Documentary Fest! The Toys that Made Us, season one Part 1 (2018); Abstract: The Art of Design (2017)

The Toys that Made Us, season 1, Part 1 (2018)

A great trip down memory lane for boys and girls alike who were alive any time between the 1950s and 1990s, but especially Generation Xers like myself.

This Netflix series focuses its documentary lenses on popular, mass-produced toy lines that have had enduring impact on U.S. culture. The plan is for eight episodes, with each one focusing on one particular toy line. In this first part, comprising four episodes, we learn the stories behind the creation and success of the Star Wars, Barbie, He-Man, and G.I. Joe lines. As you might imagine, anyone over the age of 30 or so is likely to have some connection with one or more of these most popular and iconic lines, and these docs each get into the fascinating stories and the minds behind their conception, creation, and their dominance - sometimes very brief and sometimes spanning several decades - of toy sales in the U.S. and sometimes even abroad.

It's a good sign when one even enjoys episodes in a series that one initially thinks will be of little interest to them. For me, the Barbie episode of this series was a perfect example, as were most of the other episodes for my wife. We both watched and thoroughly enjoyed all four episodes. Part of this is due to the fact that, even though we may not have played with every toy covered in the series, were well aware of them. More importantly, the stories behind the toys and the people involved are plenty engaging enough. From the tiny, little-known company Kenner somehow bagging the rights to Star Wars, to the power plays by the women behind the titanic Barbie line, all four episodes contain plenty of fascinating behind-the-curtain looks at what millions upon millions of kids spend countless free hours playing with. My personal favorite episode was that which told the story of He-Man, as the creators were and still are highly amusing characters themselves, on top of the fact that He-Man had an as-yet inexplicable and precipitious drop from the mountaintop of toy line success.

Yes, there's a certain nostalgia factor to this entire series. Still, I feel that it offers plenty beyond the little rush that one gets from recalling their own personal experience and relationships with the various toys covered in the series. I'm highly looking forward to the second part of this initial season, set to release at the end of this month, covering the likes of LEGO, Hello Kitty, Transformers, and Star Trek. I'll be there, to be sure.

Abstract: The Art of Design (2017)

A great series for anyone with the slightest interest in visual arts of any type.

The series contains eight episodes of roughly 45 minutes each, each one focusing on an individual artist who has earned immense respect and success in his or her chosen medium. There is the sneaker designer Tinker Hatfield, graphic artists Christoph Niemann and Paul Scher, care designer Ralph Gilles, and several others from stage and other artistic media. Honestly, I had never heard of any of the eight artists, even though I had seen or was familiar with at least some of their works.

This series is replete with episodes on topics which at first glance may seem uninteresting but which, when you get into them, can dazzle you with the artistry of its subject. The excellence of this series is that, more than focusing on the artist themself - several of whom are quite interesting people - each episode spends much more time on their art. The least interesting topics to me - sneakers and automobiles - were still highly engaging, thanks to direction which brought out the thought, care, and visual artistry that go into the creation of objects which millions upon millions of people greatly value.

One of Christoph Niemann's little weekly
"doodles." They're a small, amusing taste
of a much more immense talent.

My two favorite episodes looked at the works of graphic artist Christoph Niemann and photgrapher Platon. Niemann is a German artist whose works have long been featured as covers of "The New Yorker," along with countless other pieces, large and small, throughout media of the highest prestige. Niemann himself, though a tad subdued, has a sly, wry sense of humor and an absolutely stunning eye for visual creativity. Watching him take the simplest of everyday objects and quickly incorporate them into imaginative forms is incredible. In a different tone, the Greek-British photographer is world famous for his portrait photos - often in black-and-white, and also featured on magazine covers throughout the world. Seeing Platon make genuinely touching connections with his subjects and draw out something essential in their faces is a wonderfully transfixing process. It also illustrates just how much humanity can go into something as seemingly two-dimensional and even remote as a photo.

I can only imagine that there is still an amazing wealth of other visual artists to whom this series' creators could dedicate episodes. As of yet, there has been no announcement that another season will be made, but I truly hope it does. It is a real treat for anyone who has ever dabbled in any visual artform, or even has some sort of appreciation for them.