Monterey Pop (1968) Before there was Woodstock, there was the Monterey Pop Festival, held over three days in June 1967. D.A. Pennebaker’s groundbreaking Monterey Pop features an impressive lineup of artists, including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, and many more, providing an unprecedented snapshot of the era. While many of the audience members appear to be under the influence of one substance or another, they seem to be having a great time. Some highlights include Hendrix burning his guitar, Otis Redding working the audience like no one else can, culminating in a mesmerizing performance by Ravi Shankar. It’s hard not to enjoy this snapshot of a complex time that somehow seems simpler to modern eyes.
Rating: ****½. Available on Blu-ray and DVD
The Times of Harvey Milk (1984) On November 27, 1978, openly gay San Francisco politician Harvey Milk was assassinated, along with Mayor Moscone, by disgruntled political rival Dan White. The film chronicles the events leading up to the incident, as well as the miscarriage of justice that followed. Interviews with friends and colleagues, interspersed with archival footage of Milk, provide a fascinating portrait of the unique politician. The most striking thing about Rob Epstein’s documentary is how contemporary it seems, with attitudes and issues that are just as relevant today. Sadly, it also reveals how little things have changed in the ensuing decades. If this film doesn’t make you angry, you’re not paying attention.
Rating: ****½. Available on Blu-ray and DVD
Rating: ****. Available on DVD
Our Body (aka: Notre Corps) (2023) Claire Simon’s profile of a gynecological ward in a French public hospital provides a compelling fly-on-the-wall view of the wide range of patients and cases that come through its doors on a daily basis. Simon’s lens doesn’t shy away as we witness the entire life span represented by the hospital’s patients, with teenage pregnancy, birth, gender-affirming care, and cancer patients. Thanks to the brave individuals who agreed to be filmed (including the film’s director), we see some of them at their worst or most physically and emotionally vulnerable moments (one especially touching moment involves a doctor’s conversation with a terminal cancer patient who must end her chemotherapy). Anyone wishing to enter the medical profession or just wanting to know what goes on behind the scenes at a public hospital should find this documentary engaging. Don’t be dissuaded by the film’s almost 3-hour running time; it’s time well spent.
Rating: ****. Available on Kanopy
Catfish (2010) New Yorker Nev Schulman forms an online friendship with Megan, a young woman and her family in Michigan. As their relationship progresses, he begins raising questions about the veracity of the people and events in her life. His attempt to track her down leads to more questions and startling answers. It could have been someone’s idea of a sick joke, but the reality is far from black and white, as the truth behind the deception is surprisingly poignant. With each twist and turn, filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman illustrate how fabrication becomes more important than fact. As others have observed, it’s best to go into this movie cold, allowing the details of the story to naturally unfurl.
Rating: ***½ . Available on Blu-ray and DVD
Spooktacular! (2023) Director Quinn Monahan and writer Gail Jorden explore the rise and fall of the first-of-its-kind horror-themed amusement park, Spooky World, in Berlin, Massachusetts. We learn about the park’s brief but memorable run through interviews with former employees and celebrities, as well as its charismatic proprietor, David Bertolino (described as a “cross between Walt Disney and Stephen King”). Despite friction from the rural community, Spooky World remained a wildly popular fixture, hosting many members of horror royalty, including Tom Savini, Linda Blair, Kane Hodder, and Elvira, to name just a few. It’s enjoyable, if a bit superficial, glossing over many details (We don’t really hear much from its detractors).
Rating: ***. Available on Prime Video
Moana (1926) Not to be confused with the animated Disney film with the same name (although it could have easily influenced it), filmmakers Frances and Robert J. Flaherty (who previously directed 1921’s Nanook of the North) turn their camera on the South Pacific island community of Safune, located on the Samoan island of Savaiʻi. The sound version, recorded in the same location 50 years later, was presented by Flangan’s daughter, Monica. The film presents an idealized profile of island life, focusing on the title character, a young man entering adulthood. Not unlike Nanook, Moana perpetuates the “noble savage” stereotype, with staged scenes of the characters playing versions of their real-life selves.
Rating: ***. Available on Blu-ray and DVD
Elliott Smith – Heaven Adores You (2014) Nickolas Dylan Rossi covers the life of the brilliant singer/songwriter whose life was cut tragically short. Consisting largely of talking-head interviews with Smith’s friends and associates, interspersed with short clips of the artist, the film takes a by-the-numbers approach, keeping the musician at arms’ length. With only snippets of his songs throughout the soundtrack, there’s little left to illustrate his music to fans or the uninitiated. Outside of the predictably grim portrait of a troubled musician, the documentary has about as much depth as an old episode of VH-1’s “Behind the Music,” providing little insight about what made him tick, or the mystery surrounding his untimely demise. There must be a better story left waiting in the wings about this complex musician, but for now, this will have to do.
Rating: 3 stars. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Prime Video
No comments:
Post a Comment