Actress

— “Actress” was a little slow to get going and, once it got somewhere, I realized I didn’t much care for Brandy Burre and her drama. I’m not sure I’d recommend it, but it was interesting that, as her life was being documented, she seemed to instinctively “act” for the camera instead of letting it just record her “real” life. After seeing it, I noticed that the filmmaker described it as a “nonfiction/melodrama hybrid” and if that’s what it was, it was pretty successful!

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[2014. 91 min. Directed by Robert Greene. Featuring Brandy Burre.]
http://www.indiewire.com/article/exclusive-the-wires-brandy-burre-literally-relaunches-her-career-in-fascinating-teaser-for-documentary-actress

Bronx Obama

—“Bronx Obama” is a documentary about Louis Ortiz, an Obama impersonator whose continued livelihood was necessarily linked to the President’s 2012 re-election. It’s an interesting look at the shifting line between his Obama persona and his previous self. It could have been edited a bit more, but overall it was an enjoyable film.

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[2014. 94 min. Directed by Ryan Murdock. Featuring Louis Ortiz.]
http://www.bronxobamamovie.com/images/

Tim’s Vermeer

—“Tim’s Vermeer” was the most captivating of the films I saw today. Really beautiful and interesting, leading us to consider the link between creativity and invention, and between art and science—traits which once converged in the likes of da Vinci or Michelangelo are now seen nearly mutually exclusive. Of course, media geeks will be interested to know that “Tim” is the founder of NewTek (of Video Toaster, Lightwave 3D, and TriCaster fame). "Tim's Vermeer" is worth seeing if you get a chance.

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[2013. 80 min. Directed by Teller. With Tim Jenison, Penn Jillette, Martin Mull, Philip Steadman, and David Hockney.]
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2014/02/27/tims-vermeer-teller/5876015/

The Notorious Mr. Bout

— “The Notorious Mr. Bout” was meticulously crafted and managed to ask about where responsibility lies, but I don’t think it’ll be a stand out of the True/False Festival. It does remind that nothing’s really all black or all white, whether the subject is people or governments.

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[2014. 90 min. Directed by Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin. Featuring Alla bout, Sergei Bout, and Viktor Bout.]
http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/sundance-film-review-the-notorious-mr-bout-1201066800/

Lone Survivor

— “Lone Survivor” was better than I expected, possibly because there was an evident passion about the project that came through in the film. The film does have an intimate feel to it, almost as though we’re eavesdropping on conversations, privy to private thoughts and motives, but in the end, it really is just another of many war stories depicting individual sacrifice and valor, and the patriotic, individual price of war. It’s a good war film, but not a standout that would make anyone’s top ten list.

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[2013. 121 min. Directed by Peter Berg. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, and Eric Bana.]
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/30/lone-survivor-review

The Monuments Men

— “The Monuments Men” was good enough to justify the senior, matinee price I paid, but in the end it’s a little too much another romp by Clooney and pals. It does indeed harken to the kind of World War II film no longer made by Hollywood and it does remind us how important art and culture are to civilization. (Actually, it hammers the importance of art a little too hard.) Sadly, it’s an uneven feeling film and many of these scenes just didn’t quite work. It’s nothing special in spite of a cast of very special people. Cate Blanchett is particularly underused.

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[2014. 118 min. Directed by George Clooney. Starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchette, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Hugh Bonneville, and Bob Balaban.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-monuments-men-2014