When I heard that Morgan Spurlock was making a documentary about Comic-Con, I was excited. He is one of my favorite documentary filmmakers for his ability to pinpoint a topic and question it from all sides. For the making of the film, Spurlock had a crew of 150 people with backstage access, so I expected no stone to be left unturned—but when I finally watched Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope, I was sadly underwhelmed. It felt like it was a shadow of his former work.
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Film Review – Carol Channing: Larger Than Life
If you are my age (43) or younger, you probably know Carol Channing from her appearance on The Muppet Show and maybe her role in Thoroughly Modern Millie, which is a really weird movie that traumatized me as a child. If you are a theater nerd, you will also know that she is the creator of two legendary stage roles: Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly! That’s about all I knew before I watched Carol Channing: Larger Than Life, a documentary about her career and romance with her last husband. This film is more of an appreciation piece than a documentary, but it works—it’s fun, and I came away knowing a lot more about why Carol Channing is as beloved as she is.
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Film Review – Chasing Madoff
The best documentaries are usually the ones that guide you to a desired idea without really letting on that you’re being guided in the first place. Even the most slanted documentary can, through sleight of hand, misguide you on how you came to the conclusion the makers of the film wanted you to. Documentarian Errol Morris is a true master, and love or hate him, so is Michael Moore. By the deeds of Chasing Madoff alone, Jeff Prosserman is not.
