Peter Spirer Movies
- 2009
- Add Kiss and Tail: The Hollywood Jump-Off to QueueAdd Kiss and Tail: The Hollywood Jump-Off to top of Queue
This documentary about the seedy side of the hip-hop industry investigates the rarely seen side of the backstage rap culture. Infamous party-girl Karrine Steffans leads viewers through an intimate look at the world where sex is a means of control - though it can sometimes be a source of power - and offers her insights on how the groupie lifestyle routinely leaves unsuspecting women in shambles. Some media personalities featured in the program include Tyson Beckford, Twista and Akon. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- 2008
- Add Ghostride the Whip: The Hyphy Movement to QueueAdd Ghostride the Whip: The Hyphy Movement to top of Queue
Peter Spirer, the acclaimed producer behind Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel and the Beef series, teams with notorious director DJ Vlad for this documentary that captures all the energy and danger of the biggest hip-hop youth movement ever to emerge from the San Francisco Bay Area. Oakland native and MTV personality Sway takes viewers on a guided journey into the culture that birthed "ghostriding the whip" while simultaneously exploring the political, social, and musical history of the controversial movement as well. Local hip-hop artists Keak Da Sneak, MC Hammer, Too $hort, and -40 all weigh in on the craze as the biggest names in hip-hop all come together to pay tribute to underground legend Mac Dre. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sway Calloway, Too $hort, (more)
- 2007
- Add Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life to QueueAdd Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life to top of Queue
Hip hop fans know just what a remarkable impact the late Notorious B.I.G. had on the world of modern music, and in this documentary filmmakers come closer to uncovering the man behind the myth than ever before. His loose, silky smooth flow and unique rhyme style made him stand well apart from the pack, yet despite his success Notorious B.I.G. would eventually become an unfortunate victim of the violent East Coast-West Coast hip-hop feud. With seldom seen home video footage, newly-released interview captured shortly before his death, footage of the crime scene, and recollections from such close friends and collaborators as Easy Mo Bee, Raekwon, Ditty, and Method Man, this comprehensive portrait of a hip hop superstar will have fans dusting off their old copies of Life After Death for another, nostalgic listen. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The Art of 16 Bars features interviews with major hip-hop stars that involve them discussing how they rose to prominence. Among the artists who offer their insights are 50 Cent, Nas, Kanye West, Russell Simmons, and The RZA. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2005
- Add Black and Blue: Legends of the Hip-Hop Cop to QueueAdd Black and Blue: Legends of the Hip-Hop Cop to top of Queue
Learn the truth behind the dirty little secret that has plagued the hip-hop community for years in a startling documentary focusing on retired New York City Police detective Derrick Parker and the officially sanctioned police unit assigned the task of keeping tabs on the biggest chart-toppers in music. Compelled to create a NYPD rap unit following the widely publicized 1997 murder of rapper Notorious B.I.G., Detective Parker and his team went on to profile a wide variety of hip-hoppers including Snoop Dogg, The Game, 50 Cent, Ja Rule, Jay-Z, and Lil' Kim in the years that followed. Their unit officially sanctioned just three short years later, Detective Parker and company would continually question and harass the recording artists without probable cause, simultaneously keeping them under constant surveillance and creating a "Rap Binder" frequently used in law enforcement training. In this documentary, Detective Parker not only reveals the infamous "Rap Binder," to the general public for the very first time, but also discusses the creation of the unit and addresses the controversy it has spawned. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Documentary filmmaker Peter Spirer directed this follow-up to his film Beef. Just like the first movie, Beef II studies the many feuds that both fuel and plague the world of hip-hop music. Featuring narration by actor Keith David (Platoon, Clockers), the film features interview with such rap stars as Cypress Hill, 50 Cent, Nelly, Ice Cube, Sticky Fingaz, and many others. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
The MC: Why We Do It is a documentary that compiles interview footage with about two-dozen figures in the rap community. They discuss their art, their careers, and what they are trying to do with their music. Among the luminaries who appear are Kanye West, Nas, KRS-One, 50 Cent, RZA, Redman, and Mobb Deep. Also included is archival footage of such figures as Grandmaster Flash, N.W.A., and A Tribe Called Quest. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
The death of a feared and hated man leads to a conspiracy of silence in this drama. Walter Taylor (Kadeem Hardison) is an investigator from the state attorney general's office who is sent to a small Southern town to investigate an unusual murder. Ronny Roy Pritchett (W. Earl Brown) was a town bully who could intimidate just about anyone into giving him what he wanted until he was found outside a local tavern one night with 40 shots in his body and no witnesses who would say they saw or heard the attack. With the help of cheerful but ineffectual Sheriff Miller (Rus Blackwell), Taylor begins questioning citizens about Pritchett, including his two wives (Jeanetta Arnette and Alicia Lagano), who have decidedly different memories of their late husband, and Mildred (Talia Shire), the wife of a local pastor who was murdered a few weeks before Pritchett. In time, Taylor begins to piece together a picture of Pritchett's reign of terror in the town, as well as his combative relationship with former Sheriff Breen (Barry Corbin). Dunsmore was directed by Peter Spirer, who previously made several respected documentaries on hip-hop culture, including Beef, Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel -- The Life of an Outlaw, and Rhyme & Reason. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- W. Earl Brown, Kadeem Hardison, (more)
This direct-to-video documentary from filmmaker Peter Spirer, the man behind 2002's Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel, delves into the many on-the-mic feuds that have been an integral part of the world of hip-hop over the years. Narrated by Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction), Beef includes archival footage that traces rap battles from the early days when they existed solely in songs to more contemporary times when the quarrels spilled into real-life, leading to violent confrontations and several dead MCs. Interviews with rap figures such as Jay-Z, Snoop Dog, Tupac, Ice Cube, Ja Rule, Russell Simmons, and Kool Moe Dee serve to offer first-hand accounts of some of the most well-known hip-hop squabbles in music history. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
From the maker of Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel, Peter Spirer's documentary Modern Warriors explains the history and practice of martial arts fighting. Featuring martial arts legends Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, Don "The Dragon" Wilson, and Bill "Sugarfoot" Wallace, this program discusses the origin, evolution, and philosophy of many fighting styles. The bulk of the film deals with performance, especially no-holds-barred matches and street fighting styles. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- 2001
- Add Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel - The Life of an Outlaw to QueueAdd Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel - The Life of an Outlaw to top of Queue
Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Peter Spirer (Rhyme & Reason, East Coast Mix, Volume 1: Another Reason to Rhyme, BloodTies) directs this look at the life and art of rap artist Tupac Shakur. In addition to rare footage of Shakur, the film includes interviews with significant members of the rap world like Suge Knight and Snoop Dogg. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tupac Shakur
- 2000
Directed by Academy Award winner Peter Spirer, East Coast Mix, Vol. 1 features behind-the-scenes coverage of some of rap's biggest stars. Viewers can see Nas, Jay-Z, and Q-Tip at home, on the basketball court, and in the studio, talking about their lives before entering the world of popular rap music, how their careers have influenced their lives, and the music industry itself. Unrated. ~ Jackie Turner-Robinson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
- Add From Russia to Hollywood: The 100-Year Odyssey of Chekhov and Shdanoff to QueueAdd From Russia to Hollywood: The 100-Year Odyssey of Chekhov and Shdanoff to top of Queue
Michael Chekhov and George Shdanoff were Russian expatriates who came to Hollywood and became two of the best known and most influential acting coaches in the film industry; Chekhov was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in Spellbound, and as a teacher he and his associate Shdanoff helped guide the careers of Leslie Caron, Patricia Neal, Gregory Peck, Rex Harrison, Marilyn Monroe and Clint Eastwood. From Russia to Hollywood provides a glimpse into their lives and careers as Chekhov flees Russia for Germany after the Communist government expresses its displeasure with his productions for the Moscow Art Theater (Stanislavsky considered Chekhov a genius, but the government considered him ideologically unsound). When the Nazis began to rise to power, Chekhov relocated to the United States, where he taught acting when not busy with his own career on the stage and screen. Here, several of Chekhov and Shdanoff's better known students discuss their work and how their teachings effected a generation of Hollywood actors. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gregory Peck, Mala Powers, (more)
Documentary filmmaker Peter Spirer interviewed over 80 significant artists in rap and hip-hop music for this documentary that explores the history of hip-hop culture, how rap evolved to become a major cultural voice (and a multi-billion dollar industry), and what the artists have to say about the music's often controversial images and reputation. Interview subjects range from veteran old-school rappers, such as Kurtis Blow, KRS-ONE and Chuck D., to gangsta rap icons Ice-T, Dr. Dre and MC Eiht, to several current rap hitmakers, including Wu-Tang Clan, The Fugees and Sean "Puffy" Combs. Also includes footage of a memorial service for the late Tupac Shakur, as well as one of the last interviews with The Notorious B.I.G.. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Filmmaker Steve Cantor follows the controversy surrounding photographer Sally Mann's controversial book Immediate Family in this Academy Award-nominated documentary film that first debuted at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. While many critics praised the intimacy of Mann's work, some members of the religious right accused her of producing child pornography due to the fact that Immediate Family contained numerous photographs of her nude and half-clothed pre-adolescent children. While this film focuses largely on Mann's fight to defend herself against such allegations, Cantor's feature-length follow-up What Remains: The Life and Work of Sally Man (2005) expanded the scope to offer a more comprehensive study of the artist and her creative process. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
