Daniel Kraus Movies
The "musician" in question is the iconoclastic, Chicago-wrought jazz performer Ken Vandermark. In this documentary - a volume in Kraus's Work Series that pulls inspiration from broadcaster-cum-historian Studs Terkel's writings - Vandermark engages in candid rehearsals and performances with an ensemble; the film then features one of Vandemark's sizzling solo numbers before a closed audience. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Vandermark
For anyone who ever wanted to ride along in the squad car to experience a day on the police beat, Sheriff Ronald E. Hewitt invites viewers to follow along as he keeps streets in North Carolina safe for citizens and serves the public in whatever capacity possible. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ronald E. Sheriff Hewett
Bret Packard (Mark Mench) is a professional baseball player with incalculable fame, money, and talent. He is unsatisfied with his success, however, and bored with the game - so he decides to play his own. He decides to throw his team and family into a tailspin of deception and malevolence with a series of mind games, pitting allies against each other and irreparably changing the sport and himself. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Mench, Justin Smith, (more)
Jefftowne is a documentary about a man named Jeff Towne. Towne suffers from Down's Syndrome and spends his time watching pornography, drinking beer, and watching professional wrestling. He also spends a great deal of time at a local movie theater where the staff there acts as an extended family. Towne lives with his elderly foster mother who dreams of a cash windfall that will relieve their troubles. The film follows Towne through his unusual day-to-day existence, as well as some unusual events that occur while the cameras are rolling. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2003
- NR
Ronald E. Hewett is the sheriff of Brunswick County, NC, a small rural community where, prior to Hewett's election, the sheriff's office wasn't even open after 5:00 p.m. Hewett soon changed that, and has made it his business to move Brunswick County's law enforcement into the 21st century as big-city crime begins to creep into town. Sheriff is a documentary which offers a cinéma vérité view of Hewett at work as he investigates crimes ranging from murder and armed robbery to illegal video poker machines and a stolen truckload of ceramic lawn ornaments. Sheriff also offers a detailed profile of Hewett, a good-natured hometown boy who also has a firm dedication to law and order and a keen sense for local politics. Sheriff was screened in competition at the Chicago Documentary Film Festival and Cinequest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
