A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Ron Fricke, “Samsara” (2011) Fourth in a series of wordless visual documentaries by Ron Fricke (the previous films being “Chronos”, “Sacred Sites” and “Baraka”), “Samsara” is…
Herman Axelbank and Max Eastman, “Tsar to Lenin” (1937) Presented by Mehring Books and the Socialist Equality Party, “Tsar to Lenin” is an incredible historical document…
Dave Dahl, “Skywatcher” (2012) Here’s an intriguing documentary that offers an alternative explanation for climate change that should have us all re-thinking that overseas holiday we…
Achieving the Perfect 10 – Parkettes gymnastics documentary (CNN, 2003) This CNN TV sports documentary focuses on the Parkettes gymnastics club for girls and women and…
Hanneke van Ravenswaay and Ben Jurna, “Moral Dilemma … Can Ethics Help?” (1998) This episode of “The Examined Life” investigates a moral dilemma faced by a…
John Allman, “Is Ethics based on Virtue?” (1998) Part of a series “The Examined Life” which brings theories of ethics to bear on contemporary life, this…
Frank Morrow / Alternative Views, Gulf War documentary (1990s?) Found an interesting documentary on the Gulf War which delves into the history of Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait…
Martin Scorsese, “American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince” (1978) After making his break-through films “Mean Streets”, “Taxi Driver” and “New York, New York”, Martin Scorsese…
Martin Scorsese, “What’s a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This?” (1963) Martin Scorsese, “The Big Shave” (1967) Two hilarious short films from Martin…
Martin Scorsese, “It’s Not Just You, Murray!” (1964) Made by Scorsese as a film student at New York University under the tutelage of Haig Manoogian, this…