Tag Archives: Documentary

Armstrong (2019) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Respectable but redundant

Posted on July 21, 2019 by kaist455

Documentary film “Armstrong” tries to present the life and career of Neil Armstrong, the most prominent figure in the Apollo Space Program. While its attempt is admirable, sincere, and, considering the 50th anniversary of that monumental moment, timely, the documentary … Continue reading →

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Maria by Callas: In Her Own Words (2017) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): The Diva of the Century

Posted on July 13, 2019 by kaist455

Documentary film “Maria by Callas: In Her Own Words” attempts to present the glimpses of humanity and personality from Maria Callas, one of the most extraordinary opera singers in the 20th century. Mainly consisting of various archival photographs and footage … Continue reading →

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Hale Country This Morning, This Evening (2018) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Hale County, Alabama

Posted on July 5, 2019 by kaist455

Documentary film “Hale Country This Morning, This Evening”, which won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Creative Vision when it was shown at the Sundance Film Festival early in last year and then got nominated for Best Documentary Oscar … Continue reading →

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Bisbee ’17 (2018) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): As they straddle past and present

Posted on July 5, 2019 by kaist455

Documentary film “Bisbee ‘17” presents a number of interesting and thought-provoking things via its unconventional approach, and I admire that a lot even though I often found myself struggling a bit to get how it intends to present its historical … Continue reading →

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Leaving Neverland (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): A sobering allegation of sexual abuse

Posted on July 2, 2019 by kaist455

HBO documentary film “Leaving Neverland” gave me a number of sobering moments I will easily not forget for a while. As listening to two men who were allegedly abused and molested in sexual ways by Michael Jackson when they were … Continue reading →

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The World Before Your Feet (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): Walking more than 8,000 miles in NYC

Posted on June 24, 2019 by kaist455

When I spent several weeks of 2010 April in Chicago, some of the most memorable moments came from when I walked around here and there in the city. I remember the Swedish Bakery and several other interesting places I came … Continue reading →

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The Edge of Democracy (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): The unraveling of democracy in Brazil

Posted on June 20, 2019 by kaist455

Brazilian documentary film “The Edge of Democracy”, which was released on Netflix yesterday, is often uncomfortable and depressing to watch especially if, like me, you have been disturbed by the rise of extreme right-wing political factions around the world during … Continue reading →

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Ask Dr. Ruth (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): America’s most famous sex therapist

Posted on June 16, 2019 by kaist455

I like good documentary films about interesting human lives, and “Ask Dr. Ruth” is one of such cases. Here is a remarkable old German lady who moved to US after surviving the World War II and then became an unlikely … Continue reading →

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Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (2019) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A rambling Bob Dylan documentary from Scorsese

Posted on June 14, 2019 by kaist455

Bob Dylan has always been an iconic but distant figure to us. Sure, he has given us numerous memorable songs such as “Blowin in the Wind” or “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” for more than 50 years, but he has also … Continue reading →

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Varda by Agnès (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Her last words

Posted on June 9, 2019 by kaist455

I wish I had encountered the works of Agnès Varda earlier. During that wild period when I relentlessly devoured many works of various great filmmakers as your average young cinephile, I somehow missed many of her notable films except “Cléo … Continue reading →

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