I love a good documentary and this one, “Starsuckers,” looks especially stellar. It looks at our culture’s growing obsession with celebrity—how newspapers and stations have drifted towards celebrity journalism and how fame is sold to us like a commodity. The part of the film I’m most excited for? Director Chris Atkins wanted to test how well tabloid journalists fact-check the stories called in to or emailed to their tip lines. So, his team concocted some totally bogus stories—like that Avril Lavigne fell asleep on a couch at Bungalow 8, that Amy Winehouse blew a fuse during a party and electrocuted herself turning it back on, and that Guy Ritchie got a black eye juggling silverware at a restaurant. They sent these stories to major newspapers, and a huge percentage of them actually ran. The filmmakers turned down payments but could have banked about $1,200 for their efforts. This flick opens in the U.K. on Oct. 30. As of yet, there are no plans for it to travel stateside, but here’s hoping. [Guardian, Starsuckers] Keep reading »
Tag Archives: documentaries
Documentary “Starsuckers” Shows It’s Amazingly Easy To Plant Bogus Celebrity Stories In Newspapers
I love a good documentary and this one, “Starsuckers,” looks especially stellar. It looks at our culture’s growing obsession with celebrity—how newspapers and stations have drifted towards celebrity journalism and how fame is sold to us like a commodity. The part of the film I’m most excited for? Director Chris Atkins wanted to test how well tabloid journalists fact-check the stories called in to or emailed to their tip lines. So, his team concocted some totally bogus stories—like that Avril Lavigne fell asleep on a couch at Bungalow 8, that Amy Winehouse blew a fuse during a party and electrocuted herself turning it back on, and that Guy Ritchie got a black eye juggling silverware at a restaurant. They sent these stories to major newspapers, and a huge percentage of them actually ran. The filmmakers turned down payments but could have banked about $1,200 for their efforts. This flick opens in the U.K. on Oct. 30. As of yet, there are no plans for it to travel stateside, but here’s hoping. [Guardian, Starsuckers] Keep reading »
Jump Aboard The Michael Moore Bandwagon, Err, Gondola
Michael Moore tops my list of favorite documentary filmmakers I wouldn’t want to snog but would totally marry. I love a juicy oversimplification applied by the left, and nobody does it like Moore. First he took on the ailing auto industry in “Roger & Me,” then violence in “Bowling for Columbine,” then the reaction to September 11th in “Fahrenheit 9/11,” then the healthcare industry in “Sicko.” Remember when Moore provoked Charlton Heston to slam a door in his face (on tape!) for a poignant ending to “Bowling for Columbine”? Sigh.
After the jump, see what industry insiders are saying about Moore’s latest lament, “Capitalism: A Love Story,” which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in late August, plays at the New York Film Festival next week, and opens in theaters on October 2nd. Keep reading »
No Impact Woman
Last night, I saw a preview screening of “No Impact Man,” the documentary about Colin Beavan. Chances are you know him as the guy who gave up everything from toilet paper to electricity for a year, on a quest to make himself and his family have absolutely no negative effects on the environment. After an article about him ran about him in the New York Times, a media blitz ensued and Colin became something of a celebrity (though a polarizing one), landing on “Good Morning America,” “The Colbert Report,” etc, etc, etc.
But while he may be the titular No Impact Man, the real star of the documentary is Colin’s wife, Michelle Conlin. Keep reading »
“The Day Before” Gets Us Excited For Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week officially begins this Thursday. Right now designers are probably scurrying around, creating last-minute dresses, hiring models to walk the runway, and making final hair, makeup, and music selections for their shows. Sure, they’ve been working for months on their collections, but a lot is done right down to the moment the last model struts onto the runway.
We love seeing what goes into making the clothes we see in magazines and on red carpets. In the four-part series “The Day Before,” which premieres tomorrow night at 10 p.m. on the Sundance Channel, French director Loïc Prigent (the man behind the “Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton” documentary) takes us behind the scenes for the last 36 hours before the fall 2009 fashion shows of Sonia Rykiel, Proenza Schouler, Fendi, and Jean-Paul Gaultier. After watching these clips of Karl Lagerfeld and his Fendi team going delightfully nuts (above) and Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough making last-minute adjustments backstage (after the jump), you’re gonna want to clear your nights from tomorrow until Saturday, when the last part of the series airs. [Sundance Channel] Keep reading »
“Good Hair” Documentary Looks Promising
We were really intrigued by “Good Hair,” Chris Rock‘s documentary that explores the idea of “good hair” in black culture, when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Now that the trailer has been released we’re even more excited, because it delves into an aspect of black culture that isn’t often discussed outside the black community — that is unless someone stands to profit by making products for black hair. Although Chris stays true to his comedic roots, “Good Hair” doesn’t appear to be any less insightful or serious. Keep reading »
Britney Spears Saved My Life!
Did you ever think that Britney Spears could save anybody’s life? Not so much, unless we’re talking about deflecting a bullet with a swinging umbrella or walking barefoot in the bathroom and soaking up all the germs so that they don’t invade another’s body. But according to a new BBC documentary called “Britney Spears Saved My Life,” Britney’s been the savior for lots of folks. Keep reading »
Life Is, Like, SO Hard For Beautiful People
There’s a 2-minute documentary worth checking out on the Sundance Channel’s website called “Not Pretty, Really.” The short film is part of a series called “The Art of Seduction” and explores some of the trials and tribulations of beautiful people. That’s right, you guys — it’s super hard being good looking!! Sure, there are the occasional perks the participants in the documentary acknowledge, like free pitas from Pita Pit, rides in private jets, and being paid to sit in windows of fancy restaurants to attract other diners, but the beautiful people want others to know it isn’t always easy being so hot. For example, it gets “frustrating” when people come up to you ALL day to tell you how beautiful you are! And you can never be the “funny girl,” or the “smart girl,” or the “interesting girl” when all anyone sees you as is the “pretty girl.” And sometimes people stare at you like you’re an object! Oh, and other times people just ASSUME things about you like you’re conceited or not smart. One pretty girl even suffered the trauma of people gasping when she won an English award in school! And still, other women have had to be friends with only gay men because they’re the only ones who don’t constantly objectify them. Gosh, I never realized just how hard some people had it… Keep reading »
Coming To Theaters This Summer: Food
Don’t want to go the whole blow-’em-up blockbuster movie route this summer? That makes two of us. Well, word on the street is that there’s a bumper crop of new documentaries hitting the big screen, the festival circuit and DVD aisle examining America’s food system this summer. If you’re looking for this August’s version of “No Reservations,” these movies ain’t it. The filmmakers are more intent on showing us just how disgusting eating has become. Think “Fast Food Nation” and the Humane Society’s debbie-downer cow video. An obvious suggestion would be to eat dinner before heading to the theater, as I’m pretty sure you won’t want to stuff your face after. Here’s the sampler:
Will A Documentary Save Amy Winehouse’s Career?
Amy Winehouse is trying to save her career, and she’s not resorting to posing nude for a magazine, having a baby, or starting a clothing line. According to People, celebrity interviewer Daphne Barak is making a documentary about Amy to be released later this year. A message on Amy’s official MySpace blog says “Saving Amy” is “a truthful and revealing look at her complicated life.” But will it save her career? Let’s look at two other documentaries focused on faltering stars. Keep reading »
The Daily Squeeze: Porn On TV, Pregnancy, And Dr. Drew
