Haven’t been writing too many reviews lately, but I have been seeing films. Here are a few of the ones I saw this past Spring, screened at the ArtHouse Film Festival, with some brief summaries.

I recommend these for people who really like documentaries, except for the last one. I’ve seen it, so you don’t have to if you don’t want to.

Hail Satan? (2019)

This is a doc about the Church of Satan, and how it was formed and rose to a level of notoriety in recent years. They’re the group that tried to get a statue of Baphomet installed on the same Government properties where statesmen erected copies of the Ten Commandments. It also shows the differences of opinion inside the organization, and raises an important question about what composes a religion.

The Biggest Little Farm (2018)

This was a surprise, to me. I’m not really interested in farming, but this changed my mind. It’s a story about a couple, evicted from their home in the L.A. area because of their loud dog. They created a proposal, managed to find a few backers, and bought a small bit of farmland in California. The plan was to revitalize a bit of land with a LOT of help and guidance. They learn a lot of harsh lessons, and struggle to keep it running. Shot over 10 years, IIRC.

Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché (2018)

Ever hear of her? Probably not. She was one of the first, if not THE first female film director. She started in Europe, and later came to The USA to create a movie studio with many early successful films. Her legacy is mostly lost to time, and sometimes reclaimed by the men who documented the early days of the brand new art form. So much of what she did has become standard fare in making movies. This was awesome, and there are inserts of famous people from Hollywood, who add their own comments and revelations. Most of the Hollywood people interviewed the film had never heard of her (until approached by the filmmaker). Pretty damn good doc.

The Brink (2019)

This is a doc that spends a year with Steve Bannon, starting around the time after he was fired from the White House. We never get a satisfying explanation of what happened there, but clearly, he’s not the appealing influencer we were led to believe . It follows his time trying to unite various European Nationalist factions to get them to acknowledge common goals. I’ve never heard him talk much before, but he has a presence that makes people listen to him. The camera gets a chance to see him raw, as if they’re the only non-yes-man in the room. At one point, he makes a film promoting Trump, and while watching it, he casually compares himself to Leni Riefenstahl and admits he’s made propaganda. At a screening, after seeing the film, people flat out deny it’s propaganda.  Go figure.  There, I’ve said all you need to know about the film, so now you shouldn’t bother to see it.