Two very different but wonderfully compelling and entertaining documentaries are available to watch this weekend.
The impish Agnes Varda is still making films at 88. She was a key figure in launching the French New Wave in the 1950s and has never stopped making films and rebelling against cinematic conventions.
For her latest effort, she hits the road with artist JR to make the documentary "Faces Places." Together they co-direct a film that serves as a summation of her illustrious career.
As with so many of her films, "Faces Places" takes a playful approach to filmmaking but always with a sincere concern for finding humanity wherever she looks. For this film, JR proves a perfect partner in crime. The film mixes her interest in everyday people with JR’s giant black-and-white photos of ordinary folks that give a larger scale to people who are often marginalized or made to feel invisible.
"Faces Places" (in English and French with English subtitles) is an absolutely charming and delightful documentary but it also has something to say about how we choose to live our lives. This sublime work is now playing at Digital Gym Cinema.
'Haunters: The Art of the Scare'
If you don’t want to leave your house this weekend then check out "Haunters: The Art of the Scare," a new documentary that just became available on Netflix.
I won’t lie. This film feels like it was designed for me. Not only is it about Halloween but it’s also about the passionate people who create haunted houses, some for fun like I do, and some as a profession. But all with a sense of craft, dedication and just a touch of insanity.
This film reminds me of Jonathan Ross' brilliant "The Incredibly Strange Film Show," where he'd highlight filmmakers on the periphery of the film industry. People who had such a drive to make films that they would invest their own money and risk everything just to see a film through to completion. Every time I watched an episode I was inspired to run out and make a movie. "Haunters" gave me that same giddy sense of inspiration coupled with the joy of seeing people pursue their dreams. I intended to just check out a few minutes of the film and then watch the rest later but the moment I started, I was riveted to the screen and had to finish. Then I wanted to sit down and start planning my next home haunt.
Directed by Jon Schnitzer, it’s a beautifully shot and lovingly crafted documentary that pays tribute to the artistry of scaring the hell out of people. The film also highlights extreme haunter Russ McKamey who ran his McKamey Manor in San Diego for years. I even had a chance to do a “sissy tour” before he left town.
"Haunters: The Art of the Scare" is the perfect film for those of us who want Halloween to last all year long… and to those of you who cannot understand that, it may give you some insight into why some of us love to scare others and be scared ourselves.
