YOU CANNOT KILL DAVID ARQUETTE (full review at Screen Realm)

On 26 April 2000, the actor David Arquette won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Despite reservations from Arquette himself, the victory was devised as a publicity stunt to promote the wrestling movie Ready To Rumble in which he was starring.  

Somewhat predictably, the fans did not like the idea of an untrained Hollywood actor winning one of the most prestigious titles in wrestling, feeling that it cheapened the sport. As a result, Arquette has spent the best part of two decades being despised by fans of the sport he grew up loving.

A pariah in wrestling circles, Arquette also attributes his stint in the WCW as the reason his acting career stalled. Although in fairness, his filmography would suggest he has, in fact, worked quite regularly over the last twenty years. Highlights including the very underrated Eight Legged Freaks and a supporting role in the excellent horror western Bone Tomahawk. Nevertheless, between the WCW and his most famous role, as the lovably inept Deputy Dewey in the Scream franchise, Arquette has found it hard to be taken seriously in the intervening years.

So David Arquette sets out to put things right...

Read the full review at Screen Realm:

https://www.screenrealm.com/you-cannot-kill-david-arquette-movie-documentary-review/

IMDB: You Cannot Kill David Arquette

THE SONG KEEPERS (full review at The Reel Word)

The Song Keepers tells us the story of the Central Australian Aboriginal Women's Choir. 30-35 Central Australian women from remote communities, sing hymns originally taught to their grandparents by German missionaries, translated and composed in Indigenous languages. In 2015 they went on tour to Germany, bringing the hymns back to their point of origin, having taken on their own meaning and relevance to the communities they were brought to. Filmmaker Naina Sen documented the journey.

Read the full article at The Reel Word:
https://www.thereelword.net/the-song-keepers-documentary-review/

IMDB: The Song Keepers

WHEN UNDER: FIRE SHOOT BACK! (full review at The Reel Word)

When Under Fire, Shoot Back is a documentary following the career of the Bang Bang Club, a group of four dedicated photojournalists, renowned for their striking and uncompromising documentation of the bloody violence in post-apartheid South Africa. The group comprised of  Kevin Carter, Greg Marinovich, Ken Oosterbroek, and João Silva, and the film charts the heights of their prolific and acclaimed photography careers to the downward trajectory of tragedy that would befall them.
Read the full article at The Reel Word:
http://www.thereelword.net/when-under-fire-shoot-back-review/

IMDB: When Under Fire: Shoot Back!

BAD BRAINS: A BAND IN D.C. (M.I.F.F.)

A decent enough documentary on legendary D.C. punk band Bad Brains. Charting their story from school friends to influential hardcore band. We see a history punctuated by incendiary live experiences but scarred by the side effects of religion and (probable) mental illness.  The filmmakers leave us many times laughing at H.R. rather than attempting to understand what is wrong with him - and there is very evidently something wrong. Although it is exciting indeed to see the live footage and hear the stories of their early live prowess, the film is ultimately unrewarding in its inability to offer any insight into the dark side of the Bad Brains that has blighted their existence. The infamous incident of their homophobia toward the Big Boys is brushed under the carpet as nothing more than youthful indiscretions; and the fact there is no discernible attempt to understand what is going on with H.R. left it feeling like there was an interesting story here that went untold. Over all it was a little too long and a little lightweight.

M.I.F.F. Rating 3 out of 5 (mostly for the live footage)

IMDB: Bad Brains: A Band In D.C.