Documentary
Film Review – Church & State
Church & State has its heart in the right place but it takes on too many personalities, which causes it to lack a central focus. Mark Lawrence, an older gay man with no history of activism, starts Restore Our Humanity to oppose Article 3 that…
READ MOREFilm Review – Hail Satan?
Hail Satan? is an amusing documentary about The Satanic Temple that uses that title as a way to challenge conservative religious groups attempting to inject Christianity into public life. Upfront it should be noted The Satanic Temple does not actually believe in Satan as a…
READ MORESIFF Double Feature – The Legend of the Stardust Brothers and Timeless Beauty
The Legend of the Stardust Brothers: This lost 1985 musical directed by Macoto Tezuka builds on Phantom Of The Paradise and The Rocky Horror Picture Show to create Japan’s own goofy rock opera. Amateur singers Kan (Kan Takagi) and Shingo (Shingo Kubota) are brought together…
READ MORESIFF Double Feature – Shut Up and Play the Piano and What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael
Shut Up and Play the Piano: Directed by Philipp Jedicke, Shut Up and Play the Piano documents the rise (and rise) of Canadian musician and producer Chilly Gonzales (aka Jason Charles Beck.) He hasn’t really reached high enough to have a fall, and perhaps never…
READ MORESIFF Double Feature – We Are the Radical Monarchs and Fly Rocket Fly
We Are the Radical Monarchs: Directed by Linda Goldstein Knowlton, We Are the Radical Monarchs documents the formation and first three years of the Radical Monarchs, an alternative (or even complimentary) scouting group that seeks to center girls of color and create the next generation…
READ MORESIFF Double Feature – Le Chocolat de H and The Woman Who Loves Giraffes
Le Chocolat de H: Takashi Watanabe’s first documentary feature is about Japanese chocolatier Hironobu Tsujiguchi. Tsujiguchi grew up over a confectionary shop, later opened a world-class patisserie, and then turned his sights to the world of chocolate. Winning 5 gold medals at the Salon du…
READ MOREFilm Review – The Brink
The Brink lacks clear purpose in its observations of Steven Bannon, Donald Trump‘s onetime adviser and now a nationalist spokesman. Bannon is a controversial figure, to say the least, with those who admire him thinking he is aiding the United States and promoting nationalist ideas…
READ MOREFilm Review – Screwball
Screwball takes one of the big baseball steroids scandals and makes it so someone like me who knows almost nothing about baseball can understand clearly the people involved in the scandal as well as a lot of their motivation. While it doesn’t reach new levels…
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