Still Alice

— This really is Julianne Moore’s film and this is a personal, painful look into the darkness of Alzheimer’s Disease. Witnessing Moore’s journey as she disappears before her family and friends brings home the insidious nature of the disease and, since many of us have in some way been personally affected by someone with Alzheimer’s, it’s not an easy film to watch, but a very good one.

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[2014. 101 min. Directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland. Starring Julianne Moore, Alec aldwin, Kat Bosworth, and Kristen Stewart.]
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/sep/12/still-alice-alzheimers-julianne-moore-alec-baldwin-film

The Chinese Mayor

— An up-close look at China, focusing on Hao Zhou, mayor of Datong, and his project to demolish up to 200,000 homes and relocate their residents so he can reconstruct the city’s ancient wall and transform the city from a polluted mining town to a culturally historic one that appeals to tourists. The filmmaker was given mostly unfettered access to the mayor and the people, so the portrait that evolves appears to be fairly realistic, offering not just a look at this one project but also a glimpse into the dysfunction of the Chinese Communist Party. The film unfolds in observational style, making it an interesting and worthwhile documentary to see.

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[2015. 82 min. Directed by Bryan Carberry and J. Clay Tweel.]
http:// http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/chinese-mayor-datong-sundance-review-770074/

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck

— I’m not even sure I’m a Kurt Cobain/Nirvana fan but I’m a fan of this documentary. It feels like you have access to very private parts of Cobain’s life, letting you see the growth of a creative, smart, and troubled kid who never figured out how to handle celebrity and fame. The progression of the film is perfect but, as much as anything, it’s the music that still stands out. I really enjoyed this film and it’s energy.

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[2015. 82 min. Written and directed by Brett Morgan.]
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/features/sundance-2015-kurt-cobain-montage-of-heck-20150125

Rules of the Game (“Les Regles du Jeu”)

— A documentary focusing on four youth being coached through the job seeking process. The various scenes depict the frustrations and unrealistic expectations each person has as French employment consultants work with them to build their resumes, make initial contacts, and interview for a job. The film has just the right mix of humor, sympathy, and amazement at the process. In the end, I couldn’t help but question our emphasis on each individual’s “unique” strengths, our encouragement of everyone endlessly expressing themselves and celebrating their differences, and our encouragement of accepting only those rules that provide personal benefit. Maybe we should spend a bit more time on the benefits of being a small part of a larger group and realizing there are always people who are smarter, better looking, more fit, more popular, and more capable than we are, but refusing to fit in or accept rules isn’t always the best approach to dealing with the realities of life. No matter what, we need to help disenfranchised and unrealistic kids find jobs and become assimilated into the working world.

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[2014. 106 min. Directed by Claudine Bories and Patrice Chagnard.]
www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/rules-game-les-regles-du-706149

(T)ERROR

— A look at an FBI sting operation from both sides of the fence making us question who’s really guilty, the motives of informants, and the degree of coercion involved in facilitating a “terrorist plot” threat, the need for surveillance and the right to privacy, and the line between protecting the citizenry and ignoring their rights.

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[2015. 93 min. Directed by Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe.]
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/28/sundance-2015-review-terror-is-entrapment-always-this-boring

What Happened, Miss Simone?

— A fine biography of Nina Simone that uses archival material to present Simone’s talent and her crazed life. I only knew Simone’s voice and talent as a singer and pianist and, somehow, missed the extent of her involvement in the civil rights movement and the effect it had on her career. I was also unaware of her bipolar disorder and penchant for tantrums. I enjoyed this film a lot and, if you have any love of her talent, you’ll like the film too.

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[2015. 1-2 min. Directed by Liz Garbus.]
http://www.indiewire.com/article/review-what-happened-miss-simone-puts-nina-simones-legacy-in-the-spotlight-20150123/

The Look of Silence

— There’s no denying that this is a great documentary and, maybe, the best of this year’s True/False Festival. It’s well made and concerns an important issue. Since Joshua Oppenheimer’s earlier film, “The Act of Killing”, was so successful and so haunting, a second film on the same subject seemed unnecessary, but “The Look of Silence” switches perspective to that of the victims instead of the instigators of a political massacre and in so doing may be more successful. In the end, even as the main character has confronted the past, the failure of those responsible for the Indonesian genocide to fully accept responsibility or have regret stands out. There are many subtle comments and actions—the texture of the film itself enhances the experience. This is an unsettling look at what man is capable of and how the human spirit copes. It’s troublesome and cathartic and worth everyone’s while to see.

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[2015. 82 min. Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer.]
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/look-silence-venice-review-728686

Meru

— Meru is a 21,000-foot peak in the Indian Himalaya with a final peak known as the Shark’s Fin which is so challenging no one had ascended it until 2011. This documentary chronicles that climb and an earlier attempt by the same climbers, but that it just the framework for a wonderful story of friendship, trust, and pushing one’s limits. The cinematography is breathtaking, but it is the interaction of the three climbers and the past experiences they bring with them that captivate the viewer’s spirit. This is one of those documentaries that concerns adventure and dream instead of social condition and human rights. It’s uplifting as it looks at the power of friendship and raises questions about acceptable risk. See this film.

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[2015. 87 min. Directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi.]
http://www.ioncinema.com/reviews/meru-review

Drone

— This documentary paints a difficult picture of the United States’ use of drone warfare and the CIA’s role in remote killings. The film focuses on the consequences of robotic warfare and scenes of drone attacks in Pakistan viewed over a monitor in in the U.S. where it was initiated bring human rights issues to the forefront. Also of interest is the handshake between computer war games and actual warfare.

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[2014. 82 min. Directed by Tonje Hessen Schei.]
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/drone-bergen-review-737540

Spartacus & Cassandra

— A tender look at a Romanian brother and sister duo living in Paris after being taken in by Camille, a young trapeze artist who offers them security. Their love for their parents is strong, but their mother suffers from demons and is more a child than they are. Their father insists they should live with him, but he has no plan for work or housing and it is obvious they’ll be on the streets. It’s a sad story, watching the parents who can’t seem to live without their children taking care of them, and the children who have a chance for something better with Camille and must abandon their parents for their own ultimate survival.

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[2014. 80 min. Directed by Ioanis Nuguet.]
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/spartacus-cassandra-cannes-review-705268

Western

— A visually stunning film that looks at the relationship between the border towns of Eagle Pass, Texas and Piedras Negras, Mexico. There’s a heavy focus on Eagle Pass’ mayor, a larger-than-life figure who is loved and revered on both sides of the border and works hard to cultivate a friendly interdependence between the two towns. As the film progresses, news of cartel violence edging closer to Piedras Negras filters through and the US Government warns that the long-standing peace between the two communities is about to be disturbed. The film focuses not on the cartels, but on the locals and the blended cultures. In the end, one wonders if there wasn’t uneasiness just below the surface all along. Interestingly, I was vaguely reminded of small town America in the 1950s, unaware of the turmoil looming in the 1960s.

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[2015. 93 min. Directed by Bill Ross and Turner Ross.]
http://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/sundance-film-review-western-1201411599/

Cartel Land

— A look at vigilante groups on both sides of the border reacting to drug cartels. An Arizona border patrol headed up by a military veteran is, frankly, only mildly interesting. Of considerably more interest is a band of locals in Michoacan headed by a small-town doctor to take back a town long terrorized by the cartel. The success of their efforts expands to other towns as more and more locals join in to take back their communities. Unfortunately, with success and expansion some of the vigilantes take advantage of their own power and the solution becomes the problem. While the story of the Mexican locals raises questions about the gray area between good and evil, and about power and corruption, the American story is far less effective at asking these same questions. The film might have been better without the effort at parallel stories, but it is still an exceptionally well done documentary.

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[2015. 98 min. Directed by Matthew Heineman.]
http://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/sundance-film-review-cartel-land-1201420806/

Those Who Feel the Fire Burning

— Wow. This is a gorgeous film that’s more poem than typical documentary by someone who must hold Werner Herzog and Terrence Malick in high regard. A shipwreck, a ghost, and immigrants hopelessly caught in a world without the ability to integrate and thrive. This is more an impression of the immigrant struggle allowing the viewer to see the boundaries in place and to ask why they continue to exist. This is a good film, but not an easy one since there’s not much narration and the images are largely dreamlike, but by giving us a feeling for the issue, the impact may be greater. I saw it at the end of a long day and know it would have been better if I’d been considerably more alert.

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[2014. 74 min. Written and directed by Morgan Knibbe.]
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/who-feel-fire-burning-idfa-758317

Best of Enemies

— I vaguely remember the William F. Budkley and Gore Vidal debates as part of ABC News’ coverage of the 1968 elections, but I didn’t remember how compelling or groundbreaking they really were. This documentary gives a taste of the exchanges between these two clever men, both of whom had an uncanny command of the language. I’m not sure what either of them would think of the “journalism” they spawned, but I suspect they’d be surprised at how vague the line between fact and opinion has become. This is a very interesting documentary and well worth watching.

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[2015. 88 min. Directed by Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon.]
http://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/review-best-of-enemies-1201413030/

How to Change the World

— The story of the birth and growth of Greenpeace is told from the perspective of its reluctant leader thanks to archival footage, interviews, and animation. It’s a riveting inside look at a grassroots organization started by a handful of concerned hippies, sailors, and scientists trying to stop nuclear detonation in Alaska. As the movement grows and takes on other issues, conflicts within the group arise and the reality of managing an organization of dreamers threatens its future. This is a documentary well worth seeing, although some of the images are bloody and difficult to watch. The evolution of Greenpeace and of its leaders is fascinating.

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[2015. 112 min. Written and directed by Jerry Rothwell.]
http://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/sundance-film-review-how-to-change-the-world-1201412778/

Finders Keepers

— What seems like a testament to truth being more weird than fiction moves along with absurdity and countrified humor as well as a dose of family dysfunction and remorse. There’s a point where I started to think the gag had reached out in too many directions and gone on too long and too far, but the directors managed to rein it in thoughtfully. This is a quirky, ripped-from-the-trashier-headlines film that ends up with an undercurrent of recovery.

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[2015. 82 min. Directed by Bryan Carberry and J. Clay Tweel.]
http://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/sundance-film-review-finders-keepers-1201416989/