We return with a look at Soul Power, enjoy!
From Masters of Cinema:
Soul Power is a vérité documentary – compiled entirely from footage shot in 1974 – of the astonishing back-to-Africa 3-day music festival “Zaire ‘74”. It was held in Kinshasa ahead of the biggest boxing event of all time: the Muhammad Ali–George Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle”. Directed by Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, editor of Leon Gast’s Oscar®-winning (Best Documentary) When We Were Kings, and sourced from the same archival pool, Soul Power features a legendary line-up of African and African-diaspora musicians – all of whom are at the very peak of their creative powers.
Alongside Ali’s wit and wisdom – profoundly lyrical in its own right – vibrant street scenes of downtown Kinshasa, and “fly-on-the-wall” footage of the festival’s staging, rehearsals, and jams, the three nights of concerts (lensed by Albert Maysles and a host of other legendary cameramen) offer electrifying performances by James Brown,...
From Masters of Cinema:
Soul Power is a vérité documentary – compiled entirely from footage shot in 1974 – of the astonishing back-to-Africa 3-day music festival “Zaire ‘74”. It was held in Kinshasa ahead of the biggest boxing event of all time: the Muhammad Ali–George Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle”. Directed by Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, editor of Leon Gast’s Oscar®-winning (Best Documentary) When We Were Kings, and sourced from the same archival pool, Soul Power features a legendary line-up of African and African-diaspora musicians – all of whom are at the very peak of their creative powers.
Alongside Ali’s wit and wisdom – profoundly lyrical in its own right – vibrant street scenes of downtown Kinshasa, and “fly-on-the-wall” footage of the festival’s staging, rehearsals, and jams, the three nights of concerts (lensed by Albert Maysles and a host of other legendary cameramen) offer electrifying performances by James Brown,...
- 7/22/2016
- by Tom Jennings
- CriterionCast
Reel-Important People is a monthly column that highlights those individuals in or related to the movies that have left us in recent weeks. Below you'll find names big and small and from all areas of the industry, though each was significant to the movies in his or her own way. Muhammad Ali (1942-2016) - Boxer. One of the most famous athletes of all time, he starred in his own 1977 biopic, The Greatest, which was based on his autobiography. He also stars as the main subject in the documentaries We Were Kings (see below), The Rumble in the Jungle, The Trials of Muhammad Ali, and I Am Ali, and appears in the docs Malcolm X, Norman Mailer: The American, Champions Forever, Soul Power, and Fidel, and in the fiction...
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- 7/1/2016
- by Christopher Campbell
- Movies.com
James Brown finally got the biopic treatment this weekend with the release of Get On Up, starring Chadwick Boseman as The Godfather of Soul himself.
What’s most intriguing about the cinematic treatment of Brown’s life – both on- and off-screen – is that so much of it took place in front of a camera. In fact, Elvis Presley aside, it’s hard to think of a more physical performer that spent so much time being captured on film in the early days of the rock n’ roll/rhythm and blues era.
Brown’s popularity rose and sustained itself for so long that it’s often easy to forget that while he was a fixture well into his more funk-driven days of the 1970s alongside the likes of George Clinton, he got his start as a contemporary of Little Richard.
By time 1964 rolled around and The Beatles and The Rolling Stones...
What’s most intriguing about the cinematic treatment of Brown’s life – both on- and off-screen – is that so much of it took place in front of a camera. In fact, Elvis Presley aside, it’s hard to think of a more physical performer that spent so much time being captured on film in the early days of the rock n’ roll/rhythm and blues era.
Brown’s popularity rose and sustained itself for so long that it’s often easy to forget that while he was a fixture well into his more funk-driven days of the 1970s alongside the likes of George Clinton, he got his start as a contemporary of Little Richard.
By time 1964 rolled around and The Beatles and The Rolling Stones...
- 8/5/2014
- by Shane McNeil
- Cineplex
True Blood star Nelsan Ellis has joined the upcoming James Brown biopic Get On Up.
The actor, who plays Lafayette on the HBO vampire series, will star as Brown's good friend and collaborator Bobby Byrd. Brown will be portrayed by Chadwick Boseman.
Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer will also appear in the Tate Taylor-directed movie, Deadline reports.
Ellis's movie credits include a role as Martin Luther King Jr. in Lee Daniels' The Butler.
The Jez and John-Henry Butterworth-scripted film is expected to focus on the early years of the 'Godfather of Soul's life, but may also spread into his later years which were troubled by accusations of domestic abuse and drug use.
Mick Jagger will serve as a producer, with the Rolling Stones being portrayed as part of the narrative.
Watch James Brown & Bobby Byrd featuring Bootsy Collins do 'Sex Machine & Soul Power' live below:...
The actor, who plays Lafayette on the HBO vampire series, will star as Brown's good friend and collaborator Bobby Byrd. Brown will be portrayed by Chadwick Boseman.
Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer will also appear in the Tate Taylor-directed movie, Deadline reports.
Ellis's movie credits include a role as Martin Luther King Jr. in Lee Daniels' The Butler.
The Jez and John-Henry Butterworth-scripted film is expected to focus on the early years of the 'Godfather of Soul's life, but may also spread into his later years which were troubled by accusations of domestic abuse and drug use.
Mick Jagger will serve as a producer, with the Rolling Stones being portrayed as part of the narrative.
Watch James Brown & Bobby Byrd featuring Bootsy Collins do 'Sex Machine & Soul Power' live below:...
- 10/22/2013
- Digital Spy
We are filmmakers. We are artisans.
Or so we forget.
With filmmaking so often abstracted from the actual work of making a film, so enmeshed in conversations about new models and plans and strategies, we sometimes lose touch with what should be the main reason we make movies in the first place: to take pride in works of art made beautifully and with love.
It is precisely the love of artisanal creation that is celebrated in Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte’s Charlotte: A Wooden Boat Story, a verite doc chronicling the making of a 50-foot gaff rigged schooner, “Charlotte,” by a team of craftsmen working in a Martha’s Vineyard Boatyard. Focusing particularly on boat builder Nat Benjamin, Kusama-Hinte observes the painstaking and quiet work involved in building such an elegant craft over the several years required. In doing so, he eschews many of today’s accepted documentary strategies — pinning narrative on conflict,...
Or so we forget.
With filmmaking so often abstracted from the actual work of making a film, so enmeshed in conversations about new models and plans and strategies, we sometimes lose touch with what should be the main reason we make movies in the first place: to take pride in works of art made beautifully and with love.
It is precisely the love of artisanal creation that is celebrated in Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte’s Charlotte: A Wooden Boat Story, a verite doc chronicling the making of a 50-foot gaff rigged schooner, “Charlotte,” by a team of craftsmen working in a Martha’s Vineyard Boatyard. Focusing particularly on boat builder Nat Benjamin, Kusama-Hinte observes the painstaking and quiet work involved in building such an elegant craft over the several years required. In doing so, he eschews many of today’s accepted documentary strategies — pinning narrative on conflict,...
- 2/19/2012
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Replace whales with dragons and Herman Melville’s Moby Dick gets a landlocked remix courtesy of the action-adventure Age Of Dragons starring Danny Glover as Ahab. Your chance to see this film, which bypassed St. Louis screens in its theatrical run earlier this year, is this Monday night (July 18th) at the Tivoli as part of the St. Louis Black Film Festival. This first fest runs just two days (July 18th and 19th), but the fest’s promoter, James Thomas, hopes the event gets bigger and grows into an annual tradition. This year’s 8-film line-up features a good variety of shorts, documentaries, and features including Sole Of A Hustler, an acclaimed documentary that follows Checliss ‘Big C’. Rice, who goes from small time street hustler to CEO of Gametime Athletics. Also featured is Soul Power, a 2008 documentary on the legendary soul music concert staged in Kinshasa, Zaire in 1974 featuring James Brown,...
- 7/18/2011
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Chicago – Elvis may have left the building, but his work remains viscerally alive in this breezily enjoyable concert documentary. It was filmed during a 15-city tour in April of 1972, and captures the King of Rock at a triumphant peak late in his career, one year before his infamous “Aloha from Hawaii” concert (the first globally broadcast via satellite) and five years before his death.
Sometimes it’s difficult to remember just how gifted Elvis Presley was, since the popularity of his image has far outstretched that of his talent. He’s become an icon in the John Wayne mold, beloved more for what he represented rather than what he accomplished. His persona has been channelled and satirized by countless actors (most memorably, Nicolas Cage and Val Kilmer), and his voice is remembered more for its distinctive timber than its fiery energy.
Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0
Yet “Elvis on Tour” portrays the larger-than-life man in refreshingly human terms.
Sometimes it’s difficult to remember just how gifted Elvis Presley was, since the popularity of his image has far outstretched that of his talent. He’s become an icon in the John Wayne mold, beloved more for what he represented rather than what he accomplished. His persona has been channelled and satirized by countless actors (most memorably, Nicolas Cage and Val Kilmer), and his voice is remembered more for its distinctive timber than its fiery energy.
Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0
Yet “Elvis on Tour” portrays the larger-than-life man in refreshingly human terms.
- 8/18/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
0:00 - Intro / In-House Stuff / Jay's Film Junk Jingle 10:55 - Headlines: Peter Jackson in Talks to Direct The Hobbit, Marvel Making a Doctor Strange Movie, The Martian Chronicles Coming to the Big Screen, Oscars Could Move to January in 2011, Playstation 3 and Nintendo 3Ds Bringing 3-D to Home Market 33:55 - Review: Knight & Day 1:10:25 - Review: The Karate Kid 1:44:10 - Trailer Trash: The Green Hornet, Little Fockers 1:57:15 - Other Stuff We Watched: Hell’s Kitchen, Natural Born Killers, Close-Up, Death Race 2000, Shock, The Book of Eli, An Education, Who Can Kill a Child?, Soul Power, Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup, Il Mare, Daisy, The Karate Kid, The Rocketeer, Battle in Seattle 2:46:33 - Junk Mail: Reed Farrington T-shirt in Finland, Rob Zombie's Next Film, Jaden Smith and Film Junk Fame, Movies to Open a Cinema With 2:58:30 -...
- 6/29/2010
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
The French sales/production company is supplying this year's Cannes fest with a trio of titles, but you might find me doing cartwheels more for a project that hasn't even began lensing in Marjane Satrapi's Waiting for Azrael. - The French sales/production company is supplying this year's Cannes fest with a trio of titles, but you might find me doing cartwheels more for a project that hasn't even began lensing in Marjane Satrapi's Waiting for Azrael. Red, white and green helmer Daniele Luchetti returns to the French festival for the umpteenth time with La Nostra Vita (see pic above) and Takeshi Kitano will break decibel levels with Outrage --- the film's trailer says it all. Celluloid Dreams' is also repping something for doc enthusiasts and tourists who love Paris: Fred Wiseman's Crazy Horse. If I Want To Whistle I Whistle by Florin Serban - Completed La Nostra Vita...
- 5/13/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
The French sales/production company is supplying this year's Cannes fest with a trio of titles, but you might find me doing cartwheels more for a project that hasn't even began lensing in Marjane Satrapi's Waiting for Azrael. Red, white and green helmer Daniele Luchetti returns to the French festival for the umpteenth time with La Nostra Vita (see pic above) and Takeshi Kitano will break decibel levels with Outrage --- the film's trailer says it all. Celluloid Dreams' is also repping something for doc enthusiasts and tourists who love Paris: Fred Wiseman's Crazy Horse. If I Want To Whistle I Whistle by Florin Serban - Completed La Nostra Vita by Daniele Luchetti - Completed Outrage by Takeshi Kitano - Completed REVOLUCIÓN by Carlos Reygadas - Completed We Are The Night by Dennis Gansel - Post-Production A Prophet (Un Prophete) by Jacques Audiard - Completed Apart Together (Tuan Yuan...
- 5/12/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
The Alamo Guide
for February 12th, 2010
February! You Are Still Rainy And Cold! I Hate It! Where’s the sun? This is like, the most unromantic weather, February. Why don’t you live up to the holiday you’re known for and show us some freaking love! Nevermind… we’ll just stay inside. Suck it.First of all, we’re opening The Wolfman this Friday at The Ritz! If you wanna see a really hairy, muscley Benicio Del Toro, then this movie is for you! All of our Valentine’s Day Feasts are Sold Out! And if you hate love, even our Love Bites Sing-Along on Valentine’s Day is sold out too. All the more reason for you to proclaim that you “don’t believe in Valentine’s Day because you should love your partner all the time!” and “it’s just a holiday created by Hallmark!” and...
for February 12th, 2010
February! You Are Still Rainy And Cold! I Hate It! Where’s the sun? This is like, the most unromantic weather, February. Why don’t you live up to the holiday you’re known for and show us some freaking love! Nevermind… we’ll just stay inside. Suck it.First of all, we’re opening The Wolfman this Friday at The Ritz! If you wanna see a really hairy, muscley Benicio Del Toro, then this movie is for you! All of our Valentine’s Day Feasts are Sold Out! And if you hate love, even our Love Bites Sing-Along on Valentine’s Day is sold out too. All the more reason for you to proclaim that you “don’t believe in Valentine’s Day because you should love your partner all the time!” and “it’s just a holiday created by Hallmark!” and...
- 2/12/2010
- by caitlin
- OriginalAlamo.com
Chicago – What can you say about a documentary that lands in theaters thirty-five years too late? “Soul Power” consists of footage from the historic three-night music festival in Zaire, meant to coincide with the heavily hyped “Rumble in the Jungle” between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The events took place in 1974, and were filmed in order to spread African culture to the masses.
Footage from the epic match was assembled into 1996’s Oscar-winning documentary, “When We Were Kings,” which was a vital historical record that didn’t devote enough of its screen time to the actual fight. “Kings” editor Jeffrey Levy-Hinte took the directorial reigns of “Soul Power,” another vital historical record that doesn’t devote enough screen time to its central subject: the actual concert. But the music it does include is so good that it makes the film essential viewing regardless of its shortcomings.
Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0
To his credit,...
Footage from the epic match was assembled into 1996’s Oscar-winning documentary, “When We Were Kings,” which was a vital historical record that didn’t devote enough of its screen time to the actual fight. “Kings” editor Jeffrey Levy-Hinte took the directorial reigns of “Soul Power,” another vital historical record that doesn’t devote enough screen time to its central subject: the actual concert. But the music it does include is so good that it makes the film essential viewing regardless of its shortcomings.
Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0
To his credit,...
- 1/29/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
From Jigsaw to Jacko, this week's DVD release are a real mixed bag. Some of the higher profile films hitting a digital format today include Drew Barrymore's Whip It, the Bruce Willis sci-fi action film Surrogates, Saw VI, the poorly received comedy I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, and Michael Jackson's This Is It. Digging a bit deeper, we also have the indie drama Little Ashes, which stars Robert Pattinson as Salvador Dali, Jennifer Baichwal's metaphysical documentary Act of God, and the direct-to-dvd Thomas Jane noir-thriller Give 'Em Hell Malone. All this plus the U.S. release of Pontypool and Parker Lewis Can't Lose: Season 2! What movies will be in your queue this week? Whip It [1] (+ Blu-ray [2]) Michael Jackson's This Is It [3] (+ Blu-ray [4]) Surrogates [5] (+ Blu-ray [6]) Saw VI [7] (+ Blu-ray [8]) Bright Star [9] I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell [10] The Boys are Back [11] Little Ashes [12] Pontypool [13] St. Trinian's...
- 1/26/2010
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Here are the New Blu-ray Releases for January 26, 2010: $5 A Day (Image) Alone in the Dark II (Vivendi) Atonement (Universal) Fame (1980) (Warner Brothers) Giselle (Kultur) Give ‘em Hell Malone (National Media) Kong: Return to the Jungle (Image) Michael Jackson: This Is It (Sony) Paris, Texas (Criterion) Pride & Prejudice (2005) (Universal) Rebellion (Tai Seng) Saw VI (Lionsgate) Soul Power (Sony) Surrogates (Disney/Buena Vista) Toolbox Murders (1978) (Blue Underground) Whip It (20th Century Fox) Wild Ocean (Image)
Vactor’s Picks Of The Week:
Other Fused Film Related StoriesVactor’s Blu-ray Bulletin for Dec 1, 2009Blu-ray Bulletin for October 13, 2009Blu-ray Bulletin for September 8, 2009Blu-ray Bulletin for September 1, 2009Blu-ray Bulletin for August 25, 2009Blu-ray Bulletin for July 28, 2009...
Vactor’s Picks Of The Week:
Other Fused Film Related StoriesVactor’s Blu-ray Bulletin for Dec 1, 2009Blu-ray Bulletin for October 13, 2009Blu-ray Bulletin for September 8, 2009Blu-ray Bulletin for September 1, 2009Blu-ray Bulletin for August 25, 2009Blu-ray Bulletin for July 28, 2009...
- 1/26/2010
- by Vactor
- FusedFilm
DVD Links: DVD News | Release Dates | New Dvds | Reviews | RSS Feed
Roberto Rossellini's War Trilogy (Criterion Collection) Believe me, I am mindful of the price of Criterion releases when I review and recommend them for purchase. It just so happens I view this three film release as an absolute must buy and at $57.49 at Amazon right now I don't see how you can pass it up and if you are looking to buy two DVDs this week perhaps check out Barnes and Noble, which is having their "Buy Two Get One Free" sale, which includes box sets.
As for my complete thoughts on this set you can click here to read my extensive review. WWII in HD I guess it's only fitting the History Channel's WWII in HD arrives the same week as Rossellini's War Trilogy gets a superb refinishing via Criterion. I have this set here and...
Roberto Rossellini's War Trilogy (Criterion Collection) Believe me, I am mindful of the price of Criterion releases when I review and recommend them for purchase. It just so happens I view this three film release as an absolute must buy and at $57.49 at Amazon right now I don't see how you can pass it up and if you are looking to buy two DVDs this week perhaps check out Barnes and Noble, which is having their "Buy Two Get One Free" sale, which includes box sets.
As for my complete thoughts on this set you can click here to read my extensive review. WWII in HD I guess it's only fitting the History Channel's WWII in HD arrives the same week as Rossellini's War Trilogy gets a superb refinishing via Criterion. I have this set here and...
- 1/26/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
In this special edition of Film Weekly, Jason Solomons and Xan Brooks sum up 2009 by counting down their respective top 10s of the year's best movies. There's also a competition for loyal listeners – up for grabs is a Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee prize pack, with a mug, DVD and poster signed by director Shane Meadows. Just listen to the montage of four directors who have featured in In the Director's Chair, identify them and email your answers to film.weekly@guardian.co.uk by 5 January 2010.
Looking back over the year, both critics agree that 2009 was a great year for small films that said big things, while Hollywood enjoyed huge commercial success but appeared to have nothing to say. The long-awaited release of Avatar signalled a change in format, yet did not change the way we see the world.
And then it's down to the main order of business: Jason and Xan's...
Looking back over the year, both critics agree that 2009 was a great year for small films that said big things, while Hollywood enjoyed huge commercial success but appeared to have nothing to say. The long-awaited release of Avatar signalled a change in format, yet did not change the way we see the world.
And then it's down to the main order of business: Jason and Xan's...
- 12/24/2009
- by Jason Solomons, Xan Brooks, Observer
- The Guardian - Film News
From TM5 1. The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke) 2. A Serious Man (Joel & Ethan Coen) 3. A Prophet (Jacques Audiard) 4. Soul Power (Jeffery Levy-Hinte) 5. The Hurt Locker (Katheryn Bigelow 6. Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold...
- 12/11/2009
- by Sasha Stone
- AwardsDaily.com
What’s in a list? Probably little more than an opportunity to show off, indulge in a some lazy cultural showboating and maybe even a chance to stir up a dash of barroom provocation. Perfect. So, in no particular order, here is my attempt to do just that. Any disagreements, disputes, outraged contempt, please feel free to comment..... 1. The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke) Haneke’s latest masterpiece. Beautifully scripted, shot and acted it is a glorious examination of the potential for human cruelty and moral collapse, issued down from one generation to the next. Bleak, disturbing but staggeringly beautiful. 2. A Serious Man (Joel & Ethan Coen) Only the Coen brothers could make the hopelessness of life seem so funny. We can only laugh at our impending demise in this retelling of the story of Job. 3. A Prophet (Jacques Audiard) Audiard, channelling the very best of Jean-Pierre Melville and the Nouvelle Vague,...
- 12/11/2009
- by Nick Clarke
- t5m.com
Is it me, or has this year seen a relative barrage of music documentaries featuring legendary black music makers from the 60s/70s? Am I Black Enough For You? (Billy Paul), Still Bill (Bill Withers), Soul Power (Various artists including James Brown)… Well, now here come two more, both set for release early next year and both about P-Funk maestro, Sly Stone of Everyday People and Family Affair fame.
And, if that isn’t enough, you can get even higher with Sly with the announcement today that he’s signed a deal with Cleopatra Records to release a new album early next year too! Not bad for a sexagenarian with a very sex, drugs and rock n roll history!
Back to the documentary films, in alphabetical order, we have Coming Back For More and Higher: The Story of Sly Stone.
Coming Back For More seems to be the second Sly Stone...
And, if that isn’t enough, you can get even higher with Sly with the announcement today that he’s signed a deal with Cleopatra Records to release a new album early next year too! Not bad for a sexagenarian with a very sex, drugs and rock n roll history!
Back to the documentary films, in alphabetical order, we have Coming Back For More and Higher: The Story of Sly Stone.
Coming Back For More seems to be the second Sly Stone...
- 12/10/2009
- by MsWOO
- ShadowAndAct
IndieWire, La Weekly & Village Voice have posted the full list of every single film that’s been released this year (in the USA) – specifically, every film that’s screened in theatres for at least 1 week; whether indie or mainstream; foreign or domestically-produced; limited release, or wide; whether in 1 theatre in New York, or 3500 screens nationwide. It’s all there!
The total? 589 films - including films that haven’t yet been released, but will be, before the end of the year, in the next 3 weeks.
That’s a lot of movies, right? How many of those did you see? And maybe more importantly, how many fall under the category of “black films?”
Well, to answer the latter question… I looked over the list – although, to be honest, I did it rather quickly, so there’s a chance I missed 1 or 2; but I don’t think I missed more than that. But...
The total? 589 films - including films that haven’t yet been released, but will be, before the end of the year, in the next 3 weeks.
That’s a lot of movies, right? How many of those did you see? And maybe more importantly, how many fall under the category of “black films?”
Well, to answer the latter question… I looked over the list – although, to be honest, I did it rather quickly, so there’s a chance I missed 1 or 2; but I don’t think I missed more than that. But...
- 12/9/2009
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
If the eyes of the world were on Zaire’s capital, Kinshasa, in October 1974 they were, perhaps understandably, focused more keenly on Muhammad Ali’s world heavyweight title challenge against the indomitable human wrecking ball, George Foreman - a fight for which The Greatest displayed his characteristic bombast and preternatural confidence but which many educated observers feared might end in tragedy for the Louisville Lip - than on the three-night music spectacular that had been put together to support it. Yet in many ways the concert was as symbolic as, if not more so than, the fight itself. Soul Power is an absorbing, insightful and hugely entertaining documentary about that concert, from inception to performance, pieced together by director Jeffrey Levy-Hinte from extensive footage omitted from the Oscar-winning When We Were Kings, on which he worked as editor. Just as the real star of the ring was always Ali, in...
- 12/7/2009
- by Nick Clarke
- t5m.com
Acquarello
Now on DVD: "The Human Condition" (Masaki Kobayashi, 1959-1961)
David Cairns
The Forgotten: Loose Talk
The Forgotten: Chains of Love
Now on DVD: "TheGoodTimesKid" (Azazel Jacobs, USA)
The Forgotten: Fairies at the Bottom of the Garden
Now Playing on The Auteurs: "Death in the Garden" (Luis Buñuel, Mexico/France)
The Forgotten: Strausswitz
Adrian Curry
Movie Poster of the Week: "Hausu"
Movie Poster of the Week: "Up in the Air"
Movie Poster of the Week: "Bright Star"
Movie Poster of the Week: "Home"
Manny Farber
Ways of Love, or the Best Films that Didn't Appear on Other "Ten Best" Lists...
The Trouble with Movies: II
Matthew Flanagan
53rd London Film Festival: "La danse - Le ballet de l'Opéra de Paris" (Frederick Wiseman, USA)
Daniel Kasman
Video Sundays
Video Sundays: The Modern Charade
God and Man: Aleksandr Sokurov's "The Sun"
Images of the Day
Video Sundays: Auteur Pantomime in the...
Now on DVD: "The Human Condition" (Masaki Kobayashi, 1959-1961)
David Cairns
The Forgotten: Loose Talk
The Forgotten: Chains of Love
Now on DVD: "TheGoodTimesKid" (Azazel Jacobs, USA)
The Forgotten: Fairies at the Bottom of the Garden
Now Playing on The Auteurs: "Death in the Garden" (Luis Buñuel, Mexico/France)
The Forgotten: Strausswitz
Adrian Curry
Movie Poster of the Week: "Hausu"
Movie Poster of the Week: "Up in the Air"
Movie Poster of the Week: "Bright Star"
Movie Poster of the Week: "Home"
Manny Farber
Ways of Love, or the Best Films that Didn't Appear on Other "Ten Best" Lists...
The Trouble with Movies: II
Matthew Flanagan
53rd London Film Festival: "La danse - Le ballet de l'Opéra de Paris" (Frederick Wiseman, USA)
Daniel Kasman
Video Sundays
Video Sundays: The Modern Charade
God and Man: Aleksandr Sokurov's "The Sun"
Images of the Day
Video Sundays: Auteur Pantomime in the...
- 12/6/2009
- MUBI
Levy-Hinte began as an editor, working on Leon Gast's Oscar-winning boxing documentary When We Were Kings. The powerful, joyous Soul Power is constructed from footage of the twelve-hour concert in Zaire that was meant to accompany the 1974 "The Rumble in the Jungle" fights shown in that film, always known a definitive R&B event. But the footage hadn't been seen in years. There was such a wealth of material for Kings that footage hadn't even been cut together, and was stored in various places. The result, drawing only upon contemporary footage, is thrilling for being such a piece of anachronism: a great documentary experience drawn from film left fallow for almost thirty-five years. It looks downright fresh yet outright of its production era.
- 8/28/2009
- Movie City News
Select stories from the Summer issue are now online. Check out our annual 25 New Faces of Independent Film list. Jeffrey Levy-Hinte talks about his doc, Soul Power. And Lynn Shelton, Mark Duplass, Joshua Leonard and the rest of the creative team behind the Sundance sensation Humpday talk about the process to make this poignant comedy. Plus, Roberto Quezada-Dardon follows up on his Dslr piece from the Spring issue with a look at the accessories that are bringing video camera functionality to single-lens reflex cameras. Esther B. Robinson looks at the day jobs working filmmakers are doing. And in his Industry Beat column, Anthony Kaufman investigates how the William Morris/Endeavor merger will affect indie talent. And don't forget: You...
- 7/20/2009
- by Jason Guerrasio
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
If you read the results of last week’s Box Office Poll then you know that the indie offerings of “Humpday,” “Blood: The Last Vampire,” “Soul Power” and “Moon” just barely edged out the weeks top-line offerings: “Brüno” and “I Love You, Beth Cooper.” The box office figures told a different story of course, but “Brüno”’s $30 million take isn’t particularly impressive as compared to the summer blockbusters that preceded it — like “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” — and follow it.
Summer blockbusters like this week’s all-but-guaranteed poll winner “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” I think we all know how the majority of your votes will be cast. Really, the fun part of this week’s Box Office Poll will be seeing just how badly “Potter” trounces the competition.
Opening against “Half-Blood Prince” in wide release is director Marc Webb’s quite good “(500) Days of Summer,” starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (”G.
Summer blockbusters like this week’s all-but-guaranteed poll winner “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” I think we all know how the majority of your votes will be cast. Really, the fun part of this week’s Box Office Poll will be seeing just how badly “Potter” trounces the competition.
Opening against “Half-Blood Prince” in wide release is director Marc Webb’s quite good “(500) Days of Summer,” starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (”G.
- 7/13/2009
- by Adam Rosenberg
- MTV Movies Blog
Assuming size matters, "Bruno" is the man.
The latest R-rated send-up from Sacha Baron Cohen opened on top of the domestic boxoffice, with its estimated $30.4 million in weekend booty nailing the consensus prerelease forecast. It handily beat the debut of the comedy provocateur's "Borat," which unspooled with $26.5 million in November 2006 en route to a $129 million domestic run.
But the big "Bruno" bow was unusually front-loaded, with almost half its weekend boxoffice rung up Friday. Saturday's $8.8 million tally represented a 39% decline from first-day grosses, and "Bruno" will be closely watched for market stamina during coming frames.
Still, the pic's fashionable debut was instant gratification for Universal after its gutsy gambit to climb aboard as distributor soon after "Borat" opened. In "Bruno," Baron Cohen portrays a fictional and flamboyantly gay Austrian fashion-celeb wannabe.
Also during the weekend, Fox debuted the high school comedy "I Love You Beth Cooper" in 1,858 locations, grossing $5 million in seventh place.
The latest R-rated send-up from Sacha Baron Cohen opened on top of the domestic boxoffice, with its estimated $30.4 million in weekend booty nailing the consensus prerelease forecast. It handily beat the debut of the comedy provocateur's "Borat," which unspooled with $26.5 million in November 2006 en route to a $129 million domestic run.
But the big "Bruno" bow was unusually front-loaded, with almost half its weekend boxoffice rung up Friday. Saturday's $8.8 million tally represented a 39% decline from first-day grosses, and "Bruno" will be closely watched for market stamina during coming frames.
Still, the pic's fashionable debut was instant gratification for Universal after its gutsy gambit to climb aboard as distributor soon after "Borat" opened. In "Bruno," Baron Cohen portrays a fictional and flamboyantly gay Austrian fashion-celeb wannabe.
Also during the weekend, Fox debuted the high school comedy "I Love You Beth Cooper" in 1,858 locations, grossing $5 million in seventh place.
- 7/12/2009
- by By Carl DiOrio
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
I have to say, I am very surprised by this week’s Box Office Poll numbers. I’m tabulating the results a bit earlier than usual, so there’s still a few hours for things to turn around before the poll closes of course. As things stand right now however, the weekend indie offering of “Humpday,” “Blood: The Last Vampire” and “Soul Power” is leading the crowd with 33% of your votes. I wonder how many of those votes also went towards Duncan Jones‘ excellent sci-fi flick “Moon,” which opens wide today.
Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Brüno” isn’t trailing too far behind, nor is the Paul Rust/Hayden Panettiere-led rom-com “I Love You, Beth Cooper,” which earned 30% and 29% of your votes, respectively. Only a small percentage of you are opting to stay in (4%), and even fewer (3%) are trekking out to theaters for an earlier release.
After the runaway success...
Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Brüno” isn’t trailing too far behind, nor is the Paul Rust/Hayden Panettiere-led rom-com “I Love You, Beth Cooper,” which earned 30% and 29% of your votes, respectively. Only a small percentage of you are opting to stay in (4%), and even fewer (3%) are trekking out to theaters for an earlier release.
After the runaway success...
- 7/10/2009
- by Adam Rosenberg
- MTV Movies Blog
We have a new clip in from the Sony Pictures Classics' "Soul Power" documentary directed by Jeffrey Levy-Hinte. The film opens July 10th in limited areas and includes James Brown, Muhammad Ali, Celia Cruz, B.B. King, Miriam Makeba and Don King. In 1974, the most celebrated American R&B acts of the time came together with the most renowned musical groups in Africa for a 12-hour, three-night long concert held in Kinshasa, Zaire. The dream-child of Hugh Masekela and Stewart Levine, this music festival became a reality when they convinced boxing promoter Don King to combine the event with...
- 7/10/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
It's a battle between two comedies this weekend at the box office, although neither of them will probably have enough pull to beat Ice Age 3 or Transformers 2. In one corner, Sacha Baron Cohen and his latest real-world comedy Bruno, and in the other corner, Heroes star Hayden Panettiere and the teen sex comedy I Love You, Beth Cooper. In select theatres you can also find the Sundance hit Humpday, the live-action adaptation of the anime Blood: The Last Vampire, and the documentary Soul Power. Do you think Bruno will be more successful than Borat? What will you be checking out this weekend? Bruno [1] I Love You, Beth Cooper [2] Humpday [3] Blood: The Last Vampire [4] (limited) Soul Power [5] (limited) Mississippi Mermaid [6] (limited) The Hurt Locker [7] (expanding) [1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0889583/ [2] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1032815/ [3] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1334537/ [4] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0806027/ [5] http://www.
- 7/10/2009
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Release Date: July 10
Director: Jeffrey Levy-Hinte
Cinematographer: Paul Goldsmith, Kevin Keating, Albert Maysles, Roderick Young
Studio/Run Time: Sony Pictures Classics, 93 mins.
An enjoyable companion to When We Were Kings
In 1996, Leon Gast’s documentary When We Were Kings vividly retold the famous story of the Ali/Foreman fight in Kinshasa, Zaire, but as you might expect of a boxing match promoted by Don King in the mid ’70s, there was entirely too much spectacle to fit into one film. The fight was a rematch with a historic outcome, a bout legendary enough to relegate the three-day, 12-hour concert that preceded it to a mere footnote in the history books.
Director: Jeffrey Levy-Hinte
Cinematographer: Paul Goldsmith, Kevin Keating, Albert Maysles, Roderick Young
Studio/Run Time: Sony Pictures Classics, 93 mins.
An enjoyable companion to When We Were Kings
In 1996, Leon Gast’s documentary When We Were Kings vividly retold the famous story of the Ali/Foreman fight in Kinshasa, Zaire, but as you might expect of a boxing match promoted by Don King in the mid ’70s, there was entirely too much spectacle to fit into one film. The fight was a rematch with a historic outcome, a bout legendary enough to relegate the three-day, 12-hour concert that preceded it to a mere footnote in the history books.
- 7/10/2009
- Pastemagazine.com
Here is a clip for Sony Classics upcoming film Soul Power . The film has won Official Selection in the 2009 Los Angeles, Berlin and Tribeca Film Festivals. As well as Official Selection in the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. Soul Power open in theaters on July 10th! In 1974, the most celebrated American R&B acts of the time came together with the most renowned musical groups in Africa for a 12-hour, three-night long concert held in Kinshasa, Zaire. The dream-child of Hugh Masekela and Stewart Levine, this music festival became a reality when they convinced boxing promoter Don King [...]...
- 7/10/2009
- by The Critic
- SmartCine.com
Lol!
Moviegoers are being offered lots of laughs at domestic multiplexes this weekend, with a pair of comedies targeting distinct audiences unspooling wide Friday.
Universal opens Sacha Baron Cohen's R-rated "Bruno," and execs should be high-fiving each other after a solid first frame likely to produce $30 million-plus through Sunday. Fox, which passed on releasing "Bruno" over cost concerns despite success with 2006's "Borat," debuts the Chris Columbus-directed high school comedy "I Love You, Beth Cooper."
But Fox's prospects for a lucrative session reside more with the sophomore session of its 3D animated threequel "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs." Even a 60% drop from its first weekend would produce a nifty $20 million or so this frame.
"I expect to have a very solid second session this weekend," Fox distribution president Bruce Snyder said.
Paramount's action sequel "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" should enjoy a third successful weekend after narrowly...
Moviegoers are being offered lots of laughs at domestic multiplexes this weekend, with a pair of comedies targeting distinct audiences unspooling wide Friday.
Universal opens Sacha Baron Cohen's R-rated "Bruno," and execs should be high-fiving each other after a solid first frame likely to produce $30 million-plus through Sunday. Fox, which passed on releasing "Bruno" over cost concerns despite success with 2006's "Borat," debuts the Chris Columbus-directed high school comedy "I Love You, Beth Cooper."
But Fox's prospects for a lucrative session reside more with the sophomore session of its 3D animated threequel "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs." Even a 60% drop from its first weekend would produce a nifty $20 million or so this frame.
"I expect to have a very solid second session this weekend," Fox distribution president Bruce Snyder said.
Paramount's action sequel "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" should enjoy a third successful weekend after narrowly...
- 7/9/2009
- by By Carl DiOrio
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The legendary 1974 “Rumble In The Jungle” between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman is the gift that keeps giving. Decades after Ali shocked the world by beating Foreman, the 1996 documentary When We Were Kings picked up an Oscar for its evocative chronicle of the event. Audiences were left wondering how such great period footage could go unseen for so long, and why the other centerpiece of Don King’s super-spectacle—a “black Woodstock” featuring a bevy of top acts—didn’t merit a documentary of its own. Wonder no more. James Brown, B.B. King, and a dazzling array ...
- 7/9/2009
- avclub.com
Indie Roundup reviews the past week of news from the independent film community and provides a peek at what's coming soon.
Opening. Three indie flicks open on Friday: Jeffrey Levy-Hinte's terrific music doc Soul Power, Chris Nahon's live-action adaptation of anime horror thriller Blood: The Last Vampire, and a reissue of Francois Truffaut's 1969 crime romance Mississippi Mermaid, with Jean-Paul Belmondo and Catherine Deneuve. After a good start in New York and Los Angeles (see below), action thriller The Hurt Locker expands into 50 selected markets.
Deals / Articles of Interest. Our friends at indieWIRE reported on three recent acquisitions with upcoming theatrical releases planned: Chris Fuller's critically-acclaimed teen drama Loren Cass (Kino; July 24); Rebecca Miller's The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, with Robin Wright Penn and Alan Arkin (Screen Media, October); and Dror Zahavi's thriller For My Father (Film Movement, Winter 2010). Eugene Hernandez considers Chris Anderson's...
Opening. Three indie flicks open on Friday: Jeffrey Levy-Hinte's terrific music doc Soul Power, Chris Nahon's live-action adaptation of anime horror thriller Blood: The Last Vampire, and a reissue of Francois Truffaut's 1969 crime romance Mississippi Mermaid, with Jean-Paul Belmondo and Catherine Deneuve. After a good start in New York and Los Angeles (see below), action thriller The Hurt Locker expands into 50 selected markets.
Deals / Articles of Interest. Our friends at indieWIRE reported on three recent acquisitions with upcoming theatrical releases planned: Chris Fuller's critically-acclaimed teen drama Loren Cass (Kino; July 24); Rebecca Miller's The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, with Robin Wright Penn and Alan Arkin (Screen Media, October); and Dror Zahavi's thriller For My Father (Film Movement, Winter 2010). Eugene Hernandez considers Chris Anderson's...
- 7/9/2009
- by Peter Martin
- Cinematical
[An indieWIRE review from Reverse Shot.] “Soul Power,” carefully constructed with outtakes from “When We Were Kings,” Leon Gast’s lauded 1996 documentary about the famous 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” heavyweight championship fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, risks the undeserved fate of being viewed as a mere supplement to the film for which its footage was originally intended. This would be a shame, because this new film—as “directed” by …...
- 7/7/2009
- Indiewire
Soul Power, directed by Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, gives you a front row ticket to the best concert you've never heard of: Zaire '74, a three-day music extravaganza with B.B. King, Bill Withers, Miriam Makeba, and The Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown, along with a murderers' row of the best in American soul, funk, and Afrobeat. For years, this concert lay in the shadows of its sister event, the legendary boxing match - George Foreman/Muhammad Ali's 'Rumble in the Jungle' - that took place at the same time. 1996's Oscar-winning doc When We Were Kings captured the story of that famous fight; Levy-Hinte edited that film (he's also produced such indie hits like Thirteen and Mysterious Skin), and over ten years later, Soul Power continues that story. Using never-before-seen footage - originally shot by the likes of Albert Maysles for Kings - of the accompanying concert, the funky documentary...
- 7/7/2009
- TribecaFilm.com
For the first time which in this reporter’s opinion seems to be a long while is a tie for first over this past 4th of July weekend. Dreamworks’ Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ties up with the robot-clad Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen both coming in with 42.5 million each. The third installment of the Ice Age animated trilogy involves the fuzzy mammoth Manny (Ray Romano) and his wife Ellie (Queen Latifah) expecting, while Sid (John Leguizamo) gets himself into some big time hijinks that even his friend Diego (Dennis Leary) cannot save him out of as they discover a world underneath them of dinosaurs. Even though Ice Age 3 did have a really strong opening, especially on this past holiday weekend, Transformers 2 definitely is starting to loose steam which is most likely coming from the big time negative reviews on the flick.
Also slinking its way into...
Also slinking its way into...
- 7/6/2009
- by Melissa Molina
- Atomic Popcorn
The Los Angeles International Film Festival, which ran from June 18-28, has decided on its winners. Here’s a breakdown of what films and filmmakers came away with awards.
Sam Fleischner and Ben Chace’s Wah Do Dem (What They Do) earned the Target Filmmaker Award for best narrative film, while Juan Carlos Rulfo and Carlos Hagerman’ Those Who Remain (Los Que se Quedan) took home the Target Documentary Award. The two top festival awards, which have a $50,000 cash prize each that go to the directors, were announced at Film Independent’s Filmmaker Awards Ceremony Brunch at the Hammer Museum in Westwood.
Wah Do Dem is the story a man who takes a Caribbean cruise alone after he is dumped by his girlfriend. Those Who Remain looks at Mexican families who are left behind after some of their family members emigrate north. This year the fest also presented a new award,...
Sam Fleischner and Ben Chace’s Wah Do Dem (What They Do) earned the Target Filmmaker Award for best narrative film, while Juan Carlos Rulfo and Carlos Hagerman’ Those Who Remain (Los Que se Quedan) took home the Target Documentary Award. The two top festival awards, which have a $50,000 cash prize each that go to the directors, were announced at Film Independent’s Filmmaker Awards Ceremony Brunch at the Hammer Museum in Westwood.
Wah Do Dem is the story a man who takes a Caribbean cruise alone after he is dumped by his girlfriend. Those Who Remain looks at Mexican families who are left behind after some of their family members emigrate north. This year the fest also presented a new award,...
- 6/29/2009
- by Matt Raub
- The Flickcast
The Los Angeles Film Festival wound down Sunday with the requisite awards news, highlighted by the Caribbean cruise odyssey Wah Do Dem (What They Do)'s selection as the year's Best Narrative Feature. The brutal, ripped-from-the-headlines Iranian drama The Stoning of Soraya M. (left) claimed the fest's Audience Award for narrative feature. The documentary jury chose the immigration saga Those Who Remain as the festival's best non-fiction feature, while the audience went with Jeffrey Levy-Hinte's nifty '70s-era concert-film revival Soul Power in the same category.
Both Wah Do Dem and Those Who Remain go away with $50,000 cash from chief sponsor Target, which will easily keep the filmmakers in shower curtains and Cherokee dress shirts for the rest of their natural lives. Congrats to all, and read on for a complete list of this year's winners.
Both Wah Do Dem and Those Who Remain go away with $50,000 cash from chief sponsor Target, which will easily keep the filmmakers in shower curtains and Cherokee dress shirts for the rest of their natural lives. Congrats to all, and read on for a complete list of this year's winners.
- 6/29/2009
- Movieline
Soul power premiers at is released theatrically in the UK on the 10th July 209 Glastonbury festival 2:30am Friday (Saterday morning)
"In 1974, the most celebrated American R&B acts of the time came together with the most renowned musical groups in Southern Africa for a 12-hour, three-night long concert held in Kinshasa, Zaire. The pipe dream of musician Hugh Masekela and producer Stewart Levine, this music festival became a reality when they convinced boxing promoter Don King to combine the event with “The Rumble in the Jungle,” the epic fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, previously chronicled in the Academy Award winning documentary “When We Were Kings.”
Soul Power is a verité documentary, entirely composed of footage shot in 1974 at the legendary music festival (dubbed “Zaire ’74”). It shows the experiences and performances of such musical luminaries as James Brown, Bb King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz, Miriam Makeba, among a host of others.
"In 1974, the most celebrated American R&B acts of the time came together with the most renowned musical groups in Southern Africa for a 12-hour, three-night long concert held in Kinshasa, Zaire. The pipe dream of musician Hugh Masekela and producer Stewart Levine, this music festival became a reality when they convinced boxing promoter Don King to combine the event with “The Rumble in the Jungle,” the epic fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, previously chronicled in the Academy Award winning documentary “When We Were Kings.”
Soul Power is a verité documentary, entirely composed of footage shot in 1974 at the legendary music festival (dubbed “Zaire ’74”). It shows the experiences and performances of such musical luminaries as James Brown, Bb King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz, Miriam Makeba, among a host of others.
- 6/17/2009
- by Leigh
- Latemag.com/film
The votes are in! This year's Heineken Audience Award has been a thriller of a competition. The standings were hotly contested, changing by the minute and by the screening, with a variety of heartwarming docs (P-Star Rising, Racing Dreams, Soul Power) and hilarious narratives (A Matter of Size, Midgets Vs. Mascots, The Swimsuit Issue) battling it out. But now we officially have the winner: City Island! Congratulatious to director Raymond De Felitta and his talented cast and crew, who also won a $25,000 prize from Heineken. Second Place went to the Tff 2009 Best Documentary Feature Racing Dreams, and coming up in Third Place is the laugh-out-loud mockumentary Midgets Vs. Mascots. Together, these three films make for a diverse, hilarious trio. All winning films will screen at the AMC Village VII on Sunday, May 3. Click here for more information. Make it a marathon! A list of the three Award Winners follows. Tff...
- 5/2/2009
- TribecaFilm.com
See plenty images as well as the trailer in high definition for Sony Pictures Classics "Soul Power" documentary. Experienced producer Jeffrey Levy-Hinte makes his directorial debut on the project which includes James Brown, Muhamad Ali, B.B. King, Celia Cruz, Don King and Miriam Makeba. The film is slated for a July 10th release in limited areas. See the trailer| See more images in the gallery What's "Soul Power" about? In 1974, the most celebrated American R&B acts of the time came together with the most renowned musical groups in Africa for a 12-hour, three-night long concert held in Kinshasa, Zaire. The dream-child of Hugh Masekela and Stewart Levine, this music festival became a reality when they convinced boxing promoter Don King to combine the event with “The Rumble in the Jungle,” the epic fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, previously chronicled in the Academy Award-winning documentary When We Were Kings.
- 4/29/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
See plenty images as well as the trailer in high definition for Sony Pictures Classics "Soul Power" documentary. Experienced producer Jeffrey Levy-Hinte makes his directorial debut on the project which includes James Brown, Muhamad Ali, B.B. King, Celia Cruz, Don King and Miriam Makeba. The film is slated for a July 10th release in limited areas. In 1974, the most celebrated American R&B acts of the time came together with the most renowned musical groups in Africa for a 12-hour, three-night long concert held in Kinshasa, Zaire. The dream-child of Hugh Masekela and Stewart Levine, this music festival became a reality when they convinced boxing promoter Don King to combine the event with “The Rumble in the Jungle"...
- 4/29/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
See plenty images as well as the trailer in high definition for Sony Pictures Classics "Soul Power" documentary. Experienced producer Jeffrey Levy-Hinte makes his directorial debut on the project which includes James Brown, Muhamad Ali, B.B. King, Celia Cruz, Don King and Miriam Makeba. The film is slated for a July 10th release in limited areas. In 1974, the most celebrated American R&B acts of the time came together with the most renowned musical groups in Africa for a 12-hour, three-night long concert held in Kinshasa, Zaire. The dream-child of Hugh Masekela and Stewart Levine, this music festival became a reality when they convinced boxing promoter Don King to combine the event with “The Rumble in the Jungle"...
- 4/29/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
James Faust loves movies. That's a good thing, especially since he's the Director of Programming for the AFI Dallas International Film Festival, which wrapped its third edition last week. Some film programmers will brook no negative comments about their selections, but James was quite willing to listen when I questioned his sanity for picking Oskar Roehler's Lulu & Jimi, an out-of-control, absurdist melodrama that veers from one mad scenario to the next.
He readily admitted that he and a friend were the only two people laughing when the film played at Sundance, but he defended some of the same things that I had derided. James is a pleasant, humble man, but he's not about to back down just because you don't agree with him. That same spirit is evident in some of the films in the program. Jeffrey Levy-Hinte's terrific Soul Power, in which music history comes alive, consists...
He readily admitted that he and a friend were the only two people laughing when the film played at Sundance, but he defended some of the same things that I had derided. James is a pleasant, humble man, but he's not about to back down just because you don't agree with him. That same spirit is evident in some of the films in the program. Jeffrey Levy-Hinte's terrific Soul Power, in which music history comes alive, consists...
- 4/6/2009
- by Peter Martin
- Cinematical
SXSW is one of my favorite festivals of the year as it showcases some of the best and most innovative real independent films, and with this host of world premiers, it's also playing alot of Sundance material as well as genre fare from all over the world, many of which we've covered heavily in these pages.
From the Sundance lineup, we have films like Moon, The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle, You Won't Miss Me, Grace, and Humpday, among others.
For the world genre material we've covered, there's Lake Mungo, The Square, Zift, and Awaydays.
I think you get the point that lots of great looking film will be playing. I'll leave a bit of the exploration to you..
Lineup after the break.
Narrative Features Competition
Artois the Goat
Director: Kyle Bogart. Writer: Cliff and Kyle Bogart
Lab technician Virgil Gurdies embarks on an epic quest to craft the greatest...
From the Sundance lineup, we have films like Moon, The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle, You Won't Miss Me, Grace, and Humpday, among others.
For the world genre material we've covered, there's Lake Mungo, The Square, Zift, and Awaydays.
I think you get the point that lots of great looking film will be playing. I'll leave a bit of the exploration to you..
Lineup after the break.
Narrative Features Competition
Artois the Goat
Director: Kyle Bogart. Writer: Cliff and Kyle Bogart
Lab technician Virgil Gurdies embarks on an epic quest to craft the greatest...
- 2/2/2009
- QuietEarth.us
Berlin -- Richard Loncraine's "My One and Only," a '50s-era comedy starring Renee Zellweger and Kevin Bacon, was squeezed into the competition lineup for this year's Berlin International Film Festival, barely a week before the event kicks off.
Zellweger plays a glamorous single mom on the hunt for a rich man to foot the bill for her and her sons' lifestyle. Produced by Merv Griffith Entertainment and Ray Gun Prods., "My One and Only" will have its world premiere in Berlin. Essential Entertainment is handling international sales.
Berlin also added Lone Scherfig's Sundance favorite "An Education" with Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina and Emma Thompson and Davis Guggenheim's music documentary "It Might Get Loud" for its Berlinale Special Galas, ensuring the films will get the red carpet treatment without any of the pressure of competition.
All three films should give an added boost of star power to...
Zellweger plays a glamorous single mom on the hunt for a rich man to foot the bill for her and her sons' lifestyle. Produced by Merv Griffith Entertainment and Ray Gun Prods., "My One and Only" will have its world premiere in Berlin. Essential Entertainment is handling international sales.
Berlin also added Lone Scherfig's Sundance favorite "An Education" with Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina and Emma Thompson and Davis Guggenheim's music documentary "It Might Get Loud" for its Berlinale Special Galas, ensuring the films will get the red carpet treatment without any of the pressure of competition.
All three films should give an added boost of star power to...
- 1/27/2009
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cologne, Germany -- The Berlinale's avant-garde sidebar Forum has completed its lineup, adding new political documentaries from the likes of Hans-Christian Schmid, Simone Bitton and Thomas Heise.
Bitton follows up her Sundance award winner "Wall" (2004) with another documentary focused on the conflict in the Middle East. "Rachel" takes up the story of U.S. peace activist Rachel Corrie, who was killed in 2003 while trying to prevent the destruction of houses in the Gaza Strip.
Schmid, whose drama "Storm" will screen in competition in Berlin, has a Forum entry with the doc "The Wonderful Life of Laundry," a look at the lives of Polish workers who launder the dirty linen trucked across the border from Berlin luxury hotels. Heise's new documentary, "Material" is also set in Berlin and features previously unreleased footage of events surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Other nonfiction entries at the 2009 Forum include Thai documentary "Citizen Juling,...
Bitton follows up her Sundance award winner "Wall" (2004) with another documentary focused on the conflict in the Middle East. "Rachel" takes up the story of U.S. peace activist Rachel Corrie, who was killed in 2003 while trying to prevent the destruction of houses in the Gaza Strip.
Schmid, whose drama "Storm" will screen in competition in Berlin, has a Forum entry with the doc "The Wonderful Life of Laundry," a look at the lives of Polish workers who launder the dirty linen trucked across the border from Berlin luxury hotels. Heise's new documentary, "Material" is also set in Berlin and features previously unreleased footage of events surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Other nonfiction entries at the 2009 Forum include Thai documentary "Citizen Juling,...
- 1/19/2009
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Summit Entertainment has their first blockbuster in "Twilight." The Catherine Hardwicke helmed film adapted from the best-selling Stephenie Meyer title posted an estimated $70.5 million debut weekend. Opening in 3,419 theatres, the film averaged a strong $20,636 average per venue. Here are the daily figures for now: Friday: $35,872,000Saturday: $21,019,000Sunday: $13,662,000At the current estimate, the teen girl targeted "Twilight" is the fourth biggest November opener ahead of "The Incredibles" with $70.4 million and last weekend's top spot holding "Quantum of Solace" with $67.5 million. It is however, the highest grossing female directed film ever. The next in the list is Paramount's "Deep Impact" helmed by Mimi Ledger with $41.1 million. Dropping 59% in comparison to its debut weekend, Bond actioner "Quantum of Solace" posted $27.4 million and has accumulated over $418 million dollars in worldwide numbers so far. U.S. figures are responsible for $109.4 million of that total. Disney's family opener "Bolt" featuring the voice talents of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus,...
- 11/23/2008
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Sony Pictures Classics has picked up distribution rights in North American and Latin America to Jeffrey Levy-Hinte’s “Soul Power” documentary. The film profiles a 1974 concert of R&B performers during the "rumble in the jungle" boxing match between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. “Soul Power” is Levy-Hinte’s directorial debut, before that he produced “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired,” and “Thirteen” directed by Catherine Hardwicke ("Twilight")...
- 11/5/2008
- Upcoming-Movies.com
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