Category: Documentary

“Spinning Gold”

6.5

Good, not great. Reading the book ruined the movie.

I recommend “And Party Every Day” instead. The full story of this meteoric rise and spectacular fall from grace, and everything in between is something far better than Hollywood could ever put to film. Outside of the copious amounts of cocaine, they got that right. Casablanca Records was a one of a kind story with characters so complex that this film had massive shoes to fill. Unfortunately, it came out very vanilla.

As a huge KISS fan, they did the band dirty in this film. So much history misrepresented. For shame, movie!

https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-casablanca-records-story

“Making the Wish”

6.8

Was this basically a commercial for Disney Cruise Line? Yes. Yes it was.

Did I look at the cost of a cruise and pass out from the price to spend less than a week on this particular ship? Yes. Yes I did.

Was this still a fascinating documentary about cruise ship construction and how intricate the planning and execution is on one of these ships, illustrating the true magic it takes to pull it all off? You bet it is.

I couldn’t decide what to watch the other night, but didn’t want to dedicate a full 2+ hours to a full movie, so I landed on this. Not too shabby…

“WeCrashed”

7.5

… still a more believable accent than his Mario Bros. Impression that was Paola Gucci in “House of Gucci.” And Anne Hathaway grounds the madman in a realism that almost makes him likable. Makes his moves understandable until they cross over into unthinkably incoherent.

This is one of those “Hollywood can’t write a story this wild” situations where they try to pigeonhole the story to fit into a series narrative, and almost stick the landing. The soundtrack is a banger, nonetheless. Another AppleTV+ winner.

“Five Days at Memorial”

8.3

… because any longer, and there’d be no one left with the stomach to survive watching this heart-wrenching tale.

Based on the events at Memorial Hospital in New Orleans during and immediately following Hurricane Katrina, follow along on one of the move visceral deep dives into clinical ethics I can think of ever seeing put to film. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

Perfectly cast, each character brings their all, but also doesn’t overshadow anyone else. There’s a nice balance to everything as we all dive into the darkness together. Unfathomable decisions stemming from an unthinkable scenario playing out. Unprecedented times leading to unprecedented decisions and actions. The best and worst of humanity on full display.

“Sr.”

7.5

If you thought Jr. was an interesting man, wait until you become acquainted with Sr. The man, the legend…

Similar to “The Fabelman’s,” Robert Downey Jr. turns the camera inward and takes us back through his fascinating origin story, which rests upon a beautiful catharsis between father and son as they both face their mortality in different ways. It shows why Jr. was so damn good in “The Judge,” as the father son conflict seems to be familiar territory for him. That conflict may have been a weight on him throughout his life, but it was a weight that forced him to strengthen in a way that made him far stronger for having learned to carry it.

RIP Sr., and hugs to Jr. A truly beautiful tribute.