By: Trevor Chartrand Chasing Perfect is a car design documentary with a very narrow focus, and it will undoubtedly appeal to a fairly niche audience as a result. The film chronicles the life and career of legendary car designer Frank Stephenson, the creative mind behind a variety of modern vehicles from flashy sports cars to practical SUVs.
Filmmaker Nick Broomfield recounts his memories of Marianne Ihlen and singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen in his documentary Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love.
By: Jolie Featherstone Maiden opens in the middle of a cold and unforgiving ocean. Waves as tall as houses tumble and crash. A preternaturally calm voice is heard over the roar: “the ocean is always trying to kill you.” The roar continues. A storm brews in the increasingly agitated sky. “It doesn’t take a break.”
Sam Tweedle, a local theatre critic for KawarthaNow.com, is one of the most well-versed music wiz’s I know. We occasionally run into each other at local productions he’s writing about, but I’m almost more familiar with his online takes on his favourite musicians and underrated albums. During our run-ins, he picks my brain about movies. We agree on Kirk Cameron, we disagree on 1st Summoning, but I digress.
Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am is an efficient documentary, even if it’s as standard as biopic docs get.
Comedian Iliza Shlesinger gives at-home viewers an up-close-and-personal look at her career leading up to her latest Netflix special in the “fan-u-mentary” Iliza Shlesinger: Over & Over.
At just over an hour, Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki is a rare opportunity to watch Studio Ghibli’s master at work as Miyazaki comes out of a temporary retirement to experiment with CGI animation.
Jennie Livingston’s award-winning documentary Paris Is Burning has received a 4K restoration twenty-eight years after its initial release, and it’ll screen in select theatres across Canada throughout the year. I believe the re-release was planned in part to curate the footage, but also because the documentary is relevant as ever.
Pavarotti is a celebration of Luciano Pavarotti’s career and his achievements as a legendary opera singer and performer. Ron Howard’s documentary is jovial, just as Pavarotti was known to be. As someone who had limited knowledge of the timeless tenor, I walked away from Howard’s enlightening documentary with a new appreciation for music.
By: Trevor Chartrand Framing John DeLorean is a unique documentary about the man behind one of most iconic car designs in automobile history. Much like John DeLorean himself, the film takes some big risks with an interesting and flashy approach. Many of DeLorean’s risks did not pay off, and the same can be said for some things in this film.