Room 237 Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel The Shining has been confounding for the three decades since its release to mostly lukewarm reviews and sluggish box office. The movie turned off both of its target audiences – Kubrick fans felt that the ghost story was a squandering of the master filmmaker’s talents … Continue reading
LET THE MUSIC PLAY – THE STORY OF THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (2012) Featuring Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons, Tiran Porter, Michael McDonald, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, John McFee, Bruce Cohn, Ted Templeman and Joel Selvin. Written by Barry Ehrmann and Rachel Benson. Directed by Barry Ehrmann. Distributed by Eagle Rock Video. 103 minutes. Not Rated. Few bands … Continue reading
Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin Like The Film’s Subjects, Undefeated Directors Defy Odds and Get An Oscar Nom by Brad Balfour I was glad to have interviewed doc directors Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin – whose film Undefeated cleared nearly all the award hurdles and got into that rarefied place of being a Best Documentary … Continue reading
Wayne White’s Playhouse by Ronald Sklar http://www.popentertainment.com/waynewhite.htm The brilliant creative mind behind Pee Wee’s Playhouse and other cultural landmarks continues to pop our eyes. You may not know him by name, but you know him as that guy behind the scenes responsible for blowing your mind. Wayne White is an artist, art director and puppeteer … Continue reading
Chimpanzee’s Filmmakers Tell A True Tale of Loss and Bonding by Brad Balfour While Marvel’s The Avengers is tentpole cinema’s paean to superhero glory, DisneyNature salutes a different sort of heroics through the true primate story told in Chimpanzee. British directors/producers Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield have fashioned this rousing drama out of three hard … Continue reading
LED ZEPPELIN: CELEBRATION DAY (2012) Starring Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham. Directed by Dick Carruthers. Distributed by Cineplex Entertainment. 124 minutes. Not Rated. As someone who was a bit too young to catch Led Zeppelin in their first go-round, Celebration Day is glorious proof of what a stunning live act that … Continue reading
GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS (2003) Starring Lewis Abernathy, James Cameron, Dr. Lori Johnston, Don Lynch, Ken Marschall, Vince Pace, Bill Paxton, Charles Pellegrino and Tava Smiley. Directed by James Cameron. Distributed by Walt Disney Home Entertainment. 61 minutes. Rated PG. Back during James Cameron’s lost decade plus between filming the most popular film ever (Titanic) and then … Continue reading
PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY (2011) Featuring Damien Wayne Echols, Jason Baldwin, Jessie Miskelly, John Mark Byers, Terry Hobbs, Gary Gitchell, Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky, Eddie Vedder, Johnny Depp and Natalie Maines. Directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky. Distributed by HBO Documentary Films. 121 minutes. Not Rated. If not for the Paradise Lost series of documentaries, no … Continue reading
IT’S ABOUT YOU (2012) Featuring John Mellencamp, T Bone Burnett, Mike Wanchic, Andy York, Miriam Sturm, Dane Clark, Jon E. Gee, Troye Kinnett, Marc Ribot, David Roe, Jay Bellerose, Harry Sandler and Dr. Cornel West. Narrated by Kurt Markus. Narration written by Kurt Markus. Directed by Kurt Markus and Ian Markus. Distributed by MPI Media … Continue reading
EVERYDAY SUNSHINE – THE STORY OF FISHBONE (2011) Featuring Norwood Fisher, Angelo Moore, Kendall Jones, Chris Dowd, “Dirty” Walter A. Kibby II, David Kahne, Keith Morris, Ice-T, Gwen Stefani, Flea, Mike Watt, Branford Marsalis, Tim Robbins, Vernon Reid, Eugene Hutz, Perry Farrell, Les Claypool, Tony Kanal, Bob Forrest and George Clinton. Narrated by Lawrence Fishburne. … Continue reading
