Jim Henson: Idea Man
An idea to turn the life of beloved puppeteer and filmmaker Jim Henson into a feature film evolved into this documentary. Conventional but compelling, it traces his life from the…
ABBA the Movie
After directing several ABBA videos, Lasse Hallström made this hybrid between concert movie and comedy that was seen in some corners as the band’s version of A Hard Day’s Night…
High and Low: John Galliano
Or, The Rehabilitation of John Galliano, produced by Condé Nast whose fashion magazines (including Vogue whose editor-in-chief Anna Wintour appears in the film) were an instrumental part in the rise…
Moonage Daydream: Journey Into Bowie
Photo: Neon It wasn’t until a few years ago that I heard of a concept called paracosm. That’s a term for a sort of world-building that you do in your…
Blix Not Bombs
It’s a clash between generations as young filmmaker Greta Stocklassa meets veteran diplomat Hans Blix, now in his late 90s but still sharp. Blix handled many crises throughout his long…
20 Days in Mariupol: Odyssey of Hell
Photo: PBS Distribution When I saw this documentary, I was also reading Erik Larson’s ”The Splendid and the Vile”, his engrossing account of the London Blitz. Depicting a city and…
The Last Journey
A sweet, moving documentary that cleverly reminded Swedish audiences of how they’ve developed a bond with TV personality Filip Hammar and his family over the years, in various projects. In…
The Beatles: Get Back
Covering The Beatles at work on their final studio album, the 1970 documentary Let It Be depicted a band on the verge of breaking up, ending with the now legendary,…
Diego Maradona
The filmmakers create a rich portrait of the legendary soccer player by focusing on his most dramatic period, playing for Napoli in the 1980s. It’s the story of how the…
Free Solo: El Cap One Step at a Time
Alex Honnold. Photo: National Geographic In September 2019, the term ”free solo” was added to Merriam-Webster’s English dictionary. The reason was this film and its ability to take what used…