FullReviews Index
Review: James Toback's 'Tyson'
Tyson: a Review of James Toback's Tyson about boxing champion Mike Tyson. The soft tenor of Mike Tyson's gentle speaking voice never ceases to amaze. Is this really the world heavy weight boxing champ who inspired fear in his opponents -- or is he an overgrown pussycat? Tyson speaks honestly, directly, and often emotionally in James Toback's intimate documentary "Tyson."
Encounters at the End of the World
Werner Herzog travels to Antarctica in his new documentary Encounters at the End of the World. It's not a film about fluffy penguins, though Herzog does film the lovely creatures, as well as seals and an eccentric collection of scientists and odd travelers.
No End In Sight
Charles Ferguson's documentary "No End In Sight" is much like a cinematic edition of "The Iraq War for Dummies." If you want take the leap from disbelief and confusion to a clearer, empowering understanding of how we arrived at our current predicament, then this film is highly recommended.
Heavy Metal in Baghdad (2008)
Eddy Moretti's documentary "Heavy Metal in Bagdad" follows journalists Suroosh Alvi and Eddy Moretti from VICE magazine as they attempt to track down the one and only heavy-metal band in Iraq, Acrassicauda.
An Inconvenient Truth
David Guggenheim documents Al Gore's slide show: a compelling and easy to understand scientific exploration of the dramtic effects of global warming.
Shine A Light
Martin Scorsese directs this straight forward rock documentary on the Rolling Stones' concerts at the Beacon Theatre in New York in 2006.
Wetlands Preserved
A documentary chronicling the rise and fall of New York City's legendary rock club Wetlands Preserve, directed by Dean Budnick.
What Would Jesus Buy?
Rob Van Alkemade's documentary "What Would Jesus Buy" provides a simple and surprisingly powerful directive to the American people: Stop Shopping. Produced by Morgan Spurlock, the hilarious, eye-opening film follows Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir on their cross country adventure to spread their word directly to the people.
Sicko
"Sicko" is Michael Moore's most mature work to date and almost certainly his best film.
Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten
An affectionate rock doc that follows the Clash frontman's life from his boarding school childhood to his death in 2002.
Lynch
The director of Lynch, a documentary about the uncompromising filmmaker, artist, and popularizer of Transcendental Meditation David Lynch, is credited as "blackANDwhite," and I hope I can be excused for assuming that none other than Lynch himself was hiding behind the pseudonym. Too familiar were the grainy video look, the seamless shifting into monochrome dreamspaces set to haunting music, too close the access Lynch gave the director to suspect anything but a thinly veiled self-portrait.
Axe in the Attic
A few months after Hurricane Katrina, documentarians Ed Pincus and Lucia Small went on a road trip though the South to trace the stories of Americans who had lost not just their homes but also their trust in the government in the storm. Along with heartbreaking stories of FEMA trailers, red tape, grief and loss, they also filmed their own reactions to the devastation.
In the Shadow of the Moon
David Sington reunited surviving members of the Apollo space program, including eight of the twelve men the United States sent to the moon between 1969 and 1972. Sington is the first filmmaker to make extensive use of never-seen-before footage from the NASA vaults. The digitally restored images are nothing short of breathtaking, especially when seen on a big screen.
The 11th Hour
A powerful and alarming new documentary about the global environmental crisis, narrated by Leo DiCaprio.
Crazy Love
Dan Klores' CRAZY LOVE tells the astonishing story of the obsessive roller-coaster relationship of Burt and Linda Pugach, which shocked the nation during the summer of 1959.
This Film Is Not Yet Rated
With vigor and wit, Kirby Dick investigates the mysterious and undemocratic organization that decides what Americans are allowed to see--the MPAA ratings board.
Into Great Silence
Philip Gröning lived in a monk’s cell in the French Alps for six months to make this — you guessed it — very quiet documentary about the Carthusians, who are among the world’s most ascetic orders -- something you wouldn’t know this from the movie, which barely contains a spoken word at all.
The Ground Truth
Anguished soldiers returning from Iraq tell their stories of guilt and horror in Patricia Foulkrod's documentary. [i]The Ground Truth[/i] aims to remind us of the bloody realities of battle and veterans' struggles to adapt to civilian life.
Sketches of Frank Gehry
Sketches of Frank Gehry[/i] is much like the conversations between the architect and director Sydney Pollack: earnest, on subject, but also relaxed and easygoing. The resulting film is a visual treat, taking us across the globe to see Gehry's most famous buildings.
Unknown White Male
"Unknown White Male" tells the story of Doug Bruce, a young man who found himself on the train to Coney Island one day without the slightest idea how he got there. You'd expect a story about complete and sudden memory loss to be depressing, but Rupert Murray's intimate documentary turns out to be a gripping inquiry into the nature of memory, identity, and self.
Why We Fight - Documentary Review
Freedom? Liberty? Revenge? Every American who is asked the title's question seems to have a different answer. Documentary filmmaker Eugene Jarecki suggests his own approach: "follow the money." "Why We Fight" is an astute and level-headed investigation of American militarism.
Boys of Baraka
In Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's documentary, twenty at-risk kids from a public high school in Baltimore are sent to Kenya for a year.
March of the Penguins
Penguins are incredibly cute. It's the rare, hardened soul who can resist their appeal. French filmmaker Luc Jacquet exploits their appeal to tremendous effect in the nature documentary "The March of the Penguins."
Protocols of Zion
A documentary about anti-semitism isn't anybody's idea of a good time, but director Mark Levin ("Slam") pulled off an extraordinary feat: "Protocols of Zion" is an invigorating, highly entertaining film about a complex topic.
Darwin's Nightmare
Lake Victoria hides terrible secrets in Hubert Sauper's must-see documentary about the impact of globalization on Tanzania. "Darwin's Nightmare" opens today at the new IFC Center in New York. Read Jurgen's review.
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