#erroll morris

[cinemaocd]

The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

It is the story of America as seen through the eyes of the former Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara. One of the most controversial an

[greensparty]

RIP Peter Sova, Ronald “Khalis” Bell of Kool and the Gang, and Diana Rigg

Here are the combined remembrances of three talented entertainers we lost in the last 24 hours:

Peter Sova 1944-2020

Cinematographer Peter Sova has died at 75. He did some great work with director Barry Levinson, who was a frequent collaborator of his on several films including Diner and Good Morning, Vietnam among others. Other films include the underrated Donnie Brasco. He also did photography and camera operation on several Erroll Morris docs too.

The link above is the obit from Hollywood Reporter.

Ronald “Khalis” Bell 1951-2020

Kool and the Gang co-founder, singer and saxophonist Ronald Bell has died at 68. I never got heavy into them, but I got to give them credit, they have been a group since 1964 with loads of funky hits: “Hollywood Swinging”, “Celebration”, “Get Down on It”, and “Joanna” just to name a few!. I discovered them around 1984 when their Emergency album was released. So many of their hits off that album were on MTV, V66 and Solid Gold, i.e. “Misled”, “Fresh”, and “Cherish”. A third grade play I acted in was a production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and there was a dance sequence set to Kool and the Gang’s “Emergency”, which was popular at the time. In the 80s and 90s, countless rap and hip hop artists sampled their music. Chances are you’ve heard some of their songs sampled and didn’t even know it was them. In Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, the opening credits kick off with a bang to Dick Dale’s “Miserlou” and then before the opening credits end, the radio station switches and it goes right into Kool and the Gang’s 1973 hit “Jungle Boogie”. Later in the film Jules Winfield (played by Samuel L. Jackson) says “Hey, that’s Kool and the Gang”! 

The link above is the obit from Rolling Stone.

Diana Rigg 1938-2020

Actress Diana Rigg has died at 82. She was big in theater, film and TV. From 1965-68, she appeared as Emma Peel on TV’s The Avengers. “Mrs. Peel, we’re needed” became a part of the lexincon! She was also a Bond Girl in the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I also need to give her credit for The Great Muppet Caper. She was also a host for many year of WGBH’s Masterpiece.

The link above is the obit from Indiewire.

[spiritsandwich]

The Thin Blue Line

[amityvilleplanet]

[spicybiscotti]

Many people have written or filmed unending paeans to the human race, the nobility of man, the endurance of human spirit. But they have described man as we might like him to be, with little regard for how he is. Wiseman has had the honesty and supreme decency to portray human society for what it is: a madhouse.

Frederick Wiseman: The Tawdry Gruesomeness of Reality

Saw “In Jackson Heights” this week and can’t stop reading about Wiseman/seeking out more of his movies. If it plays near you, carve out 190 minutes to check it out – It’s beautiful.

[heliotropisme]

Werner Herzog and Erroll Morris discuss The Act of Killing

[heliotropisme]

Erroll Morris documentary on Donald Rumsfeld. 

""I'm annoyed by the story," says Academy Award winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris. "I just imagine that our public figures, the people we have given so much authority and power would more deeply reflect on what they're doing and what they have done. Is that too much to ask?"

The subject of his ire is also the subject of his latest film The Unknown Known, Donald Rumsfeld, architect of the Iraq War. The movie's name is Rumsfeld doublespeak for "things you think you know that it turns out you did not," which is appropriate for this riveting look at one of the most controversial characters of the twenty first century's first decade.  At age 81 Rumsfeld gamely allows Morris to probe into his entire 50-year political career, as both the youngest—under President Gerald Ford—and the oldest person—under George W. Bush—to serve as Secretary of Defense."

[allmovingparts-blog]

Philip Glass obsession cont...