It seems the documentary world took this Thanksgiving week off as there are no new theatrical documentary releases to tell you about. So instead, we're going to highlight the trailer for Oh My God. Directed by Peter Rodgar, this film started its (limited) theatrical run earlier this month, but is actually just gearing up now for a wider release.
Despite it's cheesy, almost mocking title, Oh My God follows Rodgar around as he asks people from all over the world one simple question: what is God? As fascinating as the answers will be though, the stunning visuals appear to be the reason everyone should see this documentary.
But don't take my word for it, head on over to the film's website to watch the trailer, learn a little bit about the film and see when/if it is playing in your hometown.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Various Music Doc news
There seems to be a few bits of news on upcoming music related documentaries, so we decided to just throw them into one news article:
Lil' Wayne a lil' angry over documentary release - Last year the rapper Lil' Wayne allowed a film crew to follow him on his tour, and the result was a documentary that received some praise at Sundance Film Festival this year. Surprisingly though, as the film gears up for distribution, Lil Wayne sued to block it's release, apparently upset that he did not have the final word on edits. A judge ruled in favor of the film, but it's clear tensions still reign. Check out CNN for more on this story.
Beatles Documentary reveals studio sessions - The History Channel will air at 10 PM tonight The Beatles on Record, a film that takes audiences into the process of making the legendary Abbey Road album. Using both studio footage, pictures and even audio, audiences should get a clear and personal view of one of the greatest bands coming together to make one of the greatest albums. Sounds like the recipe for success. Head on over to Wired to read more about this potentially great little film.
Cowell produces Susan Boyle documentary - And so it begins, the singing sensation of last year's Britain's got talent finally has her first CD released and will now be featured in a documentary as well. The film, titled I Dreamed a Dream: the Susan Boyle Story, will be released sometime next month and will probably be hitting DVD shelves soon afterwards to capitalize on the woman's insanely popular vocals. Alas, If you haven't bought her CD yet, you're probably out of luck.
Lil' Wayne a lil' angry over documentary release - Last year the rapper Lil' Wayne allowed a film crew to follow him on his tour, and the result was a documentary that received some praise at Sundance Film Festival this year. Surprisingly though, as the film gears up for distribution, Lil Wayne sued to block it's release, apparently upset that he did not have the final word on edits. A judge ruled in favor of the film, but it's clear tensions still reign. Check out CNN for more on this story.
Beatles Documentary reveals studio sessions - The History Channel will air at 10 PM tonight The Beatles on Record, a film that takes audiences into the process of making the legendary Abbey Road album. Using both studio footage, pictures and even audio, audiences should get a clear and personal view of one of the greatest bands coming together to make one of the greatest albums. Sounds like the recipe for success. Head on over to Wired to read more about this potentially great little film.
Cowell produces Susan Boyle documentary - And so it begins, the singing sensation of last year's Britain's got talent finally has her first CD released and will now be featured in a documentary as well. The film, titled I Dreamed a Dream: the Susan Boyle Story, will be released sometime next month and will probably be hitting DVD shelves soon afterwards to capitalize on the woman's insanely popular vocals. Alas, If you haven't bought her CD yet, you're probably out of luck.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Tea Party Documentary's Hilarious Trailer
Anyone living in the U.S. is aware of the ongoing debates between liberals and conservatives on the numerous issues facing the nation. The most recent grass roots campaign (or at least recent campaign with a large media following) has involved conservatives sparking "tea party" rallies across the country. Because of the coverage they've been getting, it was only a matter of time before a documentary followed these individuals.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your position), someone forgot to tell the filmmakers how to make a film that's both interesting and inviting. For one, the title is called "Tea Party: The Documentary Film"- even the bland Al Gore knew his film's title needed a catchy phrase to hook people in. And secondly (and definitely worse), the trailer for this film truly begs the question: "is this a joke?"
Now, I feel bad criticizing the work people put in to defend their cause, but I have to admit this trailer honestly looks like something a comedy group would make. It is, I believe, serious though. So, with that in mind, I hope there was a little more thought put into the feature then the trailer.
Think I'm exaggerating? Watch the trailer and tell us your thoughts!
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your position), someone forgot to tell the filmmakers how to make a film that's both interesting and inviting. For one, the title is called "Tea Party: The Documentary Film"- even the bland Al Gore knew his film's title needed a catchy phrase to hook people in. And secondly (and definitely worse), the trailer for this film truly begs the question: "is this a joke?"
Now, I feel bad criticizing the work people put in to defend their cause, but I have to admit this trailer honestly looks like something a comedy group would make. It is, I believe, serious though. So, with that in mind, I hope there was a little more thought put into the feature then the trailer.
Think I'm exaggerating? Watch the trailer and tell us your thoughts!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Oscar Short List Creates Controversy
This website has been on record multiple times complaining about past Academy Award snubs for our beloved documentaries, but it seems this is the year the 'scandal' surrounding the 'best documentary' feature has reached fever pitch in the entertainment world.
After the Academy announced this year's short list of 15 documentaries up for best feature, countless irate articles have been written. And the rage isn't limited to the blogs as the New York Times, LA Times and Entertainment Weekly have all posted articles expressing the opinions of the upset masses.
With no real star power on hand (i.e. nominated) to quell the rage, it will be interesting to see how this anger proceeds. Tyson director James Toback in particular seems to be leading the muckraking, while Michael Moore and the creators behind It Might Get Loud, Good Hair and Anvil are all making more guarded reactions to the way nominations play out.
Will this die out like past complaints about the documentary selection process, or will we see a change in the system? I personally hope for the latter, because it's hard for anyone to take the documentary genre seriously when its best works are being ignored by major award shows.
Read the articles from the NY Times, LA Times and Entertainment Weekly and then post your thoughts below!
After the Academy announced this year's short list of 15 documentaries up for best feature, countless irate articles have been written. And the rage isn't limited to the blogs as the New York Times, LA Times and Entertainment Weekly have all posted articles expressing the opinions of the upset masses.
With no real star power on hand (i.e. nominated) to quell the rage, it will be interesting to see how this anger proceeds. Tyson director James Toback in particular seems to be leading the muckraking, while Michael Moore and the creators behind It Might Get Loud, Good Hair and Anvil are all making more guarded reactions to the way nominations play out.
Will this die out like past complaints about the documentary selection process, or will we see a change in the system? I personally hope for the latter, because it's hard for anyone to take the documentary genre seriously when its best works are being ignored by major award shows.
Read the articles from the NY Times, LA Times and Entertainment Weekly and then post your thoughts below!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Theatrical Releases
Every Friday we update you all with the week's theatrical documentary releases. Now, this is not a perfect process as our beloved genre prefers the rolling/limited release schedule instead of a big nationwide or international-wide release. So apologies if a film isn't out in your area, or if you are a filmmaker and we missed the boat on announcing your documentary's big day (if that is the case, please let us know and we'll correct the mistake).
Now, with that introduction out of the way, here's this weekend's releases with their current rating on the amazing website Rottentomatoes.com:
Defamation - (100% rating) What is anti-Semitism today, two generations after the Holocaust? In his continuing exploration of modern Israeli life, director Yoav Shamir travels the world in search of the most modern manifestations of the “oldest hatred", and comes up with some startling answers. The film questions our perceptions and terminology when an event proclaimed by some as anti-Semitic is described by others as legitimate criticism of Israel’s government policies. The film walks along the boundary between anti-Zionism, rejecting the notion of a Jewish State, and anti-Semitism, rejecting Jews. Is the former being used to excuse the latter? And is there a difference between today’s anti-Semitism and plain old racism that is affecting all minorities? (Rottentomatoes.com)
Now, with that introduction out of the way, here's this weekend's releases with their current rating on the amazing website Rottentomatoes.com:
Defamation - (100% rating) What is anti-Semitism today, two generations after the Holocaust? In his continuing exploration of modern Israeli life, director Yoav Shamir travels the world in search of the most modern manifestations of the “oldest hatred", and comes up with some startling answers. The film questions our perceptions and terminology when an event proclaimed by some as anti-Semitic is described by others as legitimate criticism of Israel’s government policies. The film walks along the boundary between anti-Zionism, rejecting the notion of a Jewish State, and anti-Semitism, rejecting Jews. Is the former being used to excuse the latter? And is there a difference between today’s anti-Semitism and plain old racism that is affecting all minorities? (Rottentomatoes.com)
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Oscar 'Short List' Unveiled
The Academy Awards recently announced their list of 15 films in the Documentary Feature category. This list will be presented to the entire Academy which will then vote and narrow the selections down to the handful receiving an official 'nomination' to the awards show in March.
The list:
“The Beaches of Agnes,” Agnès Varda, director (Cine-Tamaris)
“Burma VJ,” Anders Østergaard, director (Magic Hour Films)
“The Cove,” Louie Psihoyos, director (Oceanic Preservation Society)
“Every Little Step,” James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo, directors (Endgame Entertainment)
“Facing Ali,” Pete McCormack, director (Network Films Inc.)
“Food, Inc.,” Robert Kenner, director (Robert Kenner Films)
“Garbage Dreams,” Mai Iskander, director (Iskander Films, Inc.)
“Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders,” Mark N. Hopkins, director (Red Floor Pictures LLC)
“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers,” Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, directors (Kovno Communications)
“Mugabe and the White African,” Andrew Thompson and Lucy Bailey, directors (Arturi Films Limited)
“Sergio,” Greg Barker, director (Passion Pictures and Silverbridge Productions)
“Soundtrack for a Revolution,” Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman, directors (Freedom Song Productions)
“Under Our Skin,” Andy Abrahams Wilson, director (Open Eye Pictures)
“Valentino The Last Emperor,” Matt Tyrnauer, director (Acolyte Films)
“Which Way Home,” Rebecca Cammisa, director (Mr. Mudd)
As stated in the past, the documentary film category is notorious for snubbing some excellent films in the process of selecting a winner and this year is no different. Four films come to mind in this year's controversy with Tyson, It Might Get Loud, Anvil: the Story of Anvil and (the biggest shocker) Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story all failing to make the list. Though few consider any of these films worthy of actually winning, it's surprising the committee would leave off some of the genre's biggest names. And with last year's winner Man on Wire generating so much positive buzz outside the normal documentary circles, one wonders if this year will be a major setback.
What are your thoughts? Post them below!
The list:
“The Beaches of Agnes,” Agnès Varda, director (Cine-Tamaris)
“Burma VJ,” Anders Østergaard, director (Magic Hour Films)
“The Cove,” Louie Psihoyos, director (Oceanic Preservation Society)
“Every Little Step,” James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo, directors (Endgame Entertainment)
“Facing Ali,” Pete McCormack, director (Network Films Inc.)
“Food, Inc.,” Robert Kenner, director (Robert Kenner Films)
“Garbage Dreams,” Mai Iskander, director (Iskander Films, Inc.)
“Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders,” Mark N. Hopkins, director (Red Floor Pictures LLC)
“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers,” Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, directors (Kovno Communications)
“Mugabe and the White African,” Andrew Thompson and Lucy Bailey, directors (Arturi Films Limited)
“Sergio,” Greg Barker, director (Passion Pictures and Silverbridge Productions)
“Soundtrack for a Revolution,” Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman, directors (Freedom Song Productions)
“Under Our Skin,” Andy Abrahams Wilson, director (Open Eye Pictures)
“Valentino The Last Emperor,” Matt Tyrnauer, director (Acolyte Films)
“Which Way Home,” Rebecca Cammisa, director (Mr. Mudd)
As stated in the past, the documentary film category is notorious for snubbing some excellent films in the process of selecting a winner and this year is no different. Four films come to mind in this year's controversy with Tyson, It Might Get Loud, Anvil: the Story of Anvil and (the biggest shocker) Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story all failing to make the list. Though few consider any of these films worthy of actually winning, it's surprising the committee would leave off some of the genre's biggest names. And with last year's winner Man on Wire generating so much positive buzz outside the normal documentary circles, one wonders if this year will be a major setback.
What are your thoughts? Post them below!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Theatrical Releases
Every Friday we will update you all with the week's theatrical documentary releases. Now, this will not be a perfect process as our beloved genre prefers the limited release schedule instead of a big nationwide or international-wide release. So apologies if a film isn't out in your area, or if you are a filmmaker and we missed the boat on announcing your documentary's big day (if that is the case, please let us know as we try to refine and hone this weekly post).
Now, with that introduction out of the way, here's this weekend's releases with their current rating on the amazing website Rottentomatoes.com:
The End of Poverty? - (50% rating) Global poverty did not just happen. It began with military conquest, slavery and colonization that resulted in the seizure of land, minerals and forced labor. Today, the problem persists because of unfair debt, trade and tax policies -- in other words, wealthy countries taking advantage of poor, developing countries. Narrated by Martin Sheen and directed by Philippe Diaz, The End of Poverty? explains how today's financial crisis is a direct consequence of these unchallenged policies that have lasted centuries. Consider that 20% of the planet's population uses 80% of its resources and consumes 30% more than the planet can regenerate. At this rate, to maintain our lifestyle means more and more people will sink below the poverty line. Can we really end poverty within our current economic system? Think again. (Rottentomatoes.com)
Four Seasons Lodge - (70% rating) New York Times journalist Andrew Jacobs directs this documentary about a summer colony of Holocaust survivors. Partially shot by legendary documentarian Albert Maysles, Four Seasons Lodge looks at the last time these people gather together to discuss their past and present, revealing moments of both sadness and humor. The decision to close the community evokes a variety of emotions from its longtime seasonal residents, but their shared history unites them even as they disagree about the lodge’s future. (Rottentomatoes.com)
The Good Soldier- (78% rating) The Good Soldier follows the journeys of five combat veterans from different generations of American wars as they sign up, go into battle, and eventually change their minds about what it means to be a good soldier. The Good Soldier reveals how soldiers simultaneously grapple with their duty and their own humanity. The veterans tell of their alien surroundings, their connection to their comrades, and the ghastliness of their reality. (Rottentomatoes.com)
The Hand of Fatima - (no rating available) A double portrait of a rock critic and his favorite band. Robert Palmer was America’s pre-eminent music writer, best known for his book Deep Blues and his work for the NY Times. The Master Musicians of Jajouka are a hereditary Moroccan brotherhood who play music older than history, but have also jammed with Ornette Coleman and Sonic Youth. Using Robert Palmer’s writing about the band as her guide, Palmer’s daughter Augusta set out for Morocco in 2005 hoping to find out what happened when her father first met the Master Musicians of Jajouka on assignment for Rolling Stone in 1971. (Rottentomatoes.com)
Oh My God - (0 % rating) Hugh Jackman, Ringo Starr, Seal, and a number of other celebrities and regular people offer their views on God in this documentary. Oh My God features opinions from people of a variety of religious persuasions, including atheists, Muslims, Hindus, and Christians. Director Peter Rodger traveled to almost two dozen countries in his quest to discover what people around the world think about God in all his or her forms. (Rottentomatoes.com)
Ten9Eight Shoot for the Moon - (33% rating) This is the compelling question behind award-winning filmmaker Mary Mazzio’s newest project Ten9Eight, a thought provoking film which tells the inspirational stories of several inner city teens (of differing race, religion and ethnicity) from Harlem to Compton and all points in between, as they compete in an annual business plan competition run by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). (Rottentomatoes.com)
William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe - (75% rating) The late civil rights attorney William Kunstler was one of the most famous and controversial lawyers of the 20th century. He represented civil rights and anti-war activists, as well as accused terrorists and murders. In William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, filmmakers Emily and Sarah Kunstler explore their father's life, from middle-class family man, to movement lawyer, to the most hated lawyer in America. (Rottentomatoes.com)
Now, with that introduction out of the way, here's this weekend's releases with their current rating on the amazing website Rottentomatoes.com:
The End of Poverty? - (50% rating) Global poverty did not just happen. It began with military conquest, slavery and colonization that resulted in the seizure of land, minerals and forced labor. Today, the problem persists because of unfair debt, trade and tax policies -- in other words, wealthy countries taking advantage of poor, developing countries. Narrated by Martin Sheen and directed by Philippe Diaz, The End of Poverty? explains how today's financial crisis is a direct consequence of these unchallenged policies that have lasted centuries. Consider that 20% of the planet's population uses 80% of its resources and consumes 30% more than the planet can regenerate. At this rate, to maintain our lifestyle means more and more people will sink below the poverty line. Can we really end poverty within our current economic system? Think again. (Rottentomatoes.com)
Four Seasons Lodge - (70% rating) New York Times journalist Andrew Jacobs directs this documentary about a summer colony of Holocaust survivors. Partially shot by legendary documentarian Albert Maysles, Four Seasons Lodge looks at the last time these people gather together to discuss their past and present, revealing moments of both sadness and humor. The decision to close the community evokes a variety of emotions from its longtime seasonal residents, but their shared history unites them even as they disagree about the lodge’s future. (Rottentomatoes.com)
The Good Soldier- (78% rating) The Good Soldier follows the journeys of five combat veterans from different generations of American wars as they sign up, go into battle, and eventually change their minds about what it means to be a good soldier. The Good Soldier reveals how soldiers simultaneously grapple with their duty and their own humanity. The veterans tell of their alien surroundings, their connection to their comrades, and the ghastliness of their reality. (Rottentomatoes.com)
The Hand of Fatima - (no rating available) A double portrait of a rock critic and his favorite band. Robert Palmer was America’s pre-eminent music writer, best known for his book Deep Blues and his work for the NY Times. The Master Musicians of Jajouka are a hereditary Moroccan brotherhood who play music older than history, but have also jammed with Ornette Coleman and Sonic Youth. Using Robert Palmer’s writing about the band as her guide, Palmer’s daughter Augusta set out for Morocco in 2005 hoping to find out what happened when her father first met the Master Musicians of Jajouka on assignment for Rolling Stone in 1971. (Rottentomatoes.com)
Oh My God - (0 % rating) Hugh Jackman, Ringo Starr, Seal, and a number of other celebrities and regular people offer their views on God in this documentary. Oh My God features opinions from people of a variety of religious persuasions, including atheists, Muslims, Hindus, and Christians. Director Peter Rodger traveled to almost two dozen countries in his quest to discover what people around the world think about God in all his or her forms. (Rottentomatoes.com)
Ten9Eight Shoot for the Moon - (33% rating) This is the compelling question behind award-winning filmmaker Mary Mazzio’s newest project Ten9Eight, a thought provoking film which tells the inspirational stories of several inner city teens (of differing race, religion and ethnicity) from Harlem to Compton and all points in between, as they compete in an annual business plan competition run by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). (Rottentomatoes.com)
William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe - (75% rating) The late civil rights attorney William Kunstler was one of the most famous and controversial lawyers of the 20th century. He represented civil rights and anti-war activists, as well as accused terrorists and murders. In William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, filmmakers Emily and Sarah Kunstler explore their father's life, from middle-class family man, to movement lawyer, to the most hated lawyer in America. (Rottentomatoes.com)
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