By George Kozera

During my university years in Montreal, oh so long ago, I impulsively picked up an album by the all-girl heavy rock group Fanny based solely on who produced the album. At home, needle to the vinyl, and I became obsessed after hearing the first track. I wasn’t their only fan. FANNY: THE RIGHT TO ROCK opens with a David Bowie quote: “Fanny is not one of the most important female bands of all time; they are one of the most important bands of all time, period. Their achievements are not only important to women, and their hard work is not only impressive for female musicians.”

Whereas in essence this is a straightforward “whatever happened to” Documentary, I was deeply enthralled throughout this 92 minute tribute to a band that were not only groundbreaking, they inspired future all-girl rock bands like The Go- Go’s, The Runaways and The Bangles. Fanny, headlined by two Filipina sisters, broke all musical boundaries while fighting prejudices they experienced, whether they be race, gender or sexuality-related. With interviews from a slew of musical icons (Bonnie Raitt, Richard Perry Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott to name a few), FANNY: THE RIGHT TO ROCK is a must-see.

By Justin Waldman

Ain’t no time for Women is a Short Documentary about the 2019 Presidential election in Tunis. These women are all gathered in a salon discussing everything they have gone through throughout their lives with the dictatorships and hardships they’ve gone through. In its short 19 minutes, it packs an impactful punch.

What makes Ain’t No time for Women so great is the fact that in such a short time the women can turn this regular salon into a political powerhouse with their conversations. Everything is discussed between the hardships they endured in the dictatorship to the bright future they and every other woman is going to have in the future democratic state. There will always be time for women moving forward in the town of Tunis!

By George Kozera

By day, Hermes and Betta (a lovely middle-aged Italian couple) run a pet supply store, interacting with clients on a very professional and personal level. It’s at night when they let their freak flag fly: Hermes and Betta are swingers where their interactions take a wildly different turn.

BLOOM UP takes us deep inside the world of swinging where like-minded people explore carnal pursuits without shame, fear or judgment. It is a fascinating topic to pursue as it is virtually impossible not to explore the subject matter with preconceived notions. This couple, alongside the many others who participate in these trysts in the movie, appear to be…for lack of a better word…normal. Prior to attending the events, Hermes and Betta make sure they dress to maximize their sexiness and appeal and who of us doesn’t want to look our best before going out on a date.

Writer, Cinematographer and Director Mauro Russo Rouge must be commended for taking a lifestyle choice that may be foreign to many and humanizing it, without prejudice. Yes, it is rather explicit and perhaps a tad misogynistic, but it also explores a topic that always confused me: how does one deal with a swinging lifestyle and not be emotionally-distanced? How can watching someone you love be intimate with someone else? This question is addressed in this Documentary. BLOOM UP is niche filmmaking. It is definitely not everybody’s cup of tea, but it tackles an adult subject matter with precision and insight.

By Justin Waldman

The duo of Daniel Edeistyn and Hilary Powell challenge all preconceived notions we have of money, debt, crypto, currency, and politics to an extent in their though provoking and inspiring documentary Bank Job. They are essentially Robin Hood, in creating their own currency that they distribute to their community, and buy their debt, something that we didn’t think was possible, to free the people in essence. If you were to ask someone how money were to be created, outside of the literal process, it would be a long tired answer, however, with their new currency and buying the debt, it gives hope of a world where were not constantly living in fear and debt.

Bank Job is filmed in a very unconventional Documentary style, almost feeling like a work of fiction but it works. It brings to live the Robin Hood aspects of their mission while also still feeling like a Documentary when they’re talking to the community and not being ‘interrogated’. Bank Job is incredibly-informative, fun, and thought provoking, sit back and enjoy the ride.

By George Kozera

Did you know that there’s another “Best in Show” competition that has nothing to do with the Westminster Kennel Club dog show? This one is held annually at the Orange County Fair in California and it is for Best Table Settings. I shuttered with delight!

Truth be told, I can be a tad OCD when I attend a dinner party and see that the tableware, glasses and cutlery are set up all wrong. Whereas I never say anything to the hosts, my inner Emily Post/Martha Stewart is screaming that the blade of the knife should always be facing the plate. SET! follows a number of contestants as they prepare for the competition six months in advance after deciding which theme they will tackle, hoping to win a ribbon for.

Themes vary from “International Travel” to “Light It Up”. The participants are singularly-focused, much to the bemusement or exasperation of their families. One lady was inspired to use previously alive animals (she’s into taxidermy as well), AR-15 rifle bullets and military lunch boxes after this idea came to her while spending time in an isolation tank. Another participant was scared that she was not using the correct soup for her menu item and could not find the glassware she wanted in an antique warehouse that had 8000 varieties in stock. Another micromanaged her father building a trellis that could hold a crystal chandelier while her husband snapped over 800 pictures with his iPhone. A mother and daughter team gave no regards to the thousands of dollars they were spending for supplies, where an unemployed and stone-broke guy got everything he needed at a local Dollar Store with moral support from his mother.

Director Scott Gawlik must be commended for telling this story without prejudice, judgment and invisible eye rolls. Whereas the participants may be considered quirky and eccentric, they were all appealing and I was rooting for each and every one of them.

I loved SET! even if my choice for “Best in Show” only received First Place. See the Movie and we can discuss!

By Justin Waldman

A completely fascinating tale of wealth vs nature and what humans are willing to sacrifice to gain something else. Taming the Garden is so rich in its presentation, and so wild in facts that it almost feels surreal. When former Prime Minister of Georgia wants to buy fully grown trees and remove them to his own private garden, he promised locals infrastructure in exchange, but the question that was never truly asked was at what cost? Give up the gorgeous nature in exchange for a better infrastructure.

The direction and cinematography in Taming the Garden are truly breathtaking, capturing the beauty of nature while the combativeness of humanity and the desire for a ‘better live’ that could be provided. There are far and too few voices asking what if and why, rather than just focusing on the positive. Taming of the Garden is a fascinating look at how money talks, and the people who let it.

By George Kozera

SILENT VOICE is powerful Documentary about young people fleeing Chechnya due to its anti-gay policies and continued deadly violence toward the LBGTQ community. A must-see companion piece alongside last year’s searing “Welcome to Chechnya”, this Movie only focuses on one person.

Khavaj is a young Mixed Martial Arts fighter who was tormented ruthlessly by his own brother back home and now lives in Belgium, receiving support from a non-profit group and awaits to see if he will be granted asylum. His is a tragically lonely life with minimal interactions with other people. He is dissuaded from going to any gyms or practicing his fighting skills as he was relatively well-known in Russia and runs the risk of being recognized and captured. Though the audience never sees his face in the Movie, the pain of his solitude seeps through every pore and bone of his body. His current station in life is heartbreaking to watch. The heartbreak is compounded by the many messages left on his phone by his mother. At times tearful and at times masterfully manipulative, hearing her voice and words are agonizing.

Persecution is an ugly word. Being singled-out and besieged due to the colour of your skin or your religious beliefs or who you love is anathema to me. SILENT VOICE made me angry as well as broke my heart.

By George Kozera

Faith is in Serbia to learn all about gypsy music known as Roma. While there, she meets Branko, a Roma Violinist, and this British Artist slowly develops romantic feelings towards her effervescent musical collaborator. They make beautiful music together and decide to marry.

FAITH AND BRANKO follows these lovebirds as they journey through their life together. While wonderful at first, Faith needs her travel itch to be scratched and Branko is reluctant to leave his family and the comfort he feels living in Serbia but he eventually relents, leaving his homeland for the first time ever in his life. As they start their trajectory and develop a strong fan base around the world, cracks begin to form in the foundation of their marriage.

It is difficult not be entertained by this couple. Though stereotypically Brit stoic, Faith is singularly-focused and Branko is an energetic and at times volatile whirlwind. I also defy anyone not to fall in love with Branko’s foul-mouth grandmother. When the marriage is tested due to an event that was no surprise to me at all and Branko returns home to be with his family, we are left wondering if their personal relationship and musical partnership will survive. See FAITH AND BRANKO to find out.

By George Kozera

My mother spent the last nine months of World War II in Auschwitz and I grew-up hearing her many first hand accounts of living in a Concentration Camp. Not only had visiting the site left me with images I will never forget, I make a point of watching any films that deal with the Holocaust during daytime hours. That’s how I viewed Filmmaker Maya Sarfaty’s astonishing Documentary LOVE IT WAS NOT, based on a love affair between Helena Zitron (a stunningly beautiful Jewish prisoner) and Franz Wunch, an SS officer at the camp.

Impeccably-researched and using interviews with Helena and her sister Rosa, as well as fellow female camp prisoners who validate the stories, Wunch’s daughter who confirms the great love her father had and archival footage of Wunch talking at length, this Movie is never less than fascinating. Horrors pile onto more horrors, culminating in unspeakable tragedy when Rosa becomes a prisoner alongside her two young children. Moreover, it also showcases the bravery of the two lovers as they were responsible for saving the lives of many of Helena’s fellow prisoners. In a bizarre twist of fate Franz asks the love of his life to testify at his war crimes trial in 1972 and she reluctantly does.

The power of LOVE IT WAS NOT is unflinching in its honesty and left me thunderstruck.

By Justin Waldman

The United States penal system is broken, Any Given Day proves that. One town in Chicago, specifically Chicago’s Cook County Mental Health Court offers people with any mental illness a rehabilitation program instead of traditional probation but under the same restrictions as probation. While this is a step in the right direction, after the program ends people are left to their own devices, and any relapse or reconviction for anything caused by their mental health would lead to a felony charge and make their lives almost impossible to carry on.

Any Given Day is a difficult watch, because it is real, it shows how hard it is to live with a mental illness and the constant struggle to overcome and try to live ones life. Every day is a struggle, and that is exemplified throughout but with every goal achieved it further proves there is always a light, even in the darkest tunnels.