Category: Eyeing the Truth

Best of Enemies (Netflix) It goes without saying that the Buckley/Vidal debates of 1968, which are the subject of Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon’s documentary Best of Enemies, have gone largely forgotten today. This is shocking because the debates, as this film so gracefully argues, were a major turning point in American political rhetoric. This…

The Diplomat (HBOGo) The Diplomat is about the filmmaker’s father, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke. Immediately, it brings to mind numerous other personal essay documentaries about a filmmaker trying to come to terms with their own father, and Holbrooke has many of the flaws inherent to the genre: absenteeism, a job more important than family, and a…

Prophet’s Prey (Showtime Anytime) Sam Brower’s 2011 book Prophet’s Prey, which this new, like-named documentary by Amy Berg is credited as adapting, narrowly focuses on one investigator’s journey through the depths of a polygamist branch of the Church of Latter Day Saints. Brower takes the reader step-by-step into uncovering what cult leader Warren Jeffs has…

One of the great benefits of the at-home entertainment market boom of the last five years has been how readily available documentaries have become: the past Oscar seasons alone, Best Documentary Feature has been one of the few categories where anyone can see most or all of the nominees without leaving home. In Eyeing the…

One of the great benefits of the at-home entertainment market boom of the last five years has been how readily available documentaries have become: the past Oscar seasons alone, Best Documentary Feature has been one of the few categories where anyone can see most or all of the nominees without leaving home. In Eyeing the…