2010 Shop Movies

Anselm Kiefer is a German artist who began earning an international reputation for his paintings, which combined photographic realism with impressionistic abstraction and used the juxtaposition of images to form an unapologetic commentary on Germany's history and failings. In 1993, Kiefer relocated from Germany to France, and in 2000 he bought an abandoned silk processing plant; there, Kiefer set up new facilities to create massive installations that employed both large-scale paintings, huge sculptures, objects found at refuse sites, and materials such as dirt and ash to create complex artificial environments. Filmmaker Sophie Fiennes allows Kiefer and his work to speak for themselves in the documentary Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow, in which Kiefer talks about his life and work while Fiennes and her crew follow as the artist creates one of his installations, big enough that a team of assistants with heavy equipment must assemble the pieces under his direction. Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow was an official selection at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Graphic designer Daniel Goldstein leads the fight to prevent government and big business from razing an historic, Brooklyn, N.Y. neighborhood to make way for a more than a dozen skyscrapers and a new basketball arena for the New Jersey Nets. When the local government announced they would be using eminent domain laws to level the Prospect Heights neighborhood and make way for the Atlantic Yards project, the locals became deeply divided; while some saw the project as a way to bring jobs to the area, others were enraged at the thought of being forcefully evicted from their homes. Later, the government awarded the contract to Forest City Ratner -- a private contractor -- and the wheels of change were set into motion. As construction begins, tensions flare and it begins to appear as if the opponents of the project have run out of options. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Ka Shen Kwan was born in Hong Kong in 1939, the daughter of a Chinese architect and a Scottish model. Ka Shen was a gifted dancer and vocalist, and was studying at London's prestigious Royal Ballet School when she was spotted by noted movie producer Ray Stark. Stark was looking for a fresh new talent to star in a film adaptation of Richard Mason's novel The World Of Suzie Wong, and he was had a hunch eighteen-year-old Ka Shen was the sort of woman he was looking for. After several screen tests, Ka Shen won the role of Suzie Wong, and took the stage name Nancy Kwan. The World Of Suzie Wong earned Kwan an Academy Award nomination and made her an overnight star; at a time when most Asian actors were stuck playing demeaning, stereotyped roles (and many roles for Asians were played by Caucasian actors in make-up), Kwan became one of Hollywood's first Asian stars and a big-screen sex symbol. Kwan's next picture was a box-office smash, a screen version of the hit Broadway musical Flower Drum Song, and Kwan worked steadily in major studio productions through the 1960s. In 1972, Kwan moved back to Hong Kong to look after her ailing father and ended up staying ten years, continuing to act while also launching a new career as a producer. Filmmaker Brian Jamieson offers an intimate look as Nancy Kwan's private and professional lives in the documentary To Whom It May Concern: Ka Shen's Journey, which features extensive interviews with Kwan as well as Sandra Allen, Joan Chen, France Nuyen and Vivian Wu. The film received its world premiere at the 2010 Cinequest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Art is largely about self-expression -- about the artist's desire to tell us something -- but do we always know what it is the artist is trying to say to us? This question comes to mind while considering the life of photographer Francesca Woodman. Francesca grew up in a creative household -- her mother, Betty Woodman, worked in ceramics; her father, George Woodman, was a painter; and her brother, Charlie Woodman, became a video artist. From an early age, Francesca was taught about the importance and value of art, and she displayed a precocious gift as a photographer. In 1975, at the age of 17, Francesca began creating remarkable and unusual images, often featuring nude women, and after studying in Italy and at the Rhode Island School of Design she seemed on the verge of a long and distinguished career until she committed suicide in early 1981, just days before the opening of the first major exhibition of her work. Filmmaker C. Scott Willis offers a moving portrait of an unusual family and how Francesca's family recognized her genius but not the demons that haunted her in the documentary The Woodmans. The film received its world premiere at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

"You can buy a cobra, but you can't buy common sense," says Tim Harrison, and he knows something about the subject. Harrison is a policeman, paramedic, and firefighter who has become an expert on dealing with exotic pets when they break free or turn on their owners. It's estimated that 15,000 lions, tigers, and other large cats are kept as pets in the United States, and while many are well cared for, some are purchased by people who are unaware of the danger and responsibility of caring for a predatory animal, and Harrison has also been forced to deal with bears, alligators, and large snakes that were adopted as pets and later became a danger to the community. Adding to a difficult situation is inconsistent regulation of exotic pet ownership, which makes it easier to own a tiger than a puppy in some territories. Filmmaker Michael Webber examines the trading of exotic pets in America and Tim Harrison's work with animals in the documentary The Elephant in the Living Room. The film also offers the perspective of Terry Brumfield, a man who struggled with depression for years before developing a close relationship with a pair of lions he adopted. The Elephant in the Living Room was named best documentary at the 2010 Traverse City Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Filmmaker Alma Har'el profiles the people and places of Bombay Beach, the small community on the edge of California's Salton Sea. Back in the 1950s, the Salton Sea was the premiere vacation destination for folks looking to have some fun in the sun, and in the water. From the working class to the Hollywood elite, people from all across the country flocked to this scenic rift lake, and it didn't take long for local entrepreneurs to recognize the potential for profit. As restaurants sprung up and nightclubs overflowed with wealthy clientele, the community thrived. Now, at the turn of the 21st Century, flooding and poor water flow has rendered the Salton Sea a virtual ghost town - the death of the American dream personified. But within this dusty former boomtown, life still flourishes. For young bipolar Benny Parish, it's a place to let his vivid imagination run wild, and for aspiring football player CeeJay Thompson, it's a refuge from the Los Angeles gang violence that claimed the life of his beloved cousin. Meanwhile, former oil field worker Red subsists on whiskey and nicotine. Choreographed dance sequences in which the subjects of the documentary dance to the music of Beruit and Bob Dylan lend Bombay Beach a unique feeling unlike any documentary you've ever experienced before. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

As a filmmaking student at Chicago's DePaul University, 22-year-old Hamzah Jamjoom returned to the Arabian Peninsula to craft this sweeping, ambitious documentary about his homeland. Chiefly designed as a tool to bridge different cultures and rectify vast misunderstandings between the West and Middle East, the film explores the roots of Arabian traditions and studies how Arabian society evolved over the course of history. It also examines the faith of the Arabian people and the cultural nuances of Arabia. The program is presented in a 3D format. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

In the 1960s and 70s, drive-in movie theaters and big city grindhouses were eager to book the wildest and most action-packed fare they could find, and low-budget producers were always on the lookout for something unique to offer their viewers. Many of them found it in the Philippines, a country full of exotic locations, cooperative officials and folks willing to work cheap. Local producer Eddie Romero began exporting his cut-rate horror and crime pictures to American distributors in the 60s, and before long U.S. filmmakers were traveling there to shoot crazed jungle epics, women in prison thrillers, bloody horror stories and violent wartime dramas. It certainly helped that Philippine extras and technicians would work hard for low pay, and that local stuntmen didn't seem to worry much about risking their necks for a good shot; as one producer put it, "Human life was cheap, film was cheap -- it was a great place to shoot a movie!" Filmmaker Mark Hartley, who shared the crazed true story of the Australian exploitation movie scene in his documentary Not Quite Hollywood, shares the inside scoop on the wild and wooly world of filmmaking in the Philippines in the 1960s and 70s in Machete Maidens Unleashed! Featuring interviews with Gloria Hendry, Colleen Camp, Sid Haig, R. Lee Ermey, Roger Corman, Joe Dante, Allan Arkush and many more eyewitnesses to the madness of movie making in the Philippine jungles, Machete Maidens Unleashed! was an official selection at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In an era when newspapers are becoming increasingly obsolete, director Andrew Rossi offers a glimpse behind the scenes of the newsroom that has kept America informed for generations yet now struggles to remain relevant as more readers turn to the Internet to stay informed on current events. With their reputations on the line and the Internet Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, the editors and writers at The New York Times battle accusations of inaccuracy, and embrace blogging as a means of retaining readers who might otherwise allow their longtime subscriptions to expire. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

How far can a man go to challenge and thwart the limits of human endurance? That's the question posed by this inspirational documentary about Terry Hitchcock, a 57-year-old man who responded to the breast cancer and death of his wife, and his own sudden single parenthood, with an attempt to become a real-life Forrest Gump: in 1996, Hitchcock ran 75 marathons in 75 consecutive days, or a total of 1,965 miles, to bring national attention to the needs of single-parent families. In the process, Hitchcock struggled with such obstacles as fractured bones, chest pains, freezing rain and debilitating heat, but nevertheless succeeded at reaching his goal. Tim Vandesteeg directs; Billy Bob Thornton narrates. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai offers an impressionistic look at his nation's long history of armed conflict in this experimental feature. Carmel begins with a re-creation of a battle from the first century, with Hebrews fighting off an invading Roman army, and the cascade of images that follows explores the theme of war and violence in Israeli history. The film also touches on the 1973 Yom Kippur War (which Gitai himself fought in) and current waves of terrorism and violence, as well as the less aggressive but equally telling conflicts that are a part of everyday life and the role of the media in feeding a culture of brutality and reprisal. Carmel features narration from the legendary French actress Jeanne Moreau and an eclectic musical score than runs the gamut from Gustav Mahler to the Israeli punk-rock band the Jews. Carmel was an official selection at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Truth proves to be far stranger than fiction when Emmy award-winning television producer Phil Rosenthal answers the call to fly halfway across the globe and adapt his hit television series Everybody Loves Raymond for Russian television. Arriving in Moscow, Rosenthal is greeted by television producers who don't seem to understand his sense of humor, and don't appear particularly eager to receive his input. As his collaboration gets under way, however, Rosenthal quickly realizes that the unusual circumstances surrounding his voyage have all the makings of a classic fish-out-of-water comedy. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi