#56 up

63 Up (R.I.P. Michael Apted)

This post is prompted by the recent passing of Michael Apted (1941-2021) and the recent streaming availability of 63 Up (2019), his final installment in his critically acclaimed Up series. Like Martin Scorsese and Werner Herzog, Apted was a director whose career embraced both documentary and fictional films. In America his best known movies tend to be narrative films based on true stories,…

Day 707 • Walking down memory lane

56 Up (2012), dir. Michael Apted

738 Days of Movies

I finally got around to watching the latest installment in one of my favorite film franchises ever, The Up Series:

Though Michael Apted’s series of “Up” documentaries typically get pegged as pinnacle achievements in documentary film, they’re actually landmarks of television. This was reality TV before the genre was a thing, and for possibly the only time in the genre’s history, the subjects were somewhat reluctant and unwilling participants.

“I have this ridiculous sense of loyalty to [this series] even…

New Post has been published on http://www.cinephiled.com/15-notable-documentaries-2013/

15 Notable Documentaries of 2013

I love docs. They help us learn about our world and provide intimate windows into experiences we will most likely never have in our own lives. Good docs occasionally help change our longstanding views about something or transform us into instant activists. Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s Blackfish, about the plight of killer whales in captivity, completely changed my attitude about SeaWorld — I will never visit places like that again. And Lion Ark made me swear off ever going to the circus, something I used to do all the time with my kids. There were so many excellent documentaries released in 2013. I hesitate to write a “10 Best” list when there are still dozens that I haven’t seen. I hope to catch up with those but below are 15 highly recommended documentaries for which I had the pleasure of talking to the directors and/or subjects. Three of the docs listed below (Blackfish, The Square and Stories We Tell) have made it to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ recently announced shortlist for the upcoming Best Documentary Oscar. I plan to see most of the other docs on that list including highly regarded films such as The Act of Killing, The Armstrong Lie and 20 Feet from Stardom.

56 Up. A diverse group of British children have been profiled every seven years on film since they were seven years old — now they’re 56. My takeaway: The most fascinating and moving documentary series in history, now 50 years in the making. Looking forward to 63 Up! Interview: Acclaimed filmmaker Michael Apted.

American Courtesans. Looking at what life is really like for sex workers in this country. My takeaway: Many of our laws need to be changed. Interview: Producer, co-writer and former sex worker Kristin DiAngelo.

Approximately Nels Cline. Oscar-winning director Steven Okazaki profiles Wilco guitarist Nels Cline (named by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time) in his freeform collaborations with other musicians. My takeaway: Cline is one of the most gifted musicians ever to touch a guitar. Interview: Guitarist Nels Cline.

Blackfish. The devastating results of keeping killer whales in captivity and forcing them to perform for big crowds. My takeaway: RIP UP THAT SEAWORLD PASS! Interview: Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite.

Code Black. What happens when the desires of young, idealistic ER doctors crash up against the realities of today’s healthcare system? My takeaway: Emergency room doctors deserve our great respect and innovation is possible with proper leadership. Interview: Director (and working ER doctor) Ryan McGarry.

Call Me Kuchu. Inspiring AIDS activists in Uganda fight for their rights as their government votes on its appalling “Kill the Gays” bill. My takeaway: Uganda’s state-sponsored homophobia, encouraged by visiting American evangelical leaders, must come to an end. Interview: Directors Malika Zouhari-Worrall and Katherine Fairfax Wright.

The Gatekeepers. Six former heads of Shin Bet, Israel’s counter-terrorist agency,talk about their time at the agency with surprising candor. My takeaway: It’s possible to discuss the volatile situation in the Middle East without immediately casting one side as the villains and one side as the victims. Interview: Director Dror Moreh.

Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy? A fascinating, fully-animated conversation with linguist, activist and controversial MIT professor Noam Chomsky. My takeaway: Animated documentaries can help make complex thoughts much more accessible. Interview: Director Michel Gondry.

Lion Ark. The daring rescue of every lion in captivity in illegal circuses throughout Bolivia. My takeaway: Animal circuses everywhere, including the ones in this country, have to go. Interview: Director and animal rights activist Tim Phillips.

No Place on Earth. The incredible, awe-inspiring story of 38 Jews who survived World War II by spending more than a year in an underground cave.  My takeaway: The human spirit never ceases to amaze. Interview: Director Janet Tobias.

Our Nixon. A riveting behind-the-scenes look at the Nixon administration told through impounded home movies taken by Nixon’s young staff. My takeaway: Richard Nixon’s tumultuous presidency was the most well-documented in history. Interview: Director Penny Lane.

Spinning Plates. A hunger-inducing profile of three wildly different restaurants that revels the power food has to connect us to one another. My takeaway: I want to eat at chef Grant Achatz’s unusual Chicago restaurant Alinea more than anything in the world! Interview: Filmmaker Joseph Levy.

The Square. A fascinating account of the Egyptian Revolution told from the perspective of the participants in Tahrir Square. My takeaway: The courageous Egyptian people deserve far better than what they’ve gotten since the 2011 overthrow of Mubarak. Interview: Director Jehane Noujaim, producer Karim Amer and actor/activist Khalid Abdalla.

Stories We Tell. Actress/director Sarah Polley’s very personal exploration of her own family’s secrets makes for one of the most fascinating films of the year. My takeaway: All of us have interesting stories to tell and family secrets to mine. Interview: Director Sarah Polley.