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Reviews
What Killed Michael Brown? (2020)
First half great, 2nd half meh
For me this seemed like two short movies run back to back. The first one was great, the second was hurried and polemic and I'm not sure what the point of it was.
The first half of this doc is the movie described by the title; Steel talks about the shooting of Michael Brown and the surrounding events. He interviews people in the community, reads out the pertinent portions of the trial transcripts, and compares what he found to the contemporaneous media coverage. His conclusions, well supported by the evidence, are:
1) The cop was justified in stopping Brown
2) Brown attacked the cop during the stop
3) The shooting was justified self-defense on the part of the policeman
4) The media coverage was very biased against the police and painted a false picture of the events
5) The iconic "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" chant was based on a lie - Brown was not shot with his hands up and this should have been obvious to anyone willing to look at the facts
If Steel had stopped then, he'd have a pretty solid short documentary on an important subject. Unfortunately, Steel then tacks on another half hour or so on his general disillusionment with affirmative action, the Great Society programs, etc. I'm not surprised that he feels that way - I mean, he wouldn't be a conservative if he didn't! But its way to large a topic for the time taken, I'm not sure film is even the right medium for such an exposition (you'd be better off reading anything by Thomas Sowell IMO).
If you think Michael Brown's death was a racist murder, the movie should convince you otherwise. Once you've got that part I don't much think the rest of the movie is worthwhile.
Dave Chappelle: The Closer (2021)
Funny, will be interesting to re-watch in 10 years
Chapelle brings his usual brand of humor to LGBT issues, with an emphasis on the T. At various time witty, flippant, cringe, and nakedly honest, this is a send-up that is both entertaining and though-provoking. I'm not surprised at the controversy surrounding it or the low ratings among many critics, because for people of a certain outlook any response to transgender issues other than full-throated, enthusiastic, un-nuanced affirmation is unacceptable. And those critics may ultimately get the last laugh; witness how badly some of e.g. Eddie Murphy's riffing on gays (which most people found hilarious at the time) have aged. But those of us living in this moment in time trying to make sense of evolving social mores will find this a welcome and satisfying contribution.
Filthy Gorgeous: The Trannyshack Story (2005)
Documentary captures spirit of Trannyshack
For those who don't know, Trannyshack is an "alternative" drag show in San Francisco that has been a Tuesday night staple since the early-mid 90s (I think). The performances often feature non-traditional drag show numbers (e.g. heavy metal, rap, etc.) and often feature humorous, often scatological stage shows. I've been maybe a dozen times since 2000 so obviously I enjoy the show and for me the movie really did capture the irreverent wittiness of Trannyshack. Also, since I'm only familiar with the on-stage personae of the performers it was interesting to see and hear some of them interviewed at their homes out of drag. Heklina in particular came off as quite bittersweet in contrast to her flamboyant stage personality. I'm not sure how well this documentary would play to someone who had never experienced Trannyshack live, though. Its a bit long and some of the interviews might not be that interesting to the uninitiated.