The City Dark, which airs tonight on PBS’s documentary series Pov, is a quiet, reflective, modest movie, but it changed the way I look at the city, the sky, the stars, and night itself. Director Ian Cheney’s premise is simple: For much of the species’ existence, we’ve used the blackness of night to replenish our body’s energy, orient ourselves geographically and psychologically, and develop metaphors that help us understand who we are; but over the last 120 years, the visual din of electric lighting has grown to the point where we can barely see the stars anymore. The damage from this change is still largely unknown but almost certainly devastating. “What do we lose when we lose the dark?” Cheney asks.Cheney gives us a bit of personal backstory about his migration from rural Maine, where he could see the night sky, to Manhattan, where he’s...
- 7/5/2012
- by Matt Zoller Seitz
- Vulture
Pov announced its 2012 season today, celebrating 25 years on PBS with a lineup that includes such acclaimed nonfiction films as "Nostalgia for the Light," "The City Dark" and "Give Up Tomorrow." The award-winning documentary series, which has attracted some ire from filmmakers by moving last year from a Tuesday to a more competitive Thursday night at 10pm slot, will kick off with Jennifer Fox's "My Reincarnation" on June 21st. Here's the line-up, with descriptions courtesy of Pov: June 21: "My Reincarnation" by Jennifer Fox Filmed over 20 years by acclaimed documentarian Jennifer Fox, "My Reincarnation" chronicles the epic story of exiled Tibetan Buddhist master Chögyal Namkhai Norbu and his Western-born son, Yeshi. As Norbu rises as a teacher in the West, Yeshi, recognized from birth as the reincarnation of a famed Buddhist master, breaks away to embrace the modern world. Can the father...
- 3/22/2012
- by Alison Willmore
- Indiewire
Sydney production company Essential Media and Entertainment has won Best Television Series at this year’s international Scinema Awards – a festival celebrating Science through film.
The documentary series – Voyage to the Planets – shows the solar system as a kind of travellers guide to the universe, and was described by the jury as a “visionary production exploring our closest neighbours, from a world leader in innovative and engaging factual filmmaking.”
The production company was among five other Australian winners including Best Short Film and Best Student Film.
Full list of 2011 Scinema winners:
Best Film – The Light Bulb Conspiracy (Spain) Producers: Alexandre Piel and Joan Ubeda, Director: Cosima Dannoritzer. Best Short Film – The Climatedogs (Australia) Producer: Department of Primary Industries, Victoria, Animator: Clem Stamation. Best Television Series – Voyage to the Planets (Australia) Executive Producer: Chris Hilton for Essential Media, Series Producer, Director and Writer: Richard Smith, Producer, Director and Writer: Chris Thorburn,...
The documentary series – Voyage to the Planets – shows the solar system as a kind of travellers guide to the universe, and was described by the jury as a “visionary production exploring our closest neighbours, from a world leader in innovative and engaging factual filmmaking.”
The production company was among five other Australian winners including Best Short Film and Best Student Film.
Full list of 2011 Scinema winners:
Best Film – The Light Bulb Conspiracy (Spain) Producers: Alexandre Piel and Joan Ubeda, Director: Cosima Dannoritzer. Best Short Film – The Climatedogs (Australia) Producer: Department of Primary Industries, Victoria, Animator: Clem Stamation. Best Television Series – Voyage to the Planets (Australia) Executive Producer: Chris Hilton for Essential Media, Series Producer, Director and Writer: Richard Smith, Producer, Director and Writer: Chris Thorburn,...
- 8/9/2011
- by Georgina Pearson
- Encore Magazine
Updated through 6/12.
Let's begin this quick run through goings on in New York and with J Hoberman in the Voice: "Dennis Hopper changed the game with Easy Rider (1969), blew up his career with The Last Movie (1971), and then, through a never clearly explained series of events, took over and reconfigured a Canadian tax-shelter project for which he had been hired to act, thus contriving a dialectical comeback with his brutal, accomplished Out of the Blue (1980)."
"Widely banned and/or shoved under the rug at the time of its limited release primarily due to its violently bonkers ending, the film's alternately herky-jerky and languid cadence is suggestive of a terminally wounded body undergoing a death rattle." Joseph Jon Lanthier in Slant: "This produces a look and feel that communicates the blind rage and ennui out of which punk's jabby power chords and raucous lyrics sprang. But the film's punk apotheosis — the...
Let's begin this quick run through goings on in New York and with J Hoberman in the Voice: "Dennis Hopper changed the game with Easy Rider (1969), blew up his career with The Last Movie (1971), and then, through a never clearly explained series of events, took over and reconfigured a Canadian tax-shelter project for which he had been hired to act, thus contriving a dialectical comeback with his brutal, accomplished Out of the Blue (1980)."
"Widely banned and/or shoved under the rug at the time of its limited release primarily due to its violently bonkers ending, the film's alternately herky-jerky and languid cadence is suggestive of a terminally wounded body undergoing a death rattle." Joseph Jon Lanthier in Slant: "This produces a look and feel that communicates the blind rage and ennui out of which punk's jabby power chords and raucous lyrics sprang. But the film's punk apotheosis — the...
- 6/12/2011
- MUBI
The Independent Film Festival of Boston (IFFBoston) kicks off this Wednesday, and has a number of impressive films in its line-up. The festival will take place at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square, the Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square, the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, and the Stuart Street Playhouse in downtown Boston. The festival, complete with over 110 film screenings, filmmaker Q&A sessions, panel discussions, visiting filmmakers, parties and events will showcase the best in current American and International cinema.
The opening night film of the festival is Being Elmo directed by Constance Marks will open the 9th annual festival on April 27th at the Somerville Theatre. This marks the first time the festival will open with a documentary. The film follows Kevin Clash, from humble upbringings as he follows his dream to become a puppeteer and one day work with his idol, Jim Henson, to the present day...
The opening night film of the festival is Being Elmo directed by Constance Marks will open the 9th annual festival on April 27th at the Somerville Theatre. This marks the first time the festival will open with a documentary. The film follows Kevin Clash, from humble upbringings as he follows his dream to become a puppeteer and one day work with his idol, Jim Henson, to the present day...
- 4/26/2011
- by Kristen Coates
- The Film Stage
The Independent Film Festival of Boston [1] recently released their full line-up and it's a doozy. Sundance favorites such as The Future [2] and Submarine [3] will be there, along with awesome documentaries like Being Elmo [4] (With Elmo In Attendance!!!) and Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times [5]. I'm looking forward to films I wasn't able to catch at Sundance and SXSW, such as the legal documentary Hot Coffee, the heartbreaking How to Die in Oregon, and the new fascinating Conan O'Brien film. Takashi Miike's 13 Assassins [6] also looks like it will rock the house. The full line-up is below. The festival is April 27th through May 4th, and it's one of my favorite movie events of the year. If you live anywhere in New England, I invite you to come and check it out. You can follow IFFBoston on Facebook for updates [7] or buy your passes now [8]! Narrative Features 13 Assassins...
- 3/25/2011
- by David Chen
- Slash Film
I think I can safely say IFC covered the crap out of South by Southwest 2011. Stephen Saito and I reviewed over fifteen films and interviewed over forty filmmakers during our ten days in Austin. That's way more films covered than hours either of us slept. Here now is a complete archive of everything we did: reviews, video interviews, and print interviews. At the bottom, you'll also find mine and Stephen's picks for the five best films at this year's SXSW. Enjoy. I know we did.
Reviews
"Attack the Block," directed by Joe Cornish
"The Beaver," directed by Jodie Foster
"Bellflower," directed by Evan Glodell
"Bridesmaids," directed by Paul Feig
"Convento," directed by Jarred Alterman
"The Fp," directed by The Brothers Trost
"The Greatest Movie Ever Sold," directed by Morgan Spurlock
"Insidious," directed by James Wan
"Last Days Here," directed by Don Argott and Demian Fenton
"The Other F Word," directed by Andrea Blaugrund Nevins
"Paul,...
Reviews
"Attack the Block," directed by Joe Cornish
"The Beaver," directed by Jodie Foster
"Bellflower," directed by Evan Glodell
"Bridesmaids," directed by Paul Feig
"Convento," directed by Jarred Alterman
"The Fp," directed by The Brothers Trost
"The Greatest Movie Ever Sold," directed by Morgan Spurlock
"Insidious," directed by James Wan
"Last Days Here," directed by Don Argott and Demian Fenton
"The Other F Word," directed by Andrea Blaugrund Nevins
"Paul,...
- 3/23/2011
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: I celebrate all levels of trailers and hopefully this column will satisfactorily give you a baseline of what beta wave I’m operating on, because what better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? Some of the best authors will tell you that writing a short story is a lot harder than writing a long one, that you have to weigh every sentence. What better medium to see how this theory plays itself out beyond that than with movie trailers? The City Dark Trailer Ian Cheney may have something. I never considered the idea about living where the stars are obscured by the blitz of big city light rushing upwards,...
- 3/19/2011
- by Christopher Stipp
- Slash Film
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