This gorgeously photographed documentary charts the takeover of Paris Opera Ballet by the charismatic Benjamin Millepied
In 2009 veteran documentarian Frederick Wiseman released La Danse, an exhaustive, austere film, which explored the Paris Opera Ballet. It’s tempting to think that Wiseman’s fascinating, nearly three-hour documentary is the only film you need to watch about this somewhat stuffy institution. But then Benjamin Millepied took over as artistic director of the world’s oldest ballet company, and a new chapter started. If Wiseman’s restrained, thoughtful approach echoes the cautious atmosphere of the Ballet as it was, this stylish, dynamic picture captures the new energy that Millepied injected into this august organisation.
A maverick talent best known outside the world of ballet for choreographing Black Swan and marrying Natalie Portman, Millepied is as charismatic as he is unconventional. This glossy, gorgeously photographed documentary focuses on the 39 days running up to the...
In 2009 veteran documentarian Frederick Wiseman released La Danse, an exhaustive, austere film, which explored the Paris Opera Ballet. It’s tempting to think that Wiseman’s fascinating, nearly three-hour documentary is the only film you need to watch about this somewhat stuffy institution. But then Benjamin Millepied took over as artistic director of the world’s oldest ballet company, and a new chapter started. If Wiseman’s restrained, thoughtful approach echoes the cautious atmosphere of the Ballet as it was, this stylish, dynamic picture captures the new energy that Millepied injected into this august organisation.
A maverick talent best known outside the world of ballet for choreographing Black Swan and marrying Natalie Portman, Millepied is as charismatic as he is unconventional. This glossy, gorgeously photographed documentary focuses on the 39 days running up to the...
- 1/1/2017
- by Wendy Ide
- The Guardian - Film News
Cinema Eye has named 10 filmmakers and 20 films that have been voted as the top achievements in documentary filmmaking during the past 10 years. Founded in 2007 to “recognize and honor exemplary craft and innovation in nonfiction film,” Cinema Eye polled 110 members of the documentary community to determine the winning films and filmmakers just as the organization kicks off its tenth year.
Read More: Behind the Scenes of Cinema Eye’s Secret Field Trip for Nominees
Among the films chosen are Joshua Oppenheimer’s “The Act of Killing,” Laura Poitras’ Oscar-winning “Citizenfour” and Banksy’s “Exit Through the Gift Shop.” Poitras and Oppenheimer were both also named to the list of the top documentary filmmakers, joining Alex Gibney, Werner Herzog and Frederick Wiseman, who recently won an honorary Oscar and will be saluted at the annual Governors Awards on November 12.
“It’s fantastic that he is being recognized by the Academy for a...
Read More: Behind the Scenes of Cinema Eye’s Secret Field Trip for Nominees
Among the films chosen are Joshua Oppenheimer’s “The Act of Killing,” Laura Poitras’ Oscar-winning “Citizenfour” and Banksy’s “Exit Through the Gift Shop.” Poitras and Oppenheimer were both also named to the list of the top documentary filmmakers, joining Alex Gibney, Werner Herzog and Frederick Wiseman, who recently won an honorary Oscar and will be saluted at the annual Governors Awards on November 12.
“It’s fantastic that he is being recognized by the Academy for a...
- 9/21/2016
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted Tuesday night (August 30) to present Honorary Awards to actor Jackie Chan, film editor Anne V. Coates, casting director Lynn Stalmaster and documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman. The four Oscar statuettes will be presented at the Academy’s 8th Annual Governors Awards on Saturday, November 12, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center.
“The Honorary Award was created for artists like Jackie Chan, Anne Coates, Lynn Stalmaster and Frederick Wiseman – true pioneers and legends in their crafts,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “The Board is proud to honor their extraordinary achievements, and we look forward to celebrating with them at the Governors Awards in November.”
After making his motion picture debut at the age of eight, Chan brought his childhood training with the Peking Opera to a distinctive international career. He starred in – and sometimes wrote,...
“The Honorary Award was created for artists like Jackie Chan, Anne Coates, Lynn Stalmaster and Frederick Wiseman – true pioneers and legends in their crafts,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “The Board is proud to honor their extraordinary achievements, and we look forward to celebrating with them at the Governors Awards in November.”
After making his motion picture debut at the age of eight, Chan brought his childhood training with the Peking Opera to a distinctive international career. He starred in – and sometimes wrote,...
- 9/2/2016
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Every year, industry folks lobby the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with their candidates for honorary Oscar winners at the annual Governors Awards. And sometimes they get their way. Over the years Mike Kaplan, a publicists branch Academy member, has successfully lobbied for Lillian Gish, Robert Altman and John Ford’s favorite actress Maureen O’Hara, who happily collected her gold man the year before she died.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Board of Governors voted Tuesday night on the 2016 (un-televised) Governors Awards, which often including the coveted producer’s award, the Thalberg, and the Hersholt humanitarian award. You know what they’re looking for: someone who is still respected — if not revered. Francis Ford Coppola, John Calley and Dino DeLaurentiis have collected the Thalberg in recent years; Harry Belafonte, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Oprah Winfrey and Angelina Jolie have accepted the Hersholt.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Board of Governors voted Tuesday night on the 2016 (un-televised) Governors Awards, which often including the coveted producer’s award, the Thalberg, and the Hersholt humanitarian award. You know what they’re looking for: someone who is still respected — if not revered. Francis Ford Coppola, John Calley and Dino DeLaurentiis have collected the Thalberg in recent years; Harry Belafonte, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Oprah Winfrey and Angelina Jolie have accepted the Hersholt.
- 9/1/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Every year, industry folks lobby the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with their candidates for honorary Oscar winners at the annual Governors Awards. And sometimes they get their way. Over the years Mike Kaplan, a publicists branch Academy member, has successfully lobbied for Lillian Gish, Robert Altman and John Ford’s favorite actress Maureen O’Hara, who happily collected her gold man the year before she died.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Board of Governors voted Tuesday night on the 2016 (un-televised) Governors Awards, which often including the coveted producer’s award, the Thalberg, and the Hersholt humanitarian award. You know what they’re looking for: someone who is still respected — if not revered. Francis Ford Coppola, John Calley and Dino DeLaurentiis have collected the Thalberg in recent years; Harry Belafonte, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Oprah Winfrey and Angelina Jolie have accepted the Hersholt.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Board of Governors voted Tuesday night on the 2016 (un-televised) Governors Awards, which often including the coveted producer’s award, the Thalberg, and the Hersholt humanitarian award. You know what they’re looking for: someone who is still respected — if not revered. Francis Ford Coppola, John Calley and Dino DeLaurentiis have collected the Thalberg in recent years; Harry Belafonte, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Oprah Winfrey and Angelina Jolie have accepted the Hersholt.
- 9/1/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
There’s the general idea in cinema that a director learns something with each new film, with his or her new work hopefully being more accomplished than the last. Frederick Wiseman, while still putting out great work, arrived on the scene fully formed with classics such as the controversial Titicut Follies and High School. At the age of 85, he returns this year with a new documentary, In Jackson Heights, which we named one of the best of Venice Film Festival.
We said in our review, “How amazing it is that a human being one century from now can fire up their wind-powered neuro-image-emitter, put on Frederick Wiseman’s In Jackson Heights, and really get a grasp of what it felt like for these people to live? The great documentarian’s latest film — screening out-of-competition this week at the Venice Film Festival — is neither a snapshot nor a love letter of some static environment,...
We said in our review, “How amazing it is that a human being one century from now can fire up their wind-powered neuro-image-emitter, put on Frederick Wiseman’s In Jackson Heights, and really get a grasp of what it felt like for these people to live? The great documentarian’s latest film — screening out-of-competition this week at the Venice Film Festival — is neither a snapshot nor a love letter of some static environment,...
- 10/14/2015
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
As the Museum of the Moving Image points out, introducing its series Frederick Wiseman's New York (today through November 7), In Jackson Heights is Wiseman's ninth film made in the City. We've got a fresh round of reviews, clips and notes—from Errol Morris and many others—on the other documentaries in the series: Ballet, Hospital, Welfare, Racetrack, Model, Central Park and High School II. Wiseman will be at Momi on October 28 and at Film Forum on November 4, 5 and 7. » - David Hudson...
- 10/9/2015
- Keyframe
As the Museum of the Moving Image points out, introducing its series Frederick Wiseman's New York (today through November 7), In Jackson Heights is Wiseman's ninth film made in the City. We've got a fresh round of reviews, clips and notes—from Errol Morris and many others—on the other documentaries in the series: Ballet, Hospital, Welfare, Racetrack, Model, Central Park and High School II. Wiseman will be at Momi on October 28 and at Film Forum on November 4, 5 and 7. » - David Hudson...
- 10/9/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
Since any New York City cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.
Film Society of Lincoln Center
To commemorate her passing, free screenings of Chantal Akerman‘s Jeanne Dielman (on 35mm) and her self-portrait Chantal Akerman by Chantal Akerman will screen for free on Friday.
Hou Hsiao-hsien‘s The Boys from Fengkuei will play on Friday night, with Hou making an appearance.
Museum of the Moving...
Film Society of Lincoln Center
To commemorate her passing, free screenings of Chantal Akerman‘s Jeanne Dielman (on 35mm) and her self-portrait Chantal Akerman by Chantal Akerman will screen for free on Friday.
Hou Hsiao-hsien‘s The Boys from Fengkuei will play on Friday night, with Hou making an appearance.
Museum of the Moving...
- 10/9/2015
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Read More: Frederick Wiseman's 'In Jackson Heights' Explores One of the Most Diverse Neighborhoods in the World The Museum of the Moving Image has announced the schedule for its Frederick Wiseman retrospective, running from October 9 - November 1. The event will feature seven of the prolific documentarian's films focusing on New York City, including "Ballet," "Central Park," and "High School II." The retrospective also includes a discussion with Wiseman about his films and a first look at his latest documentary, "In Jackson Heights." The full schedule is as follows: "Ballet"Friday, October 9, 7:00 P.M. "Hospital"Saturday, October 10, 3:00 P.M. "Welfare"Sunday, October 11, 3:15 P.M. "Racetrack"Saturday, October 17, 3:00 P.M. "Model"Saturday, October 24, 3:00 P.M. "Central Park"Sunday, October 25, 3:00 P.M. An Evening with Frederick WisemanWednesday, October 28,...
- 9/28/2015
- by Ryan Anielski
- Indiewire
Toronto International Film Festival (Sept 10-20) has completed its line-up with the Discovery, New Wave Tiff Kids and In Conversation With… strands and has confirmed the return of Festival Street.
Oscar-winner Julianne Moore, Salma Hayek, Sarah Silverman and Matthew Weiner will take place in separate on-stage conversations as part of the In Conversation With… series, which replaces the Mavericks programme.
For the second year, the Festival Street initiative will see the closure of King Street West between Peter and University Streets, from Sept 10-13.
Events will include Questival, a walking interactive quiz designed by Frontier Design & Innovation; the NewCanadianMusic.ca music stage featuring the world premiere of Titicut Follies – The Ballet inspired by Frederick Wiseman’s 1967 documentary; cinema-inspired installations; magicians; the Slaight Family Zone; and food trucks.
In total, the festival will screen 399 films, of which 289 are features and 110 shorts. Last year’s festival screened 392 in total comprising 284 features and 108 shorts.
Programmers sifted...
Oscar-winner Julianne Moore, Salma Hayek, Sarah Silverman and Matthew Weiner will take place in separate on-stage conversations as part of the In Conversation With… series, which replaces the Mavericks programme.
For the second year, the Festival Street initiative will see the closure of King Street West between Peter and University Streets, from Sept 10-13.
Events will include Questival, a walking interactive quiz designed by Frontier Design & Innovation; the NewCanadianMusic.ca music stage featuring the world premiere of Titicut Follies – The Ballet inspired by Frederick Wiseman’s 1967 documentary; cinema-inspired installations; magicians; the Slaight Family Zone; and food trucks.
In total, the festival will screen 399 films, of which 289 are features and 110 shorts. Last year’s festival screened 392 in total comprising 284 features and 108 shorts.
Programmers sifted...
- 8/25/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Fury (David Ayer)
[via the BFI]
The programme for the 58th BFI London Film Festival launched today, with Festival Director Clare Stewart presenting this year’s rich and diverse selection of films and events. The lineup includes highly anticipated fall titles including David Ayer’s Fury, Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher, the Sundance smash Whiplash, Jean-Luc Godard’s Goodbye to Language 3D, The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Mike Leigh’s Mr. Turner, Jason Reitman’s Men, Women and Children and Jean-Marc Vallee’s Wild.
As Britain’s leading film event and one of the world’s oldest film festivals, it introduces the finest new British and international films to an expanding London and UK-wide audience, offering a compelling combination of red carpet glamour, engaged audiences and vibrant exchange. The Festival provides an essential profiling opportunity for films seeking global success at the start of the Awards season, promotes the careers of British and...
[via the BFI]
The programme for the 58th BFI London Film Festival launched today, with Festival Director Clare Stewart presenting this year’s rich and diverse selection of films and events. The lineup includes highly anticipated fall titles including David Ayer’s Fury, Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher, the Sundance smash Whiplash, Jean-Luc Godard’s Goodbye to Language 3D, The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Mike Leigh’s Mr. Turner, Jason Reitman’s Men, Women and Children and Jean-Marc Vallee’s Wild.
As Britain’s leading film event and one of the world’s oldest film festivals, it introduces the finest new British and international films to an expanding London and UK-wide audience, offering a compelling combination of red carpet glamour, engaged audiences and vibrant exchange. The Festival provides an essential profiling opportunity for films seeking global success at the start of the Awards season, promotes the careers of British and...
- 9/3/2014
- by John
- SoundOnSight
Other titles on Toronto slate include Billy Pols’ bio-doc Zombie [pictured] about cult skateboarder Tim Zom and Johan Grimonprez’s upcoming arms trade exposé Shadow Land.
Paris-based documentary specialist Wide House has acquired a trio of new titles ahead of Toronto including Claire Simon’s Place Aux Jeunes, a portrait of France’s world famous La Fémis film school.
It is the latest documentary from French director Simon, whose Gare du Nord - going behind-the-scenes of Paris’s biggest train station - recently competed at Locarno.
Other new acquisitions include Zombie: The Resurrection of Tim Zom by Dutch filmmaker Billy Pols, about a Rotterdam-born skateboarding star with a dark childhood. The documentary, featuring footage of Zom in action, premiered at Rotterdam earlier this year.
Wide, which has a growing arts and culture line, has also acquired Juan Alvarez Neme’s Avant about celebrated Argentine dancer Julio Bocca and his work rebuilding Uruguay’s National Ballet Company.
The company...
Paris-based documentary specialist Wide House has acquired a trio of new titles ahead of Toronto including Claire Simon’s Place Aux Jeunes, a portrait of France’s world famous La Fémis film school.
It is the latest documentary from French director Simon, whose Gare du Nord - going behind-the-scenes of Paris’s biggest train station - recently competed at Locarno.
Other new acquisitions include Zombie: The Resurrection of Tim Zom by Dutch filmmaker Billy Pols, about a Rotterdam-born skateboarding star with a dark childhood. The documentary, featuring footage of Zom in action, premiered at Rotterdam earlier this year.
Wide, which has a growing arts and culture line, has also acquired Juan Alvarez Neme’s Avant about celebrated Argentine dancer Julio Bocca and his work rebuilding Uruguay’s National Ballet Company.
The company...
- 8/20/2014
- ScreenDaily
The latest long-form documentary from the veteran film-maker is illuminating both because of and despite its reverent intimacy with its subject
Veteran director Frederick Wiseman has specialised in recent years in lengthy, minutiae-filled studies of major institutions these include surveys of the University of California at Berkeley, the French National Ballet and the Idaho state legislature and now he has turned his attention to the UK's premier art collection. Filmed in Wiseman's characteristic style no talking heads, no captions, no voiceover over some three hours, this portrait of a working, large-scale enterprise dedicated to old-master painting makes an interesting counterpoint to Mike Leigh's Mr Turner, which breezed through Cannes two days ago. Where Leigh had his painter spitting on the canvas to thin the paint, and prankishly shoving red splurges into his composition to irritate his fellow artists, Wiseman's film is all about the studious reverence for the brush-wielding geniuses,...
Veteran director Frederick Wiseman has specialised in recent years in lengthy, minutiae-filled studies of major institutions these include surveys of the University of California at Berkeley, the French National Ballet and the Idaho state legislature and now he has turned his attention to the UK's premier art collection. Filmed in Wiseman's characteristic style no talking heads, no captions, no voiceover over some three hours, this portrait of a working, large-scale enterprise dedicated to old-master painting makes an interesting counterpoint to Mike Leigh's Mr Turner, which breezed through Cannes two days ago. Where Leigh had his painter spitting on the canvas to thin the paint, and prankishly shoving red splurges into his composition to irritate his fellow artists, Wiseman's film is all about the studious reverence for the brush-wielding geniuses,...
- 5/17/2014
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Exclusive: Documentary captures life in besieged Syrian city of Homs through work of rebel female video reporter.
Paris-based sales company Doc & Film International has picked up sales on Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait ahead of its out of competition premiere in Cannes.
It is co-directed by exiled Syrian director Ossama Mohammed in Paris and Wiam Bedirxan, a female video journalist filming events on the ground in the besieged city of Homs.
The film was born out of an Internet chat between Mohammed and Bedirxan, in which she asked: “If you’re camera were in Homs, what would you film?”
The end result is a film combining Bedirxan’s material with other footage shot by video reporters in the city, sometimes sent to Mohammed in Paris directly, other times culled from YouTube or social media sites.
Mohammed has been living in exile in Paris since 2011, having become persona non grata back home after openly denouncing the regime of Syrian...
Paris-based sales company Doc & Film International has picked up sales on Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait ahead of its out of competition premiere in Cannes.
It is co-directed by exiled Syrian director Ossama Mohammed in Paris and Wiam Bedirxan, a female video journalist filming events on the ground in the besieged city of Homs.
The film was born out of an Internet chat between Mohammed and Bedirxan, in which she asked: “If you’re camera were in Homs, what would you film?”
The end result is a film combining Bedirxan’s material with other footage shot by video reporters in the city, sometimes sent to Mohammed in Paris directly, other times culled from YouTube or social media sites.
Mohammed has been living in exile in Paris since 2011, having become persona non grata back home after openly denouncing the regime of Syrian...
- 5/6/2014
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Documentary captures life in besieged Syrian city of Homs through work of rebel female video reporter.
Paris-based sales company Doc & Film International has picked up sales on Silvered Water, Syrian Self-Portrait ahead of its out of competition premiere in Cannes.
It is co-directed by exiled Syrian director Ossama Mohammed in Paris and Wiam Bedirxan, a female video journalist filming events on the ground in the besieged city of Homs.
The film was born out of an Internet chat between Mohammed and Bedirxan, in which she asked: “If you’re camera were in Homs, what would you film?”
The end result is a film combining Bedirxan’s material with other footage shot by video reporters in the city, sometimes sent to Mohammed in Paris directly, other times culled from YouTube or social media sites.
Mohammed has been living in exile in Paris since 2011, having become persona non grata back home after openly denouncing the regime of Syrian...
Paris-based sales company Doc & Film International has picked up sales on Silvered Water, Syrian Self-Portrait ahead of its out of competition premiere in Cannes.
It is co-directed by exiled Syrian director Ossama Mohammed in Paris and Wiam Bedirxan, a female video journalist filming events on the ground in the besieged city of Homs.
The film was born out of an Internet chat between Mohammed and Bedirxan, in which she asked: “If you’re camera were in Homs, what would you film?”
The end result is a film combining Bedirxan’s material with other footage shot by video reporters in the city, sometimes sent to Mohammed in Paris directly, other times culled from YouTube or social media sites.
Mohammed has been living in exile in Paris since 2011, having become persona non grata back home after openly denouncing the regime of Syrian...
- 5/6/2014
- ScreenDaily
Chicago – Frederick Wiseman doesn’t pretend to be an expert on the locations that he explores in his documentaries. It’s his meticulous attention to detail during production that makes the audience feel as if they are truly immersed in the environment of Wiseman’s films. Only during the editing process does the director find the meaning within the images.
Wiseman’s approach to nonfiction cinema is utterly organic and often very revealing. His formidable filmography, comprised of 37 documentaries and two fiction works, began with 1967’s “Titticut Follies,” which took a brutally frank and vital look at the abuse inside the Massachusetts Correctional Institution Bridgewater. The director’s repeated study of disturbing subject matter led some of his peers, such as Errol Morris, to deem his work “misanthropic,” but Wiseman insists that’s not the case. His latest film, “Crazy Horse,” pays exuberant tribute to the dancers of the titular...
Wiseman’s approach to nonfiction cinema is utterly organic and often very revealing. His formidable filmography, comprised of 37 documentaries and two fiction works, began with 1967’s “Titticut Follies,” which took a brutally frank and vital look at the abuse inside the Massachusetts Correctional Institution Bridgewater. The director’s repeated study of disturbing subject matter led some of his peers, such as Errol Morris, to deem his work “misanthropic,” but Wiseman insists that’s not the case. His latest film, “Crazy Horse,” pays exuberant tribute to the dancers of the titular...
- 2/21/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Serious dance filmmaking is under going something of a renaissance. While Wim Wenders’ "Pina" still kicks about arthouses, doc auteur Frederick Wiseman returns with one of his patented and lengthy direct cinema discourses on the civic, social or business institution of his choice. That it mostly involves naked ladies (the reason you probably can’t find its trailer anymore on YouTube) is truly beside the point for his biggest fans, but for many, it remains a sticking point. With "Crazy Horse," his thirty-ninth feature, Wiseman once again zeroes in on a large scale dance oriented performing arts endeavor, as he did a few years back with "La Danse," although this profile of Paris’ legendary Crazy Horse cabaret reveals a place that is in some ways a world apart from the Paris Opera Ballet across town. For some the distinctions between the two, despite their obvious companionship, will fall on deaf ears.
- 1/19/2012
- The Playlist
The New Year can be as much a time to reflect as it can be to project into the future. Some see the act of looking back as an integral part of moving forward. But on a brisk afternoon in Cambridge the day before New Year’s Eve, Frederick Wiseman resists this notion. The legendary documentary filmmaker has been making roughly one film a year since 1967, only taking breaks when funding difficulties, or in this case critical recognition, require him to do so.
Tomorrow night Wiseman is receiving the Legacy Award at the annual Cinema Eye Honors for his debut film Titicut Follies, which observed the appalling conditions at the State Prison for the Criminally Insane at Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Though completed in 1967, the film was withheld from the general public until 1991 due to its alleged violation of the inmates’ privacy. More compromising for the prosecuting government of Massachusetts, however, was...
Tomorrow night Wiseman is receiving the Legacy Award at the annual Cinema Eye Honors for his debut film Titicut Follies, which observed the appalling conditions at the State Prison for the Criminally Insane at Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Though completed in 1967, the film was withheld from the general public until 1991 due to its alleged violation of the inmates’ privacy. More compromising for the prosecuting government of Massachusetts, however, was...
- 1/10/2012
- by Daniel James Scott
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
The director says his portrait of cabaret dancers at a Paris club is just another expression of his fascination with human experience
Frederick Wiseman is talking about the talents dancers need to make the grade at the Crazy Horse, the Paris strip club that is the subject of his new feature documentary. "At the risk of sounding crude, it has to do with whether they can stick their rear ends out in the right position," says the 81-year-old American director.
Strippers aren't a topic you'd expect to discuss with Wiseman. Since his 1967 film Titicut Follies, set inside a Massachusetts hospital for the "criminally insane", he has carved out a reputation as the supreme chronicler of public institutions. He has made films about high schools, public housing, domestic violence and the inner workings of the Paris Opera Ballet. Now, late in his career, he has turned to naked women.
Wiseman first...
Frederick Wiseman is talking about the talents dancers need to make the grade at the Crazy Horse, the Paris strip club that is the subject of his new feature documentary. "At the risk of sounding crude, it has to do with whether they can stick their rear ends out in the right position," says the 81-year-old American director.
Strippers aren't a topic you'd expect to discuss with Wiseman. Since his 1967 film Titicut Follies, set inside a Massachusetts hospital for the "criminally insane", he has carved out a reputation as the supreme chronicler of public institutions. He has made films about high schools, public housing, domestic violence and the inner workings of the Paris Opera Ballet. Now, late in his career, he has turned to naked women.
Wiseman first...
- 10/19/2011
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- The Guardian - Film News
Legendary documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman heads to the Toronto International Film Festival with his latest film on dance, Crazy Horse. Highlighting the famous cabaret in Paris, Wiseman uses his patented verite style to give an unprecedented look inside the work and lives of the women who makes the Crazy Horse legendary.
Filmmaker: Tell us a little about what your film is about?
Weisman: I Followed the day to day activities involved in the rehearsing and staging of a new show at the crazy horse, a parisian cabaret famous for its beautiful dancers and erotic dances.
Filmmaker: Why a verite look at Paris’ cabaret club, The Crazy Horse?
Weisman: I am very interested in dance. This is the third film on dance I have made following ballet (The American Ballet Theatre) and La Danse-The Paris Opera Ballet. A documentary can try to convey the ephemeral beauty of the vareity of patterns...
Filmmaker: Tell us a little about what your film is about?
Weisman: I Followed the day to day activities involved in the rehearsing and staging of a new show at the crazy horse, a parisian cabaret famous for its beautiful dancers and erotic dances.
Filmmaker: Why a verite look at Paris’ cabaret club, The Crazy Horse?
Weisman: I am very interested in dance. This is the third film on dance I have made following ballet (The American Ballet Theatre) and La Danse-The Paris Opera Ballet. A documentary can try to convey the ephemeral beauty of the vareity of patterns...
- 9/9/2011
- by Jason Guerrasio
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
"Frederick Wiseman is the deep-cover anthropologist of American cinema," begins the Guardian's Xan Brooks. "Over a 50-year career his documentaries have hidden out in the wings, playing quiet witness to the workings of various social institutions and inviting the viewers to draw their own conclusions. Wiseman has visited schools and hospitals, the Ballet de l'Opera National and the Idaho state legislature. But the spry, reflective Crazy Horse catches him on more ostensibly exotic ground, backstage at a Paris cabaret, purveyor of reputedly 'the best chic nude show in the world.' Very gently, Wiseman disrobes the spectacle and peers inside."
The "catalyst" for the new film, notes Variety's Jay Weissberg, is "Crazy Horse's new show, directed and choreographed by Philippe Decouflé. Wiseman shows old numbers alongside the new, and the difference is striking: An old-fashioned staging like 'Baby Buns,' where pink polka-dots are projected onto the dancers' naked flesh,...
The "catalyst" for the new film, notes Variety's Jay Weissberg, is "Crazy Horse's new show, directed and choreographed by Philippe Decouflé. Wiseman shows old numbers alongside the new, and the difference is striking: An old-fashioned staging like 'Baby Buns,' where pink polka-dots are projected onto the dancers' naked flesh,...
- 9/1/2011
- MUBI
Frederick Wiseman's portrait of cabaret dancers – which premiered at the Venice film festival – is neither prurient nor celebratory, more a work of anthropology
Frederick Wiseman is the deep-cover anthropologist of American cinema. Over a 50-year career his documentaries have hidden out in the wings, playing quiet witness to the workings of various social institutions and inviting the viewers to draw their own conclusions. Wiseman has visited schools and hospitals, the Ballet de l'Opera National and the Idaho state legislature. But the spry, reflective Crazy Horse catches him on more ostensibly exotic ground, backstage at a Paris cabaret, purveyor of reputedly "the best chic nude show in the world". Very gently, Wiseman disrobes the spectacle and peers inside.
The dancers at Crazy Horse put on two shows a night, seven days a week. These shows come with names like Desire, Upside Down and Baby Buns and involve a lot of synchronised bump-and-grind.
Frederick Wiseman is the deep-cover anthropologist of American cinema. Over a 50-year career his documentaries have hidden out in the wings, playing quiet witness to the workings of various social institutions and inviting the viewers to draw their own conclusions. Wiseman has visited schools and hospitals, the Ballet de l'Opera National and the Idaho state legislature. But the spry, reflective Crazy Horse catches him on more ostensibly exotic ground, backstage at a Paris cabaret, purveyor of reputedly "the best chic nude show in the world". Very gently, Wiseman disrobes the spectacle and peers inside.
The dancers at Crazy Horse put on two shows a night, seven days a week. These shows come with names like Desire, Upside Down and Baby Buns and involve a lot of synchronised bump-and-grind.
- 8/31/2011
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
The 49th New York Film Festival has announced their Masterworks and Special Anniversary screenings that will show between the festival’s seventeen days, September 30th – October 16th. The Masterworks program and the festival’s additional programming will provide audiences with exciting opportunities to explore new film-making styles and storytelling events. To learn more about the Masterworks and Anniversary films, please check out below for full synopsis and details.
Masterworks And Special Anniversary Screenings
Masterworks: The Gold Rush
Chaplin’s personal favorite among his own films, The Gold Rush (1925), is a beautifully constructed comic fable of fate and perseverance, set in the icy wastes of the Alaskan gold fields. Re-released by Chaplin in 1942 in a recut version missing some scenes, and with added narration and musical score, The Gold Rush will be presented in a new restoration of the original, silent 1925 version. In this frequently terrifying and always unpredictable universe of...
Masterworks And Special Anniversary Screenings
Masterworks: The Gold Rush
Chaplin’s personal favorite among his own films, The Gold Rush (1925), is a beautifully constructed comic fable of fate and perseverance, set in the icy wastes of the Alaskan gold fields. Re-released by Chaplin in 1942 in a recut version missing some scenes, and with added narration and musical score, The Gold Rush will be presented in a new restoration of the original, silent 1925 version. In this frequently terrifying and always unpredictable universe of...
- 8/28/2011
- by Christopher Clemente
- SoundOnSight
No one takes their cabaret shows more seriously than the French--taking off your clothes is pretty much an artform in the nation--but documentaries about the subject seem to be few and far between. Enter master documentarian Frederick Wiseman whose unobstrusive, fly-on-the-wall approach now seems to be singular in a genre where some filmmakers have become the celebrities in their own non-fiction films. Continuing his tireless work ethic, the filmmaker is back with "Crazy Horse" and the first French trailer for the film has arrived. Returning to Paris once again after 2009's "La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet," Wiseman profiles the…...
- 8/23/2011
- The Playlist
The 30th annual Vancouver International Film Festival (Viff) is starting to finally announce their roster of films with an outstanding line-up of documentaries that celebrate the power of cinema and the arts across the Dance, Music, Theatre and the Visual Arts mediums. Legendary filmmakers Wim Wenders , Frederick Wiseman, and Mike Figgis are among the talent presenting films at the festival this year which runs from September 29-October 14th. Here is a taste of what to expect so far:
Pina
Germany/France/UK | Director: Wim Wenders
One German master more than does justice to another as Wim Wenders fashions a kinetic and gorgeous tribute to the singular German choreographer and dancer Pina Bausch. “Entertainment that will send culture vultures swooning… the film lets the artist’s work speak for itself via big, juicy slabs of performance.” — Variety
Flamenco, Flamenco
Spain | Director: Carlos Saura
Carlos Saura continues to mine a rich vein...
Pina
Germany/France/UK | Director: Wim Wenders
One German master more than does justice to another as Wim Wenders fashions a kinetic and gorgeous tribute to the singular German choreographer and dancer Pina Bausch. “Entertainment that will send culture vultures swooning… the film lets the artist’s work speak for itself via big, juicy slabs of performance.” — Variety
Flamenco, Flamenco
Spain | Director: Carlos Saura
Carlos Saura continues to mine a rich vein...
- 8/18/2011
- by Gregory Ashman
- SoundOnSight
The Cinema Eye Honors, devoted to highlighting the best of the year's nonfiction films, have flipped for Lixin Fan's fantastic "Last Train Home," which follows a family of migrant workers as they struggle to stay connected while living separated by hundreds of miles. "Last Train Home" received the most nominations -- seven -- while Banksy's "Exit Through The Gift Shop" and Afghanistan documentary "Armadillo" each received six. The award ceremony will take place on January 18 at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York, and will be broadcast on the Documentary Channel.
Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
Armadilllo
Directed by Janus Metz
Produced by Sara Stockmann and Ronnie Fridthjof
Exit Through The Gift Shop
Directed by Banksy
Produced by Jaimie D'Cruz
Last Train Home
Directed by Lixin Fan
Produced by Mila Aung-Thwin and Daniel Cross
Marwencol
Directed by Jeff Malmberg
Produced by Jeff Malmberg, Tom Putnam, Matt Radecki, Chris Shellen...
Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
Armadilllo
Directed by Janus Metz
Produced by Sara Stockmann and Ronnie Fridthjof
Exit Through The Gift Shop
Directed by Banksy
Produced by Jaimie D'Cruz
Last Train Home
Directed by Lixin Fan
Produced by Mila Aung-Thwin and Daniel Cross
Marwencol
Directed by Jeff Malmberg
Produced by Jeff Malmberg, Tom Putnam, Matt Radecki, Chris Shellen...
- 11/5/2010
- by Alison Willmore
- ifc.com
Like all of Frederick Wiseman's films, his latest has a title that seems to say it all: "Boxing Gym" is basically an hour-and-a-half of sights and sounds from an Austin area boxing gym. As usual, though, there's more going on here. In presenting glimpses of different trainees - be they kids enjoying a fun sport, ordinary folks getting a workout, or actual fighters preparing for their next bout - "Boxing Gym" takes on a meditative quality, but that mesmerizing quality is eventually breached when the real-life violence of the Virginia Tech massacre thousands of miles away intrudes on the boxers' world and becomes a point of discussion.
The legendary director, whose films include such classics as "Titicut Follies," "High School," and "Public Housing," has made the exploration of the nature of American institutions his great artistic project, and the boxing gym is a manifestation of one way violence presents itself in ordinary American life,...
The legendary director, whose films include such classics as "Titicut Follies," "High School," and "Public Housing," has made the exploration of the nature of American institutions his great artistic project, and the boxing gym is a manifestation of one way violence presents itself in ordinary American life,...
- 10/22/2010
- by Bilge Ebiri
- ifc.com
Filed under: Documentaries, Columns, Cinematical
In addition to the portraits of famous artists I wrote about two weeks ago, this year's New York Film Festival features a trio of documentaries centered on specific places. One film takes us inside a boxing gym for a timeless and objective, "fly on the wall" perspective on the pugilist sport and some of its enthusiasts. Another puts us across from The Mets' Citi Field, to the chop shops of Willets Field, Queens. And the last is a trip through the British countryside in the form of an essay film filled with both historical and contemporary commentary. Their titles, in respective order: 'Boxing Gym,' 'Foreign Parts,' and 'Robinson in Ruins.'
Documentary legend Frederick Wiseman follows his previous film, the Paris Opera Ballet-set 'La Danse,' with a sort of companion piece in 'Boxing Gym.' This one brings the filmmaker's typical non-narrative,...
In addition to the portraits of famous artists I wrote about two weeks ago, this year's New York Film Festival features a trio of documentaries centered on specific places. One film takes us inside a boxing gym for a timeless and objective, "fly on the wall" perspective on the pugilist sport and some of its enthusiasts. Another puts us across from The Mets' Citi Field, to the chop shops of Willets Field, Queens. And the last is a trip through the British countryside in the form of an essay film filled with both historical and contemporary commentary. Their titles, in respective order: 'Boxing Gym,' 'Foreign Parts,' and 'Robinson in Ruins.'
Documentary legend Frederick Wiseman follows his previous film, the Paris Opera Ballet-set 'La Danse,' with a sort of companion piece in 'Boxing Gym.' This one brings the filmmaker's typical non-narrative,...
- 10/7/2010
- by Christopher Campbell
- Cinematical
The Melbourne International Film Festival has announced this year’s favourite films, as voted by the audience.
Nz’s Boy (directed by Taika Waititi and opening in Australia on August 26) was the top film, while Bill Cunningham: New York was the favourite documentary. Australian features The Wedding Party and Summer Coda were also in the top 10, at numbers six and 10 respectively
Top 10 Features
1. Boy Dir. Taika Waititi (Nz)
2. Desert Flower Dir. Sherry Hoffman (Germany/Austria/France)
3. Certified Copy Dir. Abbas Kiarostami (France/Italy)
4. Four Lions Dir. Chris Morris (UK)
5. Summer Wars Dir. Mamoru Hosoda (Japan)
6. The Wedding Party Dir. Amanda Jane (Australia)
7. I Love You Phillip Morris Dir. Glenn Ficarra, John Requa (USA/Canada)
8. Women Without Men Dir. Shirin Neshat (Germany/Austria/France)
9. The Ballad of Des and Mo Dir. James Fair (Ireland)
10. Summer Coda Dir Richard Gray (Australia)
Top 10 Documentaries
1. Bill Cunningham New York Dir. Richard Press (USA)
2. The Invention of Dr.
Nz’s Boy (directed by Taika Waititi and opening in Australia on August 26) was the top film, while Bill Cunningham: New York was the favourite documentary. Australian features The Wedding Party and Summer Coda were also in the top 10, at numbers six and 10 respectively
Top 10 Features
1. Boy Dir. Taika Waititi (Nz)
2. Desert Flower Dir. Sherry Hoffman (Germany/Austria/France)
3. Certified Copy Dir. Abbas Kiarostami (France/Italy)
4. Four Lions Dir. Chris Morris (UK)
5. Summer Wars Dir. Mamoru Hosoda (Japan)
6. The Wedding Party Dir. Amanda Jane (Australia)
7. I Love You Phillip Morris Dir. Glenn Ficarra, John Requa (USA/Canada)
8. Women Without Men Dir. Shirin Neshat (Germany/Austria/France)
9. The Ballad of Des and Mo Dir. James Fair (Ireland)
10. Summer Coda Dir Richard Gray (Australia)
Top 10 Documentaries
1. Bill Cunningham New York Dir. Richard Press (USA)
2. The Invention of Dr.
- 8/24/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
Boxing Gym will commence its theatrical run starting at the IFC Center thanks to a joint release between mTuckman media and Wiseman's Zipporah Films (both recently paired on the very successful theatrical run of La Danse—The Paris Opera Ballet. - After Ko'ing critics (including IndiewWIRE's Eugene Hernandez) at last year's Idfa and grabbing plenty of kudos in this year's Director's Fortnight section (you can read the accolades further down), this October Frederick Wiseman’s newest, Boxing Gym will commence its theatrical run starting at the IFC Center thanks to a joint release between mTuckman media and Wiseman's Zipporah Films (both recently paired on the very successful theatrical run of La Danse—The Paris Opera Ballet (read our review here). Personally I've only seen handful of the documentarian's work, but I'd agree with a producer friend who recently told me, "if aliens came down to earth, all they...
- 6/2/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
After Ko'ing critics (including IndiewWIRE's Eugene Hernandez) at last year's Idfa and grabbing plenty of kudos in this year's Director's Fortnight section (you can read the accolades further down), this October Frederick Wiseman’s newest, Boxing Gym will commence its theatrical run starting at the IFC Center thanks to a joint release between mTuckman media and Wiseman's Zipporah Films (both recently paired on the very successful theatrical run of La Danse—The Paris Opera Ballet (read our review here). Personally I've only seen handful of the documentarian's work, but I'd agree with a producer friend who recently told me, "if aliens came down to earth, all they would need is Wiseman's catalog of films to understand humanity..." It's his connection with the human experience that makes his films so rich. The subject of the film is an Austin, TX institution, Lord’s Gym, which was founded twenty years ago by Richard Lord,...
- 6/2/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Zipporah Films and mTuckman Media have acquired the Frederick Wiseman documentary "Boxing Gym" for distribution.
The film had its world premiere at the Festival de Cannes last month as part of the Directors' Fortnight program. It will open in New York City at the IFC Center on Oct. 22 before rolling out nationally.
The documentary looks at Austin, Texas' Lord's Gym, which has served as a training ground for people from all ages, races and socioeconomic backgrounds for the last two decades. Ko Films, Inc. produced the film in association with the Independent Television Service and PBS.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Endowment for the Arts, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and Lef Moving Image Fund also provided support to Wiseman's project.
Michael Tuckman and Zipporah, which Wiseman owns, last teamed to release Wiseman's 2009 doc, "La Danse -- The Paris Opera Ballet." Wiseman is also the filmmaker of the nonfiction films "Domestic Violence,...
The film had its world premiere at the Festival de Cannes last month as part of the Directors' Fortnight program. It will open in New York City at the IFC Center on Oct. 22 before rolling out nationally.
The documentary looks at Austin, Texas' Lord's Gym, which has served as a training ground for people from all ages, races and socioeconomic backgrounds for the last two decades. Ko Films, Inc. produced the film in association with the Independent Television Service and PBS.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Endowment for the Arts, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and Lef Moving Image Fund also provided support to Wiseman's project.
Michael Tuckman and Zipporah, which Wiseman owns, last teamed to release Wiseman's 2009 doc, "La Danse -- The Paris Opera Ballet." Wiseman is also the filmmaker of the nonfiction films "Domestic Violence,...
- 6/1/2010
- by By Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dennis Lim introduces an interview for the New York Times: "Of the 30-plus documentaries Frederick Wiseman has made in his fortysomething-year career, most are portraits of institutions, peeling back the official veneer to reveal the human interactions within. Having recently tackled large, complex organizations like the Idaho Senate and House (State Legislature, 2006) and the Paris Opera Ballet (La Danse, 2009), Mr Wiseman, 80, now turns his attention to a comparatively modest subject: a neighborhood boxing gym in Austin, Tex."...
- 5/27/2010
- MUBI
"Come Fly Away" leads the nominees for this year's Fred and Adele Astaire Awards. The combination of Twyla Tharp's inventiveness and Frank Sinatra's croon prompted seven nominations, more than any other production.The awards will be presented June 7 at a gala the Gerald W. Lynch Theater in New York. Director and choreographer Kenny Ortega is to receive the Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award. The evening will feature performances by Ronald K. Brown's dance company Evidence; Tony Dovolani of "Dancing With the Stars"; and the Tony-nominated Lee Roy Reams with women who once danced with Astaire. The complete list of nominees is below.Best ChoreographerBill T. Jones, "Fela"Twyla Tharp, "Come Fly Away"Sergio Trujillo, "Memphis"Marcia Milgrom Dodge, "Ragtime" Steven Hoggett, "American Idiot"Best Male DancerCharlie Neshyba-Hodges, "Come Fly Away"Keith Roberts, "Come Fly Away"John Selya, "Come Fly Away"Maksim Chmerkovskiy, "Burn the Floor"Male Ensemble, "Memphis" (Brad Bass,...
- 5/19/2010
- backstage.com
Frederick Wiseman's beautiful film about one of the world's leading dance companies is a fascinating study of dedication, writes Philip French
This long, extremely beautiful film about the Paris Opera Ballet at work on seven productions over a period of several months in the run-up to the 2008 season is the 80-year-old Frederick Wiseman's 37th film since he switched from law to movie documentaries in the 1960s. His speciality is institutions and the people who work in them, from mental hospitals to zoos, and his aim is a form of passionately detached observation. The pieces on view here, being created or recreated, range from a revival of Nureyev's version of The Nutcracker to the British choreographer Wayne McGregor's Genus. We also see the formidable artistic director Brigitte Lefèvre talking to young dancers about their prospects and addressing the corps de ballet about the state of the company.
While...
This long, extremely beautiful film about the Paris Opera Ballet at work on seven productions over a period of several months in the run-up to the 2008 season is the 80-year-old Frederick Wiseman's 37th film since he switched from law to movie documentaries in the 1960s. His speciality is institutions and the people who work in them, from mental hospitals to zoos, and his aim is a form of passionately detached observation. The pieces on view here, being created or recreated, range from a revival of Nureyev's version of The Nutcracker to the British choreographer Wayne McGregor's Genus. We also see the formidable artistic director Brigitte Lefèvre talking to young dancers about their prospects and addressing the corps de ballet about the state of the company.
While...
- 4/24/2010
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Life During Wartime (15)
(Todd Solondz, 2009, Us) Shirley Henderson, Paul Reubens, Ciarán Hinds. 98 mins.
It doesn't matter if you don't remember too much about Solondz's 1998 hit Happiness beyond taboo subjects and squirmingly dark comedy, since the characters are played by completely different actors. It sort of fits, as they've all relocated to Florida, seeking a new start, but they shouldn't get their hopes up. The treatment is similarly unforgiving and uncomfortable, often captivatingly so, and happiness is as distant a prospect as ever.
Dogtooth (18)
(Giorgos Lanthimos, 2009, Gre) Aggeliki Papoulia, Mary Tsoni. 97 mins.
Front-runner for oddest film of the year: a warped slice of domestic surrealism in which a family wall in their teenage kids and creatively misinform them about the outside world. It's so wrong, you've got to laugh.
Date Night (15)
(Shawn Levy, 2010, Us) Tina Fey, Steve Carell. 88 mins.
Michael Scott and Liz Lemon – a match made in small-screen heaven keeps...
(Todd Solondz, 2009, Us) Shirley Henderson, Paul Reubens, Ciarán Hinds. 98 mins.
It doesn't matter if you don't remember too much about Solondz's 1998 hit Happiness beyond taboo subjects and squirmingly dark comedy, since the characters are played by completely different actors. It sort of fits, as they've all relocated to Florida, seeking a new start, but they shouldn't get their hopes up. The treatment is similarly unforgiving and uncomfortable, often captivatingly so, and happiness is as distant a prospect as ever.
Dogtooth (18)
(Giorgos Lanthimos, 2009, Gre) Aggeliki Papoulia, Mary Tsoni. 97 mins.
Front-runner for oddest film of the year: a warped slice of domestic surrealism in which a family wall in their teenage kids and creatively misinform them about the outside world. It's so wrong, you've got to laugh.
Date Night (15)
(Shawn Levy, 2010, Us) Tina Fey, Steve Carell. 88 mins.
Michael Scott and Liz Lemon – a match made in small-screen heaven keeps...
- 4/23/2010
- by Damon Wise
- The Guardian - Film News
Cemetery Junction (15)
(Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, 2006, Us) Christian Cook, Jack Doolan, Tom Hughes, Felicity Jones. 95 mins
Those averse to Ricky Gervais's "white-man overbite" will see surprisingly little of it in his second co-directed movie. Set in suburban 70s Reading, this rites-of-passage drama stars newcomers Cook, Doolan and Hughes as three mates growing apart on the threshold of adulthood. The ending may be formulaic, but Gervais and Merchant carve a neat middle path between comedy and pathos to get there.
The Ghost (15)
(Roman Polanski, 2010, Fr/Ger/UK) Pierce Brosnan, Ewan McGregor. 128 mins
While he remains in chokey, Polanki's latest release is an old-school political thriller, starring Brosnan as a slick ex-pm with guilty secrets and McGregor as the hack hired to launder them.
Beeswax (Nc)
(Andrew Bujalski, 2009, Us) Tilly Hatcher, Maggie Hatcher. 100 mins
Mundane mumblecore about the travails of twins.
The Heavy (18)
(Marcus Warren, 2010, UK) Gary Stretch, Vinnie Jones. 102 mins...
(Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, 2006, Us) Christian Cook, Jack Doolan, Tom Hughes, Felicity Jones. 95 mins
Those averse to Ricky Gervais's "white-man overbite" will see surprisingly little of it in his second co-directed movie. Set in suburban 70s Reading, this rites-of-passage drama stars newcomers Cook, Doolan and Hughes as three mates growing apart on the threshold of adulthood. The ending may be formulaic, but Gervais and Merchant carve a neat middle path between comedy and pathos to get there.
The Ghost (15)
(Roman Polanski, 2010, Fr/Ger/UK) Pierce Brosnan, Ewan McGregor. 128 mins
While he remains in chokey, Polanki's latest release is an old-school political thriller, starring Brosnan as a slick ex-pm with guilty secrets and McGregor as the hack hired to launder them.
Beeswax (Nc)
(Andrew Bujalski, 2009, Us) Tilly Hatcher, Maggie Hatcher. 100 mins
Mundane mumblecore about the travails of twins.
The Heavy (18)
(Marcus Warren, 2010, UK) Gary Stretch, Vinnie Jones. 102 mins...
- 4/16/2010
- by Damon Wise
- The Guardian - Film News
The Alamo Guide for March 25th, 2010
We Are Back In Action! SXSW is over for another year, and we are jam packed with Super Fun Times! For reals. We’ve got new release films out the wazoo, and a full week of specialty programming.First off, for all you hot tub enthusiasts, the most ridiculous (or genius?) time travel film to date opens Friday at the Ritz. That’s right, folks, it’s a Hot Tub Time Machine. If you’re more of a genre type of guy or gal, check out Mother, the newest thriller from the director of The Host! If you never saw The Host, go rent that, and Then you’ll really want to see Mother! We’ve also got Greenberg at S. Lamar starting Friday for all you thirty-somethings in an existential crisis… or for those that just want to see Ben Stiller in an existential crisis.
We Are Back In Action! SXSW is over for another year, and we are jam packed with Super Fun Times! For reals. We’ve got new release films out the wazoo, and a full week of specialty programming.First off, for all you hot tub enthusiasts, the most ridiculous (or genius?) time travel film to date opens Friday at the Ritz. That’s right, folks, it’s a Hot Tub Time Machine. If you’re more of a genre type of guy or gal, check out Mother, the newest thriller from the director of The Host! If you never saw The Host, go rent that, and Then you’ll really want to see Mother! We’ve also got Greenberg at S. Lamar starting Friday for all you thirty-somethings in an existential crisis… or for those that just want to see Ben Stiller in an existential crisis.
- 3/25/2010
- by caitlin
- OriginalAlamo.com
The documentary "La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet", directed by Frederick Wiseman follows the rehearsals/performances of seven ballets: "Genus" by Wayne McGregor, "Le Songe de Medée" by Angelin Preljocaj, "La Maison de Bernarda" by Mats Ek, "Paquita" by Pierre Lacotte, "Casse Noisette" by Rudolph Nureyev, "Orphée and Eurydice" by Pina Bausch and "Romeo and Juliette" by Sasha Waltz.
The film shows the work involved in administering the company and the coordinated and collaborative work of choreographers, ballet masters, dancers, musicians, costume, set and lighting designers.
"La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet" opens April 2 for a limited engagment.
Click the poster to enlarge and Sneak Peek "La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet"...
The film shows the work involved in administering the company and the coordinated and collaborative work of choreographers, ballet masters, dancers, musicians, costume, set and lighting designers.
"La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet" opens April 2 for a limited engagment.
Click the poster to enlarge and Sneak Peek "La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet"...
- 3/18/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
The Alamo Guide
for March 18th, 2010 While SXSW is slowly filtering out of our theaters and instead, flooding the music venues and rent-a-bars that pop up around town, we are beginning to resume a state of normality. We have a few new releases this weekend (The Runaways – with the director live in person – and The Bounty Hunter) and we’re also back with our special programming!Master Pancake is doing One Final Weekend of Goldfinger before they turn their attention to Mr. Gibson in Braveheart. We were all very saddened to hear we lost a Corey, so we decided to put up a couple Lost Boys Tribute Shows this week (my vote was for Prayer Of The Rollerboys, but I’ll just watch that at home!). Also, if you got shut out of SXSW this year by lack of money or other reasons, we’ve chosen a few of our...
for March 18th, 2010 While SXSW is slowly filtering out of our theaters and instead, flooding the music venues and rent-a-bars that pop up around town, we are beginning to resume a state of normality. We have a few new releases this weekend (The Runaways – with the director live in person – and The Bounty Hunter) and we’re also back with our special programming!Master Pancake is doing One Final Weekend of Goldfinger before they turn their attention to Mr. Gibson in Braveheart. We were all very saddened to hear we lost a Corey, so we decided to put up a couple Lost Boys Tribute Shows this week (my vote was for Prayer Of The Rollerboys, but I’ll just watch that at home!). Also, if you got shut out of SXSW this year by lack of money or other reasons, we’ve chosen a few of our...
- 3/18/2010
- by caitlin
- OriginalAlamo.com
Frederick Wiseman (whose new film, La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet, opens in the UK next month) is a "legend" of the documentary world. That much is official. The 80-year-old film-maker was presented with the inaugural Living Legend award at Idfa, the world's largest documentary festival, in Holland last autumn. He was given a prize of €5000 to underline his legendary credentials.
- 3/12/2010
- The Independent - Film
Frederick Wiseman (whose new film, La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet, opens in the UK next month) is a "legend" of the documentary world. That much is official. The 80-year-old film-maker was presented with the inaugural Living Legend award at Idfa, the world's largest documentary festival, in Holland last autumn. He was given a prize of €5000 to underline his legendary credentials.
- 3/12/2010
- The Independent - Film
The Alamo Guide
for March 11th, 2010
Oh, SXSW… it’s a rocky relationship, you and I. We have a lot of fun together, you give me free booze and barbeque, keep me out way past my bedtime, get me home safely (most of the time), and then you take me out the next day. Then, near the end of the week, we start fighting. “I’m tired!” I say. “I don’t want your free tacos!” I say (and then eat three anyway). “My stomach has been f-ed up for Days, I don’t want your Southern Comfort!” and then two days later you’re gone. SXSW does this to all of us. It keeps the Alamo Ritz so busy that we have to nix all specialty programming for a week so we can show new movies, so keep that in mind this week.
S. Lamar (a few screens anyway...
for March 11th, 2010
Oh, SXSW… it’s a rocky relationship, you and I. We have a lot of fun together, you give me free booze and barbeque, keep me out way past my bedtime, get me home safely (most of the time), and then you take me out the next day. Then, near the end of the week, we start fighting. “I’m tired!” I say. “I don’t want your free tacos!” I say (and then eat three anyway). “My stomach has been f-ed up for Days, I don’t want your Southern Comfort!” and then two days later you’re gone. SXSW does this to all of us. It keeps the Alamo Ritz so busy that we have to nix all specialty programming for a week so we can show new movies, so keep that in mind this week.
S. Lamar (a few screens anyway...
- 3/10/2010
- by caitlin
- OriginalAlamo.com
As mealtimes go, Brunch is probably the most perplexing, especially considering the average Brunch occurs during the traditional time of Lunch. And yet anyone who enjoys Brunch at noon is keenly aware they are not eating Lunch. Furthermore, one can eat a sandwich for Breakfast by that same name, just as one may eat an omelet for Dinner. So what distinguishes this elusive fourth meal?
Shooting from the hip: it’s a class thing. That, or it has to do with social acceptance of mid-day alcohol consumption…though the two may not be mutually exclusive. Where else is it encouraged to enjoy a glass of champagne while the sun is up, let alone when it’s not New Year’s or at a Wedding? That’s why Brunch (as we know it) always falls on a weekend- we’re not wearing the blinders of workaday sobriety nor are we bound...
Shooting from the hip: it’s a class thing. That, or it has to do with social acceptance of mid-day alcohol consumption…though the two may not be mutually exclusive. Where else is it encouraged to enjoy a glass of champagne while the sun is up, let alone when it’s not New Year’s or at a Wedding? That’s why Brunch (as we know it) always falls on a weekend- we’re not wearing the blinders of workaday sobriety nor are we bound...
- 3/3/2010
- by brad
- OriginalAlamo.com
No surprises at the 35th Cesars, as A Prophet cleaned up in all major categories it was nominated in: Best Film, Best Director (Audiard), Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography (Stephane Fontaine), Best Editing (Juliette Welfling), Best Art Direction (Michel Barthelemy) and last but not least, one of my top 5 performance of the year, Niels Arestrup won for Best Supporting... - No surprises at the 35th Césars, as A Prophet cleaned up in all major categories it was nominated in: Best Film, Best Director (Audiard), Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography (Stephane Fontaine), Best Editing (Juliette Welfling), Best Art Direction (Michel Barthelemy) and last but not least, one of my top 5 performance of the year, Niels Arestrup won for Best Supporting -- he of course won best supporting in The Beat that My Heart Skipped. The revelation of the year Tahar Rahim won a pair of awards...
- 2/28/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Ballet (1995). USA. Directed, produced, and edited by Frederick Wiseman. Courtesy of Zipporah Films. The Museum of Modern Art has recently acquired 36 new prints from octogenarian documentarian Frederick Wiseman that span his 40-year plus career making cinema verite. Wiseman has turned his unforgiving 16mm camera on institutions as varied as the ballet (La Danse, Ballet), a department store (The Store), the Us Army (Basic Training), Public Housing, and education (High School, High School II) to much acclaim. The films are unmitigated exposes of society itself. One of the MoMA's feature films in this exhibit is Wiseman's 1967 debut Titicut Follies, which remains arguably his most famous and controversial documentary. Follies shined a much-needed light on the abuses inside the Bridgewater State Hospital for the criminally insane in Massachusetts, abuses so appalling that the documentary was banned from public showings for 24 years. As the MoMA notes, "It is still the ...
- 1/21/2010
- TribecaFilm.com
The prolific documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman's new film, will have a two-week engagement at Film Forum in NYC, and it is a stunning display of some of the best dancers and choreographers in the world training at one of the world's greatest ballet companies. - The prolific documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman's new film, will have a two-week engagement at Film Forum in NYC, and it is a stunning display of some of the best dancers and choreographers in the world training at one of the world's greatest ballet companies. Wiseman's film career has spanned more than 40 years, and here he is returning to familiar territory, having done the 1995 documentary Ballet, a profile of the American Ballet Theatre's preparation for a European tour. In this film, Wiseman takes us inside the studios where dancers painstakingly take direction in great detail from choreographers while rehearsing seven ballets to perform...
- 12/13/2009
- by Ioncinema.com Staff
- IONCINEMA.com
With all the production budget cuts and unemployed dancers and choreographers, not to mention the generally sorry state of the economy, you may be finding it difficult to get into the holiday spirit this season. Well, despite the gloomy financial scene, dance lovers have plenty of reasons to celebrate. Here are a few.Come January, a former prima ballerina of Dance Theatre of Harlem, the beloved Virginia Johnson, will be taking over the reins as artistic director of the history-making company. Founded and directed since 1968 by former New York City Ballet principal dancer Arthur Mitchell, Dth was the first ever African-American classical ballet troupe and achieved world-class status before fiscal difficulties forced the professional company to go on hiatus in late 2004. The dance community is looking to Johnson, founder and former editor in chief of Pointe magazine, to revivify this treasured troupe. It was at this time last year that...
- 12/9/2009
- backstage.com
Updated through 11/9. Once again, by necessity, a roundup of events in New York.
"By pure serendipity, two magnificent movies about ballet - one fiction, one fact; one a restored classic, one a brand-new work making its Us premiere - open within 48 hours of each other at Film Forum this week." Melissa Anderson in the Voice: "Frederick Wiseman's vérité La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet offers a portrait of suppleness and agility - not just that of the dancers' bodies, but also of the august institution of the title. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's 1948 masterpiece, The Red Shoes, feverishly explores the demands of art at the expense of personal life.... Both films offer us the extraordinary experience of watching the burning commitment to perfection."...
"By pure serendipity, two magnificent movies about ballet - one fiction, one fact; one a restored classic, one a brand-new work making its Us premiere - open within 48 hours of each other at Film Forum this week." Melissa Anderson in the Voice: "Frederick Wiseman's vérité La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet offers a portrait of suppleness and agility - not just that of the dancers' bodies, but also of the august institution of the title. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's 1948 masterpiece, The Red Shoes, feverishly explores the demands of art at the expense of personal life.... Both films offer us the extraordinary experience of watching the burning commitment to perfection."...
- 11/9/2009
- MUBI
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.