The official poster from TRUMBO is here.  I am so excited about this movie.

It’s a remarkable story of Dalton Trumbo’s journey from Hollywood royalty, to blacklisted writer to Academy Award winner.  Trumbo is one of my favorite screenwriters of the Golden Era of Hollywood, ROMAN HOLIDAY is one of my favorites.

The film focuses on the writer’s own indelible words, the film features performances of some of his extraordinary letters, clips from his films and, archival and contemporary interviews with those who knew him best. Forced to write underground, letter writing became the chief repository of Trumbo’s extraordinary talents and they serve as a wonderfully entertaining testament to his boundless intellect, acerbic humor, and staggering resilience.

TRUMBO is directed by Peter Askin and is based on the play Trumbo by Christopher Trumbo. The film includes the all-star cast of Joan Allen, Brian Dennehy, Michael Douglas, Paul Giamatti, Nathan Lane, Josh Lucas, Liam Neeson, David Strathairn, and Donald Sutherland.

Here is a list of films written by Trumbo:  A MAN TO REMEMBER (voted one of the ten best films of 1938); KITTY FOYLE (ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATION); A GUY NAMED JOE (BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE AWARD); THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO (BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE AWARD); TENDER COMRADE, and OUR VINES HAVE TENDER GRAPES (BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE AWARD).The film is opening June 27th!

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Appropriately, it has been ten years since I discovered Joy Division. Having read an appealing article about them in a newspaper, I took the risk and, during a school trip abroad, forked out whatever amount of francs in the Louvre’s music store for a copy of Unknown Pleasures, with its enigmatic yet enticing cover. Popping the CD in my player, I was suddenly immersed in a world never experienced before. Within the first few seconds of ’Disorder’, its steady but muted beat, robotic yet somehow human, the strange bass tune and spiky guitars, combined with dark and profound vocals, I knew Joy Division were something special. Most people know them by their song Love Will Tear Us Apart, which was abused in a Heinekan ad a few years ago. But the band were much more, an almost literary lyricism combined with a sound that felt entirely unique. It was a sound that lasted only briefly, for the lead singer, Ian Curtis, committed suicide at the age of 23.

Joy Division have been depicted twice in cinema already. Firstly, in 2002’s 24-Hour Party People, which was a playful biopic of pretentious broadcaster and music label owner Tony Wilson. Then, last saw a film about Curtis, called Control, which received much critical acclaim. And now, we see a seemingly definitive documentary on the band being released (briefly in UK cinemas, and then on DVD in the US in June), also called Joy Division.

Directed by Grant Gee, who has directed several music videos, as well as the Radiohead documentary Meeting People is Easy, the documentary conducts intimate interviews with most of the keys players in the band’s history. Band members, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris are all present. You’d think that after so many years of the band’s legacy, the remaining members would be tired of retelling the same stories. Yet there’s still times when the sadness breaks through. Read on »

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Filmmakers announce the official online debut of Blues by the Beach, a film documenting the Mikes Place bombing in Tel Aviv, Israel in April of 2003. Set to coincide with the fifth memorial of the tragic event, and the 60^th Anniversary of Israel, the film is available via a new video streaming pay per view technology.

Fate brought filmmakers together in Israel in April of 2003. Setting out to make a documentary film about a popular international blues bar by the beach in Tel Aviv called Mikes Place, the filmmakers peaceful good time was abruptly interrupted when harsh reality struck Mikes Place. On April 30, 2003, two British Nationals executed a suicide bombing right next door to the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv at Mikes Place, while an American producer and his crew were filming what was intended as a lighthearted documentary about the bar staff and their multi-ethnic patrons. The film crew was on the scene and captured the before, during and the aftermath of the incident; this gripping footage has since aired around the world. In remembrance of the victims, survivors and heroes of Mike’s Place, on the five-year memorial of the bombing, Blues by the Beach, has its official online premiere.The award-winning documentary is not distributed on DVD or broadcast on television. It is available online exclusively through new streaming video technology from VIVIDAS in a pay-per-view format that entitles viewers to three screenings for a one month period.  Once purchased, any of the screenings may then be emailed to friends and family as gifts. Screenings can be viewed on computer in vibrant full-screen mode, and can also connect to television by using a cable.

Why distribute in this manner? American Jack Baxter, the film’s producer, who was seriously injured in the attack, has this to say: Everybody should see this film. With this new video streaming technology, anyone online anywhere, with any connection speed, can see a film that is truly unique in the history of documentary filmmaking. There are no downloads, no installation of programs and no waiting. Within seconds Blues is ready to play. And you don’t have to be a computer whiz. Listen,” says Baxter, nobody expects that swords will turn into plowshares overnight in the Middle East, but maybe, just maybe Blues by the Beach can help jump-start the process a bit. That’s why we made the film in the first place, and that’s why this is the way to get it seen around the world everywhere online.

The online premiere of the award-winning documentary film coincides with both the fifth memorial of the tragic bombing depicted in the film and the60th Anniversary Celebration of Israel Film festivals in the U.S., Canada and Europe have lauded Blues by the Beach.” Pulitzer Prize winning playwright and movie director David Mametcallsi a very, very important film. It ranks along with One Day In September as an actual, undeniable presentation of the unmitigated horror of terrorism.

For more information about the film and how to purchase viewings at the film’s website and online cinema, visit “Blues by the Beach.”

About Blues by the Beach:

Blues by the Beach, directed by Joshua Faudem and produced by Jack Baxter and Fran Strauss-Baxter, is a documentary film offering unprecedented and up-close views of the effects of a terrorist attack. The film crew captured the moments before, during, and immediately after the Mikes Place bombing in Tel Aviv, Israel on April 30, 2003. The resulting film has won awards at numerous film festivals.

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It looks like a documentary, “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed,” made the top ten box office this weekend, and “Forbidden Kingdom” out grossed “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” 

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE ESTIMATE
April 18 - April 20

• 1. Forbidden Kingdom
• 2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
• 3. Prom Night
• 4. 88 Minutes
• 5. Nim’s Island
• 6. 21
• 7. Street Kings
• 8. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!
• 9. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
• 10. Leatherheads

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 Which new movie are you going to see this weekend?  Tracking says “Forbidden Kingdom” is the sure winner, starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” was projected the box office drawer, even with an overexposed male body, starring Jason Segel; but it doesn’t look like it. Al Pacino thriller, “88 minutes” is opening as well.  Then, there are some documentaries with limited releases: “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed,” a documentary bashing the theory of evolution; ”Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?” and “Glass: A Portrait of Philip in 12 Parts.”

It looks like a flavor for everyone. 

I am following Tracking and placing my bet on “Forbidden” as the top draw this weekend.

What do you think?

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Since arriving in New York City’s folk music scene in the 1960s, American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has become a major figure in popular music, influencing millions with his chart topping songs.  His records have earned Grammy, Golden Globe, and Academy Awards, and he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. “I’m Not There” suggested retail price is $28.95 and arrives May 6^th.

Special Features

• 9 Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary
• Audio Commentary with Director Todd Haynes
• Premiere Featurette
• Making Of I’m Not There
• Subterranean Homesick Blues Music Video
• Audition Tapes - Ben Whishaw and Marcus Carl Franklin
• Gag Reel
• Conversation with Todd Haynes
• Making of the Soundrack
• Dylan Filmography
• Dylan Discography
• New York Times Article on the Film Written by Robert Sullivan
• On Screen Lyric Stream

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SURFWISE follows the odyssey of 85-year-old, legendary surfer Dr. Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz, his wife Juliette, and their nine children-all of whom were home-schooled on the beaches of Southern California, Hawaii, Mexico and Israel; they surfed every day of their lives, and were forced to adhere to a strict diet and lifestyle by their passionate and demanding, health-conscious father.

In the mid-1950s Dorian Paskowitz was a successful doctor living the good life in the territory of Hawaii, until two devastating divorces and the realization that he had no interest in money or status caused him to completely upend his life. Dorian dropped his practice and traveled to Israel for a year where he lived among the Bedouins and developed a lifelong obsession with a healthy diet.  He introduced surfing to Israel and became a hero in the burgeoning Tel Aviv beach scene. Returning to the States, he met his wife Juliette, and the rest was history. They fell madly in love, steered clear of society, lived out of a tiny camper on the beach, and had 7 sons in rapid succession: David, Jonathan, Abraham, Israel, Moses, Adam, and Salvador Daniel. Then they had one daughter, Navah, and their ninth child, Joshua.

The children were raised in the Jewish tradition, complete with Shabbat on the beach every Friday night. But that’s where similarities with a normal societal upbringing end. Doc’s absolute determination was to raise his children according to the strictest standards of nature. They ate only organic and/or raw foods with no sugar or fat. Their community was their family. They didn’t need money or have to pay bills or taxes. Their home was anywhere the crowded camper was parked.

What happens to eight brothers and a sister that are raised under such extraordinary circumstances? SURFWISE is the story of a man who pursued his dreams and dragged his family along for the wild ride.

Limited release May 9th. Take a look at the web site: Surfwise

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The music magazine is dying a slow death. No longer can teens roll a copy of NME into their back pocket to show off their self-declared hip musical taste. For music websites, which are free to access, are becoming the champ. One of the most popular is Pitchfork, which has arguably kick-started the careers of indie bands like The Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade. And it just so happens that Pitchfork have decided to take on the world of video broadcasting.

Pitchfork TV launched last Monday. It’s goal is to provide original content and acquired material concerning mostly independent music, providing acts with a platform to promote their music, something independent bands rarely have. Besides the obvious inclusion of music videos, they also have original interviews, documentaries, sessions and live gigs.

This week the site has QuietLOUDQuiet, the documentary following the Pixies on their difficult reunion tour, in its entirety. Anyone who has any interest in modern rock music should check it out. There’s not much time, however, as I believe the documentary will be unavailable by the end of tomorrow.

So far the site is running rather well. The Beta design is smooth and easy to navigate. I’ve had a few issues with slowness when watching the Pixies documentary, but nothing serious. The bitchiness that’s prevalent in Pitchfork’s articles has yet to be transferred fully, but overall this looks like a very promising resource for the kind of music videos and programmes that I can’t even seem to find in cable. Rock on, Pitchfork.

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Remember Morgan Spurlock, the man who downed McDonald’s food multiple times dailys for a whole month just to see how badly it would wreck his body? Well he’s got a new film coming out - “Where In the World is Osama Bin Laden”. And now, MTV has gotten an exclusive sneak peek at five minutes of the film, which opens in theaters in a limited run later this month. Check it out here:

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ESPN has designated Tuesday night is movie night at ESPN for a slate of full-length documentaries, which is set to air on ESPN2.   

According to Variety.com the documentaries are set to arrive are “Hellfighters” (April 22), about Harlem’s only high school football team; “The Streak” (April 29) chronicles the 451 consecutive wins by the Brandon High School (Tampa, Fla.) wrestling team; “Bud Greenspan: Heart of the Games” (May 6) profiles the man who’s best known for his Olympic profiles; and “The Zen of Bobby V” (May 13), about former Major League baseball manager Bobby Valentine, who’s now managing in Japan.

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