Hi, Bryan Here….

I’ve been following this case ever since HBO aired the first ‘Paradise Lost‘ film in 1996. I was 15 then, and at the age, I was outraged and angry at how the justice system was working in Arkansas. I couldn’t believe that these people could convict three innocent young men with no evidence to life in prison, with one receiving the death penalty. Needless to say, over the years, i have researched and tried to help any way that I could to this case by sending emails and letters and really anything I could do in my power to help free the West Memphis 3. And fortunately, there were two more sequels done by the original team who made ‘Paradise Lost‘, which shed new light on the convictions. However, now, director Amy Berg delivers ‘West of Memphis‘ with the help of Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, which offers many new insights and interviews for the audience who have followed this case from the beginning, while letting newcomers in easily.  It’s one of the better documentaries ever made.

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Hi, Bryan Here….

I’m so psyched about this.  My friend and fellow Boomstick writer Justin Cline introduced me to this amazing documentary ‘The Staircase‘ almost a decade ago, and I have watched it several times through, showing my friends, which leads to many conversations of the justice system and the innocence or guilt of one man.  ’The Staircase‘ was an eight-part documentary film that aired on the Sundance Channel several years ago and showcased a murder trial based in North Carolina, where a man was accused of murdering his wife.

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Howdy classic rock fans, Napkin Art here…

There aren’t many musicians or performers left these days that can be considered true artists of their craft, not just musicians, and Peter Gabriel is a true artist, as is quite evident in this definitive authorized making-of Classic Albums documentary of Gabriel’s seminal 1980s album, “So.”

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Hi, Bryan Here….

Here is the trailer for the Peter Jackson produced documentary about the story of the West Memphis 3.  The film centers on the private investigators and forensic testing financed by Jackson and Walsh.  It has been one year since the three guys have been freed, however supporters are still trying to get an outright exoneration from the state of Arkansas, because Arkansas made the three guys take the Alford plea.  The Alford plea made the three guys plead guilty while denying they committed the crime.  This was so that Arkansas wouldn’t have to shell out money in lawsuits for 20 years of wrongful imprisonment.

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Hi, Bryan Here….

‘Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry’ is an amazing documentary that centers around the world renowned artist known as Ai Weiwei.  Perhaps Weiwei is best known for his design work for the Bejing National Stadium known as The Bird’s Nest, which was the focal point for the 2008 summer Olympics. Shortly after the stadium was finished, Weiwei publicly denounced the games as Chinese propaganda by all the media not covering Bejing’s vast underclass people. Those statements put him in the public spotlight and he became under heavy scrutiny from the Chinese government, but Weiwei’s courage to stand up to the Chinese government became the main emphasis of his art.

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 The ‘Grandaddy of Grunge’, Neil Young, has been on quite a roll over the last few years,  musically and artistically, releasing several critically acclaimed albums, not to mention finally  releasing the long, long-awaited “Neil Young Archives: Volume 1” to the masses, proving  again and again that ‘rust never sleeps.’ After all, Young is pretty old for a rock and roll star.    However, his love for making music and shredding guitars on stage never ceases to wane, as is  evident in his latest concert documentary film, “Journeys.” Read the rest of this entry »

Hi, Bryan Here…

Seductive, fearless and outrageous, Marina Abramović has been redefining the meaning of art for nearly 40 years. Using her own body as a vehicle, pushing herself beyond her limits, and at times risking her physical safety, she creates performances that challenge, shock and move. From first-time director Matthew Akers, MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ THE ARTIST IS PRESENT follows “the grandmother of performance art” as she prepares for a major retrospective of her work at Manhattan’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in 2010, highlighted by a new exhibit that is breathtaking in its simplicity: two chairs facing each other, with Abramović sitting in one and audience members taking turns sitting in the other, gazing into each other’s eyes in silence. In true Abramović style, she remains in the chair for seven and a half hours each day – every day the museum is open for three months – without eating, drinking or moving, a feat of mental and physical endurance that is challenging even for a veteran of such performances.

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Hi, Bryan Here….

Morgan Spurlock hits a home run with his new documentary, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope.  Spurlock’s previous documentaries are: Super-Size Me, Greatest Movie Ever Sold, and the FX series 30 Days.  In all of these documentaries, Spurlock conducts different social experiments, always putting himself in front of the camera as the guinea pig.  With Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope, he is not seen on camera but rather follows several different people as they attend the one, the only, San Diego Comic-Con.

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Hi, Bryan Here…

Tchoupitoulas (pronounced CHOP-it-TOO-luhs) is simply brilliant storytelling.  It’s something I have not seen done before, and it came across vibrantly original and engaging.  Brothers Bill and Turner Ross directed the documentary Tchoupitoulas, which is the name of a street in New Orleans, Louisiana.  This documentary has no real narrative or message, but rather an observance of the eccentricities and wildness of life in New Orleans. The film also won the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary Feature at the Dallas International Film Festival this year.

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Hi, Bryan Here….

Dave Grohl will be directing his first film which is titled ‘Sound City’.  The film will be a documentary about the famous Van Nuys studio where some of the biggest names in music have recorded their albums.  The film will have interviews with tons of musicians and producers who have recorded at ‘Sound City’ in its history.

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