Premiering at Tiff 2017, Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me is the first major film documentary to examine Davis’ vast talent and his journey for identity through the shifting tides of civil rights and racial progress during 20th-century America.
Today Sammy Davis is seen primarily as part of The Rat Pack. That quartet of bad boys who sing and joke around is very much a part of time when Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin were the kings of the Las Vegas scene.
But Sammy Davis Jr. was much more than that and merely by lending his black face to that group makes The Rat Pack seem like a liberal if slightly dissolute, but a filled-with-fun group. In truth, his position with Sinatra, Martin, Peter Lawford was not all that comfortable and the path Davis had already trod before landing there was not a simple or easy one.
He...
Today Sammy Davis is seen primarily as part of The Rat Pack. That quartet of bad boys who sing and joke around is very much a part of time when Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin were the kings of the Las Vegas scene.
But Sammy Davis Jr. was much more than that and merely by lending his black face to that group makes The Rat Pack seem like a liberal if slightly dissolute, but a filled-with-fun group. In truth, his position with Sinatra, Martin, Peter Lawford was not all that comfortable and the path Davis had already trod before landing there was not a simple or easy one.
He...
- 10/20/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The nonfiction organization Cinema Eye and its nominations committee of top international documentary film programmers, curators, and filmmakers has picked their annual list of “Unforgettables” who helped to define documentary cinema in 2017. They selected 30 individuals from 15 different films to be in the running for this year’s Cinema Eye awards. Like the Doc NYC shortlist, many of the films on this curated list are in the running for the year’s top awards, including the Oscar. “Jane,” “Faces Places,” “City of Ghosts,” and “Strong Island” continue to lead the documentary awards pack.
The full slate of Cinema Eye nominations for nonfiction feature, short, and broadcast films/series will be be announced on Friday, November 3 in San Francisco at Sffilm’s Doc Stories event. Awards will be presented in New York City at the Museum of the Moving Image on Thursday, January 11, 2018.
Read More:doc NYC Announces Its Awards Short List, Including ‘Icarus,...
The full slate of Cinema Eye nominations for nonfiction feature, short, and broadcast films/series will be be announced on Friday, November 3 in San Francisco at Sffilm’s Doc Stories event. Awards will be presented in New York City at the Museum of the Moving Image on Thursday, January 11, 2018.
Read More:doc NYC Announces Its Awards Short List, Including ‘Icarus,...
- 10/18/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The nonfiction organization Cinema Eye and its nominations committee of top international documentary film programmers, curators, and filmmakers has picked their annual list of “Unforgettables” who helped to define documentary cinema in 2017. They selected 30 individuals from 15 different films to be in the running for this year’s Cinema Eye awards. Like the Doc NYC shortlist, many of the films on this curated list are in the running for the year’s top awards, including the Oscar. “Jane,” “Faces Places,” “City of Ghosts,” and “Strong Island” continue to lead the documentary awards pack.
The full slate of Cinema Eye nominations for nonfiction feature, short, and broadcast films/series will be be announced on Friday, November 3 in San Francisco at Sffilm’s Doc Stories event. Awards will be presented in New York City at the Museum of the Moving Image on Thursday, January 11, 2018.
Read More:doc NYC Announces Its Awards Short List, Including ‘Icarus,...
The full slate of Cinema Eye nominations for nonfiction feature, short, and broadcast films/series will be be announced on Friday, November 3 in San Francisco at Sffilm’s Doc Stories event. Awards will be presented in New York City at the Museum of the Moving Image on Thursday, January 11, 2018.
Read More:doc NYC Announces Its Awards Short List, Including ‘Icarus,...
- 10/18/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Former USA Today film critic Claudia Puig is adding another programming feather to her cap, thanks to the announcement that she will program the newly announced Film Fest 919, set to unspool next October in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Founded by festival luminaries Randi Emerman and Carol Marshall, the festival is aiming to “showcase award-winning feature films discovered from the festival circuit worldwide, as well as notable filmmakers.” But it gets better — and dare we say it, tastier — as the festival’s film program will be combined with shining a light on culinary artists from the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Triangle region.
“I’m very excited about Film Fest 919. I’m thrilled to be programming and showcasing a carefully curated, compelling and diverse breadth of narrative features for such an engaged and film-loving audience,” Puig said. “And how fun it will be to pair the vitality of films with wonderful cuisine from the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Triangle.
“I’m very excited about Film Fest 919. I’m thrilled to be programming and showcasing a carefully curated, compelling and diverse breadth of narrative features for such an engaged and film-loving audience,” Puig said. “And how fun it will be to pair the vitality of films with wonderful cuisine from the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Triangle.
- 10/5/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Earlier this year, Frank Stiefel’s unique documentary short “Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405” pulled off a unique two-fer: winning both the Audience Award and the Jury Award for Best Short at the annual non-fiction-focused festival. The film follows artist Mindy Alper, who has spent her life creating remarkable works of art, despite a lifelong struggle with depression and anxiety, a story that is warmly and expressively told through Stiefel’s compelling lens.
In announcing its 2017 Jury Award for Best Short Film, the Full Frame jurors explained so much of the film’s profound charm: “We are presenting the award to this film for its incredibly intimate access to a remarkable subject and for its ability to allow the viewer to profoundly enter her world. Complimenting this access with assured storytelling and great visual style, the film introduces us to the gifted artist Mindy Alper and her lifelong struggle with mental illness.
In announcing its 2017 Jury Award for Best Short Film, the Full Frame jurors explained so much of the film’s profound charm: “We are presenting the award to this film for its incredibly intimate access to a remarkable subject and for its ability to allow the viewer to profoundly enter her world. Complimenting this access with assured storytelling and great visual style, the film introduces us to the gifted artist Mindy Alper and her lifelong struggle with mental illness.
- 8/30/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Series 20th Anniversary Edition DVD Boxed Set
The teen years can be brutal. Especially when you’re Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) — a Sunnydale High School student destined to slay supernatural, blood-sucking baddies instead of hanging out at the mall. Over the seven seasons of this thrilling, witty show, Buffy struggles to maintain allies in the fight against evil, while also engaging in on-off romances with a moody vampire (David Boreanaz) or two (James Marsters). Now you can own this 39-disc set containing all 144 episodes of one of the smartest, funniest, most action-packed series ever to slay on the small screen — also starring Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Head and Nicholas Brendon.
Bonus Features:
**New** Official Buffy Dark Horse Comic Book Featuring Exclusive Cover and Coloring Sheet Inside Packaging as a Gift With Purchase for Limited Time Only Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete...
The teen years can be brutal. Especially when you’re Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) — a Sunnydale High School student destined to slay supernatural, blood-sucking baddies instead of hanging out at the mall. Over the seven seasons of this thrilling, witty show, Buffy struggles to maintain allies in the fight against evil, while also engaging in on-off romances with a moody vampire (David Boreanaz) or two (James Marsters). Now you can own this 39-disc set containing all 144 episodes of one of the smartest, funniest, most action-packed series ever to slay on the small screen — also starring Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Head and Nicholas Brendon.
Bonus Features:
**New** Official Buffy Dark Horse Comic Book Featuring Exclusive Cover and Coloring Sheet Inside Packaging as a Gift With Purchase for Limited Time Only Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete...
- 8/17/2017
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
Lack of diversity in Hollywood has been well documented thanks to #OscarSoWhite, but lack of diversity in the documentary world is less talked about. While the documentary community is way ahead of Hollywood, it is still nowhere near where it needs to be. Filmmakers of color rarely get hired by the powerful production companies, and they are not getting supported enough by broadcasters and funders to tell their own stories. All too often, white documentary filmmakers are the ones telling the stories of people of color.
Full Frame has taken this topic on in a big way with their #DocSoWhite Speakeasy panels. But they are not just citing the problem; they are coming up with solutions. One of these solutions is a high school program called “School of Doc,” which is helping to build a diverse community of filmmakers by reaching them early.
As in most public schools across the country,...
Full Frame has taken this topic on in a big way with their #DocSoWhite Speakeasy panels. But they are not just citing the problem; they are coming up with solutions. One of these solutions is a high school program called “School of Doc,” which is helping to build a diverse community of filmmakers by reaching them early.
As in most public schools across the country,...
- 8/14/2017
- by Roger Ross Williams
- Indiewire
Rob Leane Jul 11, 2017
Games consoles, gadgets and much more! Amazon has gone big on the Prime Day offers this year...
If you're wondering what the best Prime Day offers are this year, you've come to the right place. Amazon has sent us a vast, colour-coded spreadsheet, and we've sifted through it to find the most geek-relevant produce - now at very reduced prices!
Read on to the find 11 of the best nerd-friendly offers from Amazon's Prime Day 2017 selection. And don't forget: the offers end at midnight tonight!
Nb: if you click the links in this article, our site gets a bit of support. It's totally up to you, though!
Xbox One S (500Gb) with Forza Horizon 3 + Minecraft + Chatpad & Headset + 2nd Controller
If you've been waiting for the right offer before picking up an Xbox One S, this might just be the reward for your patience. This bundle - which gives you the 4K-ready console,...
Games consoles, gadgets and much more! Amazon has gone big on the Prime Day offers this year...
If you're wondering what the best Prime Day offers are this year, you've come to the right place. Amazon has sent us a vast, colour-coded spreadsheet, and we've sifted through it to find the most geek-relevant produce - now at very reduced prices!
Read on to the find 11 of the best nerd-friendly offers from Amazon's Prime Day 2017 selection. And don't forget: the offers end at midnight tonight!
Nb: if you click the links in this article, our site gets a bit of support. It's totally up to you, though!
Xbox One S (500Gb) with Forza Horizon 3 + Minecraft + Chatpad & Headset + 2nd Controller
If you've been waiting for the right offer before picking up an Xbox One S, this might just be the reward for your patience. This bundle - which gives you the 4K-ready console,...
- 7/11/2017
- Den of Geek
In the simplest terms, Okwui Okpokwasili’s “Bronx Gothic” performance piece, originally launched in 2014, is a story about growing up. But Okpokwasili — a Bessie Award–winning artist who is also an actor, dancer, writer, and singer — took that relatively simple subject and turned it into an acclaimed, deeply original, and highly personal piece of art that drew comparisons to such similarly revelatory works as those by Toni Morrison and established her a major talent on the rise.
Documentarian Andrew Rossi’s newest feature, entitled “Bronx Gothic” after the piece, follows Okpokwasili as she stages a final tour for the one-woman show, which was vividly inspired by her formative years in the early-80’s Bronx. The film gives a close examination to Okpokwasili’s show, a physical and emotional shock to the system that takes form as a series of exchanged letters between two different little girls — one known as Innocence,...
Documentarian Andrew Rossi’s newest feature, entitled “Bronx Gothic” after the piece, follows Okpokwasili as she stages a final tour for the one-woman show, which was vividly inspired by her formative years in the early-80’s Bronx. The film gives a close examination to Okpokwasili’s show, a physical and emotional shock to the system that takes form as a series of exchanged letters between two different little girls — one known as Innocence,...
- 6/9/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
What’s on offer at this year’s Media Production Show.
The Media Production Show brings together inspiring industry speakers and some of the biggest broadcast equipment manufacturers. Here we present a selection of what’s on offer
Some of the biggest manufacturers in the industry will be showing their latest products at this year’s Media Production Show, among them Jvc, Panasonic, Canon and Cooke.
Across the two days (13-14 June), the Keynote Theatre will host a series of sessions, with speakers ranging from the series producer of Planet Earth II to the VFX supervisor on Taboo.
Jvc (Stand 518) will demo new capabilities for its Gy-LS300 4Kcam Super 35 handheld camcorder, including increased colour resolution to 4:2:2 in 4K mode recording.
Available via version 4.0 firmware, the update allows recording at 24/25/30p onboard to Sdxc media cards. It also expands Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) output to include 50/60p via Hdmi and improves the IP remote function to allow...
The Media Production Show brings together inspiring industry speakers and some of the biggest broadcast equipment manufacturers. Here we present a selection of what’s on offer
Some of the biggest manufacturers in the industry will be showing their latest products at this year’s Media Production Show, among them Jvc, Panasonic, Canon and Cooke.
Across the two days (13-14 June), the Keynote Theatre will host a series of sessions, with speakers ranging from the series producer of Planet Earth II to the VFX supervisor on Taboo.
Jvc (Stand 518) will demo new capabilities for its Gy-LS300 4Kcam Super 35 handheld camcorder, including increased colour resolution to 4:2:2 in 4K mode recording.
Available via version 4.0 firmware, the update allows recording at 24/25/30p onboard to Sdxc media cards. It also expands Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) output to include 50/60p via Hdmi and improves the IP remote function to allow...
- 6/8/2017
- ScreenDaily
The subject of Patrick Shen’s “In Pursuit of Silence” doesn’t sound particularly revelatory on paper — the new documentary explores the history and current state of silence, yes, silence around the world — but the final result is one of the most truly mediative and deeply inventive films of the year.
“In Pursuit of Silence” aims to takes its viewer “on an immersive cinematic journey around the globe — from a traditional tea ceremony in Kyoto, to the streets of Mumbai, the loudest city on the planet — and inspires us to both experience silence and celebrate the wonders of our world.” Combining stunning footage with compelling anecdotal and historical evidence, the result is a film that pushes its audience to reflect on the world around them in ways that aren’t so easy to shake.
Read More: ‘Abu’ Trailer: Lgbtq Documentary Explores One Man’s Quest to Understand His Devout Muslim...
“In Pursuit of Silence” aims to takes its viewer “on an immersive cinematic journey around the globe — from a traditional tea ceremony in Kyoto, to the streets of Mumbai, the loudest city on the planet — and inspires us to both experience silence and celebrate the wonders of our world.” Combining stunning footage with compelling anecdotal and historical evidence, the result is a film that pushes its audience to reflect on the world around them in ways that aren’t so easy to shake.
Read More: ‘Abu’ Trailer: Lgbtq Documentary Explores One Man’s Quest to Understand His Devout Muslim...
- 6/5/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.
Lineup Announcements
– Cardiff Animation Nights will be returning to run a dedicated animation strand at Cardiff Independent Film Festival (C.I.F.F.) for a second year this May. This year’s animation strand at C.I.F.F. will comprise three programs of animated short films in competition for the Best Animation Award, as well as an Animated Family Shorts program curated by renowned Cardiff-based studio Cloth Cat Animation, networking events, and an Animation Quiz run by the team at Skwigly Animation Magazine.
The competition program features animated short films from across Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Australia, including Mikey Hill’s The Orchestra, Anete Melece’s Analysis Paralysis, Chris Shepherd’s Johnno’s Dead, Ross Hogg’s Life Cycles and Alois Di Leo’s Way of Giants.
Lineup Announcements
– Cardiff Animation Nights will be returning to run a dedicated animation strand at Cardiff Independent Film Festival (C.I.F.F.) for a second year this May. This year’s animation strand at C.I.F.F. will comprise three programs of animated short films in competition for the Best Animation Award, as well as an Animated Family Shorts program curated by renowned Cardiff-based studio Cloth Cat Animation, networking events, and an Animation Quiz run by the team at Skwigly Animation Magazine.
The competition program features animated short films from across Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Australia, including Mikey Hill’s The Orchestra, Anete Melece’s Analysis Paralysis, Chris Shepherd’s Johnno’s Dead, Ross Hogg’s Life Cycles and Alois Di Leo’s Way of Giants.
- 4/13/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The newly formed Overlook Film Festival has announced it inaugural year programming lineup, including 37 films (20 features and 17 short films from 16 countries), along with a bevy of location-appropriate genre-themed parties, interactive events, and live experiences. This year, the festival will also fete director Roger Corman with their Master of Horror Award. The award “was established to honor a living legend who has contributed lasting innovations to the genre throughout a long career, inspiring new filmmakers for years to come.”
The fest is styled a 4-day celebration of horror that runs from April 24 – 30 at the historic Timberline Lodge located in Mt. Hood, Oregon, featured in Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” as the location of the infamous Overlook Hotel. The new festival comes from some of the same minds behind the now-defunct Stanley Film Festival, a similar horror-themed gathering based in a hotel in Estes Park, Colorado that inspired Stephen King to write his 1977 “Shining” novel.
The fest is styled a 4-day celebration of horror that runs from April 24 – 30 at the historic Timberline Lodge located in Mt. Hood, Oregon, featured in Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” as the location of the infamous Overlook Hotel. The new festival comes from some of the same minds behind the now-defunct Stanley Film Festival, a similar horror-themed gathering based in a hotel in Estes Park, Colorado that inspired Stephen King to write his 1977 “Shining” novel.
- 4/11/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.
Lineup Announcements
– Montclair Film has announced the full program for the 6th annual Montclair Film Festival (Mff), taking place April 28 – May 7, 2017 in Montclair, NJ and featuring over 150 films, events, discussions, and parties, with over 150 filmmakers and industry guests attending. Highlights include “Casting JonBenet,” “Strong Island,” “Lady Macbeth,” “Menashe” and “Beach Rats.”
“This year, we have been fortunate to find filmmakers who are making work that gives depth and shape to the vital conversations of our time,” said Montclair Film Executive Director Tom Hall. “The festival is an opportunity for bringing audiences together with these incredible artists, so that, together, we can enjoy and engage with the images, ideas, and insights that are illuminated in these wonderful films.” Check out the full lineup right here.
– The Film Society...
Lineup Announcements
– Montclair Film has announced the full program for the 6th annual Montclair Film Festival (Mff), taking place April 28 – May 7, 2017 in Montclair, NJ and featuring over 150 films, events, discussions, and parties, with over 150 filmmakers and industry guests attending. Highlights include “Casting JonBenet,” “Strong Island,” “Lady Macbeth,” “Menashe” and “Beach Rats.”
“This year, we have been fortunate to find filmmakers who are making work that gives depth and shape to the vital conversations of our time,” said Montclair Film Executive Director Tom Hall. “The festival is an opportunity for bringing audiences together with these incredible artists, so that, together, we can enjoy and engage with the images, ideas, and insights that are illuminated in these wonderful films.” Check out the full lineup right here.
– The Film Society...
- 4/6/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Every week, IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit rounds up the latest in opportunities that can help those looking to advance projects or get a career started in the film industry. The following grants, labs, fellowships, contests and other non-profit opportunities could be a great way to help kickstart your movie and TV dreams.
New Opportunities & Upcoming Deadlines
NBC’s Writers on the Verge
– NBCUniversal’s Writers on the Verge 12-week program focuses on polishing and preparing television writers for a staff writer position on a television series. Writers who are “almost there” but need assistance with their final bit of preparation with their writing and personal presentation skills are encouraged to apply. The program consists of two night classes, which will typically be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 – 10 Pm weekly at NBCUniversal in Universal City, CA. Once accepted, students must attend all classes and turn in all written assignments.
Past...
New Opportunities & Upcoming Deadlines
NBC’s Writers on the Verge
– NBCUniversal’s Writers on the Verge 12-week program focuses on polishing and preparing television writers for a staff writer position on a television series. Writers who are “almost there” but need assistance with their final bit of preparation with their writing and personal presentation skills are encouraged to apply. The program consists of two night classes, which will typically be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 – 10 Pm weekly at NBCUniversal in Universal City, CA. Once accepted, students must attend all classes and turn in all written assignments.
Past...
- 3/24/2017
- by Allison Picurro and Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.
Lineup Announcements
– The Sarasota Film Festival has announced its full lineup, including its Narrative Feature Competition, Independent Visions Competition, Documentary Feature Competition, World and Us Cinema Narrative, World and Us Cinema Documentary, Spotlight, and Short Films. The festival also announced its three Sff Focus Panels–Lgbtq Community; Environment, Science, & Sustainability; and Sports In Cinema – along with its Closing Night Awards. The 19th annual Sarasota Film Festival will take place from March 31 – April 9. You can find out more information at their official site.
“Film has an integral role in helping us analyze social and political issues in our society that demand attention, thought and dialogue” said Mark Famiglio, President of the Sarasota Film Festival. “Our program is designed to use the art of cinema as a catalyst for important conversations,...
Lineup Announcements
– The Sarasota Film Festival has announced its full lineup, including its Narrative Feature Competition, Independent Visions Competition, Documentary Feature Competition, World and Us Cinema Narrative, World and Us Cinema Documentary, Spotlight, and Short Films. The festival also announced its three Sff Focus Panels–Lgbtq Community; Environment, Science, & Sustainability; and Sports In Cinema – along with its Closing Night Awards. The 19th annual Sarasota Film Festival will take place from March 31 – April 9. You can find out more information at their official site.
“Film has an integral role in helping us analyze social and political issues in our society that demand attention, thought and dialogue” said Mark Famiglio, President of the Sarasota Film Festival. “Our program is designed to use the art of cinema as a catalyst for important conversations,...
- 3/17/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.
Lineup Announcements
– Exclusive: Over the last five years, Jacksonville, Florida’s Sun-Ray Cinema has carved out a unique space for adventurous film programming while also reinventing how audiences enjoy blockbuster fare in Northeast Florida. Building on those successes, Sun-Ray has now unveiled their Sleeping Giant Fest. From March 30 – April 2, Sleeping Giant Fest promises to “open your eyes and perk your ears to work that often gets lost in the digital streams that dominate our viewing habits today.” The festival aims “to help you navigate an array of choices that often seems dizzying so you can immerse yourself in these so-called ‘less commercial’ films, repertory titles, and screenings with exciting special guests while enjoying the communal experience that the cinema provides.
With forty film and music events over four lively days,...
Lineup Announcements
– Exclusive: Over the last five years, Jacksonville, Florida’s Sun-Ray Cinema has carved out a unique space for adventurous film programming while also reinventing how audiences enjoy blockbuster fare in Northeast Florida. Building on those successes, Sun-Ray has now unveiled their Sleeping Giant Fest. From March 30 – April 2, Sleeping Giant Fest promises to “open your eyes and perk your ears to work that often gets lost in the digital streams that dominate our viewing habits today.” The festival aims “to help you navigate an array of choices that often seems dizzying so you can immerse yourself in these so-called ‘less commercial’ films, repertory titles, and screenings with exciting special guests while enjoying the communal experience that the cinema provides.
With forty film and music events over four lively days,...
- 2/16/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
As usual, the five nominees in the fiercely competitive Best Documentary Oscar category are comprised of high-profile hits and festival award-winners with the right combination of accessibility, artful filmmaking, and gravitas. However, this year’s race was marked by outside factors that included #OscarsSoWhite and the election of President Donald Trump. (Of note: Filmmakers of color directed four of the five nominated feature documentaries.)
Here’s how the documentary race shakes out:
“O.J.: Made in America” (Ezra Edelman, Espn, May 20)
Scoring great reviews at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival was Ezra Edelman’s five-part movie “O.J.: Made in America,” an exhaustive, eye-opening examination of O.J. Simpson and race relations in Los Angeles from the ’60s through the Trial of the Century and beyond.
The movie swept through awards groups: it won three Cinema Eye Honors awards, took home the Ida for Best Feature, the Gotham, the National Board of Review, National Society of Film Critics,...
Here’s how the documentary race shakes out:
“O.J.: Made in America” (Ezra Edelman, Espn, May 20)
Scoring great reviews at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival was Ezra Edelman’s five-part movie “O.J.: Made in America,” an exhaustive, eye-opening examination of O.J. Simpson and race relations in Los Angeles from the ’60s through the Trial of the Century and beyond.
The movie swept through awards groups: it won three Cinema Eye Honors awards, took home the Ida for Best Feature, the Gotham, the National Board of Review, National Society of Film Critics,...
- 2/15/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
As usual, the five nominees in the fiercely competitive Best Documentary Oscar category are comprised of high-profile hits and festival award-winners with the right combination of accessibility, artful filmmaking, and gravitas. However, this year’s race was marked by outside factors that included #OscarsSoWhite and the election of President Donald Trump. (Of note: Filmmakers of color directed four of the five nominated feature documentaries.)
Here’s how the documentary race shakes out:
“O.J.: Made in America” (Ezra Edelman, Espn, May 20)
Scoring great reviews at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival was Ezra Edelman’s five-part movie “O.J.: Made in America,” an exhaustive, eye-opening examination of O.J. Simpson and race relations in Los Angeles from the ’60s through the Trial of the Century and beyond.
The movie swept through awards groups: it won three Cinema Eye Honors awards, took home the Ida for Best Feature, the Gotham, the National Board of Review, National Society of Film Critics,...
Here’s how the documentary race shakes out:
“O.J.: Made in America” (Ezra Edelman, Espn, May 20)
Scoring great reviews at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival was Ezra Edelman’s five-part movie “O.J.: Made in America,” an exhaustive, eye-opening examination of O.J. Simpson and race relations in Los Angeles from the ’60s through the Trial of the Century and beyond.
The movie swept through awards groups: it won three Cinema Eye Honors awards, took home the Ida for Best Feature, the Gotham, the National Board of Review, National Society of Film Critics,...
- 2/15/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Keep up with the glitzy awards world with our weekly Awards Roundup column.
– Annette Bening will be honored with the Lynn Stalmaster Award for Career Achievement at the Annual Artios Awards, presented by the Casting Society of America in Los Angeles on January 19, 2017. Bening is a four-time Academy Award nominee for “The Kids Are All Right,” “Being Julia,” “American Beauty” and “The Grifters.” She is a two-time Golden Globe winner for “Being Julia” and “The Kids Are All Right,” a BAFTA Award and Screen Actors Guild Award winner for best actress in “American Beauty” and a 2006 Emmy Award nominee for her role in “Mrs. Harris.”
“Annette has taken on roles which have changed cultural conversations,” Richard Hicks, president of Csa, said in a statement. “She is an actress of great bravery and passion, and her work shows what’s possible when a remarkable actress meets the right opportunity.” This year,...
– Annette Bening will be honored with the Lynn Stalmaster Award for Career Achievement at the Annual Artios Awards, presented by the Casting Society of America in Los Angeles on January 19, 2017. Bening is a four-time Academy Award nominee for “The Kids Are All Right,” “Being Julia,” “American Beauty” and “The Grifters.” She is a two-time Golden Globe winner for “Being Julia” and “The Kids Are All Right,” a BAFTA Award and Screen Actors Guild Award winner for best actress in “American Beauty” and a 2006 Emmy Award nominee for her role in “Mrs. Harris.”
“Annette has taken on roles which have changed cultural conversations,” Richard Hicks, president of Csa, said in a statement. “She is an actress of great bravery and passion, and her work shows what’s possible when a remarkable actress meets the right opportunity.” This year,...
- 12/2/2016
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Unsurprising surprises dominated this morning’s Producers Guild of America documentary nominees. While the PGA’s feature nominees often align with Oscar contenders, that’s often untrue for the documentaries. In 2014, the PGA nominated “The Green Prince,” “Life Itself,” “Merchants of Doubt,” “Virunga, and “Particle Fever;” only “Virunga made the final Oscar five. (The winner was Laura Poitras’ “Citizenfour.)
Last year, the PGA did select eventual Oscar nominees “Amy” (which won the Oscar) and “The Look of Silence,” but also chose “The Hunting Ground” and “Meru,” both of which made the Oscar shortlist of 15; PGA selection”Something Better to Come” didn’t even make that cut.
Today, the committee of some 30 or more PGA documentary producers nominated two anticipated films in Roger Ross Williams’ “Life, Animated” (The Orchard/A & E) and Ezra Edelman’s “O.J.: Made in America” (Espn Films). Both were much-lauded Sundance hits and made the Doc NYC Shortlist.
Last year, the PGA did select eventual Oscar nominees “Amy” (which won the Oscar) and “The Look of Silence,” but also chose “The Hunting Ground” and “Meru,” both of which made the Oscar shortlist of 15; PGA selection”Something Better to Come” didn’t even make that cut.
Today, the committee of some 30 or more PGA documentary producers nominated two anticipated films in Roger Ross Williams’ “Life, Animated” (The Orchard/A & E) and Ezra Edelman’s “O.J.: Made in America” (Espn Films). Both were much-lauded Sundance hits and made the Doc NYC Shortlist.
- 11/22/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Unsurprising surprises dominated this morning’s Producers Guild of America documentary nominees. While the PGA’s feature nominees often align with Oscar contenders, that’s often untrue for the documentaries. In 2014, the PGA nominated “The Green Prince,” “Life Itself,” “Merchants of Doubt,” “Virunga, and “Particle Fever;” only “Virunga made the final Oscar five. (The winner was Laura Poitras’ “Citizenfour.)
Last year, the PGA did select eventual Oscar nominees “Amy” (which won the Oscar) and “The Look of Silence,” but also chose “The Hunting Ground” and “Meru,” both of which made the Oscar shortlist of 15; PGA selection”Something Better to Come” didn’t even make that cut.
Today, the committee of 30 PGA documentary producers nominated two anticipated films in Roger Ross Williams’ “Life, Animated” (The Orchard/A & E) and Ezra Edelman’s “O.J.: Made in America” (Espn Films). Both were much-lauded Sundance hits and made the Doc NYC Shortlist.
However, the...
Last year, the PGA did select eventual Oscar nominees “Amy” (which won the Oscar) and “The Look of Silence,” but also chose “The Hunting Ground” and “Meru,” both of which made the Oscar shortlist of 15; PGA selection”Something Better to Come” didn’t even make that cut.
Today, the committee of 30 PGA documentary producers nominated two anticipated films in Roger Ross Williams’ “Life, Animated” (The Orchard/A & E) and Ezra Edelman’s “O.J.: Made in America” (Espn Films). Both were much-lauded Sundance hits and made the Doc NYC Shortlist.
However, the...
- 11/22/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Many are called, few are chosen: The number of high-quality, awards-worthy documentaries seems to grow every year, but there’s still only 15 slots on the Oscar documentary shortlist. That will be announced December 5; the final five will be revealed on nominations morning, January 24. This year, 145 features were submitted.
This is the white-knuckle portion of the final campaign stretch, as documentary filmmakers and distributors hope their movies make it onto documentary branch voters’ viewing piles before they file their final grades. Those with the advantage are high-profile established hits and festival award-winners with the right combination of engaging accessibility, artful filmmaking, and gravitas.
So what’s looking like a strong bet? It’s a diverse list in more ways than one. Here are my picks for the Top 15, which are not listed in order of likelihood.
See more ‘Amanda Knox’: Why It Took Five Years to Unravel the Story of...
This is the white-knuckle portion of the final campaign stretch, as documentary filmmakers and distributors hope their movies make it onto documentary branch voters’ viewing piles before they file their final grades. Those with the advantage are high-profile established hits and festival award-winners with the right combination of engaging accessibility, artful filmmaking, and gravitas.
So what’s looking like a strong bet? It’s a diverse list in more ways than one. Here are my picks for the Top 15, which are not listed in order of likelihood.
See more ‘Amanda Knox’: Why It Took Five Years to Unravel the Story of...
- 11/21/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Many are called, few are chosen: The number of high-quality, awards-worthy documentaries seems to grow every year, but there’s still only 15 slots on the Oscar documentary shortlist. That will be announced December 5; the final five will be revealed on nominations morning, January 24. This year, 145 features were submitted.
This is the white-knuckle portion of the final campaign stretch, as documentary filmmakers and distributors hope their movies make it onto documentary branch voters’ viewing piles before they file their final grades. Those with the advantage are high-profile established hits and festival award-winners with the right combination of engaging accessibility, artful filmmaking, and gravitas.
So what’s looking like a strong bet? It’s a diverse list in more ways than one. Here are my picks for the Top 15, which are not listed in order of likelihood.
See more ‘Amanda Knox’: Why It Took Five Years to Unravel the Story of...
This is the white-knuckle portion of the final campaign stretch, as documentary filmmakers and distributors hope their movies make it onto documentary branch voters’ viewing piles before they file their final grades. Those with the advantage are high-profile established hits and festival award-winners with the right combination of engaging accessibility, artful filmmaking, and gravitas.
So what’s looking like a strong bet? It’s a diverse list in more ways than one. Here are my picks for the Top 15, which are not listed in order of likelihood.
See more ‘Amanda Knox’: Why It Took Five Years to Unravel the Story of...
- 11/21/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
New York City’s annual Doc NYC festival kicks off this week, including a full-to-bursting slate of some of this year’s most remarkable documentaries. If you’ve been looking to beef up on your documentary consumption, Doc NYC is the perfect chance to check out a wide variety of some of the year’s best fact-based features.
Ahead, we pick out 13 of our most anticipated films from the fest, including some awards contenders, a handful of buzzy debuts and a number of festival favorites. Take a look and start filling up your schedule now.
“Cameraperson”
Kirsten Johnson’s “visual memoir” has already completed a starry trot around the festival circuit, kicking off with a lauded debut at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, but it still demands to be seen by a wider audience. Johnson made her bones as a cinematographer on a number of well-known (and well-loved) documentaries,...
Ahead, we pick out 13 of our most anticipated films from the fest, including some awards contenders, a handful of buzzy debuts and a number of festival favorites. Take a look and start filling up your schedule now.
“Cameraperson”
Kirsten Johnson’s “visual memoir” has already completed a starry trot around the festival circuit, kicking off with a lauded debut at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, but it still demands to be seen by a wider audience. Johnson made her bones as a cinematographer on a number of well-known (and well-loved) documentaries,...
- 11/9/2016
- by Kate Erbland, Eric Kohn, David Ehrlich, Chris O'Falt, Steve Greene and Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
There are few places on this Earth that are quite like the Bolivian salt flat known as Salar de Uyuni. The world’s largest flat, Salar de Uyuni is almost like looking in on a planet in a far away galaxy. With almost blindingly white salt making its barren terrain truly otherworldly, this salt flat is home to a subset of the Bolivian population known as saleros, a group of people who harvest the salt from the said flat.
People like Moises Chambi Yucra. Seemingly just another face, the new documentary Salero centers around this man, one of the few remaining saleros. A dying way of life that’s seemingly ready to crush under the combative weights of the past and the future, saleros are seeing their lives shift dramatically as Bolivian leaders not try to not only mine a mineral from below the flat, but make the flat itself...
People like Moises Chambi Yucra. Seemingly just another face, the new documentary Salero centers around this man, one of the few remaining saleros. A dying way of life that’s seemingly ready to crush under the combative weights of the past and the future, saleros are seeing their lives shift dramatically as Bolivian leaders not try to not only mine a mineral from below the flat, but make the flat itself...
- 10/13/2016
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
In 1984, one of the most important, the most toy-selling-est(That’s a word, right) cartoons of the Eighties would invade the television screens of every awesome boy and girl in the Galaxy. The concept was simple, extraterrestrial robots, who transform into utility vehicles, and other cool things, to stay hidden in plain sight while fighting with the Decepticons on Earth, and beyond. Obviously it was successful, because thirty-plus years later, we’re not only still talking about it, but the franchise continues in many ways. Books, comics, cartoons, live-action movies, toys, clothes, and much more, continue to be readily available at almost every retail outlet. In 1986, all of that awesome took to the big screen in the form of Transformers: The Movie, and since 2016 marks the thirty-year anniversary, I figured a Blu-ray was right around the corner. I also figured that it would be a Shout! Factory release, since they...
- 9/13/2016
- by Shawn Savage
- The Liberal Dead
He's back and more diabolically ruthless than ever! Berlin cowers under the influence of a gambler-mastermind, the secret architect of an 'Empire of Crime.' Restored to near its full length (4.5 hours!), Fritz Lang's monumental pulp masterpiece is a Euro-classic lover's delight. Dr. Mabuse The Gambler Blu-ray Kino Lorber Classics 1922 / B&W / 1:33 flat Full Frame / 270 min. / Street Date September 13, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Alfred Abel, Aud Egede Nissen, Gertrude Welcker, Bernhard Goetzke, Robert Forster-Larrinaga, Paul Richter Cinematography Carl Hoffmann Art Direction Otto Hunte, Erich Kettelhut, Karl Stahl-Urach, Karl Vollbrecht Writing credits Fritz Lang, Thea von Harbou & Norbert Jacques from the novel by Norbert Jacques Produced by Erich Pommer Directed by Fritz Lang
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Fritz Lang really upped his game, directing-wise, between his 1921 fantasy epic Destiny and his next thriller extravaganza Dr. Mabuse The Gambler. Transcending contemporary notions of a popular release, the...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Fritz Lang really upped his game, directing-wise, between his 1921 fantasy epic Destiny and his next thriller extravaganza Dr. Mabuse The Gambler. Transcending contemporary notions of a popular release, the...
- 9/12/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Morning, Daily Deaders! In today’s Horror Highlights, fans of “The Caped Crusader” may be interested in the photos and release details for Tweeterhead’s Batman ’66 “Noir” variant maquette. Also: a bonus features Blu-ray clip and trailer from Shout! Factory’s The Transformers: The Movie Blu-ray and a look at preview pages and cover art for issue #30 of Dark Horse’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 10 comic book series.
Tweeterhead’s Batman (1966) Noir Variant Maquette Photos & Release Details: From Tweeterhead: “Announcing our first 66 Batman Variant!!
We will begin Pre-Selling our Batman ’66 “Noir” Variant next Wednesday, August 17th. We were given the chance to make these Super limited edition maquettes featuring our original Batman maquette with Black Cape, Cowl, Boots, Briefs, and Gloves.
This piece is limited to just 100 hand-numbered pieces and will retail for $199.99. This Batman Maquette does Not include the computer half of the base like the original did.
Tweeterhead’s Batman (1966) Noir Variant Maquette Photos & Release Details: From Tweeterhead: “Announcing our first 66 Batman Variant!!
We will begin Pre-Selling our Batman ’66 “Noir” Variant next Wednesday, August 17th. We were given the chance to make these Super limited edition maquettes featuring our original Batman maquette with Black Cape, Cowl, Boots, Briefs, and Gloves.
This piece is limited to just 100 hand-numbered pieces and will retail for $199.99. This Batman Maquette does Not include the computer half of the base like the original did.
- 8/13/2016
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Has it come to this? Is legendary documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger now making branded content for the undeniably charismatic self-help guru Tony Robbins? Sure, filmmakers fund their passion projects through a variety of projects that pay the bills, from Errol Morris’ commercial work to Berlinger’s own helming of Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, but Tony Robbins: I’m Not Your Guru is a particular beast of a concert film with an undeniable emotional power that isn’t quite the character study I had come to expect from the director of Metallica: Some Kind of Monster.
Of course, the film may resist criticism as Robbins devotees receive access to his Date With Destiny, an event they might otherwise not be able to attend. Berlinger takes his camera to Robbins’ 6-day Boca Raton retreat, an “intimate” event limited to an audience of 2,500 where the cost of attendance is just...
Of course, the film may resist criticism as Robbins devotees receive access to his Date With Destiny, an event they might otherwise not be able to attend. Berlinger takes his camera to Robbins’ 6-day Boca Raton retreat, an “intimate” event limited to an audience of 2,500 where the cost of attendance is just...
- 7/12/2016
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
Amy Nicholson’s award-winning short “Pickle” has no business being as funny as it is. The award-winning 15-minute short is an energetic and amusing overview of what sounds like an entirely traumatizing experience, as it chronicles 25 years of Tom and Debbie Nicholson’s unbelievably bad luck with a bevy of rescue animals, from the eponymous Pickle the fish to an entire flock of ill-fated fowl.
The film’s official synopsis strikes the appropriate balance between off-kilter humor and almost overwhelming heartache: “Let us reflect on the brief existence of Pickle the fish. Although he could not swim, he was lovingly cared for by a couple that kept him propped up in a sponge. Along with an obese chicken, a cat with a heart condition, and a paraplegic possum, his life is a celebration of man’s eternal capacity to care for all creatures. He will be dearly missed.”
Read More: Attention,...
The film’s official synopsis strikes the appropriate balance between off-kilter humor and almost overwhelming heartache: “Let us reflect on the brief existence of Pickle the fish. Although he could not swim, he was lovingly cared for by a couple that kept him propped up in a sponge. Along with an obese chicken, a cat with a heart condition, and a paraplegic possum, his life is a celebration of man’s eternal capacity to care for all creatures. He will be dearly missed.”
Read More: Attention,...
- 6/22/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.
– Miramax has acquired U.S. distribution rights to “Whitney” from director Kevin Macdonald and will reteam with frequent partner Roadside Attractions to handle the U.S. theatrical release. The forthcoming documentary feature about the career of the late legendary singer Whitney Houston will be produced by Simon Chinn, along with his Lightbox Media partner and Emmy-winning producer Jonathan Chinn and producer Lisa Erspamer. Executive producers on the film are Will Clarke, Andy Mayson and Mike Runagall from Altitude Film Entertainment, who are handling international sales and introduced the project to buyers at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where the project sold out.
– Wolfe Releasing has acquired gay coming-of-age family drama “Akron” and has secured all worldwide rights (except U.
– Miramax has acquired U.S. distribution rights to “Whitney” from director Kevin Macdonald and will reteam with frequent partner Roadside Attractions to handle the U.S. theatrical release. The forthcoming documentary feature about the career of the late legendary singer Whitney Houston will be produced by Simon Chinn, along with his Lightbox Media partner and Emmy-winning producer Jonathan Chinn and producer Lisa Erspamer. Executive producers on the film are Will Clarke, Andy Mayson and Mike Runagall from Altitude Film Entertainment, who are handling international sales and introduced the project to buyers at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where the project sold out.
– Wolfe Releasing has acquired gay coming-of-age family drama “Akron” and has secured all worldwide rights (except U.
- 6/17/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The distributor has acquired all Us rights to Patrick Shen’s documentary following its screening at Sheffield Doc/Fest.
In Pursuit Of Silence played in official selection at SXSW, Cph: Dox, and Full Frame and is produced by Transcendental Media.
The documentary explores humanity’s relationships with sound and silence around different parts of the globe.
Cinema Guild plans to release the film theatrically this autumn and Blandine Mercier-McGovern of Cinema Guild brokered the deal with the film-makers.
“Rather than a straightforward, hard-hitting documentary, In Pursuit Of Silence delivers a profound, mesmerising celebration of silence with long-lasting effects,” said Mercier-McGovern.
In Pursuit Of Silence played in official selection at SXSW, Cph: Dox, and Full Frame and is produced by Transcendental Media.
The documentary explores humanity’s relationships with sound and silence around different parts of the globe.
Cinema Guild plans to release the film theatrically this autumn and Blandine Mercier-McGovern of Cinema Guild brokered the deal with the film-makers.
“Rather than a straightforward, hard-hitting documentary, In Pursuit Of Silence delivers a profound, mesmerising celebration of silence with long-lasting effects,” said Mercier-McGovern.
- 6/15/2016
- by govi2016@lawnet.ucla.edu (Alec Govi)
- ScreenDaily
The Nazis can't even keep the National Socialist propaganda out of a simple science fiction fable. Hans Albers is the Aryan King Midas as a scientist, and gorgeous Brigitte Helm the Englishwoman who thinks he's peachy keen. The climax is pure Sci-Fi heaven, an unstable 'Atomic Fracturing' installation, wa-ay deep down in a mineshaft under the ocean. Gold (1934) Blu-ray Kino Classics 1934 / B&W / 1:33 flat Full Frame / 117 min. / Street Date June 14, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Hans Albers, Friedrich Kayßler, Brigitte Helm, Michael Bohnen, Ernst Karchow, Lien Deyers, Eberhard Leithoff, Rudolf Platte. Cinematography Otto Baecker, Werner Bohne, Günther Rittau Art Direction Otto Hunte Film Editor Wolfgang Becker Original Music Hans-Otto Borgmann Written by Rolf E. Vanloo Produced by Alfred Zeisler Directed by Karl Hartl
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The Hardy Encyclopedia of Science Fiction still teases Sci-fi fans that want to see everything listed in its pages. Thankfully, videodisc companies catering to collectors make possible the sale of titles that might never show up on some (authorized) streaming service. Video disc has brought us the original Der Schweigende Stern and Alraune from Germany, and I hope to someday see good copies of Kurt Siodmak and Karl Hartl's F.P. 1 Does Not Answer and the Harry Piel Sci-fi trilogy An Invisible Man Roams the City, The World Unmasked (an X-ray television camera) and Master of the World (a robot with a death ray). I've read about Karl Hartl's 1934 Gold for at least fifty years, since John Baxter's Science Fiction in the Cinema told us (not quite correctly) that its final reel had been borrowed for the conclusion of Ivan Tors' 1953 Sci-fi picture The Magnetic Monster. As it turns out, Kino is releasing both movies in the same week. Sometimes referred to as the Nazi Metropolis, Hartl's Gold is a follow-up to the director's very successful F.P.1. Does Not Answer, a spy thriller about a fantastic airport in the mid-Atlantic called Floating Platform One. Both pictures were filmed in simultaneous foreign versions to maximize the box office take. The German original of F.P. 1 starred matinee idol Hans Albers (The Blue Angel) Sybille Schmitz (Vampyr) and Peter Lorre, while a concurrent French version used Charles Boyer, Danièle Parola and Pierre Brasseur. A third English version starred Conrad Veidt, Jill Esmond and Donald Calthrop. The French version starred Brigitte Helm in the same role, but star Hans Albers reportedly rebelled at making two movies for the price of one. According to reports, the exceedingly expensive Gold was in production for fifteen months. We can see the cost immediately in the enormous main set for the 'atomic fracturing' machine built to transmute lead into gold. Otto Hunte and Günther Rittau designed and filmed special effects for Metropolis and the impressive set is very much in the same style. Off the top of my head I can't think of any technical apparatus quite so elaborate (and solid-looking) built for a film until the 1960s and Ken Adam's outlandish settings for UA's James Bond films. Writer Rolf E. Vanloo had worked on the silent classic Asphalt and is the sole writer credited on the popular Marlene Dietrich vehicle I Kiss Your Hand, Madame. His screenplay for Gold is tight and credible, even if its theme is even more simplistic than -- and somewhat similar to -- that of Thea von Harbou for Metropolis. Scientist Werner Holk (Hans Albers) aids the visionary Professor Achenbach (Friedrich Kayßler) in testing what looks like an electric atom smasher. The experiment: to turn lead into gold. The 'Atomic Fracturer' explodes, killing the old genius, whose work is discredited. Holk barely survives, thanks to a blood transfusion from his faithful girlfriend Margit Moller (Lien Deyers). When agents for the fabulously wealthy Englishman John Wills (Michael Bohnen) contact Holk, he realizes that the experiment was sabotaged. Werner allows himself to be taken to a fabulous yacht and from there to a Scottish castle, where, hundreds of feet under the ocean, Wills has constructed his own, far larger atom smasher with plans stolen from Achenbach. Split between his need for revenge and a desire to prove the dead Achenbach's theories, Holk goes through with the experiment. Wills' daughter Florence (Brigitte Helm), a gorgeous playgirl, is attracted to the German visitor, Holk finds that the workers' foreman, Schwarz (Rudolf Platte) is of a like mind on economic issues. But Wills' engineer Harris (Eberhard Leithoff) is jealous of Holk's talent, and cannot be trusted. Gold begins by repeating the 'big money hostile takeover of science' theme from Fritz Lang's Frau im mond: a pioneering German scientific exploit is siezed by an unscrupulous international business entity. The unspoken message is that the weakened Germany is being cheated in the world economy because it lacks the resources to exploit its superior technology. The avaricious John Wills makes big financial decisions all day long. There's no gray area in this conflict, as Wells murders, steals and spies on people to get what he wants. We've seen his ruthless agents wreck Achenbach's original, modest experiment. This 'England plays dirty' theme mirrors Germany's bitterness toward England for at least the better part of a century of colonial, naval and financial competition. Versailles and WW1 aren't mentioned, but that had to be on the minds of the audience as well: Germany innovates and works hard, but is consistently handed a raw deal. The scenes with the sleek, fascinating Brigitte Helm would be better if they went somewhere; her Florence does what she can to entice Herr Holk but withdraws when he declares his love for his faithful girl back home, the one whose life blood now flows in his veins. 'Das Blut' cannot be dishonored, even if Holk is half convinced that Wills is going to have him murdered after the giant machine starts turning out Gold by the ton. Act Two instead becomes a conflict between Big Capitalism and the lowly-but-virtuous Working Man. Down in the underground warren of tunnels (another Metropolis parallel) Wills' Scottish workforce of sandhogs and technicians side with Holk against their boss. After a preliminary test yields a tiny bit of gold, we get the expected montages of worldwide economic panic, standard material in socially oriented sci-fi as diverse as La fin du monde and Red Planet Mars. Wells plans to grow rich by flooding the world with his artificially produced gold, a strategy that will have to be explained to me. Gold is the world's standard of value precisely because it's rare; it can't be printed up like money. Thirty years later, the surprisingly sophisticated scheme of Auric Goldfinger is to increase the value of his stash of gold bullion by rendering America's gold reserves radioactive, and therefore worthless. If scarcity raises the value of the element, making more should do the opposite. (On the other hand, what about artificial diamonds? Is there any correspondence there?) [I'm acutely aware that discussing the subject matter of movies mainly points up how much I don't know, about anything but movies.] The Incredible Holk convinces the mob of workers that he represents their interests better than the greedy John Wills. The idea that rich English capitalists need to be rejected in favor of honest German morality is the only real message here. It's as simple as the 'heart mediating between the hands and the brain' slogan of Metropolis, but with a slightly arrogant nationalism added. The lavishly produced Gold was filmed on a series of truly impressive sets, including Wills' enormous Scottish mansion. But the giant setting for the climax, deep in a mine under the ocean floor, is the stuff of core Sci-fi. Millions of volts of electricity are harnessed to transmute lead into Gold. That's got to be a heck of an electricity bill; factor in the other enormous overhead costs and we wonder if Wills will ever turn a profit. The special effects for this sequence are sensational. The enormous apparatus is suspended on huge oversized porcelain insulators. The giant glass tubes atop the specimen stage are apparently visualized with mattes and foreground miniatures. But the camera pans and trucks all over the hangar-sized set; it all looks real, with bolts of electricity flashing like crazy. It's a dynamic special effect highlight of the 1930s. The actors sell the conflict well. Beefy Hans Albers sometimes looks like George C. Scott. He exudes personal integrity and a calm force of will. Lien Dyers is as wholesome here as she was wantonly sexualized six years earlier in Fritz Lang's Spies. Michael Bohnen is more than convincing as a powerful man trying to corner all business on an international scale. Although mostly in for decoration, Brigitte Helm is a sophisticated dazzler. Those penciled eyebrows remind us that she had become the Marlene Dietrich that didn't go to Hollywood. Although she did have offers, Helm wanted to stay in Germany. The Nazification of the film industry and the appalling political climate motivated her to leave for Switzerland in 1935, abandoning her career. Although the gist of Gold fits in with Josef Goebbels' National Socialist propaganda aims, the movie doesn't attack England directly. Ufa may have held hopes of foreign distribution. The one man in Scotland that Holk knows he can trust is the captain of Wills' yacht, a fellow German. Nine years later, Josef Goebbels' anti-British version of Titanic would make a German the single ethical person in authority on the doomed ocean liner. The fellow is constantly badmouthing the craven captain and the venal English ship owner. When Hans Albers finishes this movie with a ten-cent moral about love being the only real treasure, the show seems plenty dumb. But that amazing special effect set piece is too good to dismiss so easily. Gold is a classic of giddy '30s science fiction. The Kino Classics Blu-ray of Gold (1934) is a good encoding of the Wilhelm Murnau Stiftung's best copy of this once-rare item. The print we see is intact and with has good audio, but the contrast is rough. It shifts and flutters a bit, especially in some scenes in the middle. I did notice that the final special effects sequences looked better than much of the rest of this surviving print. But the parts of the movie repurposed for The Magnetic Monster look better on that 1953 science fiction film than they do here. In his book Film in the Third Reich David Stewart Hull explains that when the occupation forces reviewed the recovered German films, they ordered this one destroyed. They were concerned that the Alchemy / Atomic Fracturing machine might have some connection to Germany's wartime nuclear program. So how could Ivan Tors have bought the footage from Ufa, if the U.S. Army had seized it? I have a feeling - just idle speculation -- that it might have been obtained in a special deal made through government connections. Since the image looks much better on The Magnetic Monster, Ivan Tors might even have cut up Gold's only existing printing element to make his movie. After finally seeing Gold, one more thing impresses me besides the grandiose special effects. It's sort of a 'brain-drain' movie. In the '30s, Germany had a reputation for the best precision engineering in the world. Werner Holk is semi-kidnapped to serve John Wills' greedy science project, which was pirated from Germany in the first place. Also in awe of German scientific prowess is Brigitte Helm's Florence. The playgirl finds Werner Wolk's brilliance and clarity of mission irresistible. He's both smarter and more ethical than her father. Holk just stands there looking like he's posing for a statue, and Florence is carried away. Ms. Helm is terrific, but it would be nice if her character had a more central role to play in the story. On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, Gold (1934) Blu-ray rates: Movie: Very Good Video: Fair + This may be a rare surviving print. Sound: Good - Minus Supplements: none Deaf and Hearing Impaired Friendly? Yes; Subtitles: English Packaging: Keep case Reviewed: June 10, 2016 (5137)
Visit DVD Savant's Main Column Page Glenn Erickson answers most reader mail: dvdsavant@mindspring.com
Text © Copyright 2016 Glenn Erickson...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The Hardy Encyclopedia of Science Fiction still teases Sci-fi fans that want to see everything listed in its pages. Thankfully, videodisc companies catering to collectors make possible the sale of titles that might never show up on some (authorized) streaming service. Video disc has brought us the original Der Schweigende Stern and Alraune from Germany, and I hope to someday see good copies of Kurt Siodmak and Karl Hartl's F.P. 1 Does Not Answer and the Harry Piel Sci-fi trilogy An Invisible Man Roams the City, The World Unmasked (an X-ray television camera) and Master of the World (a robot with a death ray). I've read about Karl Hartl's 1934 Gold for at least fifty years, since John Baxter's Science Fiction in the Cinema told us (not quite correctly) that its final reel had been borrowed for the conclusion of Ivan Tors' 1953 Sci-fi picture The Magnetic Monster. As it turns out, Kino is releasing both movies in the same week. Sometimes referred to as the Nazi Metropolis, Hartl's Gold is a follow-up to the director's very successful F.P.1. Does Not Answer, a spy thriller about a fantastic airport in the mid-Atlantic called Floating Platform One. Both pictures were filmed in simultaneous foreign versions to maximize the box office take. The German original of F.P. 1 starred matinee idol Hans Albers (The Blue Angel) Sybille Schmitz (Vampyr) and Peter Lorre, while a concurrent French version used Charles Boyer, Danièle Parola and Pierre Brasseur. A third English version starred Conrad Veidt, Jill Esmond and Donald Calthrop. The French version starred Brigitte Helm in the same role, but star Hans Albers reportedly rebelled at making two movies for the price of one. According to reports, the exceedingly expensive Gold was in production for fifteen months. We can see the cost immediately in the enormous main set for the 'atomic fracturing' machine built to transmute lead into gold. Otto Hunte and Günther Rittau designed and filmed special effects for Metropolis and the impressive set is very much in the same style. Off the top of my head I can't think of any technical apparatus quite so elaborate (and solid-looking) built for a film until the 1960s and Ken Adam's outlandish settings for UA's James Bond films. Writer Rolf E. Vanloo had worked on the silent classic Asphalt and is the sole writer credited on the popular Marlene Dietrich vehicle I Kiss Your Hand, Madame. His screenplay for Gold is tight and credible, even if its theme is even more simplistic than -- and somewhat similar to -- that of Thea von Harbou for Metropolis. Scientist Werner Holk (Hans Albers) aids the visionary Professor Achenbach (Friedrich Kayßler) in testing what looks like an electric atom smasher. The experiment: to turn lead into gold. The 'Atomic Fracturer' explodes, killing the old genius, whose work is discredited. Holk barely survives, thanks to a blood transfusion from his faithful girlfriend Margit Moller (Lien Deyers). When agents for the fabulously wealthy Englishman John Wills (Michael Bohnen) contact Holk, he realizes that the experiment was sabotaged. Werner allows himself to be taken to a fabulous yacht and from there to a Scottish castle, where, hundreds of feet under the ocean, Wills has constructed his own, far larger atom smasher with plans stolen from Achenbach. Split between his need for revenge and a desire to prove the dead Achenbach's theories, Holk goes through with the experiment. Wills' daughter Florence (Brigitte Helm), a gorgeous playgirl, is attracted to the German visitor, Holk finds that the workers' foreman, Schwarz (Rudolf Platte) is of a like mind on economic issues. But Wills' engineer Harris (Eberhard Leithoff) is jealous of Holk's talent, and cannot be trusted. Gold begins by repeating the 'big money hostile takeover of science' theme from Fritz Lang's Frau im mond: a pioneering German scientific exploit is siezed by an unscrupulous international business entity. The unspoken message is that the weakened Germany is being cheated in the world economy because it lacks the resources to exploit its superior technology. The avaricious John Wills makes big financial decisions all day long. There's no gray area in this conflict, as Wells murders, steals and spies on people to get what he wants. We've seen his ruthless agents wreck Achenbach's original, modest experiment. This 'England plays dirty' theme mirrors Germany's bitterness toward England for at least the better part of a century of colonial, naval and financial competition. Versailles and WW1 aren't mentioned, but that had to be on the minds of the audience as well: Germany innovates and works hard, but is consistently handed a raw deal. The scenes with the sleek, fascinating Brigitte Helm would be better if they went somewhere; her Florence does what she can to entice Herr Holk but withdraws when he declares his love for his faithful girl back home, the one whose life blood now flows in his veins. 'Das Blut' cannot be dishonored, even if Holk is half convinced that Wills is going to have him murdered after the giant machine starts turning out Gold by the ton. Act Two instead becomes a conflict between Big Capitalism and the lowly-but-virtuous Working Man. Down in the underground warren of tunnels (another Metropolis parallel) Wills' Scottish workforce of sandhogs and technicians side with Holk against their boss. After a preliminary test yields a tiny bit of gold, we get the expected montages of worldwide economic panic, standard material in socially oriented sci-fi as diverse as La fin du monde and Red Planet Mars. Wells plans to grow rich by flooding the world with his artificially produced gold, a strategy that will have to be explained to me. Gold is the world's standard of value precisely because it's rare; it can't be printed up like money. Thirty years later, the surprisingly sophisticated scheme of Auric Goldfinger is to increase the value of his stash of gold bullion by rendering America's gold reserves radioactive, and therefore worthless. If scarcity raises the value of the element, making more should do the opposite. (On the other hand, what about artificial diamonds? Is there any correspondence there?) [I'm acutely aware that discussing the subject matter of movies mainly points up how much I don't know, about anything but movies.] The Incredible Holk convinces the mob of workers that he represents their interests better than the greedy John Wills. The idea that rich English capitalists need to be rejected in favor of honest German morality is the only real message here. It's as simple as the 'heart mediating between the hands and the brain' slogan of Metropolis, but with a slightly arrogant nationalism added. The lavishly produced Gold was filmed on a series of truly impressive sets, including Wills' enormous Scottish mansion. But the giant setting for the climax, deep in a mine under the ocean floor, is the stuff of core Sci-fi. Millions of volts of electricity are harnessed to transmute lead into Gold. That's got to be a heck of an electricity bill; factor in the other enormous overhead costs and we wonder if Wills will ever turn a profit. The special effects for this sequence are sensational. The enormous apparatus is suspended on huge oversized porcelain insulators. The giant glass tubes atop the specimen stage are apparently visualized with mattes and foreground miniatures. But the camera pans and trucks all over the hangar-sized set; it all looks real, with bolts of electricity flashing like crazy. It's a dynamic special effect highlight of the 1930s. The actors sell the conflict well. Beefy Hans Albers sometimes looks like George C. Scott. He exudes personal integrity and a calm force of will. Lien Dyers is as wholesome here as she was wantonly sexualized six years earlier in Fritz Lang's Spies. Michael Bohnen is more than convincing as a powerful man trying to corner all business on an international scale. Although mostly in for decoration, Brigitte Helm is a sophisticated dazzler. Those penciled eyebrows remind us that she had become the Marlene Dietrich that didn't go to Hollywood. Although she did have offers, Helm wanted to stay in Germany. The Nazification of the film industry and the appalling political climate motivated her to leave for Switzerland in 1935, abandoning her career. Although the gist of Gold fits in with Josef Goebbels' National Socialist propaganda aims, the movie doesn't attack England directly. Ufa may have held hopes of foreign distribution. The one man in Scotland that Holk knows he can trust is the captain of Wills' yacht, a fellow German. Nine years later, Josef Goebbels' anti-British version of Titanic would make a German the single ethical person in authority on the doomed ocean liner. The fellow is constantly badmouthing the craven captain and the venal English ship owner. When Hans Albers finishes this movie with a ten-cent moral about love being the only real treasure, the show seems plenty dumb. But that amazing special effect set piece is too good to dismiss so easily. Gold is a classic of giddy '30s science fiction. The Kino Classics Blu-ray of Gold (1934) is a good encoding of the Wilhelm Murnau Stiftung's best copy of this once-rare item. The print we see is intact and with has good audio, but the contrast is rough. It shifts and flutters a bit, especially in some scenes in the middle. I did notice that the final special effects sequences looked better than much of the rest of this surviving print. But the parts of the movie repurposed for The Magnetic Monster look better on that 1953 science fiction film than they do here. In his book Film in the Third Reich David Stewart Hull explains that when the occupation forces reviewed the recovered German films, they ordered this one destroyed. They were concerned that the Alchemy / Atomic Fracturing machine might have some connection to Germany's wartime nuclear program. So how could Ivan Tors have bought the footage from Ufa, if the U.S. Army had seized it? I have a feeling - just idle speculation -- that it might have been obtained in a special deal made through government connections. Since the image looks much better on The Magnetic Monster, Ivan Tors might even have cut up Gold's only existing printing element to make his movie. After finally seeing Gold, one more thing impresses me besides the grandiose special effects. It's sort of a 'brain-drain' movie. In the '30s, Germany had a reputation for the best precision engineering in the world. Werner Holk is semi-kidnapped to serve John Wills' greedy science project, which was pirated from Germany in the first place. Also in awe of German scientific prowess is Brigitte Helm's Florence. The playgirl finds Werner Wolk's brilliance and clarity of mission irresistible. He's both smarter and more ethical than her father. Holk just stands there looking like he's posing for a statue, and Florence is carried away. Ms. Helm is terrific, but it would be nice if her character had a more central role to play in the story. On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, Gold (1934) Blu-ray rates: Movie: Very Good Video: Fair + This may be a rare surviving print. Sound: Good - Minus Supplements: none Deaf and Hearing Impaired Friendly? Yes; Subtitles: English Packaging: Keep case Reviewed: June 10, 2016 (5137)
Visit DVD Savant's Main Column Page Glenn Erickson answers most reader mail: dvdsavant@mindspring.com
Text © Copyright 2016 Glenn Erickson...
- 6/14/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Scream Factory's giving horror film anthology fans another item to jot down on their holiday wish lists with their December 22nd high-def release of Joseph Sargent's Nightmares, and we've been provided with three Blu-ray copies to give away.
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Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray copy of Nightmares.
How to Enter: For a chance to win, email contest@dailydead.com with the subject “Nightmares Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am Est on December 27th. This contest is only open to those who are eighteen years of age or older that live in the United States. Only one entry per household will be accepted.
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Nightmares Blu-ray: "In Nightmares, a pack of cigarettes, a video game, a pick-up truck and a stately colonial home all become key elements in four petrifying tales of terror in the...
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Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray copy of Nightmares.
How to Enter: For a chance to win, email contest@dailydead.com with the subject “Nightmares Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am Est on December 27th. This contest is only open to those who are eighteen years of age or older that live in the United States. Only one entry per household will be accepted.
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Nightmares Blu-ray: "In Nightmares, a pack of cigarettes, a video game, a pick-up truck and a stately colonial home all become key elements in four petrifying tales of terror in the...
- 12/21/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
If you're a fan of ’80s horror anthologies and you're still working on your holiday wish list, you might want to jot down Scream Factory's high-def release of Nightmares. Debuting on Blu-ray next Tuesday, the eclectic horrors of Nightmares are teased in HD clips and a trailer.
Nightmares Blu-ray: "In Nightmares, a pack of cigarettes, a video game, a pick-up truck and a stately colonial home all become key elements in four petrifying tales of terror in the anthology film directed by Joseph Sargent (The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three, White Lightning).
A chain-smoking homemaker (Cristina Raines, The Sentinel) insists on going out for cigarettes even when an escaped madman is on the loose in “Terror in Topanga.”
Then, J.J. Cooney (Emilio Estevez, Young Guns), a video game hot-shot, dares to take on a strange challenger – though it may cost him his life – in “The Bishop of Battle.
Nightmares Blu-ray: "In Nightmares, a pack of cigarettes, a video game, a pick-up truck and a stately colonial home all become key elements in four petrifying tales of terror in the anthology film directed by Joseph Sargent (The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three, White Lightning).
A chain-smoking homemaker (Cristina Raines, The Sentinel) insists on going out for cigarettes even when an escaped madman is on the loose in “Terror in Topanga.”
Then, J.J. Cooney (Emilio Estevez, Young Guns), a video game hot-shot, dares to take on a strange challenger – though it may cost him his life – in “The Bishop of Battle.
- 12/18/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Chicago – On Tuesday, December 1st, the Midwest Independent Film Festival gave out their 2015 “Best of the Midwest” Awards with a ceremony at Rockit Bar & Grill in Chicago. Best Film honors went to “Uncle John,” directed by Steven Piet. Best Female Actor was Carisa Barreca of “Doomsdate,” Best Male Actor was Charles Whitcomb of “Full Frame,” and Best Director was Sonny Mallhi of “Anguish,” among other categories.
Best Male Actor Charles Whitcomb (‘Full Frame’) With Presenter Rich Moskal and BMA Host Mike McNamara
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com
The evening was hosted by Festival Director Mike McNamara, and included presenters Betsy Steinberg – the new Executive Director of Kartemquin Films, Christine Dudley – the Director of the Illinois Film Office, Rich Moskal – Director of the Chicago Film Office, Billy Dec – Rockit Entertaiment & “Windy City Live,’ and a video appearance from the director of the Best Music Video, Nick Offerman. The event...
Best Male Actor Charles Whitcomb (‘Full Frame’) With Presenter Rich Moskal and BMA Host Mike McNamara
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com
The evening was hosted by Festival Director Mike McNamara, and included presenters Betsy Steinberg – the new Executive Director of Kartemquin Films, Christine Dudley – the Director of the Illinois Film Office, Rich Moskal – Director of the Chicago Film Office, Billy Dec – Rockit Entertaiment & “Windy City Live,’ and a video appearance from the director of the Best Music Video, Nick Offerman. The event...
- 12/3/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – On Tuesday, December 1st, the Midwest Independent Film Festival will award their 2015 “Best of the Midwest” with a ceremony at Rockit Bar & Grill, 22 W. Hubbard, in Chicago. The evening will be hosted by Festival Director Mike McNamara, and nominees include the short film “Baby Mary” (directed by Kris Swanberg), plus feature films “Full Frame” (directed by Christopher Kelley), and “Anguish” (directed by Sonny Mallhi).
Presented by the Midwest Independent Film Festival
Photo credit: MidwestFilm.com
A new category is being added this year, “Best Artistic Specialization.” This honors previously unsung production titles that are vital to the look and completion of their particular films. The Midwest Independent Film Festival is a year-round movie event in Chicago that takes place the first Tuesday of every month, at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema. The festival has been recognized by Chicago Magazine in their “Best of Chicago” issue, and has become one...
Presented by the Midwest Independent Film Festival
Photo credit: MidwestFilm.com
A new category is being added this year, “Best Artistic Specialization.” This honors previously unsung production titles that are vital to the look and completion of their particular films. The Midwest Independent Film Festival is a year-round movie event in Chicago that takes place the first Tuesday of every month, at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema. The festival has been recognized by Chicago Magazine in their “Best of Chicago” issue, and has become one...
- 11/29/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Scream Factory's giving horror film anthology fans another item to scribble on their holiday wish lists with the December 22nd Blu-ray release of Joseph Sargent's Nightmares, and we have a look at the movie's cover art and list of bonus features:
Press Release: On December 22nd, 2015, Scream Factory brings you four tales of horror, complete with shocking twists that will freeze the scream in your throat! The fan favorite horror anthology Nightmares brings a supernatural twist to popular urban legends. Available for the first time on Blu-ray, Nightmares includes a new audio commentary with executive producer Andrew Mirisch and actress Cristina Raines as a bonus feature, as well as the original theatrical trailer and radio spots. Fans can pre-order their copies now by visiting ShoutFactory.com
In Nightmares, a pack of cigarettes, a video game, a pick-up truck and a stately colonial home all become key elements in four...
Press Release: On December 22nd, 2015, Scream Factory brings you four tales of horror, complete with shocking twists that will freeze the scream in your throat! The fan favorite horror anthology Nightmares brings a supernatural twist to popular urban legends. Available for the first time on Blu-ray, Nightmares includes a new audio commentary with executive producer Andrew Mirisch and actress Cristina Raines as a bonus feature, as well as the original theatrical trailer and radio spots. Fans can pre-order their copies now by visiting ShoutFactory.com
In Nightmares, a pack of cigarettes, a video game, a pick-up truck and a stately colonial home all become key elements in four...
- 11/4/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Read More: 2015 Full Frame Doc Film Fest Announces Winners: Lyric R. Cabral, Alexandra Shiva, Phie Ambo "Tocando la Luz" sheds light on Cuba's blind communities by looking at the lives of three blind women in Havana. The documentary's official synopsis reads: "'Tocando la Luz' ('Touch the Light') weaves three stories – all set in the blind community of Havana, Cuba – into a tale of personal independence. As Lis, Mily, and Margarita each face family problems and heartbreak, their dependence on others turns out to be a double-edged sword. From the music halls of Havana to a cinema club for the blind, their stories reveal both the pain and the joys of fighting for yourself." "Tocando la Luz" was directed by Oscar nominee Jennifer Redfearn in her feature film debut. In an exclusive clip from the film, Mily cheers on her boyfriend Lisban as he plays in Cuba's baseball league for the blind.
- 10/30/2015
- by Karen Brill
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Matthew Shreder and James Andrew Felts’ sales company is Santa Monica-bound with a trio of new titles led by The Man Who Was Thursday.
Hungary’s Balazs Juszt directed The Man Who Was Thursday and Guy Moshe and Matthew Zamias of Picturesque Films produced. Cobera and Bulldog Agenda served as executive producers.
The film is inspired by G K Chesterton’s existentialist novel of the same name and centres on a disgraced priest who is summoned to Rome and ordered to find the leader of an anarchist group.
Francois Arnaud stars alongside Ana Ularu, Jordi Molla and Mark Ivanir.
Documentary Harry & Snowman centres on world champion show jumper Snowman and his owner Harry DeLeyer, who rose to fame when they won the 1956 triple Crown at Madison Square Gardens.
Ron Davis directed through his Docutainment Films and the film premiered at the Full Frame Festival and has gone on to screen at more than 20 other festivals including...
Hungary’s Balazs Juszt directed The Man Who Was Thursday and Guy Moshe and Matthew Zamias of Picturesque Films produced. Cobera and Bulldog Agenda served as executive producers.
The film is inspired by G K Chesterton’s existentialist novel of the same name and centres on a disgraced priest who is summoned to Rome and ordered to find the leader of an anarchist group.
Francois Arnaud stars alongside Ana Ularu, Jordi Molla and Mark Ivanir.
Documentary Harry & Snowman centres on world champion show jumper Snowman and his owner Harry DeLeyer, who rose to fame when they won the 1956 triple Crown at Madison Square Gardens.
Ron Davis directed through his Docutainment Films and the film premiered at the Full Frame Festival and has gone on to screen at more than 20 other festivals including...
- 10/27/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Matthew Shreder and James Andrew Felts’ sales company is Santa Monica-bound with a trio of new titles led by The Man Who Was Thursday.
Hungary’s Balazs Juszt directed The Man Who Was Thursday and Guy Moshe and Matthew Zamias of Picturesque Films produced. Cobera and Bulldog Agenda served as executive producers.
The film is inspired by G K Chesterton’s existentialist novel of the same name and centres on a disgraced priest who is summoned to Rome and ordered to find the leader of an anarchist group.
Francois Arnaud stars alongside Ana Ularu, Jordi Molla and Mark Ivanir.
Documentary Harry & Snowman centres on world champion show jumper Snowman and his owner Harry DeLeyer, who rose to fame when they won the 1956 triple Crown at Madison Square Gardens.
Ron Davis directed through his Docutainment Films and the film premiered at the Full Frame Festival and has gone on to screen at more than 20 other festivals including...
Hungary’s Balazs Juszt directed The Man Who Was Thursday and Guy Moshe and Matthew Zamias of Picturesque Films produced. Cobera and Bulldog Agenda served as executive producers.
The film is inspired by G K Chesterton’s existentialist novel of the same name and centres on a disgraced priest who is summoned to Rome and ordered to find the leader of an anarchist group.
Francois Arnaud stars alongside Ana Ularu, Jordi Molla and Mark Ivanir.
Documentary Harry & Snowman centres on world champion show jumper Snowman and his owner Harry DeLeyer, who rose to fame when they won the 1956 triple Crown at Madison Square Gardens.
Ron Davis directed through his Docutainment Films and the film premiered at the Full Frame Festival and has gone on to screen at more than 20 other festivals including...
- 10/27/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Chicago – A new and exciting voice in the cinematic universe is cause for celebration, and the 2015 Midwest Independent Film Festival will showcase that voice this Tuesday, August 4th, at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema. Director Christopher Kelley will present the World Premiere of his indie noir thriller “Full Frame.”
“Full Frame” has a Hitchcockian feel, all shot and produced in small town Quincy, Illinois, on a micro budget. A nebbish photographer stumbles upon the desperate circumstances of a local big shot, and gets involved in a game of life and death. Filled with modern takes on the dark places of the soul, “Full Frame” is both a fresh perspective on a familiar genre, and a throwback to the best that noir has to offer.
Scene from ‘Full Frame’
Photo credit: Table Sixteen Productions
Christopher Kelley took an unconventional route to his advocation as a director. When he was in college,...
“Full Frame” has a Hitchcockian feel, all shot and produced in small town Quincy, Illinois, on a micro budget. A nebbish photographer stumbles upon the desperate circumstances of a local big shot, and gets involved in a game of life and death. Filled with modern takes on the dark places of the soul, “Full Frame” is both a fresh perspective on a familiar genre, and a throwback to the best that noir has to offer.
Scene from ‘Full Frame’
Photo credit: Table Sixteen Productions
Christopher Kelley took an unconventional route to his advocation as a director. When he was in college,...
- 8/3/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
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