Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Director: Larissa Behrendt. Trailblazing indigenous artist and outspoken provocateur Richard Bell is arguably one of our most important artists whose work has been exhibited internationally. But he is also confrontational and unapologetic in his opinions about Australia’s treatment of its First Nations people, and he also bemoans the fact that traditional aboriginal art work and paintings have now become a “commodity” amongst art collectors. Timed for a cinema release over the Australia Day long weekend, this …
MY OLD SCHOOL
Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Director: Jono McLeod Stars: Alan Cumming, voices of Lulu, Clare Grogan, Dawn Steele, Joe Mcfadden, Gary Lamont, Brian MacKinnon. My Old School is a quirky and unusual documentary that is constructed from a mix of archival footage, interviews and animation. In 1993 17-year-old Brandon Lee enrolled as a student at Bearsden Academy in Glasgow. He was a popular student even though his appearance was a bit odd. He claimed that his unusual looks were due to surgery following a car accident. He also claimed that he had …
THE VELVET QUEEN
Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Directors: Marie Amiguet, Vincent Munier In 2019, award winning nature photographer Vincent Munier set out to try and capture vision of the rare and elusive snow leopard in its natural habitat. There are less than 7000 snow leopards in the world today and they mostly live in the most remote regions of the Himalayas, and rarely venture below 3500 feet. Munier was accompanied on this expedition by Cesar award winning filmmaker and cinematographer Marie Amiguet and his friend, the best-selling travel writer Sylvain Tesson (In …
UNDER COVER – interview with SUE THOMSON
by GREG KING Women over 50 are the fastest growing cohort experiencing homelessness in Australia. In this new documentary filmmaker Sue Thomson (The Coming Back Out Ball Movie) takes a look at this crisis, and presents the stories of several women who through no fault of their own have found themselves dealing with this experience. Thomson spent three years working on the film, which is narrated by Margot Robbie. The film releases in cinemas on October 6, and $5 from every ticket sold at participating Palace Cinemas on World Homeless Day October 10 will be donated to …
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MOONAGE DAYDREAM
Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Director: Brett Morgen. David Bowie, who died in 2016, was one of the most iconic and enigmatic artists of the second half of the twentieth century. He was a chameleon who changed his personality and reinvented his stage persona with every new recording and concert tour. Taking its title from a song Bowie recorded in 1971, this documentary about the singer comes from filmmaker Brett Morgen (Crossfire Hurricane, etc), and it unfolds in a dazzling collage of images and music. Moonage Daydream follows a similar structure as …
THE OTHER FELLOW – interview with MATT BAUER
by GREG KING James Bond is the most famous cinematic spy. And we know the story about how Ian Fleming appropriated the name of a birdwatcher for his iconic character. But what happens to other people who share that iconic name? How do they cope with the gags about martinis, etc? Filmmaker Matt Bauer was intrigued enough to seek out a number of men all over the world who share that name and he learns about their experiences. Amongst the many people he meets during the course of this fascinating documentary are a gay theatre director, a prisoner in an Indiana jail, and …
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ELIZABETH: A PORTRAIT IN PART(S)
Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Director: Roger Michell The final film from director Roger Michell (whose drama The Duke is currently screening in cinemas) is a documentary about Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning British monarch. The documentary has been released to coincide with her platinum jubilee. While this may not be the definitive portrait of Queen Elizabeth II it will please monarchists as it gives us a glimpse into her personality. Michell and his team have sifted through hours of archival and news reel footage to arrive at this rather …
BLIND AMBITION
Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Directors: Warrick Ross, Robert Coe. This documentary is a feelgood and uplifting and underdog story. Blind Ambition follows four Zimbabwean refugees - Pardon, Joseph, Marlvin and Tinashe - who fled Robert Mugabe's repressive and corrupt regime to start a new life in South Africa. Some three million people fled Mugabe's regime, many of them settling in South Africa. Archival footage woven into the film shows the horrors of Zimbabwe during the Mugabe regime, when violence and poverty were rife. Although the presence …