Film Reviews

Staff Utne magazine

New York Doll
(First Independent Pictures)
www.firstindependenctpictures.com
'For everybody, there's an artist that captures you at just the right time . . . they can never disappoint you. The Dolls were that band for me,' says Morrissey, who organized a New York Dolls reunion in 2004. They were 'that band' for thousands who endured the worst of '70s progressive rock and heavy metal. Their lean, riotous songs would give rise to the Clash and the Sex Pistols, to name just two bands. But 30 years after the Dolls disbanded, bassist Arthur 'Killer' Kane describes himself as 'just another schlep on the bus.' He has never made money from the Dolls and is a little stodgy from decades of depression and alcohol abuse, not to mention becoming a Mormon after rehabilitation. But it's a Killer Kane stodgy -- wry, droll, and rock and roll. The reunion concert and the film alike are sweetly nostalgic, bearing witness to an age of mediocrity and the heroes who saved us from it. -- Tyler Otis

Giuliani Time
(Cinema Libre Studio)
www.cinemalibrestudio.com
It's Giuliani Time! It may sound like a campaign slogan for the former New York mayor's 2008 presidential bid, but the expression will forever be linked to his allegedly brutal and racist tactics. Did Rudy Giuliani make Gotham a safer place to live, or did he create a vicious atmosphere of fear, intimidation, and curtailed civil liberties? Kevin Keating's levelheaded documentary attack, subtitled The Man Who Would Be King, includes no revelations on the matter. But the cumulative effect of recounting the litany of crimes committed during Giuliani's reign (from Abner Louima and Amadou Diallo to workfare slavery and First Amendment violations) is staggering -- and a powerful reminder of similar, merciless policies now commonplace nationwide. With Giuliani's post-9/11 resurrection as a hero, Giuliani Time should be required viewing before the next election cycle. (The film opens May 12 in theaters and will be released on DVD in September.) -- Anthony Kaufman

The Take
(First Run/Icarus Films)
www.frif.com
Set after Argentina's International Monetary Fund-generated economic collapse in 2001, this rough-hewn documentary chronicles the rousing trials and triumphs of the country's occupied factory movement. With corporate owners splitting town and selling off anything that's not bolted down, the workers take their jobs back by seizing their factories and forming cooperatives without 'boss, king, or savior.' Directed by Avi Lewis and written by No Logo author Naomi Klein, the story focuses on a group of auto-parts workers, especially one sympathetic father, Freddy Espinosa. 'The saddest thing,' says Espinosa's wife, 'is a man without work.' Indeed, the film wrings every ounce of emotion from these men's and women's simple desire to make a living. While The Take tugs at the heartstrings, the finale is ultimately inspiring: In the battle against globalization, score one point for the workers. -- A.K.

Heart of the Sea
(Women Make Movies)
www.wmm.com
Rell Sunn was famous in her native Hawaii: She was a pioneering professional surfer. She was gorgeous. And she was tragic, beginning a losing 14-year battle with breast cancer in 1984 at age 32. But Sunn was beloved because she was Kapolioka'ehukai, or 'Heart of the Sea,' and she extended generosity to her Oahu hometown, Makaha, as gracefully as she handled a breaking wave. She gave away her surfing trophies to local kids in a first, impromptu contest, and the Rell Sunn Menehune Surfing Championships still draw more than 200 children today. In turn, Makaha called Sunn 'Auntie Rell' and 'Queen of Makaha.' By the end you may feel a twinge of perverse thankfulness for the cancer that propelled to the rest of us, as if by trade wind, this glimpse of life fiercely lived. -- S.A.