The last few documentaries left on Rialto Channel stellar schedule for 2016 will see a somewhat dodgy year off with a bang, whilst the first for 2017 sets us all up with a whole lotta love.

The first up is THE WRECKING CREW, which makes its New Zealand television debut tonight. This one is a definite winner if you were a fan of 20 Feet from Stardom, 2013 American documentary film directed by Morgan Neville delving into the lives of background singers and their own hopes and dreams. It focuses on the era of popular music of the 1960’s in America, which was dominated by young bands like the Beach Boys, the Mamas & the Papas, Jan and Dean and the Monkees. Rather than zeroing in on the stars of the era, THE WRECKING CREW looks at the work of the super studio players who recorded the tracks for such hits as "California Dreamin'", "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", "Be My Baby", "The Beat Goes On", and "Good Vibrations”.

Filmmaker Denny Tedesco has emphasized that the amount of work that the crew were involved in was tremendous. As well as the big names, they were also involved in groups that Tedesco likes to call the “Milli Vanillis of the day”. A producer would get the guys in and lay down some instrumental tracks. If it became a hit, they would record an album and put a group together to go on the road. This happened many times with groups like the Marketts, Routers, and T-Bones. The next day they would do the same thing and call it another name. Same musicians, but different group name. Fascinating stuff, and oddly soothing to know that manufactured pop acts were just as rife back in the good old days!

Denny also has a deeply personal connection to the film and the era, as he is the son of legendary late Wrecking Crew guitarist Tommy Tedesco. His father had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and Denny wanted to get as much on film or on tape as possible before his father passed. What transpired over the next few years surprised everyone involved and created one hell of a story.

The last documentary airing on Rialto Channel for 2016 is a humdinger - MR. DYNAMITE: THE RISE OF JAMES BROWN. 

This week’s music documentary on Rialto Channel is MAVIS!  - airing December 8 on New Zealand television for the first time. It is an ode to an extraordinary woman, Mavis Staples. A key member of family gospel group The Staples Singers, she and her family members inspired millions and even helped propel the civil rights movement with their music. Mavis was a true trailblazer (as well as one hell of a vocalist) and after 60 years of performing, her key messages of love, acceptance and equality are more relevant than ever.

Staples was born way back in 1939 in Chicago, the youngest of four children born to Oceola and Roebuck "Pops" Staples. Pops worked as a meatpacker by day but played in a gospel quartet called the Trumpet Jubilees at night, eventually growing frustrated with his bandmates' lack of commitment to their music. The solution? Turning to his talented children to become his new bandmates. "Pops finally came home one night, got the guitar out of the closet and called us in the living room, sat us on the floor in a circle and started giving us our parts," Staples has recalled.

When Mavis was ten, the family band made its debut singing at a local church. After they received an enormous ovation, Staples recalled her father saying, "Shucks, these people like us. We're going home to learn some more songs!" Although she was the youngest member of the band, Mavis soon became its lead singer with a voice that many thought belonged to a woman several decades older and reportedly many times larger! She has gone on record as saying that her father told her: "Mavis, listen, your voice is a God-given gift. You know, you don't know music. You don't even know what key you sing in." Staples added, with a laugh, "And I still don't know what key I sing in."

In 1953, the Staple Singers dropped their first single, but it wasn’t until 1957 that they scored their first major hit with "Uncloudy Day”. They had toured the country and developed an impressive grassroots following, but limited their concerts to weekends until Staples graduated from high school that same year. From there on in it was all guns blazing and their career went full steam ahead.

In 1963, the group played a concert in Montgomery, Alabama that was attended by Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. A meeting with the civil rights leader after the show had a profound effect on the group's direction, and for the next several years they wrote songs exclusively in support of the American civil rights movement. "We sing about what's happening in the world today, and whatever's wrong we try to fix it through a song," Staples has recalled her father explaining. "We're living in dark times, troubled times; we wanted to spread a ray of light on the world."

The Staple Sisters achieved their greatest financial – and global - success in the early seventies when they moved away from traditional gospel and protest songs to record now-legendary anthems like "Respect Yourself" and "I'll Take You There". It was around the same time that Mavis’ solo career took off, and she actually released eight solo albums during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, all of which received high praise from critics but didn’t sell as fast as her work with the group. Oddly, that pattern changed when she released her self-financed album, Have a Little Faith in 2004 - her first release following Pops’ death. This time she received rave reviews as well as major album sales, making way for a late career renaissance that still continues today.

But back to the film, which features raves about Mavis from such luminaries as Bob Dylan, Prince and Bonnie Raitt, all of who profess to the difference that the work of the living legend made in their lives. It’s common knowledge that Dylan had a crush on Mavis Staples when they met in the early ’60s, and Staples felt the same. Dylan had long admired The Staple Singers, covering their song "Dying Man's Prayer" in 1962, and the Staple Singers had in turn recorded several Dylan compositions. In the late 1960s, the folkster actually proposed marriage to Staples… but she turned him down. Although she now considers Dylan the “one that got away” and laments dropping him like a hot coal, she explained her reasoning at the time in a 2004 Washington Post interview: "We had gotten with Dr. King and I was young and stupid, and I was thinking Dr. King wouldn't want me to marry a white guy." Dylan has referred to Staples ever since as "the love that I lost”. Awwwww!

As well as looking back, MAVIS! looks forward – and for me, that is one of its true charms. I love that the film shows her continuing to tour and perform – and most definitely winning new fans - as she remains a formidable force of nature well into her 70s. And she has no intention of giving up the calling that has consumed her since she was a child. "Ain't no stopping me, I will sing," Staples declared in a recent interview. "You know, you'd have to come and scoop me off the stage. I'm gonna sing till I die."

MAVIS! premieres Thursday 8th December on Rialto Channel

2013’s exceptional - and not unexpected - choice of ‘Searching for Sugarman’ as the Oscar Academy’s Best Documentary Feature reinforced what many of us music fans have been saying for years: we are living in the Golden Age of the music film. With the unmissable backing singers documentary ‘20 Feet From Stardom’ up for the same award and the Coen brothers’ ’60s New York folk scene period drama ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ also nominated that year, of late we have been truly spoiled for choice. To say that there are literally scores of great music documentaries making the rounds right now would be an understatement - and even if the genre is not always your bag, the subject matter can still be utterly compelling. 

Rialto Channel’s upcoming collection of lovingly curated music documentaries – under the banner “Where words fail, music speaks” are a great reminder of some of the compelling films of late that fall under the music genre, and there just may be something in the line up for everyone. 

The first to air is one for the metalheads like me, and comes in the form of AS THE PALACES BURN, showing December 1 on New Zealand television for the first time. The correct word to use when describing the documentary about metal band Lamb of God would be the same word I would use to describe their music i.e. heavy. But in a different way. The band set out with the intention of making a movie about how their genre of music has gone global, named after one of their most celebrated albums. Following a successful tour in the Czech republic, they decide to return to the country a year later whilst making the documentary as they have always had such a great response there. However, upon arriving at the airport the band are taken away by the authorities and lead singer Randy Blythe arrested and charged with the manslaughter of a young fan from the previous year’s tour. Completely blindsided, it was a death the band knew nothing about, and they are understandably in shock. Paroled only after lengthy negotiations (he was held for 38 days), Blythe opted to later return to Prague to stand trial, where he faced the very real possibility of a lengthy prison sentence. 

This caused the project, which was originally meant for fans, to drastically switch tracks, turning it into an edge-of-your-seat legal thriller – and it’s a good one, with some incredible twists and turns. At the time Blythe's trial was only being covered by Czech papers, and this film does an incredible job of filling in all the blanks and providing the true version of the story. 

We see plenty behind the scenes as the band rally together to find memorabilia to auction in order to fund Blythe’s defense, as well as his work with his legal team as he struggles to make sense of the crime of which he is charged. We also get see the heartbreakingly emotional final statement from the uncle of the young fan who died, a powerful speech where he states Randy ultimately was not responsible but that doesn't stop the loss and hurt his family ultimately feels. 

One of the most powerful moments in the movie is when the final verdict is read and Blythe’s confusion due to the language barrier is palpable. The exact moment where Blythe learns he's exonerated is made even more powerful by the soaring, very personal score by Lamb of God guitarist and composer Mark Morton. Gripping stuff. In conclusion, the film is a fantastic insight into a terrible time for Lamb of God, whose fan base continues to grow on a daily basis. Time spent early on with a male fan in Colombia and a female fan in India discussing the impact the band's music had on them is heartwarming and real, but the courtroom drama - with an unbelievable twist – that follows elevates AS THE PALACES BURN above the usual music doco. Not a metal fan? Then watch anyway, as in the words of The Guardian’s reviewer: “even if you hate the music, there's much here to impress”.

AS THE PALACES BURN premieres 1st December at 8.30pm on Rialto Channel

Before we talk about tonight’s heart-stopping documentary, KORENGAL, we need to discuss RESTREPO, an equally important and directly related work that came before it.

RESTREPO, the 2010 American documentary film about the Afghanistan war was directed by American journalist Sebastian Junger and the late British/American photojournalist Tim Hetherington. The film explores the year that Junger and Hetherington spent in Afghanistan on assignment for Vanity Fair magazine, where they were embedded with the Second Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team of the U.S. Army in the notorious Korengal Valley.

Nestled between high mountains on the Afghan side of the border with Pakistan, the Korengal Valley has easily been one of the hardest fought over patches of ground in the War on Terror. As far as I can tell 54 Americans have been killed (although the number could be higher) and four Medals of Honor were earned in the valley.

Today, the American military rarely moves into the valley, but handpicked Afghan commandos (some trained by the CIA), are still fighting constantly with militants there. The Afghan government maintains offices at the Pech River Valley, the entryway to Korengal. Their police execute raids and patrols in a continuing attempt to shut down or limit the shadow government operating there, but by all accounts it remains truly terrifying territory. As it is located on the border with Pakistan in steep mountains and thick forests, it has served as a major conduit for smugglers for decades, especially during Soviet occupation. The Pakistan side of the border is in the tribal region, which has historically served as a recruiting and training ground for terrorists. The valley itself is so inaccessible that the Afghan government temporarily gave up on trying to control it, even before the people began a strong resistance.

There are many reasons why Korengal Valley is one of the most dangerous places in Afghanistan, not least the nightmare-ish terrain. Steep mountains, loose shale, thick forests and open patches of land make the area a nightmare for an occupying force. Combat outposts were built in relatively open areas so that defenders could see approaching militants. However, this meant patrols returning to the base had to cross the open ground, sometimes under heavy small arms fire from nearby wooded areas and houses. Korengal’s steep hillsides allowed snipers to climb above outposts and fire into the bases as soldiers slept.

So on to RESTREPO, which received the Grand Jury Prize for best documentary at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. The film also received a certified fresh rating of 96 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus stating: "Forsaking narrative structure for pure visceral power, RESTREPO plunges viewers into the experiences of soldiers on the front lines of the Afghan War." Additionally, numerous critics and publications included it in their annual top film selections and the National Board of Review named it as one of the top documentary films of 2010.   

KORENGAL picks up where RESTREPO left off. Same valley, same men. And with all of the above in terms of accolades in mind, it had a wee bit of pressure to perform! It was also a project that Junger ended up taking on alone after Hetherington was tragically killed in Libya covering the civil war. The film’s maker also opted for a slightly different tack this time, as in the same general territory but a very different look at the experience of war. KORENGAL not only shows what war looks like, but how war works and what it means to the young people who fight it. While one soldier may cheer when he kills the enemy, another asks if God will ever forgive him for the killing he has participated in. As one soldier grieves the loss of a friend, another explains why he misses the war now that his deployment has ended, and admits he would go back to the front line in a heartbeat. Breathtaking and heartbreaking in turn.

It takes the viewer so close to the minds and the motivations of the ordinary young people that fight every day around the world in service to their countries, and is a sobering watch especially in light of last week’s US Presidential election and its inevitable global fallout.

KORENGAL doesn’t have the immediacy of its predecessor but it’s equally as affecting, and a reminder of how young and innocent the people many nations send to defend them really are.

Director’s Statement: to the men of Battle Company, 2/503…

Many ago, you welcomed my colleague, Tim Hetherington, and me onto your bases in the Korengal valley. We spent a year, off and on, at the KOP and at Restrepo; we went on innumerable patrols and were in countless TICs. You helped us keep safe and you answered our questions and mostly, you gave us your friendship and your trust…and the result was our film, Restrepo. We wanted to make a completely non-political film that would help civilians back home understand what you were doing for them, and we could not have done it without you guys.

Tim and I often talked about making a follow-up to Restrepo, but after Tim passed away I was left on my own with the project. I enlisted the other two members of our old Restrepo team and we went back to work. The result, Korengal, is another feature-length film and like with Restrepo, we paid for the entire production ourselves, which gave us complete control of what the film would be. Restrepo was intended to be a way for civilians to experience what combat feels like; Korengal is very different. It tries for understanding rather than experience. How does fear work? Courage? What is it like to come home from war? Why do so many soldiers miss the war they were in?

I think that many of the questions that you have been asked by civilians over the years, are answered in this film. I’m incredibly proud of it; it truly does pick up where Restrepo left off. I hope you get a chance to see it, I hope you like it and - above all - I hope you are doing well out there in the world. If you come through New York, please let me know. And if you would like to help bring attention to this film, we would be thrilled to have you on the team.

Best wishes,

Sebastian Junger

 KORENGAL, premieres on Thursday 17th November at 8.30pm on Rialto Channel

There are times during tonight’s documentary ONLY THE DEAD when images speak for themselves. And often, those are the times when you most want to look away.

Directed by two-time Oscar winner Bill Guttentag in collaboration with Australian journalist Michael Ware, ONLY THE DEAD examines the Iraq war and its moral consequence through the story of the rise and fall of jihadi terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the founder of Al Qaeda in Iraq and the progenitor of ISIS.

It throws the viewer into situations most of us can barely even contemplate due to the fact that the film is told largely through hand-held video footage, which was culled from hundreds of hours that Ware shot while reporting over the course of the war. It is in your face, extremely confronting and at times, most harrowing.

The Australian war correspondent-turned filmmaker Ware has said that he hopes his feature documentary will help enlighten global audiences on the origins of Islamic State, which I believe it does – and much more. The film is an intensely personal account of the Australian’s own experiences during eight years in Iraq as a correspondent for CNN and Time magazine, and was even filmed on a video camera he’d bought on the black market in Kurdistan.

“The viewer, like I did on the ground in reality, will witness the birth of Islamic State,” said Ware in an interview upon the film’s release. “You will also see how America’s young men, soldiers and marines, fight these people…but more importantly how it shaves away at their souls. When you have to reach out and fight against a great darkness, that darkness touches you back.” It is heart-stopping footage at times and a beyond difficult watch during others, taking us as close to the experience of being at the frontline of a real war as possible without well, actually being there.

One of the key narratives in the film is Ware’s pursuit of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the aforementioned al-Qaida leader whom he describes as a “hideous genius” and the creator of Islamic State. Ware actually met al- Zarqawi after slowly earning the trust of the Iraqi insurgents in Baghdad in 2003. After a suicide bombing - which he captured on film - he first heard the notorious leader’s name, and in early 2004 was escorted to one of the first Islamic State training camps. Once again even just watching the footage taken inside the camp is terrifying, it’s difficult to comprehend how Ware managed to keep his cool, let alone film the whole thing. After al-Zarqawi created his first gruesome propaganda video showing the beheading of American hostage Nicholas Berg, he walked over to Ware, handed him the raw material and simply said, “give this to the infidel”.

In interviews Ware has acknowledged the personal toll that spending time in Iraq took on his spirit, leading a life during those eight long years that can never be forgotten. “All soldiers and marines know that place you must go to in your head and your heart to fight,” he has said. “It’s a very animalistic and brutal place. It’s also a place filled with love among the men fighting on the front line. I went to that place as well. War became my normal. It’s ghastly the things you become accustomed to.”

A harrowing and graphic account of both sides of the war zone, ONLY THE DEAD is an unmissable film… but don’t go waiting around for any bright moments to save the day. The unique, on-the-ground view delivers scenes here that you can't un-see - much as you might want to - and is most definitely a look at the Iraq war unlike any other.

ONLY THE DEAD premieres Thursday 3rd November at 8.30pm on Rialto Channel 39