Actualités

David L. Hamilton, who co-founded and played keyboards for the prog-rock group Pavlov’s Dog before pivoting to a composing career and earning an Emmy nom, has died. He was 74.

A rep for the family said he died June 20 but not give provide a cause or place of death.

Born on May 4, 1951, in St. Louis, Hamilton studied classical piano while attending Macalester College in St. Paul before attended the University of Stirling in Scotland on an English lit exchange fellowship. While there he continued studying piano at at the Royal Academy of Music in Edinburgh.

After returning to St. Louis, he co-founded Pavlov’s Dog, a seven-piece progressive rock band with which he would record a pair of albums for Columbia Records. The group toured with the likes of Journey, Elo and Kraftwerk but couldn’t break through commercially. Its albums Pampered Menial (1975) and At the Sound of the Bell (1976) did sell in Australia,...

Josh Braun, producer of some of the best documentaries in the world, joins Josh and Joe to discuss the movies that have influenced him throughout his life.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Man On Wire (2008)

The Cove (2009)

Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010)

Encounters At The End of the World (2007)

Winnebago Man (2009)

Spellbound (2002)

Supersize Me (2004)

Tell Me Who I Am (2019)

Apollo 11 (2019)

The Edge of Democracy (2019)

Finding Vivian Maier (2013)

Searching For Sugarman (2012)

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)

A History Of Violence (2005)

Frat House (1998)

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘N’ Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003)

The Exorcist (1973)

Go West (1940)

A Night In Casablanca (1946)

Hello Down There (1974)

What’s Up Doc? (1972)

El Topo (1970)

Pink Flamingos (1972)

Female Trouble (1974)

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Bambi Meets Godzilla (1969)

Gimme Shelter (1970)

Monterey Pop (1968)

Grey Gardens (1975)

Grey Gardens (2009)

Titicut Follies (1967)

To Have And Have Not (1944)

All About Eve...

By Anjelica Oswald

Managing Editor

Director Lauren Poitras traveled to Hong Kong in 2013 with journalist Glenn Greenwald to meet with Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency contractor known for revealing information about the Nsa’s massive surveillance efforts, and what she filmed while meeting with Snowden resulted in Citizenfour.

The documentary premiered at the New York Film Fest and was met with a standing ovation and high praise. The film made the Academy’s documentary feature shortlist and could land a nomination at the 87th Academy Awards.

The film could join these ten Oscar-nominated documentaries that question American government’s military and/or political conduct (in chronological order):

The Panama Deception (1991)

Barbara Trent’s documentary offers a critical look back on the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama, which resulted in the ousting of General Manuel Noriega, and the deceptive reasons for U.S. involvement. The documentary also captures biased media coverage and suppressed information.

The video team here at HitFix constantly impresses me with not only the volume of work that they produce, but also the quality. We've gotten very lucky with the people we've hired, and they make any of our collaborations both easy and fun. Last week, they approached me about a new ongoing feature that they wanted to do, and tomorrow, we're going to shoot the first episode of "Ask Drew," which is exactly what it sounds like. I am constantly asked questions via e-mail and Twitter and in our comments section, and I feel like I never fully answer all of them, something that makes me feel terrible. I am grateful for each and every reader of the work we do here at HitFix, and if I can answer something, I try to. To that end, we are going to try something a little different here starting tomorrow. I want...

SnagFilms has acquired domestic distribution rights to Eugene Jarecki’s documentary about the war on drugs “The House I Live In” and Jay Bulger’s Ginger Baker documentary “Beware of Mr. Baker.” Jarecki’s film won the grand jury prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, and Bulger’s took the grand jury prize at SXSW in March. Abramorama is handling the theatrical release of both films, with "House I Live In" scheduled for an October opening. Read More: SnagFilms Acquires All U.S. Rights to Gotham Chopra's 'Decoding Deepak' In addition, SnagFilms has acquired six other documentaries: Barbara Kopple’s Oscar-winning films “Harlan County U.S.A.” (1976) and “American Dream” (1990); William Gazecki’s “Waco: The Rules of Engagement” (1997); Aviva Kempner’s “The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg” (1998) and “Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg”...

Production Weekly Tweets that British director Rupert Wainwright has cast Sharon Stone, Adrian Brody and Kurt Russell in Waco for a film about the 1993 siege of the Branch Davidian compound...

Odd cast combo of the day alert: Kurt Russell, Adrien Brody and Sharon Stone have all signed on to star in Waco, which will cover one of the most infamous events in Us law enforcement history.Production Weekly has it that Rupert Wainwright – last seen directing The Fog remake – will handle the film, which will track the 1993 incident in Texas with the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms laying siege to the compound holding David Koresh and his personal cult, the Branch Davidians.After reports of child abuse and rape emerged from the isolated compound, federal agents took action, leading to a devastating fire within the structure that left 81 people dead and a wealth of controversies about how the authorities handled the situation.According to The Playlist, investigative journalist Lee Hibberd wrote the script and the filmmakers will tap the experience of documentarian Michael McNulty, who made Waco: The Rules Of Engagement about the topic.

Kurt Russell and Adrien Brody join Waco A film that will focus on a headline-making 1993 event will be turned into a film and three stars have lined up for the project. Production Weekly is reporting that Kurt Russell, Adrien Brody and Sharon Stone are now attached to Waco, a film which will delve into the Branch Davidian compound disaster outside of Waco, TX in 1993.

Rupert Wainwright is directing the film, based off a script he wrote with investigative journalist James Hibberd. While details weren't given on what characters Russell, Brody and Stone would play, here is a description of the film from Wainwright's personal website.

Waco will be the first narrative feature film to explore the events of the Atf raid on Mt. Carmel, TX, the 51-day siege that followed, and the devastating compound fire that resulted in the deaths of 81 civilians. The movie cuts between Atf special agents, FBI Negotiators,...

We have three quick pieces of casting news for you today. First up, Deadline reports that Cameron Diaz and Benecio Del Toro have signed on to co-star in the romantic comedy An Ex to Grind. Next, Production Weekly tweets that Billy Crudup and Toby Jones will join Zooey Deschanel in Bruce Beresford’s biopic Enchantress of Numbers. Finally, Pw also tweets that Kurt Russell, Adrien Brody, and Sharon Stone have come on board Rupert Wainwright’s historical drama Waco.

Hit the jump for details on all three projects.

An Ex to Grind is based off Jane Heller’s novel, which would have Del Toro as a former star athlete who transforms into a slovenly couch potato after his career is cut short by an injury. Supported by his waitress wife (Diaz) both before his rise to fame and after his downfall, the wife has now become a big business success.

Aside from a certain leak of a certain phone, no topic has garnered as much blog and Twitter attention as Roger Ebert's expansion of his "video games are not and cannot be art" theory. His refrain? "No one in or out of the field has ever been able to cite a game worthy of comparison with the great poets, filmmakers, novelists and poets." Kellee Santiago, whose Ted speech on the very subject was refuted, point by point, by Ebert, responded herself.

Ebert's theory necessarily rests on there being a specific concept of what defines "art" and separates it from merely entertainment or media. But, as Santiago is quick to point out, the famed critic neglects to provide a definition, or even explain why certain pieces of media are art and others are not. He merely states the branding of "art" or "not art" as fact. Says Santiago:

I’m...

Having once made the statement above, I have declined all opportunities to enlarge upon it or defend it. That seemed to be a fool's errand, especially given the volume of messages I receive urging me to play this game or that and recant the error of my ways. Nevertheless, I remain convinced that in principle, video games cannot be art. Perhaps it is foolish of me to say "never," because never, as Rick Wakeman informs us, is a long, long time. Let me just say that no video gamer now living will survive long enough to experience the medium as an art form.

What stirs me to return to the subject? I was urged by a reader, Mark Johns, to consider a video of a Ted talk given at USC by Kellee Santiago, a designer and producer of video games. I did so. I warmed to Santiago immediately. She is bright,...

AOL is set to launch a new Web site Thursday that will distribute documentaries.

Dubbed AOL True Stories, the site will offer titles before theatrical release and between the theatrical and DVD windows as part of a larger film catalog offering.

The site's films, which will be available to stream, download-to-own and buy as a DVD, will accompany community forums where viewers can share their perspectives through blogs, live chats, message boards and video posting. Additionally, filmmakers can maintain a blog to communicate with viewers and provide in-depth profiles of different aspects of their film.

"We're launching this site as part of an overall strategy to create and grow niche audiences online," said Jordan Kurzweil, vp development and production at AOL programming. "We're hoping to create great conversation online where people will debate about films."

Many of the site's docus are familiar titles from film festivals, including this year's Shadow Company, which provides a view inside the world of private security firms in Iraq, and the 1998 Oscar nominee Waco: Rules of Engagement.

The online destination will launch with 20 titles.