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DOC NYC 2011: "With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story" Showcases a Super Couple
- By Christopher Campbell
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- October 28, 2011 5:04 AM
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- 1 Comment
Just when I thought I'd had enough of Stan Lee, between all of his silly cameos in Marvel movie adaptations, his ridiculous reality series ideas, and his constant presence throughout Morgan Spurlock's new film, "Comic-Con IV: A Fan's Hope," a conventional biographical profile has come my way and I'm back in love with 'The Man' behind so many of my favorite comic book characters. Actually, I'm in now love with Stan and Joan Lee, who together make the documentary "With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story" more extraordinary than I had anticipated.
"Pearl Jam Twenty" is an Engaging Music Doc That Has Appropriate Trouble Finding Its True Identity
- By Christopher Campbell
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- October 26, 2011 7:38 AM
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- 1 Comment
Before seeing Cameron Crowe's "Pearl Jam Twenty," I was all set on naming "Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest" the best music documentary of 2011. But how do I weigh these two films against each other? My first thought for comparison has to do with something I read (and of course can no longer locate) of "Beats" director Michael Rapaport saying that he made the film about ATCQ, not for them. Sure he loves that group and didn't want to (nor did he) produce a negative portrait of them, but it features enough objective balance (including some unfavorable elements) to have brought it a controversial (initial) lack of support from Q-Tip. "PJ20" may not necessarily be for Pearl Jam more than about them, but it feels a lot more fine-tuned to be complimentary to the band and its twenty-year existence.
"Prayer for a Perfect Season" is a Fast-Paced and Immensely Satisfying Doc on High School Basketball
- By Christopher Campbell
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- October 25, 2011 8:09 AM
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- 4 Comments
Here's the second high school basketball documentary I've seen in a week. "Prayer for a Perfect Season," which debuts on HBO tonight (totally fittingly as part of HBO Sports not HBO Documentaries), is very different than "Elevate," however, and definitely nothing like "Hoop Dreams," the standard for this subject matter. It's fast, literal, incredibly current and obviously prophetic. Rather than following some NBA hopefuls who aren't certainly going to make it, here we have some of the greatest teens presently playing the sport, and at least one or two will definitely be pro in the coming years. It's the best-edited and most satisfying sports doc I've seen this year after "Senna."
On DVD: "Attack the Block" Has More Fun By Dismissing Subtext and Keeping True Villainy Vague
- By Christopher Campbell
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- October 25, 2011 4:35 AM
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- 0 Comments
Don't wait for the American remake of Joe Cornish's "Attack the Block," even if -- or especially if -- Hollywood listens to me and gets that right, "Let Me In" style, combined with a more sideways sort of rehash. Now that the sci-fi festival favorite is on home video, I suspect it will become the kind of "cult" hit that actually has too many fans to be considered a "cult" hit. Just like "Shaun of the Dead," which is directed by "ATB"'s producer, Edgar Wright. People really love this movie, and even cynics like myself are properly entertained. You might be curious enough to see this in anticipation of Cornish's two upcoming co-writing efforts, "The Adventures of Tintin" and "Ant-Man." Also, there will likely be a sequel, so you're going to need to see the original at some point.
On DVD: "City of Life and Death" is a Depressing Spectacle That Will Make You Stop Liking War Movies
- By Christopher Campbell
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- October 25, 2011 3:24 AM
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- 0 Comments
On DVD: "Winnie the Pooh" Charms with Slight Twists on a Classic
- By Christopher Campbell
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- October 25, 2011 2:18 AM
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- 0 Comments
On DVD: "“Captain America: The First Avenger” Captivates But Has Little Care for Character"
- By Christopher Campbell
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- October 25, 2011 1:24 AM
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- 0 Comments
Short Starts: Watch "Like Crazy" Director Drake Doremus's "The Shirt"
- By Christopher Campbell
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- October 24, 2011 4:07 AM
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- 1 Comment
Short Starts is a column devoted to kicking off the week with a short film, typically one tied to a new release. Today we look at an early film by Drake Doremus, director of “Like Crazy,” which opens in limited release this Friday.
"Elevate" is a Fine Basketball Documentary But Doesn't Rise to Its Occasion
- By Christopher Campbell
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- October 21, 2011 3:13 AM
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- 1 Comment
It's hard not to mention "Hoop Dreams" when reviewing the new documentary "Elevate," which similarly follows young NBA hopefuls on the path to the college level. But we mustn't compare them any more than we need to mention how much better "Citizen Kane" is in any fiction film review. "Elevate" is a mediocre film, and this is fine I suppose. Mediocre isn't bad, it's just ordinary and average, which is common with docs. Common being another word to isolate and use to describe this simple work. I do wonder, though, why more docmakers don't really aim to be the best, especially when that's just the sort of story they're selling on screen.
"The Dark Knight Rises" May Pull a "Medium Cool" with Occupy Wall Street Protests
- By Christopher Campbell
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- October 18, 2011 5:36 AM
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- 1 Comment
On October 29, Christopher Nolan's next Batman film, "The Dark Knight Rises," will begin shooting in New York City. The production, under the masked title "Magnus Rex," is scheduled for 14 days of shooting in the Big Apple, and some of this filming could involve the Occupy Wall Street protesters. According to Stephen Zeitchik of the LA Times, an anonymous source associated with the film claims casting notices mention the possibility of shooting "a city besieged by crime and corruption," amidst the OWS crowd, but the purpose is unknown. As are details on whether or not they'd be paid for their work as extras. Some are saying it could be good publicity for the movement, yet it could also be seen as exploitation by a corporate power.
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