Top of the Docs #47 – Roger and Me (1989)

Roger & Me is undoubtedly a film about how American cities, both big and small, are beholden to corporate power.

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BFI FLARE REVIEW: ‘Rebel Dykes’ (2021) A Wonderfully Focused Lesbian Self-Documentation

In Rebel Dykes, directors Harri Shanahan and Siân Williams stitch together a patchwork of home video, cartoon animation and talking heads, in a reflection on London’s 1980s lesbian communities.

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Top of the Docs #42 – Can’t Get You Out of My Head (2021)

Renowned for his breadth of research and incisive analysis, Curtis’ documentaries usually focus on an aspect of history, exploring its cultural, social and political impacts.

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SUNDANCE REVIEW: ‘Cusp’ (2021) is a Raw, Unobstructed Look at Teenage Girlhood

From bonfires to soccer games, the film meanders with the whims of these girls as they come to navigate the invisible horrors of being a teenage girl.

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REVIEW: ‘The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart’ (2020) Proves Disco Doesn’t Suck

“A joy to watch… [a] documentary not so much concerned with hard historical facts as it is with the brothers as they experienced each other, themselves, and their fame.”  How Can You Mend A Broken Heart begins with the quintessential. A pared down, echoey version of “Stayin’ Alive”—probably the Bee Gees song to end all…

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LFF REVIEW- ‘The Reason I Jump’ (2020) is an Essential Documentary on Understanding Autism

Director Jerry Rothwell utilises visuals and sound design with such creativity that it lets the audience directly empathise with the cast.

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LFF REVIEW: ‘Stray’ (2020) is as Soulful and Humane as Anything You’ll See This Year

The absence of deliberate human voice lends a real sense of time and place into a rare window of a world that is, perhaps not a pleasure to experience but is, by the time it finishes, profound and essential.

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REVIEW: ‘Never Be Done: The Richard Glen Lett Story’ (2020) is a Portrait of Addiction and Sobriety

Never Be Done: The Richard Glen Lett Story opens with Lett touring the Vancouver comedy club scene, arguing with the audience, making crude jokes, and refusing to pay his bar tab. He’s been kicked out of almost every establishment in the city and it’s easy to judge him because he comes across as such a hateful person. Richard Lett is an old school Canadian comedian, old school being a kinder description for offensive. He’s brash, loud, and rude, with his personality making it easy to dismiss him. But Never Be Done takes the time to uncover why Lett makes these actions.

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REVIEW: ‘Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story’ (2020) Responds to the Elephant in the Room

It is difficult to reconcile with the documentary’s use of this footage and how it shapes the film’s narrative.

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