Lists are reassuring. but they can be the source of roller coaster emotions: My ego gets a boost by noting how many on the list I have already seen,the future seems brighter when I realize that there are ones that I have never seen. And then my spirits drop when I realize why I haven’t seen a lot of them.
Friend B.J. sent me this one from Curbed New York
The Best New York Documentaries to Stream Right Now
https://ny.curbed.com/2020/4/10/21216429/best-new-york-documentaries-netflix-amazon
So many good suggestions!! I’m not sure how much I can take of the Ken Burns 17.5 hour long New York: A Documentary (Amazon), but I plan to try a little.
I have seen the delightful Bill Cunningham’s New York (Hulu), but I could watch it many times over
There are bunch more on the list that look so interesting.
Recommended by my son Michael: Spike Lee’s List of Essential Films for Aspiring Filmmakers
My Comments about the List: Here are the caveats with that list: All Male Directors, several very violent ones that I intentionally never saw. . As you probably know, Lee himself has been excoriated by some for his portrayal of women in his own films. Few on the list can be lauded for having a feminist sensibility. And some of you have vowed to never watch a Woody Allen movie again, no less Roman Polansky (who I never liked). After criticism of his List, Lee added eight films with women directors. Julie Dash (“Daughters of the Dust” (such a gorgeous film) and Jane Campion’s “The Piano” (how I love that movie!)The remaining six are divided between Lena Wermuller and Kathryn Bigelow. Although she was the first woman director to receive an Oscar, Bigelow’s films feel very much shot through a masculine lens.(e.g. “The Hurt Locker”) She does have a few strong female protagonists and I’ve heard that some of her work reveals a feminist view, but I’ve not liked the few films of hers I’ve seen. Likewise Lena Wertmuller is not among my favorites; in fact, if I recall correctly I downright hated at least one of the movies listed.
New York Cynic 