AltWeeklies Wire
'Crude' Dives into the Toxic Battle Between Big Oil and Dying Natives in Ecuadornew
Joe Berlinger's remarkable documentary recounts an infuriating litany of South American exploitation, backroom glad-handing and bureaucratic dead ends that has, among other collateral damages, created a Rhode Island-sized "death zone" of toxic pollution in the middle of the Ecuadorian Amazon.
L.A. Weekly |
Scott Foundas |
09-18-2009 |
Reviews
Inconvenient Truths Abound in Eco-Docs 'The Age of Stupid' and 'No Impact Man'new
So then, do the canvas bags, travel mugs, energy-saving appliances, clotheslines, CSA memberships, cycling, recycling, composting, and other ecologically minded efforts of a smattering of well-intentioned individuals matter at all? Or matter enough?
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Lynn Rapoport |
09-16-2009 |
Movies
Director R.J. Cutler Talks About 'The September Issue'new
Cutler talked with us about Vogue, creative director Grace Coddington and coming face to face with the devil herself, only to find she's not that scary after all.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Molly Eichel |
09-15-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
'The September Issue' Mostly Lobs Softballs at Anna Wintournew
When face time is scored, it's not far from Chris Wallace's recent fawning Dick Cheney interview. Softballs are lobbed, and Wintour gets to look, alas, vaguely human. She remains, basically, unchallenged, her devil boss status unchanged but herself all the more lovable.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Matt Prigge |
09-14-2009 |
Reviews
'Every Little Step': Rejection, Rejection, Successnew
You needn't be a musical theater geek to find this documentary about the casting of A Chorus Line fascinating.
Eugene Weekly |
Molly Templeton |
09-11-2009 |
Reviews
Source Material: 'Food, Inc.'new
Food, Inc. is a synthesis of Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore's Dilemma, two landmark inquiries into the way we eat now.
Eugene Weekly |
Jason Blair |
09-11-2009 |
Reviews
Boss Lady: 'The September Issue' Takes You to Worknew
In September, Anna Wintour's legendary iciness seems like the unremarkable product of natural decisiveness and an incredibly heavy schedule. She's irreverent, yes, but someone has to be, even at the highest echelon.
The Portland Mercury |
Marjorie Skinner |
09-10-2009 |
Reviews
Doc About Chevron's Eco Destruction, While Better Than Most, Still Doesn't Measure Up as Artnew
Crude touches all manifestations of oil greed which P.T. Anderson avoided when making his contemptuous anti-American pseudo-epic There Will Be Blood. Anderson kowtowed to trite anti-Bush cynicism, not even doing justice to the muckraking source novel, Oil!, by Upton Sinclair. Blood was trendy, Crude is aggrieved.
New York Press |
Armond White |
09-10-2009 |
Reviews
DIY Documentary 'Handmade Nation' Chronicles the Indie Crafts Movementnew
Several years ago, Faythe Levine set out to document the world of DIY art, craft and design. This deeply personal quest led to the creation of a just-released feature documentary called Handmade Nation and a popular companion book of the same name.
Weekly Alibi |
Devin D. O'Leary |
09-01-2009 |
Reviews
Two Chicago Filmmakers Adapt Tom Frank's 'What's the Matter With Kansas?'new
Joe Winston and his wife, Laura Cohen, optioned the rights to Thomas Frank's best-selling book and began to ponder how they might turn the book into a documentary. "It's a brilliant book," says Cohen, but "there are no characters with arcs, and there's not really a plot."
Chicago Reader |
Andrea Gronvall |
09-01-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Jonathan Leyser Works to Finish the First Documentary on the Entire Life of William Burroughsnew
The 24-year-old is nearly finished with an ambitious assessment of perhaps the greatest literary outlaw of the 20th century.
Chicago Reader |
Ed M. Koziarski |
08-31-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Director of 'It Might Get Loud' Talks Guitar Heroesnew
With an Oscar on the mantel for producing and directing An Inconvenient Truth, Davis Guggenheim decided to take a break from politics. So why not sit back, relax, and turn the stereo up to 11?
Seattle Weekly |
Brian Miller |
08-31-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
The R&B of 'Soul Power' Rumbles in the Junglenew
The "Zaire '74" concert now serves as a kind of a footnote to the "Rumble in the Jungle," but the 35-year-old concert footage and behind-the-scenes moments make Soul Power feel like a backstage pass to a now overlooked musical event.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
08-25-2009 |
Reviews
'Art & Copy': How to Sell Soap and Sex and VWsnew
However stirring these vintage campaigns and their graying creators may be for ad junkies like me, Doug Pray fails at analysis. His film is simply a tribute. And linking the ad biz to cave art -- well, that's just idiotic.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian Miller |
08-24-2009 |
Reviews
New Documentary 'Art & Copy' Celebrates the Men Behind Ads by Skimming the Surfacenew
Advertising has long been perceived as a mirror reflecting reality back to consumers as a wish-fulfillment exercise. In that sense, Art & Copy is a worthy addition to a time-honored tradition.
New York Press |
Mark Peikert |
08-20-2009 |
Reviews
