Steve James
City So Real, Steve James’ five-part documentary miniseries, is a stunning, panoramic view of an America in transition.
In the 2010s, filmmakers pushed conventions of the form in both aesthetics and subject matter, expanding the umbrella of what be considered a “documentary.” The result was a decade of feasting for non-fiction film lovers.
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail focuses on a bank who could be scapegoated for the crisis without decimating the U.S. financial system.
We spoke with legendary documentarian Steve James about his new film, Abacus: Small Enough To Jail, about the economic crisis & finding truth.
Life Itself is a superlatively crafted documentary that gives a compelling, poignant insight into Roger Ebert, while also delving into the subject of film criticism and its relationships with the film industry. When I want to see a film’s critical reception, I head for Rotten Tomatoes rather than IMDB, because the latter is saturated with fan-boys and uninformed opinion. Rotten Tomatoes introduced me to many different critics who wrote for reputable sources such as The Guardian, The New York Times and The Telegraph, but time and again I was drawn to the small thumbnail image of a white haired, bespectacled man who wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times.
Last year, the most renowned, appreciated and feared film critic to have ever lived passed away: Roger Ebert. Steve James directed a documentary, called Life Itself, recounting Ebert’s life, and many people took the time to talk about him and his inspiring life, among them Martin Scorsese, who also produced the documentary.