Bradley Beesley Movies

Go behind the scenes of the 2007 Oklahoma State Penitentiary Rodeo to see how a group of convict cowgirls risk life and limb for the thrill of riding a bucking bull. Oklahoma has the highest female incarceration rate in the entire United States. In 2006, female inmates from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary were permitted to participate in the prison rodeo for first time since the annual event was launched in 1940. It's half Wild West show, and half coliseum-esque spectacle, and also the very last rodeo of its kind. Some inmates, like Danny Liles, have been participating in the annual event for over a decade. The rodeo affords them a brief respite from prison life, but the risks are high even for the toughest male inmates. As the female inmates file in to take part in their very first rodeo, the spectators and guards wait with baited breath to see just what happens when the gate goes up and all hell breaks loose. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Long the source of speculation amongst loyal Flaming Lips fans, this offbeat tale of the first Martian colony and the strange events surrounding the birth of the first extraterrestrial human child went into production in 2001 with band frontman Wayne Coyne pulling double duty as both director and star. Sometime in the distant future, man has conquered Mars. Shortly after reaching the Red Planet, however, the space program went into decline, effectively stranding the astronauts millions of miles from their home planet. As Christmas draws near and Major Syrtis (Steven Drozd) begins drawing up plans for the big pageant, the crew is struggling to convert old spaceships into living quarters and the confidence among the scientists is beginning to wane. The first colonist baby is set to be born at the stroke of midnight on Christmas, a symbolic testament to the beginning of a new civilization. Unfortunately, a number of crew members have committed suicide, including the man who was supposed to play Santa Clause at the big celebration. Into this alien chaos arrives a mysterious Martian (Coyne). A strange figure who seeks to both inspire and assist the struggling astronauts, the Martian is quickly recruited to take over the role of Santa Clause in the upcoming pageant. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Documentary filmmakers Bradley Beesley and Sarah Price take viewers back to the sun-soaked days of summer as they follow campers ages 6 through 15 to a place where lifelong friendships are forged, and the struggle against homesickness yields a better understanding of the true value of independence. With music by the Flaming Lips and Noisola, Summercamp! is a warm tribute to an long-running institution that holds a special place in the hearts of countless Americans. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

For their documentary The Creek Runs Red, co-directors Bradley Beesley, James Payne and Julianna Brannum travel to Picher, Oklahoma, one of the most environmentally unsound of all American communities, where the land and water are intolerably bilious and the town's primary source of economic sustenance - a zinc and lead mining company - skipped town ages ago. Amid this depressing backdrop, the filmmakers unveil a single bizarre truth: residents feel uniformly resistant to the idea of leaving. Brannum, Beesley and Payne use screen time to both chart the growing environmental disaster that belies the town, and raise penetrating questions about the locals' seemingly inexplicable reluctance to move elsewhere. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Bradley Beesley's documentary The Fearless Freaks attempts to reveal some truths about the band The Flaming Lips. The Lips have built a loyal cult following, and the film -- compiled from footage taken over 15 years -- attempts to satisfy that cult, as well as interest those unfamiliar with the band, by including a combination of performance footage and candid moments. The director was allowed full access to Wayne Coyne and the other members of the band. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi