rolling documentary thread 2013

Saw this Saturday night at MoMA, quite amazing -- and I pretty much don't know jack about architecture.

http://idiommag.com/2013/02/personal-records-heinz-emigholz-on-perret-in-france-and-algeria/

moma series looks great - would really recommend berliner's nobody's business to anyone who hasn't seen. was it you repping for girls like us a while back, morbs?

Tried to watch, on Netflix, "Half the Sky," but the celebrity vibe seemed so weirdly self-serving and up its ass I couldn't take it, even if my all accounts it is a great charity.

I mentioned the Nixon documentary playing at the festival here earlier today. Also bought tickets for Anita, Caucus, Teenage, and Everybody Street.

Our Nixon is playing at ND/NF here; I won't get to it.

http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/our-nixon/6892

I wanted to post this on one of those mammoth Republican Primary threads from last year, but they're all locked. Anyway, saw this tonight:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fdu6RznMII

The film obviously takes its cue from Robert Drew's Primary, something underscored by a prominent thank you to Drew/Leacock/Maysles/Pennebaker in the credits. I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from seeing it, it's lively enough that it held my interest, but in view of the cast of characters, it should have been a lot better. The most obvious problem is that it really does seem like a 1960 film in a lot of ways. Following the candidates around verite-style has been done to death by now; compounding the ordinariness, the filmmakers go out of their way to imbue the candidates with some semblance of normalcy. (Although they don't completely shy away from some of Santorum's and Gingrich's more noxious moments.) That's really welcome in a way--I would have hated wall-to-wall Moore cartoonishness--but it does miss the craziness of those few months. Another problem is that a lot of the craziness happened away from Iowa--during the same window of time, but in debates in other parts of the country. The immense stranglehold of media, old and new, is largely ignored. And the film really downplays the visceral Obama hatred that animated the right during those primaries. I guess because that too has been done to death, so I can understand that. But everything does seem strangely toned down--a lady obsessed with Mexican truckers is about as wingnutty as it gets. Elsewhere, there's a nice scene between Perry and a decorated WWII veteran.

Finally saw Dirty Wars as it winds down its NY run.... A little too much 'let's look at the intrepid Scahill as he pecks away at his laptop in a Gowanus cafe,' but it builds a maddening narrative of the many-tentacled JSOC and al-Awalaki hit(s). Also, fuck Obama.

Anyone seen this yet?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD5oMxbMcHM

Yup. It's great. See it.

Casting By: Didn't read up beforehand, so I was surprised that this was not so much about casting directors in general, but rather two specific people--one, really--and also by the advocacy near the end. Some funny stories, as expected, and at least one sad one: Jerome Hellman obviously still conscience-stricken for not giving Marion Dougherty an official credit on Midnight Cowboy. Taylor Hackford does not come off well in this.

Really enjoyed The Source Family, which never stops being fascinating despite what seems to be the filmmaker wrestling with how crazy to play the subjects (a few of whom seem to have been involved at the production/editorial level). Good fun, mostly, with heavy touches and a killer soundtrack of fuzzy hippie psych rock.

Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp: The first half is primarily Ice-T (who produced this) and various other people analyzing and philosophizing about What It Means To Be a Pimp--had a hard time getting my head around all that, although Chris Rock is always funny. (I think all that was covered in the Hughes Brothers film anyway.) The second half, the writer half, was much more interesting to me: some ambiguity about Slim/Beck's publisher, Holloway House--fearless, also screwing him out of lots of money--his marriage, his restless life after prison. His one daughter, the one who's so rah-rah, seems a little off, but after she reveals some biography about herself, it was "Oh, okay." Great use of DJ Shadow's "Stem/Long Stem" at the beginning.

Somebody posted a trailer for the Morton Downey documentary recently, but I can't figure out what thread. Anyway, interesting, as you'd expect it to be. I was aware of him during the peak of his celebrity (the magazine I worked for did a story on him), but I don't think I actually had access to his show. I remember the skinhead (non-)incident, don't remember his heavy involvement in the Tawana Brawley story. (Guessing Al Sharpton would rather this film weren't around--as much for something that happens during a commercial break on a particular show.)

The big problem is that you can't turn the Morton Downey story into tragedy. (The story of the show, I mean, not his post-career cancer.) It was ridiculous from day one, and just got more ridiculous. His contribution to the world we live in today, which is spoken of in positive terms by at least a couple of famous people, escapes me completely.

RIP Michel Brault. One of the greatest filmmakers.

Let the Fire Burn, about the 1985 MOVE bombing/fire in Philly, opens in NYC today... and read this if you don't know what that is.

http://www.fandor.com/blog/daily-jason-osders-let-the-fire-burn

I've seen the features nominated here except The Square (just opened in NY), like all four. Blackfish is the most conventional, and I still have some queasiness about Act of Killing's approach, but would put it and Let the Fire Burn at the top.

http://www.documentary.org/news/nominees-honorary-award-recipients-announced-29th-annual-ida-documentary-awards

The Institute. Kind of like "The Game" mixed with "Exit through the Gift Shop". With a dash of Resurrect Dead and Catfish.

http://thedissolve.com/reviews/273-the-institute/

this gets off to a dubious start (Anderson Cooper and other forms of glamor), but quickly improves and is pretty unflinching about blood and political realities...

http://thesquarefilm.com/

holy hell "Let The Fire Burn" was astounding

right?

The Square is really fine too (fwiw so is the main protestor).

This Makhmalbaf film (which ran exactly one week at the Quad in NYC) is probably my fave to get a commercial release this year tho.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY757gVjOgU

also you can and should watch Perret in France and Algeria and The Forgotten Space for FREE here:

http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/watch-free-films-from-the-dialogue-of-cultures-international-film-festival

The Jayson Blair documentary was pretty good, but I think I liked Shattered Glass better.