There is a police parade walking down the street. Dozens of men in uniform are walking in formation, surrounded by revelers. Suddenly, Andy Kaufman pulls out a gun and shoots someone down. He is subdued and shot. With his last breath, he says “God told me to.” I have only seen one Larry Cohen film, and yet it managed to contain one scene which placed itself directly into my brain. Cohen has spent decades writing…
If you have ever read Vito Russo’s The Celluloid Closet or have seen the 1995 documentary based on the book, you would know quite well that Hollywood was full of closeted queer individuals working as actors, directors, producers and everything else; trying their hardest to live their truest lives, while also keeping the truth hidden. Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood tells another side of that story.
Inspired by her catalogue of photography and her award-winning documentary The Queen of Versailles, Lauren Greenfield set off to encapsulate global obsessions of self-value in her latest doc Generation Wealth. However, if you ask me, Generation Wealth has not only been inspired by Greenfield’s career and questions about society, but also by various unfinished stories seeking closure.
Stanley Kubrick was a peculiar anomaly. He was a world famous filmmaker with a classic catalogue, yet he lived an elusive life. Allegedly, it was rare to be granted access into Kubrick’s personal life, and it was more rare to find someone who would be willing to put themselves that close to him considering Kubrick’s infamous reputation.
By: Jessica Goddard A film that could’ve been a standard biographical piece turns unexpectedly investigative in Whitney, a new documentary from Kevin Macdonald (Touching the Void, Life in a Day) about the life and legend of superstar Whitney Houston. This is the first and only Whitney Houston documentary to be authorized by the family, and their participation and exclusive footage adds credibility.
Eugene Jarecki takes to the road in Elvis Presley’s 1963 Rolls Royce in The King. The documentary’s narrative itself is like Jarecki’s luggage – crammed-full and seeping out of the zippers. However, this stuffed film is interesting in ways thought-provoking open discussions can be.
Three Identical Strangers is a one-of-a-kind story, which I suppose is ironic considering it’s about a set of triplets. However, the movie is comparable to another documentary.
By: Jessica Goddard A well-paced timeline of the 1990s peace negotiations in the Middle East, The Oslo Diaries skillfully articulates the sense of both hope and skepticism in the period. Directed by Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan, the filmmakers use diary excerpts, historical footage, news clips, and participant commentary to paint a picture of simultaneous optimism and doubt surrounding the Oslo Accords.
The Accountant of Auschwitz proposes a moral dilemma about whether to follow through convicting a 94-year-old man with crimes against humanity for contributing to the horrors of the Auschwitz death camp. The man in question, former SS guard Oskar Gröning, is physically frail, stoic, and would undoubtably live out his final years in prison, but are these current details relevant when discussing justice for 300,000 people who were murdered for their culture?
