Once upon a time on the West Coast, two bands were plotting a revolution.
Well, really, it was one musician concocting a grand plan to dismantle the record industry, bring back a massive revival of 1960s psychedelic rock, and achieve total world domination. His name was Anton Newcombe, and this singer/multi-instrumentalist fronted a San Francisco group blessed with one of the greatest names of any 1990s band: the Brian Jonestown Massacre. The only thing better than their moniker was the music itself, which replicated the vintage, acid-soaked sounds of...
Well, really, it was one musician concocting a grand plan to dismantle the record industry, bring back a massive revival of 1960s psychedelic rock, and achieve total world domination. His name was Anton Newcombe, and this singer/multi-instrumentalist fronted a San Francisco group blessed with one of the greatest names of any 1990s band: the Brian Jonestown Massacre. The only thing better than their moniker was the music itself, which replicated the vintage, acid-soaked sounds of...
- 1/26/2024
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
October 6, 1927, was a pivotal date in the history of Cinema. It was on this date that Warner Bros. released “The Jazz Singer,” the feature film that marked the end of the silent movie era and brought a whole new dimension to the world of video editing: sound.
Today, the music, dialogue and foley that sound editors add to our favorite films are as integral to the experience as the images and script themselves. From Hollywood blockbusters to low-budget short films, sound drives stories forward. It sets the emotional tone, aids in making actors’ performances feel more genuine, and ensures audiences hear exactly and feel exactly what filmmakers want them to hear and feel throughout their viewing experience.
In short, sound editors turn the muffled dialogue and noise recorded by a boom mike and elevate it into the crisp, emotive audio that brings visual storytelling to life.
With the 2024 Sundance Film Festival taking over Park City,...
Today, the music, dialogue and foley that sound editors add to our favorite films are as integral to the experience as the images and script themselves. From Hollywood blockbusters to low-budget short films, sound drives stories forward. It sets the emotional tone, aids in making actors’ performances feel more genuine, and ensures audiences hear exactly and feel exactly what filmmakers want them to hear and feel throughout their viewing experience.
In short, sound editors turn the muffled dialogue and noise recorded by a boom mike and elevate it into the crisp, emotive audio that brings visual storytelling to life.
With the 2024 Sundance Film Festival taking over Park City,...
- 1/24/2024
- by IndieWire Staff
- Indiewire
‘Dig! Xx’ Review: Ondi Timoner’s Outstanding 2004 Rock Doc Is Back For More – Sundance Film Festival
At the height of its failure, every day was Altamont for the Brian Jonestown Massacre, the San Francisco outfit founded in 1990 by Anton Newcombe, the Klaus Kinski of psychedelic rock. Just in time for this 20th anniversary overhaul of Ondi Timoner’s breakthrough documentary, the Bjm were back in the news as recently as November 2023, when the first night of an Australian tour ended in a riot. That the riot was confined to the stage, and played out in front of a dumbfounded audience, is Dig! Xx in a nutshell, a welcome return for a film that no less an authority than Dave Grohl calls, in a specially filmed new intro, “the greatest rock ’n’ roll documentary of all time.”
It helps to have a working knowledge of the two bands it features — the Bjm and Portland alt-rockers The Dandy Warhols — but Dig! Xx works on a meta level too,...
It helps to have a working knowledge of the two bands it features — the Bjm and Portland alt-rockers The Dandy Warhols — but Dig! Xx works on a meta level too,...
- 1/24/2024
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Dig!, a documentary about two bands – The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols – is a musical trainwreck, equal parts romantic comedy and horror film that follows the highs and lows of being a musician, in the studio, on the road and in their own heads.
The film, which launched at Sundance in 2004 and is returning to the festival this year with an extended cut, is a favorite among the musical class. I’ve sat in countless tour vans and crappy motels where it’s watched, quoted and dissected by kids with a dream and a drumkit.
Dave Grohl, the legendary Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman, told me that it’s a “f*cking masterpiece” and that it’s also his favorite horror film.
“Watching a documentary like Dig!, seeing these two bands fall in love with each other, which happens often. You find your brother band, your sister band,...
The film, which launched at Sundance in 2004 and is returning to the festival this year with an extended cut, is a favorite among the musical class. I’ve sat in countless tour vans and crappy motels where it’s watched, quoted and dissected by kids with a dream and a drumkit.
Dave Grohl, the legendary Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman, told me that it’s a “f*cking masterpiece” and that it’s also his favorite horror film.
“Watching a documentary like Dig!, seeing these two bands fall in love with each other, which happens often. You find your brother band, your sister band,...
- 1/18/2024
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s concert in Melbourne, Australia on Tuesday descended into chaos after frontman Anton Newcombe and guitarist Ryan Van Kriedt brawled onstage.
As depicted in fan-captured video posted on social media, the musicians began fighting after Newcombe appeared to fire Van Kriedt in the middle of the concert. “Cut off this guy’s mic, put down my guitar, party’s over captain,” Newcombe said to Van Kriedt. “We actually don’t need you. Go! Put my guitar down on the stage and think about what’s happening.”
“You better think about this one, man. Because this is forever!” Van Kriedt responded as he took off his guitar and began to exit the stage. As he approached Newcombe, the two gave each other the middle finger and got into a shoving match. Newcombe appeared to then swing a guitar at Van Kriedt, leading to a full-fledged brawl, with...
As depicted in fan-captured video posted on social media, the musicians began fighting after Newcombe appeared to fire Van Kriedt in the middle of the concert. “Cut off this guy’s mic, put down my guitar, party’s over captain,” Newcombe said to Van Kriedt. “We actually don’t need you. Go! Put my guitar down on the stage and think about what’s happening.”
“You better think about this one, man. Because this is forever!” Van Kriedt responded as he took off his guitar and began to exit the stage. As he approached Newcombe, the two gave each other the middle finger and got into a shoving match. Newcombe appeared to then swing a guitar at Van Kriedt, leading to a full-fledged brawl, with...
- 11/22/2023
- by Scoop Harrison
- Consequence - Music
Leningrad, the early 1980s: the Soviet Union’s stranglehold on its citizens continues, glasnost is not even a glimmer in Gorbachev’s eye and it feels as if the Party will never end. The one thing that does seem to be thriving, however, is the city’s underground rock scene, albeit one with a crowd stifled by authoritarian apparatchiks. (A fan tries to hold up a homemade sign for her favorite rock band. A man in a suit shuts down this oh-so-revolutionary action down Asap.) The applause-ometer may never allowed...
- 6/5/2019
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Moss plays the monstrous, self-destructive singer of an all-girl band overtaken by younger, prettier rivals in Alex Ross Perry’s unsettling punk drama
When the party’s over, who has to clean up? That’s the question posed by Alex Ross Perry’s punk drama, an unfocused if convincing account of life at the tail end of the 90s alt-rock boom. Resembling a fictionalised, feminised version of Dig!, the documentary classic about the demise of Brian Jonestown Massacre and their lead singer Anton Newcombe, Her Smell is built around a performance of near-unwatchable toxicity by Elisabeth Moss, who channels a combination of Courtney Love and Heath Ledger’s Joker with her spiteful, slowly imploding rock star.
Moss plays Becky Something, the lead singer of all-girl band Something She, one-time Spin cover stars who are now being lapped on the toilet circuit by younger, hungrier, prettier outfits. Much of the blame...
When the party’s over, who has to clean up? That’s the question posed by Alex Ross Perry’s punk drama, an unfocused if convincing account of life at the tail end of the 90s alt-rock boom. Resembling a fictionalised, feminised version of Dig!, the documentary classic about the demise of Brian Jonestown Massacre and their lead singer Anton Newcombe, Her Smell is built around a performance of near-unwatchable toxicity by Elisabeth Moss, who channels a combination of Courtney Love and Heath Ledger’s Joker with her spiteful, slowly imploding rock star.
Moss plays Becky Something, the lead singer of all-girl band Something She, one-time Spin cover stars who are now being lapped on the toilet circuit by younger, hungrier, prettier outfits. Much of the blame...
- 9/11/2018
- by Gwilym Mumford
- The Guardian - Film News
CNN just announced it will remember “our friend and colleague Anthony Bourdain this weekend by sharing his talent and stories. Rest in peace, @Bourdain.”
The network is producing a tribute, Remembering Anthony Bourdain to air tonight at 10 Pm Et.
Saturday, the cable news network will air a night of Bourdain’s favorite episodes of his series Parts Unknown, starting at 8 Pm Et.
Sunday, the previously scheduled episode of Parts Unknown, in which Bourdain traveled to Berlin, will air as scheduled at 9 Pm Et, with a special introduction by Anderson Cooper. It will be followed by a repeat of Remembering Anthony Bourdain at 10 Pm Et on Sunday.
We will be remembering our friend and colleague Anthony Bourdain this weekend by sharing his talent and stories. Rest in peace, @Bourdain. pic.twitter.com/RQ3rVzyXWr
— CNN Communications (@Cnnpr) June 8, 2018
The Berlin episode is the sixth of Parts Unknown’s 11th season. This...
The network is producing a tribute, Remembering Anthony Bourdain to air tonight at 10 Pm Et.
Saturday, the cable news network will air a night of Bourdain’s favorite episodes of his series Parts Unknown, starting at 8 Pm Et.
Sunday, the previously scheduled episode of Parts Unknown, in which Bourdain traveled to Berlin, will air as scheduled at 9 Pm Et, with a special introduction by Anderson Cooper. It will be followed by a repeat of Remembering Anthony Bourdain at 10 Pm Et on Sunday.
We will be remembering our friend and colleague Anthony Bourdain this weekend by sharing his talent and stories. Rest in peace, @Bourdain. pic.twitter.com/RQ3rVzyXWr
— CNN Communications (@Cnnpr) June 8, 2018
The Berlin episode is the sixth of Parts Unknown’s 11th season. This...
- 6/8/2018
- by Lisa de Moraes
- Deadline Film + TV
After coming under fire in Italian media for accusing Harvey Weinstein of rape, Asia Argento is returning to Italian TV as a judge on “The X Factor,” which will air on pay-tv service Sky Italia this fall.
FremantleMedia Italy, which is producing the show for Sky, has announced that Argento will join the “X Factor” Italy judging lineup of rapper Fedez, recording industry executive Mara Maionchi, local rocker and record producer Manuel Agnelli, as well as host Alessandro Cattelan. Besides being an actress and director, Argento has had a music industry career as a singer and disc jockey.
“We are thrilled to welcome Asia to the ‘X Factor’ family where we are sure that the contribution of her musical culture and personality will be of great importance,” Gabriele Immirzi, COO of FremantleMedia Italy, said in a statement.
Argento recently collaborated with influential French rock group Indochine on their platinum album “13,...
FremantleMedia Italy, which is producing the show for Sky, has announced that Argento will join the “X Factor” Italy judging lineup of rapper Fedez, recording industry executive Mara Maionchi, local rocker and record producer Manuel Agnelli, as well as host Alessandro Cattelan. Besides being an actress and director, Argento has had a music industry career as a singer and disc jockey.
“We are thrilled to welcome Asia to the ‘X Factor’ family where we are sure that the contribution of her musical culture and personality will be of great importance,” Gabriele Immirzi, COO of FremantleMedia Italy, said in a statement.
Argento recently collaborated with influential French rock group Indochine on their platinum album “13,...
- 5/31/2018
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Anthony Bourdain was recently spotted out and about with a new lady on his arm: 41-year-old Asia Argento. Italian magazine Chi ran pics of the pair hand-in-hand in Rome; Bourdain wrote in December that the Parts Unknown he filmed in Rome “would not have been possible — or be anything like it is, without the truly magnificent Asia Argento.” Here’s a quick primer on Ms. Argento.
1. She’s Italian cinema royalty
Argento’s dad is Dario Argento, who’s responsible for (among dozens of other films) the 1977 horror classic Suspiria, widely hailed as one of the most influential and visually striking shockers ever made.
1. She’s Italian cinema royalty
Argento’s dad is Dario Argento, who’s responsible for (among dozens of other films) the 1977 horror classic Suspiria, widely hailed as one of the most influential and visually striking shockers ever made.
- 2/21/2017
- by Alex Heigl
- PEOPLE.com
Music documentaries are a genre unto their own – sometimes they give you a glimpse behind the scenes of your favourite band, and sometimes they’re about someone you’ve never heard about who become your favourite band. With that in mind, here’s a rundown of the Top 10 Best Music Documentaries of all time:
Anvil! The Story Of Anvil
An opening of Heavy Metal icons such Slash, Lemmy and Lars Ulrich singing the praises of a band you’ve never heard of makes you think it’s all just a Spinal Tap style spoof. But no, after never quite hitting the big time in the early 80s, Canadian Metal band Anvil have still been plugging away despite the lack of success – at the beginning of the film frontman Steve “Lips” Kudlow is having to make a living delivering school dinners in Toronto! It’s a heart-warming underdog tale of never giving up your dream.
Anvil! The Story Of Anvil
An opening of Heavy Metal icons such Slash, Lemmy and Lars Ulrich singing the praises of a band you’ve never heard of makes you think it’s all just a Spinal Tap style spoof. But no, after never quite hitting the big time in the early 80s, Canadian Metal band Anvil have still been plugging away despite the lack of success – at the beginning of the film frontman Steve “Lips” Kudlow is having to make a living delivering school dinners in Toronto! It’s a heart-warming underdog tale of never giving up your dream.
- 2/2/2017
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Coming-of-age film marks feature debut of Downton Abbey director Philip John.
Principal photography has begun on Moon Dogs, a UK-Irish co-production that will film throughout Scotland over the summer.
Up Helly Aa Films and Ripple World Pictures produce the coming-of-age feature, which follows two teenage stepbrothers - Michael (Jack Parry Jones) and Thor (Christy O’Donnell) - on a road trip from Shetland to Glasgow, and the enigmatic Caitlin (Tara Lee) who comes between them.
Directed by Philip John (Being Human, Downton Abbey), the film was written by Scottish writing duo Raymond Friel and Derek Boyle (The Calcium Kid).
The soundtrack will be composed by Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre.
Moon Dogs marks the first feature for theatrical release from Scottish-based Welsh producer Kathy Speirs, and is a co-production with Irish production company Ripple World Pictures.
Ken Marshall (Song for Marion, Filth), is executive producer with co-producers Suzanne Reid (What We Did On Our Holiday), [link...
Principal photography has begun on Moon Dogs, a UK-Irish co-production that will film throughout Scotland over the summer.
Up Helly Aa Films and Ripple World Pictures produce the coming-of-age feature, which follows two teenage stepbrothers - Michael (Jack Parry Jones) and Thor (Christy O’Donnell) - on a road trip from Shetland to Glasgow, and the enigmatic Caitlin (Tara Lee) who comes between them.
Directed by Philip John (Being Human, Downton Abbey), the film was written by Scottish writing duo Raymond Friel and Derek Boyle (The Calcium Kid).
The soundtrack will be composed by Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre.
Moon Dogs marks the first feature for theatrical release from Scottish-based Welsh producer Kathy Speirs, and is a co-production with Irish production company Ripple World Pictures.
Ken Marshall (Song for Marion, Filth), is executive producer with co-producers Suzanne Reid (What We Did On Our Holiday), [link...
- 7/28/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The first wave of titles screening at the 2015 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival were announced today, and the batch has us very excited indeed. First of all, the event will open with the latest documentary from Ondi Timoner, who directed the masterpieces Dig! and We Live in Public. This one is called Brand: A Second Coming, and it’s about comedian Russell Brand‘s rebirth as a “self-proclaimed revolutionary” following a bout with addiction and his rise to fame. Even if you don’t care for her subject, Timoner is the kind of filmmaker who can keep you intrigued anyway. Her past few films have also dealt with big, fascinating egos, from hot shit rocker Anton Newcombe to exhibitionist Internet pioneer Josh Harris to “skeptical environmentalist” Bjorn Lomborg. Timoner returns to SXSW following last year’s debut of her short Obey the Artist, on Shepard Fairey. Among the fiction selections is one of our most anticipated...
- 1/8/2015
- by Christopher Campbell
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
What goes on tour stays on tour – unless it's caught on camera. With classic Beatles comedy A Hard Day's Night returning to UK cinemas on July 4, and Metallica's triumphant set at Glastonbury reminding us how far they've come from darker days, now feels like the time to look back on some of the movies that prove that maxim.
Below, we catalogue the craziest music movies ever made, helpfully divided into four distinct categories of weirdness.
Bad Behaviour
Beginning with its 70-something subject attacking the director with his walking stick, Beware Of Mr Baker (2012) introduces a man – ex-Cream drummer Ginger Baker – so bellicose he's made the whole world his practice kit. Like Brick Top from Snatch with even greater anger-management issues, Baker is a bitter old codger who "communicates more through his drums than his words", according to his long-suffering daughter. He certainly doesn't mince the latter.
Mick Jagger is...
Below, we catalogue the craziest music movies ever made, helpfully divided into four distinct categories of weirdness.
Bad Behaviour
Beginning with its 70-something subject attacking the director with his walking stick, Beware Of Mr Baker (2012) introduces a man – ex-Cream drummer Ginger Baker – so bellicose he's made the whole world his practice kit. Like Brick Top from Snatch with even greater anger-management issues, Baker is a bitter old codger who "communicates more through his drums than his words", according to his long-suffering daughter. He certainly doesn't mince the latter.
Mick Jagger is...
- 7/6/2014
- Digital Spy
Exclusive: Downton Abbey director readies feature debut, Anton Newcombe due to score.
Michael Socha (This is England, Spike Island), Alexandra Roach (Cuban Fury, The Iron Lady), Kate Bracken (Being Human) and Jack Lowden (The Tunnel) are attached to star in comedy Moon Dogs, the feature debut of Downton Abbey and Being Human director Philip John.
Produced by Kathy Proctor and written by Raymond Friel and Derek Boyle, the project has had development support from Creative Scotland, Film Agency Wales and Playwrights’ Studio Scotland.
Proctor was at the Efm in Berlin to discuss Moon Dogs with potential investors and sales companies and is aiming for a late summer shoot.
Musician Anton Newcombe, founder of Us rock band The Brian Jonestown Massacre, is due to score the film.
Moon Dogs charts the adventures of two warring brothers from Shetland who set out on a road trip to Glasgow in order to bring back one of the boy’s girlfriend...
Michael Socha (This is England, Spike Island), Alexandra Roach (Cuban Fury, The Iron Lady), Kate Bracken (Being Human) and Jack Lowden (The Tunnel) are attached to star in comedy Moon Dogs, the feature debut of Downton Abbey and Being Human director Philip John.
Produced by Kathy Proctor and written by Raymond Friel and Derek Boyle, the project has had development support from Creative Scotland, Film Agency Wales and Playwrights’ Studio Scotland.
Proctor was at the Efm in Berlin to discuss Moon Dogs with potential investors and sales companies and is aiming for a late summer shoot.
Musician Anton Newcombe, founder of Us rock band The Brian Jonestown Massacre, is due to score the film.
Moon Dogs charts the adventures of two warring brothers from Shetland who set out on a road trip to Glasgow in order to bring back one of the boy’s girlfriend...
- 2/20/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
For those readers who keep up with the latest goings on in Atlantic City through the superb Boardwalk Empire, you may or may not know that the spacey, expansive theme song is performed by the Brian Jonestown Massacre (Bjm). It is a fitting combination. Band leader and dictator-for-life Anton Newcombe has endured as many tough times, family schisms, peaks, troughs and fights as one Nucky Thompson.
As versatile as a chameleon and obstinate as a rhino, Bjm have spent the past two decades altering perceptions and influencing contemporaries in a subversive and relentless fashion. Afforded a lot less fanfare than they deserve, the group define just what “indie music” was coined to denote; the confusion of constant self-financed tours, experimentation, adherence to an artistic modus operandi and even temporary homelessness. Once you delve into their sprawling discography, you may never find your way back. With any luck, this article will...
As versatile as a chameleon and obstinate as a rhino, Bjm have spent the past two decades altering perceptions and influencing contemporaries in a subversive and relentless fashion. Afforded a lot less fanfare than they deserve, the group define just what “indie music” was coined to denote; the confusion of constant self-financed tours, experimentation, adherence to an artistic modus operandi and even temporary homelessness. Once you delve into their sprawling discography, you may never find your way back. With any luck, this article will...
- 10/16/2012
- by Joseph Viney
- Obsessed with Film
Music documentaries are a genre unto their own – sometimes they give you a glimpse behind the scenes of your favourite band, and sometimes they’re about someone you’ve never heeard about who become your favourite band.
Following great acclaim at Sundance and festivals around the world, Searching For Sugar Man comes to UK cinemas this month and definitely falls into the former category. You’ve probably never heard of Sixto Rodriguez – he was meant to be the new Bob Dylan, but he quickly disappeared back into obscurity. Yet not in South Africa – where he went on to be bigger Elvis. All this success went completely unknown to Rodriguez himself, and the film is the remarkable story of two South African fans trying to find out what happened to their hero.
To mark its release, here’s a rundown of the Top 10 Best Music Documentaries of all time:
Anvil! The...
Following great acclaim at Sundance and festivals around the world, Searching For Sugar Man comes to UK cinemas this month and definitely falls into the former category. You’ve probably never heard of Sixto Rodriguez – he was meant to be the new Bob Dylan, but he quickly disappeared back into obscurity. Yet not in South Africa – where he went on to be bigger Elvis. All this success went completely unknown to Rodriguez himself, and the film is the remarkable story of two South African fans trying to find out what happened to their hero.
To mark its release, here’s a rundown of the Top 10 Best Music Documentaries of all time:
Anvil! The...
- 7/21/2012
- by Phil
- Nerdly
By Zachary Swickey
On Tuesday, the Kings of Leon unveiled the trailer for "Talihina Sky," their first (and, some might say, inevitable) foray into the wild world of rock docs. Still a work-in-progress, "Talihina" will debut at the Tribeca Film Festival later this month, and gives fans a glimpse into Kings' rise from God-fearing preacher's sons (and nephews) to platinum-plus arena rock icons ... a voyage that, of course, includes plenty of whiskey swiggin’, weed tokin’, vomiting, nudity and an awkward intra-band confrontation or 16. Obviously, we're excited.
And so, in honor of the (really pretty excellent) "Talihina" trailer — and the Foo Fighters' just-released "Back and Forth" doc, too — we decided to take a look back at some of the all-time best rock documentaries. Will the Kings join this list? We'll just have to wait and see.
"Dig!" - There is a reason for the exclamation point at the end of this doc’s title,...
On Tuesday, the Kings of Leon unveiled the trailer for "Talihina Sky," their first (and, some might say, inevitable) foray into the wild world of rock docs. Still a work-in-progress, "Talihina" will debut at the Tribeca Film Festival later this month, and gives fans a glimpse into Kings' rise from God-fearing preacher's sons (and nephews) to platinum-plus arena rock icons ... a voyage that, of course, includes plenty of whiskey swiggin’, weed tokin’, vomiting, nudity and an awkward intra-band confrontation or 16. Obviously, we're excited.
And so, in honor of the (really pretty excellent) "Talihina" trailer — and the Foo Fighters' just-released "Back and Forth" doc, too — we decided to take a look back at some of the all-time best rock documentaries. Will the Kings join this list? We'll just have to wait and see.
"Dig!" - There is a reason for the exclamation point at the end of this doc’s title,...
- 4/5/2011
- by MTV News
- MTV Newsroom
For those coming to Ondi Timoner's "Cool It" with a considerable amount of skepticism, the first half-hour will do little to sway you as Timoner strains to make you like Bjorn Lomborg, the controversial advocate of alternative energy strategies nicknamed for the title of his most famous book as "The Skeptical Environmentalist." After a montage gingerly demonstrates how his views on global warming have clashed with the majority of the world's scientists, Lomborg is shown caring for his mother with Alzheimer's, feeding schoolchildren in Nairobi and gazing longingly over riverbanks and outside train windows.
Occasionally someone like Stanford environmental studies professor Stephen Schneider comes on screen to wag his finger in disagreement, but when the realization sets in that Timoner is burnishing Lomborg's image only for the Greenpeace refugee to give a point-by-point repudiation of "An Inconvenient Truth" using Al Gore's favorite weapon, the slideshow, against him, there's good...
Occasionally someone like Stanford environmental studies professor Stephen Schneider comes on screen to wag his finger in disagreement, but when the realization sets in that Timoner is burnishing Lomborg's image only for the Greenpeace refugee to give a point-by-point repudiation of "An Inconvenient Truth" using Al Gore's favorite weapon, the slideshow, against him, there's good...
- 11/12/2010
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Acclaimed documentarian Ondi Timoner has a knack for picking wildly unpredictable subjects and then going all in, detailing the drama of self-destruction from an insider’s vantage point. Both Anton Newcombe, the fiery frontman of cult-rock mainstays The Brian Jonestown Massacre and Josh Harris, dotcom entrepreneur and Internet stunt artist, were brilliant, fascinating personalities dancing along the edge of personal and professional annihilation in Timoner’s previous Sundance Grand Jury Prize–winning films, Dig! (2004) and We Live in Public (2009). So one imagines the intrepid documentarian hunting around for another larger-than-life character to hitch her cameras to, a mad scientist, perhaps, who’s also a personal catastrophe-waiting-to-happen. Instead, in best-selling Danish author Bjørn Lomborg (The Skeptical Environmentalist), Timoner found a paragon of pragmatism whose controversial ideas about climate change belie the fact that he’s got a solid head on his shoulders.
In Cool It, which she unveiled at the 2010 Toronto…...
In Cool It, which she unveiled at the 2010 Toronto…...
- 11/10/2010
- by Damon Smith
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Teen sensation Justin Bieber has received an unlikely honor - he has topped a list of the most bizarre concert cancellations. The "Baby" hitmaker's show in Sydney, Australia in April was axed by police over safety fears when thousands of young fans descended on the area and hundreds became "distressed" amid frenzied scenes.
The incident saw off competition from British singer Morrissey - his decision to cancel an entire tour of Canada last year in protest at the country's seal hunting came second in the poll for men's magazine Esquire. Meat Loaf came third after he cut short a gig in Newcastle, England in 2007 due to "exhaustion" - then announced he was retiring from music immediately. The "Bat Out of Hell" hitmaker changed his mind a few days later and resumed his tour.
The top five was rounded out by The Brian Jonestown Massacre - who canceled a show when...
The incident saw off competition from British singer Morrissey - his decision to cancel an entire tour of Canada last year in protest at the country's seal hunting came second in the poll for men's magazine Esquire. Meat Loaf came third after he cut short a gig in Newcastle, England in 2007 due to "exhaustion" - then announced he was retiring from music immediately. The "Bat Out of Hell" hitmaker changed his mind a few days later and resumed his tour.
The top five was rounded out by The Brian Jonestown Massacre - who canceled a show when...
- 8/14/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
With the exception of Katelyn Epperly's quasi-funereal cover of Coldplay last week, this year's "American Idol" semi-finalists have shown predictably tame, somewhat bland taste in song choice. And while it's been the same cavalcade of Gavin DeGraw, Sam Cooke and much-feared covers of "The Climb," a handful of contestants have shown they have a jones for some more indie-leaning music.
Because singing the song the judges tell you to doesn't always work out, we've got some suggestions for the remaining singers based on their recent Tweets.
Resident quirky girl Siobhan Magnus revealed to fans on Sunday that she is "over the moon happy!" because "Hole is playing a reunion show next month! I could cry!" Well Maggie, since you're such a fan of Courtney Love's grunge-era histrionics, here's our suggestion for a song you could play on "Idol" that would kill it: "Awful." It's a great, rocking guitar...
Because singing the song the judges tell you to doesn't always work out, we've got some suggestions for the remaining singers based on their recent Tweets.
Resident quirky girl Siobhan Magnus revealed to fans on Sunday that she is "over the moon happy!" because "Hole is playing a reunion show next month! I could cry!" Well Maggie, since you're such a fan of Courtney Love's grunge-era histrionics, here's our suggestion for a song you could play on "Idol" that would kill it: "Awful." It's a great, rocking guitar...
- 3/8/2010
- by Gil Kaufman
- MTV Newsroom
We Live in Public
Directed by: Ondi Timoner
Cast: Josh Harris, Tanya Corrin
Running Time: 1 hr 30 mins
Rating: Unrated
Release Date: January 8, 2010
Plot: Josh Harris starts out as a dot com entrepreneur and becomes a video artist/demagogue in pursuit of fame.
Who’S It For? Adults, though unrated, this isn’t a film for kids. This film requires an open-minded audience.
Expectations: I’m familiar with filmmaker Timoner through her film Dig! but I knew nothing about Harris or his projects before this film.
Scorecard (0-10)
Actors:
Josh Harris as himself: Harris describes himself as someone raised by TV, but that can’t explain all his weirdness. The film is really his story, showing how he built a company valued at $80 million then lost it/spent it on a series of increasingly bizarre social experiments. Seen in a mixture of archival footage and interviews, Harris develops from a geeky...
Directed by: Ondi Timoner
Cast: Josh Harris, Tanya Corrin
Running Time: 1 hr 30 mins
Rating: Unrated
Release Date: January 8, 2010
Plot: Josh Harris starts out as a dot com entrepreneur and becomes a video artist/demagogue in pursuit of fame.
Who’S It For? Adults, though unrated, this isn’t a film for kids. This film requires an open-minded audience.
Expectations: I’m familiar with filmmaker Timoner through her film Dig! but I knew nothing about Harris or his projects before this film.
Scorecard (0-10)
Actors:
Josh Harris as himself: Harris describes himself as someone raised by TV, but that can’t explain all his weirdness. The film is really his story, showing how he built a company valued at $80 million then lost it/spent it on a series of increasingly bizarre social experiments. Seen in a mixture of archival footage and interviews, Harris develops from a geeky...
- 1/8/2010
- by Megan Lehar
- The Scorecard Review
Interloper Prods.
The myth of the artist as madman has probably been around since cavemen painted on their walls. Ondi Timoner gives it a contemporary rock 'n' roll treatment in "Dig!" her arresting documentary about self-destructive musician Anton Newcombe. Timoner followed Newombe's band, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, and its archrival, The Dandy Warhols, for seven years and has put together some amazing footage of the rock life at its most exalted and most mundane. The film should attract a select theatrical audience and could have a long shelf life as a cult item.
Timoner, who produced, edited and co-shot the docu, hooked up with Newcombe in 1996 when she was going up and down the West Coast filming new bands. She was immediately blown away by his visceral '60s-influenced style and thought he was someone who could revolutionize the music industry. The subtext of the film is the clash between business and art, and, as Timoner puts it, "He was too rock for rock".
While Newcombe churns out independently produced masterpieces, his onetime friend Courtney Taylor leads his band, the Warhols, to semi-respectability and considerable success. Taylor admires Newcombe's genius but gradually finds him impossible to be around. To say Newcombe is abusive is an understatement. He throws his guitarist off the stage for playing a wrong note and kicks a fan in the head just for the fun of it.
A wiry man of considerable charm and charisma on his good days, Newcombe can't seem to stand the possibility of making it. He flirts with some major labels, and every time he seems on the verge of breaking through, he screws it up. An industry showcase at the Viper Room in Los Angeles turns into an all-out brawl.
Interviews with Newcombe's mother and his father, who abandoned him as an infant and commits suicide during the course of the film, go a long way toward explaining his twisted psyche and lyrics about his parents being the best friends he never had. Timoner tries to remain objective and not judge Newcombe, but that may be letting him off too easily. Even if he is enormously talented and creative, like most drug addicts and alcoholics, Newcombe hurts the people around him the most. "Dig!" may not be for all tastes, but it's an up close and personal look at a true rock 'n' roll animal.
The myth of the artist as madman has probably been around since cavemen painted on their walls. Ondi Timoner gives it a contemporary rock 'n' roll treatment in "Dig!" her arresting documentary about self-destructive musician Anton Newcombe. Timoner followed Newombe's band, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, and its archrival, The Dandy Warhols, for seven years and has put together some amazing footage of the rock life at its most exalted and most mundane. The film should attract a select theatrical audience and could have a long shelf life as a cult item.
Timoner, who produced, edited and co-shot the docu, hooked up with Newcombe in 1996 when she was going up and down the West Coast filming new bands. She was immediately blown away by his visceral '60s-influenced style and thought he was someone who could revolutionize the music industry. The subtext of the film is the clash between business and art, and, as Timoner puts it, "He was too rock for rock".
While Newcombe churns out independently produced masterpieces, his onetime friend Courtney Taylor leads his band, the Warhols, to semi-respectability and considerable success. Taylor admires Newcombe's genius but gradually finds him impossible to be around. To say Newcombe is abusive is an understatement. He throws his guitarist off the stage for playing a wrong note and kicks a fan in the head just for the fun of it.
A wiry man of considerable charm and charisma on his good days, Newcombe can't seem to stand the possibility of making it. He flirts with some major labels, and every time he seems on the verge of breaking through, he screws it up. An industry showcase at the Viper Room in Los Angeles turns into an all-out brawl.
Interviews with Newcombe's mother and his father, who abandoned him as an infant and commits suicide during the course of the film, go a long way toward explaining his twisted psyche and lyrics about his parents being the best friends he never had. Timoner tries to remain objective and not judge Newcombe, but that may be letting him off too easily. Even if he is enormously talented and creative, like most drug addicts and alcoholics, Newcombe hurts the people around him the most. "Dig!" may not be for all tastes, but it's an up close and personal look at a true rock 'n' roll animal.
Interloper Prods.
The myth of the artist as madman has probably been around since cavemen painted on their walls. Ondi Timoner gives it a contemporary rock 'n' roll treatment in "Dig!" her arresting documentary about self-destructive musician Anton Newcombe. Timoner followed Newombe's band, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, and its archrival, The Dandy Warhols, for seven years and has put together some amazing footage of the rock life at its most exalted and most mundane. The film should attract a select theatrical audience and could have a long shelf life as a cult item.
Timoner, who produced, edited and co-shot the docu, hooked up with Newcombe in 1996 when she was going up and down the West Coast filming new bands. She was immediately blown away by his visceral '60s-influenced style and thought he was someone who could revolutionize the music industry. The subtext of the film is the clash between business and art, and, as Timoner puts it, "He was too rock for rock".
While Newcombe churns out independently produced masterpieces, his onetime friend Courtney Taylor leads his band, the Warhols, to semi-respectability and considerable success. Taylor admires Newcombe's genius but gradually finds him impossible to be around. To say Newcombe is abusive is an understatement. He throws his guitarist off the stage for playing a wrong note and kicks a fan in the head just for the fun of it.
A wiry man of considerable charm and charisma on his good days, Newcombe can't seem to stand the possibility of making it. He flirts with some major labels, and every time he seems on the verge of breaking through, he screws it up. An industry showcase at the Viper Room in Los Angeles turns into an all-out brawl.
Interviews with Newcombe's mother and his father, who abandoned him as an infant and commits suicide during the course of the film, go a long way toward explaining his twisted psyche and lyrics about his parents being the best friends he never had. Timoner tries to remain objective and not judge Newcombe, but that may be letting him off too easily. Even if he is enormously talented and creative, like most drug addicts and alcoholics, Newcombe hurts the people around him the most. "Dig!" may not be for all tastes, but it's an up close and personal look at a true rock 'n' roll animal.
The myth of the artist as madman has probably been around since cavemen painted on their walls. Ondi Timoner gives it a contemporary rock 'n' roll treatment in "Dig!" her arresting documentary about self-destructive musician Anton Newcombe. Timoner followed Newombe's band, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, and its archrival, The Dandy Warhols, for seven years and has put together some amazing footage of the rock life at its most exalted and most mundane. The film should attract a select theatrical audience and could have a long shelf life as a cult item.
Timoner, who produced, edited and co-shot the docu, hooked up with Newcombe in 1996 when she was going up and down the West Coast filming new bands. She was immediately blown away by his visceral '60s-influenced style and thought he was someone who could revolutionize the music industry. The subtext of the film is the clash between business and art, and, as Timoner puts it, "He was too rock for rock".
While Newcombe churns out independently produced masterpieces, his onetime friend Courtney Taylor leads his band, the Warhols, to semi-respectability and considerable success. Taylor admires Newcombe's genius but gradually finds him impossible to be around. To say Newcombe is abusive is an understatement. He throws his guitarist off the stage for playing a wrong note and kicks a fan in the head just for the fun of it.
A wiry man of considerable charm and charisma on his good days, Newcombe can't seem to stand the possibility of making it. He flirts with some major labels, and every time he seems on the verge of breaking through, he screws it up. An industry showcase at the Viper Room in Los Angeles turns into an all-out brawl.
Interviews with Newcombe's mother and his father, who abandoned him as an infant and commits suicide during the course of the film, go a long way toward explaining his twisted psyche and lyrics about his parents being the best friends he never had. Timoner tries to remain objective and not judge Newcombe, but that may be letting him off too easily. Even if he is enormously talented and creative, like most drug addicts and alcoholics, Newcombe hurts the people around him the most. "Dig!" may not be for all tastes, but it's an up close and personal look at a true rock 'n' roll animal.
- 1/27/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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