Category Archives: Releases

Coming to theatres this Friday, May 31:
ECHO IN THE CANYON

Director:
Andrew Slater

Premiere:
Los Angeles 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Berkshire, Santa Barbara

About:
A look back at the 1960s Laurel Canyon music scene.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield, and The Mamas and the Papas all birthed the beginnings of the Laurel Canyon music scene. Andrew Slater’s film shows how the echo of these artists’ creations reverberated between each other and ultimately across the world with a timelessness that continues today. Featuring Tom Petty, Brian Wilson, Stephen Stills, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Michelle Phillips, Jackson Browne, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Roger McGuinn, John Sebastian, Lou Adler, Norah Jones, Beck, Regina Spektor, Cat Power, and others, the film was executive produced by Jakob Dylan. Dylan journeys to meet the creators of iconic Laurel Canyon songs and uncovers never before heard personal details behind the recordings from those who made them popular.

Coming to DVD and VOD today, Tuesday, May 28:
THE CITY THAT SOLD AMERICA

Director:
Ky Dickens

Premiere:
Chicago 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Kansas, St Louis, Cleveland

About:
A look at Chicago’s central role in American advertising.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Chicago was built upon the aspirations of industry tycoons, ambitious politicians, and shrewd advertising executives. Buoyed by the Great Migration, the Windy City soon became the epicenter of commercial production, spawning the modern advertising industry that continues to shape our behavior today. This playful doc, spanning the whole of the twentieth century, offers intriguing insights on the development and enduring impact of some of the most creative advertising minds in the world, while simultaneously exploring our national relationship with popular culture.

Coming to DVD and VOD today, Tuesday, May 28:
PATRIMONIO

Directors:
Lisa F Jackson and Sarah Teale

Premiere:
Berlin 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Full Frame, Hot Springs Doc, Tallgrass, SF Green, St Louis

About:
Mexican fishermen fight back against development plans that will destroy their way of life.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
In Baja, Mexico, a multinational developer plans to build an extensive wellness oasis, which will include nearly 4500 homes and create a footprint that will engulf the local fishing community of Todos Santos. Faced with the encroachment of their natural resources, depletion of the local ecology, and severe pollution, the fishermen band together to fight the developer and government agencies that enable these extreme resorts. Led by an inspiring young attorney, can this humble group succeed in stopping this unsustainable development and preserve their way of life?

Coming to HBO tomorrow, Tuesday, May 28:
RUNNING WITH BETO

Director:
David Modigliani

Premiere:
SXSW 2019

Select Festivals:
Seattle, IFF Boston, Martha’s Vineyard, Full Frame, Dallas,

About:
A candid behind-the-scenes look at Beto O’Rourke’s 2018 campaign for US Senate.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to digital download tonight, Monday, May 27:
THE TRUTH ABOUT KILLER ROBOTS

Director:
Maxim Pozdorovkin

Premiere:
Toronto 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Hamptons, Double Exposure, Zurich

About:
A wide-ranging, thought-provoking meditation on the legal, ethical, and philosophical implications of robots and artificial intelligence.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, May 24:
BARBARA RUBIN & THE EXPLODING NY UNDERGROUND

Director:
Chuck Smith

Premiere:
Hot Docs 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Rotterdam, Thessaloniki Doc, Seattle, Jeonju

About:
A forgotten 1960s film pioneer receives her due.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Offering a recontextualization of the 1960s New York art and experimental film scene through the story of a remarkably influential, yet unheralded, figure, Chuck Smith’s film introduces viewers to Barbara Rubin. This extraordinary young filmmaker, who defied sexist conventions when she picked up a film camera and shot an art-porn masterpiece, was instrumental in connecting Andy Warhol to the Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan to the Kabbalah before dramatically and unexpectedly leaving the scene behind as quickly as she arrived.