Rarely can I have seen a documentary with so much recent, and active, participation from a man about whom I knew nothing beforehand but for whom I actually cared by the middle of the film. The term "free-spirit" is entirely suitable to describe the young Marc-André Leclerc, a man who spends his time travelling the globe ascending sheer cliffs of rock that would give an eagle acrophobia. The film could also have been called "the Individualist". The young man wasn't a loner, in any social sense, but he preferred the exhilaration of climbing - and enduring all the hostile conditions that accompanied that - on his own. Only reluctantly, I thought, did he agree to allow the photographers to accompany him - and boy, what photography they have created. We really get a sense of not just the peril as the young man climbed these monumental pieces of rock (without a rope), but of the sense of adventure, of determination and of purpose that drove him to tackle these toughest, and frequently beautiful, of obstacles that nature could put in his path. There are a few, poignant, contributions from fellow climbers, the photographers, his mother and his girlfriend - but somehow we don't really need them - this is a story about a young man determined to live his life on his own terms. Got to be an Oscar contender.
An inquiry into two of the most influencial French filmakers friendship and feud.
Werner Herzog's documentary film about the "Grizzly Man" Timothy Treadwell and what the thirteen summers in a National Park in Alaska were like in one man's attempt to protect the grizzly bears. The film is full of unique images and a look into the spirit of a man who sacrificed himself for nature.
A journey through several countries to find those who really know Kim Jong-un, North Korea's leader, in an attempt to profile a contradictory dictator who seems to rule his nation with both disturbing benevolence and cold cruelty while being worshipped as a living god by his subjects in exalted displays of ridiculous fanaticism.
Newly discovered interviews with Elizabeth Taylor and unprecedented access to the star’s personal archive reveal the complex inner life and vulnerability of the groundbreaking icon.
A documentary that captures the sensational trial of infamous gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger, using the legal proceedings as a springboard to explore allegations of corruption within the highest levels of law enforcement. Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger examines Bulger's relationship with the FBI and Department of Justice that allowed him to reign over a criminal empire in Boston for decades.
The spotlight's on Parchís, a record company-created Spanish boy/girl band that had unprecedented success with Top 10 songs and hit films in the '80s.
At the end of his life, gravely ill, François Truffaut took refuge with his ex-wife Madeleine Morgenstern. She tried to keep him occupied during his long agony. The filmmaker confided in his friend Claude de Givray, with the intention of writing his autobiography. Too weakened, he abandoned the project. The film reveals part of this final story.
Jacques Rozier or the fierce, independent itinerary of a filmmaker in perpetual disarray, admired by his peers and pampered by the critics.
Through honest reflection, complemented by insight from colleagues and friends, Faye Dunaway contextualizes her life and filmography, laying bare her struggles with mental health while confronting the double standards she was subjected to as a woman in Hollywood.
A moving and very funny portrait of the personal and professional life of the magnificent French comedian Louis de Funès (1914-83), as well as a detailed analysis of his masterful acting technique.
First responders, journalists, shop owners, those inside the pressure-packed control center of Con Edison on West End Avenue, and other New Yorkers tell about what happened when the lights went out on July 13, 1977.