In light of the fact that last week documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras risked documenting Edward Snowden, the 29-year-old who revealed himself to be the NSA surveillance whistle-blower, I decided I needed to watch one of her films. I found “THE…
‘DETROPIA’: An Arty Meditation, Good for a Slow Sunday
By Gregory Crofton Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing’s documentary (they made the Oscar-nominated JESUS CAMP) about the implosion of Detroit – is not lousy, but it’s not very good either. I’ve been suspicious of this documentary since I laid eyes…
‘LIFE WITH MURDER’ Unravels Its Twisted and Unbelievable Story Perfectly
“LIFE WITH MURDER” unlocks a story so complicated and fragile that director John Kastner has to unravel it with precision. The crime of murder occurs within the confines of a family. How does a family deal with that? Crime maybe…
‘McCULLIN’ Takes You Into the Hell of War Through the Eyes of a Photojournalist
By Gregory Crofton The “albeano” – what the word albino sounds like coming from Don McCullin – was starving to death. It pained the photographer when the 9 year old with bulging eyes followed him around camp silently asking for…
THE IMPOSSIBLE: A Disaster Horror Movie, Also a True Story
Had no interest in watching a movie in watching “THE IMPOSSIBLE,” a Hollywood movie about the 2004 tsunami that hit Indonesia and killed more than 200,000 people. Why bother? Didn’t want to think about it again, had already heard enough…