Pax Wassermann Movies

It's no great surprise that making your way into the United States as an illegal alien can be a dangerous business, but for many getting close enough to the border to make the jump is one of the riskiest parts of the journey. A significant number of undocumented immigrants are from Central America and they must cross through Mexico in order to reach the American border. Filmmaker Rebecca Cammisa follows a handful of youngsters as they make their way across the continent with the United States as their ultimate goal in the documentary Which Way Home. Many of the kids travel by train, hopping rides on a rattletrap line known to locals as "The Beast." This is dangerous enough, with the youngsters riding on top of the cars or holding onto the sides when they can't find an open boxcar, but that's hardly the only risk they face, as violence and criminal predators lay in wait for them along the load road into Mexico and the land of their dreams. Which Way Home was an official selection at Toronto's 2009 Hot Docs Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This 70 minute HBO documentary profiles animal rights leader Ingrid Newkirk, founder of activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Though interviews with Newkirk, as well as with her peers at PETA, the film explores how the animal rights advocate came to believe so strongly in the humane treatment of all creatures. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

The band that inspired some of the most innovative rock acts of the new millennium reunites to conquer the globe 12 years after calling it quits, and filmmaker Steven Cantor is there to capture all the low-lights and highlights of their tentative reunion in a probing documentary exploring the re-birth of Gen-X alternative giants the Pixies. Plagued by personal problems from the beginning but driven to create such classic albums as Surfer Rosa and Doolittle, Frank Black, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago, and David Lovering smashed convention to deliver a wailing wall of chaotic but catchy riffs that, when combined with Black's disjointed lyrics and volatile vocals, gave birth to an entirely new sound. Initially self-destructing in 1993 and fragmenting into a variety of compelling offshoots, the Pixies weathered out the remainder of the decade and the first years of the new millennial crossover on their own before a series of jam sessions between the former bandmates led to a wildly successful 2004 North American tour. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

HBO's first Prime Time reality-documentary series, the 10-part Family Bonds concentrated on the Evangelista family of Long Island. Headed by tough but tender Tom Evangelista, the family was in charge of a thriving "bounty hunter" service, specializing in tracking down bail jumpers, defaulting debtors, errant spouses and other such scofflaws. Though the Evangelistas were capable of dispensing violence, often as not they preferred more humanitarian methods to hunt down their targets, and on a few occasions soft-hearted Tom would extend the necessary funds to get the fugitive off the hook with the law. In true TV-series fashion, each of the family members was cast in a "role", drawn from life. Tom Evangelista was "The Boss", Flo Evangelista was "The Wife", Chris Evangelista was "The Nephew", Dana Evangelista was "The Daughter" (actually, the Married Daughter--and by series' end, the New Mother), and Sal Evangelista was "The Kid." Seen as "The In-Laws" were Dawn Carfora, Jimmy Carfora and Kim Persinger, while trusted family friend Dan Boswith was billed as "No Relation" (though he was as close to the Evangelistas as any relative). Through it all, the family laughed, cried, quarreled, negotiated, celebrated and in general acted like most everybody in the audience--except with a lot more profanity and tattoos. Famed documentarian Steven Cantor was both producer and director of Family Bonds, which began its HBO run on September 19, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Oscar-nominated documentarian Steven Cantor makes his full-length debut with this look at the trials and tribulations of the testosterone-pumped men who keep the rabble out of Manhattan's poshest nightspots. Among Cantor's interview subjects are Terence Buckley, who dreams of patrolling bigger and better Gotham haunts; the legendary Lenny McLean, who made his name in London; and a set of twin brothers who aspire to be just like Sylvester Stallone. Throughout, Cantor reveals the sensitive side of this group of skilled tradesmen who are often viewed merely as intimidating thugs. The film's hard-driving score comes courtesy of Samantha Maloney, drummer for the rock band Hole. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide