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Chris Reed’s AFI DOCS 2017 Top Five

June 28, 2017

Film Review: “Fire Will Come” Warms the Mind, If Not the Soul
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
October 29, 2020
Fire Will Come (“O que arde”) (Oliver Laxe, 2019) 3 out of 4 stars. Amador is haunted by flames past and present, those he has set ablaze and those that ignite of their own accord. Just released from prison, where he has spent an indeterminate number of years for arson, he returns to his small family farm in the mountains of Spain’s Galicia, where his aging mother is more than happy for his presence; the neighbors, less so. Everyone knows ... >>
Interview with “Black Boys” Director Sonia Lowman
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
October 24, 2020
I had the wonderful opportunity, a few weeks ago, to remotely interview director Sonia Lowman about her moving and insightful documentary Black Boys (which I had previously reviewed). The movie examines persistent systemic racism in the United States and how it affects Black males, especially. Here is a condensed digest of our conversation, edited for length and clarity. ... >>
Film Review: “The Mothman Legacy” Documentary Explores Its Titular Creature in Unique New Ways
By Matt Patti
October 19, 2020
The Mothman Legacy (Seth Breedlove, 2020) 3 out of 4 stars. The Mothman Legacy is a documentary by writer/director Seth Breedlove that is centered around the infamous Mothman, a legendary creature with a human-like figure, red eyes, wings and the ability to fly, resembling a human-sized moth. Reported sightings of the entity have occurred in and around Point Pleasant, West Virginia, in the late 1960s. The Mothman Legacy is a follow-up sequel to ... >>
Film Review: “Time” May Feel Brief, but Its Message Is Infinite
By Hannah Tran
October 16, 2020
Time (Garrett Bradley, 2020) 2½ out of 4 stars. Fox Rich is a woman who understands time like no other. Spending the last two decades raising her six sons on her own after her husband was sentenced to 60 years in prison for a botched bank robbery, every single minute to Rich feels like a lifetime. In Garrett Bradley’s documentary, aptly titled Time, we are able to gaze into some of the most heartbreaking and inspiring moments of that time as she ... >>
Film Review: “S#!%house” Offers Sweet College Dramedy
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
October 15, 2020
S#!%house (Cooper Raiff, 2020) 3 out of 4 stars. In Cooper Raiff’s debut feature, S#!%house, the writer/director/star plays Alex, a college freshman whose first year away from home is not going as he had hoped. Originally from Texas, he now finds himself in Los Angeles, at Occidental College, where his social awkwardness does not help him make friends. Fortunately, he has his mom and younger sister to rely on for moral support, though ... >>

Film Review: “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”
October 24, 2020
It’s Baron Cohen’s commitment to the character and no wink to the audience that still captivates. ...>>
Film Review: CUTIES
September 13, 2020
In defense of Cuties, it is a cultural eye-opener. Stop trying to bully Netflix. No one is forcing ...>>
Film Review: AVA
August 31, 2020
Don’t miss these three great fight scenes: Colin Farrell and John Malkovich, Jessica Chastain and ...>>
Film Review: UNHINGED
August 29, 2020
Crowe embodies the left behind, discarded American male who spends one day free of laws and rules. ...>>