Film Geek

I loved this movie! It's an autobiographical documentary by writer-director Richard Shepard about growing up in New York during the 70s and 80s when New York was at its worst period-filthy, crime-ridden, and spooky. But what New York had going for it then was all these wonderful movie theatres that showed foreign movies, classic films, and revivals along with the new releases. Shepard practically spent his entire teen years in those theatres that are now virtually all gone. Shepard's film was composed during the covid lockdown entirely from clips of other movies, along with an occasional drawing. It's about a boy being in love with movies. His mentor was his father, a mysterious man who didn't seem to have a regular job and went by several aliases. The movie is as much about his relationship with his father as much as it is about his relationship with movies. This is very much a homemade movie, lovingly cobbled together from the resources available. (He recorded his amateurish, sing-songy voiceover narration on his cellphone.) But the ultimate result is pretty dazzling. It's charming, delightful, funny, and (in some ways) profound. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves the movies and/or New York. This will be a classic. How could I not give it a 10?