October 4th
Winged Migration (aka Travelling Birds) - (streaming on Amazon Prime)
House of Cardin (streaming on Docplay)
Remastered: Devil at the Crossroads (streaming on Netflix)
The Glass Castle (streaming on Netflix)
Mosquito State (Shudder)
This week my recommendations are only for films that are streaming into your living rooms. Hopefully soon lockdown restrictions will end, festivals and latest releases will resume in cinema, and I'll have more current recommendations for you. But for now, there are still some mighty fine offerings available.
Travelling Birds (aka Winged Migration)
Dir: Jacques Perrin, Jacques Cluzaud, Michel Debats
Length: 98 mins
Streaming on Amazon Prime
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| © Amazon Prime - quite sublime in parts |
An oldie (2001) but a goodie, this exquisite homage to our feathered friends won the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2003.The film follows the migratory journey of flocks of birds, including geese, flamingos, cranes and many more, as they fly thousands of miles to breeding and feeding grounds. It took more that four years to make, with hundreds of crew and many light planes and gliders, all filming in a way that makes us feel we have taken to the skies and are flying alongside the birds. There are zero special effects, and minimal voice-over, making the whole thing an immersive experience that will delight bird fanciers and nature lovers.4 - highly recommended
Dir: David Ebersole & Todd Hughes
Length: 97 mins
Streaming on DocPlay
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| © Umbrella /DocPlay - the man behind the legend |
Over the years there have been many films about iconic fashion designers, but none so fascinating and inspiring (for me) as this one, featuring Pierre Cardin, a creative genius in not only haute couture, but furniture, accessories, the arts and more. The film is a virtual smorgasbord of fabulousness - his ground-breaking clothing, his branded accessories and furniture, theatrical spaces he has created, his visits to other cultures and lands where he has become a household name, and the invaluable insights from so many unexpected people: singers Alice Cooper and Dionne Warwick, actress Sharon Stone, other famed designers to name a few. Best of all the man himself - a workaholic who lives to enjoy his work and is still going strong at 98 years old. For anyone who wants to see that age is no barrier to keeping on creating, this is the film for you. It's vibrantly shot, with so much packed in - a treat for the eyes as well as the heart.4 - highly recommended
Remastered: Devil at the Crossroads
Dir: Brian Oakes
Length: 48 mins
Streaming on Netflix
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| © Netflix - another legend - of blues music |
You know how I adore music documentaries, and this one, so short, sharp and rivettingly good, is another winner. Myth has it that legendary blues singer/guitarist Robert Johnson met the devil at the crossroads and swapped his soul for a retuned guitar and a great talent. The film employs innovative graphics to recreate aspects of the narrative of Johnson's all-too-short life, and many current blues performers add their commentary to the tale of Johnson's profound and enduring influence on blues and rock music. Among them are Taj Mahal, Bonny Raitt, and Keith Richards. A lot of fascinating content and great music is packed into a very short run-time. So much of the Johnson story was a tragedy underpinned by his ego, along with people's beliefs back then that the blues was the "devil's music". Fascinating factoid: his death at 27 is thought to be the basis of The 27 Club - that group of famed musos, so talented, who died at that very age.4 - highly recommended
Dir: Destin Daniel Cretton
Length: 127 mins
Streaming on Netflix
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| © Netflix - good story, questionable values |
Jeannette and her three siblings grow up in a nomadic and dysfunctional family, headed by mother Rose Mary (Naomi Watts) and father Rex (Woody Harrelson). Rex is an alcoholic, Rose Mary a painter, and the family moves from one rundown hovel to the next, while Rex dreams big, obviously loves his kids, but seems to have no idea of the line between encouraging them to be self-sufficient and neglect. Based upon Jeannette Walls' memoir of her childhood, the film is grounded by a brilliant performance from Chandler Head as young Jeannette, and Harrelson as Rex. The narrative moves between past and present, with Brie Larsen as the now-adult Jeannette, a writer engaged to a Wall Street analyst, and torn between past and future, so at odds with each other. While the film certainly tells an engaging and often disturbing story, there too many moments of over-sentimentality that seem to celebrate what could be seen as child abuse, disguised as family bonding at all costs. But fans of Harrelson should love it. 3 - recommended
Dir: Filip Jan Rymsza
Length: 100 mins
Streaming on Shudder
www.shudder.com - starting at $5.83 a month
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| © Shudder - streaming all things horror |
If your genre of choice is horror, thriller and supernatural, you can't go past the streaming service Shudder. Though not really my bag, I gave it a go and watched this very weird thriller, about Richard, a reclusive Wall St analyst, for whom everything starts to change just prior to the GFC - he meets a girl at a work party, his computer predicts financial calamities and his apartment is invaded by a swarm of mosquitoes. I can't quite decide if it is at heart rather pretentious wannabe arthouse fare, or something more symbolic and deep. Suffice to say it delivers the goods with a level of body horror, social critique of the Wall Street brigade, and it has won many awards including cinematography and special effects.If horror is your genre, then recommended
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