Showtime is tuning up for the premiere of its Cameron Crowe series Roadies with a documentary short about the diligent men and women who make our favorite bands sound good every night. The premium cable net said today that its 35-minute film Miles to Go Before I Sleep will air at 8 Pm June 24 — two days before the Roadies premiere. Directed and executive produced by Sam Jones — who helmed the 2002 Wilco docu I Am Trying to Break Your Heart — Miles to Go features…...
- 6/22/2016
- Deadline TV
On Friday, Wilco surprise-released, for free on their website, a new album called Star Wars. Variations on this type of release strategy are so in vogue right now that they’re becoming the new normal, but it’s worth pointing out that Wilco are pioneers on this particular front. Chicago’s favorite sons have been pulling this sort of thing since 2001, the year they made a strange, relatively challenging, and stupendously beautiful record called Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. When they played the finished product for their label, Reprise Records, the suits didn’t hear a conventional single, and dropped Wilco. (The whole story is chronicled in Sam Jones’s gorgeous black-and-white documentary about the band, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart — highly recommended if you haven’t seen it.) In September of that year, having retained the rights to the masters but still stuck in between-label-deal limbo, Wilco took matters...
- 7/21/2015
- by Lindsay Zoladz
- Vulture
What would you do if someone told you it was up to you to finish some old songs Bob Dylan had lying around?
That's the question facing Marcus Mumford, Elvis Costello, Jim James (of My Morning Jacket), Taylor Goldsmith and Rhiannon Giddens (of the Carolina Chocolate Drops) in Showtime's new original documentary, Lost Songs: The Basement Tapes Continued, which documents the making of the new album Lost On the River: The New Basement Tapes.
Dylan's The Basement Tapes is one of his most cherished releases, and its mythology is well-established. Recuperating from a motorcycle accident in 1966 in upstate New York,...
That's the question facing Marcus Mumford, Elvis Costello, Jim James (of My Morning Jacket), Taylor Goldsmith and Rhiannon Giddens (of the Carolina Chocolate Drops) in Showtime's new original documentary, Lost Songs: The Basement Tapes Continued, which documents the making of the new album Lost On the River: The New Basement Tapes.
Dylan's The Basement Tapes is one of his most cherished releases, and its mythology is well-established. Recuperating from a motorcycle accident in 1966 in upstate New York,...
- 10/28/2014
- by Alex Heigl, @alex_heigl
- People.com - TV Watch
If you've ever noticed, Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons sings an awful lot about hearts and hands and the like. But this new heart-hand-touch-you song? Not even entirely his. It's Bob Dylan's, from off of "Lost On The River: The New Basement Tapes," new tunes based off of newly uncovered Dylan lyrics. This little tune stays little, for a soothing effect, never curling into a payoff but loping around the fantastic wanderer that is the lyric video. The whole handwritten thing is also a scheme of the Jim James-led song "Nothing to It" and Elvis Costello-sung "Married to My Hack," all three below. "Lost on the River" is out on Nov. 11, and gathers the collective talents of Mumford, James, Costello, producer T Bone Burnett, Dawes, Rhiannon Giddens and more. "Lost Songs: The Basement Tapes Continued" is a Showtime documentary focused on the album's creation and is directed...
- 9/25/2014
- by Katie Hasty
- Hitfix
Bob Dylan has written more songs than even he could ever record. After discovering nearly two dozen never-recorded lyrics written by Dylan during his exceptionally prolific "Basement Tapes" period in the late '60s, award-winning producer T-Bone Burnett has put together an all-star band to marry the lyrics to new music. The band includes Mumford and Sons' Marcus Mumford, My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James, Elvis Costello, Dawes, Carolina Chocolate Drops’ Rhiannon Giddens, and more. The result is the upcoming tribute album "Lost On The River: The New Basement Tapes," and you can hear a taste of it below, with the animated lyric video for the Costello-led "Married to My Hack." Watch the video here: And take a listen to "Nothing to It," with James on lead vocals, here. The upcoming Showtime documentary "Lost Songs: The Basement Tapes Continued" will peek behind the scenes at the album's creation, and will...
- 9/2/2014
- by Dave Lewis
- Hitfix
Lost Songs: The Basement Tapes Continued follows five current artists as they put music to words penned by the rock legend during the Summer of Love. Showtime‘s documentary puts Oscar winner T Bone Burnett together with Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford (Mumford & Sons), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes) and Rhiannon Giddens (Carolina Chocolate Drops) to record an album of the songs a 26-year-old Bob Dylan originally wrote in 1967 for the record that became The Basement Tapes. Sam Jones (I Am Trying To Break Your Heart) directs docu, which offers a deep look inside the creative process of recording the album, weaving the studio sessions together with stories about The Basement Tapes, Dylan’s landmark collaboration with The Band that was released in 1975. Burnett played guitar on the Rolling Thunder Revue tour that followed the album. Showtime will air Lost Songs: The Basement Tapes Continued later this year,...
- 3/25/2014
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
It’s no joke: Comedian Fred Armisen really has joined Seth Meyers’ Late Night as bandleader-slash-music-”curator.” He’ll be helming the talk show’s house band — a talented group that also includes guitarist Seth Jabour of Les Savy Fav, bassist Syd Butler of Les Savy Fav, keyboardist Eli Janney of Girls Against Boys, and drummer Kim Thompson of Beyoncé’s touring band — even when he’s busy with other projects, like IFC’s Portlandia.
For those who know Armisen only as “that weird guy from SNL,” this news may seem more than a little random. But Armisen’s actually...
For those who know Armisen only as “that weird guy from SNL,” this news may seem more than a little random. But Armisen’s actually...
- 2/11/2014
- by Hillary Busis
- EW.com - PopWatch
While Jared Leto is being rightfully lauded for his return to acting, and a great turn in "Dallas Buyers Club" that could land him an Oscar nomination, you might have forgotten he already has a recent movie award in his pocket. Last year the Leto-directed documentary "Artifact" nabbed the People's Choice Award For Documentary at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival and as it heads to VOD, a new trailer has emerged. So, what is this doc all about? It finds Leto turning the camera toward his (pretty terrible, but best-selling) band 30 Seconds To Mars, as they battle their record label in making the album This Is War. So is this another "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart," "Some Kind Of Monster" or "Meeting People Is Easy"? Well, it probably depends on how you feel about the band as our Doc NYC review reports that the behind-the-scenes stuff is fascinating,...
- 11/25/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Do you like Passion Pit? Do you like tacos? Congratulations, you're a member of the human race. But congratulations also because we have a documentary about them for you! Passion Pit, that is, but it was funded by Taco Bell, for whom Passion Pit recently soundtracked a commercial. Because nothing says “strip mall tortillas” like upbeat indie-pop. The folks over at Pitchfork pointed this one out to us: apparently they sometimes have stuff about music on their website, or something. Anyhow, the 50-minute doc was directed by Sam Jones, who 10 years ago made the Wilco documentary “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart,” but who hasn't been heard from since. This piece showcases their recent SXSW performance, alongside smaller L.A. group Wildcat! Wildcat!, and also features interviews with the band, particularly frontman Michael Angelakos, who is not really as upbeat as his music suggests: the doc chronicles some of...
- 8/28/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Sam Jones, who directed the Wilco documentary "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart," is the man responsible for Mumford & Sons' "Hopeless Wanderer," a.k.a. the video that everyone loves this week.
The clip stars Jason Sudeikis, Jason Bateman, Ed Helms and Will Forte as Mumford & Sons, though as Jones told The Los Angeles Times, the band had no input about their comedic doppelgangers. What Mumford & Sons did try to dictate, however, was the actual song.
According to Jones, the band wanted "Babel," the title track to their smash hit 2012 album, to be used for the video. Jones wasn't having it: "I said it just wouldn't work," the director said to The Times.
"Hopeless Wanderer" was kept and the rest is internet history. For more from Jones, head to the Times. Watch the "Hopeless Wanderer" video for the umpteenth time in the window above.
The clip stars Jason Sudeikis, Jason Bateman, Ed Helms and Will Forte as Mumford & Sons, though as Jones told The Los Angeles Times, the band had no input about their comedic doppelgangers. What Mumford & Sons did try to dictate, however, was the actual song.
According to Jones, the band wanted "Babel," the title track to their smash hit 2012 album, to be used for the video. Jones wasn't having it: "I said it just wouldn't work," the director said to The Times.
"Hopeless Wanderer" was kept and the rest is internet history. For more from Jones, head to the Times. Watch the "Hopeless Wanderer" video for the umpteenth time in the window above.
- 8/7/2013
- by Christopher Rosen
- Huffington Post
Among Jayson Brooks' many talents, hiding out is not one of them.
"As a final acceptance of my height, I've grown my hair super, super long for this skyscraper effect," the towering (Brooks stands at 6'3") and well-coifed frontman of Jc Brooks & The Uptown Sound told HuffPost Chicago in a recent interview.
Following a year of near non-stop performances around the globe and a nod from the hit Fox comedy "The New Girl," Brooks is easily the most recognizable face of the Chicago-based band.
Brooks acknowledged the group's popularity has grown since their 2011 album which featured a rousing soul cover of Wilco’s “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart.”
"More people are aware of us, and we're meeting a lot of random people," Brooks said. "I'm kind of jumpy by nature, so meeting people who recognize me surprises me. But, it's a flattering kind of surprise."
The singer called...
"As a final acceptance of my height, I've grown my hair super, super long for this skyscraper effect," the towering (Brooks stands at 6'3") and well-coifed frontman of Jc Brooks & The Uptown Sound told HuffPost Chicago in a recent interview.
Following a year of near non-stop performances around the globe and a nod from the hit Fox comedy "The New Girl," Brooks is easily the most recognizable face of the Chicago-based band.
Brooks acknowledged the group's popularity has grown since their 2011 album which featured a rousing soul cover of Wilco’s “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart.”
"More people are aware of us, and we're meeting a lot of random people," Brooks said. "I'm kind of jumpy by nature, so meeting people who recognize me surprises me. But, it's a flattering kind of surprise."
The singer called...
- 5/21/2013
- by Kim Bellware
- Huffington Post
If you don't know who Nat Wolff is, a) you might be living under a rock, and b) you will soon. The high school senior just wrapped work on the much buzzed about indie flick "Palo Alto," in which he portrays a character from the twisted imagination of James Franco. There are also pictures of him making out with Selena Gomez all over the internet right now -- granted, he was shooting a scene for his role in "Behaving Badly," but don't think it hasn't gotten tongues wagging.
Perhaps best known as one half of the "Naked Brothers Band," Nat took a break from the Nickelodeon spotlight to grow up and reappear in front of cameras as a young man -- a remarkably talented and winsome young man. Among his upcoming film roles, Wolff stars opposite Tina Fey and Paul Rudd in Focus Features' upcoming "Admission." A songwriter and multi-instrumentalist,...
Perhaps best known as one half of the "Naked Brothers Band," Nat took a break from the Nickelodeon spotlight to grow up and reappear in front of cameras as a young man -- a remarkably talented and winsome young man. Among his upcoming film roles, Wolff stars opposite Tina Fey and Paul Rudd in Focus Features' upcoming "Admission." A songwriter and multi-instrumentalist,...
- 2/14/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Ed Burns, whose debut film The Brothers McMullen premiered at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival, was announced today as a jury member for next month’s Sundance in Park City, Utah. Burns joins documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, executive Tom Rothman and 16 others named to five juries that will award prizes at independent film’s most high-profile showcase.
Short Film Awards will be announced at a ceremony on Jan. 22, with feature film awards announced at a separate ceremony on Jan. 26. The festival runs this year from Jan. 17-27.
Click below for the entire Sundance jury list:
U.S. Documentary Jury
Liz Garbus is a prolific documentary filmmaker.
Short Film Awards will be announced at a ceremony on Jan. 22, with feature film awards announced at a separate ceremony on Jan. 26. The festival runs this year from Jan. 17-27.
Click below for the entire Sundance jury list:
U.S. Documentary Jury
Liz Garbus is a prolific documentary filmmaker.
- 12/19/2012
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Prior to the screening, however, I wondered what this documentary would consist of. I'm not aware of any public drama. They haven't given a member the heave-ho, like Wilco in I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. They're not broken up and beefing, like A Tribe Called Quest in Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest. They're not down-and-out, like Anvil in Anvil: The Story of Anvil. This isn't a concert film that revolves around an epochal show, like The Last Waltz or Monterey Pop. So where's the drama? What's the gist? The Sheepdogs Have At It turns out to be an underdog story, charting the progress of the band from total obscurity in 2006 to sophomore success in 2012. Here's what you need to understand about this group: they play classic rock. Not a modern spin on classic rock, but the genuine article. And they have the flowing...
- 12/7/2012
- QuietEarth.us
If one were to compare Corinna Belz's "Gerhard Richter Painting" to music documentaries, it would fall somewhere between Sam Jones' "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" and Grant Gee's "Meeting People Is Easy." Eschewing the standard biographical framework, the film instead offers up a slice-of-life look at the 79-year-old artist that largely forgoes any context (for better or worse) as it dips into the banality of various show openings (like the Radiohead doc) and the fascinating method he uses to create his work (like the Wilco film). But unlike those aforementioned movies, if you don't know anything about the life and career of Gerhard Richter, your appreciation of what's captured will vary. One of the most successful artists in the world, Richter is notable for not working in any one particular style or medium, moving from photo-realism to minimalism to sculpture and more throughout a career that has stretched more than five.
- 7/28/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to worthwhile titles currently available on Netflix Instant Watch. This week we offer alternatives to The Lucky One, Chimpanzee & Marley.
Zac Efron fronts this Nicholas Sparks’ drama about a Marine who, upon returning from his tour of duty in Iraq, goes in search of the unknown woman he believes was his lucky charm. Taylor Schilling co-stars; Scott Hicks directs.
Craving more veteran-centered dramas:
A Marine Story (2010) Dreya Weber stars as a Marine forced to make sense of civilian life after being abruptly discharged. Initially lost, she finds new purpose mentoring a troubled teen girl with aims to enlist. Paris P. Pickard co-stars; Ned Farr directs.
The Messenger (2009) In this acclaimed indie drama Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster play a pair of vets assigned the emotionally devastating duty of informing military family’s of a soldier’s death.
Zac Efron fronts this Nicholas Sparks’ drama about a Marine who, upon returning from his tour of duty in Iraq, goes in search of the unknown woman he believes was his lucky charm. Taylor Schilling co-stars; Scott Hicks directs.
Craving more veteran-centered dramas:
A Marine Story (2010) Dreya Weber stars as a Marine forced to make sense of civilian life after being abruptly discharged. Initially lost, she finds new purpose mentoring a troubled teen girl with aims to enlist. Paris P. Pickard co-stars; Ned Farr directs.
The Messenger (2009) In this acclaimed indie drama Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster play a pair of vets assigned the emotionally devastating duty of informing military family’s of a soldier’s death.
- 4/19/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Was it worth the wait for Wilco? The answer is on the way, guaranteed to arrive a lot sooner than the band's next scheduled visit to Denver.
One of America's finest and hardest-working alternative rock/country acts is back on the road this month, resuming their tour in support of their Grammy-nominated 2011 album, The Whole Love.
The first stop of the 2012 leg that began 10 consecutive sold-out dates was the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver on January 19. For frontman Jeff Tweedy, it had a familiar, uh, smell to it.
With the emphasis on playing rock idol instead of making idle chatter, Tweedy (right) finally addressed the sellout crowd seven tunes into the lively, 26-song set.
"Hey! How's it going?" he asked, seemingly relaxed but reserved. "Is pot legal here? Sort of? Somewhat? It smells legal. It smells very legal."
The smoke signals were evident in a state where medical-marijuana dispensaries have flourished...
One of America's finest and hardest-working alternative rock/country acts is back on the road this month, resuming their tour in support of their Grammy-nominated 2011 album, The Whole Love.
The first stop of the 2012 leg that began 10 consecutive sold-out dates was the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver on January 19. For frontman Jeff Tweedy, it had a familiar, uh, smell to it.
With the emphasis on playing rock idol instead of making idle chatter, Tweedy (right) finally addressed the sellout crowd seven tunes into the lively, 26-song set.
"Hey! How's it going?" he asked, seemingly relaxed but reserved. "Is pot legal here? Sort of? Somewhat? It smells legal. It smells very legal."
The smoke signals were evident in a state where medical-marijuana dispensaries have flourished...
- 1/27/2012
- by Michael Bialas
- Aol TV.
Los Angeles quintet, Wires in the Walls, concoct jangly folk pop with joy and optimism that defies the times. Their true to form Diy approach must be their secret. The band's debut LP, "New Symmetry" dropped in October, with this nostalgic ditty "Ysa," featuring Warren Sroka on vocals/guitar, Nick Tracz on bass/vocals, Bryan King on drums/horns, Dave Irelan on guitar/vocals, and multi-instrumentalist Dave Sicher cementing their presence in west coast Americana.
"A few years back, Warren played me this song on the guitar in his living room and I thought it was excellent," director Brent Willis recalls. "For me it brought up all this really powerful nostalgic teenage imagery."
Now, years later when the band asked Willis to direct the video he didn't hesitate. But the director admits, "When I pitched the concept, the band was like, 'huh?' And yet, they trusted me enough to...
"A few years back, Warren played me this song on the guitar in his living room and I thought it was excellent," director Brent Willis recalls. "For me it brought up all this really powerful nostalgic teenage imagery."
Now, years later when the band asked Willis to direct the video he didn't hesitate. But the director admits, "When I pitched the concept, the band was like, 'huh?' And yet, they trusted me enough to...
- 11/22/2011
- by Brandon Kim
- ifc.com
As three forthcoming films attest, music biographies are at their most compelling when warring egos are intrinsic to the tale
Who actually watches rock documentaries? It's a persistent question, invited yet again by three prestigious new studies of George Harrison (Martin Scorsese's Living in the Material World), U2 (Davis Guggenheim's From the Sky Down) and Pearl Jam (Cameron Crowe's Pearl Jam Twenty). While not as Pravda-like as the record company-funded featurettes you find on DVD extras or late-night TV, they are all films made by fans for fans. The latter two (Scorsese's epic is more searching) are basically benign propaganda about decent people overcoming obstacles in the name of musical excellence.
The problem lies less with individual film-makers than with the form itself. I've seen a lot of rock documentaries and would recommend maybe a dozen. In the vast majority, the stories are so well-established that all...
Who actually watches rock documentaries? It's a persistent question, invited yet again by three prestigious new studies of George Harrison (Martin Scorsese's Living in the Material World), U2 (Davis Guggenheim's From the Sky Down) and Pearl Jam (Cameron Crowe's Pearl Jam Twenty). While not as Pravda-like as the record company-funded featurettes you find on DVD extras or late-night TV, they are all films made by fans for fans. The latter two (Scorsese's epic is more searching) are basically benign propaganda about decent people overcoming obstacles in the name of musical excellence.
The problem lies less with individual film-makers than with the form itself. I've seen a lot of rock documentaries and would recommend maybe a dozen. In the vast majority, the stories are so well-established that all...
- 10/1/2011
- by Dorian Lynskey
- The Guardian - Film News
The first time I was dumped, I spent three days in my room watching Holocaust movies on Netflix while playing Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in a constant loop. Now, maybe this is Schindler's List talking, but the lyrics in Wilco songs can be deceptively depressing. Like something that you think is good but upon more reflection realize is actually bad (fruitcake, for example), a lot of Wilco songs sound upbeat on first listen but are in fact deeply melancholy. I can sort of expect tracks with titles like "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" to be a little dark, but here are five Wilco songs I didn't expect to be so damn sad, to coincide with the release of their latest album The Whole Love. 1. "Hummingbird," from A Ghost is Born Pretty strings, light piano... wait. What kind of person's goal in [...]...
- 9/29/2011
- Nerve
There is nothing particular scientific about the list I'm about to present in ranking 20 major American cities in terms of their taste in films and television. But before you quibble too much, remember that you're reading a site called Pajiba. This is not for publication in a scientific journal. It is not being presented to Time magazine. It is for our own enjoyment.
That said, while there are certainly flaws in the methodology I came up with, I thought it was at least a creative, if not infinitely time-consuming endeavor (and all I have to show for it is a list of 20 cities, ranked). The methodology was as follows: If you check Netflix, you're able to scan the top rentals or Instant Watch titles in any given area. I compiled the top 20 titles in the given cities and then assigned an IMDb user rating to each title. So, for instance,...
That said, while there are certainly flaws in the methodology I came up with, I thought it was at least a creative, if not infinitely time-consuming endeavor (and all I have to show for it is a list of 20 cities, ranked). The methodology was as follows: If you check Netflix, you're able to scan the top rentals or Instant Watch titles in any given area. I compiled the top 20 titles in the given cities and then assigned an IMDb user rating to each title. So, for instance,...
- 6/10/2010
- by Dustin Rowles
Today is not only the anniversary of the debut of New Coke, but there are also a handful of musical events that happened today. The Ramones released their self-titled debut album (featuring staples like "Blitzkrieg Bop," "Judy Is a Punk" and "Beat on the Brat") on April 23, 1976, beginning an incredible run of excellent albums, killer live shows and a game-changing approach to American rock music. Many people love Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols and cite it as a vital piece of punk rock history (and it is), but the Ramones first album (combined with Leave Home, Rocket to Russia and Road to Ruin, all of which hit by 1978) is an incredibly vital piece of rock history whose effects are still being felt.
Today is also the anniversary of the release of another classic album: Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, one of the finest albums of the new century...
Today is also the anniversary of the release of another classic album: Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, one of the finest albums of the new century...
- 4/23/2010
- by Kyle Anderson
- MTV Newsroom
Of all the rock albums coming out in 2010 that can be considered hotly anticipated, the new record from the recently-reunited Blink-182 might be tops on the list. When it finally drops, hardcore fans will be able to experience the making of their new masterpiece first hand, as the band announced they are going to capture the recording experience first-hand as part of a making-of doc they're calling "The Blinkumentary."
While there have been plenty of documentaries that have tracked tours or specific shows, there have only been a handful of films that have really broken into the creation of great albums. But the ones that do exist are particularly amazing. If "The Blinkumentary" reveals the sorts of things that the following flicks do, then we're in for a classic.
"Some Kind of Monster"
Metallica originally just wanted to capture the energy of their 2003 album St. Anger, but following James Hetfield...
While there have been plenty of documentaries that have tracked tours or specific shows, there have only been a handful of films that have really broken into the creation of great albums. But the ones that do exist are particularly amazing. If "The Blinkumentary" reveals the sorts of things that the following flicks do, then we're in for a classic.
"Some Kind of Monster"
Metallica originally just wanted to capture the energy of their 2003 album St. Anger, but following James Hetfield...
- 1/12/2010
- by Kyle Anderson
- MTV Newsroom
You know AFI, aka A Fire Inside, the goth-punk rock band probably most known for its 2006 hit 'Miss Murder'. Thursday the band launched its first web series, In Tranmission, a making-of documentary for the band eighth studio album, Crash Love. The weekly series is an exclusive on music social media network Buzznet. It's not quite Wilco's I Am Trying to Break Your Heart—the true benchmark of rock album chronicling. And unless you're already a fan of AFI, it's not likely you'll be checking back weekly on this one. The opening episodes drag on with talking head shots of the band members—Adam Carson, Jade Puget, Hunter Burgan, and Davey Havok—explaining why "Torch Song" was picked to open the album. Though touted as "a rare and comprehensive look at the inner workings of a band that is normally shrouded in mystery," it's strikingly without any actual music in the two 5-minute episodes so far.
- 12/11/2009
- by Marc Hustvedt
- Tubefilter.com
At this stage, a clearer picture is coming together about "Michael Jackson's This Is It." Using a combination of rehearsals, fly-on-the-wall meetings and proper performances, it shows the once-unstoppable pop star gearing up for his big career comeback using some of his most beloved hits (and sending a message about hope and humanity in the process).
A great music doc is made up of a combination of signature moments, incredible performances and an ineffable something that can give the fan sitting on the couch that same twinge of electricity you get standing three feet from a sweaty lead singer in a packed stadium, or that awkward cringe you get seeing your favorite rock star fall apart on film. In his prime, Jackson had that magic (both kinds, unfortunately) when he took the stage, and we'll find out for sure next week if he still had it near the end of his life.
A great music doc is made up of a combination of signature moments, incredible performances and an ineffable something that can give the fan sitting on the couch that same twinge of electricity you get standing three feet from a sweaty lead singer in a packed stadium, or that awkward cringe you get seeing your favorite rock star fall apart on film. In his prime, Jackson had that magic (both kinds, unfortunately) when he took the stage, and we'll find out for sure next week if he still had it near the end of his life.
- 10/23/2009
- by Gil Kaufman
- MTV Newsroom
Jay Bennett, forty-five year old ex-band member of Wilco has passed away, reports say. Bennett, who starred in the much-acclaimed documentary about the band entitled I Am Trying To Break Your Heart was an interesting person in the music industry.
Hailed as being able to "pick up almost any instrument and make music on it," it was not Bennett's musical prowess which got him into trouble with his friends and bandmates, but his general self-confidence that earmarked him as a sort which was overly confide...
Hailed as being able to "pick up almost any instrument and make music on it," it was not Bennett's musical prowess which got him into trouble with his friends and bandmates, but his general self-confidence that earmarked him as a sort which was overly confide...
- 5/27/2009
- by CreativeArtsX
- Creative Arts Examiner
Jay Bennett, forty-five year old ex-band member of Wilco has passed away, reports say. Bennett, who starred in the much-acclaimed documentary about the band entitled I Am Trying To Break Your Heart was an interesting person in the music industry. Hailed as being able to "pick up almost any instrument and make music on it," it was not Bennett's musical prowess which got him into trouble with his friends and bandmates, but his general self-confidence that earmarked him as a sort which was overly confident - too confident for the creative process with that group. His reputation, some say, was that he was "a musical obsessive who chased perfection." In Champaign, Ill., where Bennett got his start playing music 25 years ago and where he recently returned to live, a weekend reunion celebration turned to mourning. On Sunday, a barbecue at musician Don Gerard’s ho ...
- 5/26/2009
- by thetwilightexaminer
- Twilight Examiner
Jay Bennett, forty-five year old ex-band member of Wilco has passed away, reports say. Bennett, who starred in the much-acclaimed documentary about the band entitled I Am Trying To Break Your Heart was an interesting person in the music industry. Hailed as being able to "pick up almost any instrument and make music on it," it was not Bennett's musical prowess which got him into trouble with his friends and bandmates, but his general self-confidence that earmarked him as a sort which was overly confident - too confident for the creative process with that group. His reputation, some say, was that he was "a musical obsessive who chased perfection." In Champaign, Ill., where Bennett got his start playing music 25 years ago and where he recently returned to live, a weekend reunion celebration turned to mourning. On Sunday, a barbecue at musician Don Gerard’s ho ...
- 5/26/2009
- by thetwilightexaminer
- Twilight Examiner
Sam Jones will make his feature film directorial debut with Mandate Pictures' Boomerang, a comedy about a young man trying to reclaim his life from his controlling parents, Mandate's production head Nathan Kahane said Thursday. Photographer Jones' first film was the 2002 documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart about the alt-country band Wilco recording an album. Written by James Mottern, Boomerang is being produced by Bona Fide Prods. partners Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, the team behind Little Miss Sunshine and Cold Mountain, together with Mandate, which is fully financing the project and handling worldwide sales. Mandate's creative exec Mary Lee will be overseeing for the company, while Carlo Martinelli is overseeing for Bona Fide.
- 10/5/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- After six years, indie distributor Cowboy Pictures will ride into the sunset, according to the company's president, John Vanco. Vanco will announce his plans in the coming weeks. Cowboy was founded in 1997, under the moniker Cowboy Booking, by Vanco and Noah Cowan. Cowan exited his co-president post last year. The unit released more than 40 films theatrically, including the documentaries The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition and the Oscar-nominated Promises and the rock docus I Am Trying to Break Your Heart and Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. The company also rolled out David Gordon Green's George Washington, James Toback's Harvard Man and Lynne Ramsay's Morvern Callar.
- 10/22/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
TORONTO -- Cowboy Pictures, which last year released the alt-country music documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, has picked up another musical documentary. The indie banner has sealed a deal with Danny Goldberg's Artemis Records to distribute the docu Just an American Boy, which follows singer-songwriter Steve Earle. Directed by Amos Poe (The Blank Generation), Boy chronicles the outspoken Earle's life on the road during last year's tour in support of his release Jerusalem. The film includes performance footage of 18 Earle songs, and Artemis will release a soundtrack album this month. "Boy" screened at the North by Northeast festival in June. Cowboy is headed by John Vanco and Greg Williams.
- 9/11/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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