Lisa Cortés’ Little Richard: I Am Everything is a perfect documentary for people with an interest in the legendary musician. It’s a thorough breakdown that guides unfamiliar movie goers (like myself) through Little Richard’s life and career, and it sports plenty of exciting concert footage and entertaining interviews that would make any loyal fan giddy.
Not very often do audiences receive a biopic as pointless and embarrassing as Creation Stories. Then again, the filmmaker could still benefit from a turkey like this. If they believe their biopic holds valuable nostalgia or fan service, ham-fisted qualities can be forgiven by movie goers, allowing the movie to even win Oscars. It worked for Bohemian Rhapsody.
By: Addison Wylie At this year’s Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Monty Python: The Meaning of Life captured the British comedians rehearsing for their final hurrah as they recounted cherished memories. Katja von Garnier’s concert doc Forever and a Day about German rock band Scorpions treads similar ground, but also made me feel the exact way the Pythons did – indifferent but not enough for me to completely disregard it. Forever and a Day is…
By: Addison Wylie Wylie Writes’ coverage of TIFF’s Jim Jarmusch retrospective began with a mixed bag of shorts, and ends with a mixed bag of concert cutouts and behind-the-scenes glimpses. It’s undoubtable Jarmusch captures a raw vision of Neil Young and Crazy Horse with his scattershot Year of the Horse. The filmmaker catalogues footage from unique perspectives; the performances are especially visceral if occasionally obscured. He switches between different film stocks (16mm, Hi-8 video, and Super 8)…
By: Addison Wylie My affection for We Are The Best! could be compared to the happiness some found in last year’s sleeper hit Good Vibrations. Both films share the same type of optimism towards punk rock music, as well as curious characters figuring out life through the off-beat genre. Good Vibrations won many audiences over with its sentimentality. Though the whole thing was too precious for me, I’m happy for those who found pleasing values…