Review: "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" Adds Excellent Depth to TV's Nicest Man

Scene from Won't You Be My Neighbor?

How do you make a documentary on Fred Rogers? It's actually a tough question when thinking about his credentials. He was once an ordained minister who turned to TV and became an icon with Mister Rogers' Neighborhood as the quintessential nice man. There's no real conflict to be driven from this narrative, as his actions were as genuine as his slow paced earnestness. Yet in director Morgan Neville's loving tribute to the unlikely star, Won't You Be My Neighbor?, there's a certain sense that being nice is arguably even more challenging than going for easy gut reactions that titillate in the moment but leave little to be desired hours or even days later. For Neville, Rogers is a fascinating figure not only for what he did on the show but for how he managed to live up to his integrity for over 50 years as an entertainer. He was one of the most welcoming faces on TV, and the documentary does a lot of justice to capturing why that was. It was a great exploration of the man, but for those expecting an in-depth look into his iconic show, prepare to be somewhat disappointed. 

A Few Thoughts on the Academy Awards Ceremony: The Bad

Ellen Degeneres

If there was one issue of this year's Academy Awards, it was its desire to try and be hip. While it resulted in the ceremony's highest ratings in over a decade, it also lost focus of what the Academy Awards is: an awards show. This isn't a moment for spectacle, but to highlight a year of film with the prestigious award. This was most evident in the host, whose lack of spectacle was replaced be a series of happenstance moments literally ate up a lot of time, making her one of the dullest hosts in the show's recent history. Even if she was tame and appealed to the audience with off kilter remarks, Ellen Degeneres essentially lost the plot. While she isn't the only one to blame for this year's ceremony being one of the worst in recent memory, she does at least earn credit for ruining the fun nature.

A Look at the Best Documentary Feature Category Contenders

From Stories We Tell

It was announced today that the Academy has released the final 15 films eligible in the Best Documentary Feature category. In one of the more obscure races in the annual ceremony, the category looks to highlight films that are both informative as well as potentially life changing. It may be one of the few significant categories that most people aren't familiar of whenever the telecast happens. As years have gone on, I have become more and more invested in the runnings, and sure enough, this year has quite a few interesting selections. Read more to find out what they are as well as a few thoughts on the films.