Lost In Translation

Joker

Joker was one of the most talked about films of the season mostly for Joquaim Phonix's role as the titular Joker. Also it is something of a dystopian fable  that is quite cynical about life in Gotham city.

Making Waves: The Art Of Cinematic Sound

Making Waves (2019) by Midge Costin tells the story of how music became central to cinema in the 70s. The documentary talks to several of the prominent film makers (Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas among others) and their sounds crews to explain how these aspects became central to the films. There are bits from dozens of well known films throughout.

Far From Vietnam

Far From Vietnam (1967) is an omnibus film series with New Wave mainstays such as Jean Luc Goddard and Agnes Vardas among others who support the North Vietnamese in their struggle against the US. There is a lot of protest material that looks fresh.

Miidsommar

MIdsommar (2019) was last year's break out horror film. Some American college friends go to Sweden to visit an exchange student friend's village to take part in a rural summer festival that quickly gets out of hand.

Ask Dr. Ruth

Ryan White's documentary, Ask Dr. Ruth (2019), on sex therapist Dr. RUth was informative and entertaining. The subject is another from my high school years and is shockingly still active on the lecture and book writing front-she's still publishing at 90! And what a life she's lived as a Jewish survivor of WWII, married three times and a late start as a radio show host-it's as if she's lived three lives-her life force is still very strong.

The Black Godfather

Netflix has created another informative documentary on The Black Godfather (2019) about Clarence Avant. Avant was a product of the music business but his influence was wide and far and included politicians and sportsmen among the people in the entertainment business. I was unaware of the far ranging influence of Avant and his impact on culture.

Cameraperson

Kristen Johnson's Cameraperson (2016) is an unusual documentary. It contains footage from all of the documentaries Johnson has shot in career and there's no organizing framework for it per se. There are a wide variety of documentations from very serious (war atrocities) to lighter (Michael Moore). It is an invigorating and challenging viewing experience.

Fyre Fraud

There was a lot of fuss about the disastrous Fyre Festival including two documentaries, so I decided to see what it was all about by watching Fyre Fraud (2019). It is a head scratching look at how anything so ill planned could have made it as far along as it did. Greed and marketing united.

At The Heart Of Gold

At The Heart Of Gold (2019) tells the ugly "Me, too" story of sexual abuse within the US Gymnastics team over the years as it was reveled in 2016. It's another heart breaking story about how young women were not believed and adults failed in their roles as protectors.

The Two Popes

The Two Popes (2019) tells the story of an unlikely alliance between rivals based on real life events. Fernando Meirilles shows how conservative Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins) becomes a friend of liberal incoming Pope Francis (Jonathon Pryce). It is yet another pleasing Nextflix production.