It’s not unusual for filmmakers digging into difficult truths to face backlash or even retaliation. The Church of Scientology, for instance, launched a smear campaign against director Alex Gibney after his film Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief addressed some of the religion’s questionable practices. Now Taser International has tried to discredit the new documentary Killing Them Safely, which raises serious questions about the safety of Taser guns, by posting negative reviews on various web sites, including Amazon.com, iTunes and IMDb. Because Taser employees used their real names when posting these reviews, it’s been easy to spot these fake reviews (after Berardini shared […]...
- 12/11/2015
- by Paula Bernstein
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
It’s not unusual for filmmakers digging into difficult truths to face backlash or even retaliation. The Church of Scientology, for instance, launched a smear campaign against director Alex Gibney after his film Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief addressed some of the religion’s questionable practices. Now Taser International has tried to discredit the new documentary Killing Them Safely, which raises serious questions about the safety of Taser guns, by posting negative reviews on various web sites, including Amazon.com, iTunes and IMDb. Because Taser employees used their real names when posting these reviews, it’s been easy to spot these fake reviews (after Berardini shared […]...
- 12/11/2015
- by Paula Bernstein
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
The term “issue” in the context of filmmaking can cause a lot of consternation for aspiring filmmakers. It can feel dirty just saying it out loud. When I first began making my debut feature, Killing Them Safely, I was at times apologetic for the subject matter. Early on, one of my producers would get in the habit of telling others it was “a film about TASERs,” and I would cringe. “It’s not a film about TASERs,” I often corrected him, “It’s a film about Taser International. There’s a big difference.” At times I felt like I was being a bit […]...
- 12/4/2015
- by Nick Berardini
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
The term “issue” in the context of filmmaking can cause a lot of consternation for aspiring filmmakers. It can feel dirty just saying it out loud. When I first began making my debut feature, Killing Them Safely, I was at times apologetic for the subject matter. Early on, one of my producers would get in the habit of telling others it was “a film about TASERs,” and I would cringe. “It’s not a film about TASERs,” I often corrected him, “It’s a film about Taser International. There’s a big difference.” At times I felt like I was being a bit […]...
- 12/4/2015
- by Nick Berardini
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Killing Them Safely, Nick Berardini’s incisive documentary about the lethality of tasers in the hands of police officers, is exploring just about the most prescient subject of 2015: police brutality. But Berardini’s film doesn’t take the conventional issue-doc routes of either a specific case and examining the damage, or even just confronting the subject matter head-on. Rather, Killing Them Safely starts backward, centering the entire story around Taser International, the Arizona-based company who has made a fortune suppling police departments across the country with tasers. They’re an utterly strange company whose choices (and non-choices) illustrate lofty concepts about corporate trust, moralistic delusion, and that’s even before the film dives into the intertwined adjacent conversation about the ethical and political implications of non-lethal weapons like tasers.
These are all strong accomplishments, but Berardini’s film would be cold to the touch if it didn’t transcend...
These are all strong accomplishments, but Berardini’s film would be cold to the touch if it didn’t transcend...
- 11/30/2015
- by Michael Snydel
- The Film Stage
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: What better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? This week […]
The post This Week In Trailers: Killing Them Safely, Rolling Papers, Starship Christmas, In Jackson Heights, Snervous appeared first on /Film.
The post This Week In Trailers: Killing Them Safely, Rolling Papers, Starship Christmas, In Jackson Heights, Snervous appeared first on /Film.
- 11/30/2015
- by Christopher Stipp
- Slash Film
Two really good documentaries, Killing Them Safely and Janis: Little Girl Blue (about the great Janis Joplin), open this weekend in limited release and take their places on the honor roll of really good docs to open in 2015. (A year-end round-up is coming soon.)Killing Them Safely is the new name for Nick Berardini’s doc, which played Tribeca under the more evocative title, Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle, a title taken from Victor Appleton's series of adventure novels that inspired Nasa researcher Jack Cover to create what came to be known by the acronym T.A.S.E.R. The documentary could hardly be more timely or essential. It begins as a portrait of the phenomenally successful Taser International and its owners Rick Smith and his brother Thomas, whose company maintains that its electroshock weapons (with its electrode darts) save countless lives every year: It’s the real-world...
- 11/27/2015
- by David Edelstein
- Vulture
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit the interwebs. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Gemma Bovery (Anne Fontaine)
It might be hard to conceive of how a tragic story like Madame Bovary could be turned into a farcical and winning comedy, and yet here we stand. With remarkable tonal control from director Anne Fontaine and a winning pair of performances from Gemma Arterton and Fabrice Luchini, Gemma Bovery somehow manages to be an affecting and hilarious treat. Set in modern day Normandy,...
Gemma Bovery (Anne Fontaine)
It might be hard to conceive of how a tragic story like Madame Bovary could be turned into a farcical and winning comedy, and yet here we stand. With remarkable tonal control from director Anne Fontaine and a winning pair of performances from Gemma Arterton and Fabrice Luchini, Gemma Bovery somehow manages to be an affecting and hilarious treat. Set in modern day Normandy,...
- 11/27/2015
- by TFS Staff
- The Film Stage
"We're protecting the truth, we're protecting lives." But are they really? That's the real question. This isn't a new trailer, but we're featuring it because the documentary is opening in theaters this week. Killing Them Safely is a documentary about how Tasers are arming some law enforcement agencies with a weapon that is being purported as nonlethal even though it can be deadly. The trailer doesn't show much footage, just some statistics, quotes, and a bit of an interview with one of the guys from Taser. The rest you'll have to see in the doc itself. I will say I'm interested in checking this out. I also have to point out the awesome poster for this doc, also seen below the trailer - impressive design work. If you're at all intrigued, give this doc a watch. Here's the official trailer for Nick Berardini's documentary Killing Them Safely, in high...
- 11/23/2015
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Nick Berardini couldn’t center on a more prescient subject for his debut documentary, Killing Them Safely. The subject of police brutality has become a boiling pot over the last few years with the innumerable incidents of police brutality, but along with polarizing conversations about the necessity of body cameras and structural changes to the way police interact with the public, there’s an attendant conversation about what tools police officers should be using, or even need. Berardini’s documentary addresses that conversation directly by focusing on the ethical blurriness of the use of tasers.
Berardini’s film finds a gateway into the issue through the death of Stanley Harlan, a 23-year-old Missouri young man who was hit with a taser for 31 consecutive seconds in front of his home after getting out of his car to protest being stopped for speeding by a police officer. Berardini said the movie began...
Berardini’s film finds a gateway into the issue through the death of Stanley Harlan, a 23-year-old Missouri young man who was hit with a taser for 31 consecutive seconds in front of his home after getting out of his car to protest being stopped for speeding by a police officer. Berardini said the movie began...
- 11/11/2015
- by Michael Snydel
- The Film Stage
As you catch up on the best films of the year’s first 10 months, know that there’s still a great number of features worth seeking out as we near the end of 2015. November brings promising animated offerings, top-notch documentaries, the latest entry into a certain long-running spy franchise, my favorite film of the year, and more. Check out the list below and let us know what you’re most looking forward to.
Matinees to See: Theeb (11/6), The Hallow (11/6), Democrats (11/18), The Night Before (11/20), The Secret in Their Eyes (11/20), Very Semi-Serious (11/20), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (11/20), Killing Them Safely (11/27), The Danish Girl (11/27), Janis: Little Girl Blue (11/27)
15. The Peanuts Movie (Steve Martino; Nov. 6th)
Synopsis: Snoopy embarks upon his greatest mission as he and his team take to the skies to pursue their arch-nemesis, while his best pal Charlie Brown begins his own epic quest back home.
Trailer
Why You Should...
Matinees to See: Theeb (11/6), The Hallow (11/6), Democrats (11/18), The Night Before (11/20), The Secret in Their Eyes (11/20), Very Semi-Serious (11/20), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (11/20), Killing Them Safely (11/27), The Danish Girl (11/27), Janis: Little Girl Blue (11/27)
15. The Peanuts Movie (Steve Martino; Nov. 6th)
Synopsis: Snoopy embarks upon his greatest mission as he and his team take to the skies to pursue their arch-nemesis, while his best pal Charlie Brown begins his own epic quest back home.
Trailer
Why You Should...
- 11/2/2015
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
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