Thanks to my sweet and generous co-worker Carrie, I was able to attend one of the independent films at the Sarasota Film Fest. First kudos to the SFF which struck me as very well organized. The Rochester Film Fest in comparison seemed haphazard and confused in comparison. But then again, I felt haphazard and confused… Continue reading California Dreams at the Sarasota Film Fest
Category: documentary
Menage a` Trois: two cons and an inferno
Got behind on the blog due to writing a play, titled “Thanks for Giving a Damn”, my apologies. Three flicks on tap, two about cons, one doc and the other based on a true story. First, “The JT Leroy Story” about a woman who, due to trauma either caused by or combined with sexual and… Continue reading Menage a` Trois: two cons and an inferno
You Say You Want a Revolution: Snowden and Howard’s Beatle Doc.
Oliver Stone I took in two equally solid movies this past week, both by famous directors. First, Oliver Stone’s Snowden which I was lucky enough to see opening night including a talk back with the Stone, the actors, and most importantly, Edward Snowden via satellite. I have not read the reviews yet, not liking to… Continue reading You Say You Want a Revolution: Snowden and Howard’s Beatle Doc.
Last Time, First Time, Sing Street, Weiner
Last Time, First Time Dear Reader: I went into the bowels of Word Press’s dashboard to try to correct the inability to comment. But I’m like a bad auto mechanic, simply throwing my wrench around a few nuts and hoping it fixed things. Keep me posted and continued thanks for reading my blog. My last… Continue reading Last Time, First Time, Sing Street, Weiner
In Her Own Words
First a funny aside: “In my own words” was what I wrote at the request of the Yearbook Director as I retire from teaching this June. After writing a six sentence blurb (1 sentence per every 5 years if yo do the math), I received an email back, asking, ‘can you condense it?’. An ironic… Continue reading In Her Own Words
“Amy, What You Gonna Do?”
After a second viewing of “Amy” I now feel my original comments below were way too harsh. I saw in the film’s second time around, beautiful aerial shots of London and NYC, well placed footage evoking the emotion of the moment, and an instrumental score both poignant and deep. Still, I think the first third… Continue reading “Amy, What You Gonna Do?”
A Baker’s Half Dozen (Seven) The Wolfpack
I wanted more resolution from “The Wolfpack” (directed by Crystal Moselle) instilled from the former school counselor in me. If anything, the film shows how inept our social services programs are, and on the sick flip side, probably gives hope to abusive parents. The Angulo father seems unphased and unscathed after an intervention landed all… Continue reading A Baker’s Half Dozen (Seven) The Wolfpack
Red Army: Slap Shot-esque Stokholm Syndrome
I knew I liked Gabe Polsky’s quirky documentary on Russian hockey player Viacheslav Fetisov for a reason. He’s got that Werner Herzog idiosyncratic eye and ear that captures the odd ball in us all. Red Army traces Viacheslav’s rise from Russian youth hockey to the Olympics and beyond. When he requests to play for the… Continue reading Red Army: Slap Shot-esque Stokholm Syndrome
Campaign Bumper Sticker 2016
Miles Teller Saw two accomplished films this weekend, one a doc Citizenfour (Laura Poitras) and one of fiction, Whiplash (Damien Chazelle). Citizenfour is basically cinematic voyeurism; watching a man’s last few days of freedom. While I disagree with Leonard Maltin’s hyperbolic review “has Hitchockian suspense”, I will admit it held my interest despite ‘knowing the… Continue reading Campaign Bumper Sticker 2016
Roger Ebert “Life Itself”
I tend toward constant vacillation (and I say that chagrined, not bragging) so I really wanted to see Life Itself when the doc news was first revealed. But typically, in the lag time between announcing and screening, I started to dread the gruesome medical procedure discussed by the director on an NPR feature. Yet, I… Continue reading Roger Ebert “Life Itself”