Letters from Baghdad
Tilda Swinton (Doctor Strange, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Okja) narrates the letters of Gertrude Bell in this documentary that traces Bell’s life from childhood to death through her personal correspondence.
Documentary
The Reagan Show
The Reagan Show is about Hollywood B-list actor-turned-conservative dream president Ronald Reagan, told entirely through found footage, but the timing and certain elements betray its true intentions.
Expo 67: Mission Impossible
It takes a while to get off the ground, but once it gathers momentum, Expo 67: Mission Impossible proves itself to be a fascinating and ultimately moving look at the events that took place behind the scenes of Montreal’s 1967 international exhibition.
The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith
The documentary form of filmmaking has been around since the very beginning of the moving image. In well over a century, it has been transformed in a variety of ways, leading to some of the most innovative cinema. This is exactly why it is always so frustrating when someone takes an interesting individual or event and makes a documentary that takes nothing from this history, instead opting to utilize the same old cookie-cutter style of…
All The Rage
I’ve always wanted to know more about the late Dr. John Sarno and his psychological practice ever since Howard Stern praised him for getting rid of his severe back pain. Other celebrities who endorse Sarno include Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Larry David, former 20/20 reporter John Stossel, and Bored to Death creator Jonathan Ames.
Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan
It stings to call Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan an indistinguishable documentary because of who the film is about.
Dawson City: Frozen Time
Film, as a physical material medium, is an unusual object: film reels can often survive in strange settings, remaining undiscovered for decades, and yet these same reels can suddenly go up in a blaze, often taking their surroundings with them. This is an underplayed theme in Dawson City: Frozen Time, the newest work of filmmaker Bill Morrison. Film is at once destructive and salvageable, destroyed and saved.
Nowhere to Hide
Nowhere To Hide portrays war-torn life through curious interviews and on-the-fly videography. The doc’s results are unnerving and scary, but essential when understanding a culture who were rediscovering themselves.
Manifesto
The craft of brilliant costume designers and make-up artists can transform the most recognizable actors into strangers. Such is the case for Manifesto, a one-woman-show featuring two-time Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett portraying 13 different roles. Of course, the production is also lucky to have one of the greatest living actors at the forefront. However, what Manifesto also displays is that sometimes the best artists overshoot their target.