Directed by Academy Award nominee Irene Taylor, I Am: Celine Dion gives us a raw, honest, behind-the-scenes look at the iconic superstar’s struggle with a life-altering illness.
Serving as a love letter to her fans, this inspirational documentary highlights the music that has guided her life while showcasing the human spirit’s resilience.
Other films by Taylor:
Trees, and Other Entanglements
Leave No Trace
Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements
If you are lucky enough to have Disney+, catch The Beach Boys documentary celebrating the legendary band.
Frank Marshall directed the film about the legendary band that turned pop music on its ear. The iconic boy band created a harmonious sound that personified the California dream. Generations after generations listened to their music.
The documentary follows the band’s humble beginnings with family and features footage you probably haven’t seen before. The film includes new interviews with the band and other luminaries in the business.
David Shurmann directed this sweeping family adventure. My Penguin Friend follows a triumphant tale of friendship between a lonely father and a little lost penguin who recharges his spirit and heals his family with an unshakable, ocean-crossing loyalty.
Humble fisherman João, played by Jean Reno, has turned away from the world in the wake of a tragedy. But when he discovers a penguin drifting alone in the ocean, drenched in oil from a spill, his first instinct is to help.
To his wife’s dismay, played by Adriana Barraza, he not only rescues the sea creature but also takes the flightless bird under his wing. For the first time in years, João feels joy, even if he cannot fathom just how unbreakable a bond is being formed.
When the penguin suddenly disappears back into the immense wilds of the ocean, João believes it is impossible that he will ever see his friend again. But thousands of miles away, the penguin is caught in misadventures, determined to use his unique GPS-like powers to find his way back to where he now considers home.
Based on an emotional true story that riveted the world and filmed on the spectacular coasts of Brazil and Argentina, My Penguin Friend is a tale that traverses the magic of the ocean, the beauty of nature, and the transformative power of love.
Before you watch the movie, have a handful of tissues. It’s a tearjerker.
A Sundance audience favorite, Sean Wang wrote and directed Didi. It’s an autobiographical story that follows a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy, played by Izaac Wang, during his last summer before high school begins.
Frustrated, he discovers his family cannot teach him how to flirt, skate or love his mom.
Never Let Go comes from the creative minds of director Alexandre Aja and producers of Stranger Things and Arrival.
In this new psychological thriller, as evil takes over the world beyond their front doorstep, the only protection for a mother, played by Halle Berry, and her twin sons, played by Percy Daggs and Anthony B. Jenkins, is their house and their family’s protective bond.
Needing to stay connected at all times, even tethering themselves with ropes. They cling to one another, urging each other never to let go. But when one boy questions if the evil is real, the ties that bind them together are severed, triggering a terrifying fight for survival.
Movies directed by Aja:
The Hills Have Eyes
Nicholas Stoller directs Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell in a comedy about a woman, played by Witherspoon, planning her sister’s perfect wedding.
A father, played by Ferrell, of a young bride-to-be, finds out the remote resort has double booked for their destination wedding.
They are on an island off the Georgia coast, so both parties decide to share the small venue. Like any comedy, chaos ensues, and disaster awaits.
The supporting cast includes Geraldine Viswanathan, Meredith Hagner, Jimmy Tatro, Stony Blyden, Leanne Morgan, Rory Scovel, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Ramona Young, Jack McBrayer and Cecilia Weston.
Fancy Dance, directed by Erica Tremblay, stars Lily Gladstone. The film follows Jax, played by Gladstone. She has cared for her niece, Roki, played by Isabel DeRoy-Olson, since her sister disappeared.
They have scraped by while living on an Indian Reservation in Oklahoma, dedicating every spare minute to finding her missing sister. Jax also is helping Roki prepare for an upcoming powwow.
Tremblay is a Native American filmmaker best known for her documentary films. She worked with Gladstone in the short Little Chief.
Karim Aïnouz directed Firebrand, based on a screenplay by Jessica Ashworth and Henrietta Ashworth from the 2013 novel Queen’s Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle.
The story is about the royal relationship in blood-soaked Tudor England. Twice married, accomplished, and educated, Katherine Parr, played by Alicia Vikander. She reluctantly agrees to become the sixth wife of the tyrannical King Henry VIII, played by Jude Law.
Katherine’s decision to marry Henry carries immense personal risk, considering the fate of her predecessors, who were either divorced, beheaded, or dead. Her situation becomes even more perilous when Henry appoints her as regent, the nation’s ruler, during his absence for overseas battles, setting her on a treacherous path.
Amidst Henry’s court’s political intrigue, Katherine’s sympathies for the radical Protestant beliefs that have taken root in the kingdom become a cause for suspicion. The courtiers, fearing the threat to their power, conspire against her and sow seeds of doubt about her loyalty to the increasingly ailing and paranoid king.
Once Henry returns to England, his courtiers convince him to turn his fury on the nation’s radicals, including Katherine’s childhood friend Anne Askew, played by Erin Doherty. Anne becomes one of the many people convicted of treason and burned at the stake.
Horrified and privately grieving, Katherine finds herself under ever-increasing scrutiny and suspicion. Knowing that even a whisper of scandal might lead to her downfall, Katherine must unleash her own scheme to fight for survival.
Other supporting cast include Eddie Marsan, Simon Russell Beale and Sam Riley.
Aïnouz is an award-winning director and screenwriter. Firebrand is his first British/American film.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg directed Let It Be, a 1970 film about The Beatles. The release arrived during their breakup. You can now stream the fully restored documentary on Disney+.
Sorry, Disney+ has blocked two of these clips, but hopefully, they will lift the ban.
I had the pleasure of meeting Ellen Kuras at a film festival, where we were both on a panel discussing women and minorities in film. It was shortly after 9/11, and Kuras talked about her experience. Living across the water, she invited friends who had no place to stay after the horrific incident to her large home. Together, they watched the smoking rubble. Surprisingly, Kuras said it was both depressing and healing.
Since the film festival, Kuras and I stayed in touch at first, with me lining up an interview with a now-defunct film website. The last time I heard about her was when she received an Oscar nomination for the documentary The Betrayal, which she co-wrote and co-directed while also being the cinematographer. Kuras has won many awards for her cinematography.
Kuras directs Lee based on a pivotal decade in the life of American war correspondent and photographer Lee Miller, played by Kate Winslett. Miller’s singular talent and unbridled tenacity resulted in some of the 20th century’s most memorable images of war, including an iconic photo of Miller herself, posing defiantly in Hitler’s private bathtub.
Miller had a profound understanding and empathy for women and the voiceless victims of war. Her images display both the fragility and ferocity of the human experience. Above all, the film shows how Miller lived her life at full throttle in pursuit of truth, for which she paid a huge personal price. This forced her to confront a traumatic and deeply buried secret from her childhood.
The supporting cast includes Josh O’Connor, Andrea Riseborough, Andy Samberg, Alexander Skarsgård and Marion Cotillard.
When I saw that Kuras had directed this film, I was super excited for her and delighted at her success.