Documentary Feature Watch

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Precious Doll
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Re: Documentary Feature Watch

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anonymous1980 wrote:Whitney (Kevin Macdonald) ***1/2 - This is one two documentaries on Whitney Houston coming out this year. I haven't seen the Nick Broomfeld one on Netflix (let me know if it's worth seeing even after seeing this one). This one, I think, is quite a very good one. It documents Houston's beginnings, her rise and of course her downfall and eventual death. It's all at once inspiring and devastating and even includes a few details that are quite shocking and eye-opening. The film features interviews with her family, friends and colleagues (even Bobby Brown, which surprised me). In many ways, it's yet another music documentary but it's a very good one and, I think, makes for a fine double-feature with Amy.
The Nick Broomfield film was a 2017 release. It's quite good but suffers from lack of involvement my most of the major players. Cissy Huston comes off as a piece of garbage and I'm included to draw that conclusion myself by the very words she speaks herself.

I refuse to see this second documentary that makes allegations of abuse against Whitney Huston without any proof. Kevin Macdonald has committed the lowest of low acts with his film with completely unnecessary slander against the said person who is not around to defend themselves. I know we live in an age where people write all sorts of junk and 'fake news' on the internet, but I expect some degree of appropriate editorial behaviour when making a 'documentary' that is presenting FACTS.
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Re: Documentary Feature Watch

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Whitney (Kevin Macdonald) ***1/2 - This is one two documentaries on Whitney Houston coming out this year. I haven't seen the Nick Broomfeld one on Netflix (let me know if it's worth seeing even after seeing this one). This one, I think, is quite a very good one. It documents Houston's beginnings, her rise and of course her downfall and eventual death. It's all at once inspiring and devastating and even includes a few details that are quite shocking and eye-opening. The film features interviews with her family, friends and colleagues (even Bobby Brown, which surprised me). In many ways, it's yet another music documentary but it's a very good one and, I think, makes for a fine double-feature with Amy.
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Re: Documentary Feature Watch

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I'm beginning to think that Three Identical Strangers has a very good shot at a nomination. It's going really well at the box office, over $4.5 million in 24 days in the US. However, I have grave reservations about the film an instance of what amounts to character assassination of one particular person in the film I found completely unacceptable and grossly unfair to the said individual. If you are curious about the film and don't mind spoilers go to the Criterion DVD forum. There is a discussion about the film and someone raises this very issue along with other deficiencies of the film. The film also screened 4 times at the Sydney Film Festival to packed houses at every session and is the first film to have sold out at the Melbourne Film Festival (2 screenings) which starts next week. People are certainly drawn to the film - the subject matter is very enticing.

Another film which may make the cut is RGB which has made an astonishing $13 million at the US box office. I'm pretty sure Mister Tee has already mentioned this someone on the board and judging by the trailer, subject matter and the more liberal attitudes in Hollywood must surely make this a virtual lock for a win if it can get through the pre selection processes for the category. I'm saying this sight unseen. I've only seen the trailer (too many times for my liking) and have zero interest in actually seeing the film. It's opening in my part of the world this week along with 7 other films and I'm not remotely interested and have no intention of going to any of them (not sure what that says about my engagement with cinema these days to be honest). A friend of mine who saw RBG a couple of months ago has been raving about it but to be honest I've been seeing less and less documentaries, particularly anything remotely political.

It's hard to imagine that one of these two films, if not both, being major players in this category.
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Re: Documentary Feature Watch

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Big Magilla wrote:Three Identical Strangers has a U.S. release date later this month and has been picked up by CNN for TV broadcasting so it looks like it's not going to disappear any time soon.
The Sydney Film Festival usually adds repeat screenings over the three days after the festival has officially concluded. And thankfully for me Three Identical Strangers. The film has a reasonably watchable first hour but loses focus after that and at 95 minutes is padded out somewhat. Its hard to talk about it without ruining it for others but I really don't see this making any inroads with the Academy. Its one of those documentaries that sounds far more interesting than it actually is.
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
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Re: Documentary Feature Watch

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Making Fun: The Story of Funko (David Romero) **1/2 - I caught this on Netflix. It's a documentary about Funko, the toy company that specializes in bobble-heads, Pez dispensers, etc. who made those cute Funko Pop pop culture dolls. I will say that this is about 45 minutes of genuinely interesting material padded out to 90+ minutes. I consider myself very much a geek and a nerd and I like a lot of geeky, nerdy things but I haven't had the inclination of collecting toys or action figures since I hit the double-digit in age. But a genuinely interesting documentary could be made about such things. This is not it. Someone pointed out that it plays too much like an informercial or at least a puff piece about this particular toy company. Its efforts to give it some heft and insight kind of come off as reaching to make it feature-length. If you're a Funko Funatic (their term, not mine), you may find this definitely in your wheelhouse.

Will it get in? No. It's too much of a puff piece.
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Re: Documentary Feature Watch

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Won't You Be My Neighbor seems poised to be quite the hit (there are full cardboard diorama posters in movie theatres promoting it...not sure if I ever remember that for a doc before).

You can't count out RBG, which has become a minor box office hit (it has hit the Top 10 at least twice already) and should be poised to be a contender. Wim Wenders also has a new documentary about the pope which, while it didn't get the best notices at Cannes, could be a contender.

Some other films to keep an eye on: Eugene Jarecki's The King (a Sundance hit), Lauren Greenfield's Generation Wealth (about the 1%), Kirby Dick's The Bleeding Edge, Kimberly Reed's Dark Money (another Sundance favorite), Kevin Macdonald's Whitney Huston bio, Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 11/9 (could he return?), and Love Gilda (about Gilda Radner).
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Re: Documentary Feature Watch

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Big Magilla wrote:Neon, the company that distributed I, Tonya and Ingrid Goes West.
Thanks Magilla.

Good chance of a home video release - the film sounds to fascinating.
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Re: Documentary Feature Watch

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Neon, the company that distributed I, Tonya and Ingrid Goes West.
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Re: Documentary Feature Watch

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Big Magilla wrote:Three Identical Strangers has a U.S. release date later this month and has been picked up by CNN for TV broadcasting so it looks like it's not going to disappear any time soon.
Who is the US distributor?
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Re: Documentary Feature Watch

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Three Identical Strangers has a U.S. release date later this month and has been picked up by CNN for TV broadcasting so it looks like it's not going to disappear any time soon.
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Re: Documentary Feature Watch

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Not a category that I have that much interest in and to be honest I've been seeing less and less documentaries as the years flash by. Some of it is driven by I just don't want to hear of anymore misery in the world because their is so much going on.

I've just locked in 30 films for the Sydney Film Festival and only one of them is a documentary that I'm only going to because my partner wants to see it. I'm so out of the loop on documentaries in recent years.

However, there are two other documentaries screening that I am very interest in seeing (but alas am not) and both could be contenders:

1) That Summer, which is another doco on Big Edie and Little Edie this one by Swedish director Goran Hugo Olsson that is made up of archival footage from either before or after Grey Gardens was filmed and includes footage shot by Andy Warhol & Jonas Mekal. I only passed on it because its coming out on DVD in the UK in July and it is the sort of film that I'm likely to want to keep. Given that there has been lots of interest in the Edie's in recent years this may help it with the Academy - its meant to be very good;

2) Three Identical Strangers about three triplets (pretty obvious from the title I would think) who were separated at birth but reunited later in life. I simply could not fit it in - so many clashes this year at SFF and I have had so make some tough choices on what I missing out on - this was one of them. The festival always adds additional screenings so hopefully this will be one of them or it might turn up at the Melbourne Film Festival, otherwise I'll have to wait for a home video release that may never emerge. The film got excellent notices at Sundance.
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Documentary Feature Watch

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I did it in foreign language films so why not Documentary Feature also? This is where we review and discuss possible Documentary Feature contenders.

I haven't seen it but the Fred Rogers documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor seems to be getting lots of raves from all over. Could it be the front-runner? We'll see.
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