Nick Broomfield makes documentaries that seek the truth and report it without fear or favor to anyone. There is no better example of what he does, and why it makes for such compelling cinema, than TALES OF THE GRIM SLEEPER, which takes on the reasons why a 25-year killing spree by the eponymous serial killer… Read More »
PARTY MONSTER
For some people, reality is a choice and they would rather not. Why be an office drone when you can be a star, even if it’s only for a night and in a dress made of toilet paper? This was the thinking behind the Club Kids scene and the backdrop for one of New York’s… Read More »
Vikram Jayanti Explores THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY OF PHIL SPECTOR
Vikram Jayanti’s documentary about legendary music producer Phil Spector does the unthinkable. It presents Spector in all his eccentric, mean-spirited glory, yet still manages to humanize him. When I spoke with the director on September 10, 2010, the first thing I asked about was how he had pulled that off. Jayanti then went on to reveal how he… Read More »
Richard Kwietniowski Gambles on OWNING MAHOWNY
Richard Kwietniowski developed quite a following with his first feature film, LOVE AND DEATH ON LONG ISLAND. That most improbable of love stories demonstrated his knack for telling stories of the unexpected with a delicate wit and a sharp insight. The same is true for OWNING MAHOWNY, an improbably absorbing tale of a dull man, played… Read More »
Andrew Jarecki on CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS
For a debut film, Andrew Jarecki couldn’t have picked a more controversial or attention-grabbing subject that child sexual abuse. Yet his film dealing with the emotional impact on the family of the accused father and son transcends sensationalism and becomes a consideration on the nature of truth and universality of family life. When I spoke to… Read More »
Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato Put PARTY MONSTER in Perspective
Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato had already told the story of PARTY MONSTER, about the Club Kid murders, a few years back with their documentary of the same name. Turning it into their first feature film seemed, for them, the logical thing to do. When I talked with them on June 28, 2003, they were being honored at the San… Read More »