If Paul Williams Still Alive does feel a bit slight that has nothing to do with the man himself. A titanic figure in the music industry, he saunters through the film with a relaxed grace that’s mesmerizing.
Chimpanzee did a fine job of transporting me right into the center of the rain forest. I felt like I was there with Oscar, Freddy and the others, that I was sitting next to them as the cracked nuts, climbed trees or defended their territory from invaders.
To the Arctic does showcase moments of ebullient splendor that captured my attention. I just wanted more than recycled platitudes, information more dynamic and complex than what I could learn watching the National Geographic Channel or from an episode of PBS’ “Nature.”
Watching Bully isn’t easy.
Undefeated shows what real victory looks like, the scoreboard irrelevant as transforming bad decisions into good ones ends up being far more important than the final tally of wins and losses.
I can’t say it is perfect, and not all of the questions it raises are answered, but the same can unquestionably be said about the man it chronicles, Grizzly Man the type of human adventure that makes going into the cinematic wilderness fascinatingly worthwhile.