Tag: Documentary

PRETTY UGLY: THE STORY OF THE LUNACHICKS – Review

With MICHAEL dominating the box office last weekend, are you in the mood for another musical movie? Not another “biopic”, instead, how about a rollicking documentary? Here’s just the (theatre) ticket. I’ll admit that my music knowledge is lacking, as the only “girls bands” in my limited “sphere” are the Go-Go’s and the Bangles (well, I just recalled Banarama). It turns out that when the Punk Rock craze made its way “across the pond” from Britain in the early 1980’s, a quartet (often a quintet) of talented young women from the Big Apple decided to “heed the call”. They mixed driving “metal” beats with lots of high energy and showmanship (or should it be “show-woman-ship”) and lots of humor, beginning with their act’s name. It’s all explained in PRETTY UGLY: THE STORY OF THE LUNACHICKS.

The doc begins its story just a few years ago, as several of the original members are contemplating a reunion tour (the ole’ “We’re getting the band back together” bit). We’re quickly whisked away, back in time to NYC in the mid 1980s, a grimier and more dangerous era of that burg. That starting trio met in the school of performing arts from the FAME movie and TV show. They created songs inspired by favorite Tv shows like “The Brady Bunch” and hastily learned how to play their instruments (sort of the other way around for most bands). Their first gigs were chaotic (chants of “Show us your t#%&s” from the rowdy dudes), but they got their “mojo rising” and put together a wardrobe that defined their style: frizzed hair, spiked leather, and tutus. The last reflected a sense of humor, paired with “blacked-out” teeth and bold hair colors. Soon they’re touring the country with the Beastie Boys, the Ramones, and even the Go-Go’s. New members are brought in as some mainstays depart (many different drummers) as the road takes its toll with personality clashes and dramatic “affairs of the heart”. Things fizzled out at the start of a new century, when the ladies drifted apart to pursue new interests (the lead singer, Theo Kogan, was a Calvin Klein fashion model, while Gina Volpe went back into painting and design). Somehow their rabid fan base grew, and ignited a call for a return to live performances. The film profiles each band member and documents their qualms and excitement over going back “out there”.

Director/writer Ilya Chaiken has crafted a most informative and entertaining original story of this very influential band that more pop culture mavens (yours truly included) need to know about. The doc has a breezy, informal style that deftly meshes “talking head”-type interviews; besides the ladies, there’s the Go-Go’s Gina Schock, Miss Guy, and Debbie (Blondie) Harry! To recreate the time periods, Chaiken utilizes archival news footage (you can almost smell those NYC “mean streets), film footage from TIMES SQUARE, along with grainy Super 8mm (yeah) from the band’s collection (along with camcorder shots, sigh). The talented Ms. Volpe contributes some groovy underground comics-style animation over some photos (oh, and her art is fantastic). But the movie’s strength comes from the personal reflections of the members. Theo is perhaps the most articulate, Volpe is a bit more spirited, while Silver may be the most emotional as she frets over their stage return. Equally engaging is the unfiltered Becky West, a drummer from 89-94. We see her on a Howard Stern TV dating show sketch, and more importantly, we witness her “laying down the law” to some overly-aggressive “bros” at a venue. A most endearing “call back” is watching them encounter a huge subway photo from their “heyday”, now used as an ad. It seems that the ‘stage blood” rigged to make it seem as if their “monthly time” was “in sync” was airbrushed out. You bet they were edgy, though they have a sweet nostalgia for the hour spent in a camper crisscrossing the US and Mexico (the custom agents helped them out). As with many retrospectives of the time, “substances” play a big factor in the turmoil, along with romances (in the group and outsiders), which leads to their hiatus. It all paves the way for a delightful celebratory finale, though I would have loved some subtitles for the growly guttural lyric (I’m showing my age). Still, fans and “newbies” (guilty) will find much to enjoy in the rambunctious revelry of PRETTY UGLY: THE STORY OF THE LUNACHICKS.


3 out of 4

PRETTY UGLY: THE STORY OF THE LUNATICS is in select theatres, including St. Louis’ Hi-Pointe Theater for one night only at 8:30 pm on Thursday, April 30, 2026.

ANDRE IS AN IDIOT – Review

Sundance award winning documentary ANDRE IS AN IDIOT is a hilarious, remarkably entertaining and ultimately touching documentary film about a smart, creative, funny person, Andre Ricciardi, with wild salt-and-pepper frizzy hair and 1000 watt smile, who is also an idiot. Andre says it himself. So, why is Andre an idiot? For not getting a colonoscopy when he turned fifty. A year later, when he did get one, he got shocking news: cancer, stage 4. A documentary about someone with terminal cancer is not something you expect to be described as “hilarious” but that was part of Andre Ricciardi’s goal with ANDRE IS AN IDIOT, which won the Audience Award for Best U.S. Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival, where it premiered.

Andre Ricciardi wanted to make a film as a warning about the importance of getting a colonoscopy, but he didn’t want it to be something he wouldn’t want to watch himself – something sad, serious and emotional. Instead, director Tony Benna crafted a film that told Andre’s story Andre’s way, with crazy humor and creativity, and wonderful claymation animation, as well as with honesty and heart. Ultimately, ANDRE IS AN IDIOT is touching too but you won’t be sorry you took this journey.

The result is one of the most surprising and entertaining documentaries you will ever see, and one of the year’s best films so far, as well as something uniquely Andre. ANDRE IS AN IDIOT introduces us to this creative, funny, honest Andre, tells us his story and then lets Andre takes us along on his last journey. The story of this intriguing, charismatic fellow is told through photos and footage, interviews with Andre, his wife, their two daughters, his brother, his friends and others, and especially through wonderful claymation, stop-motion animation.

Although Andre approaches everything with humor, he is smart, clear-eyed and honest about his situation. His motto used to be “no cops, no doctors” but he amended it to “some doctors.” Treatment is about gaining more time, especially with his teen-aged daughters, rather than a cure, but he still is going to do everything on his own terms, including planning a final yell as he leaves this world, “So long, suckers.” The documentary also includes glimpses of his discussions with his therapist and moments when he drops the humor in favor of introspection, although humor is a big part of just how he interacts with the world.

We hear about Andre’s happy marriage, which actually began as a “green card” marriage but turned into a real one, about his life, his kids and his friends. Hearing versions of stories, or just about Andre, from his brother, his wife, his kids, his friends, sometimes has a “Rashomon” aspect to it, with Andre and other people each telling the story their own way. One thing is constant: Andre has plenty of charisma, a unique view, and a determination to do things his own way.

The animation sequences are a special delight, creative and appealing joy, something that really helps make this film as enjoyable as it is. Things more “medical” that might be uncomfortable to see are shown in animation and with a comic slant. In between those animated sequences, we hear from his friends and family, and get footage of quirky Andre just being himself as he goes about life.

“Unique” and “creative” are two words nearly everyone uses to describe Andre. The smart, multi-talented Andre was someone who could have done anything in life. What he did do was have a career as an advertising creative. “Advertising!” says Andre. “Who does that?” That quote from the film gives a taste of Andre’s playful personality. Making this documentary seems a very Andre thing to do, judging by what people say about him in this film and what we see on screen – make a movie about his final journey, as a cautionary tale to others not to be an idiot and get a colonoscopy but tell his story with humor, honesty, and his own style.

The result is one of the funniest movies you will see, and a documentary about a remarkably unique individual. ANDRE IS AN IDIOT is both a cautionary tale / public service announcement but also a fascinating, highly entertaining biographical documentary about one unique, creative, funny person who deserved more time on this planet. This impressively good film is not one you will regret seeing.

ANDRE IS AN IDIOT opens in theaters on Friday, Mar. 27, 2026.

RATING: 4 out of 4 stars

1000 WOMEN IN HORROR – Review

As a lifelong male horror fan, I’ve seen a whole bunch of them, ranging from those made before I was born (not only silents; a couple of decades of talkies preceded my arrival) to the current crop. This documentary put the genre into a different perspective – the points of view a couple of dozen “talking heads”, who were mostly writers and directors of such films, plus a few actresses in the mix. It’s based on a book of the same title by Alexandra Heller-Jones, who wrote and appears frequently on camera in this adaptation. Director Donna Davies does well at balancing the length of each talk bit with clips to keep things moving at a pace that avoids college-lecture tedium.

The horror umbrella is broken down into subgenres, progressing by ages of the principal figures. Scary or victimized girls are the opening group, followed by teens, adults, revenge, women at work, home invasion, and older stars on both sides of good and evil. The coverage is quite comprehensive, with generous amounts of clips to illustrate what the women on camera are saying. This is strictly for those not easily offended or grossed out, since they don’t pull any punches on scenes of nudity and gore (especially the latter). That structure works well. It also includes quite a few non-American films that fit the various categories.

The focus is more on the roles of women and how they might reflect or relate to viewers. Whether the source of menace is a psycho, supernatural, sci-fi or extraterrestrial takes a back seat to the psychology of the stories. It presents women’s points of view and how they were influenced, including how their prevalence behind the camera has mushroomed recently. But don’t assume this is a feminist screed, or overly academic. It’s more of an homage to those behind and in the cited films including nods to early novelists like Mary Shelley and Shirley Jackson, offering encouragement to newcomers and aspirants from hearing about the paths of these presenters.

Perhaps the greatest value of this doc, at least for me, is its spur to watch or re-watch numerous titles proffered. Good thing it’s on home-market release rather than in theaters. I found myself hitting the pause or rewind buttons frequently to note the films I’m adding to my watch lists. I suspect most of you who appreciate this documentary will do the same.

100 WOMEN IN HORROR streams on Shudder starting Friday, Mar. 20, 2026.

Rating: 3 out of 4 stars

EPiC: ELVIS PRESLEY IN CONCERT – Review

You’d think that Aussie director Baz Luhrmann would’ve had his fill of “the King” after making his big-budget Oscar-nominated biopic of ELVIS nearly four years ago. And you would be so wrong. And Presley fans (and scores of fanatics), along with general movielovers are all the richer for it. Turns out that Baz wanted access to all the footage from the two Elvis concert films from the early 70s, and was probably gobsmacked by the 68 boxes of 35mm (and some 8mm) film delivered from deep within the vaults of Warner Brothers. We do get an overview of the man’s life and career, but the main focus is on the legendary performing tenure begun in 1969 at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. All the hi-tech cleaning and polishing only add to the legend, and truly earn the main title of EPiC: ELVIS PRESLEY IN CONCERT. Lace up those blue suede shoes…

The taut ninety-minute documentary/concert deftly combines both cinema elements. Baz assembles little “sidebars” that pop up almost like chapter bookends here. There’s a section devoted to his adored “Mama”, initial cultural impact (an explosion almost) with a TV preacher’s warning of the “beat” that summons Satan, his Army stint, the “Colonel”, his romances (yes, Priscella’s there), and many other milestones. Plus, there’s a montage of his often silly (“See Elvis karate chop a tiger!”) later movies that prompted the big 1968 “comeback” TV special. But the real “meat” is the preparations for the big Vegas concert with several unlikely tunes that were considered. It’s interesting to hear the King’s take on a couple of Beatles tunes, along with a Simon and Garfunkel classic. And yes, he’s in excellent “voice”, this being some of his most polished vocal stylings. The rehearsals and preparation scenes build to the big Vegas opening, in which Elvis almost “reinvented” himself and began his new era of live-performance spectacles.

For some viewers, this new reworking of long-thought lost footage will reinforce their perception of this icon, while for the unfamilar much of this may be a revelation or a discovery. We see long hours in minimal facilities to tweak the sound, in order to go beyond the “flash and glitter”. Oh, but there is plenty of that, though. His gaudy, often loud fashion ensembles are on full display, making us think of how it’s the male peacock who attempts to dazzle the ladies. Dazzle is a restrained turn for Elvis’ magnetic appeal to the hordes of enraptured women fans of every age. He is their idealized lover, even if there’s a hint of danger. One great bit has Elvis zeroing in on one of his most prominent female backup singers, which inspires both fear and quivering desire. That’s just one of the scenes of his “clownin””, as we witness him cracking up over his persona. There’s a darkness to one of the “jokes” as Elvis inserts some drug references to one of his tunes, strange since he’d get a “drug buster badge” from then President Nixon less that a decade before he was felled by his addiction. Ah, but that feels like the distant future as we see the celeb-packed audience at that first Vegas concert. Why, he’s visited in his dressing room after the show by Sammy Davis, Jr. and Cary Grant! Oh, to be a fly on the wall to hear what they discussed, or at least to have better microphones trained on them. This is also an incredible time capsule of that time when beehive hairdos (or don’ts) ruled the skies, probably blocking a lot of the audience, who “dressed to impress”, perhaps to garner a glance or a quick smooch from their idol (he does love to wander through the smothering crowds). Yes, these are fun, happy snippets of kitsch, but there’s still some tragedy as Elvis mentions his interest in touring the world, though he would never venture beyond North America. My only complaint about Baz’s passion project is that some songs are cut short in order to avoid a long running time for the IMAX venues. Yes, I wanted more, but what’s there is really great. Oh, and don’t leave when the end credits begin. There’s a brief shot of E flanked by his “Memphis Mafia” as he briskly strolls down the hotel staff corridor past their cafeteria. In his bright blue jumpsuit, he looks like he popped in from Mount Olympus, making us wonder how this rock and roll deity existed on this planet with us. Sure, the music is still wonderful, but the whole mystique is what makes this time-traveling trip so memorable in the truly EPiC: ELVIS PRESLEY IN CONCERT. And yes, sadly, Elvis has left the building…

3.5 Out of 4

EPiC: ELVIS PRESLEY IN CONCERT is now playing exclusively on IMAX screens. It expands to theatres everywhere on Friday, February 27, 2026

PERCY GREEN: MAN OF ACTION Documentary – Review

Many St. Louisans who know a bit of Civil Rights history, Percy Green is known as the man who climbed the Arch, when it was partly built, to protest the lack of minority hiring by the company that was building it. As the 60th anniversary of the St. Louis Arch approaches, it is the perfect time for PERCY GREEN: MAN OF ACTION, the documentary the local legend by Joseph Puleo, which airs on PBS Nine on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025 at 7pm.

But there is much more to this Civil Rights activist – icon, actually – than that one spectacular protest, as you will learn in this insightful, engrossing documentary. Now 90 years old, Percy Green is still committed to Civil Rights, and worked with documentary filmmaker Joseph Puleo in the making of this first-rate, inspiring documentary. PERCY GREEN: MAN OF ACTION delves into Green’s life and work, and the Civil Rights movement generally, offering insights and information through archival stills, footage and interviews, as well as some excellent animated sequences.

For one, Percy Green participated in one of the earliest Civil Rights actions in the country, the groundbreaking Jefferson Bank protest in 1963, where protesters didn’t just march but laid in the street to block trucks as part of their non-violent resistance. Green is truly a man of action, which is what he named the Civil Rights organization he founded, ACTION.

Joseph Puleo’s film PERCY GREEN: MAN OF ACTION is skillfully-made, both informative and enjoyable, spotlighting a local hero of the Civil Rights whose name and actions should be known by all. Puleo’s previous documentaries include 2020’s AMERICA’S LAST LITTLE ITALY: THE HILL, about St. Louis’ Hill neighborhood, 2022’s A NEW HOME, about the Bosnian War refugees who settled in St. Louis and transformed the area around Bevo Mill, and the filmmakers has won awards for this work, including a Mid-America Emmy for Best Documentary – Cultural for the latter one. He is currently working on another documentary, BROTHERS IN BLOOD: BALCK IN VIETNAM.

The other big action Percy Green was famous for was the “unveiling” of the Veiled Prophet, an invented pseudo-Middle-Eastern figure, created by an old restricted, whites-only social organization of wealthy and powerful St. Louis “old family” elites, a club that dated back to at least the 19th century. The role of the Veiled Prophet was played by a top-ranking member of this segregated club, whose identity was kept secret, and in that role, presided over a parade and then a debutantes ball. Green didn’t do the un-veiling but he organized that action, which drew attention to this segregated organization.

The documentary personalizes the stories as it tells them, and recounts Civil Rights history, and Percy Green’s history, that should be much better known, not just in St. Louis. The documentary highlights the efforts of the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover to attack Green and ACTION, and leaves us with a feeling of uplift and inspiration to see a good man who could not be kept down, and who gave so much to the Civil Rights movement and this country.

Do not must this stirring documentary about a local Civil Rights hero, but if you do, hopefully it will become available through PBS’s Passport streaming service.

RATING: 4 out of 4 stars

Percy Green in PERCY GREEN: MAN OF ACTION

NAKED AMBITION (2025) – Review

Here’s a terrific new release that dispels that old, certainly now outdated, thought that watching a documntary was “homework”. This one’s a brisk, breezy romp through the fringes of pop culture that makes a sharp turn into an exploration of the changing attitudes towards the societal roles of women. So, yes, sex does play a big part. Mainly, it’s a portrait of an artist (that label may have irked and offended the intellectual elite then, but few would question it now). That artist in question is a photographer named Bunny (born Linnea) Yeagar who actually went from being a model in front of the camera to staging and snapping pics of, sometimes referred to as, “pin-up queens”. These ladies were usually clad in bikinis (which Bunny popularized), exotic attire, and sometimes in the “all together,” which gives a multiple meaning to this doc’s title, NAKED AMBITION.

The locale for Bunny’s life story quickly shifts from her birth in a chilly Pittsburgh suburb to sun-kissed Miami in the late 1940s. After winning several beauty pageants, she became a very busy photo model for several magazines and newspapers originating from Florida. That “ambition” started early as she embraced the big swimsuit sensation, the bikini, and enhanced them with her own design (one was comprised of plastic daisies). A new career opened up when she took a night class in photography at a vocational school. Bunny began taking pics of herself (perhaps these are the earliest “selfies”), then directed her BFF Maria Stinger (now there’s a great model moniker) in some very popular “men’s Magazine” spreads before expanding her “roster”. Seems that women were more comfortable with her behind the lens, rather than the leering men who formed “camera clubs”. Then, in 1954, through her photo mentor Irving Claw (another great name), Bunny met her muse, the bubbly brunette with the “bangs”, Bettie Page. These pics of Ms. Page, especially those taken at a wild animal “safari” park, became staples of pop culture when she was “rediscovered” through the Dave Stevens art of the Rocketeer graphic novels. Those shots attracted Hugh Hefner, and soon Bunny was a staple of his fledgling Playboy magazine. In the doc, we’re introduced to Bunny’s first husband, Arthur, a former cop, who becomes her business partner and the father of their two daughters, Cherilu and Lisa. We learn how Bunny took side “gigs” in the movies (with Sinatra) and later crooned as a lounge singer. But with the huge cultural shift in the late 60s, the public passed up the camp “cheesecake” for pornography (even parting ways with Playboy) and Bunny was adrift until a new appreciation in the late 1990s that led to new hardcover book collections and several gallery shows (at the Warhol). In the film’s epilogue, we’re told that Bunny shot on film right up until her passing at age 85 in 2014.

Director Dennis Scholl and Kareem Tabsch are two talented cinema “tour guides” for this chronicling of a remarkable life. Yes, there are the usual “talking heads”, but those interviewed offer some great insight into Bunny’s technique, including several working photogs, historians, and the modern “glamour gal” icon Dita Von Teese. And there’s some archival interview, though Larry King’s “chestnut” tale of a fan encounter doesn’t add much, ditto for the recollections of Hef. However, the audio-only stories from the real Page are quite engaging, as are the contrasting views of Bunny’s daughters (Lisa embraces her mom’s legacy while the more conservative Cherilu is somewhat embarrassed). The best parts of the docs are the incredible collages of the campy cheesecake pics that somehow still resonate a sweet innocence since most of the models are smiling, some even in “mid-laff”, conveying the high spirits of those optimistic days nearly 70 years ago. The filmmakers also address the big societal changes, first with Bunny’s friendship with a famous photo “buff”, Sammy Davis, Jr, who had to hide in the back seat when the two cruised around Miami before a “model shoot”. And later Bunny tries to get more “provocative” with the free-spirited “hippie chicks” in the late 60s. Plus, we get to view some grainy, faded home movie footage (I imagined the film disintegrating right after the digital transfer) and some adorably stiff and awkward films of an “actual photo session”. Scholl and Tabsch don’t shy away from the “tough times” as we learn of the demise of Bunny’s depressed hubby and their trumped-up obscenity bust. Luckily, the story ends on a triumphant note, despite the clash between the daughters and some estate problems, as Bunny gets her well-earned praise and appreciation from her peers. Her story, as told in the engaging NAKED AMBITION, is pretty close to “picture perfect”.

3 out of 4

NAKED AMBITION is now playing in select theatres

DEAF PRESIDENT NOW – Review

(L-R) Tim Rarus, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl, Greg Hlibok, and Jerry Covell, the leaders of the Gallaudet protest, in DEAF PRESIDENT NOW. Courtesy of Apple TV+







The biggest student protest you never heard of took place in 1988, when the Deaf students of Gallaudet University rose up to demand that a Deaf person be chosen as President of the world’s only university for the Deaf, for the first time in 124 years. The powerful documentary DEAF PRESIDENT NOW tells the story of that game-changing eight-day protest, which took place before the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act and did so much to change how other people saw Deaf people. It marked a major turning point in the drive for equal rights for Deaf and others classified as disabled by society.

And the Gallaudet students had reason to hope for a Deaf president this time, as the university’s governing Board of Directors was considering three candidates, two of which were Deaf. But they chose the one hearing person, and the outraged students poured out in protest, eventually taking over Gallaudet’s Washington, D.C. campus, carrying signs and banners demanding “Deaf President Now.” After waiting 124 years since Gallaudet’s founding. it finally was time for a Deaf president.

The documentary capitalizes Deaf throughout, and this review follows that lead. DEAF PRESIDENT NOW revisits this monumental moment for deaf people and for human rights, through contemporary interviews with the four student leaders of this rebellion, Greg Hlibok, then the newly-elected student body president, charismatic, fiery leader Jerry Covell, energetic feminist Bridgetta Bourne-Firl and committed, steady force Tim Rarus. The contemporary interviews are supplemented by stills and archival footage of the events, before and after the students took over the college campus. There are also interviews with one of the deaf candidates for president of Gallaudet, a popular professor on campus, Prof. I. King Jordan. The documentary, which debuted at Sundance this year, was co-directed by Davis Guggenheim and Nyle DiMarco.

This rebellion of Deaf students took place in 1988, before the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but near the end of a century that saw numerous groups stand up and demand their rights. At the beginning of the twentieth century, women demanded the right to vote, and got it in 1920. In the 1950s, after the end of WWII, the Civil Rights Era began, as Black people demanded their rights. In the 1960s, woman demanded equality and almost got the Equal Right Amendment passed despite extra restrictions placed on it. In the 1970s, gay people spoke up and fought back to demand their rights, and at the end of the 1970s, older people and those with disabilities began to demand their rights too. The 1980s saw this trend toward rights stall, but didn’t kill the fight for rights for the disabled.

The documentary does not go into this historical context but it is important that audiences keep it in mind while witnessing the degree of condescension with which the students are treated, first by the imperious wealthy woman, Mrs. Spilman, who is the board’s president, and then by the hearing woman the board selected, Dr. Zinzer, a nurse with no experience dealing with the deaf community, as the best candidate for president of the world’s only university for the deaf. Neither woman knew sign language and both spoke to students in soothing tones as if they were small children while failing to address their very valid concerns.

DEAF PRESIDENT NOW toggles back and forth between the contemporary interviews and archival images and footage, some in black-and-white and some in color, detailing the events of each of the eight days of the protest, all of which is marked with a title card. The archival footage includes some of broadcast interviews with the university’s Board President, Mrs Spilman.

An interesting aspect of this moving film is its sound design. Periodically, the directors just drop out the sound, so we “hear” what the students hear, which is silence. It is a striking effect, because it comes and goes, and constantly reminds us their world. The four leaders of the protest, and deaf professor I. King Jordan, all speak some on their experiences growing up, either in a deaf family or in one more mixed. There is discussion of degrees of hearing loss, differences between people who grew up deaf and those who became deaf later, and about deaf culture itself.

This well-made, eye-opening documentary is both an inspiring and moving film about an important, unjustly forgotten historical event and an intriguing glimpse into deaf culture, with a chance to meet some real heroes who changed the world for the better.

DEAF PRESIDENT NOW debuts streaming on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 16.

RATING: 3.5 out of 4 stars

PIECE BY PIECE – Review

Here’s a challenge for even the most respected and revered documentarians: how do you make your film different than the usual profile/biography? Mind you, there have already been some exceptional showbiz docs this year with SUPER/MAN and FAYE. Not to mention the two-part four-hour look at Steve Martin made by this film’s director, Morgan Neville. Is there a fresh way to present the “talking heads” interviews, the “reanactments”, and the archival footage? How about animation, much like the recently lauded FLEE? That’s a start, but should it be standard hand-drawn 2-D, or the molded CGI? Yes to the latter, but do it in the Lego brick style since Warner’s let their license lapse. This gives the title a double meaning as Neville examines the life and career of Pharrell Williams, step by step, or rather PIECE BY PIECE.


After a brief opening sequence of the film’s subject playing with his wife and children, Williams is whisked away to a section of his home where Neville and his crew are setting up for an interview shoot. Neville is stunned when Williams shares his epiphany that his life should be “Lego-animated”. The story then shifts several decades in the past, as we see Pharrell as a fun-loving boy growing up in a housing project in Virginia Beach, VA. With the ocean nearby and a big Posiedon statue towering over it, and living in the Atlantis apartments, Williams believes that there was “something in the water”. Perhaps that’s why he saw colors when looking into the speakers of his “boom box”. Ditto when he enjoyed the church choir with her adored grandmother. It seemed inevitable he’d form a band with some of his pals. Williams and BFF Chad Hugo were the driving force behind the Neptunes (another water riff). Their hopes rose when a big music producer opened a big recording studio. After being spotted at the local school’s talent show, the Neptunes became part of the studio crew, going from errand work (getting coffee, etc.) to making music suggestions. From there they tried getting the NYC labels interested. Eventually, they got some airplay near their hometown and were soon collaborating with Pusha-T, N.O.R.E., Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, Timbaland, and Busta Rhymes. Soon he and Chad were major producers garnering awards and working with the best of the biz including Justin Timberlake, Daft Punk, and Jay-Z. After marrying and starting a family, Williams yearns to express his only musical voice. And with the “Happy” help of Gru and his Minions, it all “clicks”…

So yes, it does give a new energy and sparkle to the old documentary tropes. There’s a playful quality to everything, particularly in the sequences set in the old Virginia Beach hometown as people frolic (on foot, bikes, and skateboards) in the bright sun as the Blue Angels fly overhead. A satiric element is added in the later scenes involving other music superstars, especially Snoop Dogg as they’re surrounded by mist emitting from a spray bottle labeled “PG haze”. It’s also fun to see the Lego logo in the ocean foam as a fish breaks the surface. I had seen a CBS Sunday Morning profile of Williams a few days ago, so I was a bit surprised that the story stopped short of his recent foray into fashion, which might have inspired more clever brick recreations. The colors are dazzling and the visuals are inventive (drops of water and chicken nuggets are plastic smooth hoops), but the story’s throughline feels a tad rote (I did this which led to this and this and…). It offers some good life lessons for kids, with a great montage of Williams literally bouncing off the walls of the offices of stunned studio execs, but older folks may be confused by some similar design choices and the constant music biz “name drops”. This radical mesh of movie styles is a noble experiment, which could yield moviegoers a new slate of biopics that build on the cinematic potential shown in PIECE BY PIECE.

2.5 Out of 4

PIECE BY PIECE is now playing in theatres everywhere

FRIDA – Review

One of Frida Kahlo’s paintings featured in the documentary FRIDA. © 2024 Banco de México Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museums Trust. Av. 5 de Mayo No. 20, col. Centro, alc. Cuauhtémoc, c.p. 06000, Mexico City. Courtesy of Amazon Prime Video

Frida Kahlo remains endlessly intriguing, in part because the Mexican artist’s colorful paintings remain striking, mysterious and even slightly disturbing and partly because of her bold, dramatic, sometimes tragic life. The artist has been the subject of several films, both narrative and documentary, and Kahlo has been played beautifully by actresses Salma Hayek and Ofelia Medina among others. But in director/writer Carla Gutierrez’s new biographical documentary FRIDA, Frida Kahlo plays herself.

Gutierrez’s FRIDA brings fresh insights into Frida Kahlo’s life and work, by putting that life into her own words for the first time, words exclusively drawn from her letters, interviews and her illustrated diary. We also hear the words of those who knew her, including husband and fellow painter Diego Rivera. The documentary is Carla Gutierrez’s directorial debut but Gutierrez is an acclaimed editor whose films include the Ruth Bader Ginsberg documentary RBG. FRIDA is excellent, both engrossing in its narrative and visually appealing, as it covers about 40 years of the artist’s life. The writer/director had unrestricted access to materials about the artist and the film includes materials never before revealed to the public.

We feel we are getting a true sense of the artist personally by hear her words. As we hear those words read by various actors, they are illustrated by Frida’s colorful, biographical paintings and by charming animations, often animating the paintings themselves. Kahlo’s color-drenched canvases are so animated anyway, that adding movement to them seems entirely natural.

The animated paintings and the voice-over readings are accompanied by a plethora of black-and-white photos and film footage, often with their own added animated splashes of vibrant color.

Frida Kahlo began life as the feisty, independent, creative child of a professional artist. Originally she planned to become a doctor, and at college she fell in with a group of pranksters. As the only woman in the group, Kahlo often dressed as a man, a cutting-edge fashion choice in the 1920s, and she participated in the pranks and had a budding romance with one of the group. Her life was suddenly changed forever by a serious traffic accident, which left her with life-long physical problems with her spine and pelvis and in pain.

While in recovery, confined to bed, she was given paints, canvas and a mirror, and thus began her habit of self-portraits, portraits that reflected her feelings and experiences in symbolic, surrealist form. Her paintings have been described as surrealist, magical realism and native for their immersion in Mexican culture, but she developed her own unique style, entirely apart from other artist movements.

The documentary covers her romance with the older artist Diego Rivera, their open marriage, and her adoption of dressing in a Mexican folk style, to express her proud Mexican identity. The film follows the couple’s travels to the U.S., their shared communist beliefs, and the couple offer of refuge to Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky when he was exiled by Stalin, among other moments in her life.

One of the most striking things about hearing Frida Kahlo’s own words is how much they reveal her personality. Her writings are sharp and witty, but also sometimes biting and even salty, which feels a bit unexpected. We hear her thoughts on wealthy Americans she met in New York and European artists she met in Paris, like Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso, both generally negative but with a pointed humor too.

Important figures from Frida’s too-short life also weigh in, including Diego Rivera, friends, fellow artists, and relatives, which helps FRIDA paint a well-rounded portrait that brings you closer to this remarkable woman artist like never before.

Hearing others who actually knew her speaking about Frida helps us realize things about her, such as how small and fragile she was, with many describing her as bird-like. That delicateness is not something revealed in her forceful paintings or even in the many photos of the artist, who often looks out at us boldly with a confident or challenging stare.

Overall, FRIDA is a fascinating, thoroughly enjoyable film about a great artist who truly painted from her heart. It is a worthy, even essential, addition to the many films about Frida Kahlo, offering the most deeply personal insights on the artist herself.

FRIDA debuts streaming on Thursday, Mar. 14, on Amazon Prime.

RATING: 3.5 out of 4 stars

Win Passes To The St. Louis Advance Screening Of FRIDA

Streaming exclusively on Prime Video on Thursday, March 14th is Amazon MGM Studios documentary FRIDA.

An intimately raw and magical journey through the life, mind, and heart of iconic artist Frida Kahlo. Told through her own words for the very first time — drawn from her diary, revealing letters, essays, and print interviews — and brought vividly to life by lyrical animation inspired by her unforgettable artwork.

The feature film directorial debut of acclaimed editor Carla Gutiérrez (RBG, La Corona), FRIDA posits a striking context as to why the artist – and her art — remains as powerful as ever.

The St. Louis advance screening is Wednesday, March 13th, 7pm at the Hi-Pointe Theatre.

Please arrive early as seating is not guaranteed.

Enter at the link: https://amazonscreenings.com/WAMGfrida

Photo by Lucienne Bloch, Courtesy Old Stage Studios

Covering more than 40 years of her life, the filmmakers received unrestricted access to research materials, much never shown to the general public before. What is extraordinary about Kahlo’s life and art is how her images would galvanize multiple generations of admirers worldwide, doing more than solidifying her status as a modern artist of timeless import.

An intensive journey spanning two years, Gutiérrez and her formidable team of artisans, most of whom are women and proudly Latine, gathered together to craft a singular cinematic experience that could be no ordinary art history lesson. A living portrait emboldened by the magical realism befitting Kahlo’s remarkable life emerges. Yet, her voice ultimately stands supreme, a complex and powerful sound of a multitude of Fridas: fearless, seductive, defiant, vulnerable, raucous, and wonderfully alive.

Copyright: Amazon MGM Studios