Top Docs: Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers

At the beginning of Giselle Bailey and Phil Bertelsen’s illuminating two-part HBO doc series “Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television,” the directors follow actress Tracee Ellis Ross, one of the leads of the successful sitcom “Black-ish,” to the set of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” where she and co-star Anthony Anderson celebrate the show’s series finale after 8 seasons. The triumphant ending stands in stark contrast to the way Tracee’s prior show, “Girlfriends,” was unceremoniously dropped by the network with no opportunity to shoot a finale. These experiences illustrate the highs and lows that Black Americans have experienced working within an industry that first ignored Blacks altogether and then pushed them to the side whenever it suited the networks’ whims.

 

Giselle and Phil join Ken to discuss the evolution of Black representation on TV, the hard won gains and periodic setbacks for Black creatives and the pathbreaking individuals who have ushered in a new era of Black television. Through the stories and revolutionary acts of Nichelle Nichols, Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, the Wayans brothers, Shonda Rhimes, Lena Waithe, Issa Rae, and others, who took big risks by betting on themselves and being true to who they are, “Seen & Heard” shows that Black ownership and creative control are the keys to ensuring that there is no going back.

 

“Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television” is streaming on HBO Max.

 

Hidden Gems:

Giselle: “Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti”, “Armed Only With a Camera”

Phil: “Natchez”

 

The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.

 

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Mel Brooks is about to turn 100 years old! When Mel celebrates his upcoming birthday on June 28th, filmmaker Michael Bonfiglio, who has directed (along with Judd Apatow) a joyful and action-packed two-part HBO documentary about the legendary comic and filmmaker, might want to talk to the folks at HBO about changing the title of their film: “Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!” Otherwise, I’d advise not changing a thing.

 

Joining Ken on the pod, Michael talks about how Judd’s comedic bona vides probably made the difference in convincing Mel to participate in the film. Michael, who previously teamed up with Judd to direct the Emmy-winning documentary “George Carlin’s American Dream” (check out Michael Merrill’s “Top Docs” season 2 interview with Michael), compares the two comedians and projects. We discuss what has made Mel such a special and impactful comedic force, from his homespun “2,000 Year Old Man” skit, performed with best friend Carl Reiner, to his work in early television, culminating in his breakout film career (“The Producers”, “Blazing Saddles,” ‘Young Frankenstein”, “Spaceballs,” etc.). We discuss Mel’s marriage to actress Anne Bancroft and his lingering pain since her death. Not to get too serious, Michael ends by sharing his favorite Mel Brooks moment. Lucky for us, with Mel still creatively active (“Spaceballs: The New One”!), there will no doubt be more signature Mel Brooks moments to come. Happy Birthday, Mel!

 

“Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!” is streaming on HBO Max.

 

The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.

 

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For a time, back in the ‘80s, actor Charlie Sheen was the hottest thing in Hollywood. But it didn’t take long for Sheen’s star turns in “Platoon” and “Wall Street” to morph into tabloid cover stories about his hard partying ways and bad boy exploits. In his highly engaging two-part Netflix series ”aka Charlie Sheen,” filmmaker Andrew Renzi (“Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?”, “Ready for War”) follows the mostly familiar downward spiral of Sheen’s life and career but also provides something quite unexpected: a sensitive portrait of a once lost man finally capable of self-reflection, regret and emotional depth.

 

Andrew joins Ken on the pod to talk about how an initially reluctant Sheen came to see the value in participating in the documentary and even granted Andrew access to the early Super 8  action movies that Sheen shot with his brother Emilio Estevez and childhood friends Sean and Chris Penn. Filled with insightful, sometimes painful, and occasionally funny interviews (Sean Penn, in particular), the heart of the film is Sheen’s own insights into what he calls the three-act structure of his life: “partying, partying with problems, just problems.”

 

“aka Charlie Sheen” is streaming on Netflix.

 

Hidden Gem:

“Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam”

 

The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.

 

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Billy Joel, one of the most beloved and best-selling pop music artists of all-time, has finally achieved something that, up until now, has always eluded him: the opportunity to tell his side of the story. In their authoritative and insightful two-part HBO documentary “Billy Joel: And So It Goes,” directors and producers Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin (“Jane Fonda in Five Acts”, “Joni Mitchell: A Woman of Heart and Mind”) sit Joel down to get his take on life, love, music... and all things Long Island.

 

Jessica joins Ken on the pod to talk about what led Billy to decide to open himself up to this documentary duo and how candid he ended up being over the many hours of interviews. Featuring a terrific cast of Billy’s musical peers, including Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, and Jackson Browne — all of whom have high praise for Billy’s musical chops — the documentary does justice to the music and arc of Joel’s career, while at the same time revealing aspects that are not as well known, such as the significant contributions of his former wife and manager Elizabeth Weber. But, more than anything, it is Joel’s willingness to talk about deeply personal things that make this such a fascinating portrait. The kid from Hicksville, Long Island — whose breakthrough album is called “The Stranger” — is finally learning to open up.

 

“Billy Joel: And So It Goes” is streaming on HBO Max.

 

The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.

 

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For her latest film, “Time and Water,” Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Sara Dosa (“Fire of Love”, “The Seer & the Unseen”) returns to Iceland, this time to cover the island nation’s other distinctive geologic feature besides its volcanoes: its majestic glaciers. Deeply embedded in Icelandic history, culture, and myth, these moving rivers of ice are now facing an existential threat due climate change, jeopardizing the nation’s very identity.

 

Sara, who spoke with Mike about “Fire of Love” for the pod, joins Ken to talk about her new film and how she came to collaborate with renowned Icelandic poet and author Andri Snær Magnason (“On Time and Water”). Magnason’s narration is addressed to an unspecified “you” that represents a future generation, framing the film as a cinematic time capsule. As his beloved grandparents (two of whom participated in Iceland’s first glacier expeditions) age and pass away, and his children grow up in the blink of an eye, Magnason reflects on the relationship between time, loss, and memory. When Magnason is invited to write an epitaph for the Ok Glacier, the first Icelandic glacier officially declared “dead” due to climate change, the film takes on an added sense of urgency. Will his generation be able to reverse the effects of climate change before all the country’s glaciers disappear? As he says in the film, “Only time will tell.”

 

“Time and Water,” distributed by National Geographic Documentary Films, is in limited theatrical release.

 

Hidden Gem:

“River of Grass”

 

The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.

 

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