Documentary

The Emily mentioned in the title is Emily Levine, an actress, stand-up comedian, TV writer, and lecturer. She was known for her smart sense of humor which she used in her lectures. As you can…

Anna Mae Bullock was born 50 miles outside of Memphis in a small town called Brownsville on November 11th, 1939. She would eventually become known for two distinct reasons: as an icon in the music…

It’s not often that you watch a documentary that is genuinely informative and also includes a talking head drinking a Tecate. In life, it’s all about the simple pleasures. Seldom does a documentary instantly feel…

Before I saw this movie, I had no idea who David Wojnarowicz was. Its title was also a complete mystery to me. But then I saw the documentary, and I decided to do some background…

I am, of course, familiar with Jane Fonda the actress. Indeed, I have admired her in dramas such as The China Syndrome and especially They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Honestly, I even enjoyed her in…

When the opportunity arose to watch They Call Me Dr. Miami, I jumped on it faster than a half-price BBL. Dr. Miami has always been one of the most fascinating people on the internet to…

Sports movies can provide great insight into foreign cultures. Almost every country in the world weaves sports into its culture to some degree, even relying on them greatly to present a strong national image to…

Animation is a powerful tool in a filmmaker’s arsenal. Sure, many of the most popular and successful animated films are under the ‘kids’ movies’ banner, but there are many which take on thought-provoking, introspective ideas.…

Creating an intimate documentary that goes deep into an individual’s backstory can be one of the most difficult types of film to do right. The level of intimacy necessary can be difficult to capture and dip…

When you grow up in Belgium, you don’t often hear country music. In the seventies and the eighties, I did, however, become familiar with some of the biggest names in the genre. I remember Kenny…

Edgar Wright is by far one of the greatest filmmakers of the generation. His films offer a style that’s completely his own, and the reception his films receive reflects it. One of the most notable…

Policing in Modern America is in a complicated place. The institution has, rightfully so, come under fire for outdated practices and negative interactions with minorities. What was at one time among the noblest professions, has…

Have you heard the story of the Rouletista? I promise you don’t know what you’re getting into when you hit play on Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself. It’s impossible, really, and that’s okay. It’s…

For many, their introduction to Björn Andrésen was watching him as an old man falling off a cliff during the ättestupa scene in Midsommar, followed by the all-too-gruesome moment of him having his skull smashed in…

Let’s start with a little bit of explanation. I guess that most of you are unfamiliar with the word “aspie”. It’s shorthand for Asperger’s Syndrome, which is a neurological disorder. Nowadays, Asperger’s is no longer…

On November 24, 1971, D.B. Cooper jumped out of a plane with two hundred thousand dollars in ransom money and disappeared. Now, the phrase “living the dream” is thrown around a lot these days, but……

When looking at Werner Herzog’s filmography, it’s clear he’s made pretty much every type of film out there. He’s done historical epics, horror remakes, and even a Nicolas Cage crime drama. Recently, with the success…

It’s pretty safe to say our relationship to the police has forever changed in the wake of George Floyd’s death on May 25th. Although it goes without saying it should have never gotten to that point…

We normally attribute accusations of witchcraft to the Salem witch trials, or some other time in the distant past that was more conducive to such barbaric measures. Little do we realize that many innocent people…

On February 13th, 2017, Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of Kim Jong-un, was assassinated at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia after being attacked with the VX nerve agent, an extremely toxic chemical that has…

For as much as Martin Luther King Jr. did for this country, it’s exasperating seeing the amount of effort the government put into trying to discredit him. As recently declassified documents show, the FBI began…

On January 23rd, a time that already feels like many, many lifetimes ago, Wuhan, China went under lockdown as the Coronavirus ravaged the region. Healthcare workers were left to play a deadly game of catch-up,…

America has always been a fertile ground for new movements and splinter groups. Heck, the Pilgrims were basically a church looking to — in the words of Bender Bending Rodriguez — start their own colony,…

Back in 2005, American cartoonist Matt Furie created the popular webcomic, Boy’s Club. A re-creation of his halcyon days with his college roommates, Boy’s Club was composed of deadpan comic vignettes of 4 anthropomorphic humanoid…

“The desire to be a politician should bar you for life from ever being one.” – Billy Connolly Since 1935, The American Legion has sponsored Boys State (and Girls State, which is somehow a separated…

Movies have trained us not to trust AI. We’ll never forget seeing Hal 9000 lay waste to a group of astronauts; Skynet has threatened to destroy humanity so many times, it has become synonymous with…

Check out the rest of our coverage of the 2020 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival: Read Part 1 here. Read Part 2 here. Read Part 3 here. Paradise Without People Even though the Syrian refugee crisis…

Check out the rest of our coverage of the 2020 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival: Read Part 1 here. Read Part 2 here. The Walrus and the Whistleblower CW: Mentions of animal abuse Nathalie Bibeau’s portrait…

Read part 1 of our 2020 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival coverage here. The Wheels of Wonder Play is a very important aspect of every child’s development. It gets them moving, stimulates their imagination, and helps…

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some film festivals have moved online. This allowed me to — despite being based in London — screen some of the slate in the 2020 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival.  So,…