Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Fluentiama Perfect cast and a good story

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

mraculeated The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Neddy Merrill As a creature Bill Cunningham exists not just in New York but could only exist in New York. Only The Big Apple would provide an environment supportive of an someone obsessed with photographing what people are wearing. Certainly, the Los Angeles area provides a sustaining environment for huge populations of paparazzi but they survive by taking photos of celebrities and only by extension the clothes they are in (or more accurately the clothes they are mostly out of). Cunningham's visceral need to bike around NYC's streets and snap photos of what folks on the street are wearing in addition to his paparazzi duties wouldn't pay in other towns. And it is his obsessiveness that gives this documentary of his life its fire. Watching him interact with other people in the film is interesting because they seem to be talking with a cartoon character come to life. If Bill is the Road Runner (or Wile E Coyote, your choice) then New York is the cartoon canyons they compete in. Bill actually lives at Carnegie Hall (answering the age old question on how you get there - you move in when it was still residential and rent controlled and fight their efforts to evict you.) Like a cartoon canyon, Bill's New York is simplified down to a pantomime background. Bill's work limits itself to just the glamorous, well-tailored residents and beautiful spaces of the city making the streets seem like one massive catwalk. But in the same sense that Bill does not see the need to define himself further than photographer, his documentary does not need to define the city greater than a stage. The only major shortcoming of the movie is the question of whether it carries substantive enough material to have warranted a theatrical release. This could have easily been a two-part PBS special and it would not have seemed to have pushed the boundaries of televised entertainment. In short, if you enjoy New York or fashion r biography, this light documentary is for you.

sick_desperation Wow. Just wow. I really have no words that emphasize enough the brilliance of this documentary.I am a complete fashion illiterate. I mean, the only things i wear are sports clothes, jeans and t-shirts. So i've never heard before of Bill Cunningham. He's a fashion photographer for the New York Times, and a damn fine one, it seems.This is his story, and what a story! Like a modern-day Thoreau, he lives alone in his tiny apartment, filled only with art books and filers full with negatives of his work of this last 60 years. He still uses an old analog camera and rides his bike everywhere, only replacing it when it gets stolen.But, what's really special in this little marvel, at least for me (because of the fact that i don't do for living something that i really care about... if i think about it, i don't really know what could that be...) is the chance to watch someone who is completely and utterly in love with what he does. He exudes happiness and content, because he is right where he wants to be, doing what he really wants to do, with all his heart. He's 80 years old, and still kicking it like the best, when most people would be wasting away, retired after 30 or so years of unfulfilling work.His elation transpires into his personality and daily interactions with his colleagues and acquaintances, he's always smiling and good-humored. He's fiercely independent, and seems to be in a never-ending search for beauty in all its forms.I believe that the world is a candid place with people like Bill Cunningham in it. Now it's up to the rest of us to find that which we can be passionate about.

Caleb Chadwick This feature about one of the worlds leading photographers is something not to be missed. It paints the portrait of a man who see's the world from a different view than most. It shows the beauty in the mind of one who's view on fashion is something that comes from a deeper place. We get to see snip-it's of Bill Cunningham's deepest emotions and also the vision of a true visionary. These moments captured are charming, slightly funny, and relevant. Of all the documentaries scoping the life of one person I've seen, they really don't get much better than this. This film, which does have much critical acclaim now, is one that is deserving of it's praise, and at the same time is not in any way pretentious. It is not only one of the most heartfelt films of the year, but also one of the very best.

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