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