Louis C.K.’s sexual misconduct revelations are examined in Sorry/Not Sorry. At his peak, Louis C.K. was one of the biggest comedians in the world, though there were always rumours about the way he acted around women. Finally, a New York Times expose from 2017 revealed accusations of sexual misconduct from five women, many of whom…
The life and career of Ernie “Mr. Dressup” Combs are revisited in Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe. Born in Maine, Ernie Combs moved to Toronto in 1962 to work with Fred Rogers on the original CBC version of MisteRogers. After Rogers returned to the United States, CBC built a new show around Ernie Combs,…
The evolution of YouTube into one of the most ubiquitous and powerful media platforms in the world is explored in The YouTube Effect. YouTube was founded in 2005 by former PayPal employees Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim as a way for people to stream and share videos on the web easily. Following some…
This review was originally published as part of my coverage of the 2023 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival The story of a woman and a psychiatrist whose book helped kick off the 1980s Satanic Panic is told in Satan Wants You. In 1976, Michelle Smith visited Dr. Laurence Pazder in Victoria, British Columbia. During…
The history of the doorbell and its ties to home surveillance are explored in Home Invasion. Graeme Arnfield presents a cinematic essay on the evolution of the doorbell from its inception to the development of the Ring door-bot in more recent years. The film also makes some deviations talking about how D.W. Griffith paved the…
The rise and fall of the 1990s “Crash TV” series is told in The American Gladiators Documentary. One of the earliest reality TV series, The American Gladiators, was a part sport, part game show, pitting amateur athletes against the titular gladiators. The show began in 1989 as the brainchild of former Elvis impersonator Johnny C….
Former cattle ranchers transform their farm into an animal sanctuary in Rowdy Girl. Renee King-Sonnen is an animal lover who convinced her husband, Tommy, to turn vegan and convert their Texas Cattle Ranch into an animal sanctuary for farm animals. Now Renee runs a Rancher Advocacy Program to help farms transition from animal agriculture to…
The work of Hong Kong’s artists and activists is made illegal by China in Hong Kong Mixtape. Due to its years as a British colony, Hong Kong has typically been more progressive than communist mainland China. However, that began to change when China regained control of the city and began to police it with its…
The Dalkurd Football Club strives to be the first Kurdish team to play at the highest level in Europe in Allihopa: The Dalkurd Story. The Kurdish people are the largest state without a country, with Kurdistan being comprised of regions of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. Formed by Kurdish refugees living in Sweden, the Dalkurd…
A group of women bare their souls in an Estonian smoke sauna in Smoke Sauna Sisterhood. In Southern Estonia, a group of women gather in a traditional smoke sauna to cleanse themselves. Each of the women tells their own personal stories, with subjects ranging from having breast cancer, coming out as lesbian, and being a…
