Stephen Barker Turner Movies

Intrigued by the transformation his country went through following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., American filmmaker Roland Tec ponders what became of "The Land of the Free" through telling the stories of a country still stuck in a state of post-catastrophic anxiety. Comprised of 13 vignettes (each set in a different state of the republic), We Pedal Uphill explores the common threads that tie us together, as well as the divisive factors that drive us apart. From the Mississippi mother who fears that her outspoken son will meet the same grim end as his later father to the man who drives 12 hours to thank another for saving his life and the librarian who returns for work following a mysterious three-month absence, Tec's stories draw inspiration from actual headlines in order to offer a contemplative snapshot of a country at odds with itself. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

One of the most financially successful independent films of all time spawns a sequel that at once honors and confronts the pseudo-documentary style of the original in this follow-up to The Blair Witch Project. After The Blair Witch Project becomes a box-office smash, tourists begin to descend upon the small town of Burkittsville, MD, wanting to learn more about the truth and legend of the Blair Witch. Jeff Patterson is a local resident with a checkered past who sees a chance to make some fast money; he inaugurates "The Blair Witch Hunt," offering a tour of the woods where the ill-starred student filmmakers were lost. Four students from Boston sign up for the witch hunt, and end up spending the night camping near the home of notorious child murderer Rustin Parr. The next morning, they discover that they have no memory of a five-hour stretch of the previous night; as the day wears on, they realize they encountered something profoundly evil during their lost night in the woods, which has begun to manifest itself with a vengeance. Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 was the first dramatic feature directed by Joe Berlinger, who previously helmed the award-winning documentaries Brother's Keeper and Paradise Lost. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide