Wednesday, December 10 2008
POV: Inheritance
This notion of "help" -- impossible, necessary -- colors Inheritance, a documentary about living with memories of a Nazi father.
Tuesday, December 9 2008
Leverage
Each week Nate (Timothy Hutton) oversees a masterful scheme to steal from skeevy rich people and give back to relatively and always ethically sound poor people.
Independent Lens: Doc
Sinuous, dynamic, and utterly compelling, Doc remembers the man as his own lifelong project.
Monday, December 8 2008
In Prison My Whole Life
In Prison My Whole Life works through the contexts and details of Mumia Abu Jamal's experience, connecting it to other moments in recent American history.
Friday, December 5 2008
House of Saddam
At the start of House of Saddam, the Iraqi leader watches George W. Bush announce the coming war on TV, looking into a reflection of his own end, born of hubris and deception and decades of disloyalties.
Thursday, December 4 2008
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
The links among truth, story, and memory come up repeatedly in Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father.
Tuesday, December 2 2008
Explorer: Marijuana Nation
Marijuana Nation is interested in what makes pot so "desired by so many."
Monday, December 1 2008
Dirty Driving: Thundercars in Indiana
Dirty Driving: Thundercars in Indiana, a subtle, provocative documentary that premiered last month on HBO, observes the complicated relationship between racers and the car industry.
Tuesday, November 25 2008
Frontline: The Hugo Chávez Show
The television show that propels, shapes, and delivers Hugo Chávez remains odd and provocative.
Independent Lens: The Atom Smashers
Science, in a previous version of the United States, was part of daily, popular culture, a subject and career considered respectable, even admirable.
Monday, November 24 2008
The Rape of Europa
The film contrasts remarkable footage of the Fuhrer leading tours of museums with images of the devastation his troops wrought.
Friday, November 21 2008
24: Redemption
In Africa, where children are forced to soldier, Jack realizes, every day is full of terror -- not just the 24-hour spates he's used to confronting.
Thursday, November 20 2008
50 Cent: The Money and the Power
Alternately disconcerting and trainwreck-fascinating, 50 Cent's entry into reality programming is a mix of The Apprentice and ego trip's The (White) Rapper Show.
Wednesday, November 19 2008
Homeless Youth Television
The front page of HYTV lays out a series of linked pages for "programs" that spoof recent high-profile/major network reality fare. It's a rather clever conceit.
Tuesday, November 18 2008
Independent Lens: March Point
March Point concentrates on the boys' way out, that is, the movie as a way to tell their story.
Thursday, November 13 2008
Independent Lens: Lioness
Lioness, Meg McLagan and Daria Sommers' understated, affecting documentary on women in combat in Iraq, shows how they operate in a "grey zone," not quite legal, but following orders.
Tuesday, November 11 2008
Body of War: The True Story of an Anti-War Hero
In making "people like Tomas" visible, Body of War makes its most effective argument: wars cost more than we can know.
Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story
Of the many historic changes signaled by Barack Obama's election, the defeat of divide-and-conquer politicking is among the most profound -- even if this demise is temporary.
Thursday, November 6 2008
Independent Lens: Knee Deep
Knee Deep is actually less interested in the details of who shot Janette Osborne than in the multiple stories that emerged from the crime.
Tuesday, November 4 2008
The F Word
It so happens that Jed Weintrob's The F Word is airing on IFC this morning, the very morning that the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing FCC v. Fox Television Stations, the "fleeting expletives" case.
