Genre: Documentary, Music, TV Movie
Actor: Angela Bassett, Erwin Bach, Katori Hall, Kurt Loder, Oprah Winfrey, Roger Davies, Tina Turner
Director: Daniel Lindsay, T. J. Martin
Genre: Documentary, Music, TV Movie
Actor: Angela Bassett, Erwin Bach, Katori Hall, Kurt Loder, Oprah Winfrey, Roger Davies, Tina Turner
Director: Daniel Lindsay, T. J. Martin
This HBO docuseries is about NXIVM, a multi-million dollar personal development coaching company whose leader was arrested for sex and human trafficking, branding his followers, and other serious crimes. New levels of insanity unwrap at every episode in a smart and engaging way: the show follows the progression of the story as it happened and makes you wait for its biggest revelations. It becomes a come-for-something-stay-for-something-else kind of deal, since even without the sex cult angle, the show dissects the manipulation tactics that led many successful people to be part of the organization, and later on to recruit others like them.
Genre: Documentary
Genre: Documentary
Genre: Documentary
The particulars of the scandal are enough to shock, enrage, and move anyone, but the directors of BS High also put Johnson in the hot seat and skewer the guy until they wring all ego and delusion out of him. The result is a compelling and terrifying look into a con man’s mind. Johnson alternates between justifying and denying his fraudulent ways and even tries to draw empathy from the audience by explaining his upbringing. But cleverly, the directors intercut his wild speeches with heartfelt testimonies from the real victims of this scam: the young recruits who were promised a better life if they played in Johnson’s team, only to be abused and marked for life. It’s impossible not to feel for the young men, who even up until the documentary’s end, wonder out loud how they could possibly move on from such a traumatic experience.
Genre: Documentary
Director: Martin Desmond Roe, Travon Free
Genre: Documentary
Actor: Nahid Hagigat, Nicky Nodjoumi, Sara Nodjoumi
Director: Sara Nodjoumi, Till Schauder
"Imagine a nightmare when you had to relive your adolescence," says Cecilia Aldarondo at the beginning of her third film, You Were My First Boyfriend. Indeed, the scene recalls a teen prom that could easily be yours (if you were one of the unpopular girls): neon lights, prettier dresses that are never yours, disapproving looks, and the impression that everyone around you is having the time of their lives, while you sit awkwardly in a corner. This image sets the tone for a self-exploration in documentary form that relies on a simple, yet imaginative premise, what if you could re-enact the formative events from back then, but do so today, by directing actors to step in for your past selves. Aldarondo approaches the topic sincerely and with curiosity. Not a pang of nostalgia there, but the heartfelt doc manages to reflect on the pasts that shape us in a witty way to promote self-acceptance and, ultimately, healing.
Genre: Documentary, Drama
Actor: Cecilia Aldarondo, Gabriel Kristal, Laura Gallegos, Melissa Baker, Sarah Baker Butterfield
Director: Cecilia Aldarondo
Genre: Documentary
Actor: Ashlee Vance, Chris Kemp, Jonathan McDowell, Peter Beck, Will Marshall
Director: Ross Kauffman
Featuring cannily edited filmography excerpts and interviews with friends and ex-lovers of Rock Hudson — the Golden Age matinee idol who became the first major celebrity to die of AIDS — this documentary lifts the lid on the closeted gay star’s double life. Though its first third draws chiefly on biographers to paint a serviceable picture of the homophobic context Hudson rose to fame in, it’s in later interviews with members of his inner circle that the film comes to life. These contributors give us a more closely informed picture of Hudson, who seemed to accept Hollywood’s compromise: he could live out his professional dreams so long as he didn’t rock the boat.
Some aspects of the film’s approach do raise an eyebrow, such as a risqué conversation that seems to have been surreptitiously recorded. These inclusions lend the film a tabloid scoop’s salaciousness in places, but, thanks to its final third, it’s largely a touching testament to Hudson. As it movingly argues, however reluctant he was to disclose his diagnosis (and, in doing so, his sexuality), he played a pivotal role in changing the tide of public attitudes towards AIDS, and thus to fundraising efforts — making him an unwitting LGBTQ+ hero.
Genre: Documentary
Actor: Allison Anders, Armistead Maupin, Bea Arthur, Burt Lancaster, Doris Day, Douglas Sirk, Elizabeth Taylor, Esther Shapiro, Howard McGillin, Illeana Douglas, James Dean, Joan Rivers, Kathleen Hughes, Lee Garlington, Linda Evans, Lucille Ball, Peter Kevoian, Piper Laurie, Richard Hodge, Rock Hudson, Tim Turner
Director: Stephen Kijak
If you’re familiar with the upscale Chinese restaurant chain owner, or that Chinese boy in old 60s British films, or with his paintings, Aka Mr. Chow might surprise you because they’re one and the same. Born with two names, Zhou Yinghua and Michael Chow, Mr. Chow is just so cool that telling his life story is already interesting. From the tough immigrant experience, living alone as a boy, to his current worldwide success in film, food, and painting, it’s interesting to know that it’s possible. But the documentary dives into it, using the film medium to mirror his own creative style and artistic sensibilities. The film is able to link each of his opinions, not just with his life, but also with the historic changes in his home country. It’s an intriguing approach, if a bit superficial in certain areas, but it’s very entertaining.
Genre: Documentary
Actor: Brian Grazer, Cecilia Zhou, China Chow, Ed Ruscha, Fran Lebowitz, Julian Schnabel, Maximillian Chow, Peter Blake
Director: Nick Hooker
Genre: Documentary
Actor: Charlton Heston, Debbie Reynolds, Dennis Hopper, Elizabeth Taylor, George Hamilton, James Dean, John Heyman, Laurence Harvey, Marilyn Monroe, Paul Newman, Richard Burton, Rock Hudson, Roddy McDowall, Samuel Marx, Stevie Wonder, Yul Brynner
Director: Nanette Burstein
Genre: Documentary
Actor: Daymond John, Hamet Watt, Mitch Lowe, Stacy Spikes, Ted Farnsworth
Director: Muta'Ali Muhammad
Genre: Crime, Documentary
Actor: Arnold Friedman, David Friedman, Elaine Friedman, Jesse Friedman, Seth Friedman
Director: Andrew Jarecki
Genre: Documentary
Actor: Apolo Ohno, Bode Miller, Lolo Jones, Michael Phelps, Sasha Cohen, Shaun White
Director: Brett Rapkin
For kids and kids-at-heart who find Jim Henson's technical mastery of puppets riveting, this documentary on the classic and still-contemporary Sesame Street provides a ton of behind-the-scenes footage that's endlessly fun to watch. Street Gang rebuts any arguments that could be made about children's TV being low-effort—showing just how much craft is needed in a show like this. But more importantly, the film's first act illustrates the risky process of building Sesame Street from the ground-up, specifically as programming for inner-city Black children who weren't getting the education they deserved. It's nothing short of an inspiration to see this ragtag group of creatives and communication experts—none of whom wanted to take sole credit—coming together like a superhero team to create one of the most iconic and enduring TV shows in American history.
Genre: Documentary, Family
Actor: Bob McGrath, Brian Henson, Caroll Spinney, Christopher Cerf, Dizzy Gillespie, Emilio Delgado, Fran Brill, Frank Oz, Fred Rogers, Holly Robinson Peete, James Earl Jones, Jesse Jackson, Jim Henson, Joan Ganz Cooney, Joe Raposo, Johnny Carson, Johnny Cash, Jon Stone, Lisa Henson, Lloyd Morrisett, Loretta Long, Matt Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Norman Stiles, Odetta, Orson Welles, Roscoe Orman, Sonia Manzano, Stevie Wonder, Will Lee
Director: Marilyn Agrelo