Documentary Archives -

BREAKDOWN: 1975 MOVIE REVIEW At times, film has the power to give a voice to the voiceless and speak truth to a power that would ignore those voices. When a culture shifts its thinking and changes the method and way stories are told about people, and the world in general, a massive culture shift can […]

COVER-UP MOVIE REVIEW 1991 marks the year the world wide web officially launched and became available to everyone. A new way to discover and share truth was available to every man woman and child on this earth in one way or another. With this new technology a plethora of news, stories, and of course, entertaining […]

STARRING DICK VAN DYKE MOVIE REVIEW Go over to PBS online and do yourself the favor of watching Starring Dick Van Dyke for FREE! You have no excuse not to enjoy this beautiful documentary that celebrates the life, legacy, and unshakable charm of one of entertainment’s most enduring icons. This film traces Van Dyke’s journey […]

MR. SCORSESE SERIES REVIEW Martin Scorsese has been one of our most acclaimed filmmakers for so long, that it’s easy to forget his reputation and career weren’t always as secure as they are now. Scorsese has been the subject of many articles, books, and documentaries before, so it’s hard to imagine anything that hasn’t been […]

WHEN WE WERE LIVE MOVIE REVIEW In his documentary about Public Access Television in Austin, Texas in the 80s and 90s, director John Spottswood Moore had a LOT of material to sift through. Austin’s station was by far one of the most prolific in the country (second only to NYC, I believe). Let me tell […]

NOT JUST A GOOF REVIEW Alright, alright, Mickey’s a mouse, Donald’s a duck, Pluto’s a dog. What’s Goofy? If you stand by me and my fellow critics we may not be able to answer that question, but with Disney Plus on the 30th anniversary of A Goofy Movie presenting Not Just a Goof, you will […]

MAKE ME FAMOUS MOVIE REVIEW Writer/Director Brian Vincent presents the story of an artist community in the East Village of New York in the 1980s. Make Me Famous is about an artist community coming together and supporting each other in the pursuit of notoriety, fame, and the capability to keep buying paint and sharing their […]

THE ENFIELD POLTERGEIST SERIES REVIEW You’ve seen hundreds of thousands of films based on the Lutz family and their Amityville Horror but you’ve probably only seen tens of dozens of haunted house films based on the Hodgson’s! This isn’t your typical paint by numbers gas station bargain bin buy 1 feature starring Rob Schneider get […]

SPOOKTACULAR! MOVIE REVIEW This new documentary Spooktacular! is perfect for Fantastic Fest as it concerns the rise and fall of the first Horror Theme Park (which is a bit of a semantic stretch, but ok). Spooky World started as just a haunted hayride that was putting in considerably more effort than most, and ended up […]

KING ON SCREEN MOVIE REVIEW When Stephen King released Carrie, his first novel, in 1974, the horror story initially received mixed reviews from critics. The novel’s unique blend of horror, psychological suspense, and coming-of-age themes garnered attention, but opinions were divided. Some critics praised King’s ability to capture the adolescent experience, create a sense of […]

STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE REVIEW Michael J. Fox was just a short kid from Canada with a dream of being an actor. When he turned 18, he drove to Hollywood and started chasing that dream, barely making ends meet until the stars aligned, and in 1982, he landed the career making role of […]

QUEER FOR FEAR SERIES REVIEW There’s no divergence of opinions here between Rose, Jordan, Tessa, and Chad. Queer For Fear is a must see for any horror fan. Whatever you identify as, knowing that a lot of our modern horror shares roots with queer history is important. A lot of writers/directors/artists, all queer in their […]

SIDNEY MOVIE REVIEW What is a documentary and can it determine the measure of a man?  Sidney Poitier once said “Though history will accurately acknowledge my presence in those proceedings, my contribution was no more important than being at the right place at the right time, one in that series of perfect accidents from which […]

LIGHT & MAGIC SERIES REVIEW If you’ve seen a movie in the past 45 years, there’s a very, very good chance that you’ve seen the work of Industrial Light and Magic, the most important visual effects company that has ever existed. What started with a ragtag group of film loving nerds working on a weird sci-fantasy […]

THIS IS GWAR MOVIE REVIEW Good evening and salutations Earth Humans, it is I, Chadderus Urungus, here to tell you about an evil, grotesque, heavy metal band called GWAR. Spawning from the sick minds of Dave Brockie (Lead Singer) and Hunter Jackson (Filmmaker), GWAR has been decapitating heads and squirting blood in audiences faces for […]

THE JANES MOVIE REVIEW It was a time when women of the United States were treated like second class citizens and legislature was being discussed to criminalize their very own bodies. I’m sorry, let me be a bit more specific. Prior to the Supreme Court decriminalization of abortion in 1973, a group of women called […]

GEORGE CARLIN’S AMERICAN DREAM SERIES REVIEW From directors Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio comes George Carlin’s American Dream, a two part documentary about the legendary stand-up comedian. Clocking in at nearly four hours, this is as definitive a documentary as we’re likely to get on Carlin’s life and career. Made with the participation of Carlin’s […]

WORST ROOMMATE EVER SERIES REVIEW Peter Parker may have outgrown the stress of having to make rent but the rest of us can’t count on a rich uncle Stark’s drunken generosity to bail us out at 5 minutes to midnight. If you’re gonna live in the heart of the city with an easy commute to […]

LUCY AND DESI MOVIE REVIEW Seventy years after it first premiered, the I Love Lucy show is still gaining new fans, while the story of real-life power couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz continues to hold our attention. There’s no shortage of podcasts, biopics, and documentaries about their impact on the history of television, and […]

IMPERFECT MOVIE REVIEW Lewayne, Mindy, Trevor, and Chad are here to review a new documentary called Imperfect: The Film. It centers around a production of Chicago being performed by the Phamaly Theatre Company, based out of Denver. Imperfect is here to fight back historical trends in theater. It’s a film meant to put creative humans […]

TIGER KING SEASON 2 SERIES REVIEW Hey all you cool cats and kittens, The Screener Squad is here to give you the latest on your favorite Tiger King, Joe Exotic. The 2nd season picks up right after the release of season 1. All your favorite/worst people are back: Carol Baskins (although it’s all archival footage), […]

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND MOVIE REVIEW From director Todd Haynes (“Velvet Goldmine”, “I’m Not There”) comes “The Velvet Underground”, a lovingly crafted documentary about one of the most influential bands in the history of rock and roll. Blending pop with the avant-garde, and embracing taboo subject matter, the Velvets were never destined for mainstream success. Nevertheless, […]

INFESTATION: FANTASTIC FEST 2021: THE FINAL ROUND With out last, and seriously belated (sorry) look at this year’s Fantastic Fest films, Chris, Drew, Rae, and Neil look at the Palmes D’or winner at this year’s Cannes film festival about a female serial killer who gets impregnated by a car, “Titane”. Then it’s on to the […]

CLEANIN’ UP THE TOWN: REMEMBERING GHOSTBUSTERS MOVIE REVIEW As far as the talking head documentary format is concerned, this one came, it saw and it KICKED ITS ASS! That’s definitely the consensus among the crew reviewing “Cleanin’ Up the Town”, a retrospective documentary from director Anthony Bueno that chronicles the making of the beloved 1984 […]

ENEMIES OF THE STATE MOVIE REVIEW What would you do for your family if one of them suddenly got caught up in a crazy government conspiracy? That’s what the Dehart family finds out when their son Matt, an alleged hacktivist member of Anonymous and whistleblower, suddenly found himself fleeing the country with them when he […]

FOR MADMEN ONLY What can you say about Del Close? Wait, what do you mean you’ve never heard of Del Close? Or more accurately, I’m surprised if you don’t work in comedy and you HAVE heard of him. Which is a crime because the guy more or less single-handedly invented modern improv comedy, taught every […]

VAL MOVIE REVIEW He was Batman, Iceman, (not) Elvis, The Lizard King, and your Huckleberry. He’s played a Saint, a prophet, quite a few sinners, a porn star, and a bunch of cops and crooks. According to IMDB, since his screen debut in “Top Secret,” he’s been in at least a project a year nearly […]

ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN MOVIE REVIEW Anthony Bourdain, the beloved chef and TV personality who left us before we could really know him, is given a first class documentary tribute courtesy of director Morgan Neville (“Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” “20 Feet From Stardom”). The film offers a sweeping look at Bourdain’s life […]

SUMMER OF SOUL MOVIE REVIEW From talented multi-hyphenate Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson comes “Summer of Soul” an electrifying documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. For six consecutive weekends, the festival provided live music, comedy, dance, poetry and thought-provoking commentary to over 30,000 residents of Harlem, free of charge. That same summer, a mere 100 miles […]

RITA MORENO: JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT MOVIE REVIEW To quote Joan Crawford: “Let’s show them how a legend makes an entrance.” And what a legend we get to examine in the new documentary, “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It”. The film spotlights the titular ubiquitous […]

THE SPARKS BROTHERS MOVIE REVIEW From writer/director and Sparks superfan Edgar Wright comes the new documentary “The Sparks Brothers” an in-depth look at brothers Ron and Russell Mael, the creative force behind the band Sparks. After their first album failed to gain traction in the States, the Mael Brothers decamped to the UK, just in […]

STREET GANG: HOW WE GOT TO SESAME STREET MOVIE REVIEW 50 years ago, television for children changed forever when it took a trip down to Sesame Street. Jim Henson’s colorful, playful, Muppets and their human neighbors taught generations of children their letters, numbers, empathy, and compassion. On this review, Mindy leads her own colorful, playful, […]

THIS IS A ROBBERY: THE WORLD’S BIGGEST ART HEIST SERIES REVIEW What would you do if millions of dollars of art was stolen right under your nose? Netflix’s new true crime series, “This Is A Robbery: The World’s Biggest Art Heist” takes a look at the infamous heist of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in […]

TINA MOVIE REVIEW Anybody who’s anybody has an HBO documentary made about them. Few people have a story as compelling as Tina Turner, however. One of the few women in the world whose first name alone is synonymous with a combination of rock and soul, Turner’s tumultuous journey is front and center of one of […]

A GLITCH IN THE MATRIX MOVIE REVIEW The world may not be as it seems. In fact, it may not be a world at all. Not a physical one, anyway. This new documentary from the director of “Room 237” explores this idea that was initially proposed (at length) by author Philip K. Dick, that we […]

THE LAST BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE REVIEW At the height of its success, Blockbuster Video had over 9000 locations and was opening a new store every 17 hours. And then Netflix came and killed Blockbuster. Or did they? Interviews with former Blockbuster owners and executives tell a different story. Now reduced to a single store in Bend, […]

THE VOW MINISERIES REVIEW Mark Vincent and Catherine Oxenberg reminisce about the many years they spent in the self help cult NXIVM. With a staggering amount of hours of footage and audio recordings, the documentary goes beneath the better yourself attitude and uncovers a vile sex trafficking cult lead by a pathetic narcissist named Keith. […]

TOTALLY UNDER CONTROL MOVIE REVIEW Documentarian Alex Gibney took on an unenviable task, but an essential one: gathering together all the incontrovertible facts we know about the Coronavirus and the USA’s response to it, and assembled it into a timeline film. Yes, those who most need to watch it, still won’t, as anything they don’t […]

J.R. BOB DOBBS AND THE CHURCH OF THE SUBGENIUS Do you look at the people around you and ask why they’re all so damn….normal? Boring? You probably would have been a good candidate for the Subgenius. Started as a satire of capitalism/religion/government/damn near anything we’re all supposed to take for granted as ‘normal’, the two […]

DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD MOVIE REVIEW What do you do when you see that your beloved father is getting closer to the end of the party every day? Do you tell him you love him? Do you make sure he is closer to his family and loved ones? Do you review his memories and celebrate […]