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Docudrama

Reviews

They Shot the Piano Player

They Shot the Piano Player is an animated docdrama that, ultimately, failed to connect with me.  But, to credit filmmakers Javier Mariscal and Fernando Trueba (co-directors of the Oscar-nominated animated film Chico & Rita), the movie’s efforts are certainly not wasted.

Reviews

Seve the Movie

In case you don’t have the chance to catch Seve the Movie, here’s a rundown: characters interact with golfer Seve Ballesteros over both banal and important matters.  Seve responds by expressing how much he loves golf, intercut with archive footage from pro golf tours he’ll later play in.

Reviews

Truth

By: Trevor Jeffery Truth is a factually interesting docudrama, with the unfortunate side effect of also being a huge downer – how can you chippily walk away from a film if its thesis is essentially “modern journalism is dead”? It’s 2004, just months before the American Presidential election, and Mary Mapes (Cate Blanchett) has got a story.  And as a producer for CBS’s documentary/news series 60 Minutes, she’s got a platform.  She’s uncovered that there…

Reviews

Stop the Pounding Heart

By: Addison Wylie Roberto Minervini’s docudrama Stop the Pounding Heart has an intentionally intrusive presentation set in rural Americana.  The audience peers in on extremely realistic conversations from a cast of unknowns to a prying degree.  Stop the Pounding Heart is one of those films where you demand to read the screenplay afterwards because you’re dying to find out what was scripted and what was conjured naturally in front of the camera. With Minervini being…

Reviews

Parkland

By: Addison Wylie Is Parkland respectful towards its source material and depiction of the assassination of John F. Kennedy?  Yes.  Is it accurate to its time period?  Sure is.  Are the performances worthwhile?  You betcha. However, even though Peter Landesman’s film has plenty of good things going for it, I felt detached from the movie most of time.  I couldn’t fully invest my feelings into it, which is troublesome seeing as the film is an…