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Home Archives for documentaries

May 15, 2014 By iluvcinema Leave a Comment

Love and Engineering (TFF 2014)

The title (Love & Engineering) and the premise (Is there an algorithm for love?) sounded so enticing, I knew this would be on my must-see list at Tribeca this year.

In brief, Bulgarian engineering student Atanas  lives in Finland and has decided that he has  found the “solution” to finding love and marriage in this crazy crazy world. He decides to share his “algorithm” with a group of test subjects – fellow male engineering students. This film is a document of that experiment.

Love&Engineering(Peter_Flinckenberg)3
At times the film is whimsical and noteworthy – from some statements made about women’s mating proclivities to some of the devices or “hacks” they use when going out on dates – makes it a fun watch. In viewing, one must be willing to admit that part of the laughs come at the expense of the young men, who find themselves in some rather awkward situations and respond in very unconventional ways. I direct you to the scenes with the blind dates …

At one point, however, the film veered into some unexpected drama that finds a couple of the subjects in conflict with one another. It felt a little uncomfortable to watch at times, but that is just me.

The film wraps up in a rather philosophical spirit with the one of the engineers coming to his own conclusions about unlocking the “love code.” I will leave it to you to guess this endpoint.

Photo Credit: Tribeca Film Festival

Filed Under: film festival, Reviews Tagged With: documentaries, love and engineering, tribeca

January 31, 2014 By iluvcinema Leave a Comment

Sundance ’14: Documentary Rundown

The following are a collection of some of the documentaries I saw during my stay at the Sundance Film Festival and my ‘take’ on them …

Freedom Summer

Freedom Summer will premiere on PBS’ The American Experience later this year, but I was fortunate to catch a glimpse of the finished doc at Sundance.

In the hot and deadly summer of 1964, the nation could not turn away from Mississippi. Over ten memorable weeks known as Freedom Summer, more than 700 student volunteers joined with organizers and local African Americans in an historic effort to shatter the foundations of white supremacy in one of the nation’s most segregated states. The summer was marked by sustained and deadly violence, including the notorious murders of three civil rights workers, countless beatings, the burning of thirty-five churches, and the bombing of seventy homes and community centers.

FreedomSummer_still5_NA_byJohnsonPublishingCompany_2013-12-05_01-15-24PM

Freedom Summer highlights an overlooked but essential element of the Civil Rights Movement: the patient and long-term efforts by both outside activists and local citizens in Mississippi to organize communities and register black voters — even in the face of intimidation, physical violence and death. The Freedom Summer story reminds us that the movement that ended segregation was far more complex than most of us know.

ILC’s take:  as a child of the post-Civil Rights era, I was fully aware of the Freedom Summer, I was not aware of the level organization and pre-thought that went into busing and embedding of the resources throughout Mississippi. While the first three-quarters dealt specifically with the social movement aspects of the summer, towards the end, Freedom Summer took a decidedly political tone, focusing on the efforts to democratize the state of Mississippi’s Democratic party to be more inclusive. In doing so, their efforts garnered national attention and became a bit of a thorn in the side of then-President Lyndon B. Johnson, who many may be surprised by his actions and reactions to what was going around him.

Private Violence

One in four American women experience domestic violence in their homes. Have you ever asked, “Why doesn’t she just leave?” Private Violence challenges the stigma surrounding this presumptive notion as it intimately follows the stories of two women: Deanna Walters, who transforms from victim to survivor, and Kit Gruelle, also a survivor, who advocates for justice on behalf of Deanna and others.

PrivateViolence_still5_fff_tiff

ILC’s take: the screening was proceeded by a short, One Billion Rising, which captured moments from around the world in celebration of V-Day, the annual event that raises awareness to the global scourge of violence against women and girls. I like to think of it as more of a call to action that anything else. But onto Private Violence. This is a very intimate look at the world of women living in a very private hell made all the more impactful for that reason. The film does an effective job of going broad where it needs it but then pulling you immediately back in the here and now of Deanna’s ordeal. Inevitably a lot of issues surrounding how we, as a society, react and respond to cases of domestic violence. And while there are no easy solutions, this film (to air on HBO) gets the message out there and will hopefully be a clarion call to action.

No No: A Dockumentary

On June 12, 1970, Dock Ellis threw a no-hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 136 years of baseball history, only 276 no-hitters have been recorded. Dock is the only pitcher to ever claim he accomplished his while high on LSD.

Dock was often at the forefront of controversy and has been called the “Muhammad Ali of Baseball.” He was an outspoken leader of a new wave of civil rights in sports, when black athletes were no longer content to accept second-class treatment or keep their mouths shut about indignities. The press labeled him a militant.After Dock retired from baseball, he was as outspoken about his addictions to alcohol and amphetamines (aka “greenies”) as he had been about racial prejudice during his career.

No No A Dockumentary, Sundance Film Festival 2014

ILC’s take: Baseball stories always seem to work well on film, at least for me. The Dock Ellis story is a welcome addition to this subgenre. No No is a cautionary tale about the pitfalls that can overtake an otherwise promising professional career. But it is also a story of redemption and second chances that shows its audience that no matter the circumstances, one can take their experiences and have the lessons learned from said experience benefit others. Blended with a mix of humor and social commentary, I think No No will appeal to sports fans and those who appreciate documentary films alike.

Images and synopses provided by the Sundance Institute.

Filed Under: Documentaries, film festival Tagged With: documentaries, Freedom Summer, no no a dockumentary, Private Violence, sundance 2014

May 28, 2013 By iluvcinema 1 Comment

Tribeca 2013 Revisited – All About the Docs

This one definitely falls into the category of better late than never …

I could not let any more time without giving a narrative assessment of my time at last month’s Tribeca Film Festival. For a diarist’s take on my first day at TFF, I draw your attention to my coverage as part of the LAMB’s One Day, One Blogger @Tribeca event.

But I did not want you all to think that was all; aside from my preview picks, I caught a series of thought provoking feature-length documentaries.

Consciously or not, this year was all about the documentaries. This was not necessarily by design but due to scheduling, etc. it just worked out that way and honestly it made for a wonderful experience (please see previous post for my narrative picks). All synopses are from the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival Film Guide.

 

Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me (2013)

ELAINE STRITCH: Shoot Me

  • Directed By: Chiemi Karasawa

Broadway legend Elaine Stritch remains in the spotlight at eighty-seven years old. Join the uncompromising Tony and Emmy Award-winner both on and off stage in this revealing documentary. With interviews from Tina Fey, Nathan Lane, Hal Prince and others, Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me blends rare archival footage and intimate cinema vérité to reach beyond Stritch’s brassy exterior, revealing a multi-dimensional portrait of a complex woman and an inspiring artist.

ILC’s Take: Even if you do not know anything about this legendary stage performer (Fore shame! By the way, this is a must see documentary for a glimpse into a remarkable life lived to its fullest).

 

I’ve Got Somethin’ to Tell You (2013)

I GOT SOMETHIN? TO TELL YOU

  • Directed By: Whoopi Goldberg

Having broken racial and sexual boundaries as a pioneering comic talent, the late Moms Mabley has long been an icon in the comedy world. Now Whoopi Goldberg takes a deep dive into Mabley’s legacy via recently unearthed photography, rediscovered performance footage and the words of numerous celebrated comedians. A true passion project for Goldberg, I Got Somethin’ to Tell You shows Mabley’s historical significance and profound influence as a performer vastly ahead of her time.

ILC’s Take: A very captivating look at a woman who might have gone unnoticed to the annuls of history. After watching this documentary, there is no mistaking the impact she continues to have on contemporary comedians of all genders, ages and ethnicities nearly forty years after her passing.

 

Let the Fire Burn (2013)

LET THE FIRE BURN

  • Directed By: Jason Osder

Jason Osder makes an impressive feature film debut through his unbiased and thorough account of the incidents leading up to and during the 1985 standoff between the extremist African-American organization MOVE and Philadelphia authorities. The dramatic clash claimed eleven lives and literally and figuratively devastated an entire community. Let the Fire Burn is a real-life Wild West story absent the luxury of identifying its heroes by the color of their hats.

ILC’s Take: I wanted to like this film more than I ended up. As a former resident of the City of Brotherly Love, I was fascinated by a part of the city’s history I was previously unaware of. Unfortunately, I found bits of the execution a bit lacking. While the story certainly tells itself courtesy of  the plethora of archive footage available, I would have also liked to see some contemporary interviews/footage interwoven into the narrative.

 

Teenage (2013)

TEENAGE

  • Directed By: Matt Wolf

Teenagers did not exist before the 20th century. Not until the early 1950s did the term gain widespread recognition, but with Teenage, Matt Wolf offers compelling evidence that “teenagers” had a tumultuous effect on the previous half-decade. Narrated by actors Jena Malone, Ben Whishaw, Julia Hummer and Jessie Usher, this fascinating documentary repositions the historical origin of teenagers and shows why those years are more than just a stepping-stone to adulthood.

ILC’s Take: I loved this film and the narration that went along with it. Basically I could listen to Ben Whishaw read the telephone directory. In fact I liked it so much the time just flew by … it felt like the house lights had just dimmed and then BAM – CREDITS! One of my summer plans is to get the book on which the doc is based.

Of all the feature documentaries I saw during the festival this is the one I recommend above the others as a wonderful piece of social history.

 

Do any of these interest you readers? Hit me in the Comments section.

Filed Under: film festival Tagged With: documentaries, tribeca film festival 2013

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