Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Micitype Pretty Good

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

davideo-2 STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning When world famous recording superstar Whitney Houston died from a drug overdose in February 2012, it sent the showbiz world into chaos and had everyone talking. Director Nick Broomfield examines her life leading up to her death, from her upbringing in the slums of the ghetto, where she first began experimenting with drugs, but also discovered her amazing, soulful voice, that would lead to her conquering the world with her singing, where she harmonised it singing in the choir in the local evangelical church. When she first hit the big time, she first experimented with her sexuality with assistant Robyn Crawford, before settling down with r n' b singer Bobby Brown, which sadly lead to a downward spiral of drink and drugs that ruined it all.If there are many things Broomfield's documentary misses out on, one salient point it does raise is how unhappy Whitney apparently was with the manufactured, fuzzy commercial pop she was made to sing by her record company, designed to appeal to the mainstream white suburban America that was apparently more likely to buy the records, rather than stuff that was more grounded in her roots, with no one wanting her to become 'the female James Brown.' While these were the tunes that made her famous, it's disconcerting to know she felt so little of it behind the scenes. As if out of some weird respect for this, Broomfield brushes over most of her early back catalogue, and musically, focuses on her 1992 cover of Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You, from the hit motion picture The Bodyguard.Another touchy subject that has never received much attention before is her rumoured bisexuality, which is sparingly explored here in the early stages, but what's more revealing is the disdain for such things that exists among, or did exist among, the black community in America at the time, and if Whitney wasn't spurned by her fans or wider society, she would have been by those closer to her. Running under the two hour mark, it's hard not to surmise that Broomfield may have had a lot of missed opportunities, and stuff he neglects to explore or delve into that could have added more substance to the proceedings, and given it a more interesting edge.It all feels very similar to a lot of what has already been documented about Whitney's personal/private life in TV documentaries and such, and at this late stage it's hard not to feel like you're seeing stuff you've already seen. But it's still a fairly well made and focused documentary of a cultural icon. ***

moonspinner55 "Whitney: Can I Be Me", a documentary on the rise and fall of singer-actress Whitney Houston, doesn't have a question-mark in its title because the question is rhetorical--a mantra of Houston's which her crew put on a tape-loop: "C-C-C-Can I Be Me". It's an emblem of the woman who wanted to reclaim herself from the glossy clutches of stardom, goosed by her entourage as an in-joke, something to laugh about as the money from her pop records rolled in. Growing up in strife-ridden Newark, NJ, Whitney was exposed to drugs early on, even with a deeply-religious gospel singer, Cissy Houston, as her mom. With previously-unseen concert and backstage footage from her tour of Germany in 1999 anchoring the film, directors Nick Broomfield and Rudi Dolezal deliver an insider's glimpse into the hectic world of a music star, one who is holding on to her sanity, her status in the industry and her role as a wife and mother with sweaty palms. With best friend and personal assistant Robyn Crawford at odds with Whitney's husband of nine years, Bobby Brown, Houston conveniently ignores the words of warning from a soon-to-be-fired bodyguard that her health is jeopardy. The woman ran herself into the ground, broken further still by her father suing her for a million dollars and a divorce from Brown in 2007. "I began to wait for the call that I eventually got," a loved one states. It was inevitable she would succumb to her addictions and heartbreak, and when Houston died February 2012 at the Beverly Hilton, a pre-awards Grammy bash going on in the same hotel went on without her (not mentioned here). This unexceptional document is a polite way to say goodbye to the singer, with some interesting thoughts from her staff but with no anecdotes or gossip or anything too personal. "I miss her laugh," Crawford writes. But there isn't much laughter showcased here. ** from ****

svenfcg Let me start by saying the 5,6 rating for this documentary is an absolute and disgraceful joke! This is the first real and honest documentary about Whitney, after she sadly passed away.This is a documentary Whitney would have wanted! It portrayed her as a very nice, warm and spontaneous woman.Many people who were close to her or close around her for many years tell their story. Cissy Houston, Bobby Brown and Robyn Crawford weren't a part of this documentary but to me, that wasn't a problem.The people who were so close around her knew exactly what was going on. They all tell a very honest story. There is a lot of archive footage going with their stories, which only adds to what they all have to say.Whitney's story is a sad and frustrating one that has everything to do with powerlessness. I won't tell more about the story, just watch the documentary for yourself, it's really worth it.The footage from Whitney's My Love Is Your Love World Tour from 1999 has never been seen before. It is great to see for every Whitney fan.The big bonus is the concert footage you get to see. Some breathtaking performances, although only parts, who will give you goosebumps. The behind the scenes and concert footage really adds a dramatic effect to the documentary.Nick Broomfield did a great job in putting the stories and footage together.Whitney was and always will be one of the giants in the music industry. Let's remember her for the sweet woman she was, and that voice, oh yes that voice..the best there ever was!

rodrig58 Rudi Dolezal was born the same year as me, 1958, and I know his work very well, he's a veteran of documentaries about great bands and big musicians plus the creator of numerous musical clips. He made films about huge names like: Queen, The Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa, Falco, Sandra, Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Can, Sarah Brightman, Bon Jovi, Scorpions, Bad Company, David Bowie, Michael Jackson. Also, Rudi Dolezal made "Freddie Mercury, the Untold Story" (2000), a documentary that I immediately thought about watching this film about Whitney Houston, because both documentaries give us less known details about two of the greatest singers in the world history, two huge talents, two unique voices, two tragic destinies. Here, we find out about Whitney that she was actually a drug addict since adolescence, that she was emotional unstable and bisexual. Like the great Mozart, who died even younger, both Whitney Houston and Freddie Mercury, were some giants of Music but, in their private life, very very fragile human beings and two self-destructive souls.