Posts Tagged Doc
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October 6, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Wellington Film Society: Preview – China’s Van Goghs (October 8)
The Wellington Film Society rolls on. Last week it was Mustang. This week it’s back to documentary, with China’s Van Goghs. One of the most affecting moments in China’s Van Goghs unfolds in a small art gallery, where the documentary’s protagonists and their friends eagerly gather to watch the 1956 Vincent van Gogh biopic Lust for Life. Their […]Archive
July 2, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Grace Jones – Bloodlight and Bami: DVD
Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami Director: Sophie Fiennes Umbrella Entertainment As with her recent/ish memoir (a mostly great read) here Grace Jones is self-mythologising. And rightly. Wisely. More than fair enough. She’s singular – her impact felt across fashion and music and (to a lesser degree) both the big and small screen. She’s a visual […]Archive
May 11, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
To Be Or Not To Be: Film
To Be Or Not To Be Director: Jing Chen (Independent) A short film – merely a conversation of just 11 minutes – but it screens as part of a series of shorts at the Doc Edge Festival – To Be Or Not To Be is a snapshot of the busking-career, motivations, influences and frustrations of […]Archive
May 10, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Film Preview: Swagger of Thieves
Swagger of Thieves – the documentary feature about Head Like A Hole made its debut last year at the Wellington Film Festival (see here for my review). The independently produced and distributed film will now have a limited run in theatres across New Zealand from May 17. See here and here for more details. And see here for […]Archive
May 8, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Mermaids: Film
Mermaids Director: Ali Weinstein Naiad Procutions/Sphinx Productions/Films We Like Mermaids – a subculture, a fetish – this film looks at the talent required (synchronised swimming) and attention to detail with costuming. It looks too at the people behind the mermaid-fascination. Just as you think it’s all getting a bit, er, watery – we find the […]Archive
April 22, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
XTC – This Is Pop: Film
XTC: This Is Pop Directors: Roger Penny, Charlie Thomas Special Treats Distribution We open with Andy Partridge giving us one of those I’m not gonna give you a quote-quotes: “Rockumentaries, I really dislike them. They always have that lugubrious keyboard player from that prog rock group…” Cue interview snippet from Rick Wakeman.Archive
April 3, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Blue: DVD
Blue Director: Karina Holden Northern Pictures/Transmission Films The statistics are frightening – and embarrassing – half of the ocean’s life has been killed off in the last 40 years. By 2050 there will be more plastic in the sea than fish. But do we give a shit?Archive
April 2, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Documentary Edge Festival 2018: Programme Announced
The always-wonderful Documentary Edge Festival returns for 2018 with screenings in Wellington (09 – 20 May, Roxy Cinema) and Auckland (23 May – 04 Junes, Q Theatre) with a range of docs from New Zealand and abroad. Music, gender, politics, life – documentaries on a single subject, films that cover many things – shorts (9 mins) […]Archive
February 22, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
John Mellencamp: Plain Spoken – Live from The Chicago Theatre
John Mellencamp: Plain Spoken – Live from The Chicago Theatre Enliven Entertainment/Eagle Rock Netflix Bruce Springsteen is the boss. And John Mellencamp is, at best, 2IC. Which is plain to see. Even more obvious to hear. And here he takes his Plain Spoken album – the 20-something-th of his career and places it in the live context, a […]Archive
December 12, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
Voyeur: Film
Voyeur Directors: Myles Kane & Josh Koury Brooklyn Underground Films/Impact Partners/Public Record/Netflix Gay Talese’s tone-deaf, creepy and largely unnecessary book becomes this tone-deaf, creepy and largely unnecessary doco thanks, I guess, to his “star-power” as a celebrity writer. But in his 80s now and so deeply out of touch it’s hard to know who looks […]Archive
September 1, 2017 by Simon Sweetman