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Reviews
Love to Love You, Donna Summer (2023)
A well made documentary of a fascinating artist
I've been looking forward to seeing this since I first saw the trailer a month ago, and in almost all ways it met my expectations. Donna Summer was the first artist whose music I loved not only because it appealed to me, but because I was intrigued by the person. I started really getting into music at the same time disco and Donna hit it big in 1977-78, she was seemingly always on the radio, and for the next few years I devoured every album she released.
Love to Love You, Donna Summer is a pretty standard (not a bad thing at all) music documentary that definitely benefits from the co-director (Brooklyn Sudano, Donna's daughter)'s trove of home movies, album demos, and photos that really enable the viewer to see the many different sides of Donna. Interviews with her other two daughters and husband, in addition to some of Donna's partners musically and personally, offer additional insight into her too-short life.
The only thing I felt missing was a bit more of an in depth look at her music through the 80's and into the 21st century, but that's just the opinion of the music nerd in me. Ultimately, the doc is a long overdue examination (and love letter of sorts) of an incredibly influential, talented and popular musical force of nature.
Judy Blume Forever (2023)
Absolutely wonderful!
I came upon this documentary purely by accident, and I'm so glad I did. Judy Blume and her books are inextricably linked to my childhood and for that I'm so grateful. The first book I read on my own, for pleasure, was Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, in 1978 at 7 years old. For the next couple years I discovered and devoured the rest of her catalog at that time. It didn't matter to me that most of her books centered on girls. I also became a voracious reader because of Judy, and sought out similar books only a few authors were writing, like Norma Klein and Paula Danziger.
Apart from the documentary's particular meaning to me, it's really well done and incredibly informative and entertaining. Judy is so humble, sweet, open, and thoughtful. A genuinely caring soul. There's a treasure trove of photos and clips from past interviews, and commentary from some well-known Judy Blume fans. I got choked up numerous times learning about all the letters she's received over the last 5 decades and the special correspondence she has with some of her (very lucky) fans.
The ridiculous controversy about some of her books (which caused libraries and bookstores to "ban" anything she wrote) that's waxed and waned over the years is also explored, and it's inspiring to learn how Judy has dealt with that blowback and still manages to stay true to herself.
Watching this wonderful doc also sparked some great memories, and I learned so much about the genesis of many of her works. An absolute must for any Judy Blume fan and really for anyone who grew up appreciating young adult books that spoke to them about certain things we all do but receive mixed messages about. Highest recommendation!
Last Days in Vietnam (2014)
Uplifting, heartbreaking, mesmerizing
Magnificent account of the events surrounding and leading up to the fall of Saigon to the North Vietnamese at the end of April, 1975. Anyone with an interest in the Vietnam War, particularly in its latter years, will be riveted to this documentary. Kennedy expertly uses a wealth of archival footage and photographs that go beyond the iconic image of people attempting to escape by helicopter and really gives a sense of the utter desperation of the South Vietnamese and Americans as the VC made its inevitable approach to the city. First hand accounts by members of the US and Vietnamese armed forces, and their heroic efforts in taking accountability for not always playing by the rules in the name of the "right thing" are both inspiring and heartbreaking. I'm a massive fan of historical and political documentaries, and Last Days in Vietnam is an excellent example of both. No one does them better than PBS-American Experience, American Masters, Frontline, Ken Burns.
The Carol Burnett Show (1967)
Gen X especially but baby boomers too-great on many levels
Thanks, Peacock, for showing free (a few ads-a 5th of the length of network television commercial breaks) full seasons of The Carol Burnett show. I know Amazon Prime has TCBS as well but not everyone wants to pay for (another) streaming service-if they have a service at all, it's probably Netflix.
So far they've only got the first three 1967-69 seasons, and hopefully they'll have the rest of the series through 1978 soon. That, apart from its genuine humor & cleverness & genuinely funny dialogue, is what adds to the enjoyment of watching this- the later 1960's & 70's aura TCBS has. It's so cool, at least to people like myself, who just missed not being alive or too young to appreciate the feel of that time (which you don't realize at the time, obviously). It's a lot less wacky than I remembered, which is a good thing. A little more risqué that I remembered and that's also a good thing. Watching this show (which are mostly aired in the order and length they were originally) and grouped by season/years is much more enjoyable than those "Best of Carol"-esque DVD compilations they were hawking 10+ years ago. And streaming so far on this new service has been great, except for the fact that the rest of the show's 8 additional seasons besides these are not yet here. If you love early 70's, everyday hairstyles & clothes, but some of its now-garish looking outfits are still groovy af. And again, it contains many less weaknesses in the sketches comprised mostly of funny dialogue reflective of what was going on in the world vs. the physical. Some of the "was that a double entendre?" humor sometimes leads to bemused eye raising, like "wow, they went *there* in 1970? Awesome."
Savage Grace (2007)
Julianne, Julianne, Julianne - magnificent
No doubt the subject matter, even though it's based on actual events, made Savage Grace almost impossible to market outside of the Northeast and LA/SF. I wasn't aware it existed until a few years after its release, but as soon as I learned Julianne was the lead, I saw it and was blown away, as I'd been so often before, by her mesmerizing performance. Her range, passion, authenticity, and raw talent all take center stage here, and she doesn't hold anything back. Sadly underrated and/or unknown, it's an absolutely essential JM role. Eddie Redmayne, who won the Best Actor Oscar the same year Julianne (finally) won Best Actress, plays her teenage son and does an impressive job trying to keep up with Julianne, but this is her show from start to finish, and she's simply phenomenal.