Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Kailansorac Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

bbewnylorac This is one of the best documentaries you will see. A humble, honest, artistic and amazingly talented man manages to stay connected with the real world despite being a very integral part of the dizzy, artificial world of high fashion. One review here said the filmmakers hadn't really delved enough into Cunningham's personal life. I'd agree -- where did he come from? What were his family's occupations? Wasn't there anyone from his childhood to talk to? Maybe he ruled this out. And clues as to why they didn't persist with this line are in the film -- he is tongue tied when asked about his relationships, and a little shy. In fact some of those personal questions scenes make him excruciatingly self conscious. Like many photographers, he prefers to document the story, not be the centre of attention. And in any case, probably just capturing him cycle around New York and snap the perfect street fashion shots is pretty interesting. Especially the scenes in which he zeroes in on some amazing trend such as polkadots or ponchos or low slung jeans. Overall, the most likable thing about Cunningham is that he is very much an individual, which is also what he says he loves most about his photographic subjects -- how they express themselves, how they're not just part of the crowd. May he long continue to roam the streets of New York.

bandw This documentary about Bill Cunningham, a fashion photographer for the New York Times, and New York City street photographer, held my interest until it started getting repetitive. Indeed, Cunningham, now in his 80s, is a unique character what with his ascetic lifestyle and riding his bike all over New York City pursuing his passion for photographing any mode of dress he finds interesting. And the irony of his photographing the rich and famous was not lost on me. But I began to tire of all of the footage that had him riding his bike around and the mechanics of publishing his photographs.The most frustrating thing for me was that I wanted to see more of his work. For the most part we see images, frequently multiple images per frame, for a split second. Impossible to absorb them with any level of appreciation. There were several scenes showing Cunningham working with an assistant (and driving him nuts) to compose layouts for the Times. Again, all we see is split second takes showing him moving images around. Damn it, I wanted to see more of his work. Don't most artists say that you can know them best through their work? We don't get to see enough of Cunningham's work to make that judgment. We often see Cunningham rushing down a sidewalk in front of someone he wanted to photograph so that he could get some good shots when they passed by. These scenes made me uncomfortable by their apparent rudeness, but maybe that is pretty low level stuff for New Yorkers. But I have to think that many a person who was idly walking down the street one day only to find their picture in the New York Times the next day would be a bit irritated. There was a missed opportunity to discuss the legality of photographing people in public spaces.

brimon28 Once upon a time this reviewer was a photographer who rode a bicycle for work. I carried a camera always. Film, until digital became cheaper. Here we have a man in love with his city and his camera. Director Press (what an apt name!), who also photographs and cuts, sets out to draw a man. In doing so he puts a tiny figure into a broad panorama of what some would say is the cultural capital of the world. Could a Bill Cunningham exist anywhere else? OK, we spend a little time in Paris, but the flavor is New York. This reviewer knows New York, has been influenced by Paris with but fleeting visits. This film alludes to the work of Jean Luc Godard, a director of imagination. Amongst photographers, Paris and New York evoke images that stimulate and provoke.In my reviews I've been critical of hand-held camera work. Otherwise fine films, I believe, have suffered because the cinematographers have forgotten that viewers expect to see steady images. This film uses hand-held wisely, intercutting it with fixed scenes. There is a rhythm of busy, noisy shots interspersed with quiet, even contemplative material. This is an absorbing, thoughtful motion picture, telling a story of a "stills" master.As I walked out of the cinema, people chatted animatedly with strangers about what they had seen, a reaction I had not before seen. My own reaction was envy and admiration. Here was an octogenarian riding a bike, when I had had to give it up; a photographer productive and imaginative. Lovely and exciting.

Angela Carone I love Bill Cunningham. He's the original street fashion photographer - the one who mastered today's trend - and a New York institution. For years, he's been documenting fashion trends on the streets of New York, which he traverses on his trusty Schwinn, reporting for The New York Times.Cunningham does a regular feature for the Times called "On the Street" in which you hear him talk about the photos he's taken. He's always so unabashedly enthusiastic.Who knew you could be so happy about trench coats, leggings, and leopard print? OK, so I've been happy about those things (maybe not the leopard print). But Cunningham's appreciation for statement and expression makes fashion seem like a place for everyday adventure instead of a consumer trap.A new documentary called "Bill Cunningham: New York" opens in San Diego this weekend. In it, we learn that Cunningham's life is his work. He's in his 80s and has lived something of monastic existence in the name of fashion - or as he might put it - the pursuit of beauty.He's never had a romantic relationship. He attends church every Sunday. For years he lived in a tiny apartment above Carnegie Hall packed with file cabinets where he stores copies of every photograph he's ever taken (he's still shooting film). The apartment had no kitchen and a public bathroom down the hall. He stored his bike in a hall closet, retrieving it daily to hit the streets with his camera and rolls of film.Cunningham and the last remaining tenants (paying rent-control prices) at Carnegie Hall moved last year, forced out by the owners who wanted to expand and renovate the apartments into offices and classrooms.The film also introduces us to Cunningham's former and eccentric neighbors at Carnegie Hall. The most fascinating is Editta Sherman, a 99-year-old photographer who was once a muse for Andy Warhol. Sherman has been called the "Duchess of Carnegie Hall" where she lived for over 60 years.For all the artifice and pretense of the worlds he covers (fashion and New York society), Cunningham is humble and completely without airs. He's a chronic smiler and his sense of humor is refreshing in an industry known for pouty lips and raised eyebrows.For more of this review, go to the Culture Lust blog on www.kpbs.org