What to see this weekend: hot docs on a hot car, Neorealism, Warren Jeffs and war on (t)error10/9/2015
Diverse lineup includes Showtime debut of Amy Berg's Prophet's Prey
Warren Jeffs is about the most ordinary-looking man you can imagine -- homely, if you want to be mean about it. But beneath his "insurance salesman" exterior lurks the mind of a power-mad narcissist, according to the new documentary about the imprisoned leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-day Saints (FLDS). Prophet's Prey makes its debut on Showtime this Saturday (October 10), one of several new documentaries available on TV and in theaters.
Jeffs may be behind bars in Texas but that doesn't mean he's not a threat, director Amy Berg told Nonfictionfilm.com.
"He is essentially more powerful in prison than when he was out because his people believe that it is their fault that he’s in prison. And you just worry that he might call for some type of a mass extinction of his followers or some other kind of horrific event," Berg said.. "It’s shocking to me that somebody can be sending prophesies from a federal prison and especially somebody with a rap sheet like his."
Jon Krakauer and Sam Brower, who have both written books about the FLDS, are keys parts of the documentary, which enjoyed a theatrical run leading up to its television debut.
Click here for the trailer and more Showtime schedule information. More docs opening this weekend: >We Weren't Just Bicycle Thieves. Neorealism. directed by Gianni Bozzachi. The filmmaker finds a charming and unique way of exploring what otherwise might be an academic subject -- the explosion of cinematic creativity in Italy that produced the Neorealism movement.
Our guide through this cinematic history is another filmmaker, the late Carlo Lizzani who worked on many of the greatest examples of Neorealistic films, including Germany Year Zero (Germania Anno Zero) by Roberto Rossellini.
We Weren't Just Bicycle Thieves plays for one week at the Laemmle Music Hall in Beverly Hills, following a one-week run in New York. Q&A tonight at the Music Hall after the 7:20pm showing. >A Faster Horse directed by David Gelb. A loving look at the Ford Mustang, one of America's most iconic beasts on four wheels, on the 50th anniversary of the muscle car's introduction.
Playing at the AMC Burbank 16. Click here for more theater information.
>Brand: A Second Coming directed by Ondi Timoner. Anarchic British comedian Russell Brand burst onto the American scene with a scene-stealing performance in Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008). Marriage to pop star Katy Perry made him even more famous. But some big screen flops and divorce from Perry seem to let all the air out of the balloon. Timoner's film examines Brand's unlikely reinvention as a trenchant social critic.
Brand: A Second Coming is playing in select theaters. Click here to find out where (this is the official movie website, which requires submitting an email to get theater info).
>(T)Error co-directed by Lyric Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe. Described as a "real-life thriller" about the War on Terror. As the title of the film would suggest, the war hasn't gone well in all respects and has come at the cost of civil liberties.
Now playing at IFC Center in New York.Click here for more theater information.
>The Prime Ministers: Soldiers and Peacemakers directed by Richard Trank. Oscar-winning filmmaker Rabbi Marvin Hier, Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, produced this film -- the follow up to The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers (2013).
The sequel is once again based on the memoirs of the late Ambassador Yehudi Avner, who served both Prime Minsters Yitzhak Rabin and Menachem Begin.
According to publicity materials, "The film examines Rabin’s election as the country’s first native born Israeli leader in 1974, his negotiating the first bilateral treaty between Israel and Egypt in 1975, the dramatic events surrounding Israel’s rescue of hostages in Entebbe in 1976... The movie also explores Ambassador Avner’s decision to work for Menachem Begin when he surprised the world in 1977 by being elected the Prime Minister of Israel." And it explores the contentious negotiations that led to the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel. Michael Douglas provides the voice of Prime Minister Rabin, while fellow Oscar winner Christoph Waltz is the voice of Begin. Now playing in three locations in New York; opens in Santa Monica on Wednesday at the Laemmle Royal. Full listings here.
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AuthorMatthew Carey is a documentary filmmaker and journalist. His work has appeared on Deadline.com, CNN, CNN.com, TheWrap.com, NBCNews.com and in Documentary magazine. |