Listen to Me Marlon
Thursday, 8.30pm, Rialto
Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg’s 2016 documentary is a warts-and-all account of the fall and rise (and fall) of Democratic congressman Anthony Weiner. Having quit his post after a series of compromising Twitter photos, the man with the unfortunate moniker thought he was on the comeback trail when he agreed to allow the filmmakers to follow him on his New York mayoral campaign. He was horribly wrong.
I’m Not In Love: The Story of 10CC Tuesday, 8.30pm, Prime
Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman, Lol Creme and Kevin Godley reunited for this 2015 BBC documentary to tell their story and share the secrets behind some of their most successful records, from the writing and recording, to the tours and tensions.
CitizenFour Tuesday, 8.30pm, Maori TV
Whatever your take on Edward Snowden – whistleblowing-hero or cowardly traitor – this 2014 documentary provides a fascinating account of the firestorm he created when he released details of America’s National Security Agency’s methods of gathering information, not only of United States citizens but those around the globe. Contains compelling, yet personalised footage.
Wednesday, 8.30pm, Rialto
Having already tackled West Indies cricket and the James Bond movie franchise in previous outings, British documentarian Stevan Riley took on the larger-than-life figure of acclaimed actor Marlon Brando in 2015. Built around the 1990 trial of Brando’s son Christian after he shot his half-sister Cheyenne’s
Provocative to the point of almost being pretentiously so, Nicolas Winding Refn’s (Drive) 2016 visual and aural assault on audiences was deeply polarising. What seems initially like the traditional ingenue’s (Ellie Fanning) misadventures-in-the-big-city gradually descends into something far more dark and disturbing, as Refn takes the conceit that the modelling industry will chew you up and spit you out almost literally. – James Croot