Not to brag, but Josh Johnson’s nostalgic documentary about the death of the VHS era and many films along with it, is chock full of people I know. This not-so-strange phenomenon is helped by the fact that a large percentage of the film was shot in Austin, Texas and that many of the experts questioned […] Read more »
Chilean-born Alejandro Jodorowsky is responsible for some of the weirdest, most psychedelic movies of the 1970s. His breakthrough hit was the quasi-Western El Topo which become a monster hit on the midnight circuit in New York City, which he followed up with the even more wildly ambitious The Holy Mountain. On the back of these […] Read more »
Strange yet intoxicating musical documentary that explores a variety of traditional and alternative forms of Japanese music. A turntable-spinning priest and eccentric lady who attempts to harness all the sounds of nature into the musical spectrum are standouts, but there is plenty to explore and to delight in this singular piece of work from Neil […] Read more »
While there is a 113-minute theatrical version of Robert B. Weide’s film available, all discerning fans of Woody Allen should do their upmost to seek out the full fascinating 195-minute cut. The film takes you through every aspect of Allen’s life and career, from his humble origins in Brooklyn, through his “early, funny films” into […] Read more »
Joshua Oppenheimer’s chilling, surreal and at times very funny documentary tracks down some of Indonesia’s most notorious death squad leaders, who are only too happy to recount and even act out the atrocities of their younger years. They are proud of what they have done, and show no remorse, and over the course of Oppenheimer’s […] Read more »
Coming Into Light is an extraordinarily well put together introduction to the life and work of early photographer and film maker Edward S. Curtis. Best known for his thirty year project documenting the indigenous peoples of North America, Curtis was an early and occasionally controversial pioneer of ethnographic photography. This film is a testament to […] Read more »
Coming Into Light is an extraordinarily well put together introduction to the life and work of early photographer and film maker Edward S. Curtis. Originally created for the American Masters TV series on PBS, the film is now available as a standalone documentary. I’m very glad it is, because this is quite a remarkable piece […] Read more »
Sound City is a documentary looking at the history of a legendary Los Angeles studio which recorded everyone from Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, Rick Springfield, Tom Petty, Nirvana & Rage Against The Machine, along with many others. Directed by Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), this is a well crafted, revealing and very human look not […] Read more »
The favourite to win Best Documentary at the Oscars later this month is a fantastic piece of investigative journalism into what became of the folk singer Rodriguez. A Mexican-born Detroit native, he was hailed as the next Bob Dylan, but his career went nowhere, resulting in him commiting suicide live on stage. Bizarrely there was […] Read more »
I had put off watching this much-lauded documentary for most of 2012 for one reason or another, but after finally catching it today I don’t know why I waited so long. Essentially this is the story of a young Mexican singer-songwriter who grew up in Detroit and cut a couple of folk-rock albums in the […] Read more »
Quite possibly the most frightening film I’ve seen in years, Mads Brugger’s documentary takes him undercover into the most dangerous areas of Central Africa as he attempts to obtain diplomatic credentials and establish himself as a player in the not-so-friendly world of blood diamond smuggling. By turns hilarious, shocking, outrageous and terrifying. Read more »
After an extended hiatus we have returned! In our latest dispatch Fernando and I discuss the many cinematic delights of this year’s PiFan Film Festival in South Korea, highlightng films as diverse as Miike Takashi’s For Love’s Sake and Zal Batmanglij’s Sound Of My Voice. Enjoy! Podcast: Play in new window | Download Read more »