Catching up on viewings again, starting with my Letterboxd review of sports doc Brian And The Boz:
Another good 30 for 30 – this time on notorious American football bad boy Brian Bosworth – but when are they ever bad?
I was pleasantly surprised by The Bay:
This eco-horror from Barry Levinson (yes, that Barry Levinson) makes its found-footage format work by being fashioned as a mock documentary released to the public via a WikiLeaks-style website. It’s replete with all the unsubtle political overtones you can imagine, but the results are above average for the genre and the budget, so it’s definitely worth a watch.
I made it through Kickboxer:
A lesser effort in the JCVD kick-ass canon, especially compared to the previous year’s solidly entertaining Bloodsport. More fighting, less dancing, please.
But best of this bunch was I Am Santa Claus:
Here’s a film of two parts. One’s a basic documenting of erstwhile wrestler (and self-confessed Christmas fanatic) Mick Foley transforming himself into Santa Claus for the season that’s in it. The other’s far more interesting, a docu-diary following various different Santas – the gay one, the grumpy one, the swinger one, the one who changed his name by deed poll – as they prep for the few weeks of the year that they live for, dressed up as jolly ol’ Saint Nick to wow the kids and keep the magic alive. Director Tommy Avallone is fairly unobtrusive, not standing in judgement like others within the official Santa fraternity (bet you didn’t know there was one before now). It’s also refreshing to see a portrayal of people who might otherwise be painted in monotone, as sad or pathetic individuals, as more or less ‘normal’ guys with a peculiar but benign passion.