Filmmakers Julie Cohen and Betsy West make documentaries about extraordinary women. Their Oscar-nominated 2018 “RBG” followed around the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Cohen and West have returned with “Julia,” which traces the rise of Julia Child from her Southern California beginnings to becoming the world’s first celebrity chef. “Like a lot of people in my generation, I ... more >
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DOC NYC once again provides a wealth of true-to-life tales: TAKEAWAYS
Dozens of amazing films once again show us the value of hewing to truth when so many seek to create their own alternative reality. This year’s DOC NYC demonstrated how truly talented are documentary filmmakers the world over, many of whom aren’t household names but nonetheless continue the search for truth in a world less and less interested in it. Here are some of the major offerings from this ... more >
“It’s amazing because you don’t know what the story is going to be, and I love that risk”: Jesse Moss on MAYOR PETE
After making the documentary “Boys State,” about a Texas program wherein adolescent males practice what it might be like to experience a real electoral campaign, filmmaker Jesse Moss turned his attention to a man running for real. For several months he and his crew followed then-South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg on his ultimately unsuccessful bid to win the 2020 Democratic presidential ... more >
“Introducing, Selma Blair” and “Mass” | REVIEWS
“Introducing, Selma Blair” Directed by Rachel Fleit The actress Selma Blair had a promising career in Hollywood going at the turn of the millennium, appearing in major roles in “Cruel Intentions” and “Hellboy,” among others. She was on an upward trajectory, appearing in dozens of other films and television shows. However, in recent years the actress was cruelly struck with a diagnosis of multiple ... more >
DOPESICK ON HULU: “This con was so outrageous that I thought we’ve got to dramatize this” (OUR INTERVIEW WITH DANNY STRONG AND BETH MACY)
Over a twenty-year stretch, half a million people have died from opioids, according to the CDC. And one of the crisis’s major killers is OxyContin, which earned the already-wealthy Sackler family billions of dollars. Even though the family’s firm, Purdue Pharma, is now in bankruptcy proceedings and ordered by courts to pay billions in penalties and compensation, members of the Sackler family ... more >
LGBTQ HISTORY MONTH IS HERE and with it, new documentaries to take note of: “My Name is Pauli Murray” and “The Capote Tapes”
There are some especially strong documentaries out there to see to celebrate some LGBTQ Americans who have made incredible contributions to this land, its culture and, more importantly, its present. “My Name Is Pauli Murray” Directors: Julie Cohen and Betsy West Pauli Murray (featured image) might be among the most important lawyers of the twentieth century that most of us (myself included) had ... more >
MOVIE REVIEW | “23 Walks” is one of THE YEAR’S BEST
Starring Dave Johns and Alison Steadman Directed by Paul Morrison Writer-director Paul Morrison has fashioned an endearingly sweet later-in-life romance fable that follows two senior citizens who first meet walking their dogs and then, over the course of several seasons, deal with the joys, pittfalls and pains of what it means to start a relationship at any age, never mind in the autumn of the ... more >