This film examines how media empires, led by Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, have been running a "race to the bottom" in television news, and provides an in-depth look at Fox News and the dangerous impact on society when a broad swath of media is controlled by one person. Media experts, including Jeff Cohen (FAIR) Bob McChesney (Free Press), Chellie Pingree (Common Cause), Jeff Chester (Center for Digital Democracy) and David Brock (Media Matters) provide context and guidance for the story of Fox News and its effect on society. This documentary also reveals the secrets of Former Fox news producers, reporters, bookers and writers who expose what it's like to work for Fox News. These former Fox employees talk about how they were forced to push a "right-wing" point of view or risk their jobs. Some have even chosen to remain anonymous in order to protect their current livelihoods. As one employee said "There's no sense of integrity as far as having a line that can't be crossed."
A cultural analysis of what causes zine makers to tick; what the hell zines are, why people make zines, the origin of zines, the resources and community available for zine makers, and the future of zines. Interviews with about 70 zine makers, ex-zine makers, and readers from the northwest. Featuring footage of the Portland Zine Symposium, a zine bicycle tour of Portland, and activities bringing zine culture to life. Music by J Church and Defiance, Ohio.
Michael Moore's view on how the Bush administration allegedly used the tragic events on 9/11 to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Rob Williams was an African-American living in Monroe, North Carolina in the 1950s and 1960s. Living with injustice and oppression, many African-Americans advocated a non-violent resistance. Williams took a different tack, urging the oppressed to take up arms. Williams was stripped of his rank as leader of the local NAACP chapter, but he continued to encourage local African-Americans to carry weapons as a means of self-defense. Wanted on a kidnapping charge, Williams and his wife fled to Cuba. His radio show Radio Free Dixie could be heard in some parts of the United States.
From the majestic prairie fires of Kansas, through the neon glow of a carnival, to a year-in-the-life journey on making a dream come true, this documentary follows The Balderson Family on their pursuit to prove anyone can make motion pictures anywhere. This movie reveals independent cinema as it really is, on the set and off - a family of artists, celebrities and icons taking part of the process.
You Can't Be Neutral documents the life and times of the historian, activist and author of the best selling classic "A People's History of the United States". Featuring rare archival materials, interviews with Howard Zinn as well as colleagues and friends including Noam Chomsky, Marian Wright Edelman, Daniel Ellsberg, Tom Hayden and Alice Walker.
The little man and his crew take the classic formula of skate, fun and filth to new levels of demented chaos. Add in a priest with a penchant for porn, escaped convicts, cracked skating, nude mud wrestling, prolific quantities of poo and a mentally deranged human torpedo and you'll understand why there's no doubt that Wee Man and his crew are going straight to hell. The extreme begins here.
Year after year hundreds of thousands of fans line the route of the Tour de France, cheering on their heroes and willing them to victory, while millions of viewers worldwide tune in on their televisions. Academy Award-winning director Pepe Danquart, fascinated by the spectacle of the three week race, chose to focus on the courage, the pain and the fear of the riders of the Tour. Training his lens on German superstar sprinter Eric Zabel and his loyal domestique Rolf Aldag, Danquart captures the thrill of the race and the teamwork behind the stars of the peleton. He also shines light on the Tour's supporting cast - the director sportifs, masseurs, and, of course, the wildly enthusiastic fans. Reveling in the stunning landscape - from the Alps to the Pyrenees to the Massif Central to Paris - and with a nice dollop of Le Tour's history, HELL ON WHEELS transcends the sport it celebrates to reveal an astonishing human endeavor.
Becoming Queen chronicles the majestic rise of rock's most flamboyant and revolutionary outfit. Fronted by Freddie Mercury, Queen blended stylistic elements of hard rock, opera, and Tin Pan Alley to create their own unique tapestry of musical magic. Featuring extensive interviews with friends, members of pre-Queen outfits, Smile and Ibex/Wreckage, musical peers, rare archival interviews with Queen, scores of previously unseen photos and vintage memorabilia.
The Led Zeppelin Story documents the colorful and outrageous history of rock's heaviest band. This unique DVD features candid interviews with long-time tour manager Richard Cole, members of The Yardbirds, Bad Company, The Ramones, Foreigner, Vanilla Fudge, engineer Andy Johns, ex-girlfriends, Lori Mattix and Pamela Des Barres and more. Rare archival interview footage with John Bonham, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and manager Peter Grant, along with rare photos spanning the "New Yardbirds" era through the breakup of Led Zeppelin illustrates their fascinating story.
A portrait of two very different mathematicians, porridge pulleys and Pi features Fields medalist Vaughan Jones, one of the world's foremost knot theorists and an avid windsurfer, and Hendrik lenstra, a number theorist with a passion for Homer and all things classical. Porridge pulleys and Pi poses the question: how do we get first-rate research mathematicians? Hendrik lenstra and Vaughan Jones have had an extraordinary impact on mathematics; this charming documentary gives the viewer a taste of their personalities, mathematical and otherwise. A whirlwind tour of knots, geonomics, cryptography, music, Homer, elliptic curves, art, and windsurfing, the video contains sections on the history of Pi, and a suprising discovery involving a cocoa tin and an Escher print.
Experts offer their unique insights into the legend of the samurai warrior that strive to separate fact from fiction and uphold a legacy of honor. Segments focus on the origins of the concept of a warrior-priest and their unique fighting skills.
This short film reveals the inspiration, motivation and political challenges at San Francisco City Hall during the frantic days leading up to the first government-sanctioned same-sex marriage.
The classic board game, Scrabble, has been popular for decades. In addition, there are fanatics who devote heart and soul to this game to the expense of everything else. This film profiles a group of these enthusiasts as they converge for a Scrabble convention where the word game is almost a bloodsport.
In Warriors of Honor: The Faith and Legacy of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, documentary filmmaker Brian Barkley chronicles the role that religion played for the two military leaders, while also presenting an in-depth look at the Civil War. During battles, Lee often asked for God's guidance and used his faith to help him make military decisions. Jackson, a deacon at his church, accepted his death from a war injury as God's will.
On the morning of December 7, 1941, a surprise attack by Japanese naval aviation against the American held island of Oahu and Pearl Harbor thrust the United States into World War II. This story details one of the most momentous events in American history and a crucial turning point in the 20th century. Most importantly, it is a story of the people who were there, told through eyewitness accounts of American and Japanese veterans, some of whose stories have never been told. This is a story of perseverance and heroism in the face of overwhelming odds. This is the story of Pearl Harbor.