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	<title>Documentary &#8211; Film Legacy </title>
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	<description>Are movies better than ever?</description>
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	<title>Documentary &#8211; Film Legacy </title>
	<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog</link>
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		<title>Saving the Planet through &#8220;Rewilding&#8221;</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/10/01/saving-the-planet-through-rewilding/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Oct 2024 21:59:02 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=1186</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[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 &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/10/01/saving-the-planet-through-rewilding/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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<p><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="600" height="382" class="wp-image-1187" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/REWILDING-Baby-Hippo-with-Mother-Courtesy-of-MRB-Productions.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/REWILDING-Baby-Hippo-with-Mother-Courtesy-of-MRB-Productions.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/REWILDING-Baby-Hippo-with-Mother-Courtesy-of-MRB-Productions-300x191.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>Environmental docs tend to throw out a litany of ecological horrors that leave viewers feeling helpless. <em>Escape from Extinction: Rewilding</em> takes a different approach. Using case studies from around the globe, the film suggests that we have the power to improve our environment.</p>



<p>Narrated by Meryl Streep, <em>Escape from Extinction</em> follows a typical wildlife formula made up of nature footage, archival footage, and talking heads. The flow of voices and imagery is overwhelming at times, diluting the impact of the messages the filmmakers are trying to deliver.</p>



<p>Their warnings are dire: one million species will go extinct in the next year. Acid is destroying kelp forests off the California coast. Algae blooms threaten wildlife in Florida waters. The imagery is alarmist: wounded or killed animals, clear-cut forests, polluted waters.</p>



<p>Writers Alex Vincent Blumberg and Peter Meadows then turn to success stories, like Rwanda. The site of 1994’s tragedy in which 800,000 were killed within 100 days, the country has undergone a transformation.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center"><img decoding="async" width="600" height="400" class="wp-image-1188" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70-DPI-REWILDING-BTS-Filming-in-Akagera-National-Park-Courtesy-of-MRB-Productions.png" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70-DPI-REWILDING-BTS-Filming-in-Akagera-National-Park-Courtesy-of-MRB-Productions.png 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70-DPI-REWILDING-BTS-Filming-in-Akagera-National-Park-Courtesy-of-MRB-Productions-300x200.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>Part of that is due to the government’s efforts to shore up ecotourism. Officials have enlarged the Akagera National Park after it has shrunk to one-third of its size. They have imported lions and black rhinos to restock the wildlife populations.</p>



<p>After corporate agriculture damaged farmland in Bolivia, institutions like Lor Parque have taken steps to revive ecosystems, protecting habitats for blue throated macaws, for example.</p>



<p>Scientists realized that healthy kelp forests rely on sea otters to survive. But sea otters were hunted almost to extinction. By reintroducing them to Pacific waters, scientists have raised their population to some 3000.</p>



<p>Seagrass in Florida, a vital source of food for manatees, has been erased by algae blooms. Volunteers now vacuum algae by hand from the sea floor, and plant eelgrass to help stabilize the ecosystem.</p>



<p>In her voiceover, Streep notes that “rewilding” also means dealing with invasive species. For example, rabbits and especially cane toads have wreaked havoc with Australian wildlife. Hippos who escaped from their shelters in Colombia have led to 500 human fatalities a year.</p>



<p><em>Escape from Extinction</em> acknowledges conflicts among zoologists. Some didn’t want the extinct Asiatic cheetah in India replaced by African cheetahs. There are arguments over giraffes, wolves, and other wildlife species.</p>



<p>Confrontations with poachers and repressive governments have led to the deaths of over 2000 environmental activists.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center"><img decoding="async" width="600" height="400" class="wp-image-1189" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70-DPI-REWILDING-BTS-Filming-in-Volcanoes-National-Park-Courtesy-of-MRB-Productions.png" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70-DPI-REWILDING-BTS-Filming-in-Volcanoes-National-Park-Courtesy-of-MRB-Productions.png 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70-DPI-REWILDING-BTS-Filming-in-Volcanoes-National-Park-Courtesy-of-MRB-Productions-300x200.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>But director Matthew R. Brady ends <em>Escape from Extinction</em> on positive notes, allowing scientists to point to potential solutions that can lead to positive results.</p>



<p>Brady’s technique raises questions. The use of archival footage can be confusing. The narration can be cagey. A statement that two-thirds of the land mass of Antarctica is “affected by human activity&#8221; is accompanied by shots of collapsed oil tanks, but without proper IDs, viewers can’t be sure of the connection.</p>



<p>Some shots driven by visual effects have misleading sounds attached to them, like chainsaws droning behind disappearing forests. Besides, some would argue that clear-cutting makes sense in certain situations. To be fair, many documentarians take similar approaches. Strict accuracy may be more difficult to achieve, but makes for stronger films.</p>



<p>The main argument against <em>Escape from Extinction</em> is that it feels like a PowerPoint presentation buttressed by talking heads. It’s hard to disagree with the messages here, but the way they are not always presented are in the most effective ways.</p>



<p><strong>Credits</strong></p>



<p>Director: Matthew R. Brady. Writers: Alex Vincent Blumberg and Peter Meadows. Voiceover: Meryl Streep.</p>



<p>In theaters now.</p>



<p>Photos courtesy MRB Productions. Top: baby hippo and mother. Middle: Filming in Akagera National Park. Bottom: Filming in Volcanoes National Park.</p>
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		<title>Tribeca documentary Made in Ethiopia: exposing capitalism</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/06/10/tribeca-documentary-made-in-ethiopia-exposing-capitalism/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 10 Jun 2024 21:27:53 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Documentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Film Festivals]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=1157</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[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 &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/06/10/tribeca-documentary-made-in-ethiopia-exposing-capitalism/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="338" class="wp-image-1158" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Image-1-MADE-IN-ETHIOPIA1.png" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Image-1-MADE-IN-ETHIOPIA1.png 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Image-1-MADE-IN-ETHIOPIA1-300x169.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>Shot over a four-year span, <em>Made in Ethiopia</em> uses a Chinese-backed industrial park in Ethiopia as a way to examine how economic policy operates at ground level.</p>



<p>The film opens with a wedding ceremony between a Chinese worker and his African bride, a sequence that has the appeal of the unknown while while simultaneously feeling too pointed a metaphor.</p>



<p>Directors Xinyan Yu and Max Duncan (who&#8217;s also the director of photography) then backtrack to fill in background details about Dukem, a dusty farming town transformed when Chinese businessmen built an industrial park in 2008.</p>



<p>The directors are present when a Chinese dignitary tours the plant in 2019. Guiding him is Motto Ma, deputy director of the Eastern Industry Park. A magnetic firebrand with a captivating spiel, Motto is relentlessly upbeat about her goal of putting together a huge expansion that promises 30,000 new jobs.</p>



<p>Following Motto on the phone, in her limo, at meetings, in offices, <em>Made in Ethiopia</em> exposes the contradictions between selling and executing. To expand the industrial park, Motto has to displace farmers who are not very successful but don&#8217;t want to give up their land.</p>



<p>Over time the farmers and villagers reveal they are stubbornly hanging on hoping for land and money promised to them by the government. A third plot line in the documentary focuses on individual workers who gradually realize they are being exploited by business owners.</p>



<p>As it did throughout the world, Covid disrupts everyone&#8217;s plans at Dukem. Employees are sequestered for weeks at a time. Orders fall off precipitously. Companies shutter. Workers go on strike.</p>



<p>A civil war that displaces millions is another major blow. Motto&#8217;s planned second phase of development is a casualty of the conflict.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="337" class="wp-image-1159" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Image-2-MADE-IN-ETHIOPIA.png" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Image-2-MADE-IN-ETHIOPIA.png 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Image-2-MADE-IN-ETHIOPIA-300x169.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>In March, 2023, the filmmakers find Motto working at a new coffee export company. The farmers are still waiting for their promised land. Workers who sought better lives through instructional training are still stuck in entry-level positions.</p>



<p>For the most part <em>Made in Ethiopia</em> feels even-handed, as if the filmmakers were just presenting facts. The directors resort to titles, news clips, and voice-overs to fill out important details, such as half the population of Ethiopia is under the age of 20, or that typical factory workers in the Eastern Industrial Zone make $50 a month. Occasionally they&#8217;ll throw in a cheap shot, like a close-up of a ceramic cat on a manager&#8217;s desk.</p>



<p>But the documentary is not nearly as objective as it appears. That&#8217;s because no one addresses the central issues to the story: an economic system of winners and losers. The same inexorable search for profits that moved factories and warehouses from China to Africa will continue to reduce everyone and everything to the lowest common denominator.</p>



<p>The same underlying but unstated theme appears in other Tribeca docs this year, like <em>Driver</em>. Documentary filmmakers have to tackle the root causes of the issues they are covering, instead of hoping their cameras will capture something interesting.</p>



<p><strong>Credits:</strong> Directed by Xinyan Yu and Max Duncan. Produced by Tamara Dawit, Xinyan Yu, Max Duncan. Executive producers: Anna Godas, Oli Harbottle, Susan Jakes, Mehret Mandefro, Roger Graef. Director of photography: Max Duncan. Editors: Biel Andrés, Jeppe Bødskov, Siyi Chen. Composer: Ali Helnwein.</p>



<p><strong>Photos</strong>: Top — Chinese businesswoman Motto Ma speaking to members of an Ethiopian regional government delegation inside the Eastern Industry Park, Oromia region, Ethiopia. Bottom — Farmer Workinesh Chala and her daughter Rehoboth standing in the fields of Dibdibbe Village, looking out towards the Eastern Industry Park, Oromia region, Ethiopia. Photo credits: Max Duncan. Courtesy of Hard Truth Films.</p>



<p>Screening at the Tribeca Film Festival.</p>
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		<title>Little Richard: I Am Everything review</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2023/01/23/little-richard-i-am-everything-review/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2023 21:50:05 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=956</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[In Little Richard: I Am Everything, Richard Penniman says, &#8220;I&#8217;m the emancipator, the architect. I&#8217;m the one that started it all.&#8221; But director Lisa Cortés has a more ambitious agenda. For her, Little Richard is rock&#8217;s ultimate victim. A self-professed &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2023/01/23/little-richard-i-am-everything-review/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="338" class="wp-image-957" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/z6x5gb2qxLittleRichard_IAmEverything-Still1.jpeg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/z6x5gb2qxLittleRichard_IAmEverything-Still1.jpeg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/z6x5gb2qxLittleRichard_IAmEverything-Still1-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/z6x5gb2qxLittleRichard_IAmEverything-Still1-150x85.jpeg 150w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/z6x5gb2qxLittleRichard_IAmEverything-Still1-250x141.jpeg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>In <em>Little Richard: I Am Everything</em>, Richard Penniman says, &#8220;I&#8217;m the emancipator, the architect. I&#8217;m the one that started it all.&#8221; But director Lisa Cortés has a more ambitious agenda. For her, Little Richard is rock&#8217;s ultimate victim.</p>



<p>A self-professed gay black performer from Macon, Georgia, Penniman forged a career in medicine shows, on the chitlin&#8217; circuit, and in nightclubs, occasionally performing in drag. He borrowed liberally from artists like Billy Wright and Esquerita, fashioning himself as a pompadoured singer and pianist sporting flamboyant costumes. His musical influences included Louis Prima, Ike Turner, Sister Rosette Tharpe, and New Orleans shouters and belters.</p>



<p>Penniman combined blues, gospel and pop in ways similar to Fats Domino, Huey Smith, and any number of other performers—only outsized. He would clamber atop pianos, strip, push his audiences into frenzies.</p>



<p>Unfortunately, Penniman lived in a highly segregated society where homosexuality was outlawed. Even so, after signing with Specialty Records, he had a string of indelible hits. Like many performers of the time, he was not fully compensated for his work. White artists like Elvis Presley and, notoriously, Pat Boone covered his songs; later, he was a huge influence on The Beatles (who opened for him during a tour of England) and The Rolling Stones.</p>



<p>Unfortunately for this documentary, most of Penniman&#8217;s visual record comes after his prime. He appeared in a few movies, notably <em>The Girl Can&#8217;t Help It</em>. In those he routinely lip-synched to recorded tracks.</p>



<p>By the mid-sixties, he was considered an oldies act. This was true for most of his contemporaries like Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins. Elvis become a movie star, Jerry Lee Lewis switched to country music, and the rock industry on the whole was littered with has-beens. Like Berry, who never regained his early commercial success, Penniman spent fruitless years trying to re-establish himself, alternately abandoning his past and embracing it again.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="338" class="wp-image-958" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/hzhzij819LittleRichard_IAmEverything-Still2.jpeg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/hzhzij819LittleRichard_IAmEverything-Still2.jpeg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/hzhzij819LittleRichard_IAmEverything-Still2-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/hzhzij819LittleRichard_IAmEverything-Still2-150x85.jpeg 150w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/hzhzij819LittleRichard_IAmEverything-Still2-250x141.jpeg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>It&#8217;s a sad story that is almost a template for rock careers. Very few performers can sustain careers for decades. Everyone falls out of favor at some point, and not everyone can claw back.</p>



<p>Cortés positions Penniman as a victim of society incapable of accepting him as a star. She buttresses her film with a string of historians, ethnomusicologists, and activists who use words like &#8220;non-normative.&#8221; The documentary tries to demystify Little Richard by dragging him into academia, by pigeonholing his sexuality, by shrinking his achievements and explaining away his magic.</p>



<p>Worst of all, people talk over his music. Not one song is heard in its entirety until the closing credits.</p>



<p>Penniman still bursts through the documentary&#8217;s portrait of him, smashing the frames confining him with exuberant verbal riffs and explosive songs. (And let&#8217;s note: European television handled rock music much better than the US.) Perhaps <em>Little Richard: I Am Everything</em> will convince viewers to seek out Penniman&#8217;s music rather than dwell on his problems.</p>



<p><em>Little Richard: I Am Everything</em> is an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Photos courtesy of Sundance Institute.</p>
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		<title>Moonage Daydream review: pieces of Bowie</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2022/09/13/moonage-daydream-review-pieces-of-bowie/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Sep 2022 19:48:55 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Documentary]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=934</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[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&#8217;s &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2022/09/13/moonage-daydream-review-pieces-of-bowie/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="324" class="wp-image-937" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Bowie_R1_complete_UNIVERSAL_220429_21js_g_r709.101541-copy.png" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Bowie_R1_complete_UNIVERSAL_220429_21js_g_r709.101541-copy.png 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Bowie_R1_complete_UNIVERSAL_220429_21js_g_r709.101541-copy-300x162.png 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Bowie_R1_complete_UNIVERSAL_220429_21js_g_r709.101541-copy-150x81.png 150w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Bowie_R1_complete_UNIVERSAL_220429_21js_g_r709.101541-copy-250x135.png 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>How much you like David Bowie, and when you started liking him, will determine how you respond to <em>Moonage Daydream</em>. Written, directed, produced, and edited by Brett Morgen, the documentary provides an exhaustive account of very specific sections of Bowie&#8217;s career. What it doesn&#8217;t do is offer a convincing portrait of a notorious shape-shifter.</p>



<p>You&#8217;d never know it from this documentary, but Bowie was a divisive figure in the rock world. His early efforts were distinctly folk or pop, catchy enough at times (&#8220;The Man Who Sold the World&#8221;) but often just average. In his <em>Hunky Dory</em> phase he started appropriating glam rock, leading to accusations of selling out. Each new musical shift brought criticism as well as praise. The truth is, Bowie did not have a great rock voice, relying instead on personas and genre — spaceman, bisexual, plastic soul, krautrock — to push across his material.</p>



<p>Morgen buys into all the space crap, in particular &#8220;Space Oddity.&#8221; That&#8217;s partly due to the fact that the best material here comes from D.A. Pennebaker&#8217;s concert documentary <em>Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars</em> (filmed in 1973 and released in 1979). On the other hand, Bowie not only participated in, but encouraged the visual documentation of his life. It&#8217;s amazing to see the same shot — Bowie from behind, the back of his head center frame, walking backstage — tour after tour, year after year, country after country.</p>



<p><em>Moonage Daydream</em> takes a scattershot approach to its subject. Biographical details emerge slowly, based on Bowie&#8217;s own comments about his institutionalized half-brother, his emotionally distant mother, and his artistic ambitions. Through tape recordings, Bowie offers what amounts to a running narration in which he makes broad but not very helpful generalizations about art, music, love.</p>



<p>Morgen buttresses these with imagery, a staggering array of movie slips, concert footage, advertisements, posters, paintings, animation, talk shows, newspaper headlines, magazine covers, light shows, and umpteen shots of ecstatic audience members.</p>



<p>Some of Morgen&#8217;s choices are distressingly on point. Should Bowie mention a ray gun, Morgen will offer a 1950s sci-fi clip of, you guessed it, a ray gun in action. On the other hand, pronouncements like, &#8220;I&#8217;ve been esoteric all my life,&#8221; are likely to result in clips from Fritz Lang&#8217;s <em>Metropolis</em> or F.W. Murnau&#8217;s <em>Nosferatu</em>. It&#8217;s up to you to figure out how <em>Land Without Bread</em> or <em>A Night Out</em> influenced Bowie. Or why they&#8217;re here.</p>



<p>Morgen includes a lot of Bowie&#8217;s music, but it&#8217;s mostly snippets: concert excerpts, video footage, etc. He makes almost no attempt to explain how Bowie worked: how he created, how he collaborated, how he refined.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="324" class="wp-image-936" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Bowie_SM_R4_v03f_220112_13js_g_r709_1.15.1-copy.png" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Bowie_SM_R4_v03f_220112_13js_g_r709_1.15.1-copy.png 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Bowie_SM_R4_v03f_220112_13js_g_r709_1.15.1-copy-300x162.png 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Bowie_SM_R4_v03f_220112_13js_g_r709_1.15.1-copy-150x81.png 150w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Bowie_SM_R4_v03f_220112_13js_g_r709_1.15.1-copy-250x135.png 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>The director focuses predominately on Bowie&#8217;s glam rock phase, and the artist&#8217;s later reaction to that style. Whole stretches of his career are ignored. &#8220;Changes&#8221; is relegated to the end of the closing credits. Where is &#8220;Fame&#8221; or &#8220;Young Americans&#8221;? For that matter, where is his first wife Angela?</p>



<p>Morgen is entitled to his own views about Bowie, even if they skew away from the musician&#8217;s most popular work. I&#8217;m grateful to hear a complete, live version of &#8220;Heroes,&#8221; and a bit miffed &#8220;Suffragette City&#8221; was left out. If you&#8217;re a Bowie fan, you&#8217;ll have your own pleasures and regrets.</p>



<p>David Bowie was a considerably more sophisticated artist than <em>Moonage Daydream</em> suggests. His reach was wider, his tastes more complex, and his relationship to the industry more conflicted. It&#8217;s too bad Morgen couldn&#8217;t have aimed higher.</p>



<p>Photos courtesy Neon.</p>



<p><strong>Credits</strong></p>



<p>Written, directed, and edited by Brett Morgen. </p>



<p>Produced by Brett Morgen.</p>



<p>Re-recording mixers: Paul Massey David Giammarco.</p>



<p>Supervising sound and music editor: John Warhurst.</p>



<p>Supervising sound editor: Nina Hartstone.</p>



<p>Music produced by Tony Visconti.</p>
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		<title>Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: Behind making &#8220;Wildflowers&#8221;</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2021/04/19/tom-petty-somewhere-you-feel-free-behind-making-wildflowers/</link>
					<comments>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2021/04/19/tom-petty-somewhere-you-feel-free-behind-making-wildflowers/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Apr 2021 21:39:20 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Documentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Film Festivals]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=862</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free resurrects 16mm footage documenting the making of Wildflowers, the musician&#8217;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, &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2021/04/19/tom-petty-somewhere-you-feel-free-behind-making-wildflowers/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p><em>Tom Petty, Somewhere You
Feel Free</em>
resurrects 16mm footage documenting the making of <em>Wildflowers</em>, the musician&#8217;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, chain-smoking: even at the time Petty
seemed to realize it was all slipping away.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="341" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Rubin-Petty-doc.png" alt="" class="wp-image-863" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Rubin-Petty-doc.png 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Rubin-Petty-doc-300x171.png 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Rubin-Petty-doc-250x142.png 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><figcaption>Rick Rubin, Tom Petty. Courtesy Tom Petty Legacy, LL</figcaption></figure>



<p>Some
constants in <em>Somewhere You Feel Free</em>:
Petty himself, one of the most photogenic musicians of his time; cigarettes,
stubbed out in ashtrays, balanced on counters, drifting smoke, inhaled, tossed
aside, stuck into guitar necks; a still photographer clicking every move, every
conversation, every &#8220;moment&#8221;; and Martyn Atkins, commissioned to
shoot a &#8220;making of&#8221; on 16mm black-and-white film.</p>



<p>The
footage was ignored for years, until last year&#8217;s <em>Wildflowers and All the Rest</em> CD box set showed that it was still
possible to monetize Petty&#8217;s library. Director Mary Wharton surrounds Atkins&#8217;
footage with new interviews with producer Rick Rubin and musicians like Mike
Campbell and Benmont Tench, mostly in widescreen black-and-white. We also see
music videos, concert footage, some recreations of locations and events, like
Petty&#8217;s performance at the Hollywood Bowl.</p>



<p>Flash
frames, sprocket holes, outtakes all testify to the project&#8217;s documentary
&#8220;realness,&#8221; although there&#8217;s a sense throughout that Petty is always
on, always aware of the lens, always performing. The quality of the footage
varies from pristine to grainy and speckled. Synch is sometimes a problem,
never a distracting one.</p>



<p><em>Wildflowers</em> marked a turning point in
Petty&#8217;s career primarily because he changed the people he worked with. Getting
rid of long-time drummer Stan Lynch, for example, and producer Jeff Lynne (one
of The Traveling Wilburys). Adding Rubin and drummer Steve Ferrone. Finding a
new record label (Warner Bros. instead of MCA). Getting divorced.</p>



<p>For
such a demonstrative and autobiographical writer, Petty is surprisingly guarded
here. &#8220;I was becoming disenchanted with my wife,&#8221; he says in a
tape-recorded interview. &#8220;Rick Rubin, he just loves music, he&#8217;s not a
corporate man.&#8221; The film is dotted with similar bromides, non-threatening
and not very illuminating. &#8220;My dad was constantly fighting the
label,&#8221; his daughter Adria, one of the producers here.</p>



<p>Petty,
Rubin and the others provide some limited background to the songs on <em>Wildflowers</em>. &#8220;Harry Green&#8221; was
Petty&#8217;s &#8220;old friend,&#8221; for example. Director Wharton at times can show
the progression of a song from demo to recording sessions to live versions.</p>



<p>My
favorite Tom Petty interview is one conducted by Gary Shandling for his <em>Larry Sanders Show</em> box-set, an
expansive, engaging conversation about fame and its effects on their lives. <em>Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free</em> by
contrast is a narrow window into a transitional moment in a superstar&#8217;s career.
Best for fans, and perfect for SXSW, where it premiered on March 17, 2021.</p>
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		<title>SXSW returns online</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2021/03/23/sxsw-returns-online/</link>
					<comments>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2021/03/23/sxsw-returns-online/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Mar 2021 14:40:10 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Documentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Film Festivals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Releases]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=826</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Last year&#8217;s SXSW festival was underway when it fell victim to the pandemic lockdown. This year&#8217;s edition took place online, a necessary but regrettable compromise that doesn&#8217;t really satisfy anyone. On the plus side, titles previously out of bounds to &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2021/03/23/sxsw-returns-online/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>Last
year&#8217;s SXSW festival was underway when it fell victim to the pandemic lockdown.
This year&#8217;s edition took place online, a necessary but regrettable compromise
that doesn&#8217;t really satisfy anyone. On the plus side, titles previously out of
bounds to viewers not in Austin were suddenly available across country (and in
some cases around the world). That also means a degraded viewing experience,
lack of access to publicity apparatus, some technical foul-ups, and no
word-of-mouth praise or warnings.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="337" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Swan-Song.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-828" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Swan-Song.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Swan-Song-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Swan-Song-250x140.jpg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><figcaption>Udo Kier in Swan Song</figcaption></figure>



<p>A
hierarchy emerged even within the newly egalitarian festival structure. Some
titles could be screened beforehand, others had more restrictive viewing
schedules. To say nothing of embargoes that shifted depending on early
screening link reactions.</p>



<p>This
year&#8217;s edition included 75 feature films, reduced from over 100 in previous
festivals. However, 75 is still too many to screen, to say nothing of the
shorts, panels, Q&amp;As, and other events. When he spoke before a festival
screening of <em>The Irishman</em>, Martin
Scorsese gave his thoughts on &#8220;New Cinema,&#8221; breaking it down into
three categories: theatricals (largely superhero franchises), movies for
streaming (what were formerly midlevel theatricals — one-offs, romances,
biopics, etc.), and festival movies. Apart from the big guys, like Toronto and
Cannes, festivals schedule calling card films, offbeat niche experiments,
deliberately provocative cries for attention.</p>



<p>The
pandemic squished those three categories into one endless stream, although
vaccines may help resurrect theatrical (and repertory) screenings. On the one hand
the pandemic opened festivals up to a much wider audience. But on the other
hand it&#8217;s been a disaster for smaller films, the kind that would receive an
enthusiastic response from insider audiences.</p>



<p>Like
<em>Swan Song</em>, a resolutely niche vehicle
for the wonderful Udo Kier. A fixture in indie cinema since his work with
Warhol and Fassbinder in the 1970s, Kier has earned the right to do anything he
wants, including starring in the exceptional <em>Bacarau</em> and swanning his way through <em>Swan Song</em>, a wan tale of elderly rebellion. (Magnolia will be
distributing.)</p>



<p>Kier&#8217;s
a former hairdresser in a nursing home, sneaking cigarettes and stealing from
the dining room, tiny rebellions that endear him to the largely Black staff.
Breaking loose for a last fling, he learns that his former salon has shifted to
a Black clientele. No bother: he teases them politely before making his way to
a funeral parlor to dress the hair of a deceased friend.</p>



<p>Writer
and director Todd Stephens leans heavily on camp, and on Kier&#8217;s willingness to overplay
his role. <em>Swan Song</em> is a variation on
<em>The Straight Story</em>, <em>The Late Show</em>, and any number of other
showcases for aging stars — just as romanticized, ultimately just as false.
What&#8217;s different here is a sensibility where disco tunes are meant to carry
narrative weight. </p>



<p><em>Swan Song</em> is basically short
vignettes in which Kier wins over skeptics through blunt-force charm. Not even
the ordinarily superb Jennifer Coolidge can overcome a heartfelt but skin-deep movie
that coasts on Kier&#8217;s ageless appeal. Stephens (not the Republican Congressman
from Pennsylvania) previously wrote and directed <em>Another Gay Movie</em> and <em>Another
Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!</em>.</p>



<p><em>Executive Order</em> is after bigger game, and
in fact Lázaro Ramos&#8217;s &#8220;it can&#8217;t happen here&#8221; drama is way overqualified
as a festival item. Set in a future Brazil where Blacks are classified by melatonin
levels, it asks what would happen if a racist white government essentially
outlawed Blacks, rounding them up to ship back to Africa.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="337" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/OIF.colAUR08L2zh4atjG47lqw.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-829" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/OIF.colAUR08L2zh4atjG47lqw.jpeg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/OIF.colAUR08L2zh4atjG47lqw-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/OIF.colAUR08L2zh4atjG47lqw-250x140.jpeg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><figcaption>Executive Order</figcaption></figure>



<p>Given
the current state of Brazilian politics, it takes courage to make a movie like
this. It&#8217;s too bad Ramos follows genre conventions so rigidly. <em>Executive Order</em> plays out like an AIP
message drama from the 1960s, maybe <em>Panic
in Year Zero!</em> or MGM&#8217;s earlier <em>The
World, the Flesh and the Devil</em>. Narrative twists are telegraphed (the
villains almost wink at the viewers), the heroes are too good to be true, and
the message itself too obvious to carry much weight. The frightening changes in
Brazilian society over recent months give <em>Executive
Order</em> its real power.</p>



<p>Music
is at the heart of SXSW, as the three showcases in the festival proved. The
opening film, <em>Demi Lovato: Dancing with
the Devil</em> gave the former Disney star the opportunity to explain herself on
her own terms. <em>Tom Petty, Somewhere You
Feel Free</em> explored the making of his solo project <em>Wildflowers</em>. And <em>Under the
Volcano</em> recounted George Martin&#8217;s AIR Studios on the island of Montserrat. </p>



<p>Willie
Nelson even popped up in a pre-taped interview with Andy Langer. And <em>Without Getting Killed or Caught</em>
profiled Guy Clark, devoting time to his wife Susanna Clark and best friend
Townes van Zandt. I&#8217;ll discuss these and other films in future posts.</p>
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		<title>76 Days review: Inside Wuhan&#8217;s ICUs</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2020/11/16/76-days-review-inside-wuhans-icus/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Nov 2020 21:10:56 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Asian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Documentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Film Festivals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Streaming]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=788</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[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 &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2020/11/16/76-days-review-inside-wuhans-icus/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>More
a document than a documentary, <em>76 Days</em>
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 patients and caregivers on the brink of a pandemic.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="338" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Seven-76-Days-infant.png" alt="" class="wp-image-789" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Seven-76-Days-infant.png 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Seven-76-Days-infant-300x169.png 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Seven-76-Days-infant-250x141.png 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>Opening
titles explain that 11 million people lived in Wuhan on January 23, 2020, when
filming started. Drone shots show eerily empty city streets. We glimpse
barricaded streets and alleyways, guards at checkpoints, ambulances speeding
by. But almost all of <em>76 Days</em> takes
place within hospitals and medical facilities. </p>



<p>Directors
Hao Wu and Weixi Chen structure their documentary like a horror movie, one
about a zombie apocalypse with no cure or solution in sight. Handheld cameras
chase after nurses in haz-mat suits running down corridors. Workers guard a
door to an entryway filled with people pushing and screaming for food and beds.
&#8220;Too much chaos,&#8221; a nurse warns them. &#8220;Step back.&#8221;</p>



<p>A
nurse complains on a phone that her ward is full, turning away more patients as
the dead are wheeled out in body bags on stretchers. A puzzled worker asks
Doctor Wang what to do for a patient when she has no intubation equipment. Children
and grandchildren call down corridors, prohibited from visiting the dying.</p>



<p>Characters
gradually emerge from the chaos, like a grandfather with dementia who wanders
the hallways. &#8220;He was a fisherman, so he&#8217;s always restless,&#8221; another
patient says. An elderly husband and wife reassure other on cell phones. Later
we learn that one has died.</p>



<p>The
cameras focus on two nurses — Yang Li and Tian Dingyuan — on their rounds. The
care they give is extraordinary, but their patients die anyway. We also see
day-to-day routines: handing out food trays, calling family members with bad
news, disinfecting the cellphones and IDs of the dead. </p>



<p>Don&#8217;t
expect analysis from <em>76 Days</em>. There
are no talking heads, no experts, no doctors explaining what is happening.
We&#8217;re not even sure where or when events take place. Scenes seem to be included
just because a camera was there to record them, not because they add to our
understanding of the pandemic.</p>



<p>Some
of the imagery is shocking, like the IVs on a premature baby. More often the
camerawork feels jumbled, rushed, trying to make sense of events that are
already slipping by. </p>



<p>As
the documentary proceeds, a sense of order comes to the wards. The nurses are
calmer, the patients quieter. Some even return home. By the end of <em>76 Days</em>, traffic has returned to the
streets.</p>



<p>The
closer the pandemic has come to your life, the more you may relate to the
documentary. It&#8217;s an effective record of a harrowing experience, but only a
first draft for the story of the pandemic.</p>



<p><em>76 Days</em> screened at this year&#8217;s
Toronto International Film Festival and more recently at DOC NYC.</p>
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		<title>NYFF Post Mortem: Streaming a Festival</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2020/10/15/nyff-post-mortem-streaming-a-festival/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2020 21:06:01 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Documentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Film Festivals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Streaming]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=778</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[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 &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2020/10/15/nyff-post-mortem-streaming-a-festival/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>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.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="222" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/NYFF58_FRENCH-EXIT-Credit-Photo-by-Tobias-Datum.-Courtesy-of-Sony-Pictures-Classics.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-780" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/NYFF58_FRENCH-EXIT-Credit-Photo-by-Tobias-Datum.-Courtesy-of-Sony-Pictures-Classics.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/NYFF58_FRENCH-EXIT-Credit-Photo-by-Tobias-Datum.-Courtesy-of-Sony-Pictures-Classics-300x111.jpg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/NYFF58_FRENCH-EXIT-Credit-Photo-by-Tobias-Datum.-Courtesy-of-Sony-Pictures-Classics-250x93.jpg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><figcaption>French Exit. Photo by Tobias Datum. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Even without a pandemic, this year marked big transitions for the New York Film Festival, which celebrated its 58th edition from September 17 to October 11. In May, Lincoln Center announced a restructuring of the Festival, splitting leadership between Eugene Hernandez, Director of NYFF, and Dennis Lim, NYFF Director of Programming. Florence Almozini, K. Austin Collins, and Rachel Rosen were also on the Main Slate selection committee. </p>



<p>This year&#8217;s NYFF was positioned as a collaboration with festivals at Venice, Toronto, and Telluride, all of which offered severely reduced schedules. NYFF comes last on the calendar, and is not competitive like the other festivals. That ordinarily affects what titles appear at NYFF—that and a sensibility that leans towards a certain type of film. </p>



<p>Distributors also pulled titles as the pandemic evolved. <em>The Trial of the Chicago 7 </em>at one point was going to open NYFF. Then Paramount sold the film to Netflix, which wouldn&#8217;t give permission to screen it. Netflix was an enormous presence at the 57th NYFF, with <em>The Irishman</em>, <em>Marriage Story</em>, and <em>Motherless Brooklyn</em> dominating the schedule.</p>



<p>Normally
NYFF screenings take place at the enormous Alice Tully Hall and the more
film-friendly Walter Reade Theater, with talks and interviews across the street
at the Elinor Bunin Monroe Film Center. This year the introductions, screenings
and Q&amp;As were hosted on a cranky but adequate website.</p>



<p>In
addition to screening links, NYFF offered some outdoor alternatives: the Queens
Drive-In at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, created by Rooftop Films, the New
York Hall of Science, and Museum of the Moving Image; the Brooklyn Drive-In at
The Brooklyn Army Terminal, created by Rooftop Films and the New York City
Economic Development Corporation; and the Bronx Drive-in at the Bronx Zoo. Drive-ins
may have seemed like a fun idea, despite seriously degraded sound and visuals.
But they were impractical for most festival goers, few of whom own cars. The
screenings were a sore point for a festival already difficult to attend.</p>



<p>Last
year the festival grappled with what is and isn&#8217;t a movie. During a talk after <em>The Irishman</em>, Martin Scorsese wondered
whether cinema was breaking into separate categories: theatrical, at this point
predominantly action and comic-book adaptations; festival, artsy efforts
serving as calling cards; and cable, the meat-and-potatoes of the industry.</p>



<p>This
year NYFF more or less threw in the towel, scheduling three episodes from Steve
McQueen&#8217;s <em>Small Axe</em> series, titles
that were never intended to be screened in movie theaters. Roughly an hour
each, <em>Mangrove, Lovers Rock</em> (the
opening night selection)<em>, </em>and <em>Red White and Blue</em> had McQueen&#8217;s
characteristic intensity and filmmaking brio, but as stand-alone films they
felt undernourished.</p>



<p>Is <em>Nomadland</em>, the festival&#8217;s centerpiece, a fiction film or a documentary? It&#8217;s based on an article, features real-life people playing themselves, and takes place in actual locations. (Staid old <em>60 Minutes</em> tackled the same milieu a couple of weeks ago, acting as if <em>Nomadland</em> didn&#8217;t exist.) Chloe Zhao&#8217;s unerring eye and supreme patience pay off in a film that resolutely refuses to become what you want. Unlike <em>The Rider</em>, her last film and a festival darling, <em>Nomadland</em> defies expectations.</p>



<p>Star
power at this year&#8217;s festival was seriously lacking, apart from festival
standbys like Bill Murray. Post-screening Q&amp;As were thankfully limited and
moderated, so time wasn&#8217;t wasted on endless not-really-a-question-but-I-thought-you-should-have-done-this-or-that
comments.</p>



<p>Random
encounters with idols were also gone. I remember Murray chatting with fans on a
Broadway sidewalk outside Alice Tully Hall before the festival screening of <em>The Royal Tenenbaums</em>. It was right after
9/11, and just seeing him brought a sense of normalcy to a world in upheaval. Even
if you were thirty rows away, peering down at Joe Pesci or Scarlett Johansson
was an undeniable thrill at last year&#8217;s festival. It&#8217;s not the same watching someone
sitting in a bedroom, captured by an inferior webcam subject to video
stuttering and audio dropouts. Everyone tried to pretend what was happening was
normal; everyone knew that it wasn&#8217;t.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="337" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/NYFF58_Swimming-Out-Till-The-Sea-Turns-Blue_1_credit-Xstream-Pictures.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-781" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/NYFF58_Swimming-Out-Till-The-Sea-Turns-Blue_1_credit-Xstream-Pictures.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/NYFF58_Swimming-Out-Till-The-Sea-Turns-Blue_1_credit-Xstream-Pictures-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/NYFF58_Swimming-Out-Till-The-Sea-Turns-Blue_1_credit-Xstream-Pictures-250x140.jpg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><figcaption>Swimming Out till the Sea Turns Blue. Courtesy Xstream Pictures.</figcaption></figure>



<p>The
schedule felt the same way: no matter how you squinted, it didn&#8217;t feel like a
festival. Some titles will end up on Amazon (Garrett Bradley&#8217;s <em>Time</em> is available now), Frederick
Wiseman&#8217;s <em>City Hall</em> will go to
virtual repertory houses before PBS, and Sam Pollard&#8217;s <em>MLK/FBI </em>hits IFC. More will virtually disappear after appearing at
a few more festivals.</p>



<p>Even
the &#8220;real&#8221; releases won&#8217;t get much theatrical exposure. Sofia
Coppola&#8217;s <em>On the Rocks</em>, an echt-NYFF
title, is heading for Apple+ TV. Sony Pictures Classics is holding <em>French Exit</em>, yin to <em>On the Rocks</em>&#8216; yang, until next year. How likely is that theaters
will be open in January?</p>
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		<title>Aswang review: The victims of Duterte&#8217;s drug war</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2020/10/06/aswang-review-the-victims-of-dutertes-drug-war/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2020 18:36:03 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Asian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Documentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Film Festivals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Streaming]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[In Filipino folklore, an &#8220;aswang&#8221; 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+ &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2020/10/06/aswang-review-the-victims-of-dutertes-drug-war/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>In
Filipino folklore, an &#8220;aswang&#8221; 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+
extrajudicial killings since President Rodrigo Duterte declared his war on
drugs? </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="338" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MV5BNjA0NWY0MzgtMTU5OS00NDhlLTk2N2EtOWJkOTgyNGU2MTY4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTY1MjkwNTY@._V1_-copy.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-774" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MV5BNjA0NWY0MzgtMTU5OS00NDhlLTk2N2EtOWJkOTgyNGU2MTY4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTY1MjkwNTY@._V1_-copy.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MV5BNjA0NWY0MzgtMTU5OS00NDhlLTk2N2EtOWJkOTgyNGU2MTY4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTY1MjkwNTY@._V1_-copy-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MV5BNjA0NWY0MzgtMTU5OS00NDhlLTk2N2EtOWJkOTgyNGU2MTY4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTY1MjkwNTY@._V1_-copy-250x141.jpg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>A dark,
despairing documentary, <em>Aswang</em> probes
the aftermath of drug deaths in the slums of Manila. Arumpac adopts a
stream-of-consciousness style that builds atmosphere from scattered incidents.
She films mostly at night, as ambulances prowl alleys for corpses and addicts
scavenge garbage. Flashlights pick out bodies sprawled on sidewalks. Bystanders
flit away into the darkness.</p>



<p>Families
come to the Eusebio Funeral Parlor, where bodies wait on gurneys or in coffins.
Jun, a Redemptorist Missionary brother, hosts a &#8220;funeral assistance&#8221;
program at a local church. He notes that area deaths have risen from one or two
a week to three to five a day. &#8220;Why do these killings happen while we&#8217;re
asleep?&#8221; he wonders.</p>



<p>Arumpac&#8217;s
cameras single out Jomari, a six-year-old whose parents are in prison on drug
sentences. His best friend Kian, a teenager, was killed on the streets. Now Jomari
sleeps by heaps of garbage and fetid canals where he begs for food with other
kids. They dream of becoming soldiers, rap stars, of moving to the country.</p>



<p>As
a mother sweeps a pool of blood into a gutter, a man insists his brother was
innocent. &#8220;I am for Duterte,&#8221; he says, &#8220;but what they did to my
brother was wrong.&#8221; He&#8217;s echoed by witness after witness who rebut
official police reports. </p>



<p><em>Aswang</em>&#8216;s unrelieved gloom can
overwhelm viewers. The dirty alleys, piles of garbage, and dirt-floor hovels
blur together until hopelessness sets in. Some of the more &#8220;poetic&#8221;
images, like police tape fluttering in the wind, or congregants stroking a
life-sized crucifix, feel like missteps.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="338" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MV5BM2IzNTE0ZTMtZmM2OC00ZDJkLTg3YmItYTU3M2Y1ZmFlZjZjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTY1MjkwNTY@._V1_-copy.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-775" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MV5BM2IzNTE0ZTMtZmM2OC00ZDJkLTg3YmItYTU3M2Y1ZmFlZjZjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTY1MjkwNTY@._V1_-copy.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MV5BM2IzNTE0ZTMtZmM2OC00ZDJkLTg3YmItYTU3M2Y1ZmFlZjZjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTY1MjkwNTY@._V1_-copy-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MV5BM2IzNTE0ZTMtZmM2OC00ZDJkLTg3YmItYTU3M2Y1ZmFlZjZjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTY1MjkwNTY@._V1_-copy-250x141.jpg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>But
other moments are truly disturbing. Arumpac follows a funeral procession to a
mass burial site where bodies are shoved into open stacks. Undertakers separate
corpses with cinderblocks. At night the homeless sleep atop the graves. </p>



<p>In
a police station, cameras uncover dozens of kidnapped citizens who had been
trapped in a room hidden behind a filing cabinet. Unable to pay their ransoms,
they were kept in the dark without food or water. While journalists watch, officials
fabricate arrest records before sending them off to jail.</p>



<p>Arumpac
and her crew filmed over a three-year period as the violence escalated. By
waiting until police and reporters leave crime scenes, by letting the families
speak for themselves, they can capture unfiltered some of the pain the killings
cause.</p>



<p><em>Aswang</em> screens at the <a href="https://www.aaiff.org/aaiff43/aswang-on-demand">Asian American International Film Festival</a> in Los Angeles on October 11. The Danish distributor <a href="https://www.levelk.dk/">LevelK</a> will open the documentary on digital platforms this fall.</p>
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		<title>Fighting for kids in the doc My Name Is Pedro</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2020/09/16/fighting-for-kids-in-the-doc-my-name-is-pedro/</link>
					<comments>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2020/09/16/fighting-for-kids-in-the-doc-my-name-is-pedro/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Sep 2020 13:53:13 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Documentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Streaming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=759</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[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 &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2020/09/16/fighting-for-kids-in-the-doc-my-name-is-pedro/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>Opening
virtually after touring festivals in 2017, <em>My
Name Is Pedro</em> 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 that
affect everyone. It&#8217;s an emotional journey that hits uncomfortable truths.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="400" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/My-Name-Is-Pedro-3.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-760" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/My-Name-Is-Pedro-3.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/My-Name-Is-Pedro-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/My-Name-Is-Pedro-3-225x150.jpg 225w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><figcaption>Photo courtesy The New York Times / Sweet 180</figcaption></figure>



<p>La
Salle begins with a turning point in Santana&#8217;s life as he prepares for a
benefit in Nyack. In direct interviews and archival footage, Santana then delivers
a passionate, fast-paced, often hilarious account of his life. Whether driving
a car (and getting lost), pacing the hallways of elementary schools, or
prowling through his house, Santana operates at warp speed, spilling out a
barrage of details about people, places and events.</p>



<p>The
documentary also follows Santana at work, and it&#8217;s here, in hallways and
classrooms, in parking lots and apartments, that the movie dazzles. Santana
clearly loves his work, but more important, he seems to have a primal connection
to students. He talks to them as individuals, not statistics, and he backs up
his advice with hard-earned life lessons. </p>



<p>Like
the fact that he was once a special ed student. &#8220;I needed help,&#8221; he
confesses to a bunch of kids in a library. His elementary school teacher Yvonne
Torres recalls how Santana struggled to learn. That empathy enables him to draw
in other troubled students.</p>



<p>This
is a warts-and-all portrait. Not everything Santana does or says feels right,
and it&#8217;s easy to see how he turns some people off. He can be a polarizing
presence, as a profile in <em>The New York
Times</em> &#8220;Metropolitan&#8221; section shows. When he gets into trouble, it
becomes clear that he has made genuine enemies.</p>



<p>The
camerawork, credited to a half-dozen cinematographers, is remarkably intimate, sticking
with Santana through extremely difficult moments. LaSalle employs simple
line-drawing animation by Antony Barkworth-Knight to cover material that
couldn&#8217;t be filmed. But there&#8217;s no denying this is a small-scale, low-budget
endeavor, a labor of love that at times veers on hagiography.</p>



<p>Don&#8217;t
be fooled. Just when you think you have the documentary pigeonholed, an
unexpected twist will pop up. <em>My Name Is
Pedro</em> eventually brings viewers to a school board battle, with the kind of
deadly dull budget debates that fill the pages of community newspapers. </p>



<p>But
in LaSalle&#8217;s hands, the fight between parents and the East Ramapo Central
School District becomes a fascinating account of how the will of the people can
be thwarted, how easily democracy can be throttled. In today&#8217;s climate, it&#8217;s a
lesson that can&#8217;t be emphasized enough.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="338" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/My-Name-Is-Pedro-10.png" alt="" class="wp-image-761" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/My-Name-Is-Pedro-10.png 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/My-Name-Is-Pedro-10-300x169.png 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/My-Name-Is-Pedro-10-250x141.png 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><figcaption>Photo courtesy Sweet 180</figcaption></figure>



<p>Santana&#8217;s
life takes disturbing turns. And yet LaSalle keeps pulling rabbits out of her
hat. She includes a long, digressive story in which Santana jokes with kids
about animal feces before segueing into his experiences in the Peace Corps in
Africa. In a heartbeat he goes from clown to philosopher, giving his students a
life-or-death dilemma to contemplate. If only every child could be exposed to
teaching like this.</p>



<p><em>My Name Is Pedro</em> opens in virtual theaters
New York City on September 17 (Maysles Cinema) and Los Angeles on October 2
(Laemmle), followed by Philadelphia (Film Society), Buffalo (North Park),
Baltimore (Senator, The Charles), Vancouver (Kiggins Theater), Tucson (Loft),
Cleveland (Cleveland Cinemas), Phoenix (Film Bar), Bellingham (Pickford
Center), San Jose (3 Below Outdoor), Winston Salem (Aperture Cinema), and Tampa
(Tampa Theater). </p>
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