This is a gripping documentary on the career of investigative journalist Seymour Hersh. You may know him from such scandals as the My Lai massacre, Watergate, and torture at Abu Graib prison, among many others. His name is not as well known as some who reported on these stories, but he was the reason they didn’t remain covered up. I found this a fascinating watch. It also benefits from an excellent ambient experimental score by Maya Shenfeld. This doc is very graphic at times, so if you’re squeamish about images of real-life violence, stay away.
Not available on Blu-ray.
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This is a dramatized version of the story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian man who was imprisoned for years with no charge in Guantanamo Bay. Critics did not like this film for some reason. I found it to be very effective. All performances were great, particularly the lead played by Tahar Rahim (from the previously recommended A Prophet). Things get surprisingly dark and weird during the interrogation segments. Some of the torture used was shocking even compared to what made the news at the time. It’s stunning that a human being endured it all. The Mauritanian is uncomfortable viewing, but I suggest you watch it anyway.
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Here is a seriously heavy documentary on Mexican journalists working against drug cartels and government corruption. The brave people featured here I found to be incredibly inspiring. This whole film is informative and extremely well constructed. The director opted to use artistic live action shots instead of the usual bullshit documentary animation. I wish more movies in this category would do the same. State of Silence would have been a rock solid film if it had a standard ominous synthesizer score, but no… they got BEAK> to do the music. If you are not familiar with the band, check out their latest studio album here, and a digital version of the excellent score here. I saw them live earlier this year and they cemented the fact that they are one of my favorite current music groups. I was impressed that the score was mixed tastefully low, the director must have been tempted to have it be more prominent. I give this film a 10/10, and strongly encourage you to watch in spite of the difficult subject matter.
Not available on Blu-ray.
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Around 1982, when I was 9 or 10 years old, my older brother Chris took me with him to the local big record store, Sound Warehouse. He bought Iron Maiden’s Number of the Beast picture disc (which he still has), and from that moment on they became the most important band of my childhood. Fast forward to Middle School and it seemed like Led Zeppelin was a lot more loved among the non-pop music weirdos. Since I had aspirations of getting laid sooner than later, I gave the band a try, and yeah, not too shabby. Not as good as Maiden, or Black Sabbath, but I recall liking Zeppelin II and Houses of the Holy for a while there. Then I discovered thrash metal. Led Who? I sold my Zep LPs and got really into thrash while remaining a Maiden and Sabbath fan (the latter has become arguably my favorite band to this day). FF again to the early 2000s when I was Art Director for Relapse Records. Guess which group I forbid to be played on the office stereo? Correct. Time moved on, my strong opinions softened a bit, and around 15 years ago I listened to some full Zeppelin albums again. Ok fine, I didn’t hate them any more. Here we are in 2025, and a couple of weeks ago I watched this documentary. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. I had no clue that John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page had their hands in so many awesome things before the band formed. It also looks and sounds fantastic. I’m not going to go out and BUY any of their albums or anything, but yeah… it’s a damn good movie. I would REALLY like to see a documentary of this caliber made on the early days of Black Sabbath.
Blu-ray coming soon (no official US release date yet).
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This is an excellent docudrama on Gunnar Sønsteby, who worked his way up to be the leader of a group of resistance fighters in Norway during World War 2. He went on to become that country’s most decorated war hero. The film balances action, tension, drama, and ethical issues throughout in a really intelligent way. I found myself surprisingly invested in what was happening. Nr. 24 taught me about a part of WW2 history I was totally unaware of, and I give it an enthusiastic thumbs up.
Not available on domestic Blu-ray.
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Director Jeremy Saulnier does it again. Much like his film Blue Ruin, this is not an action movie, but it does have some awesome fight sequences. This is about an ex-Marine who gets harassed, First Blood style, by a corrupt small town sheriff (played very effectively by Don Johnson). If you just keep in mind this is a thriller, slower paced than most action films, but not as slow as Hold the Dark, you just might enjoy it as much as me. I salute Netflix for continuing to give Saulnier financing for his work.
Not available on Blu-ray.
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Streaming on Netflix |imdb | No YouTube trailer available (sorry)
I was only just barely aware of Joan Didion before seeing this documentary. That is precisely why I am recommending it here. I watched the film and then read her non-fiction work “Slouching Towards Bethlehem.” That book was a real revelation and I am looking forward to reading more. Fun fact: The Center Will Not Hold was directed by Didion’s nephew Griffin Dunne (American Werewolf in London, After Hours, etc).
Not available on Blu-ray.
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Nam June Paik was the king of video art back in its infancy. Every major art museum owns his work, and much of it still looks impressive today. This doc does a good job of reviewing his life and career. It does feel a little long, but there’s so much information to get across that the runtime is justifiable. This inspiring documentary is essential viewing for anyone interested in visual art. Using Steven Yeun (Beef, Nope, etc) for the voiceovers is a nice bonus too.
Not available on Blu-ray.
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I grew up in the ‘70s and early ‘80s so Bob Ross was very familiar to me. In fact when I took up oil painting I used some of his videos to help me get started (no happy little anything was painted by my hands though). I knew very little about the man other than his TV show. Wowza this documentary was an eye opener. It turns out Bob was a pretty dynamic person, and the drama around his “empire” and legacy is infuriating but weirdly compelling. Seriously. This movie is a lot more fascinating than you would ever imagine. You will never joke about Bob Ross Cha-Cha-Cha-Chia Pets ever again.
Not available on Blu-ray.
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NOTE: Some streaming services are showing the cut version of the film (1 hour 15 min). Make sure you’re watching the most uncut version (1 hour 29-32 min). Also the film should be in Cinemascope format (there will be black bars on the top and bottom of the screen). Some services are showing it cropped. The version on currently on Roku as of 3.17.24 looks like the one you want to see.
Sonny Chiba stars as Terry, who is one bad ass karate mercenary. Organized crime hires him to do a job, but things go off the rails and many asses must be kicked before the credits roll. I first heard of this movie from watching True Romance (1993), which was scripted by Quentin Tarantino, where the lead characters go to a Street Fighter movie marathon. Back then I had never even heard of Sonny Chiba or seen one of his movies, which is a pity because I would loved his Shadow Warriors TV series as a kid. I look at The Street Fighter as my gateway drug to hundreds of cult films that were never shown on TV and hard to find on VHS. Tarantino’s success led to him getting this film, Lucio Fulci’s The Beyond, Detroit 9000, Switchblade Sisters, and many other titles seen by a wider audience. Bottom line, this is an excellent martial arts film with plenty of bizarre quirks and funny moments that make it a very enjoyable watch. Oh and if you do attempt a marathon, stock up on psychoactives, because the rest of the series is pretty awful.
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