Friday, September 24, 2010
Video: Downtown Calling Documentary
In a city that has had many great cultural eras, 1977-1985, the period that birthed hip hop might be one of the greatest! Peep game:
"In the late 1970s, New York City was teetering on the edge of total chaos. Yet out of the economic and social strife that held the “Big Apple” hostage, a family of homegrown cultures that would forever change the world began to emerge. Downtown Calling not only documents in detail the evolution of the fertile music and art subculture of this period, but how its collective output continues to play a prominent, driving role in the international fashion, art and music industries today. Downtown Calling features an impressive spread of rare photography and archival footage, past and present day interviews with a wide array of internationally renowned luminaries, and a continual, driving soundtrack of classic music of the era."
[via Otaku]
Labels: Documentary, Movies, Old School Hip Hop
Friday, August 20, 2010
Video: Trailer for GZA's Wu-Tang Clan Documentary
One of my friends had this on her Facebook the other day but I forget who now. And why have I not heard about this previously??!
Labels: Documentary, GZA, Movies, Wu-Tang Clan
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Rare Documentary 80 Blocks From Tiffany's To Be Re-Released After 25 Years
I posted a youtube rip of this a couple years back so when I just saw this announcement a short while ago I went NUTS!!! DO NOT SLEEP on this this!!! Peep the science:
"Five Day Weekend and Traffic Entertainment are proud to announce the upcoming DVD release of 80 Blocks From Tiffany's, director Gary Weis' 1979 documentary about the South Bronx and its gang culture. The previously unavailable film will be released in the Fall of 2010, the first time it has been offered to the public in decades, and will be accompanied by a handful of exciting bonus features.
Director Gary Weis was still working as a short film creator for Saturday Night Live when he came up with the idea for 80 Blocks after reading a Jon Bradshaw article, "Savage Skulls." Published in a 1977 issue of Esquire Magazine, the piece centered on two gangs based in the South Bronx at the time -- the Savage Nomads and the Savage Skulls. Weis became infatuated with the story and, soon after striking up a dialogue with Bradshaw, he convinced SNL producer Lorne Michaels to help him produce the film. Just two years later, in 1979, Weis and Bradshaw brought a camera crew to speak with members of both gangs, along with police officers, community activists, and civilians.
Despite its role as an important and unflinching portrait of a profoundly interesting time in New York's cultural history, 80 Blocks was, for many years, impossible to find, only briefly available as an educational VHS release in 1985. In the years since its initial release, the documentary has gained an overwhelming cult status. With little to no news coverage over the decades since its release dedicated fans continued to buzz about the film. That buzz grew exponentially via the internet, which provided fans a common platform to fondly look back not only the at documentary itself, but the era that it captured so vividly.
The cries of many have been heard. For the first time in 25 years, the soon-to-be-released DVD will be accessible by the public, and will include interviews with producer/filmmaker Weis and director of photography Joan Churchill, as well as a 40 page book comprised of the original "Savage Skulls" article, an essay by David Hollander, and artwork by Julian Allen. All of this is, of course, to accompany both full and widescreen versions of the film that started it all."
[via Audible Treats]
Labels: Documentary, Movies, Old School Hip Hop
Video: Trailer for Joaquin Phoenix’s 'Hip Hop' Documentary Movie I’m Still Here
Has anyone figured out what the real deal with this f-ckery is yet?
[via Mashable]
Labels: Documentary, Humor, Movies, WTF
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Video: The Social Network TV Trailer featuring Kanye West's 'Power'
Now I understand why Yeezy was talking this up on twitter!
Labels: Kanye West, Movies, Technology
Sunday, August 01, 2010
In Toronto TODAY and TOMORROW: the CaribbeanTales Film Festival
Part of the Harbourfront Center's Island Soul program.
"CaribbeanTales is Canada's premier multimedia company that creates, markets and distributes films, videos, new media, resources and events that reflect the diversity and creativity of Caribbean-Canadian heritage culture. Caribbean Tales’ vision is to foster and encourage intercultural understanding and citizen participation through the medium of film, contributing to an inclusive Canadian society."
I'm gonna check some stuff out and you should too 'cos its FREE! Noteworthy is that Stepping Out, a short film on singer Saidah Baba Talibah is playing as part of the program at 4pm. WIN FREE TICKETS to her video premiere party & show courtesy of The Kitchen by clicking HERE.
For more details on the CaribbeanTales Film Festival, click HERE.
Labels: Documentary, Movies, Parties and Events, Saidah Baba Talibah, Soca/Calypso
Saturday, May 22, 2010
In Toronto: The Movie Leslie, My Name is Evil is Now Open
Dunno if I posted this before back around the time of TIFF where it premiered, but this movie, directed by Reginald Harkema, just opened officially last night in Toronto at the AMC Dundas Square and my boy, Paul (Kehayas) scored the soundtrack. The movie is great, the soundtrack even better. If you're in the T.dot/GTA area, go support!!!
Labels: Its a Canada Thing, Its a T.dot Thing, Movies
Sunday, May 02, 2010
New Music: Shy Guy - Beats, James Beats
This is kind of cool: Shy Guy is an up-and-coming NYC-based producer who has created an instrumental hip-hop album sampling all the early James Bond themes in chronological order. The above trailer incorprates visuals from the opening sequences from each of the films too. Creative....
You can stream or download the album via the Bandcamp media player above or download the album as a zip file direct HERE. [via the website]
[via The In Crowd]
Labels: instrumental hip hop, Movies
Friday, April 30, 2010
Trailer for La Mission Starring Benjamin Bratt
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Trailer for The Hip Hop Project Documentary Movie
PAY F-CKING ATTENTION, people!!!! Besides the coonery & rampant, soulless money-making, this is what hip hop should be doing:
"From executive producers Bruce Willis and Queen Latifah, The Hip Hop Project is the dynamic and inspirational story of a group of New York City teenagers who transform their life stories into powerful works of art, using hip hop as a vehicle for self-development and personal discovery.
The film traces the evolution of this award-winning outreach program developed by Kazi, a formerly homeless teenager turned youth-mentor. After four years of collaboration, the group produced a powerful and thought-provoking album that provides a revealing look at their lives. In contrast to all the negative attention focused on hip hop and rap music, this is a story of hope, healing and the realization of dreams."
This movie is opening May 11 but there was an advanced screening in DC today at 2PM - unfortunately I only saw the email promoting it now (note to the solSource group: how you gonna only send it out the day before?? Marketing/PR #FAIL), but make sure to go check this when it comes out.
Related:
Kazi's not the only one using hip hop for good...
- Also in NY, rapper NY Oil's Blackbird Fly – Young Women’s Workshop
- In Toronto, Duane Gibson aka rapper, D.O.'s Stay Driven High School Tour EPK
- Also in Toronto, a look at the Lost Lyrics community arts program.
- In the UK, rapper Kano Promotes UK Government Education Diplomas.
Share links to any other programs you know of in the comments section. Don't f-ck this off - this site ain't just about giving the cheapskates free music to leech!
Labels: charity, Documentary, Education, Movies
Friday, April 23, 2010
The Restoration Project: Help Save Style Wars
Get the details HERE. Watch the video above if you don't know why I'm posting about this....
[via Grandgood]
Labels: Art, Documentary, Movies, Old School Hip Hop
Thursday, March 25, 2010
TOMORROW in Toronto: W.A.R. - Walter Anthony Rodney Stories Documentary Screening
This is a 2009 documentary by director, Clairmont Chung covering the life of world-renowned Guyanese historian, author, and activist, Walter Rodney. It's screening tomorrow:
Date: Friday March 26th, 6:30 pm
Place: William Doo Auditorium (University of Toronto), 45 Willcocks Street
(corner of Spadina and Willcocks, one block south of Harbord)
A discussion facilitated by Alissa Trotz (University of Toronto) with Clairmont Chung (director), Nigel Westmaas (Hamilton College, NY), Pablo Idahosa (York University) and Honor Ford-Smith (York University) will follow the screening.
This is FREE so if you're Guyanese or interested in Caribbean and African diaspora history, you really have no excuse not to check this out. Click HERE for more details.
Follow the Nia Centre on twitter at @NiaCentre
[via @MrKamoji]
Labels: Documentary, Movies, Politics
Friday, March 19, 2010
Video: Academy Award Winning Movie Trailer
"This is pretty much exactly what most new indie and studio movies look like to me. Not just the Oscar-hopefuls and the Sundance selections. And not just the trailers, but the entire movies themselves (which are usually laid out, beat by beat, in the trailers). This one's funnier, though, because it doesn't pretend to be anything more than a familiar schematic diagram. Which is exactly what these comfy, risk-averse movies seem to be aiming for."
Related:
In a similar vein and in case you missed it, check out "24 Frames" by T.Shirt & Darvin Silva, a song composed entirely of film titles from their recently-released Tan-Face Children EP presented in conjunction with me and my fellow Connoisseurs of Culture, Stone and Benhameen. Download it HERE (but click HERE to see the lyrics)
[video h/t: Joey]
Labels: Connoisseurs of Culture, Darvin Silva, Humor, Movies, T.shirt
Monday, March 08, 2010
Watch Nick Broomfield's Biggie and Tupac Documentary in FULL
I was incredibly delinquent in not sharing a lot of the great links I had found around the internets commemorating the anniversaries of Big L and J Dilla's passings but I'm a(n adopted) Brooklyn head, so there's no way I'm passing up acknowledging the anniversary of BIG's passing tomorrow, especially when I was just sent this by Mike at Snag Films:
"In 1997, rap superstars Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (aka Biggie Smalls, The Notorious B.I.G.) were gunned down in separate incidents, the apparent victims of hip hop's infamous east-west rivalry. Nick Broomfield's film, Biggie & Tupac introduces Russell Poole, an ex-cop with damning evidence that suggests the LAPD deliberately fumbled the case to conceal connections between the police, LA gangs and Death Row Records, the label run by feared rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight."
Click HERE for more details.
Semi-Related:
D-League feat. OhGinelle - "Juicy [Biggie Smalls Tribute '10]" <-- better than I was expecting to be honest!
Online:
Snag Films - twitter | website
Labels: 2pac, Documentary, Movies, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur
Friday, March 05, 2010
Video: Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child (trailer)
I can't believe this is already out and not being hyped by EVERY blogger who fancies themseleves as cool, cultured or both. WTF are y'all sleeping on this for??!!?
"Trailer of the new documentary Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child.
Directed by Tamra Davis, the documentary features never-before seen footage of the prolific artist painting, talking about his art, and existing in the two years prior to his death in 1988.
The OST features music from Mike D and Ad Rock.
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child was released on Feb 21st."
Related:
The Kitchen on Basquiat previously: Basquiat Exhbit at the Brooklyn Museum.
Jean-Michel Basquiat : The Radiant Child is airing at SXSW.
Dude was not only an amazing painter but a proto-figure in the hip hop and the, not-even-named-yet, afro-punk scene.
[trailer via the.LIFE files]
Labels: Art, Beastie Boys, Documentary, Jean Michel Basquiat, Movies
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Lost Scene from Famous - Goddess Girl: The Movie
Click the Famous tag below to see the previous episodes and download the related songs for them or click HERE to see the whole short film on one go.
Related:
Famous – The Building Of A Brand (By Chris Shaban): part I | part II | part III
Labels: Famous, Its a T.dot Thing, Movies
Friday, February 19, 2010
Video: A Walk Through Fort Greene (Trailer)
And more on BK...
"A feature length documentary of the black arts movement that exploded in Fort Greene from the mid 1980s through the 90s as intimately told by writer, historian and director, Nelson George. The film features Spike Lee, Chris Rock, Rosie Perez, Branford Marsalis, Vernon Reid, Carl Hancock Rux, Saul Williams, Lorna Simpson, Alva Rogers, Kevin Powell, Toure, Bill Stephany to name a few."
Click HERE for more details.
Before I put in a (too-brief) stint in the Stuy and a gentrified eight year run out in Carroll Gardens, I was in Fort Greene during that amazing time period this film talks about. Shout to Gabe, Jerome, Devin, Laron, Dino, Eisa, Junior, Dave Jenkins (R.I.P.), Sarah, Hilly, Colson, Ndidi, Les, Osman, Kevin, Shandi, Fiona, Ramos, Common and anyone else I've forgotten that I ever partied, lived or loved with in the original (real) Fort Greene-Clinton Hill. Y'all who know, know what I'm talking about....
Labels: Celebrate Brooklyn, Documentary, Movies
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Video: West Coast Theory Trailer
"You know the names. You know the faces. You know the beats. You know the rhymes and you certainly know the lyrics. But do you know the West Coast Theory?
Welcome to West Coast Theory, a hip-hop documentary that takes viewers and fans behind the scenes of making music in the New Millennium."
This documentary looks really good but if it doesn't feature Dre or Cube (or even Quik??) that's a MAJOR #FAIL. Also, based on this trailer, it looks more like the LA County Theory to me - outside of $hort Dog, where's the Yay Area representation??
Online:
West Coast Theory - facebook | website | myspace
[spotted via TSS]
Labels: Documentary, Movies
Friday, December 18, 2009
Video: Iron Man 2 Trailer
As 'plugged in' as I (think I) am, I didn't even know this had dropped til I read The Star today....
[via MTV]
Labels: Movies
