November 2006
The Archives
-
11.09.06HBO’s Hacking Democracy Online at Google Video Jay C | News | (10)I don't know about you guys, but i'm getting a little tired of all of the political documentaries coming out as of late. I've mentioned before, it seems the majority of these films are only carried by their topics, offering no real story, characters or resolutions. I won't even get into the lack of style. To be fair, there have been some good ones, but i'm just getting sick of it. On that note, here's another one for you! HBO Films brings us 'Hacking Democracy'. Here's a quick synopsis from the HBO Documentary website: "This cautionary documentary exposes the vulnerability of ...
-
11.06.06Cocaine Cowboys Producers Embrace Movie Bootlegging Sean | News, Trailers | (4)Despite playing in only 12 theatres so far, Billy Corben's new documentary Cocaine Cowboys seems to have drummed up a fair amount of attention, both critical and otherwise. The movie, described by many as "the real-life Scarface", is a look at the Miami drug scene from the 70's and 80's and includes interviews with journalists, law enforcement officials and actual hitmen and drug traffickers who took part in this $20 billion industry. The film's soundtrack is provided by Jan Hammer, who wrote the theme song for the original Miami Vice. The movie is winning a lot of fans and generating ...
-
11.06.06Errol Morris’ Abu Ghraib Documentary Announced Jay C | News | (1)With Vernon, Florida sitting in my top five films of all time, todays news of Errol Morris' next project has me pretty excited. Even though his style has changed dramatically since his early days, Morris still manages to conduct insightful interviews with amazing people, while still retaining his unique visual style. This past Sunday, Morris' next project was announced during a seminar at the American Film Market. Reuters (via Filmstalker) gives us this: The film will examine the infamous abuse and torture of inmates held as suspected terrorists in the Iraqi prison located 20 miles (32 kilometres) west of Baghdad. ...
-
11.05.06Jonestown: The Life and Death of People’s Temple Jay C | Reviews, The DocBlog Recommends | (7)I’ve always been interested in the story of Jim Jones and his People’s Temple, but I was never really aware of the details beyond the infamous purple kool-aid. Director Stanley Nelson’s ‘Jonestown: The Life and Death of People’s Temple’ is a comprehensive retelling of the whole tragic story, directly from the mouths of the people who were there. Even those familiar with the events leading up to the November 18th, 1978 massacre will get an emotional first-hand perspective from the people who trusted Jones with their faith and their families. Initially, Jim Jones was seen as an innovator, breaking down the ...
-
11.03.06Jesus Camp’s Father Haggard Steps Down After Being Accused of Soliciting a Gay Man for Sex Jay C | News | (4)Well here's an interesting turn of events. Last week there were reports floating around the blogosphere that Ted Haggard, an Evangelical leader featured in Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady's contraversial documentary Jesus Camp had spoken out against the film claiming that it was manipulative in its depcition of himself and his church. (read more about this here)This was later answered with a rebuttal by the filmmakers. On top of that Cinematical (via) reported that Pastor Becky Fischer had announced that she would be closing the doors on her 'Kids on Fire' camp which was profiled in the film. Reports of ...
-
11.03.06Screamers: Genocide Documentary Featuring System of a Down Sean | News | (4)Producer/director Carla Garapedian (Zarmina: Lifting the Veil, Children of the Secret State, Iran Undercover) is taking on another heavy topic with her latest documentary Screamers. The movie examines various genocides from the past century, in particular focusing on the Armenian genocide of 1915 at the hands of the Turks. Movies like this are often powerful and disturbing, but difficult to get out to a wide audience. What may help broaden interest in this movie is the fact that it features the participation of System of a Down, who not only provide music, but also star in the film as well. It ...
