Powers of Ten

Powers of Ten explores the relative size of things from the microscopic to the cosmic.

The 1977 film travels from an aerial view of a man in a Chicago park to the outer limits of the universe directly above him and back down into the microscopic world contained in the man’s hand.
Powers of Ten illustrates the universe as an arena of both continuity and change, of everyday picnics and cosmic mystery.
The film also demonstrates the Eameses’ ability to make science both fascinating and accessible.Watch the preview now

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Keep the River on Your Right – A Modern Cannibal Tale

If there exists a stereotype of the cannibal as a wild-eyed savage from a remote vastness, surely Tobias Schneebaum does not fit it. Turning 80 this month, he is a frail, soft-spoken gay Manhattanite of scholarly disposition and artistic bent. Once briefly a rabbinical student, he lectures on anthropology and art to Barnard students and to wealthy passengers on their lavish cruises to exotic locales. Though the bulk of his life attests mainly to the contrary, Mr. Schneebaum has lived and loved among native tribes in the jungles of Peru and Indonesian New Guinea.
And years ago, while on a Fulbright grant to paint in Peru, he abandoned his mission, lived among the Amarakaire Indians and accompanied them on what turned out to be a raid on another tribe, which led him to an act of cannibalism. It is this act that serves as the springboard for “Keep the River on Your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tale,” an engaging and colorful but somewhat overbalanced documentary by a brother and sister team, David Shapiro and Laurie Gwen Shapiro.
The film’s focus on Mr. Schneebaum’s single experience with cannibalism 45 years ago provides a welcome excuse to return him to the haunts of his relative youth. First he leaves a well-appointed cruise ship to revisit New Guinea, where he is touchingly reunited with his old lover from an Asmat tribe in which men have sexual relationships with partners of both sexes.Watch the preview now

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Inside Iraq: The Untold Stories

Concerned citizens seeking to learn more about the experiences of everyday Iraqis in a time when the U.S. led war with the Middle Eastern nation shows no end of slowing get an illuminating glimpse at the true damage that bombs can do as amateur filmmaker Mike Shiley interviews people on both sides of the conflict during a two month tour of the war-torn country.A man who has received no formal training as a filmmaker or a journalist, Shiley struck a deal with his local ABC affiliate to bring back stories from Iraq, printed up a homemade press pass, boarded an airplane, and donned his bullet-proof vest. The footage Shiley captured during his stay would provide a remarkably personal face to a war that has become disquietingly impersonal to the average American citizen.From the Sunni triangle to the Shiite-controlled south, Shiley puts himself directly in the line of fire on order to speak with soldiers and everyday citizens. For anyone who ever wondered just what it would be like to be an Iraqi citizen during this extended conflict, Shiley’s film affords them the opportunity to receive a firsthand answer to their inquiries.
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Inside Iraq - The Untold Stories ( 1-6 )(NWO GLOBAL WARS series - Iraq)

Inside Iraq - The Untold Stories ( 2-6 )(NWO GLOBAL WARS series - Iraq)

Inside Iraq - The Untold Stories ( 3-6 )(NWO GLOBAL WARS series - Iraq)

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Inside Iraq - The Untold Stories ( 6-6 )(NWO GLOBAL WARS series - Iraq)

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Street Fight

A hotly contested political race generates a wealth of drama in this documentary from filmmaker Marshall Curry. Sharpe James is a veteran politician who has been mayor of Newark, NJ, since 1986; by the admission of his own spokespeople, James is a “machine” politician who uses muscle and influence to get things done, and while he’s enjoyed the fruits of his success, his administration has been accused of having a long history of corruption.In 2002, Cory Booker, a lawyer who was a member of the Newark City Council, announced he was running for mayor, and it didn’t take long for the contest to get ugly. Booker was a graduate of Yale Law School, a Rhodes Scholar, and an advocate of more open and honest government, and James and his staff wasted no time in attacking his qualifications and personality in public.
While both candidates were African-American, James chose to play the race card, questioning if Booker was “black” enough and suggesting the church-going Baptist was actually a Jew. James’ campaign staff didn’t stop at verbal attacks, and as Marshall Curry began covering the James and Booker campaigns, he found himself frequently attacked by James’ supporters (with his camera running and in full view of other reporters). (Barnes & Noble)Watch the preview now

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Tupac: Resurrection

Many unauthorized video titles have been released about the life of rap superstar Tupac Shakur. Tupac: Resurrection is the only one to be both executive produced by his mother, former Black Panther Afeni Shakur, and benefit from access to the MTV archives. The documentary is the feature-length debut for director Lauren Lazin, who has created several highly rated programs for both MTV and PBS.Using voice-overs, interviews, and other vocal tracks recorded by the late artist himself, the film explores his life, music, and death from fatal gunshot wounds in 1996. Includes rare footage, home movies, private photographs, and excerpts from his personal poetry, journals, and letters.During the making of the film, MTV reached out to his fan base by requesting submissions of Tupac memorabilia to be used in the film. C’mon America 2003 features 13 live performances from eight-time Grammy winner Sheryl Crow. The set includes more than two hours of footage, including the No. 1 hit “All I Wanna Do” and the Top 10 hits “Everyday Is a Winding Road,” “Leaving Las Vegas,” and “If It Makes You Happy”. (Barnes & Noble)This is just a preview. The full documentary was removed from the source.Find out more and buy

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Spellbound

Eight youngsters vie for one of the most hotly contested academic awards in the United States in this documentary. Every spring, the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee attracts students from all over the United States, and filmmaker Jeff Blitz follows eight promising entrants as they journey to Washington, D.C., in hopes of claiming the national championship and a 10,000-dollar prize.Neil Kadakia, from California, has spent months training for the event with the help of his parents, computer tutorials, and professional coaches. Angela Arenivar grew up in a small Texas town with her parents, who immigrated to America from Mexico; Angela’s skills as a speller are self-taught, a remarkable achievement since her parents speak English only with great difficulty.Nupur Lala is determined to go to the finals in the 1999 competition, even though three boys from her Florida Junior High are determined to stop her. Ted Brigham grew up in a rural Missouri community where his intelligence has made him stick out like a sore thumb; both Ted and his teachers hope the National Spelling Bee will give him a chance to prove his gifts to his peers. Ashley White lives in a housing project in Washington, D.C., and has risen to the spelling championships largely through the help of her teachers and her own determination.April DeGideo comes from a low-income family in Pennsylvania and is determined to use the Spelling Bee as a stepping stone to a better life. Emily Stagg comes from a wealthy Connecticut family and manages to squeeze her study for the Spelling Bee in between riding lessons and practicing with her choral group. (Barnes & Noble)Watch the preview now

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Imagine: John Lennon – The Definitive Film Portrait

The personal film archives of Yoko Ono were utilized for this feature-length documentary on the life of John Lennon. Predictably, it downplays Lennon’s association with the Beatles and concentrates on his years with Ono. The film spends a lot of time recounting Lennon’s anti-war activities, highlighted by a confrontation on a talk show hosted by conservative cartoonist Al Capp.
The title of the documentary is, of course, taken from Lennon’s idyllic ballad about a world free of hatred and discord. Imagine: John Lennon is a reverent but ultimately depressing chronicle of an artist who died the untimeliest of deaths. This documentary gives an intimate look at Lennon and his life. We get to see lots of rare footage of the Beatles’ preformances. We get to see John in his own studio, recording songs that reflected the main principles of his fight for life, for peace, and for hope.We see him as a man of optimism who, like all of us, have our faults and take wrong steps, but whatever John did, he took the responsibility totally upon himself in hoping for the outcome. This movie shows no prejudice toward John Lennon it simply presents him to the world in his beautiful simplicity and deeply human nature. I was very pleased and pleasantly surprised, both with the unbiased “view” that Andrew Solt gives us and the huge archival footage that he used. Lennon fans and just people interested in discovering the man who wrote… (Barnes & Noble)
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Blue Vinyl

Part family comedy and part horrifying investigative reportage, Blue Vinyl can make one simultaneously laugh and shiver with fear in the same, deceptively low-key moments. Documentary filmmaker Judith Helfand, upset that her parents are re-siding their house with blue vinyl, sets out (with co-director Daniel B. Gold) to discover how vinyl is made and why, according to some scientists, it is the most hazardous of synthetic materials.Along the way, she meets industry representatives who tell her the key chemical ingredient in vinyl, chloride, is no more toxic than table salt. She also travels to Venice, Italy, to meet with families of vinyl factory workers dead or dying from chemical exposure, and she visits an intrepid, Louisiana attorney who has sued American vinyl manufacturers on behalf of severely injured former employees.The tale is grim, yet the often on-screen Helfand’s approach is folksy and calm–less so when her skeptical parents reject, in several funny scenes, even empirical data about a product they find so… (Amazon)Watch the preview now

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Nova: Mountain of Ice

In this episode of NOVA, Conrad Anker leads an expedition to climb the highest mountain peak in Antarctica: Vinson Massif. Anker was joined by author Jon Krakauer, guide Dave Hahn, glaciologist Dan Stone, extreme skier Andrew McLean, NOVA producer Liesl Clark, and a three-person camera crew. This eight-person team survived through powerful winds and extreme temperatures to capture high-definition footage of this mostly unexplored area of Antarctica.Their successful journey in 2001 is compared with other historical attempts to scale the mountain. Mountain of Ice was originally broadcast on PBS February 11, 2003.NOVA delivers another fantastic show with this Antarctic expedition to one of the Seven Summits! Granted, I am already a big fan of NOVA, let alone when they cover my favorite topics (mountaineering!) Featuring Conrad Anker, Jon Krakauer, Dave Hahn, and assorted crew, they lug hundreds of pounds of gear up a new route on the east side of Vinson Massif, which, at a gain of over 12,000 feet (to a final altitude of 16,077 feet,) is no small task.
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Dolphins (IMAX® Trailer) - Music by Sting

Outdoor and underwater filmmaker Greg MacGillivray explores the secret world of dolphins in this documentary. Dolphins offers a glimpse at many of the 40 varieties of dolphins, in waters from Patagonia to the West Indies, as MacGillivray joins a group of researchers studying how dolphins hunt and communicate. In addition, the film exposes the actions of tuna fishermen who illegally attempt to capture dolphins, and answers questions about the habitat and physiology of these remarkable aquatic mammals.Dolphins was shot in the high-definition IMAX film format,and is narrated by Pierce Brosnan. This is one of the most inspirational nature videos of all time. Just the cinematography is enough to captivate any audience.
It is a wonderful story and gives you a real good insight on the magic of dolphins and how important they are in our world. If you like dolphins or free diving, this is the movie for you. Multiple scenes of humans swimming with dolphins, with no clumsy scuba gear… (Barnes & Noble)Watch the preview now

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Biography: Ernest Hemingway – Wrestling with Life

This biography of the American writer Ernest Hemingway is aptly titled, since Hemingway was forever struggling with life. A mixture of outdoorsman and intellectual, Hemingway has become emblematic of a certain way of life in the 20th century. His personal style and his many written works have become intertwined in the public imagination. In this A&E portrait, both the man and the myth are examined in an illuminating way.I don’t know if it was that A&E always try to water things down, or if it was just that they only centered on certain things and aspects of Ernest’s life, but I wasn’t as impressed as I thought I would be with Hemingway’s biography. As a writer I already had a good knowledge of Hemingway’s life, and although I learned a few things about him and his life, I still felt there was a lot missing.They seemed to just skate over certain details and times in the man’s life as if it wasn’t important. Paris, a major chunk of his life seemed more like a small vacation he once took, and although Hemingway was always talking about his writing and the craft itself, they seemed to center more on… (Barnes & Noble)
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Big Dogs, Little Dogs

Ralph Nader - An Unreasonable Man For dog lovers everywhere, here is the ultimate tribute to the canine world. Both entertaining and informative, the video explores everything anyone could possibly want to know about “man’s best friend.” What are they thinking? How did that odd habit originate? And what’s the story behind the $18 billion industry driven by America’s devotion to these lovable pets?The documentary examines the origins of many popular breeds, as well as the canine’s 10,000-year history as a domesticated animal. Whether viewers fancy the tiniest toy poodle, the most massive St. Bernard, or the good old faithful Beagle, this video is a must-see for fun canine facts, culture, and history… (Barnes & Noble)Watch the preview now

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An Unreasonable Man

The life and career of one of America’s most tenacious consumer advocates and political activists is brought to the screen in this richly detailed documentary. Born in a small town in Connecticut, Ralph Nader was raised to believe the words of his father that “you can fight city hall,” and Nader made a nationwide reputation for his willingness to take on the wealthy and powerful.After receiving a degree from Harvard Law School, Nader first became a household name in 1965 with his book Unsafe at Any Speed, in which he detailed the auto industry’s willingness to sacrifice safety in the name of greater profits. The book so outraged General Motors that they hired investigators to dig up dirt on Nader and make trouble for him; the plan backfired when Nader sued for invasion of privacy and walked away with a 425,000-dollar settlement that he used to set up an activist group to investigate both public servants and private commerce and how they live up to their responsibilities.However, Nader’s long career as a incorruptible watchdog was tarnished in 2004 when Nader ran for president in a campaign that attracted a great deal of attention for a third party candidate — and was blamed by many Democrats for drawing enough votes away from Al Gore to allow George W. Bush to walk away with an extremely narrow victory. An Unreasonable Man was directed by Henriette Mantel and Stephen Skrovan, the former of whom worked as a member of Nader’s staff in the ’70s… (Barnes & Noble)Watch the preview now

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The Heart of the Game

This fascinating documentary, reportedly filmed over seven years, focuses on Bill Resler, a University of Washington economics professor whose abiding interest in sports compels him to moonlight as coach for a girls’ high school basketball team. Gradually, the energetic coach turns Roosevelt High’s perennially losing Roughriders into tournament contenders, mostly by treating his players as if they were males and driving them relentlessly.Resler comes off as an intimidating figure — at one point he urges the girls, “Sink your teeth in their necks! Draw blood!” — but he genuinely cares for his youthful charges. The film shifts its focus in the second half to Darnella Russell, a gifted African-American player (one of the team’s few) who sees basketball as her best chance for a college scholarship.Her self-destructive behavior and violent temper get in the way, and even Resler’s support isn’t enough to keep her on track. This part of the story generates unexpected drama and suspense, and makes an already compelling movie positively riveting. You don’t have to be a hoops fanatic to find entertainment in this film: There’s plenty of “game,” but even more “heart”… (Barnes & Noble)Watch the preview now

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Paper Clips

This modestly produced documentary packs an emotional wallop unlike practically any other in recent memory. It takes place in the rural, blue-collar Tennessee community of Whitwell, where a middle-school class embarks upon a simple but ambitious project: In an attempt to gauge the magnitude of World War II’s Holocaust, students begin collecting paper clips, each of which represents a human life lost in the Nazis’ systematic slaughter of Jews.They are to amass 6 million paper clips, imagining each tiny piece of metal to be a human being. Thanks to the tremendous skill of directors Elliot Berlin and Joe Fab, we see how the enormity of this task transforms not only the children but their parents; indeed, the entire community. As the paper clips pile up, the people begin to understand the comprehensiveness of that long-ago manifestation of intolerance and hatred.There is, we must admit, a bit of theatricality and heavy-handedness to the film’s presentation. But its message is so clearly delineated and profound that its minor directorial excesses can easily be forgiven. Viewing this powerfully moving motion picture would benefit every family in the country… (Barnes & Noble)Watch the preview now

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NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience Trailer

NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience Trailer Simon Wincer directs the 40-minute film NASCAR: The IMAX Experience. It includes interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, plenty of high-speed racing action, and multiple points-of-view created by remote control-operated IMAX 3D cameras mounted to the outside of race cars, as well as the helicopter-mounted SpaceCam. Also included are interviews with top racers, such as Winston Cup Champion Tony Stewart.Narrated by Kiefer Sutherland, NASCAR 3D premiered in IMAX theaters in March 2004. The only downfalls of this release that make it a touch disappointing are the lack of features commonly found in most other IMAX DVDs. There is no “making of” segment following the main feature and often, those are as interesting as the films themselves. There are two features profiling drivers and showing close finishes from recent seasons, but these are both short and not terribly interesting.Most IMAX DVDs also feature both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 audio tracks. I personally find DTS to be of much finer detail and provide a much more immersive audio experience for films of this nature. These are both minor deficiencies though and they definitely should not stop you from checking out what is otherwise a fastastic IMAX feature. This is definitely worth a look if you like auto racing at all or just like action… (Barnes & Noble)Watch the preview now

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Muhammad Ali – Through the Eyes of the World

Muhammad Ali has been called the greatest athlete of his century, but he was much more than a great boxer; he was one of the most compelling figures of his time, a leader in the civil rights movement, a fiercely principled man who nearly traded in his career rather than violate his religious beliefs, and a figure of remarkable charm and charisma in a sport hardly known for producing articulate men.
Muhammad Ali: Through the Eyes of the World is a feature-length documentary which uses vintage films clips and interviews with his friends, family, and admirers to tell the full story of Ali’s life and career. Celebrity interviews include James Earl Jones, Billy Crystal…Muhammad Ali’s grace, charisma, and remarkable bravado shine through in this affectionate look at his life and career. Muhammad Ali: Through the Eyes of the World takes a fairly straightforward documentary approach, chronicling Ali’s life and career through film footage and interviews with journalists, loved ones, and a few bizarre commentators, like Scottish comedian Billy Connolly.Watch the preview now (The full documentary was removed from YouTube)

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Handbalancing On Canes Act - QUIDAM (Cirque du Soleil)

Cirque du Soleil is considered a stunning concept in modern performance art and circus craft. There are no dancing bears here, though there are a few clowns. The performers are all human and each exhibits a superhuman ability at acrobatic feats and the ability to spread awe or mirth over the spectators. Quidam is the featured Cirque du Soleil extravaganza in this video.The show includes a huge, rotating stage and arching trapeze platforms to bring the performers right over the heads in the audience. Quidam has the best music and songs out of all cirque shows. John Gilkey’s performance is also very good. Compared to other cirque shows, it’s got a lot more theatrical aspects than circus so it may seem too slow-paced.Some of the acts were awesome, such as Banquine and Vice Versa but the rest weren’t too awe-strucking as Dralion or Alegria. Since cirque du soleil evolutionize their shows year by year, the touring Quidam is probably better than the DVD, which came out in 1999. it’s a great DVD for everyone to enjoy especially… (Barnes & Noble)This is just a trailer. Watch the full doc

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National Geographic: Inside the U.S. Secret Service

Learn more about the U.S. Secret Service that you ever thought possible as National Geographic cameras venture into uncharted territory to bring viewers the most comprehensive view of the secretive government agency ever. From the remarkable measures taken to protect the President and his family to an agents-eye view of the job duties and a look at the exhaustive training program it takes to join this elite agency, you won’t believe your eyes when National Geographic cameras start rolling and the secrets of the Secret Service are revealed.A really good look at what the Secret Service is all about. Great history and current information. Having had a small taste of it when the first President Bush paid a visit and I was an attendee at a function, I can attest to the thorough job that is done before, during and after his appearance. Truly amazing. (Barnes & Noble)Watch the preview now

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What is INDIE?

At a time when independent artists in the music industry have more power and control over their careers than ever before, “What is INDIE?” tries to determine just what it really means to be ‘indie’. The film features interviews with indie music experts including Panos Panay, Derek Sivers and Suzanne Glass, as well as with 20 artists including Penny Lang, Ember Swift and Paul Cargnello.In defining what it means to be ‘indie’, as well as looking at the changing landscape in the music industry, the film ends up being a rallying cry for indie artists, and has been hailed as ‘inspiring’ and ‘empowering’ by artists worldwide.Without any prior background in film (except for watching Super-Size Me “way too many times”) and funded entirely with his own credit cards, Montreal director Dave Cool has taken the film from a small do-it-yourself project and turned it into an indie success story in its own right that continues to turn heads in the music and film industries, even catching the attention of CNN.com, Newsweek Magazine… (Sonicbids)Watch the preview now

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