incident is delved.

The footage is harrowing and the first hand accounts, particularly those from the plant workers, are poignant and make for an informative and effective doc but other than general warnings about nuclear power, capitalism, and just overall human hubris what it all ultimately means, the broader take aways or specific indictments, are left vague. It feels as if it's building up to a call-to-action but there's no number to call, no organization to donate to, nothing to be done(or at least that's the feeling one is left with). Nuclear power rises in popularity again, another threat in the laundry list of our current pre-apocalyptic age.

A reminder we haven't learn from the past even if when it's recent.

Currently streaming on HBO Max.

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'Inside The Manosphere' A Review

Inside The Manosphere is a documentary about the rise of toxic masculinity/misogyny on the internet particularly focusing on influencer culture. Presenter Louis Theroux interviews and shadows various manosphere goons attempting to discourse with them logically and making faces at their more egregious declarations.

The movie is composed of social media clips and footage of Theroux as he follows various influencers observing and interviewing them. Visually it's not particularly original or dynamic but with this kind of doc cinematography isn't really a focus and ultimately doesn't detract from what it's trying to get at. But what is that exactly? Other than letting these guys regurgitate their poisonous talking points and Theroux looking surprised and/or disgusted he occasionally challenges some of their views in conversation(which is something) but there's not as much of a pointed indictment as this kind of ugliness should solicit(in favor of attempting to take a more humanist view ie most of them didn't have dads and/or were abused) nor is the broader cultural context in which these twisted Peter Pans exist much investigated nor their, and more broadly this movements, effects on women. 

It all feels mostly superficial, simply scratching the surface, the attitude boils down to "how crazy is this right?" with Theroux as the straight man, in some ways mirroring the same tactics as these influencers. Without more nuance, analysis, and context this could be viewed as providing a more mainstream platform for these worms.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

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'Queen Of Chess' A Review

Queen Of Chess is a documentary about Hungarian chess grandmaster Judit Polgár. Through talking head interviews, archival footage, and some chess match reenactments her life and career are explored.

Polgár and her sisters were an 'experiment' by their father, attempting to create genius from intense study from an early age. As her chess prowess grew so did her ambition becoming a trail blazer in crossing over to men's chess and climbing the rankings. The film loosely revolves around her various games with then world champion Kasparov.

Visually the film is relatively pedestrian but the content is so engaging it doesn't particularly matter and ultimately the subject doesn't necessitate any formal invention. It's nice to see somewhat of a classic documentary in form that simply engages thoroughly with a captivating subject.

Stirring in content if somewhat conventional in form.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

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'Zodiac Killer Project' A Review

Zodiac Killer Project is a meta-documentary about the failed adaptation of The Zodiac Killer Cover-Up: The Silenced Badge by director Charlie Shackleton. Shackleton narrates over b-roll footage, describing the film he intended to make until it fell through and ruminates on the True Crime genre, occasionally cutting to popular features or series to elucidate certain troupes.

Visually the film is simple and meditative, the California b-roll, which may be location scouting footage, is mostly static, the only movement being slow pans and zooms, it's effective to a point but certainly strains attention at feature length. The big issue isn't that the film is experimental in form and content but just that that content, the point of it all, isn't particularly complex. Shackleton criticizes True Crime filmmaking troupes and practices and in the same breath how he couldn't wait to deploy them. He talks about the explosion of True Crime's popularity with a certain amount of distain but is clearly an avid watcher. He expresses frustration about not getting to make his project simply because it would have been watched by a lot of people.

Ultimately the film, Shackleton, has no real insight to offer- he tried to make a film, couldn't, and made this as a substitute- that's it. He feints at broader analysis of True Crime both as a product and the culture's fascination with it but never follows through. However, the way he breaks down imagery and discusses the lexicon of film in conveying information is engaging, the film he describes sounds like the kind of HBO or Netflix project that people would watch, there's a certain appeal to the simplicity and cleanness of the images, but taken together it's all a bit underbaked.

Interesting as an experiment but ultimately incomplete, feels like what it is- the scraps from a bigger, fuller idea.

Currently in theaters.

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'The Alabama Solution' A Review

The Alabama Solution is a documentary about the inhumane conditions within Alabama state prisons and the prison system at large. Shot mostly through covert footage captured by inmates on contraband cell phones.

For anyone familiar with incarceration in the US none of this, unfortunately, should be a surprise. The understaffing, the overcrowding, the corrupt use of labor, the violence, the lawsuits, the cover-ups, the list goes on. What we're shown may be a bit more extreme than in other similar documentaries, Alabama is clearly one of the more egregious states as far as these practices and it's white populace demonstrate less compassion for prisoners and less understanding of the nuance, nature, and history of the criminal justice system particularly in regards to race. Even so, the situation is applicable nation-wide. And focusing on Alabama in particular draws a sharper contrast with the issues at hand. 

What is most effective and most heartrending about The Alabama Solution is that the inmates themselves are foregrounded, directors Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman can only be heard briefly off-screen at the beginning and pretty much disappear. The conditions, lives, and history of the inmates are provided by themselves Robert Earl Council and Melvin Ray in particular are the backbone of the film and their insight and expertise is impactful. But what is even more apparent and more profound is Council, Ray, and all the inmates featured's humanity. And that is what comes through in the film most clearly, most powerfully. And so despite all the pain and suffering, despite the injustice, what we see is the strength, character, and resolve of these men.

A brutal portrait of correctional conditions and a testament to the spirit of those who must endure it.

Currently streaming on HBO Max.

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'John Candy: I Like Me' A Review

John Candy: I Like Me is a documentary about the late great actor John Candy. Through talking head interviews, archival footage, and home movies his legacy is gently explored.

For a victory lap for a well deserving artist it suffices. But much like 2020's Belushi and other documentaries of this type it fails to really provide any insight or depth to the person. The interviews from his children and, surprisingly, former Second City owner Andrew Alexander come closest as they seem to be the only ones interested in expressing any kind of nuance or even potential criticism. Every other talking-head(of which there are many) simply praise him. Not that he's undeserving or that it strains credulity, he was a good man, kind and generous, that's not really disputable. But. It seems clear there was an alcohol problem, it is very clear there was a health problem. And it's disappointing that these topics are only briefly glossed over and not investigated. He was a complex person. Particularly as a big person with that level of talent. Candy, Belushi, Farley they were all incredible talents and they all faced a very specific challenge which no documentary or biography has, to date, really successfully delved into.

A breezy, simplistic portrait of a dynamic talent and a complex man. 

Currently streaming on Prime.

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'Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching' A Review

Listers is a documentary about two brothers who, basically on a lark, decide to dedicate a full calendar year to birdwatching and compete in the Big Year where birdwatchers attempt to document the most species in the lower 48.

Through stop-motion animation, voice over narration, montage-style editing, talking-head interviews and more classic cinema verité the birding subculture and these two brothers experience with it is explored, with no small amount of beautiful slow-motion shots of birds. It's a hodgepodge of style and technique that come together with a rapturous infectious energy ultimately celebrating birds and birdwatching with a light condemnation on the competitive aspect of the hobby.

Reminiscent in feel if not in tone or content to 2018's exceptional Minding The Gap  two young midwestern men set out to make a documentary and the result has the kind of freshness, interest, and innovation that seems more and more rare. An absolute must see.

Fun and borderline transcendent.

Currently streaming on YouTube.

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'Shark Whisperer' A Review

Shark Whisperer is a documentary about free diver/social media personality Ocean Ramsey.

Similar to Netflix's documentary The Liver King this is not actually a documentary but a feature length commercial for the subject's social media channels. The tonal sycophancy is not surprising given the movie is directed by Ramsey's husband Juan Oliphant, who is featured as a subject as if he is not the director. The movie is billed as co-directed by James Reed of My Octopus Teacher  but his name does not actually appear on any official cast & crew lists for the project.

The shots of Ramsey swimming with sharks are cool and beautiful. Unfortunately that is the only credible, interesting, or believable part of the movie. It is quite transparent Ramsey & Oliphant's lively hood(which is affluent) is a result of their social media ad revenue, their merchandising, and their swim-with-sharks tours which every aspect of this movie promote while couching all of it as "conservation" and "education". The issue is no actual data is ever presented and no experts are featured to convey any context. Ramsey's bonafides and background are never discussed other than she started swimming with sharks at a young age. Through Ramsey's interviews she explicitly says she does not feel like a human being, her relationship with Oliphant appears uneven and co-dependent, and her glassy 100-mile stare and explicit confirmation of her not being able to express emotion imply an ocean of underlying issues, none of which are explored or even acknowledged within the movie.

This is just so transparently a hustle. So obviously an attempt at marketing. So perversely not about sharks or the environment but about personal recognition and personal wealth from two sick individuals attempting to sell the viewer a delusion they have convinced themselves of. Its offensive boarding on the grotesque. Compare this movie to one with a very similar subject, the more nuanced, thought-provoking  Grizzly Man and all the pretentions and posturing of Shark Whisperer crumble and reveal it for what it is a base, bastardized, violation of the creatures they profess to love in service to deluded avarice.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Don't See It.

'Titan - The OceanGate Disaster' A Review

Titan - The OceanGate Disaster is a documentary about the titular 2023 event. Trust fund petulant narcissist Stockton Rush decided to "democratize" deep sea exploration(at $250k per ride that's pretty laughable) by using a carbon fiber hull, in lieu of steel or titanium, even though it was untested and widely determined to be insufficient. This was confirmed in countless tests and by countless experts and yet he persisted resulting in his(and four other individuals) needless and preventable deaths.

Through talking head interviews, archival news footage, and footage shot during OceanGate's operations this modern day retelling of Icarus is told. Themes of pride, naivete, single-mindedness, inflexibility, wealth, capitalism, abuse of power and position are explored.

What is, in essence, a relatively paint-by-numbers doc hits surprisingly hard as the story, the whys, are unspooled. Similar to the interest in Luigi Mangione the Titan implosion grabbed national and international interest as class inequity rises and class awareness comes further to the front in popular culture. At a two hour runtime there isn't a ton of analysis but there is a ton of information. Because of the sensational nature of the incident we are privy to the garish privations of the rich, their insatiable ego, the stupidity of certainty fostered by privilege. And ultimately there is tragedy but perhaps also justice at least in the case of Rush. The real disaster is that no one could or would stop him.

A fascinating if not particularly complex look at modern day hubris.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

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'Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted' A Review

Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted is a documentary about Swamp Dogg a cult country/soul/R&B musician. Through talking head interviews, fly-on-the-wall footage, and archival video his life but mostly his career is explored.

He's an eccentric and talented figure who's been influential but never achieved mainstream success. The film unspools part classic rock-doc but part experimental art project and celebrates Swamp and his two roommates Moogstar and Guitar Shorty.

Interesting, breezy, and fun. A just celebration of a mostly unknown but important artist who went his own way. It focuses on creativity, individuality, and artistic expression almost as much as Swamp Dogg's bio.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Rent It.

'Secret Mall Apartment' A Review

Secret Mall Apartment is a documentary about Providence, RI artist Michael Townsend that uses the titular 'project' as a casual focus point. Through talking head interviews, archival footage, and footage shot by Townsend his art practice, within the mall and without, is explored.

The title is kind of a misnomer as this is very much a portrait of an artist, the other 7 artists that worked with Townsend during this period on various projects don't say much and aren't featured much(which is a shame). Some of the ideas in the film are interesting, the SMA and how the group put it together is cool. But as a whole there seems to be little no point or thesis, the film meanders and flits from subject to subject- municipal history, urban development, gentrification, commercialism, art- but never settles on any. There's no real insight or analysis from the participants and Townsend is overly featured and seems incapable of any kind of self reflection. He's an interesting subject, charming and driven but clearly single-minded, obsessive, and selfish but director Jeremy Workman seems overly enamored by him and there's no attempt at really delving into his character or motivations, the feeling is very much only 'wow, isn't this cool? how cool is this!' which makes the 90 minute run time seem long.

There are some other undeveloped threads that irk- white privilege generally, RISD and its socioeconomic position, Townsend's relationship with his "team" who are all significantly younger, former students, and 'work' for him for free. Some of this is feinted at but not really interrogated. The one person of color, a city official, featured in the film says towards the end basically "who cares?" and that's certainly a valid question the film struggles to answer.

The secret mall apartment is a cool story, there's a good movie in here, but as is it feels like a shallow fluff piece that postures at profound.

Currently in theaters.

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'Not Just A Goof' A Review

Not Just A Goof is a documentary about the making and impact of 1995's A Goofy Movie. 

With talking head interviews and extensive archival/behind-the-scenes footage from director Kevin Lima the genesis of the cult classic is explored. Pleasant, breezy, and heartfelt the doc gets into casting, performance, story, the soundtrack, and animation. For A Goofy Movie fan it's interesting if not particularly in-depth. The majority of the runtime is taken up with making-of type stuff then there's a montage at the end as to its impact which is too truncated. Why anyone would even watch this is because A Goofy Movie, a second tier Disney experiment, had unanticipated and substantial cultural influence and this aspect isn't really addressed, there's just brief clips of folks cosplaying at conventions. It would have been nice, and more robust, to have some critics or Gen Y animators contextualize this more fully.

Enjoyable but uneven, a victory lap more than an actual documentary.

Currently streaming on Disney+.

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'CHAOS: The Manson Murders' A Review

CHAOS: The Manson Murders is a documentary from Errol Morris about the titular case, the subsequent enduring cultural fascination with the case, as well as the idea Mason may have had involvement with covert government operatives who were in turn connected to covert ops MK-Ultra and Operation: CHAOS. Through archival footage and talking-head interviews, conducted as usual by Morris himself, these ideas are explored.

At first blush the subject matter seems a bit mainstream from one of, if not the, greatest living documentarian but it becomes increasingly clear Morris is less interested in the particulars of the case and more in it's broad and lasting appeal and what it may have to tell us about our past that could inform our present. No surprise, the film looks great, it's paced great, it's perfectly scored. It's a return to form for Morris whose 2017 limited series Wormwood was stunning but who hasn't had a knock out feature since 2008's Standard Operating Procedure.

Through the Manson case and the people involved in it from perpetrators to journalists compelling questions are raised that echo through our current landscape of blind political homogenization and surreptitious and overt government overreach. It reminds us that systems of control have always been in place, that those in power have always sought to perfect those systems of control, and any wistful talk of past benevolence in the government in the US are woefully naïve.

It informs but it stirs fear. It entertains but it cautions.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

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'We Beat The Dream Team' A Review

We Beat The Dream Team is a documentary about the college select team that the 'Dream Team' played in practice as they prepared for the '92 summer Olympics.

Through archival footage and talking head interviews the story of the scrappy college students who played the greatest professional basketball team ever assembled on their march to the gold is told. There's not a lot to it that can't be gleaned from the title and it's a times a little hokey but still an entertaining low stakes, small scope, sports doc set in one of the greatest times for the game- the 90's.

Fun, fell good, if a little thin. A diverting flick if no where near the impact of something like The Last Dance or a top tier 30 For 30.

Currently streaming on Max.

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'Grand Theft Hamlet' A Review

Grand Theft Hamlet is a documentary about two UK out-of-work actors who attempt to stage a production of Hamlet within GTA during lockdown.

"Shot" entirely within the game with audio of the various players talking to each other via headsets the film follows Sam and Mark as they come up with the idea of putting on Hamlet, cast, stage, and eventually perform it. More so than the production itself it's a meditation on the pandemic, isolation, creativity, community, and the enduring nature of art and its ability to restore(or at least distract).

Even at its short runtime the film at times feels claustrophobic(which is fitting) we, like the subjects, yearn for some actual human faces from time to time, but that's apt not a criticism. Its rich with theme and humanity and illustrates, along with last year's The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, the potential power and depth of digital fellowship.

A scrappy, utterly singular, piece of cinema with an ultimate message of hope and connection.

Currently streaming on MUBI.

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'Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)' A Review

Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) is a documentary about the life, career, and legacy of the members of Sly and the Family Stone with particular focus on the band's front man Sly Stone.

Through talking-head interviews, concert footage, archival interviews with Sly, archival news, and some animation the band, its members, but more importantly the music are explored and celebrated. An overdue look at a great and influential figure and band. The best parts are when one of their songs is broken down in an animation sequence and when two talking-heads breakdown their sample of one of their songs. Basically the shop talk is excellent and the film is patient and generous in exploring the band's discography. The investigation into Sly himself, the burden of his Black Genius, as well as his addiction is compassionate and thoughtful if not ultimately particularly deep. But that's OK because it's the music, the sound that is really elevated and focused on, its a music doc not a biography. As an aside it is interesting that this film and many others like it, when discussing artists or public figures with addiction, fail to understand a most fundamental fact about the disease, which is, it can happen to anyone. We all have within us a certain threshold when it comes to substance use, for some its very high, for some(like myself) its very low, but there is a point beyond which the disease is triggered, like a circuit breaker. Sly may have started using for various reasons and circumstances(which the film discusses) but the disease, once active, renders those things relatively moot and the addict is solely focused on the acquisition and ingestion of the preferred substance.

An inspiring rumination on a legendary band with moments of transcendence propelled by the music. Should have had a theatrical release.

Currently streaming on Hulu.

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