Through radio waves, live music, and mathematical loopholes, the folks profiled in these documentaries refused to think small.
RADIOHEART: The Drive and Times of DJ Kevin Cole (7/8)
I’ve long been a fan of Seattle KEXP DJ Kevin Cole, whose warm, knowledgeable presence on the radio has made him a beloved local institution. I knew he had made his way here from Minneapolis and that he had DJ’d for Prince in the 80s and at the iconic First Avenue (I’m a huuuuuuuge Purple Rain fan, so his connection to that era has always made me a little starry-eyed). But even for those who think they already know his story—and especially for those being introduced to him for the first time—RADIOHEART is a fascinating, uplifting, and invigorating portrait of a passionate music lover whose mission has always been to enthusiastically champion the music he loves. The film traces his journey from sneaking rock and punk tracks into early disco DJ sets at his first house gig, to his groundbreaking 1990s commercial radio experiment Revolution Radio 105 in Minneapolis (a testing ground for many of the ideas he would later help bring to KEXP), to his surprising connection to the early days of Amazon, where he was recruited around 1998 to help shape the concept of an online music store. Thank goodness he eventually made his way to the tiny university station KCMU, helping mold it into the modern, groundbreaking KEXP: a global music community built on discovery, joy, and empathy. We are all so much luckier for it.
Beat the Lotto (4/8)
In the 1980s, Ireland suffered from a terrible economy, the highest unemployment rate in Europe, and a hemorrhaging population as many Irish citizens left the country in search of a better life. When the National Lottery was introduced, it became a sensation built on hopes and dreams, as people enthusiastically bought tickets believing they had as good a chance as anyone of walking away with a massive jackpot. In 1992, a mathematician named Stefan Klincewicz came up with an idea that could theoretically guarantee winning the lottery: simply buy a ticket for every possible number combination—nearly a million tickets in total. Backed by a syndicate of gambler-investors who saw the scheme as a win-win, he spent 10 months painstakingly filling out nearly a million paper forms while waiting for the perfect opportunity (and a large enough jackpot) to go all in. Of course, the perfect plan did not unfold perfectly. The story behind Beat the Lotto is undeniably intriguing, but the way it is presented feels drawn out, even for a relatively short documentary. Despite interviews with those involved, archival footage from the time, and reenactments, the film eventually starts to feel padded. I couldn’t help thinking the subject deserved a broader context than simply being framed as a one-off national scandal. In many ways, it feels like a precursor to the automated bots, loophole exploitation, and large-scale gaming tactics that are so prevalent today.
The Best Summer (6/8)
Feeling more like a scrappy home movie than a traditional documentary, The Best Summer captures a moment in time through behind-the-scenes footage from the 1995/96 Summersault Tour, which rolled across Australia and Southeast Asia with bands like Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Beastie Boys, Beck, and Bikini Kill at the peak of alt-rock dominance. Director Tamra Davis was married to Beastie Boys member Mike D at the time, so her first-person camera not only captures the performances but also gives us an insider’s backstage glimpse into the lives of many familiar faces in their baby-faced youth. The whole thing has the vibe of a summer camp, with Kathleen Hanna becoming Davis’ onscreen bestie as they interview Kim Gordon, Dave Grohl, Beck, Stephen Malkmus, and others. Some questions are fluffy and silly (“What’s your favorite color?”), while others become more revealing, as performers reflect on whether they feel divided between who they are onstage and off. Davis said after the screening that she originally intended the film to be little more than a video souvenir for all her friends, and it absolutely retains that loose, shaggy energy. But decades later, it now feels like a genuine time capsule. The film’s final performance left me grinning: the Beastie Boys tearing through a chaotically joyful rendition of “Sabotage” before a boiling stew of a crowd in Jakarta, with Dave Grohl on the mic, discovering the thrill of being a frontman. What a time to be alive, indeed!
Part of Moviepie’s coverage of the 2026 Seattle International Film Festival.
