Three the hard way? A trio of under-appreciated movies

I can accept the fact that some of the best movies will never be blockbusters, but I find it galling when they don’t get proper recognition either. This week, three films highlight the discrepancy between quality and “success.”

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences revealed the “short list” for Best Feature Documentary. While there are many fine contenders — including THE COVE, FACING ALI and EVERY LITTLE STEP — two titles were overlooked that are certainly superior to some others rounding out the list.

James Toback‘s TYSON is revelatory, allowing audiences to meet Iron Mike in a context previously unimaginable — the fighter’s own words. Edited deftly, the film is Tyson’s autobiography coaxed brilliantly by the director. Like all autobiographies, it may contain embellishments and contradictions, but it is these very flourishes that give the movie its richness. Hearing the fallen champ editorialize allows audiences to discern the true essence of the man rather than reabsorb the media’s misrepresentation of a caricature based on cherry-picked facts. Never has a documentary done as much to redefine a single celebrity.

Josh Harris may not be as well known as Mike Tyson, though within his circles he may be equally notorious. The self-identified godfather of social media, Harris foresaw our fixation with internet-fueled self-aggrandizement and the desperate, insatiable narcissism fueled by Warhol‘s promised fifteen minutes. Harris conducted the Web’s earliest, eeriest and most outlandish experiments invading privacies and defiling personal spaces. Were he not so socially maladjusted himself — an Aspie with delusions of grandeur? — he’d likely be touted as one of Utne Reader’s 50 Visionaries or Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential. Instead, he’s been reduced to a world-class vagabond, hunted by creditors and haunted by his own aspirations. Shot over ten years, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC spookily chronicles Harris’ import, impact and implosion, utilizing some of the very footage that both made his name and he’d hoped to further exploit. Directed cooly by Ondi (DiG!) Timoner, the documentary serves as her parable and his penance. WE LIVE IN PUBLIC is pertinent to everyone who now uses Facebook, Twitter or YouTube and has never bothered to read nor consider the fine print. Consequently, the movie is not only the most important documentary of the year, but quite possibly, the most important of our generation. How the Academy could overlook its significance defies reason. (Fortunately, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC is in theaters now, including its continuing run at The Varsity in Seattle.)

Finally, the third film is not a documentary and not yet(?) Oscar®-snubbed. However, it is likely the best movie of the year… and yet so few will see it. HUNGER, directed by Steve McQueen — the English visual artist not the late Ibsen-loving actor — is the finest example of visual storytelling in over a decade. Chronicling the infamous hunger strike of Bobby Sands, the movie fully explores the motives and options of imprisoned IRA members with nary a stitch of exposition save a stunning conversation smack dab in the middle of this masterpiece. Many have tried to depict the cruelty of incarceration, this is the first to succeed by allowing us to slowly suffer the indignities and sadism rather than simply shock us with snippets of it. The cast/ing is exceptional, though it feels less like acting and more like enduring. I’d dare anyone to watch HUNGER and not reconsider a stance on Justice and the penal system.  HUNGER is available now on Comcast On Demand for free. Buried within the listings of RHI straight-to-video horrors and Cinemax off-casts from the 80s, you can find the most powerful film of this or many years.