STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE! (A) - This pristine profile of the dogged reporter Amy Goodman and her 30-year radio polemic "Democracy Now" is also an urgent ode to old-fashioned shoe-leather journalism. It provides a polished gloss to Goodman's gritty low-fi style across a career holding the powerful accountable.
Directed by the distinguished team of Carl Deal (Michael Moore's longtime producer) and Tia Lessin ("The Janes," "Trouble the Water"), "Steal This Story, Please!" (the title nods to open-source information like the Creative Commons) is a lively retrospective of Goodman's career as a noodge to those in power and the voice of oppressed people the world over. The film starts with her chasing a dodgy Trump official through an airport, an homage to her tenacious reporting methods and her cardio fitness.
Deal and Lessin then ground Goodman's back story in her harrowing reporting from the front lines of the 1991 siege of East Timor by Indonesia's military junta. Goodman and her producer, Allan Nairn, were attacked, and 271 democracy protesters died in gunfire. Archival footage from that event and from "Democracy Now's" fledgling early days propel the narrative, while talking heads fill in blanks and tell compelling stories. Key colleagues -- Juan Gonzalez (whose roots going back to student activism are chronicled here), Nermeen Shaikh, Jeremy Scahill and Sharif Abdel Kouddous -- bear witness to the many struggles and successes of the seat-of-the-pants operation that started out with 9 affiliates and now is carried by 1,400 radio and TV stations worldwide.
At the core is Goodman, a disciple of Phil Donahue, and a beacon of pure journalistic integrity, if there ever was one, albeit one with an aggressively progressive political leaning. There is no doubting her devotion; long based in New York City, her studio was just a few blocks away from the Twin Towers during the 9/11 attacks, and she insisted on hunkering down amid the dust and smoke, lest she leave and not be let back into the restricted area. She has no compunction of dogging the first President Bush and asking him what he thinks of being labeled a war criminal. When President Clinton phones the studio for a a few minutes of pre-scripted Election Day get-out-the-vote happy talk, Goodman harangues him for a half hour, pushing his buttons at every turn -- creating compelling news that every other radio hack ignored.
Every moment of the 98-minute running time is essential, entertaining, and thought-provoking. You might disagree with Goodman's politics, but I don't know how you can take issue with her watchdog bona fides. The film provides example after example of journalistic courage and integrity, and by silent comparison, indicts the rest of the media landscape in America. "Steal This Film" has the zing of Michael Moore's polemic exercises but ditches the whimsy for matters of life-or-death, such as her expose of Chevron's deadly dealings with Nigeria's military.
Despite all the heavy topics, Goodman's plucky personality buoys the film. We bop along with her and her faithful dog Zazu (named not for the "Lion King" character but for the French youth who resisted Nazi occupation in World War II) as she shows no sign of slowing down as she approaches age 70. (Goodman and Zazu are touring the country with the film, stopping in Albuquerque for two screenings Memorial Day weekend, and speaking eloquently and compellingly after the matinee.) As a pal used to say while promoting "Democracy Now" on the local public radio station, where Goodman's production followed his music show -- and with a nod to Modest Mouse -- this is good news for people who love bad news.
MUSCLE BEACH (B-minus) - A movie about muscle-bound meatheads should not be this contemplative and artsy. It all revolves around the mystery of a missing person at Venice Beach and the scourge of illegal drugs circulating among bodybuilders.
The chiseled Ike Catcher (above right) stars as Abe, a good guy beloved on the boardwalk who is hunting for clues about the disappearance of his best friend, Jay. Does it have something to do with the tainted drugs going around? Or perhaps a shady real estate deal?
Writer-director Jacob Hurwitz-Goodman, in his feature debut, teams with cinematographer Doug Frerichs to capture the people and the vibe of Venice Beach's mix of bodybuilders, tourists, freaks, and vendors. They have a keen eye for trippy visuals, luxuriating over the water and sky. They also mix in retro footage from bodybuilder competitions and other ephemera. And their camera loves Catcher, who is a bumbling but charming mix of Lou Ferrigno and Arnold Schwarzenegger, with the handsome looks and towering physique of Aaron Judge.
Abe glad-hands and back slaps with some authentic iron-pumpers at Muscle Beach (this is often a quasi-documentary), and he makes time with Jay's bitter abandoned baby mama, Alice (a wonderfully snarky Lindsey Normington from "Anora"). He also schmoozes with dealmaker Chase, played by Kirk Baltz, who will go down in film history for his role as the cop tortured by Michael Madsen in "Reservoir Dogs."
The story sometimes has the thin feel of a made-for-TV gumshoe flick, but Hurwitz-Goodman has an ear for off-kilter dialogue, and the core cast is totally dialed in. It's worth straying off the beaten path to experience this curiosity.
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