There’s nothing better than a great documentary and “Queen of the Deuce” manages to be one of the best I’ve seen this year. Valerie Kontakos’ biography about NYC figure Chelly Wilson is one of the more excellent documentaries I’ve seen that covers an array of topics from family, LGBTQ politics, and the ever lasting effects of the holocaust. More so it’s a brilliant time capsule of the Deuce, 42nd Street in New York which, at one time, was considered a virtual breeding ground of violence, sex, drugs and all other kinds of depravity.
Tag Archives: History
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout (2024) [Cinequest 2024]
“Of the 220 people that were constantly on location shooting in Utah, 91 came down with cancer…”
“The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout” is an important documentary, and one that warrants a mass audience with as many people as possible, if only to view how Hollywood can often become the folly of the rich and powerful as well as how one man’s hubris can destroy so many lives in one fell swoop. Although William L. Nunez’s documentary is very much about the calamity that was “The Conqueror,” the Howard Hughes and John Wayne vanity project that amounted to a massive epic scale shooting that ended with an abysmal often derided biographical film, it’s also about the corruption of the American government.
Allonsanfan (1974) [RADIANCE FILMS LIMITED EDITION]
Available on Blu-ray from Radiance Films
Fluvio has led a group of anarchists for a while and is having a hard time leaving them for a different life. Every time he leaves, either something or someone pulls him back in.
The ABC’s of Book Banning (2023)
Can now be Streamed on Paramount Plus.
Director Sheila Nevins’ Oscar nominated short is an Important film and one that provides a scathing indictment of the American Education system and our head on collision with fascism and anti-intellectualism across the board. With the rise of smaller special interest groups, the idea of book banning has become a niche topic for aspiring politicians seeking power, thus creating a maelstrom of controversy. Rather than comment on the entire absurdity herself, director Nevins hands the platform over to a group of prepubescent children.
The War on Disco (2023)
Lisa Quijano Wolfinger’s “The War on Disco” is a great documentary—if you have minimal to zero knowledge about disco music. For an hour long documentary it does very little to take advantage and explore the lesser known corners of the Disco boom of the 1970’s. It’s all pretty much a superficial and speedily paced buffer about the entire craze called Disco Music. Known for a long time as an enemy to rock music, Disco was a sub-genre of dance music that allowed for a lot more diversity, which prompted a lot more people to hate it.
Milli Vanili (2023)
If you were alive during the early nineties, you remember the infamous rise and shocking fall of the pop band Milli Vanilli. For many, many years they were synonymous with really bad pop music. Their crash and burn on stage with a malfunctioning machine that revealed their lip synching to a massive crowd also amounted to their ultimate downfall. Although what many didn’t know over the last twenty five years is that while Milli Vanilli were perceived as con artists, they were sadly pawns in a massive scheme to artificially build pop super stars.
The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s American Pie (2022)
“And do you believe in rock and roll? Can music save your mortal soul?”
Director Mark Moormann’s documentary is probably one of the more interesting stories about one of the most important, if not the most important rock and roll song ever made. Don McLean’s epic ode to “The Day the Music Died” is a compelling rock epic that bemoans the end of a more innocent time in rock music. This is not only a time where three titans of rock and roll perished in a tragic crash, but it also seemingly ushered in a wave of events that began to change America and society.