This entertaining documentary fondly laments formula one world champion James Hunt, and motorcycling legend Barry Sheene – 1970s racetrack gods who lived like there was no tomorrow for the reason that, back then, there was every chance there wouldn't be.
It may have taken a victory lap at the box office, but Senna, Asif Kapadia's documentary on the Brazilian Formula One racing driver, won't even be on the starting grid at next year's Oscars.
Unlike My Week with Marilyn, however, The Iron Lady could not force its way into an exceptionally strong field for the outstanding British film category, which also included Steve McQueen's sex-addiction study Shame, Asif Kapadia's formula one documentary Senna, and Lynne Ramsay's chilling We Need to Talk About Kevin.
There's a formula to Theroux documentaries, and it's an effective one.
(Green) Jalopnik noted on Monday that Amazon and Best Buy were selling a Blu-Ray version of "Senna," the 2010 documentary about Ayrton Senna, the three-time Formula One champion, for nearly $700.
Too much has already been written about that divisive programme, but it has had one under-discussed legacy: it is now much more difficult for documentary makers to continue using the formula.
Whatever this woman is saying or doing, you want to be there to hear it and see it, and there's no better formula for an entertaining documentary than that.
Felicia's Journey opens on October 8. Formulas for Seduction, a documentary on Atom Egoyan, shows at the Curzon Soho and the Barbican on Sunday October 10, and at Clapham Picture House on October 11.
"Senna," the widely acclaimed documentary about Ayrton Senna, the three-time Formula One champion who died after a crash in 1994, was not named among the shortlisted documentaries for this year's Academy Award.
Add in the artistic licence necessary to make the documentary 'entertaining' and you have the ideal formula for removing any remaining critical thought".
