What Documentaries did you see in February 2017?

A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995) (TV) - Fascinating 3 parts documentary hosted by Martin Scorsese on film history from the silent era up to the 70s.

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The day we stop lookin'...is the day we die.

i just saw a fantastic one that hasn't gotten picked up for distribution yet and is now on the festival circuit. it's called "most valuable players" and is about a competition in eastern pennsylvania for the freddy awards. they're given to the high schools in the area with the best musical productions. it's like the real life "glee" and was just amazing. i'd recommend it highly if it makes it to your local theater.

That's Entertainment, Part II (1976) - Unlike Part 1 which tells the history of MGM musical, this one basically has no organization. Hosted by Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, this one is more about MGM stars than the history. Thus, in addition to Musicals, this documentary covers also Comedies and Dramas. The documentary jumped from one stars to another, yet the transition was very smooth. Ultimately, this was a dazzling show. I think I like this one more than the first one.

That's Entertainment! III (1994) - Part 3 is more about remembrance. The show brought back some of the stars in their older age to tell about the MGM musicals in their days. Somehow there is a kind of sadness seeing them in their old age as compared to their youth in the clips. So, this was like the first one, but with older hosts. It is nice to hear their stories despite lack of energy in this one compares to the earlier two.

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The day we stop lookin'...is the day we die.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454539/

Salt

Caught it on POV on PBS. Documentary about Australian photographer who treks out onto a bleak salt flat to take a series of pictures. It was good. Short. He ended up with some striking photos.

(up)
http://www.gosee.de/news/art/salt-ii-motive-des-aussergewoehnlichen-la ke-eyre-von-frederick-murray-7359?gos_lang=en
Article with a few of the pics.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1155592/

Man on Wire

Directed by James Marsh

Documentary on crazy Frenchman who walked a wire between the World Trade Center towers in the early 70's. Mesmerizing and intense. I'm bad with heights and even some of the still photos made my stomach lurch. The interview with the NYC cop who got him down is classic. Wonderful movie.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1157605/

Anvil! The Story of Anvil

Directed by Sacha Gervasi

Documentary on the Candadian heavy metal band Anvil who still play after 30 years together but never reached stardom. Uncomfortable to watch at times and very touching. Fine example of the other side of the music business.

That was something else, I agree. You can just feel the cop was overwhelmed by the experience. If you haven't watched the long segment about this caper in "New York: A Documentary Film - Center of the World", I highly recommend you check it out. The focus there was more on the caper in relationship to the Twin Towers instead of just mostly on Philippe Petit and his caper.

This sounds good hope it gets picked up