Douglas Keeve Movies
- 2008
Filmmaker Douglas Keeve (Unzipped and Seamless) turns his attentions from the fashion industry to a famous New York City landmark that's undergoing a controversial renovation in this portrait of the legendary Gramercy Park Hotel. In it's early days, the Gramercy was a high-society hot spot - the Kennedys once rented out an entire floor, and a young Humphrey Bogart exchanged his wedding vows there. Later, in the 1970s and 80s, musicians, artists, and junkies haunted the hallways, attracted by the management's "anything goes" policy as well as the Gramercy's affordable room prices. Now, as luxury hotelier Ian Schrager prepares for the grand re-opening of the iconic Hotel Gramercy Park, director Keeve attempts to find what kind of impact this posh renovation will have - positive or negative - on the hotel's notorious reputation as a seedy-chic hotspot. Some residents refused to leave during the construction, and many neighbors resent the glossy makeover that the Gramercy is getting. In addition to speaking with the people who live and work at the Gramercy, Keeve also explores the sometimes-tragic story of the Weissberg family. The Weissbergs have owned and lived in the Hotel Gramercy Park for fifty years, and experienced their fair share of both joy and heartache within its walls. As the Weissbergs reflect on the legacy of the Gramercy, viewers are offered an intimate and comprehensive reflection of a place that has become known as a virtual beacon for the creative and cultural elite. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian Schrager, Deborah Harry, (more)
The hard facts behind the glamour of the fashion industry go under the microscope in this documentary from filmmaker and photographer Douglas Keeve. Vogue Magazine and the Council of Fashion Designers of America have created an annual competition to discover and recognize important new talent in clothing design, and Keeve offers a look at three of the contest's ten finalists. Do-Ri Chung is an immigrant who quietly crafts upscale dresses in a small space beneath her parent's New Jersey dry cleaning shop -- her mother helps with the sewing, father ships out the merchandise, and Chung's beau helps with local deliveries. Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCullough are two 26-year-old designers who work as a team; they've already managed to sell some pieces to a number of exclusive shops and have moved a handful of alligator ski jackets at a mere 29,000 dollars each, though they're still barely breaking even. And Alexandre Plokhov's work has attracted the eye of celebrity fashion maven Sarah Jessica Parker, though he still can't afford furniture for his apartment. Seamless also features cameo appearances from Vera Wang and Isaac Mizrahi, the latter of whom was the focus of an earlier Keeve documentary, Unzipped. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
A conservative politician who believes he can count on his family for support discovers his son is not the man he thought he was in this drama. Jack Kray (Michael Lerner) is a United States senator from the South whose right-wing views have earned him the nickname "the Nazi from North Carolina." Jack is running for reelection and is looking for support wherever he can get it; told he needs to increase his appeal with younger voters, Jack tries to persuade his son Henry (Matt Newton), a college student, to make a few campaign stops with him. While Jack's wife (and Henry's mom), Eunice (Karen Allen), tries to convince her husband this isn't a good idea, Jack refuses to take no for an answer from Henry. But there's something Jack doesn't know about his son -- Henry is gay, and while he only shares this secret with a small handful of trusted friends and lovers, he can't bring himself to support his father's anti-gay "family values" platform. However, Henry's sexual preference may not stay a secret for long -- Henry has hooked up with Anthony (Jack Noseworthy), a student political activist who wants a long-term relationship with Henry and refuses to play coy about it, while some of Henry's other partners have come forward about his homosexuality. Poster Boy was originally announced as a project for director Herbert Ross, who died before the film went into production; Douglas Keeve took over as director, but resigned before shooting was completed, so editor Zac Tucker completed the movie and received sole screen credit. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt Newton, Karen Allen, (more)
This documentary takes a lighthearted inside look at the fashion industry follows New York designer Isaac Mizrahi as he prepares to stage a fashion show. While the film avoids criticism and in-depth probing into Mizrahi, it does provide insight into the man's creativity as he deftly deals with the chaos. Mizrahi narrates the film and frequently quotes famous lines from the old movies he dearly loves. Film clips from the movies are included. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Bail Jumper is a surrealistic "road movie", bearing traces of the best of Jim Jarmusch and Wim Wenders-with a bit of David Lynch thrown in. B.J. Spalding and Eszter Balint play a couple of losers, mired in a miserable flyspeck town in Missouri. As Spalding lies in his bed and plays with his guns, Balint spends her waking hours shoplifting, courting immediate incarceration for having recently jumped bail. Deciding to head to New York to seek their fortune (if any), the couple makes the acquaintance of spiritualist Joie Lee, who predicts that "tremendous influences" will be summoned up so long as the two of them remain together. As the couple journeys towards the Big Apple, their trail is marked by innumerable natural disasters, culminating in a tidal wave that engulfs most of Staten Island. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eszter Balint, B.J. Spalding, (more)
