Director by Night
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Director by Night
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Director by Night is a documentary that features some scary images of monsters from MCU's Werewolf by Night, the feature film which the subject of the documentary, Michael Giacchino, directed. Language includes "s--t," "crap," and "sucks."
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What's the Story?
DIRECTOR BY NIGHT begins in the basement of a New Jersey home, where documentary filmmaker Anthony Giacchino is tracking down evidence of the movie-making origins of his brother, composer and director Michael Giacchino. Cassette tapes documenting the Giacchino family's lives in the 1980s are uncovered, as are video tapes from the era. Among the detritus of a creative life are a trove Super 8 movie projects that the brothers made when they were in high school and college. Now Michael is jumping into feature filmmaking after finding success as an award-winning composer of movie scores. Will his childhood dream of making movies manifest in a thrilling addition to the Marvel cinematic universe? Or will he be remembered for his music instead?
Is It Any Good?
The evolution of a filmmaker's career trajectory is examined through the lens of his documentarian brother in this sentimental look at a director's life. Golden memories don't always make for compelling viewing in Director by Night, however. The documentary gets pulled too close to the personal when the chums who starred in the 1980s Super 8 movies reunite. What could have been a soaring tribute to life-before-mobile-phones gets weighted down by a site-specific reunion of old friends. Sure, they had incredibly creative times in their teens, but are viewers fascinated by their stories?
Hardcore MCU fans can enjoy the behind-the-scenes peeks into monster costumes and movie production. Parents might score an analog thrill watching Super 8 movies that teens crafted into features back in the day, but this documentary ultimately lacks an objective eye.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the importance of teamwork in Director by Night. How crucial is teamwork to the people working on a huge Marvel movie?
The subject and his brother rounded up friends and made movies in the 1980s. How does this documentary highlight the importance of perseverance?
The subject of the documentary says he thinks that "monsters don't come from nowhere, they come from people." Do think this is true?
TV Details
- Premiere date: November 4, 2022
- Cast: Michael Giacchino, Anthony Giacchino
- Network: Disney+
- Genre: Educational
- Topics: Superheroes, Book Characters, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Character Strengths: Communication, Perseverance, Teamwork
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: January 18, 2023
Our Editors Recommend
-
The Disaster Artist
Loving, funny portrait of infamous filmmaker; sex, language.
-
Werewolf by Night
MCU horror special has bloody violence, solid scares.
-
The Sparks Brothers
Star-studded positive music documentary has strong language.
For kids who love superheroes and the Marvel universe
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