Category Archives: Documentary

Saving the Planet through “Rewilding”

Environmental docs tend to throw out a litany of ecological horrors that leave viewers feeling helpless. Escape from Extinction: Rewilding takes a different approach. Using case studies from around the globe, the film suggests that we have the power to … Continue reading

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Tribeca documentary Made in Ethiopia: exposing capitalism

Shot over a four-year span, Made in Ethiopia uses a Chinese-backed industrial park in Ethiopia as a way to examine how economic policy operates at ground level. The film opens with a wedding ceremony between a Chinese worker and his … Continue reading

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Little Richard: I Am Everything review

In Little Richard: I Am Everything, Richard Penniman says, “I’m the emancipator, the architect. I’m the one that started it all.” But director Lisa Cortés has a more ambitious agenda. For her, Little Richard is rock’s ultimate victim. A self-professed … Continue reading

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Moonage Daydream review: pieces of Bowie

How much you like David Bowie, and when you started liking him, will determine how you respond to Moonage Daydream. Written, directed, produced, and edited by Brett Morgen, the documentary provides an exhaustive account of very specific sections of Bowie’s … Continue reading

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Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: Behind making “Wildflowers”

Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free resurrects 16mm footage documenting the making of Wildflowers, the musician’s second solo outing, between 1993 and 1995. Best for Petty completists, the documentary is a shambling, shaggy-haired look at a lost world. Drinks, drugs, … Continue reading

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SXSW returns online

Last year’s SXSW festival was underway when it fell victim to the pandemic lockdown. This year’s edition took place online, a necessary but regrettable compromise that doesn’t really satisfy anyone. On the plus side, titles previously out of bounds to … Continue reading

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76 Days review: Inside Wuhan’s ICUs

More a document than a documentary, 76 Days unfolds in the ICU units and critical care wards of hospitals in Wuhan, China, ground zero for the Covid-10 outbreak. Filmed on the fly, the film captures the hysteria and desperation of … Continue reading

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NYFF Post Mortem: Streaming a Festival

Yes, the pandemic has changed everything about the movie industry, from production to exhibition. Unable to hold in-person screenings, theater owners have turned to the only viable alternative, streaming, in the process accelerating the decline of their livelihood. Even without … Continue reading

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Aswang review: The victims of Duterte’s drug war

In Filipino folklore, an “aswang” is a shapeshifting demon, the monster parents use to frighten their kids. For director Alyx Ayn Arumpac, the aswang is a metaphor for the current state of the Philippines. How else to explain the 30,000+ … Continue reading

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Fighting for kids in the doc My Name Is Pedro

Opening virtually after touring festivals in 2017, My Name Is Pedro is a bare-bones, unprepossessing documentary about Bronx-born educator Pedro Santana. Making her feature documentary debut, director Lillian LaSalle takes a narrowly focused story and connects it to larger themes … Continue reading

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