53rd Chicago Int’l Film Fest #15: “Sammy Davis Jr.: I Gotta Be Me” (USA)

“Sammy Davis Jr.: I Gotta Be Me” (USA) Directed by Sam Pollard So…a ninety minute, well-researched, lovingly constructed documentary on the life of Sammy Davis Jr., filled with interviews of contemporaries who knew him best? Truly, what’s not to love? … Continue reading 53rd Chicago Int’l Film Fest #15: “Sammy Davis Jr.: I Gotta Be Me” (USA)

53rd Chicago Int’l Film Fest #14: “Charleston” (Romania/France)

“Charleston” (Romania/France) Directed by Andreï Cretilescu Andreï Cretilescu’s “Charleston” is a classic Romanian black comedy. Like last year’s brilliant “Sieraneveada”, it is very clever, often laugh-out-loud funny, earnest and heartwarming. But whereas the latter could sustain its almost three hours … Continue reading 53rd Chicago Int’l Film Fest #14: “Charleston” (Romania/France)

53rd Chicago Int’l Film Fest #10: “Experimental City” (USA)

“Experimental City” (USA) Directed by Chad Freidrichs Director Chad Freidrichs, whose “Pruitt-Igoe Myth” (2013), is one of the better, great, even, docs describing the failures of  American urban development in the mid-twentieth century, follows that up with “Experimental City”, a … Continue reading 53rd Chicago Int’l Film Fest #10: “Experimental City” (USA)