Results tagged “Documentary”

Luciano Pavarotti was one of the best opera singers to have lived, and his memory will live on forever in the music he sang. But, like all other beloved figures, there’s more to him than what is seen in the public atmosphere. If you’re expecting Ron Howard to simply give viewers a glimpse into the life of the late tenor and how he rose to fame, Pavarotti will not disappoint. It’s insightful and is especially a good starting point for those unfamiliar with Pavarotti’s music. But for those who are lifelong fans - or even those who are simply aware

Press release: Fathom Events will bring beloved entertainer Luciano Pavarotti’s story to movie theaters across the country on June 4 with a screening event designed to bring the life and performances of one of the great operatic voices to the masses. This exclusive screening will give audiences the first chance to experience the new documentary film “Pavarotti.” From his earliest beginnings to the very last days of his life, the Ron Howard-directed film follows the renowned singer over the course of his prolific career, revealing previously unknown details about the legendary tenor; and harnessing the incredible sounds and music from

I love true crime. I listen to true-crime podcasts. I will watch true-crime television shows. And I absolutely love documentaries about true crime. So of course, I was excited when I was offered the chance to review a 6-1/2 hour investigative documentary series on serial killers. While Becoming Evil:Serial Killers covers a lot different serial killers, some more notorious than others, this academic series has a lot of challenges. From the beginning, Becoming Evil feels dated as if the series was over a decade or so old. However, this is a new series released this week. And while it is

Workaholic anime legend Hayao Miyazaki has “retired” so many times after completing difficult films that each announcement is met with a great deal of public bemusement. However, after the completion of his last feature film in 2013, The Wind Rises, and the virtual shuttering of his Studio Ghibli production offices, it appeared like his retirement might have a better-than-average chance of success. This documentary opens in that fallow period after his latest retirement, as he whiles away his days puttering around his house and bemoaning his increasing age. It’s an odd choice of timeframe for a documentary, until Miyazaki suddenly

Press release: A three-time Academy Award nominee, Ohio-based filmmaker Julia Reichert has dedicated her career to capturing stories that explore class, gender, and race in America. In honor of nearly five decades in filmmaking, a touring retrospective, organized by the Wexner Center for the Arts, will celebrate one of the most distinguished bodies of work in American independent film and one of our most accomplished documentarians. The series will showcase all of Reichert’s feature documentaries, beginning with Growing Up Female (made with Jim Klein in 1971), considered the first feature documentary of the modern women’s movement—and a recent addition to

The Toys That Made Us is a Netflix documentary series that looks at the histories of famous toy lines. The seasons are short, running only four episodes each. The first covers Star Wars, Barbie, He-Man, and G.I. Joe, which all debuted on the streaming service on December 22, 2017. The second covers Star Trek, Transformers, LEGO, and Hello Kitty, which all debuted on May 25, 2018. The episodes tell compelling stories about those involved in the toy's creation and the cultural impact they had. The “Star Wars” episode opens with a historical re-enactment, which had me concerned we were going

Director Alexander Monelli originally intended the documentary At the Drive In to focus on the near-extinct drive-in movie theatre industry in the U.S. After meeting the crew at Mahoning Drive-In in Lehighton, Pennsylvania, he discovered that the Mahoning’s story offered enough material for a film on its own. We meet Jeff Mattox, the drive-in’s manager and projectionist, who has worked in the theatre-exhibition industry for most of his life, during the fim's first scene, as he opens up the concession stand/projection room. He still runs 35mm prints on a behemoth, analog projector, since he can’t afford the industry-mandated $50,000 digital

One of the things about animal/nature documentaries is that a lot of them aim to be overly cutesy in their narration and stylistic approach as a way to keep the attention of the young ones. Disney’s Born in China did that quite a bit in 2017, and, while it was cute and gorgeous in its imagery, the narration came across as pandering to only a certain demographic and not being informational enough for everyone else. IMAX’s Pandas kind of does that, but it’s not as cloying and off-putting. In the 40 minutes we get to witness the pandas in action,

There are 8,000 miles in New York City; miles that we all know, or have seen in movies and TV. But, what do we really know, especially about the unknown miles that remain usually ignored in this greatest of cities. That's what Matt Green discovers in Jeremy Workman's endearing 2018 documentary, The World Before Your Feet, which not only shows how beautiful New York City really is, but also how our curiosity can sometimes lead us to big and interesting adventures. This doc depicts Matt Green, an enigmatic modern-day Thoreau who goes on a five-borough journey from the many barbershops

For over a decade, ShortsTV has proudly brought the Oscar-nominated Short Films to audiences across the globe. This exclusive release features the year’s most spectacular short films and for a limited time is available to watch on the big screen. Each nominee is released in one of three distinct feature-length compilations according to their category of nomination: Live Action, Animation or Documentary. The films go into theaters around the world on February 8 and are not released anywhere else until a few days before the Oscars, when they are also made available February 19 via on demand platforms, including iTunes,

The documentary Untouchable, which depicts the rise and fall of former movie producing mogul Harvey Weinstein, doesn’t tell us any information about him we don’t already know at this point. But what it does do is give us an idea of how monstrous he truly is. The interview subjects that have been subjected to his sexual misconduct describe the severity of his behavior and it becomes quite harrowing to watch. Granted, Untouchable was never meant to be an easy pill to swallow. But still. It’s discomforting seeing these unfortunate women relive their trauma at the hands of a man with

Cinema Sentries has teamed up with Shout! Factory and K2 Communications to award one lucky reader Aircraft Carrier: Guardians of the Seas on a 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Combo Pack, which will be available on February 5 For those wanting to learn more, read the press release is below: On February 5, 2019 Shout! Factory will release the exhilarating ultra high-definition film IMAX Aircraft Carrier: Guardian Of The Seas in a 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital copy set, loaded with several bonus features. The mission to protect and defend the world’s oceans has become more complex and challenging

Just when it seems like books and documentaries have thoroughly covered the history of rock ’n’ roll, along comes a film that reveals a rarely told story: the influence of Native Americans on the genre. From Link Wray to the Black Eyed Peas’ Taboo, Native Americans have impacted rock rhythmically, vocally, thematically, and culturally. Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World explores rock’s Native American roots through interviews and archival footage, demonstrating how the blues, jazz, and rock all owe a debt to Indian rhythms and vocal style. The documentary borrows its title from Wray’s seminal 1958 song “Rumble,” with

Eighty-nine-year-old Yayoi Kusama is currently the top-selling artist in the world, but her path to success has not been a smooth one. Magnolia Home Entertainment's Kusama: Infinity follows the artist's career, from her childhood in Japan to her present reign as the popular artist of Infinity Mirrored Rooms and so much more. Kusama was born in 1929 in Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan. Through use of family photos and quotes from the artist, the film traces Yayoi's difficult childhood, where her physically abusive mother discouraged her artistic talent (to the point of tearing up her drawings) and prodded her daughter to spy

Taking old black and white footage and adding color to it is nothing particularly new. Some documentaries have already done so to footage from World War II and other historical events, making it appear as it was mostly seen through the eyes of those that experienced it. Peter Jackson’s latest effort, They Shall Not Grow Old, does the same thing for World War I but to a much different, more gut-wrenching effect than any other documentary on the subject. The war footage used is 100 years old, meaning that the frame rate makes it look like each individual person is

Kino Lorber presents The Doctor from India, a documentary film by Jeremy Frindel that explores the life and career of Dr. Vasant Lad, the doctor who first brought Ayurveda and Ayurvedic medicine to the United States. The film combines interviews, animation, playful stock footage, and archival footage to tell Dr. Lad's story. The Doctor from India also includes interviews with Usha Lad, Deepak Chopra, Robert Svoboda, Dr. David Frawley, Claudia Welch, and Len Blank. Ayurveda is an ancient form of medicine from India that is said to have been created when Dhanvantari, the Hindu god of Ayurveda, decided to incarnate

Movie studios kept a close watch on their actors’ private lives in the 1940s to the 1970s. It was important at that time for stars to have a wholesome image. That wholesomeness meant gay actors and actresses had to stay in the closest. Even heterosexual thespians had to project a squeaky-clean image, even if it was contrary to their real, off-screen lives. Scott Tyrnauer’s Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood explores the wild life of Scotty Bowers, a 95-year-old author and former Hollywood pimp to the stars.(Tyrnauer’s previous documentaries include Valentino: The Last Emperor and Studio 54). Bowers wrote

While many argue about the subjective success of a movie, there is one indisputable objective marker of a movie's success and that is whether it has recovered its cost. Regardless of the former, those who have repeatedly accomplished the latter make careers for themselves in the business and deserve respect. Documentarian Steve Mitchell pays that respect to Larry Cohen and his interesting filmography with King Cohen, which La-La Land Entertainment is releasing in a Limited Edition set of 5,000 that includes the film on Blu-ray accompanied by its soundtrack by Joe Kraemer on CD. Mitchell tells Cohen's story through an

Press release: Fathom Events has partnered with Warner Bros. Pictures to bring Academy Award winner Peter Jackson’s poignant WWI documentary They Shall Not Grow Old to movie theaters across the U.S. on Monday, December 17, with an encore presentation on Thursday, December 27. The film is presented in 2D and RealD™ 3D, and tickets go on sale on Friday, November 16, at www.FathomEvents.com and participating theater box offices. Jackson recorded a special introduction to the film—which he has called his most personal—offering his perspective on why the film is important for audiences, who have never experienced WWI footage as anything

November. A month where many people are focusing on the upcoming holiday season. But before Thanksgiving, there is another holiday. Sunday, November 11th, is Veterans Day. It is a day that gets confused with Memorial Day all the time. A day when people will make social-media posts and thank those who served. A day when there will be parades and celebrations to honor our veterans. A day for many people that means that they won't have to go to work the next day since the United States will observe the day this year on Monday the 12th with a National