Category Archives: Releases

New to DVD this week:
THE BUSINESS OF AMATEURS

Director:
Bob DeMars

Premiere:
Portland 2015

About:
A former student athlete questions the policies of the NCAA.

Former USC linebacker-turned-filmmaker DeMars enjoyed his time as a student athlete but contends with the health consequences to this day. Sharing his story along with those of several other former amateur collegiate athletes, he launches into a broad consideration of the imbalance of power between student athletes and the NCAA, theoretically charged with looking out for their best interests, but in many ways exploiting them or otherwise hampering their ability to make a sustainable living, receive an adequate education, plan for a future after collegiate athletics, and cope with health concerns resulting from their amateur careers. DeMars’ project is earnest and honest, seeking answers for how and why amateur athletes are treated, and searching for a more equitable system that would truly serve them better. Unfortunately, the film is marred by excessive narration that bogs down and cheapens the storytelling, as well as a tendency to cover far too much, too quickly, introducing interesting or provocative ideas before immediately jettisoning them for another topic.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Wednesday, March 1:
CONTEMPORARY COLOR

Directors:
Bill Ross and Turner Ross

Premiere:
Tribeca 2016

Select Festivals:
IDFA, Hot Docs, New Orleans, San Francisco, Montclair, Seattle, Sydney, Bonnaroo, AFI Docs, Guanajuato, Melbourne, Sidewalk, Camden, Denver, St Louis, Indie Memphis, Sound Unseen

About:
A chronicle of a one-night-only musical collaboration conceived by David Byrne celebrating color guard.

Inspired to showcase color guard – which involves troupes performing synchronized movements incorporating flags and rifles to live or pre-recorded music – Byrne commissioned ten musicians to create original songs/soundtracks to accompany a demonstration of the craft at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. The Ross brothers, together with an impressive assemblage of cinematographers, were there to capture the concert, as well as some behind-the-scenes details. The result is a visually vibrant concert doc, one very different from the duo’s past output, and likely best appreciated by music/performance doc fans.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, February 28:
THE RACE UNDERGROUND

Director:
Michael Rossi

Premiere:
American Experience (January 2017)

About:
The story of America’s first subway.

I previously wrote about the doc here.