David Zieff Movies

Director Stephen Kessler sets out to profile the prolific singer/songwriter/actor who seemed ubiquitous in the 1970s and '80s, only to disappear from the spotlight following a protracted battle with drugs and alcohol. Convinced that the once-prolific Paul Williams has passed away as he scours the Internet to purchase one of his albums, Kessler discovers to his surprise that not only is Williams alive and well, but he's also still performing regularly to adoring fans around the world. Like many teens of the 1970s and '80s, Kessler connected with Williams' pensive, poetic songs about love and loneliness, and upon learning that he would be performing at a Winnipeg screening of Phantom of the Paradise (panned by critics, the notorious Brian De Palma bomb was a massive hit in just two cities: Winnipeg and Paris), the filmmaker convinces Williams to be profiled in a documentary. At first Williams is somewhat aloof, yet Kessler persists and, in time, makes a breakthrough by bonding with the performer over his favorite seafood. Meanwhile, as Kessler begins exploring the highs and lows of Williams' career, the subject pulls the storyteller into the film, and a close friendship begins to develop. Later, Kessler tags along with Williams for a concert in the Philippines, where their bond is cemented during a tense bus ride through the Mindanao jungle. As a result, the filmmaker gets the one thing he's craved since one of his earliest meetings with Williams, though when it seems to go awry he fears that he may have betrayed his new friend's trust.
~ Rovi

During the nineties, the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks faced each other numerous times during the NBA playoffs. These classic showdowns featured a clash between the bruising physicality of the Patrick Ewing and the Knicks against the uncanny shooting ability of Reggie Miller and his teammates. This documentary charts that rivalry, and details how Miller's public arguments with longtime Knicks fan Spike Lee kept stoking the fire between these rivals. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Filmmaker Dan Klores recounts the true story of one of the most bizarre romances of the 20th century in this documentary. In 1957, Linda Riss was a receptionist in her early twenties who bore a striking resemblance to Elizabeth Taylor, while attorney Burt Pugach was married and in his mid-thirties. That didn't stop Pugach from falling in love with Riss on first sight when he saw her walking past her home in the Bronx, and he quickly asked her out on a date. Riss accepted, and continued to see Pugach even after she discovered he had a wife. However, after a year of wining and dining, Riss broke off the affair, convinced that Pugach would never divorce, but continue to string her along. Pugach desperately tried to convince Riss to give him a second chance and began stalking her, but when that failed and he learned she had decided to wed someone else, he told her, "If I can't have you, no one else will have you, and when I get through with you, no one else will want you." Pugach's statement was no idle threat -- a thug hired by Pugach threw lye into Riss' face in order to scar her for life, and ended up blinding her in one eye. The crime earned Pugach a 15-to-30-year prison sentence, but less than a year after he was released on parole, a peculiar thing happened -- Linda Riss and Burt Pugach got married. Crazy Love (aka Love Is in the Air) shares the details of this very strange love affair, and how this extremely unlikely couple has stayed together for 30 years. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Experience the turbulent rise of America's first all-liberal radio network firsthand as documentary filmmakers Patrick Farrelly and Kate O'Callaghan follow the progression of Air America Radio from conception to the airwaves through interviews with such key figures as Al Franken, Randi Rhodes, Mark Walsh, and Evan Cohen. When a group of investors chose to challenge the conservative standards of talk radio by launching a liberal radio network in early 2004, few could see the monumental struggles that lay ahead. Despite the financial, creative, and logistical challenges that nearly sunk the entire endeavor, Air America Radio beat the odds by going live on March 31, 2004. As the presidential race between George W. Bush and John Kerry heated up, the struggle to sustain Air America Radio in the middle of a political firestorm gave testament to the tenacity and undying vision of those willing to put their livelihood on the line to ensure the public a quality alternative to the conservative viewpoints of such outspoken Republican media figures as Rush Limbaugh and Bill O"Reilly. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In 1950, a former radio engineer named Sam Phillips opened a recording studio in Memphis, TN, and began cutting sessions on Southern country and blues artists, which he leased to record labels around the country. In 1952, Phillips decided to cut out the middleman and started his own record company, Sun Records; while Phillips continued to record C&W and R&B acts, he began finding artists who were mixing the two styles into something different. Within a few years, Phillips had discovered and recorded Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and many more, and while Phillips certainly didn't invent rock & roll, his label was one of the first to truly give it a voice, and few record companies have ever had so great a cultural impact as Sun. Good Rockin' Tonight: The Legacy of Sun Records is a documentary which looks at the history of Phillips' little label, and the impact it had on music and culture worldwide. Along with visits from legendary Memphis musicians, Good Rockin' Tonight also features a number of top rock acts paying tribute to the music of Sun Records, including Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Matchbox Twenty, Kid Rock, Mark Knopfler, and many more. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Filmmaker Miranda Smith provides a portrait of Fred Kirschenmann, a North Dakota farmer who has become known for speaking out against the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Smith also intercuts scenes of her father, a citrus grower who used both in his orchards. While Kirschenmann warns of the past, present and future dangers of chemically manipulated agriculture, Smith poignantly shows her father's fate. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi