Lessons of Darkness (1995) is an hour-long documentary about the devastation in Kuwait’s oil fields. While this documentary could have been straightforward recounting in another maker’s hands, it becomes achingly and horrifyingly meaningful in the hands of Werner Herzog. Lessons of Darkness consists of 13 parts, and only the first part shows the city before…
Category: Reviews
‘Lipstick and Dynamite’ Explores Women’s Wrestling History
Lipstick and Dynamite (2004) is Ruth Leitman’s look back at the lady wrestlers of the 1940s to the 1960s. Using interviews with the wrestlers themselves, this energetic documentary explores the culture around the sport and how it influenced these women. Some of the cultural expectations follow the gender norms in the 1950s. While these women…
Dancers Compete for Ballet Careers in ‘First Position’
First Position (Bess Kargman, 2011) is an enjoyable documentary about several children who want to pursue careers in professional dance, specifically ballet. In First Position ballet is unquestionably a sport and these dancers athletes, and this documentary follows the classic competition-driven narrative arc. First Position provides profiles of several dancers of various ages, with Aran…
‘Dogtown and Z-Boys’ Pays Tribute to Skateboarding History
Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001) is Stacy Peralta’s tribute and history to skateboarding and the Zephyr team of southern California during the 1970s. Situating the history within the Dogtown part of Los Angeles, this documentary traces the rise of the sport and this unique team. Most of the storytelling occurs through interviews with the dozen members…
‘The Two Escobars’ Links Soccer and Drug Trafficking
The Two Escobars (Jeff Zimbalist and Michael Zimbalist, 2010) develops an intriguing thesis: how drug trafficking bolstered the Colombian soccer team to new heights and resulted in the death of one of its greatest players. The two Escobars profiled in this ESPN 30 for 30 documentary are Andrés Escobar and Pablo Escobar. Andrés Escobar was…
‘Bigger Stronger Faster’ Examines Steroids in Sport
Chris Bell’s Bigger Stronger Faster (2008) is a detailed exploration of the use of steroids in sports. In the process, Bell also explores the nature of American masculinity. Bell begins this documentary by highlighting the muscled icons of the 1980s: Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and Hulk Hogan. His questioning starts with the steroid use among himself and…
‘Senna’ Keeps Pace with its Moving Story
Senna (Asif Kapadia, 2010) tells the story of Ayrton Senna’s racing career starting with his rise to fame in Formula 1 to his untimely death. Senna jumps right into the story and keeps moving at a constant pace throughout this documentary. Kapadia draws on an amazing depth of archival footage to construct the narrative, including…
‘Buffalo Girls’ Follows Two Thai Girl Boxers
Todd Kellstein’s Buffalo Girls (2012) offers moments of hope but they do not overcome what otherwise seems a sad situation. Buffalo Girls follows two of the 30,000 child boxers in Thailand. Stam and Pet are just under 10 years old, and both girls fight to help their families. For Stam she hopes to help her…
‘Pumping Iron’ Showcases Schwarzenegger before He Became the Governator
Before he was the Governator and before he was the Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger was an award-winning professional body builder showcased in the 1977 documentary Pumping Iron. Directed by George Butler and Robert Fiore, Pumping Iron showcases Schwarzenegger and others competing in the Mr. Olympia and Mr. Universe titles in South Africa. Not surprisingly, the documentary…
10 Boxers Recount ‘Facing Ali’
Facing Ali (2009) was a great follow-up to When We Were Kings. Pete McCormack’s documentary features interviews 10 fighters who faced Ali in the ring throughout his career, including George Chuvalo, Sir Henry Cooper, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, Ron Lyle, Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, Leon Spinks, and Ernie Terrell. Facing Ali is as…