Non-Fiction November Quick Picks and Pans

Dig! (2004) Ondi Timoner’s warts and all documentary chronicles the chaotic friendship which became a rivalry between Courtney Taylor-Taylor from The Dandy Warhols and Anton Newcombe from The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Both bands emerged in the late ‘90s alternative music scene with promising word-of-mouth, but self-destructive behavior (often mixed with drug and alcohol abuse) hastened Newcombe’s downfall. It’s an unflinching look at the fickle world of the music industry and the elusive allure of fame, along with the physical and emotional toll it takes on the performers. 

Rating: ****. Available on DVD, Kanopy

The Celluloid Closet (1995) This fascinating film, based on the book by Vito Russo and narrated by Lily Tomlin, examines the portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters in Hollywood from the silent era to the present, featuring interviews with actors, writers and other filmmakers. Using various film clips, The Celluloid Closet illustrates how the presence of queer people was often coded in early Hollywood. It also tracks the progression of queer stereotypes in cinema, which were often coded, and more-often-than-not employed for comic effect, or in later years, as convenient villains. It’s a reminder of how far we’ve progressed and how far we haven’t. 

Rating: ****. Available on DVD and Tubi

The Witch of King’s Cross (2020) Documentarian Sonia Bible profiles the intriguing life and work of Rosaleen Norton – an artist who lived life on her terms. Norton raised eyebrows in conservative ‘1950s Sydney, Australia, with her provocative, sexually charged artwork (often featuring herself) and practice of pagan rituals (including sex magic), based on Aleister Crowley’s teachings. Her unorthodox creative practices (which frequently involved altered consciousness) resulted in jail time, censorship and harassment from local authorities. While being a counterculture pioneer would have been difficult for a man, the consequences were especially harsh for a free-spirited independent woman.   

Rating: ****. Available on Amazon Prime

 

Botero (2018) Don Millar and Hard Snider take an intimate look at one of the world’s most widely recognized modern artists, Fernando Botero, known for his distinctive style of exaggerated, puffy figures. Love him or hate him, there’s no mistaking a Botero painting or sculpture. Originating from a poor family in Colombia, we hear from the artist himself, as well as family, friends and critics. The film examines Botero’s unique style in detail, delving into his creative process, and demonstrating how something viewed as playful or comic could also be subversive. It's a profile of an artist who consistently marched to the beat of his own drum. Anyone who creates, especially if they ever questioned the merit of their own work, should find something inspiring in this film.   

Rating: ****. Available on DVD and Kanopy

An Honest Liar (2014) Directors Tyler Measom and Justin Weinstein take an intimate look at the life of James Randi (aka: “The Amazing Randi”), a former stage magician who embarked on a decades-long crusade to debunk self-professed faith healers, spiritualists, and others (including archrival Yuri Geller) who preyed on the desperate and gullible. By applying a scientific method to his investigations, he demonstrates how anyone, no matter how smart or educated, can be fooled. The documentary takes an unexpected turn when we learn about his confederate in investigations and long-time partner, José Alvarez, who himself perpetrated a profound deception. It’s a very human profile of a larger-than-life personality. 

Rating: ****. Available on DVD (Out of Print) and Amazon Prime 

 

The Silent World (1956) This Oscar-winning documentary provides a glimpse at the mysterious, elusive world beneath the sea. Join French explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his team (who supplied the inspiration for the eponymous fictional explorer in Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou), as they reveal a world of startling color and contrasts. Audiences at the time were treated to an unprecedented peek at an environment few had seen before. The Silent World unfortunately shows its age with its dated attitudes (such as the crew killing sharks feasting on a dead baby whale, using giant Galapagos tortoises as footstools, or dynamiting a reef to collect sea life), which wouldn’t pass muster in a David Attenborough wildlife film. Despite these missteps, it still entrances after all these years.    

Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray and DVD

The Dark Glow of the Mountains (1985) Filmmaker Werner Herzog turns his camera on mountain climbers Reinhold Messner, Hans Kammerlander, and a team of hand-picked explorers, as they attempt to conquer the treacherous and elusive summits of Gasherbrum I and II in Pakistan. Herzog attempts to ascertain why these climbers would risk frostbite and death without giving clear reasons (other than it’s there). While a little too brief at just 45 minutes, The Dark Glow of the Mountains is a meditation on the spirit of adventure, along with the accompanying dangers and loss (exemplified by a painful moment when Messner recounts having to tell his mother that his brother perished in a 1972 climbing accident). 

Rating: ***½. Available on DVD and Tubi

Journey Into the Beyond (1975) One of many pseudo-documentaries released in the 1970s, Journey Into the Beyond, narrated by John Carradine, takes us around the world to witness allegedly supernatural events, visiting psychic healers, weeping statues, a séance, and other unexplained phenomena. More entertainment than pure documentary, the film suffers credibility from its lack of counterpoint to the purportedly “real” occurrences depicted throughout.  the screen. While the whole thing should probably be regarded with a grain of salt, it features a fun little gimmick: auditory cues for those who are squeamish when something explicit appears and disappears onscreen. If nothing else, it’s a good companion to the Amazing Randi documentary, An Honest Liar (see above).   

Rating: ***. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Tubi