Koch

Entertaining, if flawed, documentary about Ed Koch
I saw this movie some 2 months ago in the theatre here in Cincinnati, and notice that it is now finally listed on Amazon as a future DVD release.

"Koch" (2013 release; 95 min.) is an entertaining, if flawed, movie about Ed Koch, the three-term mayor of New York (1978-1989). The movie can essentially be divided up in two (concurrent) parts: there is a look back at Koch's tenure as New York's mayor, and that is interspersed with a look at how Koch goes about his life when the movie is filmed (in 2010), giving his candid thoughts on anyone and everything. By far the best part of the movie is the first half hour, as we see how Koch wins a tough election race as an underdog against Mario Cuomo and others, and then gets to deal with the state of affairs in New York, at that time as good as bankrupt (finacially and otherwise). The archival footage from those days remains fascinating to watch. We see Koch dealing with the housing crisis, the AIDS crisis, and so on. What is alomost...

To know himself is to love himself
Released just before the death of Edward I. Koch, the 2013 documentary KOCH literally follows the man around both present day and, via archival footage, during his spectacular rise and crashing fall as New York City's 105th mayor. As significant as anything in his political career, KOCH reminds us, was that Koch was at the forefront of the Democratic Party's sellout of working people, a "fiscal conservative and a social liberal."

Guys, let's say what it is. "Conservatives" represent the interests of the affluent, "liberals" of regular folks. Maybe Ed Koch came around, albeit not that quickly, to support gay men's health in the wake of the A.I.D.S. crisis. Sure, it's great to be alive in New York City but if you can't find an affordable place to rent because Koch policies support the real estate giants - oh, excuse me, I mean "conservatives" - moving poor people out and, with taxpayer subsidies no less, replacing their homes with luxury housing, well, there's always New...

a warts-and-all biography of one of NYC's most colorful figures
Marking the directorial debut of journalist Neil Barsky, the documentary "Koch" provides us with a comprehensive look at one of the most outspoken, colorful and controversial mayors in New York City history. Ed Koch served in that role for three tumultuous terms, from 1978 to 1989. He continued on as a robust, politically active advocate for the city he loved until his death on February 1, 2013 at the ripe old age of 88 (an event that happened shortly after the release of the movie).

The movie begins in 1977, a low point in New York City history, when the city itself was facing bankruptcy, the serial killer known as the Son of Sam was terrorizing the citizenry, and crime and hopelessness were the order of the day. It was into this quagmire of despair and seemingly intractable problems that a comparatively obscure New York congressman named Ed Koch ran for and won the highest office in the biggest city in America. The movie goes on to chronicle the ups and downs of Koch's...

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