Tag: documentary

‘The Boy from Medellin’: The J Balvin doc doesn’t hit the right notes

Jeff Mitchell

“The Boy from Medellin” – Medellin is the capital city of Colombia’s Antioquia province.  It has a population of just over 2.5 million, and one of its favorite sons filmed his documentary here.  International reggaetón megastar J Balvin makes a triumphant return home to put on a massive show, but then again, “the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Director Matthew Heineman follows this chart-busting marvel to his hometown for one week leading up to the planned live spectacular, but a set of soccer-stadium-sized stumbling blocks place…

‘The Year Earth Changed’ offers a silver lining to our cloudy year

Jeff Mitchell

“The Year Earth Changed” – “As we stop, remarkable things happen in the natural world.”  – David Attenborough COVID-19 has taken 3 million lives and disrupted almost 8 billion, and many of us have sheltered in place over the past year-plus.  It’s been a brutal time for the human race, and – countless times – I’ve said to myself and out loud, “Good riddance, 2020.” I assume that I’m not alone. With so much death and disruption, it’s challenging to find pandemic positives within our emotional spaces, especially when a…

Seek out ‘The Truffle Hunters’

Jeff Mitchell

“The Truffle Hunters” – Have you ever hunted for truffles?  It’s not that difficult.  Over the weekend, I strolled down a Trader Joe’s aisle and reached for a box of 16 Belgian truffles – an assortment of dark, milk, and white chocolates – sitting on an ordinary shelf about five feet off the ground.  The 7.05-ounce package cost about six dollars and was draped in decorative green and white wrapping paper because purchasing and devouring such a delicacy denotes a celebratory event, right?  Finding this particular sugary luxury burned about…