An uproarious critique of the world financial crisis. Building on actor, comedian, and provocateur Russell Brand’s emergence as an activist following his 2014 book Revolution, where he railed against “corporate tyranny, ecological irresponsibility, and economic inequality".
An electrifying glimpse into the complex life and thrilling, unparalleled performances of rock and roll's first and wildest practitioner: Jerry Lee Lewis.
Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957), the most important sculptor of the first half of the 20th century, has been a fascinating and enduring influence on a generation of contemporary American artists. Insights into Brancusi’s legacy are presented by Carl Andre, Lynda Benglis, Ellsworth Kelly, Martin Puryear, Richard Serra, and Joel Shapiro, with additional commentary on Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Roy Lichtenstein, Isamu Noguchi,and Claes Oldenburg. In 1995, Anne d’Harnoncourt, Director Emeritus of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, asked Checkerboard to document the PMA’s acclaimed retrospective on Brancusi for the Museum’s archive. The resulting footage became the genesis of the documentary.
Tracy Morgan’s first stand-up special on the channel, Black and Blue. Performing at New York City’s Apollo Theater, the 30 Rock star let his demented brand of humor loose on the crowd. His jokes hit on everything from politics and airport security to borderline inappropriate quips we can’t include here. Audience members doubled over in laughter. Yup, he was that funny.
The discovery of a small metal box leads to the uncovering of a family story, shrouded in silence for more than 60 years. Woven through their censored letters, diary entries, and haiku poetry, is the true story of a young Japanese American couple whose shattered dreams and forsaken loyalties lead them to renounce their American citizenship while held in separate prison camps during World War II.
A special recounting the riveting story of the reporting from Dallas and the New York CBS Newsroom from the moment President Kennedy was shot until Cronkite's emotional pronouncement of his death at 1:00 p.m. CST. The program features moving memories from the producers, writers and reporters who were there on the day.
This insightful documentary takes an in-depth look at the life of Bruce Lee, and the physical and mental practices he employed on his way to becoming the most popular martial arts star in the world. Utilizing footage of Lee both practicing and teaching Jeet Kune Do, as well as interview footage with the people who both knew and worked with Lee--including James Coburn, Bob Wall, Van Williams, Brandon Lee, and more--THE LEGEND LIVES ON is a comprehensive examination and celebration of a true artist.
The Reagan Era was marked with names, triumphs and tragedy that made history that became the fabric of American life and memory: Iran-Contra the Cold War the Solidarity Movement and the candle in the White House window Pan Am 103 the Challenger disaster Beirut Libya. Ronald Reagan's speeches were inspired lectures that informed the nation - sometimes angry, sometimes confused, and sometimes frightened of the next steps their government would take. Ronald Reagan: An American Journey is a collection of these dialogues, creating a portrait of the man Time magazine named as one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th century.
Curses examines historical hexes. Learn the fate of those who had contact with the Hope diamond after it was stolen from an idol in India. In ancient Egypt, people protected the deceased from thieves by placing curses on tombs. Discover the events and peculiar deaths which occurred following the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb. See how voodoo worshipers cast spells of harm.
When he was an infant, he suffered from the 'Spider Mites of Jesus' (his mother couldn't pronounce spinal meningitis). This caused mental challenges that resulted in his lifelong illiteracy. At 13, he began selling his body on the streets as a drag prostitute. When he was arrested, he took a dump in the back of the police car, leading the cops to give him the moniker: Dirtwoman. Since then he's run for mayor, gotten kicked out of the inauguration of America's first black governor (Douglas Wilder), posed for his own pin-up calendar (weighing in at 350 pounds), offered crabs from his crotch for a GWAR video and hosted the annual Hamaganza fundraiser that provided 'Hams for the Hamless.' When he died last year at 65, it was on the front page, top-of-the-fold of the Richmond Times-Dispatch and was featured nationally on NPR.
To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story is the harrowing story of a stuntman overcoming a dehumanizing childhood filled with torment and bullying in Sparks, Nevada. After surviving a near-death burn accident, he worked his way up through Hollywood, leading to his ultimate rise as Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13th series and making countless moviegoers forever terrified of hockey masks and summer camp. Featuring interviews with cinema legends, including Bruce Campbell (Ash vs. Evil Dead), Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), and Cassandra Peterson (Elvira: Mistress of the Dark), To Hell and Back peels off the mask of Kane Hodder, cinema's most prolific killer, in a gut-wrenching, but inspiring, documentary. After decades of watching Kane Hodder on screen, get ready to meet the man behind the mask in To Hell and Back - an uniquely human story about one of cinema's most vicious monsters.
In Deconstructing A Hard Day’s Night, Scott shares the stories behind the 1964 Beatles along with a track-by-track look at the songs of A Hard Day’s Night, including “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “And I Love Her,” and the title track. Scott also welcomes an absolutely charming guest appearance from the Fab Faux’s awesome bassist, Will Lee.
An examination of monastery life around a one hundred thirty foot rock outcrop upon which a monk hopes to live and become the first stylite there in six hundred years.
Street Life documents the lives of Chinese migrants in Shanghai, one of the world’s largest and most vibrant cities, now symbolic of China’s economic might. The film centers on Nanjing Road, one of China’s oldest commercial streets and today a popular destination for tourists and moneyed Chinese. The street has also become a Mecca for uprooted and homeless Chinese, who make ends by collecting garbage and recyclables. These characters and their stories are the focus of the film. The central character in Street Life is a migrant known as “Black Skin.” Black Skin faces numerous pressures in the course of the film, including police violence. In the end, these pressures are too much for him to bear and he goes mad. Black Skin’s story intersects with those of fellow bottle collectors, enterprising thieves and even a young boy who has been abandoned.
February 2022. Russia invades Ukraine, a war that brings back dark memories and tragic lessons from World War II. Ariane Mnouchkine, the founder of the Théâtre du Soleil who was born when war was declared in 1939, was in shock. For her, going with part of her troop to Ukraine is above all a message of solidarity and gratitude towards this people of resistance who are fighting both for their freedom but also for that of Europe. The desire of Ariane Mnouchkine and her actors is to find with Ukrainian artists, beyond differences of language and culture, a common and universal language: that of theater.
Interviews with leading scientists, journalists, and legal scholars demonstrate how the Deflategate scandal was perpetrated in the face of evidence that the scheme to deflate footballs never took place. The film draws parallels between the Deflategate scandal and the tactics used to manipulate public opinion and subvert science in important issues impacting all citizens.