Tag Archives: Documentary

Zappa (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Much more than a rock musician

I have only once heard about Frank Zappa (1940-1993) during my old college years. During that cold winter semester of 2001, I attended a philosophy class just for getting extra credits, and its young lecturer introduced to us a bit … Continue reading

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Downfall: The Case Against Boeing (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The downfall of Boeing

Netflix documentary film “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing”, which was released two days ago, may make you think twice about getting on a Boeing airplane. As many of you know, the Boeing Company dominated the airplane manufacture industry for several … Continue reading

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Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): Their complicated friendship

Netflix documentary film “Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali”, which was released in last September, examines the complicated friendship between two famous African American figures in the 1960s. Starting from their respective early years, the documentary shows us how … Continue reading

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Ascension (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): Chinese Dream from bottom to top

Documentary film “Ascension”, which received an Oscar nomination in last week, is often mesmerizing in its restrained but effective presentation of the social/economic landscapes of the Chinese society. Because it simply looks at a number of various places and people … Continue reading

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MLK/FBI (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A close look into the FBI surveillance on MLK

Documentary film “MLK/FBI” is often compelling in its calm but sobering presentation of what happened between one great American figure and a very powerful government agency quite willing to suppress him by any means necessary. While it will not probably … Continue reading

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The Pregnant Tree and the Goblin (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A haunting invocation between documentary and fiction

It is not so easy to categorize South Korean documentary film “The Pregnant Tree and the Goblin”, which was finally released in South Korean theaters in last week despite having its local premiere in 2019. At first, it simply seems … Continue reading

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Sewing Sisters (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): When they were young and defiant laborers

South Korean documentary “Sewing Sisters” illuminates real-life stories which deserve to be told more and more as the hidden parts of the South Korean labor union history. As simply listening to the seemingly ordinary heroines of these real-life tales, the … Continue reading

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The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (2015) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The Rise and Fall of the Black Panthers

Stanley Nelson’s documentary film “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution” shows a lot more about the Black Panthers than you may expect. To be frank with you, I once regarded the Black Panthers as nothing but a pesky and … Continue reading

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Attica (2021) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Five Days in Attica, 1971

Documentary film “Attica” looks into the uprising at the Attica Correctional Facility, New York in 1971, and it tells and shows much more than what I vaguely knew about this incident. To be frank with you, I only came to … Continue reading

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The Forever Prisoner (2021) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): It was torture indeed

HBO documentary “The Forever Prisoner” is often sobering and chilling in its calm but blistering presentation on what the US government allowed to happen in the name of War on Terror. While it did not surprise or shock you much … Continue reading

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