Limited Run for MJ's Documentary

Director Kenny Ortega's documentary on the final days of Michael Jackson's life is now set to hit theaters October 28th (two days earlier than previously announced). Sony Pictures announced the change and the surprise two-week limited run right before the weekend. Tickets for those eager to catch the opportunity will be released September 27th.

Titled This is It (after the name of Michael Jackson's planned concert series), the documentary will use select behind-the-scenes footage to detail the legendary singer's final month or so. There is also a rumor that some of the footage will be available in 3-D (which just might make this the first 3-D documentary ever). Ortega took on the role of director after originally working with Jackson as the concert's choreographer.

The choice for a limited release is beyond me, but it's Sony's film and I'm sure they plan to squeeze as much out of the hundreds of hours of footage they have as possible. Head over to the New York Times or US Magazine for a few more details on this documentary.

(It also wouldn't hurt to start praying that this isn't just a money making ploy...)

Stone's Secret History

Legendary director Oliver Stone is known just as well for his successful films (Wall Street, Platoon, Born on the 4th of July) as he is for his failures (W, Nixon, JFK), so it is with great trepidation that I bring news to you of his recently announced documentary series airing on Showtime sometime next year.

Reuters reports that Stone will be producing (and most likely directing) a 10 part documentary series about unknown but influential moments in U.S. history. According to Reuters, "topics for this new [series] will range from the reasons behind the Cold War with the Soviet Union, U.S. President Harry Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan, and changes in America's global role since the fall of Communism."

While this sounds like a potentially fascinating documentary series there are two red flags to be aware of: 1) Oliver Stone has on occasion 'filled in the blanks' of history to create a more interesting story; 2) Showtime, while certainly improving it's original programming, is not close to the level of HBO and I wonder how such a major project fell into their laps.

All that said, I'm still curious to see this series as I'm a firm believer that when Oliver Stone is on his game, he's one of the best directors of his time.

Another Director Leaves Marley

Bad news for Bob Marley enthusiasts, it seems director Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs, Neil Young: Heart of Gold) is parting ways with the upcoming documentary Marley. According to the NY Post, producer Steve Bing was unimpressed with the first round of editing and most likely asked the talented director to leave the project. Demme is the second director to leave Marley after the originally attached Martin Scorsese left due to scheduling conflicts.

Marley is still scheduled for a February 6th release date (the anniversary of the Jamaican musicians birthday), but there now seems to be a huge void in the production team that Bing may have a difficult time replacing. Yes, a documentary on such a renown musician should easily attract top talent, but having two high profile directors leave the project might indicate a lack of artistic expression. Granted, this is all my personal opinion and I'm truly hoping whoever ultimately is attached to the project can live up to the expectations I once had for a Scorsese/Demme film.

Head over to the NY Post to read the whole story.

Gibney's Health Care Bill

As the battle for health care rages throughout the United States, Oscar-Award winning director Alex Gibney has decided to drop in his two cents worth.  No, he's not speaking at a town hall meeting, nor is he introducing a legislative bill.  Instead, he's doing what every filmmaker does when he feels there needs to be a change: he makes a documentary.

Money Driven Medicine is not necessarily a film choosing one side of the health care debate, or the other, but it is the about director's desire to see some sort of change.  Based off award wining journalist, Maggie Mahar's book of the same name, the film uses countless interviews with doctors (not ordinary citizens) to state their case. Gibney told the Chicago Tribune, "We went out and photographed a lot of doctors and, indeed, doctors who had opted out of the system to become spokespeople for a new idea, to say, 'You know what? Our system is not the best in the world.'"

Both Gibney and Mahar have hit the media tour touting the new film (including a recent interview on Nightline), so it is safe to say their film could be released in the near future.  However, the distributor for Money Driven Medicine (Newsreel) seems quite mum on a potential theatrical run at the moment. Let's hope that changes as a health care reform film may be quite topical as the debate rages throughout the country.

Head on over to the film's current website or ABC News for more on Money Driven Medicine.

John Hughes Documentary

So it's gotten to the point that whenever a celebrity dies, I expect a documentary to be made about them.  Sony is putting together a film on Michael Jackson using previously unused footage, Billy Mays suddenly finds himself in a reality TV series and now it seems the late John Hughes is getting the documentary treatment after his recent death.

Canadian based Alliance Films recently purchased the distribution rights for Matt Austin-Sadowski's documentary, Don't You Forget About Me.  The documentary is the actor's (famous for such roles as the Green Power Ranger) quest to seek out the then-reclusive writer- director that inspired him to enter the profession.  Interviews include Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Mia Sara and others- though sadly Hughes' starlet Molly Ringwald refused to participate.

I've yet to find a specific release date for Don't You Forget About Me (which incidentally, is a great 80's song too), but head on over to Variety for more information.  And if you are unsure who John Hughes is, do yourself a favor and rent Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, or Planes, Trains and Automobiles- just three of the many great films he either wrote or directed.

Doc Rock with Your Socks Off

Later this week marks the 30th Anniversary of Woodstock and the first recorded proof of a hippie-stoner actually organizing something. With anniversary events and 'best of' lists coming out left and right this week, we couldn't help but admire Bob Tremblay (from the Daily News Tribune) and his attempt to list the top rock documentaries of all time. And in true "Barry from High Fidelity" fashion, he's listed his top ten in alphabetical order.

Head on over to the Daily News Tribune to read the complete article and Tremblay's justification for his picks then come back here and let us know what your list would include.


side note: does anyone else just love the 'intellectual battles' the gang from High Fidelity waged on screen? Because I sure do.

Chris Rock's Hair Gets a Theatrical Run

The Sundance Film Festival documentaries are finally (emphasis on finally) lining up theatrical runs and the latest one happens to star comedian Chris Rock.  His film, titled Good Hair, is directed by Jeff Stilson and examines hair culture in the black community.

You might think this documentary is a frivolous waste of an audience's time, but investigate Chris Rock's reasons for making this film and you'll see why this could be one of those great documentaries that makes you laugh and think at the same time.  It also helps that it happened to win Special Jury prize in the U.S. documentary category at Sundance.

Good Hair hits a limited amount of theaters in early October.  In the meantime, head over to Punchline Magazine to see a trailer.

18 “documentaries” That Blur the Line

Yesterday, a group of writers from the AV Club wrote an interesting little article on the faux-documentary genre that gets little mention in the public reviews limelight.  Faux-documentaries are those films that either pretend to be real, or use staged events to recreate an event or illicit a response from real people.  Confused? Well you should be, these films travel across so many gray areas it's hard to pin point which are which.

But don't concern yourself with such details, instead focus on this quite interesting list the AV Club has posted.  Though it's not exactly clear if these are the best in the genre, or if there is any ranking order at all, the discussion their article presents is well worth the read.

Head on over the AV Club's website to check out the list and detailed summary.  Feel free to come back here and post your personal favorites list too... who knows, we might be coming up with our own as we speak.

Ken Burns, Ranger Johnson and Woodland Love

Whether it's the history of the Civil War, the biography of a once forgotten boxing legend or a discussion of baseball, one thing is for sure, Ken Burns proves his love for the material by in the length of screen time he gives it. Though his PBS documentaries tend to be a little dry he still manages to remind people that even an 8-hour run time can be surprisingly engaging.

It's no surprise then that Burns' newest series National Parks will undoubtedly shift the nation's focus back to those rural treasures that are all but forgotten in this digital age. The legendary filmmaker began his publicity tour this past weekend and already seems well aware of the effects his documentary may have on the population. Though, in the midst of all the discussion of his personal stories and the lack of funding national parks receive is an interesting look at the popularity of Burns' filmed subjects.

The USA Today recently highlighted the phenomena of documentary filmmakers turning ordinary citizens into national demi-celebrities. In the article, Burns admits that his series (though focusing on the parks, not the people) already has a soon-to-be famous figure in Ranger Shelton Johnson. He claims that Johnson has a boisterous personality that makes 'park talk' engaging. Will it be enough to hold your attention during the entire six part series? Watch the premiere of National Parks on PBS September 27 to find out.

David Lynch Meets Regular People

David Lynch is the director of such absurd/confusing/masterful films as Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway and Blue Velvet. In many's eyes, he is Hollywood's version of T.S. Eliot. But the man known more for confounding audiences now suddenly finds himself producing a project that is as simple and straightforward as interviewing an ordinary citizen.

Well, actually, that is exactly what Interview Project is about, as Lynch sent a small team of filmmakers on the road to interview anyone they come across during their road trip across America. There is no topic, just brief snapshots of individuals. The series is already 21 episodes in and provides audiences with an honest reminder that everyone has a story to tell.

Interview Project is updated regularly with a new interview that lasts less than 5 minutes, but be careful, once you watch one, you'll want to watch them all.