Lisa Ades Movies

Originally produced for IFC, this four-part mini-series exploring sex in independent cinema features the stimulating insight of such acclaimed filmmakers and actors as Catherine Breilat, Heather Matarazzo, Atom Egoyan, Peter Sarsgaard, and Ally Sheedy. When it comes to cinema, few topics are more taboo than teen sex. While Elia Kazan was exploring the fragile topic as far back as his 1961 classic Splendor in the Grass, teen sexuality didn't really become a mainstream cinema subject matter until the 1980s - when they began to play an increasingly prominent role in adolescent sex education. With films like Kids and Thirteen pushing boundaries further than ever before, filmmaker Lisa Ades sets out to find out just how the filmmakers approach to this super-sensitive topic has changed over the years. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Gay, lesbian, and transgender filmmakers, actors, and critics explore the history of queer cinema in this made-for-cable documentary. Eschewing any overarching narration, co-directors Lesli Klainberg and Lisa Ades illustrate archival footage and film clips with dozens of interviews. They also provide timelines and factoids to punctuate the discussion of specific eras. Although the background material and the interviewees allude to the subtext of Hollywood classics, the bounty of world cinema, and the history of experimental film, the focus remains squarely on the American independent movement, from the 1960s underground through the New Queer Cinema of the early '90s to the post-Brokeback Mountain landscape of 2006. Interview subjects range from cultural commentator Michael Musto and actors Alan Cumming and Jane Lynch to directors John Cameron Mitchell, Jennie Livingston, and Randy Barbato. Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema made its bow July 16, 2006, on the Independent Film Channel. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

It was the fire that sparked reform; after 146 people -- mostly women and girls -- died in the ferocious 1911 blaze that gutted the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, it was discovered that the exits had been locked by the management to prevent theft by the workers. At the time, there were no fire laws in the city, and few laws protecting workers. As this fourth episode in the PBS documentary series about New York reveals, citizen anger at the tragedy led to public hearings and a state commission recommending safety reforms such as automatic sprinklers in buildings over seven stories high, more frequent fire inspections, and a shorter, 54-hour week for women. Also covered in this episode is the fledgling motion picture industry led by companies such as Biograph, for which D.W. Griffith shot hundreds of short films; the continued problem of overcrowded slums, a blight exacerbated by the arrival of 10 million new immigrants in just a couple of decades; and the building of modern urban emblems: the subway system and skyscrapers. Highlights include archival motion picture footage, period photographs, archival paintings, and engravings, as well as commentary by numerous guests including Academy award-winning director Martin Scorcese; Ruth J. Abram, founder of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum; novelist Caleb Carr (The Alienist); architect Robert A. M. Stern; writer Jean Strouse; and historian John Kuo Wei Tchen. Other features include dramatic readings by guests including Robert Sean Leonard, Frances Sternhagen, Eli Wallach, and George Plimpton. Directed by Ric Burns and narrated by David Ogden Stiers. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide

The "Big Apple" has a colorful, influential, and, at times, tragic history that spans nearly four hundred years. This is the first episode in the epic PBS documentary series about the most populous city in the United States. Originally christened "New Amsterdam" by its Dutch founders, the city is shown in this program to have been a center of commerce from its inception. When the British took over, they gave it the name by which the world knows the city to this day. The first installment of American Experience: New York takes the story as far as the early years of the bustling 19th century, by which time New York belonged to the fledgling United States. Highlights include archival paintings and engravings, as well as commentary by numerous guests including historian Thomas Bender, novelist Caleb Carr (The Alienist), New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and award-winning novelist E.L. Doctorow. Other features include dramatic readings by some of the guests. Directed by Ric Burns and narrated by David Ogden Stiers. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide

Ric Burns' four-part series The Way West explores the short and violent history of American expansion. Taking its title from philosopher George Berkeley's beliefs in manifest destiny, The Way West: Westward, the Course of Empire Takes Its Way, 1845-1864 focuses on the history of the West from 1845 to the end of the Civil War. Ric Burns presents an alternate version of the typical scenario with Native Americans taking center stage. When the Gold Rush opened the West, confrontation was inevitable. Westward migration was a death cry for many Indians as shown in the Minnesota uprising of 1862 and the Massacre at Sand Creek. Yet, the trickle of pioneers couldn't be stopped. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide

The Way West gives an unprecedented look at the untold history of the West. Bypassing brave pioneers and burly outlaws, director Ric Burns focuses on Native American sacrifices. The Way West: The War for the Black Hills, 1870-1876 documents the continuing battle for territory between these years. With the completion of the transcontinental railroad, American expansion was inevitable. The Black Hills represented all tribal lands and became the focal point for Indian rights. When the U.S. broke the Lakota and Cheyenne treaties by searching for gold in the Hills, a showdown occurred. The result was Custer's Last Stand at Little Big Horn, an event that led to the downfall of Native American independence. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide

The emergence of American mass culture is intimately connected to the history of Coney Island. From the mid-1800s, New York's Coney Island emerged as a playland where the fabulous and fantastic met. Coney Island is Ric Burns' loving documentary about a unique time and place in American history where both the hot dog and the roller coaster were invented. The largest herd of show elephants, a miniature village of hundreds of midgets, and many fantastic sideshows were all the unique properties of this resort district. An elegant documentary, Coney Island tells the story of the rise and eventual decline of a slice of modern life. ~ Cara Saposnik, All Movie Guide