(Hulu/kanopy/VOD) Released in May 2020, this doc focused on the first real attempt to create a self-sustaining, human-made biosphere, was perfect pandemic fodder, and remains that way. It’d be enough to just hear the tale of those who lived through two years of isolation, but the doc’s juiced by the corporate intrigue and mismanagement that occurred. A fascinating, bewildering experiment that calls for a slightly grander film than this, but I’m just happy to be able to experience it.
Documentary
BLOODY NOSE, EMPTY POCKETS (2020)
(kanopy/VOD) Today is New Year’s Eve 2020, so I’m recommending a documentary about the last night of a faux bar but with very real people, because of course I am.
Of everything I’ve watched this year, this is the sole film I’ve felt the most conflicted about.
My favorite solo activity is to read in bars. I’m not a gregarious person, but I like to surround myself with camaraderie, to hear people bonding, all while edifying myself because I’m a dumb nerd.
Don’t get me wrong! If someone talks to me, I’ll put my book down and indulge them — I’m not that aloof! (Although, more often than not, that’s presented more problems in the past than it’s worth, but it always bestows a story.)
The last time I indulged in a proper public outing was to drink-and-read at Andersonville fixture -Simon’s- way back in March, the week before Chicago’s lockdown. It was a Monday, I was two-thirds through Sarah Waters’ THE PAYING GUESTS, and TCM was playing on their two screens. The -Simon’s- crew had shaped a contest out of some wind-up toys, while engaging more than a few of the locals during the sleepy night. I hit my reading word count, quaffed a final drink and left, fully knowing this would probably be the last time I’d sit on one of their barstools for some time.
I watched BLOODY NOSE, EMPTY POCKETS midway through July, shortly after it was made available via VOD. By this point in time, I was fully reminiscing daily about my actual local — Jerry’s, where everyone there actually did know my name — which had already closed and re-opened as a tasty Israeli/Middle Eastern restaurant.
I’d love to say that BLOODY NOSE, EMPTY POCKETS made me wax poetic about bar families.
It did not.
This is not a fault of the doc itself, even though the doc is constructed to basically facilitate that sort of faux-bonding through many, many free drinks via centrally located bar-going folks.
It’s simply that I missed weaving my own bar narrative, of being my own editor, ‘documentary writer’. Given everything I’ve lived over the last uh, unsaid number of years, this felt like a pale copy and made me long for the real thing, which will still be a long time coming based on current vaccination numbers.
Again, not a fault of the film, and I realize my opinion is unpopular. I still highly recommend the film, because most folks experiences aren’t my own, and the experiences detailed here -are- authentic. Despite the bar being a construct, the interactions are real — it’s documenting a moment and all of the interactions occurring in that moment. The emotional heartbeats here are true, folks seeking out connections — manufactured or not — which I think is something we’re all can relate to right now.
And with that said: good riddance to 2020.
Apologies if you hoped for a proper NYE recommendation. If you really want one, you can’t go wrong with BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC which, despite the fact that it doesn’t take place on NYE, has the best feel-good countdown of the year.
BOYS STATE (2020)
(Apple TV+) BOYS STATE is a documentary that’s a deep-dive into The American Legion’s yearly effort to prep teens for a political career via a week-long camp that mimics a trial electoral run. It was filmed in the middle of the Trump Administration, and this film focuses solely on the Texan Boys State program so you can expect teen boys trying to impress other teen boys, doodling Pepe the Frog, and shouting many slogans they’ll (hopefully) come to regret in the coming years.
Despite that, it’s still a documentary that shows this isn’t just about MAGA trolls or narcissistic right-wingers. It’s a fascinating look at political youth that made me realize that many are basically theater kids that feel like they’re on a higher mission, in more ways than one, and when they feel the warmth of the limelight, they just want more.
THE BOOKSELLERS (2020)
(Prime — yes, Amazon picked this one up, despite the fact that they forced so many physical bookstores out of business) Whenever my wife and I travel, we always make it a point to visit the local bookstores and find a book (or two or three) to bring home as a worthwhile memento to read later, and documentary THE BOOKSELLERS instigated flashbacks of our trip to NYC in 2016, as we stopped by all of the classic NYC bookstores. Sure, we didn’t have the money to buy anything too rare or fancy, but we did pick up a few token prints and a handful of cheap genre books with snazzy covers.
THE BOOKSELLERS is a NYC-centric deep dive into the folks who collect and sell rare and/or interesting books, or just consider themselves ‘collectors of books’. The people they interview are a wide tangle of distinct personas, ages, and genders, which is rather refreshing as, yes, it’s still unrightfully considered a ‘male’ business.
I constantly harp about the need for physical media because it’s something that’s -important- and it’ll only become more important in the future as fewer works are denied proper physical releases. We’ll see more and more important works wither off because of licensing issues, because they’re too niche, deemed too unimportant. This doc definitely details the fetishization of physical media, but it also makes the case for the importance of it.
Ultimately, this is a documentary about people who care about the -printed word- and ensuring that these words live on. It’s not the most engrossing documentary but, if you’re a book nerd, it’ll open your eyes towards certain facets of of the industry. And, if you’re familiar with the booksellers, it’s a welcome COVID escapist film.
One item of note: Julia Wertz has a terrific collection of NYC book store renditions in her amazing illustrated history of New York City: TENEMENTS, TOWERS & TRASH. It’s a hefty tome, and I don’t know how relevant it is in a post-COVID world, but it’s well-worth your time.
http://www.juliawertz.com/2017/09/24/trash/
“The only thing I regret are the books I’ve never bought.”
THE LIFE OF REILLY (2007)
(YouTube) Charles Nelson Reilly’s one-man show. Yes, most folks know him from the ‘funny’ (a.k.a. best) episodes of THE X-FILES. People with too much time on their hands know him from the best episodes of MILLENNIUM. Game show dorks and people like me also know him from TV schlock like HOLLYWOOD SQUARES. However, he was far more than that — he was one hell of an individual, a queer pioneer. He made his own space in his own way, and THE LIFE OF REILLY features him regaling us about his life, his trials, tribulations, and trailblazing in his own words, on the stage for one last time.
“The things we go through when we’re young… it’s amazing.”
For reasons beyond me, it’s not available to stream or buy, either digitally or physically, so I feel no compunction about sharing the link below.
The film, as a YouTube playlist (better than nothing! Think of it as a series of vignettes.):
TREAD (2020)
(hoopla/Netflix/VOD/Vudu) A ‘truth is stranger than fiction’ doc from the writer/director of GRACE about a welder, and that’s all you should know going into it. One hell of a slow burn, but I wish the film had dug deeper into his psyche.
DEALT (2017)
(AMC+/Hulu/VOD) I have a penchant for films and documentaries about magicians and tricksters, and DEALT is about one of the king card mechanics. This doc could hit harder, but it’s a fascinating look at an unprecedented talent and how he can’t see himself.