Documentary Retroview: THE END OF AMERICA (2008)
The End Of America presents the ten step blueprint that Hitler and other dictators used to subvert democratic process and put an end to personal freedoms. It compares, step by step, events leading up to establishment of the Third Reich with what has happened in the United States in recent years. Very convincing. Very scary. Should be required viewing for anyone old enough to vote or join the army.
Read MoreHOUSE OF THE DRAGON: Character Essentials – Interview with the Cast
HBO Max’s series House of Dragons creates its own fantastic universe around a cast of mythic characters who weave themselves into the fabric of an immensely complicated and twisting history. The series doesn’t shoot in sequence, so Keeping track of where they are in the tale and in their personal character arcs must be a daunting task for the actors. At a recent press conference, I had the opportunity to ask them about the choices they’ve made to help them with their journey. One question, in particular, surprised them and garnered a lively discussion with some revealing — and amusing — answers from several members of the acting ensemble.
Read MoreLATE BLOOMERS – Movie Review
Late Bloomers is a soulful film that gives way to compassionate consideration of some heart heavy subjects like loneliness, abandonment, self esteem and the agonies of aging. The story has enough quirky embellishments to to be thoroughly engaging throughout. And the performances by Karen Gillan as Louise and Margaret Sophie Stein as Antonina are so utterly charming that you can’t help rooting for their endearingly troubled characters to find their way to joy.
Read MoreTHE COMMANDANT’S SHADOW – Documentary Review
The Commandant’s Shadow is Daniela Volker’s revelatory Holocaust documentary about life after Auschwitz. More specifically, it focuses on Auschwitz Commandant Hoss’ son and daughter and grandson, delving into how they’ve come to terms with knowing that their beloved forebear mass murdered more humans than any other human in history. Hoss’ wife is also questioned about her husband’s ‘work,’ executing Adolf Hitler’s command for the death camp.
Read MoreSIRA – Movie Review
Burkinabé filmmaker Apolline Traoré’s Sira is a tale of a woman’s revenge. Sira (Nafisatou Cisse), the titular character, is the joyful and beloved daughter of the chief of a Muslim village, and she is about to be wed to her childhood sweetheart, Jean Sidi (Abdramane Barry), the son of a prominent and wealthy Christian farming […]
Read MoreFOOD INC (2008)- Documentary Review
Food, Inc. is an alarming expose of the way food is produced and distributed in the United States. Interviewing investigators, journalists and farmers, filmmaker Robert Kenner shows how almost everything we eat is produced and distributed by a very few huge multinational corporations, such as Monsanto and Tyson, and that quality of nutrition is secondary […]
Read MoreAmerica The Beautiful (2007) – Documentary Review
America Is Obsessed With An Unattainable Standard of Beauty America’s obsession with beauty is the subject of filmmaker Darryl Roberts wide-ranging investigative documentary. Using archival footage and interviews with image-makers and beauty battle victims, Roberts reveals how how media, marketers and retailers manipulate women into thinking they must be avid beauty product and service consumers […]
Read MoreSEAGRASS – Movie Review
Canadian writer/director Meredith Hama-Brown’s debut feature, Seagrass, is a moody drama about a troubled interracial couple — Judy (Ally Maki) is Canadian-Japanese and Steve (Luke Roberts) is White — who vacation with their two young daughters — ages eleven and six — at a self-development retreat on a remote island off the coast of British […]
Read MoreSMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD – Documentary Review
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood is an intimate, enlightening feminist documentary from Estonian filmmaker Anna Hints. We are invited to observe a group of women who’ve come together to cleanse their bodies, minds and spirits by celebrating the ritual of a traditional Estonian sauna
Read MoreBEYOND UTOPIA – Documentary Review
Beyond Utopia is Madeleine Gavin’s gripping documentary about North Koreans enduring the dangers of trying to escape their repressive country, risking their lives to reach Thailand, so they can eventually make their way to settlement in South Korea. We often hear reports of abusive and inhumane conditions in North Korea, bur rarely get an inside glimpse like the one provided by this galvanizing documentary. It it is very hard to watch, but it is essential viewing.
Read MoreWelcome to Cinema Citizen, an AWFJ Network Blog authored by Jennifer Merin
