Saturday, March 31, 2018

The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
— Dysfunctional families are a favorite of mine and this one certainly has issues galore. Even better, it has a great script and unbelievable actors. The result is a more than interesting film, and a chance to eavesdrop on conversations that are funny from one perspective but sad from another. I thought it was very well done, but I tend to like Noah Baumbach’s way of seeing things which is always a mix of neurotic and selfish, featuring those who are scarred or those who scar. [Netflix]

[2017, 112 min. Written and directed by Noah Baumbach. Starring Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Grace Van Patten, Candice Bergen, and Judd Hirsch.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-meyerowitz-stories-2017

Sunday, March 4, 2018

Love Means Zero
— (Shown at True/False Film Fest 2018.)
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
— A wonderful, beautiful, look at a man whose kindness and love changed a generation. The film reminds us that honesty, civility, and gentleness once existed and can’t help but make us yearn for it again. I loved this film. (Shown at True/False Film Fest 2018.)
América
— (Shown at True/False Film Fest 2018.)

Saturday, March 3, 2018

Crime + Punishment
— (Shown at True/False Film Fest 2018.)

[2018. 112 min. Directed by Stephen Maing.]
http://collider.com/crime-punishment-review-documentary-nypd-12/
Makala
— (Shown at True/False Film Fest 2018.)

[2017. 96 min. Directed by Emmanuel Gras.]
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/feb/04/makala-film-review
The Price of Everything
— Nathaniel Kahn, son of famed architect Louis Kahn, takes on the question of why some art fetches such high prices and other work languishes in obscurity bringing bargain prices, focusing particularly on Jeff Koons and Larry Poons. Plenty of high profile collectors, auction house representatives, and artists talk about the various things that affect art value and the elusiveness of it, making for a very interesting look at a complex subject.(Shown at True/False Film Fest 2018.)

Friday, March 2, 2018

Three Identical Strangers
— An amazing story of discovery as triplets, separated at birth and unaware of each other for 18 years, realize they each have two siblings. It seems like an uplifting, funny glimpse of their life, almost like the feel-good story at the end of the newscast, but midway through it morphs into something more sinister, looking how they became separated and the ultimate affect on the three of them. (Shown at True/False Film Fest 2018.)
Bisbee ’17
— (Shown at True/False Film Fest 2018.)

[2018. 118 min. Directed by Robert Greene.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/sundance/sundance-2018-bisbee-17
Primas
— (Shown at True/False Film Fest 2018.)

[2017. 100 min. Directed by Laura Bari.]
http://newsok.com/article/feed/1659761

Thursday, March 1, 2018

The Rider
— A look at Brady Blackburn, a rodeo cowboy who suffered a traumatic head injury and has been ordered by the doctor not to ride again. It’s not an easy order since being a rodeo cowboy defined him and was the only thing that gave his life meaning. The film is a “quasi-documentary” since it’s acted with the real-life characters playing themselves, re-creating their story. It ends up being a very personal look at one person’s struggle to abandon the one thing he loves and accept his new life. It's incredibly well done. (Shown at True/False Film Fest 2018.)
Our New President
— (Shown at True/False Film Fest 2018.)