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Aug 20, 2015 By Hays Davis Issue #54 - August/September 2015 - CHVRCHES

Not only are the fake documentaries of Documentary Now! hilarious, but doc fans are sure to embrace (while laughing) these studiously crafted pieces from creators Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and Seth Myers for their loving attention to detail. The slick opening sequence and the presence of Helen Mirren introducing “season 50” of the show might even throw off an unsuspecting viewer, even when hearing her say “balls to the walls” at one point.

“Sandy Passage” spoofs Albert and David Maysles’ Grey Gardens, with Armisen and Hader (in a sweatpants headdress) as Big Vivvi and Little Vivvi, a reclusive mother and daughter who obviously have a few secrets among the wildlife roaming through their dilapidated mansion. A pair of hapless investigative reporters take to the troubled streets of Juarez in “Dronez: The Hunt for El Chingon” for their eventful coverage of a drug kingpin, relating to the deaths of one local citizen’s family loved ones with their loss of friends to the urban farming boom. And the “real” story of a pioneering 1922 doc in “Kunuk Uncovered” reveals how an Eskimo subject first developed such innovations as point-of-view shooting and catering. (www.ifc.com)

Author rating: 8/10