It Ain’t Over; I Sure Hope Not

It Ain’t Over is a touching documentary written and directed by Sean Mullin. I fought back tears several times and credit Yogi Berra’s gorgeous life story most, but Sean Mullin assuredly spun the tale in a very entertaining way. Mostly through excellent old films and news clippings, Mullin uses Berra’s beautiful granddaughter as the springboard… Continue reading It Ain’t Over; I Sure Hope Not

Sarasota Experience: You’d Have Me With “Hello”

Yesterday afternoon, before attending the premiere of the short, but brilliant documentary premiere of Shaun Greenspan’s “Sarasota Experience” at the Sarasota Opera House last night, I was walking down Gulfstream Ave., disheartened by the lack of “hello”‘s of which I’ve recently become more and more aware. I truly love Sarasota and love the walk-ability, and… Continue reading Sarasota Experience: You’d Have Me With “Hello”

Sylvie of the Sunshine State, When Instincts Pay Off

Preface: I emailed Sasha Levinson, writer and director of the documentary “Sylvie of the Sunshine State” and guess what? She offered to talk with me! What a beautiful spirit the woman has! We talked for almost twenty minutes about parenting and the directors who influence(d) her most. So just like Sasha’s risking vulnerability to place… Continue reading Sylvie of the Sunshine State, When Instincts Pay Off

Navalny: Shocking, but sadly not surprising

Navalny, a super worthy documentary by Daniel Roher (creator of the tremendous Once We Were Brothers doc), is the plight of Putin adversary Alexei Navlany, currently incarcerated in a Russian jail. The doc follows Alexi post poisoning and the investigation and discovery of Putin’s henchmen. The story is well told, interspersing lovely moments of Nalvany… Continue reading Navalny: Shocking, but sadly not surprising

“Sr.”, a Moving Tribute to Robert Downey

Chris Smith directed Sr. and is also known for his Tiger King series (to forever be remembered along with The Last Dance/Covid Beginnings sanity saving spectaculars). Considering how well he handled Sr., I am super excited about his Gene Wilder documentary. Sr. could not have been easy to direct as Sr. showed his true creative… Continue reading “Sr.”, a Moving Tribute to Robert Downey

Johnny Cash: An American Redemption Icon

I enjoyed the documentary ‘Johnny Cash: An American Redemption Icon’ directed and I assume also written by Ben Smallbone. I enjoyed the inspirational story about Johnny’s fall into amphetamine and alcohol abuse and his rise to prison concerts and his partnership with Billy Graham. Johnny was fearless in honesty and faith. The proselytizing by the… Continue reading Johnny Cash: An American Redemption Icon

Under the Learn Something New Everyday Column: Vernon, Florida

Researching for the film enthusiasm class I’ll be leading through OLLI (via Ringling School of Art) in January entitled Flamboyant Florida Films, I decided to choose a couple of docs. An older one a work colleague suggested is Vernon, Florida from director Errol Morris. Well, have I learned something new! First, Morris is an Academy… Continue reading Under the Learn Something New Everyday Column: Vernon, Florida

What is a Woman Documentary: Can We Let Kids be Kids?

Here’s the bottom line on Matt Walsh’s What is a Woman? First, let me get my traffic cop whistle. And I earned my whistle gaining a Masters Degree in Counseling from SUNY Brockport. BLURRRR (that’s a whistle sound): You, Matt Walsh, you don’t need to be smarmy when asking questions to adults. BLURRRR: And at… Continue reading What is a Woman Documentary: Can We Let Kids be Kids?