Four picks across television, film and podcasting that explore a devastating, yet slippery, type of manipulation.
Category: Documentary Films and Programs
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‘MoviePass, MovieCrash’ Review: When They Take Your Company Away
An illuminating documentary about the ill-fated (though now-revived) subscription service finds an unexpected story.
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Morgan Spurlock, Documentarian Known for ‘Super Size Me,’ Dies at 53
His 2004 film, which was nominated for an Oscar, followed Mr. Spurlock as he ate nothing but McDonald’s for a month.
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An Extraordinary Documentary About the Most Precious of Lives
Margreth Olin’s “Songs of Earth” works almost like a poem as she records her parents and the Norwegian landscape.
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‘The Beach Boys’ Review: How to Make Good Vibrations
This Disney documentary looks at the family ties and sweet harmonies that turned a California band into a popular treasure.
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‘Queen of the Deuce’ Review: A Mother of Invention
This warm remembrance of a Times Square legend is too careful with its iconoclastic heroine.
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‘Taking Venice’ Offers a Glimpse at Conspiracy Theories Around the 1964 Biennale
The documentary offers a glimpse of how the arts were treated very differently in midcentury America.
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Yance Ford’s “Power” Documentary Argues That Policing and Politics Are Inextricable
Though Yance Ford’s new Netflix documentary takes on a much-explored topic, its mix of personal and polemic makes for a strong argument.
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Bianca Giaever Tries to Help Strangers in New York With Her Project ‘Free Help’
Bianca Giaever wasn’t feeling very helpful in her daily life, so she tried to do small favors for passers-by in Union Square. It got complicated.
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‘The Contestant’ on Hulu Offers a Glimpse of Reality TV Ethics
The documentary tells the strange story of a groundbreaking 1998 Japanese TV show but doesn’t go far enough in its examination.
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‘Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg’ Review
Subtitled “The Story of Anita Pallenberg,” this documentary gives the life of the actress and model a thorough downer of a treatment.