August 2007
The Archives
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08.23.07Spike Spends Saturday With… Jay C | News | (0)I'm a pretty big Spike Jonze fan, and if you're like me, you've probably checked out his 'Directors Label' dvd release featuring a collection of some of his best music videos and short films. Included on the disc were two documentaries; 'Amarillo By Morning' which follows two Texas teens who wish they were rodeo riders; and 'What's Up Fatlip?', a brutally honest and hilarious talk with ex-Pharcyde mc Fatlip. Both were great examples of Jonze's knack of warming up to his subjects and getting them to completely let loose on camera. I'd previously posted about another exmpale of this with ...
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08.22.07Trailer – Deep Water Jay C | News | (2)Having never been in any real peril (not counting getting my wisdom teeth removed last month) I certainly love sitting back and losing myself in a great adventure film, and there's definitely no shortage of documentaries that fit the bill. I was a big fan of Kevin MacDonald's 'Touching the Void', so when I saw that 'Deep Water', IFC Film's upcoming release from directors Louise Osmond and Jerry Rothwell is brought to us by the same producers, I was pretty excited. Here's the synopsis: The stunning true story of the first solo, non-stop, round-the-world boat race, and the psychological toll it ...
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08.21.07Demme’s ‘Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains’ Picked Up By Sony Jay C | News, Tiff | (0)Jonathan Demme's 'The Agronomist' has been sitting in my 'to watch' pile for quite some time now, and I might have forgotten about it for another couple of months if it weren't for this story. It looks like Demme's most recent documentary film, 'Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains', has just been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics. The film follows Carter during the tour for his controversial book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid". I'm not even going to pretend i've read this book, or that I really know anything about Carter beyond the obvious; ex-president, as portrayed by Dan Aykroyd on SNL, ...
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08.21.07Trailer: Martin Scorsese’s ‘Shine a Light’ Jay C | News | (2)'Gimme Shelter' is probably my favourite 'rockumentary' of all time, so when news of Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones films 'Shine a Light' surfaced, I was initially very excited. The idea of a Stone's history lesson as told through Scorsese's lens feels like the perfect match. (Probably due to his over-use of the song 'Gimme Shelter' in so many of his films.) I must admit I was a little disappointed upon hearing that this would actually be a modern day concert film, documenting a Stones performance in the style of Scorsese's own 'The Last Waltz'. Here's my issue with this: Why ...
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08.16.07DVD Review – Air Guitar Nation Jay C | News, Reviews | (5)The ongoing rise in popularity (and bankability) of the documentary has definitely effected the overall direction the format has taken. For some, the documentary evokes memories of high school science class; the quiet fluttering of the 16mm projector and the sighs of boredom. That was then, but in the year 2007…DOCUMENTARIES ROCK! (Possibly the uncoolest statement ever typed in caps.) Gone are the days of the staunch, educationally driven films so commonly associated with non-fiction movie making. Personally, I think there’s always been a fine selection of alternative non-fiction films. The only difference is nowadays there’s more being made and ...
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08.09.07Mr.Untouchable Trailer Jay C | News, Trailers | (0)Here's a trailer for an interesting documentary that seems to play along the lines of the great 'Cocaine Cowboys'. Produced by HDNet Films and directed by Mark Levin, Mr.Untouchable is 'A dramatic account of the rise and fall of Nicky Barnes, a young black kid from the streets of Harlem who went on to become the economy of his community as the biggest heroin distributor in the country.' There doesn't seem to be much information available as the HDNet website lists the film as currently 'In Production', but this trailer has piqued my interest. For me, these types of documentaries ...
