The Cinefamily

TV TUESDAYS: A Tribute To Morton Downey, Jr. (feat. "Evocateur: The Morton Downey, Jr. Movie")

Bret — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:45:00 +0000

The most explosive and zeitgeisty televised force of nature since the birth of MTV, Morton Downey Jr. forever altered the American broadcast landscape in a blast of cigarette smoke, fistfights, in-your-face populist ranting, nasty epithets and good, old-fashioned showmanship. Billed as “3-D television” and “rock and roll without the music”, The Morton Downey, Jr. Show was the most addictive talk show of its kind to ever hit the airwaves, with its maniacally whirlwind host oozing “Fuck you, pal!” attitude while his rabid, droogish studio audience throbbed in the background. Predating today’s omnipresent tsunami of trash TV, this late-’80s phlegmatic wonder tore up the tube, fashioning the “discussion” of crazy current events (phone sex, heavy metal, the Rev. Al Sharpton) into a giddy, unforgettable gladiator pit. Tonight, we toast the host-with-the-most with a tightly-wound mix of MDJ Show high-/lowlights, and the Los Angeles premiere of Évocateur: The Morton Downey, Jr. Movie — the brand-new feature documentary dissecting the mind and motivation of television’s most notorious agitator. Évocateur co-director Jeremy Newberger in person for Q&A after the film!
Évocateur: The Morton Downey, Jr. Movie Dirs. Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller & Jeremy Newberger, 2013, digital presentation, 90 min.

Watch the trailer for “Évocateur: The Morton Downey, Jr. Movie”!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Manson (5/21, 7:30pm)

Bret — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:30:00 +0000

The most important filmic document from the entire mad Manson Family saga — unseen theatrically for decades, and screened from a rare 35mm print! Banned in the mid-’70s for being so incredibly awesome as to damage Squeaky Fromme’s right to a fair trial, this feature doc has the urgency of a breaking-news telecast, the emotional complexity of a sudsy soap opera, and the deep, dank evil of a classic chiller. The “Helter Skelter” murders shook the nation, ending the era’s Summer-of-Love vibe; this dynamic Pop Art portrait of the Family members’ head-spinning motives — told in their own words — is an incredible delineation of the facts for the uninitiated, and an unparalleled, fetishistic footage pile for the hardcore fans. The secret weapons: co-directors Robert Hendrickson and Laurence Merrick’s stockpile of guerilla 16mm evidence of goings-on at the Spahn Ranch, and the unprecedented intimacy they acquired with key players throughout the life of the Family. For the first time, you the viewer will immediately get why people become so obsessed with this entire sprawling mindfuck of a true-crime saga. Gutsy, beautiful work.
Dirs. Robert Hendrickson and Laurence Merrick, 1973, 35mm, 83 min.

Watch the trailer for “Manson”!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Manson (5/20, 9:45pm)

Bret — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:45:00 +0000

Watch the trailer for “Manson”!

Click here to view the embedded video.

IDA's Doc U: Working With Publicists - How to Get the Most Out of Your Film’s Release

Bret — Tue, 21 May 2013 02:30:00 +0000

How you release your doc — and how audiences see it — have changed dramatically in the past decade, offering filmmakers more ways to connect audiences with their films. What hasn’t changed, however, is the value an experienced publicist can bring to your team, as you try to get the attention of critics, bloggers, influence’s and viewers — and perhaps pick up an award or two along the way. Whether you’re doing festivals, DIY, day-and-date or multi-platform, a publicist can be the most valuable person at your side, helping to develop a release strategy, bringing in strategic partners, and getting the feature story that will deliver what every film needs to survive: eyeballs. Moderated by Josh Welsh, (Co-President, Film Independent), this Doc U features a panel of leading publicists for documentaries, including Amy Grey (President, Dish Communications), David Magdael, (President, David Magdael & Associates, Inc.) and Nancy Willen (Founder, Acme PR.)

Bring 'Twice Upon A Time' to DVD: Sign Our Petition!

Bret — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:32:29 +0000

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CINESPIA SALON: An Evening With Suzanne Ciani, Synth Pioneer (feat. live set by Neotantrik!)

Bret — Mon, 20 May 2013 03:00:00 +0000

CO-PRESENTED BY B-MUSIC/FINDERS KEEPERS, MOUNT ANALOG & CINESPIA

With one of the widest and coolest portfolios for an electronic musician ever, synth pioneer Suzanne Ciani is a living treasure. Having done everything from music/sounds to old-school video games, electrified commercial jingles, vintage dance records, futuristic film scores and her own brand of floating-soundscape solo albums — Ciani is proof that, in both a synth underground and a commercial world monopolized by male domination, a woman’s touch is an essential secret ingredient to successful sonic seduction. Tonight, we celebrate this leading light in modern American electronica with an incredible, jam-packed night of live music and other treats, including:
- Q&A with synth pioneer Suzanne Ciani (moderated by Finders Keepers founder Andy Votel)
- Buchla Modular Synth demo by Suzanne Ciani
- live improv/performance by Ciani as “STEVE”, her synth-y male alter-ego (first time performed live in 30 years!)
- a presentation of Suzanne’s work scoring TV commercials
- a live set by Neotantrik (masters of New Age/musique concrete/Teutonic tones!)
- a screening of The Delian Mode, the new documentary short on Delia Derbyshire, fellow female synth pioneer
- DJ sets by B-Music/Finders Keepers’s Doug Shipton and Mahssa!

Watch a vintage TV commercial scored by Suzanne Ciani!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Watch an appearance by Suzanne Ciani on David Letterman’s short-lived daytime TV show!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Watch the music video “Cube” by Neotantrik!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Manson (5/19, 5:00pm)

Bret — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Watch the trailer for “Manson”!

Click here to view the embedded video.

School in the Crosshairs (5/18)

Bret — Sun, 19 May 2013 05:00:00 +0000

When one gets hooked on House — where to turn to for the next immediate fix? The undisputable answer: School In The Crosshairs (aka The Aimed School), the 1981 phantasmagoria of light, sound, optical printing, dance numbers, exemplary sportsmanship, pubescent upskirt mania and extraterrestrial grudge matches wherein the battle for the balance of the universe is waged on the grounds of a prep school. With tanker trucks full of flair, Nobuhiko Obayashi weaves an ultra-dense web of teen nonsense; like a cross between John Hughes and Robert Altman, School In The Crosshairs tracks a humungous, Nashville-esque level of interweaving, bizarro characterizations. One of the many grand pleasures this hyper-comical juggernaut exudes is watching the vast array of its kooky denizens bounce off each other like fizzy electrons. When it’s mellow, you’ve got a touching portrait of adolescent longing — and when the drugs kick in, the all-out lysergic SFX storm washes over you, and it’s like every lava lamp in the world just erupted all over you.
Dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1981, 35mm, 90 min.

Watch Cinefamily’s original trailer for “School In The Crosshairs”!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Manson (5/18, 7:30pm, director Robert Hendrickson in person!)

Bret — Sun, 19 May 2013 02:30:00 +0000

The most important filmic document from the entire mad Manson Family saga — unseen theatrically for decades, and screened from a rare 35mm print! Banned in the mid-’70s for being so incredibly awesome as to damage Squeaky Fromme’s right to a fair trial, this feature doc has the urgency of a breaking-news telecast, the emotional complexity of a sudsy soap opera, and the deep, dank evil of a classic chiller. The “Helter Skelter” murders shook the nation, ending the era’s Summer-of-Love vibe; this dynamic Pop Art portrait of the Family members’ head-spinning motives — told in their own words — is an incredible delineation of the facts for the uninitiated, and an unparalleled, fetishistic footage pile for the hardcore fans. The secret weapons: co-directors Robert Hendrickson and Laurence Merrick’s stockpile of guerilla 16mm evidence of goings-on at the Spahn Ranch, and the unprecedented intimacy they acquired with key players throughout the life of the Family. For the first time, you the viewer will immediately get why people become so obsessed with this entire sprawling mindfuck of a true-crime saga. Gutsy, beautiful work. Director Robert Hendrickson will be here in person for a very revealing, highly lively Q&A after the film!
Dirs. Robert Hendrickson and Laurence Merrick, 1973, 35mm, 83 min.

Watch the trailer for “Manson”!

Click here to view the embedded video.

JERRY BECK'S CARTOON MATINEE: Technicolor Toons

Bret — Sat, 18 May 2013 23:30:00 +0000

With the total marginalization of film just on the horizon, there’s never been a better time to celebrate the greatest film stock of all: Technicolor, the cream-of-the-crop chemical film process requiring three separate negatives to create its vivid images. And, unlike other film stocks, Tech’s colors never faded. We’ve dug up a whole program of diverse classic cartoons with only one thing in common — each is a vintage film print struck in the original three-strip Tech process. Join animation historian Jerry Beck for an entire buffet of 35mm Technicolor cartoons from the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s. Sadly, Technicolor’s dye-transfer process, used during the golden age of Hollywood, stopped due to costs in 1974. Luckily, prints still exist — but they’re getting scarce. This is going to be one helluva show, with Color Rhapsodies, Terrytoons and Noveltoons galore.

Watch the 1949 short “Technicolor for Industrial Films”!

Click here to view the embedded video.