Ariana Grande: Excuse Me, I Love You (2020)

Ariana Grande takes the stage in London for her Sweetener World Tour and shares a behind-the-scenes look at her life in rehearsal and on the road.

I’ve really enjoyed shows and concert movies getting releases this year from American Utopia, Hamilton, Taylor Swift’s Folklore film and a few others! The Sweetener concert film was talked about for awhile now it just came down to when it was going to release, so it was a pretty exciting moment when it finally got a release date! To keep things short it’s exactly what you expect, Ariana Grande’s Sweetener Concert which takes some songs from certain albums, the film does what it’s sent out to do. It’s beautifully filmed and has so much energy to it, Ariana Grande shows her incredible talent and really shows how much she has evolved, her music has really improved over the years it’s actually quite amazing. There’s tons of favorites such as Dangerous Woman, God is A Woman, Thank U Next and a loads of others. I will say the movie absolutely shined with the beginning performance God is A Woman and ended on a fantastic high note with Thank U Next. We are given some scenes of Ariana interacting with her team which are very nice to see, her and her team seem like they have a beautiful relationship which is also incredible to see. The film is also some of the most fun I’ve had this year! Overall it’s a fantastic concert film that I definitely recommend checking out especially if your a fan of Ariana Grande.

10/10 A+

Taylor Swift: Folklore The Long Pond Studio Sessions (2020)

In “Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions,” Taylor Swift performs each song in order of her album, “folklore,” and reveals the stories and secrets behind all 17 songs.

I’ll keep this brief! This is the second film featuring Taylor Swift that has come out this year and just like Miss Americana this one is just as fantastic! It’s concert film featuring of all Taylor Swift’s songs from Folklore, an album that is massively different from Taylor Swift’s other work. Just hearing Swift talk about the songs in a brief but informative detail is quite great, she explains the songs with very little words but you as the viewer completely get it. Plus the songs themselves are all fantastic they remind you of why and how Taylor Swift is such a talented young artist, the location chosen by Taylor Swift and the crew was an excellent one and matches the tone the songs are going for. It gives you this cabin with a fire going out in the middle of the woods type feeling, it’s truly a nostalgic feeling type film which works on every single level! Overall this is an excellent film that I highly recommend watching especially if you are a fan of Taylor Swift!

10/10 A+

Shawn Mendes: In Wonder (2020)

A portrait of singer/songwriter Shawn Mendes’ life, chronicling the past few years of his rise and journey.

Shawn Mendes: In Wonder sort of feels like it came out of nowhere and at the wrong time as well. Not only has this year been a fantastic year for documentary films it’s been kind of crowded or singers getting their documentary you have Miss Americana that will most likely get tons of nominations for best documentary. Then you have Blackpink Light Up The Sky which was beautifully crafted and directed. Shawn Mendes: In Wonder is in a very tight spot, it’s certainly not a bad documentary as it does give a decent introduction to people who don’t know who Shawn Mendes is or know of him but don’t know a whole lot about him. The problem is a lot of the information in this documentary is either common knowledge or something that doesn’t scream “make a documentary about this” With Miss Americana it told the audience a lot of information, Taylor Swift has been around for a good awhile so there was a lot to work with. Blackpink worked mostly because they are newish meaning not a lot of people aren’t familiar with them so it was a good time to introduce each member of the group and their personalities. Shawn Mendes as I said before is stuck in a weird situation where he’s sort of new but then he’s not, as for the documentary itself it’s really nothing special. It’s done pretty decently but nothing really mind blowing, my biggest flaw with this film however is how manufactured it felt. Again going back to Miss Americana and Blackpink Light Up The Sky, those two documentaries felt personal to the artists and the directors which made them interesting and well crafted films. With Shawn Mendes: In Wonder you don’t get that at all, there really just isn’t a whole lot to discuss in great detail about this film. This is only going to strictly appeal to major Shawn Mendes fans and that’s really about it, otherwise I would recommend watching something else.

6/10 C+

Leap Of Faith William Friedkin On The Exorcist and The Nest (2020)

A lyrical and spiritual cinematic essay on The Exorcist, exploring the depths of William Friedkin’s mind’s eye, the nuances of his filmmaking process, and the mysteries of faith and fate that have shaped his life and filmography.

This was another really strong documentary to come out of this year, it’s very straightforward and to the point. It’s basically about the making of The Exorcist and it shares huge amounts of information some of which I didn’t actually know about. William Friedkin also seems really passionate about the film he has made which is beautiful to see, the documentary itself is very well crafted and feels very personal. It’s a huge tribute to one of the biggest horror movies of all time and it does a fantastic job of doing just that!! Highly recommend giving this one a go!!

8/10 B+

Life for an entrepreneur and his American family begins to take a twisted turn after moving into an English country manor.

The Nest I feel like is going to be one of this year’s divided award nominated films and I won’t be surprised if that ends up being the cast. There is absolutely no denying that Jude Law and Carrie Coon both give fantastic roles and rightfully got nominated for Gotham awards. Both of them did a fantastic job on bringing out raw performances that felt impactful at times. With that said the movie suffers from huge pacing issues and spend a little too much time on scenes that really felt like they were supposed to be shorter. The ending I also have very mixed feelings about it’s the type of ending where you are either going to love it or hate it. I do think the idea of The Nest was interesting and at times it was done well, the problem is that it never really expanded on those ideas in a lot of areas. I absolutely respect on what The Nest was trying to do a lot of it just did not work for me. I recommend giving it a watch because it is a solid movie.

7/10 B

I Am Greta (2020)

Documentary follows teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg on her international crusade to get people to listen to scientists about the world’s environmental problems.

While I Am Greta is a solid documentary and at times very inspiring, a lot of it is things that a lot of people already know, I feel like this movie specifically made for people who have absolutely no idea who Greta Thunberg is (which is kind of hard to NOT know who she is) it’s a very nice introduction to her and tells what she wants to change and what she’s fighting for which is some really good causes and the points she makes are incredibly solid. With that said if you already know a lot about Thunberg you basically already watched this movie. I do wish it gave more insights on her as well. But I will say the movie is crafted very well, it was clearly made with a ton of effort and as I said it does have a ton of inspiring moments. But overall the end result is just solid documentary that really doesn’t standout in a year where tons of far superior documentaries have released.

7/10 B

Us Kids (2020)

Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida speak out against the national gun-violence epidemic after a mass shooting at their school kills 17 people.

I’m going to keep this short because Us Kids isn’t really something that needs a long explanation of why it’s so powerful. Us Kids as you can tell from the summery is about the 2018 Parkland Shooting, the movie also cleverly connects stories to black students who have experienced gun violence that the media doesn’t give enough attention. Us Kids is truly a powerful documentary it’s about stepping up when your leaders don’t do a single thing and keep saying the exact same thing over and over again. There’s tons of powerful moments here, moments that if you have watched the news around the time the shooting happened you will most definitely remember and some very emotional moments as well. It’s also a very well put together film, that does what it’s set out to do…educate. It really shows how much these teens want things to change and it really captures of how much they want it as well. Overall Us Kids is a fantastic film I highly recommend seeing this one when you get the chance!

9/10 A

Time (2020)

Fox Rich fights for the release of her husband, Rob, who is serving a 60-year sentence in prison.

Time is one of those documentaries that is sort of hard to actually review, as this is a very personal type documentary. As said in the plot it’s about Fox Rich fighting for the release of her husband, it is truly a powerful documentary that really gets to you. It’s an emotional ride that is really well put together by the editing combined with the directing, it also shows what happens when two people who absolutely love each other are separated, Fox shows every moment of the film how much she loves her husband. It shows that she wishes things could rewind where her husband can be with her every moment, every laugh, every birthday party, every accomplishment. This is when the film really gets you because you as the viewer know how much pain and sadness Fox must be going through. It’s actually like coming across someone and they are telling you their story, it truly captures everything so perfectly and beautifully to the point where you are truly at lost for words. If you haven’t seen Time yet I highly recommend to do so when you can, truly one of the best films of the year.

10/10 A+

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (2020)

Down the road from Woodstock, a revolution blossomed at a ramshackle summer camp for teenagers with disabilities, transforming their lives and igniting a landmark movement.

Crip Camp is one of the most powerful films of 2020, as someone who was autistic as a child the movie really spoke to me. It tackles so much in the film it’s quite remarkable, it shows how several teens with disabilities use their activism to fight, a lot of people tend to only see people with disabilities who can’t do anything and can’t fight for themselves. This movie shows that’s completely wrong, they use their voices just as much as everyone else does, it might be harder but that’s a risk many are willing to take. The film shows so much footage and interviews these teens as well, it truly is beautiful seeing these teens use their voices and really shows a different light. There are several beautiful moments in this documentary that are truly worth seeing, the film is wonderfully done. Every single moment feels incredibly raw and truly unique, this is a film that I believe everyone needs to see, it’s one of the best films of 2020 and will definitely be nominated for best documentary.

10/10 A+

Blackpink: Light Up The Sky (2020)

Chart the meteoric rise of the South Korean girl group BLACKPINK in director Caroline Suh’s documentary.

BlackPink: Light Up The Sky is fascinating look at four young women who formed a group and a lot about each other them. BlackPink debuted their single album “Square One” in August of 2016, then on October 2nd 2020 they released their debut studio album called “The Album” (the film was released just under two weeks after The Album on Netflix) BlackPink has turned into a very successful and gained a massive fanbase, the group consists of Jisoo, Jennie, Rose and Lisa. Now let’s get into the documentary itself which is quite fantastic, what I instantly really like about the film is how it introduces all of the girls and tells a lot about each of them. Including their personalities which are all fantastic and all of the girls come across as genuinely great people who absolutely love their fans. In a lot of ways this film is truly inspiring, all of the girls give this inspirational feeling to the viewer and show they want to accomplish their dreams. Director Caroline Suh makes sure that the viewer gets a lot of detail of member’s personality, energy and understand why they decided to become singers. For a film that is only 79 minutes long it gets a lot out there and does it in a very fast but beautiful way, the editing is spot on it truly wraps everything together really well, the film also has been described as an endearing film that emphasizes each member’s individually. Which I completely agree as I said before it really takes each member and really explores the said member and by the end you will feel fully connected with each member. It also helps that Jisoo, Jennie, Rose and Lisa all seem very charming, inspiring, hilarious and seem like genuinely great people. Earlier this year we had Taylor Swift’s Miss Americana which is still one of my favorite films of the year and I said it is definitely going for Oscars. Well I truly hope BlackPink: Light Up The Sky does the same, it truly is a fascinating film and definitely one of my favorites of the year! Give this one a watch!!

10/10 A+

Totally Under Control (2020)

An in-depth look at how the United States government handled the response to the COVID-19 outbreak during the early months of the pandemic.

Totally Under Control is a documentary that kind of just popped out of nowhere all of a sudden, which it’s understandable of why it did. Totally Under Control was a film made in secret over the last five months, it has tons of interviews with former CDC members and plus several people coming forward and telling their accounts. If you go into Totally Under Control expecting a new big story or a big bombshell you are going to be very disappointed, because a majority of the stuff told and shown in this documentary is either common knowledge or things that already have been reported on. What makes this movie interesting however is how all of this information is stitched together and it’s all presented right here. I also do want to say that there is a lot more information that this movie didn’t cover out there about COVID-19 and how piss poorly politicians handled it, but I definitely understand why not everything was included. If anything it’s nice the movie is there so people who want to do research have a nice documentary that tells a good chunk of information. As far as filmmaking goes it’s pretty solid, the editing is very clean, the film definitely will make you angry and want to throw something across the room. Overall a pretty important documentary that really shows how certain politicians messed up. I just do wish the trailer this documentary didn’t sell it as a “this never before talked about events that this movie is going to expose.”

8/10 B+