Today’s theme: movies about the elderly, which we rarely see. These are various portraits that show growing old doesn’t necessarily mean slowing down. Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me…A documentary on the great actress Elaine Stritch. If you’ve ever seen her Broadway work or—more likely—as Alec Baldwin’s mother on 30 Rock, you’ll realize about what you’re in…
Author: Alabama Liberal
Education Reviews: “Ivory Tower,” “Small Time,” “Ida,” “DamNation,” “Young & Beautiful”
5 films that deal with different types of educational debates, and the many different types of education someone can get… Ivory Tower…A documentary that attempts to ask the question “Is a college degree still worth it?” It brings up student loan debt, spiraling tuition costs (tuition has gone up more than any other good or…
Sports Doc Reviews: “Glena” and “No No: A Dockumentary”
Two fairly acclaimed sports docs that are available on Showtime now. One received a theatrical release and a lot more buzz, but I found myself a little more captivated by “Glena.” “No No: A Dockumentary”…This documentary currently has an astounding 100 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which kinda makes me want to pan it…
War Review Day: “Virunga,” “War Story,” “Canopy,” “Half a Yellow Sun,” “Two Lives”
The theme for the day: war movies, and all the different forms they can take. [Hint: It’s not all about WWII.] What’s interesting is that each of these movies are from perspectives other than American’s, and that alone makes any of them different and interesting, even if not all of them are very good. [But…
Government Review Day: “Newburgh Sting,” “Death Defying Acts,” “Banksy Does NY,” “Last Patrol,” and “112 Weddings”
Today’s movie theme: HBO documentaries about individuals dealing with overbearing governments (usually, they’re worse off for it) or trying to get around them. Okay, so “112 Weddings” isn’t technically related to government oppression at all, but there is a gay couple that mentions their struggle to get married so that’s close enough for a theme…
“Peter Pan Live” Does it Soar?
I can’t say Peter Pan Live totally soars, but I will say that it seems like an improvement over last year’s The Sound of Music (all ten minutes of that that I watched). I finished “Peter Pan Live,” so it’s definitely better in that regard. All in all, I thought it was enjoyable, cheesy, and…
Comics Named Chelsea: Reviews for Stand-Up Specials of Chelsea Handler and Peretti
I know that lumping in two female comics would drive either of them absolutely nuts, but the similarities are uncanny: they’re both named Chelsea, both their specials were on Netflix, they mention that their Jewish fathers like black women, they’re both most famous for shows I don’t care for (Brooklyn Nine Nine for Peretti, and…
Women’s Review Day: “Private Violence,” “Paycheck to Paycheck,” “Dead Mother’s Club,” “Love Child,” “Trials of Pamela Smart”
5 HBO’s docs being reviewed…the theme? All of them revolve around women or women’s issues. “Dead Mother’s Club”…What does it do to a woman to loose their mother, especially at a young age? This doc deals with that question with three famous examples (Molly Shannon, Rosie O’Donnell, and an especially candid Jane Fonda give interviews)…
Reviews: “All About Ann,” “Nixon on Nixon,” and “Hank: Five Years From the Brink”
The political documentaries that I wished “The Unknown Known” and “Mitt” were are able to found elsewhere. “Nixon on Nixon” and the excellent “All About Ann” are on HBO, and even if you only have Netflix, “Hank: 5 Years From the Brink” is better than “Mitt.” “Hank: Five Years From the Brink”…A documentary on former…
Quick Reviews: “Trust Me,” “Cuban Fury,” “3 Days to Kill,” “Reasonable Doubt,” “Rage”
What happens when a slew of inconsequential movies (some better than others) need to be reviewed? How about a review in 15 words or less? Trust Me…Keeps shifting tone. Uneven but interesting. Deep humanity runs through it. Grade: B Cuban Fury…Parking garage dance-off shows it’s unserious. But great Ian McShane and Rashida Jones. Grade: C+ 3 Days…
“The 50 Year Argument” and “Gore Vidal: United States of Amnesia”
Two documentaries that feature Gore Vidal. In one, he’s the star, and in the other (which is really about The New York Review of Books) his sparring matches with Norman Mailer are the most interesting parts. “The 50 Year Argument”…A very dry, somewhat boring doc about The New York Review of Books, that could really…
Movie Reviews: HBO Round-Up “Hello Ladies,” “The Normal Heart,” and “The Case Against 8”
An eclectic movie mix from HBO as I take a look at a cancelled TV show having a feature length film send-off, an award-winning TV movie, and a notable documentary. “Hello Ladies”…A slightly unusual send-off for an HBO series that was cancelled after only one season of 8 half hour (at most) episodes. In fact, the 82…
Movie Review: “Birdman,” One of the Year’s Very Best
A movie that deserves the praise it’s getting, a near (and deserving) lock for Best Actor, Director, and Picture nominations. It gets you to think about Michael Keaton and formerly-too-somber director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu in a totally new way. What Works: From a technical standpoint, “Birdman” is flawless, thanks to these flowing tracking shots famed cinematographer Emmanuel…