Starring: Robert Crumb, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Charles Crumb Director: Terry Zwigoff Imdb describes this film as "an intimate portrait of controversial cartoonist Robert Crumb and his traumatised family." Which I think is a really good summation, so I'm borrowing it. Robert Crumb is a cartoonist who became very popular in comic book circles in the 60's… Continue reading Classic Movie Of The Week: Crumb (1994)
Starring: Allakariallak, Alice Nevalinga, Cunayou Director: Robert J Flaherty At the start of this film, a title card lets us know that Flaherty worked for a fur company in the Artic which brought him into contact with the people of the Artic Circle. He started to take video footage of them, but when the film… Continue reading Classic Movie Of The Week: Nanook Of The North (1922)
I love doing podcast appearances and working with Damien Riley is always really fun. This time we thought we would watch and talk about Grey Gardens, the 1975 documentary about a mother and daughter who were the black sheeps of Jackie Kennedy's family, and who lived in poverty in their crumbling East Hamptons mansion called… Continue reading Podcast: Grey Gardens on The DR Podcast
Originally written for and posted on We Make Movies During the WW2, parts of Britain were shelled by enemy bombs and were in ruins, especially places like London’s East End, where factories were targeted. Urban planners wanted to create places that people could live that would evoke a sense of community and civic pride for… Continue reading New Town Utopia (2017)
Last night was the 90th Academy Awards, a ceremony that usually inspires some controversy, joys, disappointments and emotional tears, for the attendees at least. Whether you love or hate the films that won or were nominated, it's always an interesting night. In case you missed it, here is the full list of nominees and winners.… Continue reading And The Winner Is…. Oscars 2018
Starring: Elizabeth Christensen, Astrid Holm, Karen Winther Director: Benjamin Christensen A film in 7 chapter or parts, this is an early documentary film, though it's not a true documentary as we now know them. It's about witchcraft through the ages, the first chapter being a slideshow style history lesson about how the world was understood… Continue reading Classic Movie Of The Week: Haxan (1922)
One of my friends is an actor, and as someone who has to face rejection in auditions on a daily basis, he has moments when he has to deal with thoughts about not being good enough and what success really means, and self esteem crushing things of that nature. His big trick for getting through those dark feelings of not being good enough, he always says, is to watch Ed Wood.
Ed Wood was an American writer/director who was most active in the 50’s and 60’s, and his film Plan 9 from Outer Space, a film about aliens coming to Earth and reanimating the dead in order to take over the planet, is credited as being the worst film ever made. But his sheer enthusiasm for films and film making, his ability to keep on creating and motivating other people to pay for his films, or agree to star…
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There are quite a few films coming out about race in America right now. Although quite a few of them are really good, and very moving, I think this is perhaps the most powerful, intense and confronting of them all. I walked out of the cinema feeling a bit emotional and shaken. And that’s exactly as it should be.
I Am Not Your Negro was one of the nominees this year for an Oscar in the Best Documentary Feature category. Narrated by the warm tones of Samuel L Jackson, it is based on an unpublished and unfinished book written by James Baldwin, about race in America, the civil rights movement, and most importantly his memories of three men who were leaders of the movement: Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X and Medgar Evers. Three men who were assassinated for their belief in rights for black citizens.
Stylistically, the film feels…
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by Hermione FlaviaÂ
I’m not always a huge fan of documentaries. I like the cinematic imagery of the bigger budget films, I’m shallow like that. But I do love the kind of insight you get into other places and lives, bigger truths, that you sometimes get in a decent documentary, as long as they’re not preaching at you. (I’m shallow like that too) What I love about Uncertain is that although it’s a documentary, it has beautiful imagery, it’s a very cinematic film. It’s very accessible and very entertaining.
Uncertain is a film about a tiny place, a small town on the border of Texas and Louisiana, with a population of only 94 people. It’s a place that often doesn’t appear on maps, and that people tend to only stumble across if they’re lost, or if they’re trying to hide or run from something. It explores the lives and stories…
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Starring: William Gates, Arthur Agee Director: Steve James In this documentary, two young Chicago teens are followed as they chase their dreams to become professional college basketball players, showing their struggle, the drive from their families and their different attitudes to life. The pressure on the two kids is huge, and could change their and… Continue reading 105 Must Watch Films: Hoop Dreams (1994)
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