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documentary

“Coded Bias” lifts the mask off systemic bias in facial recognition software

Coded Bias
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Shalini Kantayya’s documentary is a chilling primer on the ways technology reflects the flaws of the systems that create and use it.

Clint Worthington Posted on November 10, 2020November 10, 2020

“The Cost of Winning” ends up a bit of a fumble

The Cost of Winning
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Rob Ford & Maurice Holden’s new documentary series doesn’t go deep enough to do its rich story justice.

Sean Price Posted on November 10, 2020November 9, 2020

P.S.H. I Love You: “The Party’s Over” captures election-era anxiety

The Party's Over
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The sequel to 1992’s The Last Party sees Philip Seymour Hoffman reflects the polarized politics of 2020 through the 2000 race.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on November 3, 2020November 3, 2020

Austin Film Festival: “The Book Keepers” is an emotional page-turner

The Book Keepers
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A cross-country book tour is the backdrop for an engrossing doc about coping with the loss of a loved one.

Douglas Laman Posted on October 29, 2020November 3, 2020

AFI Fest: “I’m Your Woman”, “Hopper/Welles”, “Apples,” “I Carry You With Me”

AFI Fest I'm Your Woman Hopper/Welles Apples I Carry You With Me
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From ’70s mob thrillers to docs that stretch their genre definitions, AFI Fest closes with some elegant entries.

Clint Worthington Posted on October 26, 2020October 26, 2020

AFF Fest: “Dave Not Coming Back” is a poignant look at loss and risk

Dave Not Coming Back
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Jonah Malek’s documentary proves captivating for divers and non-divers alike.

Douglas Laman Posted on October 25, 2020November 13, 2020

AFI Fest: “Notturno”, “No Ordinary Man”

Notturno No Ordinary Man
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Two stellar docs — one about the dangers of place, the other the flexibility of identity — screen at AFI Fest.

Clint Worthington Posted on October 20, 2020October 20, 2020

AFI Fest: “Belushi” is a familiar tribute to John Belushi’s life and death

Belushi
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The latest cinematic attempt to understand one of comedy’s most tragic success stories celebrates its subject’s life until it can’t any longer.

Clint Worthington Posted on October 18, 2020October 21, 2020

AFI Fest: “76 Days” takes us inside Wuhan’s COVID lockdown

76 Days
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Hao Wu’s fly-on-the-wall glimpse of China’s 76-day coronavirus lockdown is a startling portrait of resilience and helplessness.

Clint Worthington Posted on October 17, 2020October 17, 2020

Doc shows how America failed to get COVID-19 “Totally Under Control”

Totally Under Control
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Gibney’s latest piece of docu-journalism is a sharp, but blinkered take Trump’s COVID-era failings.

Oluwatayo Adewole Posted on October 16, 2020October 16, 2020

“Deaf U” is a school of partying and poignancy

Deaf U
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Netflix’s newest reality show gets both turnt and insightful.

Douglas Laman Posted on October 10, 2020October 10, 2020

Reeling 2020: “The Capote Tapes” fills in the gaps of Truman’s world

The Capote Tapes (Reeling 2020)
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Ebs Burnough’s composite portrait of Truman Capote reveals all the melodrama and queasy class navigation that seeped into every pore of his queer being.

B.L. Panther Posted on October 5, 2020October 5, 2020

Reeling 2020: “Ahead of the Curve” has all the queer joy that’s fit to print

Ahead of the Curve (Reeling 2020)
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Jen Rainin’s documentary about famed lesbian magazine Curve is a welcome snapshot of queer lit history, in all the publication’s ups and downs.

B.L. Panther Posted on October 5, 2020October 5, 2020

Abel Ferrara makes a case for theaters in “The Projectionist”

The Projectionist
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Abel Ferrara serves up a moving, fun ode to a moviegoing experience we all miss, even if it ironically needs some focus.

Justin Harrison Posted on October 2, 2020October 2, 2020

Reeling 2020: “Galore” ends up feeling a bit slim

Galore
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Lazlo & Dylan Tonk’s documentary about Lady Galore is a technically proficient look at the title drag queen that comes up short.

B.L. Panther Posted on September 30, 2020September 28, 2020

Reeling 2020: “Gracefully” finds queer pastoral bliss in Iran

Gracefully (Reeling 2020)
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Arash Es’haghi celebrates an unnamed farmer dancing his way to self-love in Iran.

B.L. Panther Posted on September 29, 2020September 28, 2020

Reeling 2020: “Pier Kids” puts a lens on queer homelessness

Pier Kids (Reeling 2020)
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Elegance Bratton’s documentary is a kaleidoscopic view of the unhoused queer youth of Chelsea Pier.

B.L. Panther Posted on September 28, 2020September 28, 2020

Reeling 2020: “The Whistle” sings loud about New Mexico’s queer culture

The Whistle (Reeling 2020)
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Stormmiguel Florez searches for queer folk in 1980s Albuquerque, and highlights the invisibility of queer Latinx culture.

B.L. Panther Posted on September 28, 2020September 28, 2020

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