There has been a long history of police brutality towards blacks in the United States. Perhaps a “modern” starting point for many might be the severe beating Rodney King suffered at the hands of the LAPD in 1991 and of course the notorious police murder of George Floyd in 2020 an incendiary device for BlackContinue reading “Toronto 2025 Hot Docs: “Night Watches Us”: No Police Brutality Here in Canada Eh?”
Category Archives: Toronto Hot Docs
Toronto 2025 Hot Docs: “Parade: Queer Acts of Love and Resistance”: The Long Road to the Big Show
The Canadian National Film Board documentary “Parade: Queer Acts of Love and Resistance” traces struggles encountered by Canada’s queer community from the 1950’s to the present day. In the 1950’s and 1960’s Canadian queerdom was a shameful and disgusting aberration for the straight community. In 2025 it remains as such but only for a minorityContinue reading “Toronto 2025 Hot Docs: “Parade: Queer Acts of Love and Resistance”: The Long Road to the Big Show”
Toronto 2025 Hot Docs: “Ghosts of the Sea”: Sailing Into the Heart of Darkness
When I read the PR blurb sent my way by the National Film Board of Canada describing “Ghosts of the Sea” my impressions were it was an interesting little adventure story about Virginia Tangvald’s father Peter Tangvald and brother Thomas Tangvald two expert sailors who both perished at sea. I was thinking a “National GeographicContinue reading “Toronto 2025 Hot Docs: “Ghosts of the Sea”: Sailing Into the Heart of Darkness”
Toronto 2025 Hot Docs: “King’s Court”: Who We Are, What We Used to Be and What We Want to Be
The Canadian short documentary “King’s Court” by Serville Poblette offers viewers a fly on the wall basketball centric eavesdropping on two young black men in a community housing project “Bleecker Street Apartments” in Toronto transitioning into adulthood. SK and Marley are dear friends with a love of basketball that binds them in friendship to theContinue reading “Toronto 2025 Hot Docs: “King’s Court”: Who We Are, What We Used to Be and What We Want to Be”
Toronto 2025 Hot Docs: “The Last Ambassador”: No Hope for Afghanistan?
The misogynist cult men of the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan on 15August2021 aided by the “Doha Deal” with the United States ending the war in Afghanistan and lending a degree of informal legitimization to the Taliban. The Taliban attempted to sell to the international community they had changed shallowly stating they respected women’s involvementContinue reading “Toronto 2025 Hot Docs: “The Last Ambassador”: No Hope for Afghanistan?”
RKS Throwback CANADIAN Documentary: “King of the Hill”: Ferguson Jenkins: Better with Age!
The 1974 National Film Board of Canada documentary “King of the Hill” showcases black Canadian professional baseball pitcher Ferguson Jenkins and a slice of baseball as it was in 1972/73 when he played for the Chicago Cubs. Who is Ferguson Jenkins you may ask? Born in Chatham, Ontario in 1942 just about says it allContinue reading “RKS Throwback CANADIAN Documentary: “King of the Hill”: Ferguson Jenkins: Better with Age!”
Toronto Hot Docs 2025: “We Live Here”: Nuclear Cruelty: Criminal Negligence or is it State Manslaughter?
The Kazakhstani documentary “We Live Here” unravels a story of criminal negligence or is it state manslaughter? Between 1949-1991 over 456 nuclear tests were conducted by the USSR in a test site area on the Kazakhstani steppes covering an area of 18,300 square kilometers, roughly the size of Israel. Open air testing ceased in 1963Continue reading “Toronto Hot Docs 2025: “We Live Here”: Nuclear Cruelty: Criminal Negligence or is it State Manslaughter?”
Toronto 2025 HOT DOCS: “Ultras”: Familial Football Fanaticism of Stadium Schizophrenics
“Ultras” explores rather fittingly the culture of Ultras in 8 countries and 4 continents including England, Sweden, Italy, Morocco, Indonesia, Egypt, Mexico and Argentina. Ultras are those noisy, swaying, boisterous and vociferous masses at football games. Are they suffering from Stadium Schizophrenia? Masses of the life weary, battered by ordinary cares and problems untilContinue reading “Toronto 2025 HOT DOCS: “Ultras”: Familial Football Fanaticism of Stadium Schizophrenics “
RKS 2025 Documentary: “A Conversation with Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion”
“A Conversation with Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion” is what you get in this American documentary; Bob Mackie and many others, predominately entertainers and celebrities, discussing the career of American costume designer Bob Mackie. Mackie, now 85, started sketching as a boy preferring that to athletic pursuits. When asked what he wanted to do “when youContinue reading “RKS 2025 Documentary: “A Conversation with Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion””
RKS 2024 Film: Hot Docs 2024: “A Photographic Memory”
Should I simply refer to the American documentary “A Photographic Memory” as rich, eerie, extensive, thorough, melancholic, uplifting and intriguing? Or might I say it is going to be remembered as one of the best Hot Docs 2024 documentaries? Considering the enormous sums I am paid to review films, the mind-boggling swag bags that flowContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: Hot Docs 2024: “A Photographic Memory””
A Bird's Eye View of Fashion, Food, Travel, Culture, Beverage and Curiosity 