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Doc Talk: Why We Need Documentary Film Festivals

By Christopher Campbell (Subscribe to Christopher Campbell's posts), Posted Nov 3rd 2010 8:02PM
Filed under: Documentaries, Columns, Cinematical, Festivals


While busy getting excited and prepared for this week's inauguration of the brand new Doc NYC festival of documentary storytelling (for which I will serve as a juror -- see my preview and highlights here), I was reminded that the Cinematical-favored Big Apple Film Festival is also going on at the same time. Fortunately there's not a lot of conflict for the strict doc fan -- I think Big Apple has one or two docs this year -- and those of us who love both fiction and non-fiction are only troubled by the fact that we have even more terrific films available to us already-spoiled New York cinephiles. Boo hoo. Privileged First World urbanite moviegoer problems, right?

Meanwhile, as an ever-increasing documentary nut, I still can't help but feel I'm sort of missing out by only being one person, because other major documentary film festivals are also happening this week (doc maker/blogger AJ Schnack also recognizes that this is one of the busiest weeks of the year for the form), including the Sheffield International Documentary Festival (aka Sheffield Doc/Fest) in the UK, running from Nov. 3rd through 7th, and the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival (aka CPH:DOX), from Nov. 4th through 14th. Oh well, can't attend them all. And anyway, even though Doc NYC feels relatively small in its first year, it is jam packed with so much appealing and necessary films that really I wish I was multiple people for this event alone.
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Seven Films to Watch at the 1st Annual DOC NYC Documentary Film Festival

By Christopher Campbell (Subscribe to Christopher Campbell's posts), Posted Nov 3rd 2010 9:50AM
Filed under: Documentaries, Cinematical, Festivals


A brand new film festival begins in New York City tonight specifically focused on documentary storytelling. It's called DOC NYC and it's partly the brainchild of Thom Powers, programmer of the increasingly impressive documentary sections of the Toronto International Film Festival and host of the awesome weekly doc series Stranger Than Fiction at Manhattan's IFC Center. Happening now through November 9, the inaugural event will screen around twenty new non-fiction films in and out of competition, as well as select retrospective titles by Werner Herzog and Errol Morris, both of whose latest works are showcased with gala screenings. Veteran documentarian and film historian Kevin Brownlow, who will receive an honorary Academy Award this fall, is also being celebrated through screenings of his work.

DOC NYC will present a number of world premieres, including Thom Zimny's new Bruce Springsteen concert film 'Darkness at the Edge of Town,' the recently Gotham Award-nominated 'Kati with an i' and most of the entries competing in the fest's Metropolis section, which spotlights documentaries set in and/or about New York City. I will be representing Moviefone as a juror for the other, broader DOC NYC competition, called Viewfinder, so I can't say too much about the titles in that section (except maybe that they include highly acclaimed and award-winning docs like 'Armadillo' and 'Windfall'). But I have seen nearly all of the Metropolis films and some of the other selections and can recommend seven personal highlights after the jump.
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'Casino Jack' Poster for George Hickenlooper's Final Film (Exclusive)

By Christopher Campbell (Subscribe to Christopher Campbell's posts), Posted Nov 2nd 2010 2:20PM
Filed under: Cinematical


Fairly appropriate for Election Day, and sadly as we mourn the film's director, George Hickenlooper, we present you with the official poster for the political comedy 'Casino Jack.' The one-sheet features Kevin Spacey, who stars as corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff, front and center amidst a red-white-and-blue-themed design. Also showcased are co-stars Kelly Preston, Barry Pepper (as Mike Scalon, coupled with another glimpse at Spacey) and Jon Lovitz, who looks quite miserable in a neck brace. Hickenlooper, who died suddenly this past Saturday, gets proper recognition for what is unfortunately his final film. His name is very prominently and largely printed in two separate spots.

With 'Casino Jack' Hickenlooper dramatizes the true story of the Abramoff scandal in a way that's surprisingly balanced and fun, according to Scott Weinberg's review from the Toronto International Film Festival, where the movie premiered in September. You'll "have a ball watching Kevin Spacey and Barry Pepper sleazing their way through Norman Snider's quick, concise, witty screenplay," he writes before also acknowledging that Hickenlooper's experience as a documentary filmmaker ('Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse,' 'Mayor of the Sunset Strip') seems to have been a factor in how objective his approach is with this film's subject matter.
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Watch Terry Gilliam's Short Film 'The Legend of Hallowdega'

By Christopher Campbell (Subscribe to Christopher Campbell's posts), Posted Nov 1st 2010 2:21PM
Filed under: Video, Horror, Cinematical


As Terry Gilliam fans patiently wait to see if his long-suffering 'The Man Who Killed Don Quixote' finally makes its way to theaters, the former Monty Python member and 'Brazil' helmer has a new short film to tide us over in the meantime. It's a Halloween-themed mockumentary titled 'The Legend of Hallowdega' produced as an accompaniment to yesterday's AMP Energy Juice 500 race at the Talladega Superspeedway. AMP also sponsored the 18-minute short, which was written by 'Daily Show' alum Aaron Bergeron and features cameo mock-interviews with NASCAR drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Darrell Waltrip.

The main stars, though, are actors David Arquette and Justin Kirk (TV's 'Weeds'), the latter of whom plays Justin Thyme, the host of an 'Unsolved Mysteries' type program presently covering a supposed haunted racetrack. Are ghosts causing wrecks? Is the track cursed? Built on an Indian burial ground? Entering the scene is the loony and unreliable paranormal expert Kiyash Monsef (Arquette), who's basically your typical Gilliam wacko running around a room too quick for the cameras to adequately capture just what he's up to (think Justin Goines, Parry, maybe a little Raoul Duke).

Check out the mildly amusing short after the jump. You can also watch behind the scenes videos, including clips of the actors, crew and Waltrip sharing Halloween memories and ghost stories at the film's official website.
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Could a Ric O'Barry Biopic Depreciate "The Cove"?

By Christopher Campbell (Subscribe to Christopher Campbell's posts), Posted Oct 30th 2010 11:15AM
Filed under: Documentaries, Movie News, Cinematical


Activist Ric O'Barry has been crusading against dolphin captivity for more than forty years, but it was the Oscar-winning documentary 'The Cove' that really put him and his cause in the public eye. The 2009 film depicts a mission in which O'Barry and a team of fellow preservationists went to Japan to capture footage of dolphin slaughter and raise general awareness of an illegal fishing operation in Taiji, Wakayama. Since then he has also had a mini-series on Animal Planet in which he returned to the titular Taiji cove and also exposed a similar dolphin trade in the Solomon Islands. Now according to Deadline, the former trainer and actor will get to have his whole life unveiled on the big screen in a biopic from 'Poseidon' producers Mike Fleiss and Chris Briggs along with Ric's son, Lincoln O'Barry, who produced and directed that Animal Planet series.

Is such a film necessary? And will it depreciate the value of 'The Cove'?
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Is This the Year a Documentary is Nominated for Best Picture?

By Christopher Campbell (Subscribe to Christopher Campbell's posts), Posted Oct 28th 2010 1:05PM
Filed under: Documentaries, Oscar News, Cinematical


Now that the Academy nominates ten movies for Best Picture instead of five there is a greater potential scope for the kinds of films selected for contention. Last year showed us there's suddenly better chances for acclaimed genre flicks, particularly sci-fi, as well as popular animated features and quirky comedies few people have seen. What else is deserving that wouldn't have made the cut with just five nominees? Will there be room this year for a vampire flick, whether a well-reviewed remake or hot 'Twilight' sequel? Probably not. Maybe a foreign film? Perhaps. How about a documentary? The outlooks seems good on that one.

IndieWIRE's Peter Knegt proposes this could indeed be non-fiction's year for a shot at the top Oscar. Given our prior consideration that 2010 is the best year for documentary ever, we agree. The only problem, since there have been so many great films, would be choosing a single title to represent docs in the Best Picture category. Knegt says it will have to be something that's a cultural phenomenon more than just an acclaimed doc. And the closest thing to that (discounting 'Jackass 3-D') is Davis Guggenheim's 'Waiting for "Superman."'
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Doc Talk: How Involved Should Doc Filmmakers Be with Their Subjects?

By Christopher Campbell (Subscribe to Christopher Campbell's posts), Posted Oct 27th 2010 7:10PM
Filed under: Documentaries, Columns, Cinematical


Pick the worse situation: a documentary filmmaker keeps the camera rolling as a teenage girl is beaten by her father; a documentary filmmaker intervenes in the above situation, befriends the girl, pays her a cut of the film's profits and ultimately helps her get a job or into college. There are many other possibilities found in the spectrum of doc ethics that fall between these two extremes, but I think every non-fiction film fan should have a basic preference for one or the other. Either you're someone who thinks docs should be primarily objective and not interfere at any point (save for life-threatening violence) or you're someone who thinks documentarians should be life savers whenever possible.

I got in a debate recently with someone who thinks the former situation (seen in 'Last Train Home') is totally unethical. She thinks most people agree with her on that as well as her belief that documentary filmmakers should become more involved with their subjects and provide for their welfare if necessary and doable. Maybe you are one of those people who think this is true. I've often written about my dislike for 'Born Into Brothels,' with its onscreen fundraising that seems more self-serving than selfless charity, and I just as much hate the mere charity aspect of the film. Filmmakers can reveal and even advocate, but they shouldn't attempt to do the rescuing themselves.
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