Roger Weisberg Movies
- 1987
The problems facing the mentally ill are outlined in Roger Weisberg's hard hitting report. Since the Supreme Court decreed that mental patients can not be kept against their will in institutions, other options have been offered. What these choices are -- and how well they serve not only the patients themselves, but the communities which must support them -- are examined in this video. While some resort to locking up mental patients in jails, others have converted nursing homes into psychiatric centers. Unfortunately, many communities simply abandoned this population and have them roaming the streets. ~ Cara Saposnik, All Movie Guide
- 1987
With the older population growing and living longer, Roger Weisberg examines the alternatives to institutional care. This video advocates home care over institutions and focuses on three examples across the country to make its point. Narrated by Helen Hayes, this documentary goes from New York City to rural Appalachia and on to San Francisco to raise awareness to the possibility that elder care can be more humane and that a long life can be more worthwhile. ~ Cara Saposnik, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Addressing bioethical issues as they relate to the individual and society, this video takes a hard hitting look at the question of whether a patient has the right to make decisions about death. At New York's Roosevelt Hospital, Dr. David Finley, director of Critical Care, states his belief that the patient's wishes should be honored. However, he also acknowledges the fact that doctors are trained to save lives and will therefore be reluctant to terminate a patient. Roger Weisberg's documentary, with Dr. Finley's assistance, questions the justification for spending huge amounts of money on prolonging life when many peolpe are still denied basic care. ~ Cara Saposnik, All Movie Guide
- 1993
- PG
Poet and National Public Radio commentator Andrei Codrescu was born in Romania, immigrated to the United States in 1966, but didn't learn to drive until the early '90s, when he was 45 years old. After undergoing what he calls "this essential rite of passage," he then sets out on "the ultimate American ritual," the cross-country road trip, behind the wheel of a cherry-red 1968 Cadillac convertible. He starts in New York, where he visits Ellis Island, chats with a group of homeless Haitians, and dines at Sammy's, a Romanian steak house. Among his stopovers: Walt Whitman's house in Camden, NJ, across the street from a huge jail; a commune in upstate New York populated by Christians who eschew material possessions and support themselves by building children's furniture; the Motown Museum in Detroit (Codrescu's first home in America); a roller rink in Chicago which hosts religious services; the National Western Stock Show in Denver; the Taos Pueblo and Santa Fe in New Mexico; Las Vegas, where he stops in at a quickie wedding chapel and tries his hand at high-stakes poker; and San Francisco, where he visits the venerable City Lights book store. The laconic Codrescu provides voice-over commentary throughout. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
An informative and emotionally involving portrait of an important subculture, Sound and Fury allows us a glimpse inside the world of the deaf community, while dealing with a controversial operation that some people in that community are resisting. Cochlear ear implants have allowed many deaf people to hear and learn to speak, but many in the deaf community who are happy with its supportive and nurturing atmosphere see the operation as a threat. The film focuses on the Artinian brothers -- Peter is deaf, Chris is not -- who are faced with the same decision over one of their children. Peter is married to Nita, a deaf woman, and the oldest of their three deaf children, five-year-old Heather, decides she wants the operation. Her parents are torn, wanting to accede to Heather's wishes but afraid of losing her to the land of the hearing. Chris and his hearing wife, Mari, also have three children, but only one-an infant twin-can't hear. They (and Peter and Chris's hearing parents) are all for the operation, and the film charts the progress of the debates among the family and their final decisions on the operation. Sound and Fury was screened in competition at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
Aging Out documents what happens to three adolescents who have grown-up in America's foster system. The filmmakers chart how these young adults are forced to provide for themselves and get along in the world without having been given any knowledge of how to do these things during their childhood. They face a future that includes drug addiction, prison, and a constant fight to gain a sense of security. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay O. Sanders
- 2003
- Add The Main Stream with Roy Blount Jr. to QueueAdd The Main Stream with Roy Blount Jr. to top of Queue
Dubbed "America's foremost humorist" by The Chicago Tribune, Roy Blount, Jr. takes a trip down the mighty Mississippi River in this intimate look at American life. In his journeys Blount's experiences include everything from gay newlywed games at the Mall of America to a prison rodeo in Angola, Louisiana to a quiet day skipping stones with radio personality Garrison Keilor. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Academy Award-nominated director Roger Weisberg tackles one of the most hotly debated issues in contemporary politics by exploring just what happens when the uninsured get sick. The prospect of dealing with the health care system can be a horrifying one for those suffering through illness without the benefit of insurance, and by exploring a number of cases in which the desperate and afflicted attempted to get help from an uncaring and unsympathetic system, Weisberg presents a heartfelt case for change. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
