Documentary Rated R
“Valuable … but misses a golden opportunity to intersect access and art.
Documentary Rated PG
A brisk and enlightening overview of the crippling problems facing public education in the United States circa 2010. The documentary follows a handful of families — mostly urban, mostly minority — who have been failed by their neighborhood schools and are hoping to land a coveted spot in one of the better-performing charter schools in
Documentary Rated PG-13
From the creepy thermal-camera footage of its opening credits to the covert missions under the cover of darkness, this activist documentary plays like a spy thriller more than anything else. Centered around Ric O’Barry, dolphin trainer to Flipper who has since become a champion for dolphin rights around the world, The Cove visits Taijii, Japan,
Documentary Rated NR
The documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil received a lot of praise upon its release as a real-life This is Spinal Tap, but it struck me as a missed opportunity. Director Sacha Gervasi has the cooperation of golden subjects: Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner (Spinal Tap fans will recognize the irony of the latter’s
"…a jarring and devastating animated documentary that explores the psychological trauma inflicted by warfare as well as any live-action war epic I’ve seen."
Cinematic rage against the machine. Documentarians Carl Deal and Tia Lessin capture the Katrina disaster mostly via home video footage taken by Kimberly Roberts, a resident of New Orleans’ doomed Lower Ninth Ward. Her camera recorded the Biblical floods, the astonishing wreckage, the infuriating governmental indifference and the ensuing bureaucratic nightmare. The highlight of Trouble
“…a profane, sacrilegious and very funny anti-religion documentary that is well worth seeing – perhaps especially if you’re a person of faith.
"Performing – for American Idol or YouTube – has become such an integral part of the American experience that people no longer seem capable of appearing authentic while on camera."
"…makes Spurlock look like the Junior Whopper of Michael Moore-style documentarians."
"…raises some interesting questions about the fallibility of evolutionary theory, but does so in such a smug, disingenuous and self-serving manner that it’s hard to take it seriously."
