Author: The JT LeRoy Story

First Hit:  Recalling the 2005 public outcry that JT LeRoy wasn’t real, this film thoughtfully, engagingly and summarily tells the story behind the story of Laura Albert’s creation.

I recall reading stories about how the media thought they had been duped by Laura Albert to the existence of JT LeRoy (JT standing for Jeremiah Terminator). From first glance and reading the media’s views, it was understandable. Yet something was hauntingly strange about their indignant hurt.

One day, in 2013, I learned that Laura was a client at our SF Marina Bar Method Studio. When we spoke and I was quickly reminded about the hoopla that transpired in the press in 2005.

Although I learned a different story that day and in during subsequent conversations, it wasn’t until this film did I “get” the depth, complex and interesting portrait of her story. Laura was rightfully put off by the perception that she pulled off a “hoax” by asking her son's aunt Savannah Knoop, to be the public face of JT LeRoy.

While watching this film, we take a deep dive into the events of Laura’s life and her path into writing, thus furnishing Albert with a way to express the life being lived inside. The film, through the use of an unfathomable library of saved voicemails and telephone conversation recordings on mini and standard tape cassettes, we learn how Laura’s life unfolded and how creating stories allowed her a way to express herself through a difficult upbringing.

Although I think the film might have been stronger through some judicious editing, thereby reducing its running time, I found myself engaged and wanting Laura to be seen as someone who cares about living her life and the life of the characters she creates because they are part of her.

Jeff Feuerzeig wrote and directed this film. He did an effective job of moving back and forth through time to tell Laura’s story and how JT was created.

Overall:  It was a fascinating look into an author’s life, author Laura Albert.

Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words

First Hit:  Riveting documentary about a music man who followed his own path and beliefs.

At the beginning of the film, Frank makes a statement that went something like this:  There are so many people who only know me from my first few records and concerts. The fact is they don’t know me or my music at all. I’m one of those people who are in this category although I have never claimed I knew much about him.

I saw Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention at two locations in 1967, the Anaheim Convention Center and the LA Sports Arena. I was both shocked and engaged by the music and the show that was part of his performance.

It was the original rock performance art and show. It was truly a unique show. Although, I'd occasionally check in by buying an album or listening to a track from a record, but to his point I never saw him perform again and he was never a "must listen". However, I knew that he was a genius and this film confirms it.

The movie consists of interviews and clips of Frank and his band. Chronologically this film shows how Frank walked his own path and never compromised on what he wanted to develop and deliver.

There is one point in the film we see him sitting and listening to an English philharmonic orchestra and conductor he hired to play one of his classical compositions. An interviewer asks him if this is the best use of this high level orchestra? He responds by saying, I saved my money, I’m the one that is paying for all this because I want to hear what I wrote. No one else has any money invested in this except me. Therefore it is my right to have this orchestra play what I want them to play because I'm paying for it.

With this statement, I began to better understand his path and his love for music as he defined it. He loved creating music and because he worked at it 16 hours a day, he had a right to hear it in any way he wanted. It was his life.

Zappa was his enigmatic intelligent self. Thorsten Schutte did a brilliant job of stringing together previous interviews, film clips, and music segments.

Overall:  This was a wonderful film about a brilliant man.

Dark Horse

First Hit:  This is a very sweet film about a group of Welsh people from a small town having a once in a lifetime adventure.

There is a small Welsh mining town that has lost their major employer, the mining operations. Most of the people are poor and have little education. However, they’ve got desire, grit, and determination.

One such person Jan Vokes who works as a cleaner of a supermarket and wants more in her life. She comes up with an idea to own and train a horse, a thoroughbred. She finds a mare that has been put to pasture and convinces 30 other town members to be part of a syndicate to own a horse for a small monthly fee.

From this fee they buy the mare, find a stud, and after the birth of the colt house the horse at a training stable. At first no one thinks this young horse will amount to anything (it’s all legs), but over time the horse begins to show some progress.

They enter the horse in a few races and before they know it, it actually starts placing and winning a few of them. On the lead up to the second most important race in England the horse gets hurt. What will the consortium do? You’ll have to see the film.

Jan Vokes, Brian Vokes, Howard Davies, and Angela Davies are just four of the consortium and they bring out so much about the personality of the whole group and how one horse brought them together. Louise Osmond both wrote and directed this film and in its sweetness it is just a really enjoyable experience.

Overall:  This was such a wonderful experience to see real people engage with such love of purpose.

Weiner

First Hit:  After seeing two films that were dogs, seeing such a full, interesting, insightful, and dynamic film like this one supports my faith in the ability of film to tell a great story.

This film is so real and dynamically interesting that I walked out of the theater thinking; WOW, how amazing to see something this genuine and how brave of them to share their life so fully and intimately. I was in awe.

A good documentary can and will hold the audience’s attention as good or better than any other type of film because it is factual. This film does it in spades. Witnessing Anthony Weiner give amazing speeches as a U.S. Congressmen from New York for the support of 9-11 responders was powerful.

You see that he's a fighter and takes no prisoners in his beliefs. He's got guts and commitment. His weakness is technology and using that technology to send text message pictures of his hardened (covered and uncovered) penis to women. This obsession forces him to quit congress.

After he supposedly went to rehab and got this behavior under control, the film follows him as he runs for mayor of New York City. He takes a lot of heat for his past behavior and he’s harassed at every stop he makes on the campaign trail.

The documentary shoots him, at home, with his wife Huma Abedin (top aide to Hillary Clinton), and their child. Watching Huma go through her feelings and emotions about what her husband did was so difficult and real.

What also made this film work is that Weiner continued to let them film as he was once again he's rightfully accused on continuing his bad-boy behavior of sending explicit text messages and having phone sex (up to 5 times a day) with Sydney Leathers. Allowing the filmmakers to continue to film him as these second accusations became public was astounding.

Just prior to the latest set of admitted transgressions, he was ahead in the polls, but then slid badly to the bottom of the list. All this time the camera continues to roll and we see the dynamic difficulty in his life, Huma’s life, and the lives of all the people who worked for and supported him.

Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg co-directed this documentary and I have to applaud them for being able to keep the film flowing, while we watch Weiner and Abedin deal with his ego, political drive and transgressions. The editing of this film was fantastic.

Overall:  This was an amazing story to watch and very revealing about how human character can be amazingly varied and different.

Where to Invade Next

First Hit:  Very one sided view of other countries and the social programs their governments have implemented to improve their country’s well-being.

Documentarian Michael Moore travels to European countries to see what social programs their governments have implemented that improve their populations health, education and happiness.

In Italy the discussion is about vacation time and that the US has no law requiring minimum vacation time. In Italy 4 weeks is minimum and many have 8 weeks of vacation.

There is Slovenia where all college education is free. Iceland prosecuted all the of bankers that caused their country to go bankrupt (unlike the US).

Finland’s students have no homework. In Norway prisoners are guarded by officers that do not have guns while they endeavor to have as normal a life as possible away from the population of the country.

In most all countries Moore visits prisoners get to vote for elected officials. Lastly, all the countries he visited had free healthcare for all.

Moore also points back to the US where all these ideas had their germination many years ago. It isn’t that none of these things weren’t true, it is that the film doesn't point out the difficulties in each of those countries as well.

One item that stands out is that almost 60% of our tax dollars support "Defense" (think military and war based activities). I was left wondering what we would do with even 1/3 of that money spent for the good of the country’s infrastructure.

Michael Moore is his usual smart and silly self. I thought the planting of the American flag and claiming to take these ideas back to the US seemed contrived.

Overall:  It was very interesting to listen to people of other countries about the programs they have in place – you know they believe in what they are doing.