Natalie Maines Movies

Although the infamous case of the West Memphis Three has already been the subject of three first-class documentaries from director Joe Berlinger, Amy Berg's West of Memphis again explores the oft-documented incarceration of three teenagers for a triple homicide that many believe they never committed. Co-produced by one of the three supposedly falsely convicted men, West of Memphis lays out the case for their innocence and details how a number of high-profile figures -- including Eddie Vedder, Johnny Depp, and Natalie Maines -- helped raise money and awareness in order to free the trio. West of Memphis played at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Between 1998 and 2002, it seemed the Dixie Chicks could do no wrong. Their first major-label album, Wide Open Spaces, was a smash hit, topping the country charts and eventually selling 12 million copies, while their subsequent albums Fly and Home respectively moved ten and six million units. Their concert tours were consistent sellouts, making them the most commercially successful female group in the history of the recording industry.
However, things took an unexpected turn for the Dixie Chicks in March 2003; with the United States expected to invade Iraq in a matter of days, the group's Texas-born singer Natalie Maines said during a concert in England, "Just so you know, we're ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas." While the spontaneous quip earned cheers during the show, the Dixie Chicks soon found themselves at the center of a firestorm of controversy at home -- radio stations pulled their music from playlists, conservative political commentators organized boycotts and protests against the groups, and during shows the Chicks became the targets of death threats. As Maines and her bandmates Emily Robison and Martie Maguire weathered the storm, they had things of their own to deal with, including marriages, childbirth, and making a new album with producer Rick Rubin. Award-winning documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck teamed up to follow the Dixie Chicks as they recorded their 2006 album Taking the Long Way, fought back against the accusations lobbed against them, and struggled to hold on to their personal lives in the midst of intense media scrutiny. Dixie Chicks: Shut Up & Sing (titled for a comment shouted at them by a fan) was the result; the film became the first documentary to enjoy its world premiere as a Gala Presentation at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

1998 was a very interesting year for The Dixie Chicks. Close to ten years after Emily Erwin and Martie Seidel formed the group, six years after the release of their first album, and two years after Natalie Maines signed on as lead singer, their fourth album, Wide Open Spaces suddenly made them one of the biggest and most honored groups in country music, selling over six million copies and earning them a shelf-full of honors from the Grammy Awards, the Country Music Awards, and the American Music Awards. This video charts their rise to stardom, from playing on street corners in Dallas to sold-out shows across the country. Dixie Chicks: Unauthorized Bio was produced without the participation of the group or their representatives and does not include any footage of the group performing, or any of their music. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi