Dan Cogan Movies

If there is a consensus about anything among environmental activists, it's that's nuclear power is dangerous, and its tremendous downsides cancel out any possible advantages as a source of energy. Or at least that's how most people see the issue. . The truth is there is a small but growing number of environmental experts who believe that despite well-known disasters such as Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima, it is possible to generate safe and cost-effective power using nuclear materials with a minimum of waste and without the inefficiencies of renewable methods such as wind and solar, which at current levels cannot meet public demand. A handful of leading voices in the environmental movement, among them Stewart Brand, Gwyneth Cravens, Richard Rhodes, and Michael Shellenberger, are now promoting nuclear power as a "green" energy source, and filmmaker Robert Stone (who presented a history of the ecology movement in the film Earth Days) gives them a chance to present their side of the argument in the documentary Pandora's Promise. The film received its world premiere at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Filmmaker David France tracks the efforts made by activist groups ACT UP and TAG (Treatment Action Group) to convince the government and the pharmaceutical industry to speed up human trials of experimental drugs that ease the suffering of HIV/AIDS patients. Thanks to their tireless efforts, HIV/AIDS would eventually become a manageable condition, rather than a death sentence. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director Liz Garbus presents this intimate look at the life of volatile chess player Bobby Fischer, who stunned the world in 1958 by becoming the U.S. champion, and later shot to infamy for his increasingly erratic behavior. Frequently left alone as a child by his single, Jewish mother, Brooklyn native Fischer was proficient on the chess board by the age of six. A self-taught player, he continued mastering his game though his early teens, when he defeated such star players as Arthur Bisguier, Samuel Reshevsky, and William Lombardy to snag the top slot at the 1957-58 U.S. Championship. Later, in 1972, the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War were bumped from the headlines to make room for stories about Fischer winning the world title from defending champion Soviet Boris Spassy in Reykjavik, Iceland, though it was this game that appeared to mark a turning point in the American media darling's illustrious career. Retiring from the game and disappearing from the spotlight, Fischer was essentially all but forgotten until he reemerged in the early 1990s for the "Revenge Match of the 20th Century" against his old opponent Spassy. Unfortunately for Fischer, the game was in Yugoslavia, which at the time had been hit with strict U.S. sanctions. As a result, an arrest warrant was issued for Fischer, and he became a fugitive from the law for over a decade. On the rare occasion that he did make a public appearance, he appeared disheveled, and his comments were peppered with vicious attacks on both Jews and Americans. In January of 2008, Fischer succumbed to the effects of renal failure at a Reykjavik hospital. In this documentary vintage footage of Fischer, and conversations with the friends and family who knew him best combine to provide a compelling portrait of a tortured genius whose brilliant mind became his greatest foe. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Major-league baseball pitchers usually throw fastballs, curveballs, and off-speed pitches. A few brave souls, however, have made a career out of throwing the knuckleball. The pitch entails lobbing the baseball in such a way that it doesn't rotate, and therefore moves in a manner that's impossible to predict. The filmmakers follow Tim Wakefield and R.A. Dickey, the only two knuckleball pitchers in the majors during the 2011 season, as they attempt to stay in the big leagues while relying on this unorthodox weapon. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

In this documentary, filmmaker Tiffany Shlain examines how the Internet and social networking are not only changing the way we communicate but how we see the world around us, and the global impact that's being felt as a result. Using animation and archival material, Shlain offers a witty but thoughtful look at the paradoxical human desire for both independence and contact with others, and how the ease and speed of new communication is bringing about a change in out perceptions that's not just an evolution of societal norms but may be creating a fundamental shift in the way our brains process information. At the same time, Shlain explains how her father's battle with cancer upended her own notions of human connections, and her belief that 21st century humans need to strive not for independence but interdependence. Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death and Technology was an official selection at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The tenants of the coveted Carnegie Hall work-live studio spaces have their leases abruptly terminated by the Carnegie Hall Corporation, effectively disbanding the artistic community that has flourished there for over 100 years, and filmmaker Josef "Birdman" Astor captures the entire incident on film. Though few people realized the flats above Carnegie Hall even existed, the tight-knit artist's community thrived there throughout the 20th century. Back in the day, artists such as Marlon Brando and Paddy Chayefsky were tenants. It was always Andrew Carnegie's intention that the studios were a place where creativity would thrive. When greed threatens to take priority over Carnegie's original vision, the tenants band together in a bid to fight back and preserve a cherished piece of New York City history. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In 1978, when he was ten years old, Chico Colvard found his father's gun and was playing with it, imitating a cowboy he'd seen on television, when he accidentally shot his sister Paula Colvard. Paula was taken to the hospital, and convinced that she was dying, Paula made a startling statement to the doctor -- that for years her father, Elijah Colvard Jr., had been sexually abusing her, as well as her sisters, Angelika and Chica. Paula survived, but Elijah was in time found guilty of child sexual abuse and spent a year in prison. Chico hadn't had any contact with his father for many years when he discovered that Elijah was invited to a family reunion he would be attending. While Chico expected the event would give everyone an opportunity to confront the father about his crimes, the reality was quite different, as Elijah seemed content to act as if he'd done nothing wrong and his sisters were similarly able to ignore their father's betrayal. Chico brought a small video camera to the reunion, and the footage he shot that day became part of his documentary Family Affair, in which he examines a shocking and tragic real-life story of abuse and its emotional consequences. Family Affair received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A soldier dealing with the painful consequences of war finds coming home isn't much of a consolation in this documentary. Filmmaker Danfung Dennis was embedded with a Marine platoon fighting in Afghanistan in 2009, where violence and street skirmishes could break out at any time. One of the soldiers Dennis followed was Nathan Harris, who was shot in the hip shortly before he was due to return home. Recuperating from a badly injured leg, Nathan soon found himself at home, being looked after by his wife, Ashley Harris, and struggling with boredom and feelings of powerlessness after months on edge. As his marriage begins to buckle and he becomes increasingly reliant on pain medication, Nathan is subject to severe mood swings and openly states he wishes he were back in Afghanistan, where at the very least he was in control of his circumstances and not dependent on others. Director Dennis offers a telling portrait of the horrors of the battlefield as well as the uncomfortable quiet of the home front. Hell and Back Again was an official selection at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In 2003, filmmakers Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein traveled to Iraq and spent several months with 2/3 Field Artillery unit as young soldiers simultaneously tried to fight a war and keep peace shortly after George W. Bush had publicly announced major combat operations in Iraq were over. The result was the acclaimed documentary Gunner Palace, and six years later, Tucker and Epperlein catch up with some of the men of the 2/3 FA and find out what's become of them since returning home in How To Fold A Flag. Michael Goss is still dealing with the violence he witnessed in Iraq and has taken up a career as a wrestler as he tries to satisfy his need to somehow stay in battle. Javorn Drummond came from a poor family and planned to use his G.I. benefits to attend college. But getting the aid he deserves proves difficult, and now he has to help his mother who is living with cancer but has no medical insurance. Stuart Wilf was a wild kid into heavy metal when he joined the Army, and for all his high spirits and profane humor it's clear that he still hasn't put his demons to rest; at the same time he tries to support his mother, who now has another son in Iraq. And Jon Powers came home with a desire to serve his community and decided to run for office, only to become the victim of attack ads questioning his conduct while in uniform. How To Fold A Flag was an official selection at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Colin Beavan was a writer living in Manhattan who had the usual concerns over the future of the environment until he realized he wasn't doing much about it. Beavan decided that it was time he and his family did something to deal with the practical issues of global warming and environmental sustainability, so he set out on a grand experiment -- to see if he, his wife, Michelle Conlin, their young daughter, and their dog could live for a year in New York City without leaving any sort of carbon footprint. Michelle, a writer for Business Week with a taste for fashion, was a hard sell for the notion of spending a year without electricity, takeout, toilet paper, or motorized transportation, but in time she agreed and found that their new life was a life-changing experience. Colin, however, found his will tested by the experience and his ideals questioned when he began writing a book about his experiences and sharing his story with the news media, becoming a minor celebrity in the process. Colin and Michelle's friends Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein are filmmakers who decided to capture the family's year of environmental purity on film, and No Impact Man is a documentary that chronicles the nuts and bolts of living a carbon-neutral life as well as how the experience impacted the family. No Impact Man was an official selection at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

While the subject of brain injury is challenging and sometimes frightening for doctors as well patients and their families, few such maladies are as misunderstood as the coma. Many factors come into play when a patient falls into a coma, and it's often difficult to predict what will happen if and when they regain consciousness. Filmmaker Liz Garbus explores the human side of a difficult medical situation in Coma, a documentary that follows four patients at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center's Center for Head Injuries. Each has suffered a coma following an accident of some sort, and as each struggles to regain the life they knew before, their doctors and loved ones must wrestle with tough choices and unhappy realities. Produced for the premium cable television network HBO, Coma was screened in competition at the 2007 Silverdocs Film Festival, a competition founded by the American Film Institute and The Discovery Channel. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

What sort of people engage in recreational group sex on a regular basis? David Schisgall's documentary The Lifestyle provides one answer: mostly cheerful, but paunchy, suburban couples who have either slipped into middle age or are starting to advance past it. For the most part, they look like normal workaday folks, and could even be your neighbors. Schisgall interviews 20 members of "swinging" groups in Orange County, CA, and discovers most are happily married (often for decades), politically lean a bit right of center (several of his subjects once had careers in the military), and are personally unremarkable once you get past their "hobby." The Lifestyle also reveals why AIDS is all but unknown in "swing" circles and takes a trip to a "Lifestyles" convention where fun seekers from around the country get to know each other (in more ways than one). Portraying its subjects with an affectionate sense of humor, The Lifestyle was premiered at the 1999 Los Angeles Independent Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi