Trailer for SXSW Doc 'Hawking'

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Can't-Be-Missed Trailer for 'No Place On Earth'

Even this trailer could be called monumental. Documentary has to be seen.






















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'Finding Vivian Maier'

Most street photography is sarcastic, thin, lazy, predatory -- from-the-hip grabs that reflect little consideration for composition or regard for the subject. Vivian Maier's pictures, however, are some of the best I've seen. They capture not only decisive moments but also, clearly, are the work of someone who cared about people.

Here's the trailer for a documentary about her life.





































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New Trailer for 'Room 237'

So compelling. Great reviews. A must-rent -- even if you don't care that much for 'The Shining'.






















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Portrait of Felle Vega by Philip Bloom

tech specs














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The Sea Water Drinkers

Here's a short doc by Philip Bloom.




















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Poster/Trailer for Shakespeare Doc 'Last Will & Testament'

One of these days I'm going to have to look into this. Some call it smoke and mirrors, others say there's real controversy -- both groups stick to their guns, neither gives an inch.

Apparently, this doc is set for theatrical release October 23. Could be a fun rental/TV night.

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Bad School Food vs. 'Cafeteria Man'

Worth a look.

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Poster/Trailer for 'How to Make Money Selling Drugs'

"I mean, look around....this is the environment of post-industrial America. ...Work has gone away. The only factory that remains is the drug trade. And, they're hiring. They're the only people hiring." -- David Simon -- Creator, HBO's 'The Wire'

"In Compton the average income was probably twenty-four thousand dollars a year. (Selling drugs) You make three or four hundred thousand dollars in a day." -- Drug dealer




















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HBO Documentary Looks at Sexual Abuse by the Catholic Church: 'Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God'

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'Camp 14: Total Control Zone' Trailer

A survivor's tale of life in a North Korean concentration camp.



Here's the IMDb write-up:

• Shin Dong-Huyk was born on November 19, 1983 as a political prisoner in a North Korean re-education camp. He was a child of two prisoners who had been married by order of the wardens. He spent his entire childhood and youth in Camp 14, in fact a death camp. He was forced to labor since he was six years old and suffered from hunger, beatings and torture, always at the mercy of the wardens. He knew nothing about the world outside the barbed-wire fences. At the age of 23, with the help of an older prisoner, he managed to escape. For months he traveled through North Korea and China and finally to South Korea, where he encountered a world completely strange to him. Written by Anonymous  

Some accounts of life in Camp 14:

• His tales about life in Camp 14 are absolutely incredible because of the depravity he experienced. The tales of cannibalism due to the extreme hunger the prisoners experienced was probably the most horrifying. Kim Yong’s tales of cannibalism weren’t just limited to Camp 14. He also recalls incidents he was privy to before he was sentenced to Camp 14 about North Koreans digging up graves and eating the dead bodies as well as even murdering others in order to eat them 

and

• [T]he most painful form of torture they used against me was to insert very sharp bamboo needles under my fingernail and push them up the finger to the first knuckle. When the needle goes in, the pain makes your whole body shake.

• I wanted to confess everything but I had nothing to confess! I was lucky. I was only interrogated for three months. For other prisoners the interrogation period can be much longer.

Here's the official site

















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New Poster/Trailer for 'Dreams of a Life'

The documentary may be a pass, but the trailer is must-see.

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'Strong!' aka 'Lift Like a Girl' Cheryl Haworth Doc Directed by Julie Wyman

Simple, clean lines, compelling. Will be in some theaters 7/18.

Watch Lift Like a Girl! on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.

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Must-Watch Trailer for 'Craigslist Joe'

from iTunes

















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Poster/Trailer for 'Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story'

Played Tribeca. Currently playing NY and LA. This from NYT:

• Early in Raymond De Felitta’s documentary of the 1960s-era South, “Booker’s Place: A Mississippi Story,” a couple of tales are quickly told about black men who were shot or beaten for their transgressions against whites: one for inadvertently brushing his mop against a woman’s foot, another for touching someone’s car. The anecdotes lay down the law as it stood shortly before the time Booker Wright, a black waiter, made the fateful decision to explain to a documentary crew for NBC News not only what he served white customers but also how he felt about their varied treatment of him.

• A Film Settles Accounts From the ’60s (April 21, 2012) He was beaten for his brave, conscientious honesty, and his own business (the Booker’s Place of the title) was torched.

From LAT:

• A powerful, personal portrait of history's unfolding and its effect on the future, the documentary "Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story" is in equal measure a look at two families, the ongoing legacy of America's recent past and an essay on one man's moment of transformative courage. Director Raymond De Felitta (his last fiction feature was"City Island") does a noteworthy job of allowing those separate topics to feel distinct and give each equal consideration. 

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Trailer for 'Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry'

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'Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry' Poster

Here's one of Weiwei's works, from his site (no streaming video though).

'Forever'

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Harvey Weinstein Scores Another Pass for 'Bully' -- Kids can get in with a Note From Their Parents

Harvey Weinstein's marketing virtuosity is on full display with 'Bully'. Now, comes the announcement some theaters will allow kids under 17 to see 'Bully' without being accompanied by an adult.

This is doubly noteworthy as TWC will release 'Bully' as an unrated film, which theaters treat as if the movie carried an NC-17 rating, which means no one under 17 is allowed with or without an (accompanying) adult.

From Variety:

Theater chains are taking sides in the "Bully"-rating showdown: Second-largest exhib AMC will allow minors into theaters with parental permission, while No. 3 chain Cinemark says it won't show the unrated pic unless the Weinstein Co. submits an R-rated version. 

AMC is essentially treating "Bully" as an R-rated film, but with one key difference: Under-17 moviegoers need a written note, though it will also accept verbal permission (mom on the other end of a teen's cell phone, for example). Exhib also will provide permission slips on its web site and at the box office.

It'll be interesting to see who blinks re: the Cinemark dictate. Right now, though, the MPAA looks like chumps.

Weinstein is a maestro.

















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Harvey Weinstein Scores Free Ad Space for 'Bully'

'Bully', the most talked about documentary in memory, has scored free ad space from internet sites.

This from the press release:

NEW YORK, March 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The MPAA's decision to give the highly-anticipated documentary film "Bully" (in select theaters March 30, 2012) an R rating sparked a national movement with support from major film stars, legal counsel, students, theater owners, Members of Congress, activists, journalists and corporations. Beginning March 27th, a number of publications will donate prime advertising space to "Bully," lending their valued real estate to the cause. These pro bono advertisements, lasting until April 15th, will exceed 100 million impressions. 

Social Vibe, AOL, Entertainment Weekly, Fandango, HitFix, The Huffington Post, IMDb, Maker Studios, Mediaite, Movie Tickets, MSN, New York Magazine, Rotten Tomatoes, Queerty, SocialTyze, Vulture, and WeeWorld and have all signed on to volunteer advertising space promoting the film and its social action campaign. 

"As the leader in engagement marketing, SocialVibe is proud to provide free media to draw attention to Bully," said Alex Van Camp of SocialVibe. "SocialVibe's engagement model creates a meaningful impact, and we hope that positive actions to stop bullying will result from this film." 

"The outpouring of support for this film is unlike anything I have seen before," said Bladimiar Norman, Senior Vice President of Marketing at The Weinstein Company. "'Bully' and the social action campaign, The Bully Project, are very personal to The Weinstein Company and I am incredibly honored by the generosity of these websites. We faced challenges from the MPAA to restrict the audience of a documentary that has the ability to change lives. These influential sites will help to promote this film simply because they know the urgency of the issue and, like us, they care deeply about the lives impacted by bullying." 

Obviously, the material has struck a nerve. However, you can't help wonder how hot this doc would be if it had eased into a PG-13 rating in the first place.

Way to go Harvey. Hats off. Brilliant campaign.














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Clips from 'Bully' Roll Out

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