List your 2024 documentary film watches here.
A big wish is to see the new Wiseman this year, the one about the workings in and around the kitchen of that world-famous restaurant in France, Menus-Plaisirs - Les Troisgros.
Documentaries seen in 2024
Re: Documentaries seen in 2024
Gods of Tennis ep 3 Navratilova/Evert (Draper, 2023) 8/10
The third and final installment of a wonderful UK series on the huge tennis personalities that defined the 1970s and 80s that are now considered legends.
The first ep centred mostly on Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe, the first man of colour to ever win Wimbledon, and all the issues he faced because of his ethnicity. Also Billie Jean King and her assertive personality which rubbed the media and society up the wrong way, because women tennis players were supposed to be pretty and feminine and just shut up and never complain, right? The second ep focused mostly on the Bjorn Borg/John McEnroe rivalry. And this third and final ep concentrates on Martina Navratilova's and Chris Evert's careers, very often with them facing each other off in the big Grand Slam finals.
It was very moving at times, as Navratilova had the world against her for being unattractive, for being so "foreign", and for not being feminine enough and so obviously gay and out, though the media never openly mentioned this. Martina's loss in her first showing in a singles final match at the US Open Championships where, when she loses, the crowd gives her a huge and extended, 5 minute long super loud applause to let her know she was loved and accepted, and Martina openly cries and is overwhelmed with gratitude for the love and warmth the crowd is giving, will melt even the hardest of hearts. It's a truly moving moment, and yes, I cried too.
Some very good excerpts from great matches, this series was a wonderful time capsule, too. Recent interviews with all these gods of 1970s and 80s tennis (except for Arthur Ashe, who sadly died in the 1990s) are also wonderful and really shine a light on how they felt and what they were up against in those times. 9/10 for the series as a whole. LOVED IT!
Australia's Open S1 ep2 (Baré, 2023) 7
About the last 40 years of this Grand Slam tennis event mixed with the sometimes embarrassing recent history of Australia, with its racism and homophobia.
**I come from a nutty tennis-loving family, so both these tv series were right up my alley, but I think anyone would find them good, especially Gods of Tennis, so if anyone would like to see them too, just drop me a PM here.**
British Legends of Stage and Screen: Ian McKellen (Fabian, 2012) 7
Jerry Brown: The Disruptor [PBS American Masters] (Zenovich, 2022) 6
I probably would've gotten more out of this if I'd grown up in America. It's a positive portrait of a maverick politician who had a lot of integrity (compared to 99.9% of politicians of today, of course!).
The third and final installment of a wonderful UK series on the huge tennis personalities that defined the 1970s and 80s that are now considered legends.
The first ep centred mostly on Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe, the first man of colour to ever win Wimbledon, and all the issues he faced because of his ethnicity. Also Billie Jean King and her assertive personality which rubbed the media and society up the wrong way, because women tennis players were supposed to be pretty and feminine and just shut up and never complain, right? The second ep focused mostly on the Bjorn Borg/John McEnroe rivalry. And this third and final ep concentrates on Martina Navratilova's and Chris Evert's careers, very often with them facing each other off in the big Grand Slam finals.
It was very moving at times, as Navratilova had the world against her for being unattractive, for being so "foreign", and for not being feminine enough and so obviously gay and out, though the media never openly mentioned this. Martina's loss in her first showing in a singles final match at the US Open Championships where, when she loses, the crowd gives her a huge and extended, 5 minute long super loud applause to let her know she was loved and accepted, and Martina openly cries and is overwhelmed with gratitude for the love and warmth the crowd is giving, will melt even the hardest of hearts. It's a truly moving moment, and yes, I cried too.
Some very good excerpts from great matches, this series was a wonderful time capsule, too. Recent interviews with all these gods of 1970s and 80s tennis (except for Arthur Ashe, who sadly died in the 1990s) are also wonderful and really shine a light on how they felt and what they were up against in those times. 9/10 for the series as a whole. LOVED IT!
Australia's Open S1 ep2 (Baré, 2023) 7
About the last 40 years of this Grand Slam tennis event mixed with the sometimes embarrassing recent history of Australia, with its racism and homophobia.
**I come from a nutty tennis-loving family, so both these tv series were right up my alley, but I think anyone would find them good, especially Gods of Tennis, so if anyone would like to see them too, just drop me a PM here.**
British Legends of Stage and Screen: Ian McKellen (Fabian, 2012) 7
Jerry Brown: The Disruptor [PBS American Masters] (Zenovich, 2022) 6
I probably would've gotten more out of this if I'd grown up in America. It's a positive portrait of a maverick politician who had a lot of integrity (compared to 99.9% of politicians of today, of course!).
Re: Documentaries seen in 2024
I went to a screening of a bunch of the short films by Tom Palazzolo at the Siskel Film Center and he came to do the introduction and answer questions.
He graduated at the School of the Art Institute back in 1965 and came back to teach film there in the eighties. He's 87 now but still very sharp. It was quite a time capsule of all kinds of different stuff.
It hadn't occurred to me that the Film Boards were still operating before 1968 which meant if your film wanted to be shown anywhere it had to be reviewed by this panel of politically connected ladies. If they turned it down for any reason you could go to make an appeal by a panel of lawyers representing the Chicago Archdiocese. So nudity was evidently a sticking point.
He also shot inside the Museum of the Art Institute and I was aware of the fact that students had access to go in to draw or paint in the museum but I asked him directly as to whether he'd gotten permission somehow? He promptly replied-"no". He had to do it all in secret using a series of lookouts to inform him when the guards would leave the room so he could film the various pieces he chose to capture for some sequences which I found hilarious. Especially knowing that he not only went to the school but also taught there. Evidently, they were not nearly as concerned then or now.
Here's the titles that he screened in the original 16mm prints;
'The Bride Stripped Bare' (1967) 14m
This was covering all of the pomp and circumstance for the unveiling of the Picasso Sculpture that resides in Daley Plaza.
'Ricky & Rocky' (1972) 14m
A young couples surprise Bridal Shower held in a back yard on a warm summer's day. It holds all of the charms and fashion that the Hill's had in 'Goodfellas' The Italian groom with his Polish Bride. Ironically, the marriage doesn't last. You can find this one on YouTube but the print is nothing close to the one I saw which was as vivid as anything you can see in Technicolor.
'Love It, Leave It' (1973) 14m
Quoting Mayor Daley when he spoke of those who would protest against those fighting in Vietnam. This was also inner-cut with footage shot at "Nude World" in Indiana which included both contests representing each state for Mister Nude AND Miss Nude America. There's also a voiceover track that included the descriptions of various new vehicles on display at the Chicago Auto Show which fit perfectly along with the curves and shapes of the people displaying themselves on the runway. A weird and yet funny picture.
'Jerry's Deli' (1974) 9m
This one is by far one of those quintessential pieces of history for Chicago. A guy running a sandwich shop who having served throughout WWII is anything but a calm and collective character. His persona is manic and dictatorial to such a degree that he gets all kinds of responses to his behavior.
Also can be found on YouTube
'Marquette Park II (1978) 36m Can also be found online at Mediaburn.org
The history of racism in Illinois is a long and painful one but this was one of those moments that could have been spoofed by Fred Armisen and Bill Hader had they chose to do so. It's not nearly as significant to anyone outside of Chicago today but he happened to be capture one of the oddest moments where a small band of nazis decided to take a shot at gaining some attention by holding a rally in a park. More people turned out to take them apart than of the numbers of racist members of the KKK who came over to I guess support the hate?
There's also footage of many members of the journalists of the day when he gets pushed back into the media area. There's nothing stranger than seeing how people of the media respond to being filmed when they don't know it. There's also a very angry young man who appears briefly who would later become a member of the Obama Administration and then a Mayor of Chicago who was among the protestors.
This is called Marquette Park II because MP I (1976) was him covering the nazis going to protest the Civil Rights Marchers who marched through the then very White European Neighborhood.
This was filmed by two different filmmakers and the other who was blonde haired and blue eyed got invited to do the coverage inside the Rockwell Hall (aka the National Socialist Clubhouse) Only he didn't have his filter for shooting outside when he was using Tungsten film so all of the footage outside and en route to the rally with them primarily washed out. It's the only real flaw that couldn't be helped but the naive and dopey hate group was very short lived.
The leader would be kicked out once it was discovered that his father was a jew who was murdered at the Dachua Concentration Camp and turned over to the police when it turned out he was also a pedophile. (How bad do you have to be when the nazis turn you in?) Once he got out of jail he would remake himself as a new age author who has written many made up historical books that all elude to a pre-historical realm of where white Europeans predated all other ethnicities.
He graduated at the School of the Art Institute back in 1965 and came back to teach film there in the eighties. He's 87 now but still very sharp. It was quite a time capsule of all kinds of different stuff.
It hadn't occurred to me that the Film Boards were still operating before 1968 which meant if your film wanted to be shown anywhere it had to be reviewed by this panel of politically connected ladies. If they turned it down for any reason you could go to make an appeal by a panel of lawyers representing the Chicago Archdiocese. So nudity was evidently a sticking point.
He also shot inside the Museum of the Art Institute and I was aware of the fact that students had access to go in to draw or paint in the museum but I asked him directly as to whether he'd gotten permission somehow? He promptly replied-"no". He had to do it all in secret using a series of lookouts to inform him when the guards would leave the room so he could film the various pieces he chose to capture for some sequences which I found hilarious. Especially knowing that he not only went to the school but also taught there. Evidently, they were not nearly as concerned then or now.
Here's the titles that he screened in the original 16mm prints;
'The Bride Stripped Bare' (1967) 14m
This was covering all of the pomp and circumstance for the unveiling of the Picasso Sculpture that resides in Daley Plaza.
'Ricky & Rocky' (1972) 14m
A young couples surprise Bridal Shower held in a back yard on a warm summer's day. It holds all of the charms and fashion that the Hill's had in 'Goodfellas' The Italian groom with his Polish Bride. Ironically, the marriage doesn't last. You can find this one on YouTube but the print is nothing close to the one I saw which was as vivid as anything you can see in Technicolor.
'Love It, Leave It' (1973) 14m
Quoting Mayor Daley when he spoke of those who would protest against those fighting in Vietnam. This was also inner-cut with footage shot at "Nude World" in Indiana which included both contests representing each state for Mister Nude AND Miss Nude America. There's also a voiceover track that included the descriptions of various new vehicles on display at the Chicago Auto Show which fit perfectly along with the curves and shapes of the people displaying themselves on the runway. A weird and yet funny picture.
'Jerry's Deli' (1974) 9m
This one is by far one of those quintessential pieces of history for Chicago. A guy running a sandwich shop who having served throughout WWII is anything but a calm and collective character. His persona is manic and dictatorial to such a degree that he gets all kinds of responses to his behavior.
Also can be found on YouTube
'Marquette Park II (1978) 36m Can also be found online at Mediaburn.org
The history of racism in Illinois is a long and painful one but this was one of those moments that could have been spoofed by Fred Armisen and Bill Hader had they chose to do so. It's not nearly as significant to anyone outside of Chicago today but he happened to be capture one of the oddest moments where a small band of nazis decided to take a shot at gaining some attention by holding a rally in a park. More people turned out to take them apart than of the numbers of racist members of the KKK who came over to I guess support the hate?
There's also footage of many members of the journalists of the day when he gets pushed back into the media area. There's nothing stranger than seeing how people of the media respond to being filmed when they don't know it. There's also a very angry young man who appears briefly who would later become a member of the Obama Administration and then a Mayor of Chicago who was among the protestors.
This is called Marquette Park II because MP I (1976) was him covering the nazis going to protest the Civil Rights Marchers who marched through the then very White European Neighborhood.
This was filmed by two different filmmakers and the other who was blonde haired and blue eyed got invited to do the coverage inside the Rockwell Hall (aka the National Socialist Clubhouse) Only he didn't have his filter for shooting outside when he was using Tungsten film so all of the footage outside and en route to the rally with them primarily washed out. It's the only real flaw that couldn't be helped but the naive and dopey hate group was very short lived.
The leader would be kicked out once it was discovered that his father was a jew who was murdered at the Dachua Concentration Camp and turned over to the police when it turned out he was also a pedophile. (How bad do you have to be when the nazis turn you in?) Once he got out of jail he would remake himself as a new age author who has written many made up historical books that all elude to a pre-historical realm of where white Europeans predated all other ethnicities.
Re: Documentaries seen in 2024
emile de antonio - point of order (1964) and underground (1976)
see roy cohn in action and you'll get a very good idea of trump's legal strategy. i thought congress was a mess now but guess what it's always been ridiculous
the weather underground were fugitives when they were interviewed in 1976 and the film explores a very fascinating period of US history where left wing terrorism was a thing. one of their many bombings was at the capitol building in 1970 - however no one was injured as they always called ahead to ensure evacuation. they weren't trying to hang anyone
btw trump admitted yesterday the events of january 6th were an insurrection! caused by nancy pelosi
i'm so tired
see roy cohn in action and you'll get a very good idea of trump's legal strategy. i thought congress was a mess now but guess what it's always been ridiculous
the weather underground were fugitives when they were interviewed in 1976 and the film explores a very fascinating period of US history where left wing terrorism was a thing. one of their many bombings was at the capitol building in 1970 - however no one was injured as they always called ahead to ensure evacuation. they weren't trying to hang anyone
btw trump admitted yesterday the events of january 6th were an insurrection! caused by nancy pelosi
i'm so tired
Re: Documentaries seen in 2024
These sound great. At least I'll be able to see the one about the sandwich-stall despot on youtube.
Re: Documentaries seen in 2024
I found this one as well. https://mediaburn.org/video/marquette-park-ii on another site.
Re: Documentaries seen in 2024
Aw gee! you're the best! ty!cinesmith wrote: ↑Mon Feb 12, 2024 2:08 pm
I found this one as well. https://mediaburn.org/video/marquette-park-ii on another site.
