Movie review - "Return Engagement" (1983) ***

 Alan Rudolph's documentary is one of his least personal but most interesting film because it's about two nutters - Timothy Lear, pro drug advocate, and lunatic G Gordon Liddy.

Liddy's wife appears with black eyes. 

Movie review - "Storefront Hitchcock" (1998) **

Robyn Hitchcock must be a sort of hipsters folk pop star, with his guitar and singing. He's not my cup of tea. Indeed, he's annoying, with his shirts-  I missed David Byrne's flamboyance and autism.

I enjoyed the presentation - in a shop front, and it getting darker.  

If you like singer you'll get into this. 

Movie review - "Frankie Vaughan The Heart of a Man" (2008) ***

 Not the feature with that name starring Vaughan but a documentary about the singer-actor. I mostly know him from Let's Make Love where he has a weird grin and creepy vibe; he made a few more films in England, mostly with Anna Neagle, and had.a lot of hits. 

It's a very positive depiction - I assume it's true. Loving husband and family man, gave a lot of money to charity, easy to work with, turned down a chance to shag Marilyn Monroe, tried to stop knife fighting in Scotland. 

Talking heads include Tim Rice, Val Doonican and Vera Lynn. 

Documentary review - "The Self-Preservation Society" (2009) ***

 Solid doco about making The Italian Job  with some great talking heads: Michael Deeley, Michael Caine, Robert Evans, Peter Bart (who never passes up a chance to self  promote), Peter Collinson's widow and kids. The Collinson story is inevitably moving.  Lots of details about cars. Fun clips. Good natured.

Movie review - "Michael Cimino: God Bless America" (2022) ***1/2

 Doco about the director with taped interviews though not recent pictures. Great talking heads of others though like Quentin Tarantino and Oliver Stone. Visits scenes where various movies shot notably The Deer Hunter. I like that it book ends The Sunchaser with Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.

Movie review - "The Body" (1970) ***1/2

 Hypnotic. Beautiful music. Trippy but also social realism. Some social commentary. Two people actually having sex. There's a birth in there too.

No narrative. Tony Garnett produced. Roy Battersby directed. The lack of narrative does tell after a while.

Movie review - "Stop Making Sense" (1984) ****

 I finally saw it! Understated direction. The band are very talented. David Byrne is a clear star. Changes visual look.

Documentary review - "The Making of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1970) ***

 Fascinating look at the film - narrated by George Roy Hill mostly, with some voice over from Paul Newman and William Goldman, full of on the set footage. Hill is matter of fact about his decisions and vision- he was a smart guy.

Movie review - "McEnroe" (2022) ***1/2

 Documentary on the famous tennis player. Sympathetic though there's plenty of footage of him being a brat. I mean, he really swore - so did other players of the time. I love how he was the nerd and Vitas and Bjorg were so cool - they are really really cool even in flashback. Tatum O'Neal looks so pretty in the footage of her. He admits to many flaws. His wife and kids seem to really love him.

TV review - "Spacey Unmasked" (2024) ***1/2

 Two part doco about the allegations against Spacey. So consistent and repetitive that it's even more remarkable the charges haven't stuck - actually, no, that's not remarkable, really. Plenty of strong ex military guys wanting to be actors struggling to explain why they felt so helpless but they are not the only type. Confronting. To flesh it out there's accounts from Spacey's brother about their upbringing - it's not a portrait devoid of sympathy. I wonder if it wouldn't have been more successful as a contained piece rather than a two parter. Still, well done.

Movie review - "Otto by Otto" (2024) ***1/2

 Moving, well done doco about Barry Otto from his daughter Gracie. I met Barry once or twice - he was off with the pixies then as his own family admit in the doco so his dementia was hard to pick up... although it was notable that he struggled with a script. 

I was really moved by this - in part because he reminded me of my grandmother, one foot in fantasy land, house full of crap, painting, eventually second foot goes off with dream land. 

Lovely for Brisbane people too to see the artistic community of Twelfth Night. His wife (second) helped set up the Nimrod but gave it up to be a parent... there is more story to be told there.

Appearances (or, rather, vocals) from people like John Bell, Gillian Armstrong (who does have to stop staying Australian stories started to be written in the 70s), Baz L, Cate Blanchett. A Bob Ellis review quoted. Excellent home movie footage and fascinating glimpses of Nimrod, Belvoir etc.

Movie review - "Popatopolis" (2009) ****

 Gloriously entertaining look at Jim Wynorski, the prolific, enthusiastic film fan turned director whose love for movies, breasts and... that's it, makes him a compelling protagaonist.

It's focused on him making The Witches of Breastwick in three days, so the film has a strong structure. 

It also has a dazzling cast  - in adddition to Wynorski is Julie Smith, super smart,  a trained actress, who likes Wynorski but also clashes with him; Wynorski's bewildered mother (he's a dutiful son); Stormy Daniels (the one and only), again super smart, slightly bewildered making soft core porn.

In addition to interviews there's also scenes of Wynorski directing - the sex scenes ("we want to see her face not yours" he snaps at the male lead), feeding lines to Julie Smith which annoys her.

Movie review - "Some Nudity Required" (1998) ***

 Thought provoking documentary about nudity in Hollywood, power imbalance, etc twenty years before metoo. Roger Corman was upset about this apparently but he comes out of it as always - rational, reasoned, fine. 

The film is also fascinating because it's a personal essay from the filmmaker Odette Springer, who was music supervisor for Corman at New Horizons. She talks a lot about herself which isn't always interesting but it does mean the work has a personal vision.

Some great other talking heads like Sam Arkoff of AIP, Dan Golden, Fred Olen Ray, Andy Sidaris etc.

Movie review - "Wham!" (2023) ***1/2

 Fun look back at the famous band benefiting from terrific home movie footage and much  contemporary footage. Back up singers clearly important. Human League vibe. Hilarious dancing. Good looks and high spirits important with George michael's genius as the X factor. Doesn't mention legal hassles between the first two albums.  Llindsay Anderson directed the China footage.

Movie review - "The Man Who Got Carter" (2018) **1/2

 There aren't many documentaries about British filmmakers and Michael Klinger wasn't that famous but he made Get Carter, one of the most beloved British gangster flicks.

This has some decent talking heads - Mike Hodges, Michael Caine. One gets the sense though some things have been left out.

Klinger's non-Carter credits aren't that amazing - the Confessions films, some Wilbur Smith adaptations. He did do some work with Tony Tenser. Mind you it was a tough time to be a producer. Not many people beat Klinger's output - David Puttnam of course, also Don Boyd, John Dark, John Brabourne,

Movie review - "Molly: The Real Thing" (2016) ***

 Joyous, loving tribute to the life of a beloved Aussie icon - a man who was good enough as a record producer to make it internationally but stayed local, and became one of the most admired people in the country with his brains and genuine love of music keeping him on the cutting edge. Very Melbournian in a way, which his dagginess, love of sport, family orientated, hanging out with Warnie and the Foxes (Lindsay moons at the end)  - the cocaine probs would have got him in Sydney.

Big array of talking heads. Some make more sense than most (Paul Hogan). Delta Goodrem's love for him is touching. No Molly, or his son, but his brother.

A number of the interviewees are now dead - Michael Gudinski, Shane Warne.

Movie review - "Searching for Sugarman" (2013) ****

 Lovely heart warming doco about the singer Rodriguez who was a cult singer in Australia in the 80s - I had his albums - and huge in South Africa, at least amongst the liberal white community. The rumour was he was dead but in fact he was working away in Detroit, in construction! 

It's hard not to be moved hearing his daughters talk about his life, realising how loved he was in South Africa. The 1998 concert is very moving. 

This is a Gen X movie in many ways - obsession with artists who mean so much, tracking them down, finding they're alive, cheering. Did I see Rodgriguez sign some woman's chest?

The director of this committed suicide in 2014.

Movie review - "Belushi" (2020) ***1/2

 Gripping doco on the famous actor, which has two great aces in the hole - audio interviews with people for a book so it includes testimony from now deceased figures like Carrie Fisher and Harold Ramis, and some splendid footage. The co coperation of Belushi's wife gives extra material and insight. Belushi's less pleasant aspects like sexism towards female writers is not ignored. Tailed away a bit at the end when I wanted more of a wrap up I guess.

Movie review - "I am Divine" (2013) ***

 Affectionate look at the actor and pop star helped by some very good interviews - John Waters of course but also his mother (very touching about adoring and rejecting her son) and people like Mink Stole and various critics and drag queens. Divine had a great life - found fame, money, success. Not serious critical respect... I'm sure that would've come in time.

Movie review - "Mansfield 66/67" (2017) **

 Interesting documentary about Jayne Mansfield. The talking heads include John Waters (always fun), Mamie Van Doren, Mary Woronov, lots of PhD graduates, drag queens, Dolly Read from Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.

The cut aways to a stage musical doesn't quite work and there's a lot of emphasis on Mansfield's relationship with a Satanist. Wasn't that a small part of her life?

Good vision. Mansfield looked terrible towards the end.

It's fascinating how she's become this icon. She was only in two hit films. I guess she died interestingly.