What is the fine line between altruism and narcissism, and what happens when “higher-calling” religious beliefs blur those demarcations? That vague space is not exactly what celebrated doc filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine are trying to resolve in their compelling new documentary “The Mission.” Honestly, their story is more subtle and nuanced; a fairer and balanced look at the ideas of self-sacrifice, an empathetic examination of a tragedy, and yet a sobering probing of good intentions and the paths that lead us astray.

Continue reading ‘The Mission’: The ‘Boys State’ Directors Examine A Tragic Death & The Hubris Of Christian Messiah Complex [Telluride] at The Playlist.

Many might describe “Boys State,” the critically acclaimed and Sundance Film Festival award-winning documentary by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine as timely. Especially as the United States finds itself once again in a divisive presidential election. A more accurate description may be “timeless,” because everything the doc captures has happened before and is destined to happen again.

READ MORE: “Boys State” offers both hope and despair for the uncertain future of American politics [Sundance Review]

Moss and McBaine chronicled the 2018 Texas session of Boys State, a summer conference held in different states across the nation for high school juniors that centers on government and politics (there is a Girls State as well).

Continue reading ‘Boys State’ Filmmakers On Their ‘Dazed & Confused’ Inspiration [Podcast] at The Playlist.

Every Tuesday, discriminating viewers are confronted with a flurry of choices: new releases on disc and on-demand, vintage, and original movies on any number of streaming platforms, catalog titles making a splash on Blu-ray or 4K. This biweekly column sifts through all of those choices to pluck out the movies most worth your time, no matter how you’re watching. 

Two potentially major productions caught in the wheels of the lockdown hit disc and (reasonable) VOD this week, alongside a Sundance doc on Apple TV+,  a lovely new musical bio-doc, and the usual bushel of marvelous catalog titles from Criterion, Warner Archive, and Kino-Lorber.

Continue reading The 13 Best Movies To Buy Or Stream This Week: ‘The King of Staten Island,’ ‘The Burnt Orange Heresy’ & More at The Playlist.

In early February, A24 and Apple’s joint production of the documentary “Boys State” opened at the Sundance Film Festival. The response was overwhelming. Hailed as one of the best documentaries, and features for that matter, at the festival, “Boys State” found directors Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine — who previously collaborated on “The Overnighters,” a film we called one of the Best Documentaries of the last decade — winning the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the year’s first big film fest.

Continue reading ‘Boys State’ Trailer: Sundance 2020 Doc Winner Showcases Texas Teens Who Build A Mock Government at The Playlist.

An eye-opening sneak-peak at the political leadership of the next generation, the documentary, “Boys State,” alternates between several different takeaways during its 105-minute run-time. Indeed, it’s hard to know if one should be optimistic about the future of U.S. politics based on what’s presented here, for at times the young men featured offer up a sense of hope, discouragement, and even a resigned acceptance of the sorry status quo. What is obvious, however, is that these teenagers are unquestionably a reflection of the current state of politics in the United States, tangled up as it is in a cloudy cesspool of half-truths, wedge issues, party talking points, dirty tricks, and an entrenched winner-loser binary.

Continue reading ‘Boys State’ Offers Both Hope & Despair For The Uncertain Future Of American Politics [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.