Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out Directed by Marina Zenovich USA, 2012 It is probably necessary that Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out exists. Once director Marina Zenovich established herself as the definitive documentarian of the famed director’s sexual assault case with 2008’s fine film Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, an account of Polanski’s arrest in Switzerland …
Samsara Directed by Ron Fricke USA, 2011 Halfway through Samsara, a pair of heavily tattooed young people, a man and woman, are shown on camera. The woman is staring directly at the camera, as do many of the people highlighted in this documentary. The man’s shaved forehead, however, is bowed so we can see one …
Samsara Directed by Ron Fricke U.S.A., 2011 What is humanity’s relation to the world and to itself? What is humanity’s legacy culturally, spiritually, architecturally, politically and how has that legacy changed throughout the ages? There is no single answer to any of those questions, but the exercise of pondering on the matter should provide enough …
Shadow Dancer Directed by James Marsh Written by Tom Bradby 2012, UK, Ireland There’s no real reason to believe that the artistry required in the making of a documentary is vastly different to that required in the making of a fictional narrative. Nonetheless it is always interesting to watch filmmakers transition from one to the …
Searching for Sugar Man Directed by Malik Bendjelloul UK/Sweden, 2012 One problem the modern narrative documentary faces in the time of instantaneous online information is that the various twists and turns they present may well already be known to a viewer beforehand, them having looked into basic details about the documentary’s subject prior to watching. …
Normal School (Escuela Normal) Directed by Celina Murga Written by Celina Murga, Juan Villegas 2012, Argentina Any time a narrative film or documentary, or any art form for that matter, attempts to portray a well-defined social entity, whether it be a community or an institution contained within walls, there can be moments of giddying …
Toy Masters Written by Roger Lay Jr. and Corey Landis Directed by Roger Lay Jr. USA 2012 Fantasia imdb This year, Fantasia doubled the number of documentaries in their Documentaries From The Edge series from five to ten. Justine has already raved about The Mechanical Bride and I intend to write very positively about Despite the Gods and My Amityville Horror when I get a …
What Is This Film Called Love? Written and directed by Mark Cousins UK, 2012 Mark Cousins’ latest film follows his tremendous fifteen hour epic The Story of Film: An Odyssey, but is a polar opposite work from that documentary in terms of scale and ambition. Indeed, the creation of What Is This Film Called Love? …
Two Years at Sea Directed by Ben Rivers UK, 2011 The most appealing aspect of video artist Ben Rivers’ debut feature is its intentionally grainy, monochrome 16mm cinematography, providing a dreamy quality to a curiously beautiful visual aesthetic. Two Years at Sea immerses the viewer in the gentle rhythms of the life of hermit Jake …
Between Two Rivers Directed by Jacob Cartwright and Nick Jordan UK, 2012 Partway through this documentary portrait of Cairo, Illinois, one resident addresses the various accounts of the city’s history: “There’s a little bit of truth in everybody’s story… there’s no literal black and white truth. You can’t boil us into a five second sound …
Grunt grunt grunt! Grunt–*cough, cough*–excuse me, I had a piece of hacky old shtick in my throat. Now, where was I? Ah yes, it’s time for a new Mousterpiece Cinema! This week, Josh and Michael go to the jungles of Africa with the new DisneyNature documentary Chimpanzee, which is replete with beautiful imagery, a compelling …
Chimpanzee Directed by Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield Written by Alastair Fothergill, Mark Linfield, and Don Hahn Narrated by Tim Allen If you’ve been listening to Mousterpiece Cinema long enough, you probably know that I’m a cat person. I’ve mentioned, offhandedly, on the show how the Disney animated canon manages to often make cats into …
Dérapages Directed by Paul Arcand Written by Paul Arcand Canada, 2012 Automobile accidents make up the number 1 cause of death in the Canadian province of Québec on an annual basis. Youngsters, by which it is meant the group of people between the ages of 16 to 24, are unfortunately the victims and offenders of …
Bully Directed by Lee Hirsch Written by Lee Hirsch and Cynthia Lowen U.S.A., 2011 *Preface: The following review does not partake in the debate surrounding the film’s controversial ‘R’ rating in the United States. The elementary and high school levels of a child’s academic journey make up some of their most formative years. This is …
A Man’s Story Directed by Vanon Bonicos UK, 2010 British fashion designer Ozwald Boateng’s career is chronicled in A Man’s Story, a documentary derived from director Varon Bonicos’ camera crew having spent twelve years tailing and accruing footage of the man at both work and play. The film’s lone strength is that there’s always a …
Payback Directed by Jennifer Baichwal Written by Margaret Atwood (book) and Jennifer Baichwal (adaptation) Canada, 2012 Movies inspired on books are a dime a dozen, with almost every week there being something released in theatres which is based on some of sort of novel. Very often, whenever the source material happens to be much beloved, …
Études de mouvements à Paris Directed by Joris Ivens France, 1927 Visual studies have long been relegated to the fringe of cinema appreciation. A mainstay of early cinema of attractions, today these films are often appreciated solely for their historical or social value rather than their visual or artistic merits. In 1927 Dutch filmmaker Joris …
Waking Sleeping Beauty Directed and narrated by Don Hahn Written by Patrick Pacheco I have a really great memory when it comes to completely unimportant information. I remember seeing Who Framed Roger Rabbit in theaters in 1988. I remember the day I found out I couldn’t go to see Jurassic Park in theaters–I was too …
This week on Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh discusses a rare type of movie indeed: a fascinating documentary about some pretty awesome movies. Yes, this week, he’s reviewing 2009’s Waking Sleeping Beauty, which is all about how such classics as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King were all made during a wild …
Senna Written by Manish Pandey Directed by Asif Kapadia UK, 2010 There’s perhaps no sport more strongly governed by non-performative factors than auto racing. The specs and maintenance of the car are just as important as the driver’s capabilities, not to mention the labyrinthine negotiations and backroom politics involved in team operation and selection. Asif …
One Hundred Years of Evil Directed by Erik Eger & Magnus Oliv Written by Oliver Blackburn, Erik Eger, Magnus Oliv and Joacim Starander Sweden, 80 min. Maximum capital gains have long-inspired television programmers of history television to favour propaganda championing the heroes and successes of their countries war-time achievements. Audiences clearly lost interest in self-congratulatory …
Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times Written by Kate Novack and Andrew Rossi Directed by Andrew Rossi USA, 2011 A succinct, if somewhat scattered, portrait of a journalistic (and cultural and political) juggernaut in flux, Andrew Rossi’s Page One seeks to accomplish a whole lot in its scant 90 minutes: determine the …
The popularity of a documentary film is often based on word-of-mouth. Very few docs get a wide release (or a theatrical release at all, for that matter) or receive much press. Unless it’s the latest Michael Moore film, a massive advocacy film aiming for Oscar recognition or a mass-market oddity like Supersize Me, a documentary …