616 Best Movies to Watch With Alone (Page 31)

Though it doesn't delve too deeply into any pressing issues in baseball or into its protagonist's Taiwanese roots, Late Life: The Chien-Ming Wang Story still makes for interesting viewing, mostly for its extremely specific discussions on baseball. Part sports documentary and part study on physical therapy, the film rejects any narratives about innate talent and greatness and aims to depict most great players as they really are: athletes who have had to train hard and maintain their progress through sheer force of will. And at the center is Chien-Ming Wang himself, a gentle and humble giant who makes for an unlikely but refreshing sports celebrity.

Genre: Documentary

Actor: Billy Connors, Brian Cashman, Chien-Ming Wang, Frank W Chen, Neil Allen

Director: Frank W Chen, Tommy Yu

Rating: N/A

Stereotypically made to look like one-note villains in many other films, the kinds of characters who lead Land and Freedom are rightfully depicted as people acting out of a desire for something constructive and good. Through director Ken Loach's trademark approach to no-frills storytelling, the complex ideologies motivating each of these factions against the common enemy (and against each other) are laid out with crystal clarity. In fact, the most exciting confrontations in the film aren't the skirmishes between the fascists and the revolutionary militias, but the debates held between allies, as they figure out the next best steps forward for every liberated person involved.

Genre: Drama, History, Romance, War

Actor: Angela Clarke, Daniel Muñoz, Eoin McCarthy, Francesc Orella, Frédéric Pierrot, Ian Hart, Icíar Bollaín, Jordi Dauder, Pep Molina, Rosana Pastor, Suzanne Maddock, Tom Gilroy

Director: Ken Loach

King of Clones tells the story of Hwang Woo-suk, a South Korean scientist once praised as a national hero for his pioneering work in cloning. However, Hwang's reputation was shattered in 2006 when it was revealed that he had falsified data in his research. The documentary follows Hwang's rise and fall, and it provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of scientific research and the ethical challenges that it raises. Through simplified explanations and testimonies from beneficiaries and journalists that exposed his fraudulent activities, the film remains accessible without losing its narrative. It also opens the conversation on the progress of cloning technology and the implications of not having ethics that can be agreed upon among the scientific community and the general public. 

Genre: Documentary

Actor: George W. Bush, Hwang Woo-suk, Jung Ho-seok, Kim Dae-jung, Kim Jong-il, Kim Tae-hyung, Park Ji-sung, Roh Moo-hyun, Son Heung-min

Director: Aditya Thayi

Rating: PG-13

A deep dive into African-American cinema in the 1970s, Is That Black Enough for You?!? may at times feel like an extended audiovisual Wikipedia article, but it convincingly sets up its ideas in breezy, entertaining fashion. And it successfully argues that Hollywood today just hasn't cashed in on the wealth of innovative Black art that already existed 50 years ago. At the center of this talking heads documentary is director and narrator Elvis Mitchell, who elevates the assembled footage with frank commentary that isn't afraid to make things personal or to throw shade at other filmmakers who've made a career out of appropriating Black film traditions.

Genre: Documentary

Actor: Antonio Fargas, Billy Dee Williams, Charles Burnett, Elvis Mitchell, Glynn Turman, Harry Belafonte, James Signorelli, Laurence Fishburne, Louise Archambault, Margaret Avery, Mario Van Peebles, Roscoe Orman, Samuel L. Jackson, Sheila Frazier, Stan Lathan, Suzanne de Passe, Whoopi Goldberg, Zendaya

Director: Elvis Mitchell

Xavier Dolan’s emotionally charged directorial debut centers on the complex relationship between 16-year-old Hubert and his mother, brought to life by Dolan himself and Anne Dorval, respectively. The film paints an authentic and all-too-familiar picture of two people who love each other yet clash in similarly self-centered and stubborn ways.

The mother-and-son duo vacillate between love and hate in a screenplay full of drama. The cinematography, relying much on negative space, perfectly evokes a sense of disconnect and animosity. However, there is little subtlety to be found here, much like Hubert’s sexuality being embodied by a poster of River Phoenix displayed in his bedroom. The rawness and heightened telling of events indicate that this story is as fresh and unpolished as then 19-year-old Dolan’s own feelings about family dysfunction, particularly mommy issues. The heavy-handedness and moments of exaggeration in his quasi-autobiography are obvious, a fault of execution that one can attribute to lack of experience.

Still, the powerful visuals and dialogue hint at a vision of what more to expect in Dolan’s now-celebrated career. I Killed My Mother, by all accounts, fulfills its role as his promising directorial debut.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Anne Dorval, Benoît Gouin, Émile Mailhiot, Francis Ducharme, François Arnaud, Hugolin Chevrette, Johanne-Marie Tremblay, Laurent-Christophe De Ruelle, Manuel Tadros, Marianne Verville, Monique Spaziani, Niels Schneider, Patricia Tulasne, Pierre Chagnon, Suzanne Clément, Xavier Dolan

Director: Xavier Dolan

As host Hannah Gadsby explains at the beginning of this stand-up showcase, Netflix only really gave her and these other queer comedians this special after Gadsby sent a strongly worded message to the streaming service first. So as expected from a move that feels more like a business decision than a sincere gesture, Hannah Gadsby's Gender Agenda doesn't dive too deeply into trans rights or totally reignite the conversation surrounding the issue. It does, however, give us generally consistent laughs over the course of its 75 minutes, from seven comics with very distinct personalities and perspectives. No comedy showcase is perfectly coherent, and Gender Agenda definitely has its share of awkward moments. But even in its weaker moments, there's still something refreshing about watching these queer comics simply exist as themselves, separate from all the cartoonish vitriol that transphobic comedians have for them on the same type of stage. And while these seven comedians center their routines on their respective identities, they're never obnoxious or angry (like those other comedians may want you to believe). There's a generosity in how they educate and deconstruct things for the audience, and a self-awareness of the conflicts that continue to exist around them—which they still look at with good humor.

Genre: Comedy

Actor: Alok, Ashley Ward, Chloe Petts, DeAnne Smith, Graham Norton, Hannah Gadsby, Jes Tom

Director: Julian Smith

Rating: R

Within seconds of the cold open, the documentary establishes a curious, playful angle to learning about the gut. Giulia Enders, our primary expert and narrator, speaks conversationally with such infectious passion about the gut. The animation styles are diverse and adorable, and the visualization of ideas as a whole is magnetic, making this as much an educational as it is an artistic tribute to the subject. And at its core is a simple idea: having a balanced diet is good for the microbiomes in your gut. All roads leading to that point have been taken care of to create a friendly and fascinating documentary.

Genre: Documentary

Actor: Giulia Enders

Director: Anjali Nayar

Rating: PG-13

To call Going to Mars a somewhat shapeless documentary isn't a criticism. If anything, its flexibility of structure feels entirely appropriate for the woman at its center, who doesn't necessarily defy categorization so much as she remains on the pulse of history as it continues to shift in unexpected ways. Nikki Giovanni is a person who knows who she is and knows that she stands for the essential dignity of Black people, and it's inspiring to see how she not only remains hopeful and articulate through every critical moment, but that she insists on being ambitious for what Black people deserve to achieve in the future. As her son tells her at a speaking engagement, Giovanni doesn't just dream of going to space; she feels that it is her people's imperative to be there.

Directors Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson tell her (still ongoing) life story in a strikingly impressionistic way—cleverly playing with archival footage, but more importantly having Giovanni's candid words blending seamlessly into her poetry. This is a credit to how connected to the milieu Giovanni's work actually is, of course, but the film does a very good job defining her as someone who can bring beauty and grace out of every experience.

Genre: Documentary

Actor: Kai Giovanni, Nikki Giovanni, Novella Nelson, Taraji P. Henson, Thomas Giovanni, Touré Neblett, Virginia Fowler

Director: Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson

We remember the idea of the tortured artist, in part due to many works depicting life’s sorrows, but also due to the fact plenty of the greats fit this trope well. Camille Claudel is one such tortured artist, but her anguish has not led her to artistic acclaim. Instead, Isabelle Adjani’s take on the sculptor contemplates the ways her genius has gone unrecognized, in part due to her bout of insanity, but in part due to the maddening ways her art has been cut short by those that claim to love her. While it does take nearly three hours, and, like in real life, the film focuses more on her relationship with Rodin than her own art, Camille Claudel nonetheless remains a fascinating character study of a woman that just wanted to make art on her own terms.

Genre: Drama, History, Romance

Actor: Alain Cuny, Aurelle Doazan, Danièle Lebrun, Gérard Depardieu, Hester Wilcox, Isabelle Adjani, Jean-Pierre Sentier, Katrine Boorman, Laurent Grévill, Madeleine Robinson, Maxime Leroux, Roch Leibovici, Roger Planchon

Director: Bruno Nuytten

Rating: R

A tribute to Windham Rotunda’s life may be next to impossible without the WWE, where he spent over a decade dazzling audiences with his talents in pro wrestling. In this thoughtfully crafted documentary, we learn about the inspirations and thought processes behind the Wyatt Family and the eerie vignettes called the Firefly Funhouse. Members of Windham's family, as well as his closest peers, also share their memories of the man behind Bray Wyatt—a supportive, ever-present family guy and friend. It’s a touching celebration of Windham’s life, even though a thinly veiled company slant frames his obsessive creative process as being “difficult to work with,” which felt unnecessary. But that’s WWE for you and you take what you get.

Genre: Documentary, Drama

Actor: Adam Scherr, Alexis Cabrera, Cody Runnels, Colby Lopez, Dwayne Johnson, Hulk Hogan, John Cena, Jon Huber, Joseph Ruud, Mark Calaway, Mike Rotunda, Paul Michael Lévesque, Rebecca Quin, Taylor Rotunda, Windham Rotunda

Director: Steve Conoscenti

A character study in the absolute purest sense, Anne at 13,000 Ft. doesn't even have the kind of satisfying closure one would expect from any story, nor does it explain anything about its protagonist's difficult, erratic behavior in the context of mental health. It's an exercise in testing how much empathy a character can earn solely on account of their being a human being having a hard time. Appropriately, the filmmaking on display makes for a deliberately uncomfortable experience, with tension ratcheting up in practically every given situation, enhanced by the fact that director Kazik Radwanski and star Deragh Campbell improvised much of the movie as they were making it.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Deragh Campbell, Dorothea Paas, Helly Chester, Joseph Simon, Lawrene Denkers, Lisa Aitken, Matt Johnson, Michael Kuthe, Suzanne Pratley, Tiffany Blom

Director: Kazik Radwanski

The documentary sees WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes as a wandering journeyman, a prodigal son returning home. Cody—sharply dressed and occupying the center of a fancy studio hall—offers detailed insight into his bond with his late father and legendary wrestler Dusty Rhodes, various gimmicks and ventures that steadily refined his skills, and his ultimate goal to finish his father’s story and win the elusive WWE Championship. WWE slaughters a fattened calf for Cody, showing videos and photos of every major promotion he worked for outside the company, including their biggest competitor AEW. It’s a polished, surprisingly comprehensive film, that like many WWE documentaries, drags a bit too long and admits WWE was the bad guy in the story.

Genre: Documentary

Actor: Ashley Fliehr, Brandi Runnels, Chelsea Cardona, Christian Brigham, Cody Runnels, Colby Lopez, Dustin Runnels, Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan, Joe Anoa'i, Kevin Steen, Mark Calaway, Matthew Massie, Nicholas Massie, Paul Michael Lévesque, Randy Orton, Ric Flair, Stephen Amell, Tyson Smith, Vince McMahon

Director: Matt Braine

Rating: PG-13