Ahead of a new documentary, You Can Call Me Bill, the Star Trek icon shares his eternal interest in learning more about the world
Cranked out to accommodate the recent boom in demand for fresh content to binge, too many celebrity-profile documentaries are defaulting to the formulaic sameness of assembly-line product: open with some candid talking-head soundbites, a walk down memory lane through their early years, deeper dives into the major bullet points of their career, and tie it up with a bit of summarizing introspection looking back on it all.
Conversely, Alexandre O Philippe’s new William Shatner portrait You Can Call Me Bill spends a goodly amount of time reflecting on its subject’s profound metaphysical bond with horses. The polymath showman also shares his musings on birds, dogs, space, Satan, classic westerns, the symbolic pregnancy of dreams, other people’s impressions of his distinctive voice, and occasionally,...
Cranked out to accommodate the recent boom in demand for fresh content to binge, too many celebrity-profile documentaries are defaulting to the formulaic sameness of assembly-line product: open with some candid talking-head soundbites, a walk down memory lane through their early years, deeper dives into the major bullet points of their career, and tie it up with a bit of summarizing introspection looking back on it all.
Conversely, Alexandre O Philippe’s new William Shatner portrait You Can Call Me Bill spends a goodly amount of time reflecting on its subject’s profound metaphysical bond with horses. The polymath showman also shares his musings on birds, dogs, space, Satan, classic westerns, the symbolic pregnancy of dreams, other people’s impressions of his distinctive voice, and occasionally,...
- 3/22/2024
- by Charles Bramesco
- The Guardian - Film News
Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner, is telling his life story in a new documentary film that you can buy on DVD and Blu-ray this May.
We’ve covered before on this site the news that William Shatner is the subject of a new documentary feature. It’s called, cunningly, William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill, and features Shatner on camera talking about his life and career.
It’s from Alexandre O Philippe, who previously has made The People Vs George Lucas, 78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene and Memory: The Origins Of Alien, and the film has taken its time getting this far. We first heard about it a couple of years ago, and it debuted towards the start of 2023.
Now though we get news of its UK release.
William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill has been picked up by Signature Entertainment, and it’s going to be issuing...
We’ve covered before on this site the news that William Shatner is the subject of a new documentary feature. It’s called, cunningly, William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill, and features Shatner on camera talking about his life and career.
It’s from Alexandre O Philippe, who previously has made The People Vs George Lucas, 78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene and Memory: The Origins Of Alien, and the film has taken its time getting this far. We first heard about it a couple of years ago, and it debuted towards the start of 2023.
Now though we get news of its UK release.
William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill has been picked up by Signature Entertainment, and it’s going to be issuing...
- 3/20/2024
- by Simon Brew
- Film Stories
Cinephiles will have plenty to celebrate this April with the next slate of additions to the Criterion Channel. The boutique distributor, which recently announced its June 2024 Blu-ray releases, has unveiled its new streaming lineup highlighted by an eclectic mix of classic films and modern arthouse hits.
Students of Hollywood history will be treated to the “Peak Noir: 1950” collection, which features 17 noir films from the landmark film year from directors including Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock, and John Huston.
New Hollywood maverick William Friedkin will also be celebrated when five of his most beloved movies, including “Sorcerer” and “The Exorcist,” come to the channel in April.
Criterion will offer the streaming premiere of Wim Wenders’ 3D art documentary “Anselm,” which will be accompanied by the “Wim Wenders’ Adventures in Moviegoing” collection, which sees the director curating a selection of films from around the world that have influenced his careers.
Contemporary cinema is also well represented,...
Students of Hollywood history will be treated to the “Peak Noir: 1950” collection, which features 17 noir films from the landmark film year from directors including Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock, and John Huston.
New Hollywood maverick William Friedkin will also be celebrated when five of his most beloved movies, including “Sorcerer” and “The Exorcist,” come to the channel in April.
Criterion will offer the streaming premiere of Wim Wenders’ 3D art documentary “Anselm,” which will be accompanied by the “Wim Wenders’ Adventures in Moviegoing” collection, which sees the director curating a selection of films from around the world that have influenced his careers.
Contemporary cinema is also well represented,...
- 3/18/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
April’s an uncommonly strong auteurist month for the Criterion Channel, who will highlight a number of directors––many of whom aren’t often grouped together. Just after we screened House of Tolerance at the Roxy Cinema, Criterion are showing it and Nocturama for a two-film Bertrand Bonello retrospective, starting just four days before The Beast opens. Larger and rarer (but just as French) is the complete Jean Eustache series Janus toured last year. Meanwhile, five William Friedkin films and work from Makoto Shinkai, Lizzie Borden, and Rosine Mbakam are given a highlight.
One of my very favorite films, Comrades: Almost a Love Story plays in a series I’ve been trying to program for years: “Hong Kong in New York,” boasting the magnificent Full Moon in New York, Farewell China, and An Autumn’s Tale. Wim Wenders gets his “Adventures in Moviegoing”; After Hours, Personal Shopper, and Werckmeister Harmonies fill...
One of my very favorite films, Comrades: Almost a Love Story plays in a series I’ve been trying to program for years: “Hong Kong in New York,” boasting the magnificent Full Moon in New York, Farewell China, and An Autumn’s Tale. Wim Wenders gets his “Adventures in Moviegoing”; After Hours, Personal Shopper, and Werckmeister Harmonies fill...
- 3/18/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
"As we get older we asks ourselves: do we really know each other? Do we really know ourselves?" Legion M has revealed an official trailer for the documentary film titled You Can Call Me Bill, a biopic fan-fueled look back at the illustrious life of actor William Shatner. "Legion M is uniting fans to celebrate William Shatner's 93rd birthday with a nationwide theatrical release of the documentary about his life." The film is directed by acclaimed doc filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe and it first premiered at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival, with many stops on its festival tour throughout last year. The doc is an intimate portrait of William Shatner's personal journey over nine decades on this Earth, You Can Call Me Bill strips away all the masks he has worn to embody countless characters, and reveals the man behind it all. Shatner is best known as the original Captain James T. Kirk from Star Trek,...
- 2/16/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
“You Can Call Me Bill”, written and directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, is a new full-length documentary “…portrait of William Shatner's personal journey over nine decades on this Earth…”, releasing March 22, 2024 in theaters:
‘…’You Can Call Me Bill’ strips away all the masks he has worn to embody countless characters, and reveals the man behind it all…”
Click the images to enlarge…...
‘…’You Can Call Me Bill’ strips away all the masks he has worn to embody countless characters, and reveals the man behind it all…”
Click the images to enlarge…...
- 2/16/2024
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
The life story of William Shatner is told in the new documentary You Can Call Me Bill. The first trailer’s here.
A new feature-length documentary is set to tell the life story of William Shatner. Entitled William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill, the film was first learned about nearly two years ago now, and reviews popped up a year ago. Now, in the US at least, it’s been confirmed that the movie will be arriving in March.
William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill is directed by Alexandre O Philippe, who previously has made The People Vs George Lucas, 78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene and Memory: The Origins Of Alien. At the heart of his new film is a long interview with William Shatner, intercut with footage and material from across his career.
Legion M is distributing the film in the US at least, and it’s...
A new feature-length documentary is set to tell the life story of William Shatner. Entitled William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill, the film was first learned about nearly two years ago now, and reviews popped up a year ago. Now, in the US at least, it’s been confirmed that the movie will be arriving in March.
William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill is directed by Alexandre O Philippe, who previously has made The People Vs George Lucas, 78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene and Memory: The Origins Of Alien. At the heart of his new film is a long interview with William Shatner, intercut with footage and material from across his career.
Legion M is distributing the film in the US at least, and it’s...
- 2/5/2024
- by Simon Brew
- Film Stories
Exclusive: Legion M has unveiled the trailer and theatrical release date for feature doc William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill, announcing that it will debut on hundreds of screens across North America on March 22, as Shatner celebrates his 93rd birthday. Presale ticket packages are now available. View the trailer above.
Legion M, the world’s first fan-owned entertainment company, is distributing the film and has partnered with Falling Forward Films for theater booking and FilmFrog for theatrical marketing. Vortex Media holds Canadian rights and will release the film simultaneously.
Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, You Can Call Me Bill is billed as an intimate exploration of Shatner’s life and career. From his unforgettable portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise to the diverse accomplishments of a 70+ year career across film, television, and the arts,...
Legion M, the world’s first fan-owned entertainment company, is distributing the film and has partnered with Falling Forward Films for theater booking and FilmFrog for theatrical marketing. Vortex Media holds Canadian rights and will release the film simultaneously.
Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, You Can Call Me Bill is billed as an intimate exploration of Shatner’s life and career. From his unforgettable portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise to the diverse accomplishments of a 70+ year career across film, television, and the arts,...
- 2/1/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
SXSW documentary William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill has been acquired by Signature Entertainment in the UK and Ireland, with the film’s UK sales outfit Blue Finch Films also locking in a slew of further key territories.
Signature Entertainment plans to release the title later this year, with the doc also selling in Germany (Polyband Medien), Scandinavia (Nonstop Entertainment), Israel (Yes TV) and Italy (8 E Mezzo), ahead of next month’s European Film Market (EFM).
The film is written and directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, whose credits include Alfred Hitchcock documentary 78/52. It offers an intimate portrait of prolific Canadian actor,...
Signature Entertainment plans to release the title later this year, with the doc also selling in Germany (Polyband Medien), Scandinavia (Nonstop Entertainment), Israel (Yes TV) and Italy (8 E Mezzo), ahead of next month’s European Film Market (EFM).
The film is written and directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, whose credits include Alfred Hitchcock documentary 78/52. It offers an intimate portrait of prolific Canadian actor,...
- 1/22/2024
- ScreenDaily
Clockwise from bottom left: The Mother Of All Lies (TIFF), Bobi Wine: The People’s President (National Geographic), The Eternal Memory (Screenshot: YouTube), and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (Apple TV+)Graphic: The A.V. Club
In the age of the internet, the world has become smaller, more connected—and a lot messier.
In the age of the internet, the world has become smaller, more connected—and a lot messier.
- 12/27/2023
- by Brent Simon
- avclub.com
Explore where to stream the best films of 2023.
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Amerikatsi (Michael A. Goorjian)
If “Rear Window meets Life Is Beautiful” sounds like an all-timer of a cursed elevator pitch, then there’s nothing Michael A. Goorjian’s well-intentioned crowd-pleaser Amerikatsi will be able to do to win you over. A stubbornly unfashionable blend of broad comedy and highly sentimental prisoner-of-war drama, it’s paint-by-numbers middlebrow cinema of the kind the Weinstein Company would release regularly, albeit on a much more contained budget. While there is some brief novelty factor that movies of this distinctively Weinsteinian vintage are still getting made outside Hollywood, even as the broader cinematic landscape has moved past emulating that studio’s tried-and-tested formula in the hopes of awards success,...
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Amerikatsi (Michael A. Goorjian)
If “Rear Window meets Life Is Beautiful” sounds like an all-timer of a cursed elevator pitch, then there’s nothing Michael A. Goorjian’s well-intentioned crowd-pleaser Amerikatsi will be able to do to win you over. A stubbornly unfashionable blend of broad comedy and highly sentimental prisoner-of-war drama, it’s paint-by-numbers middlebrow cinema of the kind the Weinstein Company would release regularly, albeit on a much more contained budget. While there is some brief novelty factor that movies of this distinctively Weinsteinian vintage are still getting made outside Hollywood, even as the broader cinematic landscape has moved past emulating that studio’s tried-and-tested formula in the hopes of awards success,...
- 10/27/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Afire (Christian Petzold)
Writing recently about the introduction of video umpires in baseball, of all things, Zach Helfand was skeptical: “accuracy is not the same as enjoyment,” he wrote, “baseball is meant to kill time, not maximize it.” The best films of German director Christian Petzold do both, though you sense his heart might belong to the latter. Petzold’s latest, Afire, unfurls with all the page-turning seduction of a gripping novella. It stars Thomas Schubert as a struggling writer who travels with a friend to a secluded house near the Baltic Sea. Their car breaks down. They encounter a beautiful woman. Somewhere in the distance, a forest fire rages. Soon, inevitably, another burns inside. – Rory O. (full review)
Where to Stream:...
Afire (Christian Petzold)
Writing recently about the introduction of video umpires in baseball, of all things, Zach Helfand was skeptical: “accuracy is not the same as enjoyment,” he wrote, “baseball is meant to kill time, not maximize it.” The best films of German director Christian Petzold do both, though you sense his heart might belong to the latter. Petzold’s latest, Afire, unfurls with all the page-turning seduction of a gripping novella. It stars Thomas Schubert as a struggling writer who travels with a friend to a secluded house near the Baltic Sea. Their car breaks down. They encounter a beautiful woman. Somewhere in the distance, a forest fire rages. Soon, inevitably, another burns inside. – Rory O. (full review)
Where to Stream:...
- 10/20/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
On the final weekend of a bustling 18-day event, the in-person edition of this year’s Melbourne Film Festival has drawn to a close with an awards ceremony that saw a whopping $300,000 Aud in prize money handed out across six categories. The biggest individual award of $140,000 Aud was presented to the winner of the fest’s international Bright Horizons competition: “Banel & Adama,” an arresting debut feature by Franco-Senegalese filmmaker Ramata-Toulaye Sy.
It’s a notable coup for a small-scale rural love story that turned heads — but won no prizes — when it premiered in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and is still seeking distribution in the U.S. and other major territories. Reviewing the film out of Cannes, Variety critic Jessica Kiang commended the “subtly seductive power” of a “striking debut [that] revolves with graceful poetry around the inner experiences of a curious, unknowable woman.”
Its win came...
It’s a notable coup for a small-scale rural love story that turned heads — but won no prizes — when it premiered in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and is still seeking distribution in the U.S. and other major territories. Reviewing the film out of Cannes, Variety critic Jessica Kiang commended the “subtly seductive power” of a “striking debut [that] revolves with graceful poetry around the inner experiences of a curious, unknowable woman.”
Its win came...
- 8/19/2023
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
William Friedkin, who won an Oscar for directing The French Connection, scored a nomination for The Exorcist and also helmed The Boys in the Band, Cruising, To Live and Die in L.A., Rules of Engagement and many others, died today in Los Angeles of heart failure and pneumonia. He was 87.
His death was confirmed by CAA via his wife, Fatal Attraction producer and former studio chief Sherry Lansing.
Friedkin beat out some serious heavyweights to win the Best Director Academy Award for The French Connection at the 1972 ceremony. Also up for the statuette that year were Stanley Kubrick (A Clockwork Orange), Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show) and Norman Jewison (Fiddler on the Roof). He would go up against more heavy hitters with The Exorcist two years later. George Roy Hill won that year for The Sting, also besting Bernardo Bertolucci (Last Tango in Paris), Ingmar Bergman (Cries & Whispers...
His death was confirmed by CAA via his wife, Fatal Attraction producer and former studio chief Sherry Lansing.
Friedkin beat out some serious heavyweights to win the Best Director Academy Award for The French Connection at the 1972 ceremony. Also up for the statuette that year were Stanley Kubrick (A Clockwork Orange), Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show) and Norman Jewison (Fiddler on the Roof). He would go up against more heavy hitters with The Exorcist two years later. George Roy Hill won that year for The Sting, also besting Bernardo Bertolucci (Last Tango in Paris), Ingmar Bergman (Cries & Whispers...
- 8/7/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Space for Humanity, (S4H) a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to space for all of humanity and creators of the planet’s first Citizen Astronaut Program, and Legion M, the world’s first fan-owned entertainment company and producers of an upcoming William Shatner documentary “You Can Call Me Bill,” are thrilled to announce a groundbreaking partnership.
Together, S4H and Legion M will collaborate on the production of a music video for William “Bill” Shatner’s emotionally powerful song, “So Fragile, So Blue,” which chronicles his transformative journey to space. The song, performed only once at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. with the National Symphony Orchestra during the “Declassified®: Ben Folds Presents With William Shatner” event, received an astounding 4.5-minute standing ovation, leaving an indelible mark on all who witnessed it.
The partnership between S4H and Legion M aims to capture the essence of...
Together, S4H and Legion M will collaborate on the production of a music video for William “Bill” Shatner’s emotionally powerful song, “So Fragile, So Blue,” which chronicles his transformative journey to space. The song, performed only once at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. with the National Symphony Orchestra during the “Declassified®: Ben Folds Presents With William Shatner” event, received an astounding 4.5-minute standing ovation, leaving an indelible mark on all who witnessed it.
The partnership between S4H and Legion M aims to capture the essence of...
- 7/25/2023
- Look to the Stars
Cannes titles and debut features make strong appearances throughout the programme.
Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) has revealed the 11 titles in the running for its $93,400 competition prize, and will open with Shayda by Australian-Iranian director Noora Niasari.
The festival, which runs August 3-20, unveiled the titles at a programme launch this evening (July 11). Debut and second features are eligible for the Bright Horizons competition, which was introduced last year for the 70th edition, but debuts undoubtedly dominate this year.
Scroll down for full list of competition titles
In fact, the only undeniably second film is Mexican director Lila Avilés’ Tótem.
Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) has revealed the 11 titles in the running for its $93,400 competition prize, and will open with Shayda by Australian-Iranian director Noora Niasari.
The festival, which runs August 3-20, unveiled the titles at a programme launch this evening (July 11). Debut and second features are eligible for the Bright Horizons competition, which was introduced last year for the 70th edition, but debuts undoubtedly dominate this year.
Scroll down for full list of competition titles
In fact, the only undeniably second film is Mexican director Lila Avilés’ Tótem.
- 7/11/2023
- by Sandy George
- ScreenDaily
Cannes titles and debut features make strong appearances throughout the programme.
Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) has revealed the 11 titles in the running for its $93,400 competition prize, and will open with Shayda by Australian-Iranian director Noora Niasari.
The festival, which runs August 3-20, unveiled the titles at a programme launch this evening (July 11). Debut and second features are eligible for the Bright Horizons competition, which was introduced last year for the 70th edition, but debuts undoubtedly dominate this year.
Scroll down for full list of competition titles
In fact, the only undeniably second film is Mexican director Lila Avilés’ Tótem.
Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) has revealed the 11 titles in the running for its $93,400 competition prize, and will open with Shayda by Australian-Iranian director Noora Niasari.
The festival, which runs August 3-20, unveiled the titles at a programme launch this evening (July 11). Debut and second features are eligible for the Bright Horizons competition, which was introduced last year for the 70th edition, but debuts undoubtedly dominate this year.
Scroll down for full list of competition titles
In fact, the only undeniably second film is Mexican director Lila Avilés’ Tótem.
- 7/11/2023
- by Sandy George
- ScreenDaily
The Melbourne International Film Festival has unveiled the full lineup for its 2023 edition, with “Shayda,” by Iranian-Australian director Noora Niasari, set as the opening title.
The festival will run as a live event August 3-20, at venues around the city and its suburbs, and online Aug 18 – 27. The hybrid format was developed during the Covid pandemic and Miff found it useful as a tool to reach further away audiences and wider demographics than a strictly in-theater edition.
The ‘Bright Horizons’ competition section open to films by first- or second-time feature directors contains an 11-title mix of new and recently-debuted works.
As well as opening the festival, “Shayda” will play in competition. The competition’s other Australian-made title was announced as “The Rooster,” from actor turned writer-director Mark Leonard Winter.
International titles in competition include “Banel & Adama,” by Franco-Senegalese director Ramata-Toulaye Sy, which played in competition in Cannes; “How to Have Sex,...
The festival will run as a live event August 3-20, at venues around the city and its suburbs, and online Aug 18 – 27. The hybrid format was developed during the Covid pandemic and Miff found it useful as a tool to reach further away audiences and wider demographics than a strictly in-theater edition.
The ‘Bright Horizons’ competition section open to films by first- or second-time feature directors contains an 11-title mix of new and recently-debuted works.
As well as opening the festival, “Shayda” will play in competition. The competition’s other Australian-made title was announced as “The Rooster,” from actor turned writer-director Mark Leonard Winter.
International titles in competition include “Banel & Adama,” by Franco-Senegalese director Ramata-Toulaye Sy, which played in competition in Cannes; “How to Have Sex,...
- 7/11/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
By Glenn Charlie Dunks
“When in doubt, make a western.” – John Ford.
This quote stuck out to me in the opening of The Taking, the latest film about film from Swiss director Alexandre O. Philippe. Like ford, director John Schlesinger made a western himself after an early-career stumble. The films of John Ford and Schlesinger’s Midnight Cowboy aren’t linked too much; at least not on the surface. But with two new documentaries, they are given visual deep-dives that tie them together as logical ends of a spectrum that used images to sell America as a hard land or hard men.
Both Philippe’s The Taking and Nancy Buirski’s Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy err on the side of cinematic essays than traditional behind-the-scenes making-of documentaries. Each offer their subjects’ take on the (quote unquote) western as both of their time and in many ways timeless.
“When in doubt, make a western.” – John Ford.
This quote stuck out to me in the opening of The Taking, the latest film about film from Swiss director Alexandre O. Philippe. Like ford, director John Schlesinger made a western himself after an early-career stumble. The films of John Ford and Schlesinger’s Midnight Cowboy aren’t linked too much; at least not on the surface. But with two new documentaries, they are given visual deep-dives that tie them together as logical ends of a spectrum that used images to sell America as a hard land or hard men.
Both Philippe’s The Taking and Nancy Buirski’s Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy err on the side of cinematic essays than traditional behind-the-scenes making-of documentaries. Each offer their subjects’ take on the (quote unquote) western as both of their time and in many ways timeless.
- 6/17/2023
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
It’s no surprise that filmmaker David Lynch’s fanbase has, for four decades, continually renewed itself among each new generation of cineastes. Something about the strange alchemy of the multidisciplinary Eagle Scout’s sensuous images, earnest perspective and intuitive storytelling perspective is intoxicating, buoyed onscreen by the talents of great creative collaborators like Mary Sweeney, Alan Splet and Angelo Badalamenti.
The films themselves are often dark but always honest, their perversions expressive and earned rather than bluntly hammered. As we follow the cosmic tendrils of Lynch’s brain backwards toward their origin, it’s only natural to ask: why does this guy see the world the way he sees it?
One answer may lay in Victor Fleming 1939 MGM classic, whose enchantments reach even further back, to its position as an early television staple for impressional baby boomers developing their imaginations and material predilections in the glow of the family’s suburban RCA console.
The films themselves are often dark but always honest, their perversions expressive and earned rather than bluntly hammered. As we follow the cosmic tendrils of Lynch’s brain backwards toward their origin, it’s only natural to ask: why does this guy see the world the way he sees it?
One answer may lay in Victor Fleming 1939 MGM classic, whose enchantments reach even further back, to its position as an early television staple for impressional baby boomers developing their imaginations and material predilections in the glow of the family’s suburban RCA console.
- 6/13/2023
- by Matt Warren
- Film Independent News & More
David Lynch does not like talking about his movies. He’d prefer the work speak for itself, thank you very much. But in bending over backwards to avoid discussing what something might “mean,” or deflecting questions with humor and/or cryptic pronunciations, the Blue Velvet filmmaker occasionally drops a breadcrumb hint about what makes him creatively tick. An audience member at a Q&a once asked Lynch whether there was a connection between The Wizard of Oz and the movie he’d just screened, Mullholland Drive. His reply: “There’s...
- 6/3/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Follow the Celluloid Road: Philippe Explores the Magnificent Ozsessions of David Lynch
The next best thing to a new David Lynch project has to be a deliberation or meditation on the director’s body of work, which is exactly what documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe presents in his latest cinematic exploration, Lynch/Oz. Tracing parallels with and references to Victor Fleming’s enduring 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz as a sort of rudimentary road map through the progression of Lynch’s filmography, it’s an often compelling, always engrossing recap of the auteur’s penchant for exploring the inherent nightmares lurking somewhere over the rainbow.
Although making more generalized statements reflecting on the inherent meta textual connections Lynch has built into his own enigmatic oeuvre, there’s a lot to chew on thanks to the love and admiration of the fellow filmmakers and enthusiasts clearly excited to share their reverence for an idiosyncratic master.
The next best thing to a new David Lynch project has to be a deliberation or meditation on the director’s body of work, which is exactly what documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe presents in his latest cinematic exploration, Lynch/Oz. Tracing parallels with and references to Victor Fleming’s enduring 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz as a sort of rudimentary road map through the progression of Lynch’s filmography, it’s an often compelling, always engrossing recap of the auteur’s penchant for exploring the inherent nightmares lurking somewhere over the rainbow.
Although making more generalized statements reflecting on the inherent meta textual connections Lynch has built into his own enigmatic oeuvre, there’s a lot to chew on thanks to the love and admiration of the fellow filmmakers and enthusiasts clearly excited to share their reverence for an idiosyncratic master.
- 6/2/2023
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
“The Wizard of Oz is a film with very great power… And it’s to be expected that it has stayed with us for the past several years and that we find its echoes in our films for such a long time after. The Wizard of Oz is like a dream and it has immense emotional power,” David Lynch once said. “There’s a certain amount of fear in that picture, as well as things to dream about. So it seems truthful in some way.”
Indeed, from the overt references (Wild at Heart) to the more subtextual (see: every other David Lynch movie), Victor Fleming’s 1939 landmark has been a constant wellspring of influence for the legendary director. Yet even with such source of inspiration, Lynch’s films play as singular creations, every frame infused with a thrillingly unique voice. With his new essay documentary, Alexandre O. Philippe entertainingly explores...
Indeed, from the overt references (Wild at Heart) to the more subtextual (see: every other David Lynch movie), Victor Fleming’s 1939 landmark has been a constant wellspring of influence for the legendary director. Yet even with such source of inspiration, Lynch’s films play as singular creations, every frame infused with a thrillingly unique voice. With his new essay documentary, Alexandre O. Philippe entertainingly explores...
- 5/31/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
“Is that an Oz narrative?” asks director Rodney Ascher in the second chapter of Alexandre O. Philippe’s trippy, tricky, and obsessive cine-essay Lynch/Oz. Ascher is clearly being a touch dishonest with the question because he’s at that moment referring to Beverly Hills Cop. He follows up that query by wondering in tongue-in-cheek fashion, “Is everything?”
Even though Philippe’s film is ostensibly about the many ways that The Wizard of Oz permeates the work of David Lynch, Ascher’s half-serious digression into the expansively universal nature of Victor Fleming’s Technicolor musical fantasy, calling its fish-out-water plot a “sturdy template” for just about any kind of film you could imagine, is typical of the filmed essays collected by Philippe. It’s both dead-serious about its subjects and playfully exploratory.
That dual nature is present in Lynch/Oz from the start. In the first chapter, film critic Amy Nicholson,...
Even though Philippe’s film is ostensibly about the many ways that The Wizard of Oz permeates the work of David Lynch, Ascher’s half-serious digression into the expansively universal nature of Victor Fleming’s Technicolor musical fantasy, calling its fish-out-water plot a “sturdy template” for just about any kind of film you could imagine, is typical of the filmed essays collected by Philippe. It’s both dead-serious about its subjects and playfully exploratory.
That dual nature is present in Lynch/Oz from the start. In the first chapter, film critic Amy Nicholson,...
- 5/26/2023
- by Chris Barsanti
- Slant Magazine
Composers including Howard Shore, Patrick Doyle and Daniel Pemberton have taken part.
The World Soundtrack Awards (Wsa), taking place annually at Film Fest Gent, is pairing 25 composers with 25 filmmakers for a short film project called 25 x 2 to celebrate the festival’s 50th anniversary.
Composers including Howard Shore, Patrick Doyle and Daniel Pemberton have composed a short piece of music (1-2 minutes) with many recorded by the Brussels Philharmonic orchestra. Filmmakers Including Terence Davies, Radu Jude, Paul Schrader, Naomi Kawase and Ildikó Enyedi are now creating shorts based on the scores.
The shorts will be presented at this year’s Film Fest Gent,...
The World Soundtrack Awards (Wsa), taking place annually at Film Fest Gent, is pairing 25 composers with 25 filmmakers for a short film project called 25 x 2 to celebrate the festival’s 50th anniversary.
Composers including Howard Shore, Patrick Doyle and Daniel Pemberton have composed a short piece of music (1-2 minutes) with many recorded by the Brussels Philharmonic orchestra. Filmmakers Including Terence Davies, Radu Jude, Paul Schrader, Naomi Kawase and Ildikó Enyedi are now creating shorts based on the scores.
The shorts will be presented at this year’s Film Fest Gent,...
- 5/21/2023
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Composers including Howard Shore, Patrick Doyle and Daniel Pemberton have taken part.
The World Soundtrack Awards (Wsa), taking place annually at Film Fest Gent, is pairing 25 composers with 25 filmmakers for a short film project called 25 x 2 to celebrate the festival’s 50th anniversary.
Composers including Howard Shore, Patrick Doyle and Daniel Pemberton have composed a short piece of music (1-2 minutes) with many recorded by the Brussels Philharmonic orchestra. Filmmakers Including Terence Davies, Radu Jude, Paul Schrader, Naomi Kawase and Ildikó Enyedi are now creating shorts based on the scores.
The shorts will be presented at this year’s Film Fest Gent,...
The World Soundtrack Awards (Wsa), taking place annually at Film Fest Gent, is pairing 25 composers with 25 filmmakers for a short film project called 25 x 2 to celebrate the festival’s 50th anniversary.
Composers including Howard Shore, Patrick Doyle and Daniel Pemberton have composed a short piece of music (1-2 minutes) with many recorded by the Brussels Philharmonic orchestra. Filmmakers Including Terence Davies, Radu Jude, Paul Schrader, Naomi Kawase and Ildikó Enyedi are now creating shorts based on the scores.
The shorts will be presented at this year’s Film Fest Gent,...
- 5/21/2023
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Composers including Howard Shore, Patrick Doyle and Daniel Pemberton have taken part.
The World Soundtrack Awards (Wsa), taking place annually at Film Fest Gent, is pairing 25 composers with 25 filmmakers for a short film project called 25 x 2 to celebrate the festival’s 50th anniversary.
Composers including Howard Shore, Patrick Doyle and Daniel Pemberton have composed a short piece of music (1-2 minutes) with many recorded by the Brussels Philharmonic orchestra. Filmmakers Including Terence Davies, Radu Jude, Paul Schrader, Naomi Kawase and Ildikó Enyedi are now creating shorts based on the scores.
The shorts will be presented at this year’s Film Fest Gent,...
The World Soundtrack Awards (Wsa), taking place annually at Film Fest Gent, is pairing 25 composers with 25 filmmakers for a short film project called 25 x 2 to celebrate the festival’s 50th anniversary.
Composers including Howard Shore, Patrick Doyle and Daniel Pemberton have composed a short piece of music (1-2 minutes) with many recorded by the Brussels Philharmonic orchestra. Filmmakers Including Terence Davies, Radu Jude, Paul Schrader, Naomi Kawase and Ildikó Enyedi are now creating shorts based on the scores.
The shorts will be presented at this year’s Film Fest Gent,...
- 5/21/2023
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
U.K.-based sales and distribution outfit Blue Finch Films has boarded international sales, excluding North America, for William Shatner documentary “You Can Call Me Bill” from Legion M and Exhibit A Pictures.
Written and directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, who has previously helmed documentaries such as “78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene,” “Memory: The Origins of Alien,” and “Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist,” the film had its world premiere at SXSW 2023 as part of the Documentary Spotlight section.
The film is an intimate portrait of William Shatner’s personal journey across nine decades, stripping away all the masks he has worn during his storied career – most famously the Star Trek franchise – to reveal the man behind it all. The first and only feature-length documentary dedicated to Shatner’s life, career and philosophy, it delves into his most fervent passions, hopes and concerns, through a thematic distillation of his...
Written and directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, who has previously helmed documentaries such as “78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene,” “Memory: The Origins of Alien,” and “Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist,” the film had its world premiere at SXSW 2023 as part of the Documentary Spotlight section.
The film is an intimate portrait of William Shatner’s personal journey across nine decades, stripping away all the masks he has worn during his storied career – most famously the Star Trek franchise – to reveal the man behind it all. The first and only feature-length documentary dedicated to Shatner’s life, career and philosophy, it delves into his most fervent passions, hopes and concerns, through a thematic distillation of his...
- 5/10/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Between the 1780s and 1880s, the frontier of what would become the US pushed westward from Virginia to Oregon and then south into California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. It traversed thickly forested valleys, snow-capped mountains, thundering rivers and hundreds upon hundreds of miles of broad, grassy plains. In the popular imagination, however, these diverse landscapes frequently converge into one: the red, dusty desert and towering wind-carved buttes of Monument Valley.
There are, in fact, several Monument Valleys scattered across the US. This documentary is concerned with the one known as Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii to the Navajo people in whose nation it stands, astride the state line between Utah and Arizona, on the Colorado Plateau. It’s a place which cannot help but make an impression. As director Alexandre O Philippe notes, the writer Willa Cather called it ‘God’s unfinished construction site.’ It is a place full of memory and tradition for.
There are, in fact, several Monument Valleys scattered across the US. This documentary is concerned with the one known as Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii to the Navajo people in whose nation it stands, astride the state line between Utah and Arizona, on the Colorado Plateau. It’s a place which cannot help but make an impression. As director Alexandre O Philippe notes, the writer Willa Cather called it ‘God’s unfinished construction site.’ It is a place full of memory and tradition for.
- 5/2/2023
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
"Audiences are so used to not wanting the truth, they don't want to be woken up from that myth." Yep. Dekanalog has revealed an official trailer for a cinema documentary titled The Taking, made by Swiss director Alexandre O. Philippe. This first premiered in 2021 at Fantastic Fest, Sitges, and the London Film Festival, and is finally getting a proper release. A radical examination of Monument Valley's representation in cinema and ads, The Taking scrutinizes how a site located on sovereign Navajo land came to embody the fantasy of the "Old West." Philippe explains his intent: "Even though I have a little fun with John Ford, this intent is also not to trash John Ford. The intent is not to trash the function of myth. Myth is important, and the idea, as false as it may be, of this false narrative about the American west, still carries a lot of values that I can relate to.
- 4/28/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
After exploring Alfred Hitchcock, Alien, George Lucas, William Friedkin, and more, filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe is gearing up for a major summer. Before Lynch/Oz arrives in June, his documentary The Taking will arrive in cinemas on May 5 courtesy of Dekanalog and we’re pleased to debut the exclusive trailer.
A selection at Fantastic Fest and BFI London Film Festival, the film finds Philippe analyzing the myth of Arizona’s Monument Valley, its symbolism in westerns (including numerous legendary titles from John Ford), and its significance during the conquest of the West and in American history.
“Even though I have a little fun with John Ford, this intent is also not to trash John Ford. The intent is not to trash the function of myth. Myth is important, and the idea, as false as it may be, of this false narrative about the American west, still carries a lot of values that I can relate to,...
A selection at Fantastic Fest and BFI London Film Festival, the film finds Philippe analyzing the myth of Arizona’s Monument Valley, its symbolism in westerns (including numerous legendary titles from John Ford), and its significance during the conquest of the West and in American history.
“Even though I have a little fun with John Ford, this intent is also not to trash John Ford. The intent is not to trash the function of myth. Myth is important, and the idea, as false as it may be, of this false narrative about the American west, still carries a lot of values that I can relate to,...
- 4/27/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Documentary director Alexandre O. Philippe has tackled many nerdy subjects over the course of his career. In "78/52," he hyper-focused on the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho." In "The People Vs. George Lucas," he examined the complicated relationship fandom had with George Lucas post-prequels and pre-Lucas selling his company to Disney. In "Leap of Faith," he dug into the psyche of director William Friedkin and how much of the filmmaker made its way into the DNA of "The Exorcist."
His latest film is focused on another titan of geekdom: the one and only William Shatner. "You Can Call Me Bill" premiered at SXSW just a few days before the beloved actor's 92nd birthday, and it isn't your typical talking-head career retrospective. You could easily do a whole feature length doc just on how Shatner's performance as Captain Kirk on "Star Trek" has influenced pop culture and storytelling,...
His latest film is focused on another titan of geekdom: the one and only William Shatner. "You Can Call Me Bill" premiered at SXSW just a few days before the beloved actor's 92nd birthday, and it isn't your typical talking-head career retrospective. You could easily do a whole feature length doc just on how Shatner's performance as Captain Kirk on "Star Trek" has influenced pop culture and storytelling,...
- 3/29/2023
- by Eric Vespe
- Slash Film
At first glance, the combination of director Alexandre O. Philippe and William Shatner does not seem like an inherently harmonious pairing of documentarian and subject.
Philippe is a master of inquisitive cinema essays, examining films like The Exorcist, Alien and Psycho through a lens that is playful, but in a coldly intellectual way. I’ve said he makes the most artful, analytical DVD bonus-feature documentaries ever, and meant it entirely as a compliment.
Shatner is Shatner. He’s a screen presence of undeniable magnetism, a tremendous raconteur and a master of self-parody — but not a person whose mien I would ever expect to mesh with a “coldly intellectual” approach.
Despite a fully generic title that falsely suggests a project broadly tailored around Shatner’s ingrained lack of formality, You Can Call Me Bill ends up feeling very much like a Philippe film. Dismissing self-parody in favor of self-reflection, the 91-year-old...
Philippe is a master of inquisitive cinema essays, examining films like The Exorcist, Alien and Psycho through a lens that is playful, but in a coldly intellectual way. I’ve said he makes the most artful, analytical DVD bonus-feature documentaries ever, and meant it entirely as a compliment.
Shatner is Shatner. He’s a screen presence of undeniable magnetism, a tremendous raconteur and a master of self-parody — but not a person whose mien I would ever expect to mesh with a “coldly intellectual” approach.
Despite a fully generic title that falsely suggests a project broadly tailored around Shatner’s ingrained lack of formality, You Can Call Me Bill ends up feeling very much like a Philippe film. Dismissing self-parody in favor of self-reflection, the 91-year-old...
- 3/18/2023
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“You Can Call Me Bill” is the latest documentary from director Alexandre O. Philippe, who specializes in plucking tasty subjects out of the pop cosmos and doing deep-dive meditations on them. Philippe often leans into horror, but even with other subjects, what he’s always looking for is the heady ineffable curveball insight. So if you go into his new movie, which is all about William Shatner, presuming that it’s going to be something other than a conventional portrait of William Shatner, you’d be quite correct. The movie is built around an interview with the legendary 91-year-old actor, still vigorous and voluble, with a seize-the-day cornball glow to him. In “You Can Call Me Bill,” Shatner sits under the hot lights, with the camera close to his face, talking, talking, and talking — about life, death, acting, fame, love, desolation, and trees.
No one else is interviewed. At no point is Shatner called “Bill,...
No one else is interviewed. At no point is Shatner called “Bill,...
- 3/17/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Even when he’s not trying to be funny, laughter can be the first response that greets William Shatner. Some may think of him as a caricature. What Alexandre O. Philippe’s thoughtful, searching new documentary “You Can Call Me Bill” reveals, without ever being so blunt as to say as much, is that that laughter reveals more about us than about Shatner. About our inability to comprehend someone quite as complex, as defiantly irreducible, as the man who once was Captain Kirk.
Shatner may be pop culture’s greatest master of pontification, and there is no topic on which he doesn’t have thoughts. He’s expressed them before in the 2001 Peter Jaysen documentary “Mind/Meld”; in the 2011 documentary that he himself directed looking back at the legacy of “Star Trek” in its many different incarnations, “The Captains”; and as seen in Philippe’s new film, via poetry readings...
Shatner may be pop culture’s greatest master of pontification, and there is no topic on which he doesn’t have thoughts. He’s expressed them before in the 2001 Peter Jaysen documentary “Mind/Meld”; in the 2011 documentary that he himself directed looking back at the legacy of “Star Trek” in its many different incarnations, “The Captains”; and as seen in Philippe’s new film, via poetry readings...
- 3/17/2023
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
William Shatner has unveiled his forthcoming documentary You Can Call Me Bill while reflecting on the “limited” time he has left.
From the Star Trek franchise to the TV series Tj Hooker, the 91-year-old acting legend has appeared in dozens of films and shows.
Now, after having “turned down a lot of documentaries before”, Shatner is ready to put his life on the big screen for audiences and fans to enjoy.
In a new interview with Variety, the Canadian actor explained why he finally decided to make the documentary, with Shatner revealing: “I’ve turned down a lot of offers to do documentaries before. But I don’t have long to live.
“Whether I keel over as I’m speaking to you or 10 years from now, my time is limited, so that’s very much a factor.”
According to Shatner, his family also played a role in his decision, as...
From the Star Trek franchise to the TV series Tj Hooker, the 91-year-old acting legend has appeared in dozens of films and shows.
Now, after having “turned down a lot of documentaries before”, Shatner is ready to put his life on the big screen for audiences and fans to enjoy.
In a new interview with Variety, the Canadian actor explained why he finally decided to make the documentary, with Shatner revealing: “I’ve turned down a lot of offers to do documentaries before. But I don’t have long to live.
“Whether I keel over as I’m speaking to you or 10 years from now, my time is limited, so that’s very much a factor.”
According to Shatner, his family also played a role in his decision, as...
- 3/10/2023
- by Inga Parkel
- The Independent - Film
To describe William Shatner, who turns 92 later this month, as “full of life” would be a gross understatement. When Deadline spoke with him about the documentary You Can Call Me Bill, which is making its world premiere at SXSW, he was about to go horseback riding. At a time when many people his age, those fortunate few to reach their 90s, are getting about with walkers or wheelchairs, he’s hoofing it.
“After this interview I’m gonna get on a horse,” he told us, with some astonishment. “I’m not going to get in a wheelchair. I’m gonna go on a reining horse and practice.”
William Shatner speaks onstage at 2022 Los Angeles Comic Con on December 4, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
He said he can’t quite believe the term “91-year-old” applies to him. “Every time I hear that figure I think, ‘That’s right. That’s me. My God,...
“After this interview I’m gonna get on a horse,” he told us, with some astonishment. “I’m not going to get in a wheelchair. I’m gonna go on a reining horse and practice.”
William Shatner speaks onstage at 2022 Los Angeles Comic Con on December 4, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
He said he can’t quite believe the term “91-year-old” applies to him. “Every time I hear that figure I think, ‘That’s right. That’s me. My God,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
William Shatner kicks things off with a compliment.
We’re talking via Zoom — he’s beaming in from the sprawling kitchen of his Los Angeles home, which overlooks the San Fernando Valley. I’m dialing in from the living room of my walkup apartment in Brooklyn, a much more modest setting. But Shatner is impressed by the over-stocked bookcase behind me, as well as the paintings, a seascape and an impressionist pastoral scene that I inherited from my grandmother, that line the wall around it.
“You have terrific taste,” Shatner exclaims with the kind of brio that Captain James T. Kirk, his most famous alter-ego, approached his mission “to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, [and] boldly go where no man has gone before!”
But Shatner isn’t just here to talk about “Star Trek,” though his time commanding the Starship Enterprise invariably comes up. Instead,...
We’re talking via Zoom — he’s beaming in from the sprawling kitchen of his Los Angeles home, which overlooks the San Fernando Valley. I’m dialing in from the living room of my walkup apartment in Brooklyn, a much more modest setting. But Shatner is impressed by the over-stocked bookcase behind me, as well as the paintings, a seascape and an impressionist pastoral scene that I inherited from my grandmother, that line the wall around it.
“You have terrific taste,” Shatner exclaims with the kind of brio that Captain James T. Kirk, his most famous alter-ego, approached his mission “to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, [and] boldly go where no man has gone before!”
But Shatner isn’t just here to talk about “Star Trek,” though his time commanding the Starship Enterprise invariably comes up. Instead,...
- 3/9/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
William Shatner Documentary Beams Up 790,000 in Equity Crowdfunding, Selling Out in Less Than a Week
William Shatner fans bought up all the shares in the actor’s forthcoming feature-length documentary “You Can Call Me Bill” in less than a week — shelling out nearly 790,000 and topping the film’s funding goal.
Legion M’s equity crowdfunding round for the Shatner documentary, exploring the life and career of the beloved 91-year-old actor, as of Monday had sold out from reservation holders before the company opened the offering to the public. Within four days, the project raised 789,655 from 1,338 investors.
Unlike with other crowdfunding models, Legion M lets investors own an equity stake in the entertainment projects they’re backing. With the Shatner doc, fans were able to invest directly in the Shatner documentary for a minimum of 100, subject to certain SEC restrictions, and they will recoup their money before any profits are shared with Shatner, Legion M or the film’s producer, Exhibit A Pictures. While the offering has already reached the cap,...
Legion M’s equity crowdfunding round for the Shatner documentary, exploring the life and career of the beloved 91-year-old actor, as of Monday had sold out from reservation holders before the company opened the offering to the public. Within four days, the project raised 789,655 from 1,338 investors.
Unlike with other crowdfunding models, Legion M lets investors own an equity stake in the entertainment projects they’re backing. With the Shatner doc, fans were able to invest directly in the Shatner documentary for a minimum of 100, subject to certain SEC restrictions, and they will recoup their money before any profits are shared with Shatner, Legion M or the film’s producer, Exhibit A Pictures. While the offering has already reached the cap,...
- 1/31/2023
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety Film + TV
How the auteur was influenced by 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz is examined in witty and insightful expert contributions curated by Alexandre O Philippe
Here is a portmanteau movie: a collection of cine-essays, curated by documentarist Alexandre O Philippe, on the question of how director David Lynch was influenced by The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland. There are witty, insightful, dreamily cinephile contributions from a number of expert witnesses: film-makers David Lowery, Karyn Kusama, John Waters, Rodney Ascher, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, and critic Amy Nicholson.
Evidently they are all in love with The Wizard of Oz, and in love with David Lynch, and in love with what their interaction tells us: the juxtaposition of waking reality and another reality, a hidden reality, or buried reality, or transcendent reality which is nonetheless as real, or more real, than anything else. All this is punctiliously laid out, with some...
Here is a portmanteau movie: a collection of cine-essays, curated by documentarist Alexandre O Philippe, on the question of how director David Lynch was influenced by The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland. There are witty, insightful, dreamily cinephile contributions from a number of expert witnesses: film-makers David Lowery, Karyn Kusama, John Waters, Rodney Ascher, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, and critic Amy Nicholson.
Evidently they are all in love with The Wizard of Oz, and in love with David Lynch, and in love with what their interaction tells us: the juxtaposition of waking reality and another reality, a hidden reality, or buried reality, or transcendent reality which is nonetheless as real, or more real, than anything else. All this is punctiliously laid out, with some...
- 11/30/2022
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Hot off Inland Empire and Lost Highway restorations, Janus Films have continued their well-reasoned associations with David Lynch by acquiring Alexandre O. Philippe’s Lynch/Oz, a documentary mixture of archival footage, interview snippets, and vast collection of movie scenes, to chart clear parallels between the man’s work and The Wizard of Oz, nearly all of which bear dramatic and literal gravity.
While particulars of Janus’ release are not yet public, British distributor Dogwoof has released a preview for their December 2 opening. Being that its appropriately enigmatic, we’ll turn you to Michael Frank’s (quoted) review: “For a Lynch diehard, Lynch/Oz will be catnip. For any average moviegoer, it digs into the well of American cinema history with enough fascination that it’s worth a watch. As said in the documentary by David Lowery––whose final section acts as a love letter to Lynch and the secret...
While particulars of Janus’ release are not yet public, British distributor Dogwoof has released a preview for their December 2 opening. Being that its appropriately enigmatic, we’ll turn you to Michael Frank’s (quoted) review: “For a Lynch diehard, Lynch/Oz will be catnip. For any average moviegoer, it digs into the well of American cinema history with enough fascination that it’s worth a watch. As said in the documentary by David Lowery––whose final section acts as a love letter to Lynch and the secret...
- 10/4/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
David Lynch is the man behind the curtain, the wonderful Wizard of Oz, in the surreal construct we call cinema. Or so documentary “Lynch/Oz” makes it out to be.
Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, the film was born out of auteur Lynch’s response during a Q&a panel at the 2001 New York Film Festival following the screening of “Mulholland Drive.” Lynch said more than 20 years ago that “there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about ‘The Wizard of Oz'” when asked about the classic film’s impact on his own work.
“Lynch/Oz” reframes Lynch’s filmography within the context of the technicolor fantasy dream sequence that propelled innocent Dorothy (Judy Garland) into a storybook world. The documentary will make its U.K. premiere during the BFI London Film Festival and Film 4 will release the feature in U.K. theaters and...
Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, the film was born out of auteur Lynch’s response during a Q&a panel at the 2001 New York Film Festival following the screening of “Mulholland Drive.” Lynch said more than 20 years ago that “there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about ‘The Wizard of Oz'” when asked about the classic film’s impact on his own work.
“Lynch/Oz” reframes Lynch’s filmography within the context of the technicolor fantasy dream sequence that propelled innocent Dorothy (Judy Garland) into a storybook world. The documentary will make its U.K. premiere during the BFI London Film Festival and Film 4 will release the feature in U.K. theaters and...
- 10/4/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Fantastic Fest 2022 has a great selection of film docs, and one of the most interesting ones is the latest from Alexandre O. Philippe. His resume includes some fascinating examinations of classic films, including 78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene and Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist. His films always focus on an interesting corner of film and when I heard that he had a new one examining the work of David Lynch, I knew I couldn’t miss it.
This film takes on a bit of a different format from his previous works. It is divided into six chapters and essentially takes on the format of a series of video essays diving into various aspects of Lynch's oeuvre. The common theme is how those works relate or overlap to the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz.
With participation from Amy Nicholson, Rodney Ascher, Aaron Moorehead, Justin Benson, Karyn Kusama,...
This film takes on a bit of a different format from his previous works. It is divided into six chapters and essentially takes on the format of a series of video essays diving into various aspects of Lynch's oeuvre. The common theme is how those works relate or overlap to the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz.
With participation from Amy Nicholson, Rodney Ascher, Aaron Moorehead, Justin Benson, Karyn Kusama,...
- 9/30/2022
- by Emily von Seele
- DailyDead
Lynch/Oz Review: Tracing The Populist Surrealism Of David Lynch And Movie Americana [Fantastic Fest]
During a New York Film Festival Q&a for "Mulholland Drive," David Lynch was asked about the influence of "The Wizard of Oz" on his film. Lynch, who can often be hilariously evasive when it comes to questions, actually got earnest and replied: "There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about the 'Wizard of Oz.'" Director Karyn Kusama was in the audience for that Q&a, and recounts the story in "Lynch/Oz," Alexandre O. Philippe's attempt to connect Lynch's surreal worlds to the classic "The Wizard of Oz." It's not an outlandish premise, since "Oz" clearly has influenced Lynch for years — there are full-blown references to it littered through his films, most notably "Wild at Heart." As Lynch himself says in his MasterClass, "The Wizard of Oz" is a "film that has caused people to dream for decades."
Like Philippe's "78/52: Hitchcock's...
Like Philippe's "78/52: Hitchcock's...
- 9/25/2022
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
Above: US Teaser poster for Crimes of the Future. Design by Bangers & Mash.In the middle of the Venice Film Festival, and in the lead-up to the Toronto and New York fests, still the most “liked” poster of the last six months of my Movie Poster of the Day Instagram was a teaser poster that appeared in the run-up to Cannes in the spring. The poster was for was one of the most anticipated films of Cannes, a film that has since been disseminated to the world with a much tamer big-head poster and even tamer home video art. The Crimes of the Future teaser racked up nearly 2,000 likes and not far behind it was a gorgeous art print for Cronenberg’s 30-year-old Naked Lunch by the very talented (and seemingly Cronenberg-obsessed) Nick Charge that I posted a few months later. As I’ve been doing for the past few years,...
- 9/9/2022
- MUBI
The documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe, who was born in Switzerland and is based in Denver, has carved out a neat niche for himself. He makes movies about movies — that is, movies about our obsession with movies. He shares the obsession, and as a filmmaker that allows him to overlap the role of superfan, critic, and historian in a way that’s candy for a certain breed of film freak. In “Document of the Dead,” Philippe made a grounded but heady exploration of “Night of the Living Dead” and what the rise of the zombie movie in the late ’60s was all about. In “78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene” (his best film), he penetrated the metaphysics of “Psycho,” starting with the shower scene but extending to the entire film, taking a movie that’s famous for its fear and showing you how its true pleasure and mystique lies in the intricacy with which we watch it.
- 7/17/2022
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
After some virtual and scaled-down events, San Diego Comic Con is back.
The 2022 edition returns in full force to the San Diego Convention Center from July 21-24, bringing some of the most anticipated TV shows and movies of the year to Hall H and the show floor.
See the Comic Con schedule below, which will be updated each day as more panels are announced.
Thursday, July 21
10:45-11:45 a.m. – ABC’S “The Rookie” And “The Rookie: Feds” – Nathan Fillion and Niecy Nash-Betts join executive producers Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter to discuss how worlds will collide when “The Rookie” franchise expands with “The Rookie: Feds,” coming to ABC this fall. The lively Q&a session will be moderated by Damian Holbrook. Ballroom 20
12 p.m. — “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” — Paramount Pictures brings Paramount and eOne’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves to kick off the...
The 2022 edition returns in full force to the San Diego Convention Center from July 21-24, bringing some of the most anticipated TV shows and movies of the year to Hall H and the show floor.
See the Comic Con schedule below, which will be updated each day as more panels are announced.
Thursday, July 21
10:45-11:45 a.m. – ABC’S “The Rookie” And “The Rookie: Feds” – Nathan Fillion and Niecy Nash-Betts join executive producers Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter to discuss how worlds will collide when “The Rookie” franchise expands with “The Rookie: Feds,” coming to ABC this fall. The lively Q&a session will be moderated by Damian Holbrook. Ballroom 20
12 p.m. — “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” — Paramount Pictures brings Paramount and eOne’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves to kick off the...
- 7/6/2022
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
The Wizard of Oz has become a tradition. Synonymous with the wonder of childhood and the wonder of movies, Victor Fleming’s 1939 classic plays in homes across America every year—often cited as the most-watched film in movie history. A portion of those watches come from filmmakers who think it a sacred text, traditional source material for any story they might want to tell. One of those filmmakers is David Lynch, populist surrealist actor, writer, artist, musician, and director.
Lynch/Oz explores the connection between the famous film and dream-focused director. From documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe, this six-chapter inquiry acts as a video essay on that link, each section narrated by a critic or filmmaker, from Amy Nicholson to David Lowery. A mixture of archival footage, interview snippets, and a vast collection of movie scenes, the segments traverse the landscape of Lynch’s directorial efforts and clear parallels to aspects of The Wizard of Oz,...
Lynch/Oz explores the connection between the famous film and dream-focused director. From documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe, this six-chapter inquiry acts as a video essay on that link, each section narrated by a critic or filmmaker, from Amy Nicholson to David Lowery. A mixture of archival footage, interview snippets, and a vast collection of movie scenes, the segments traverse the landscape of Lynch’s directorial efforts and clear parallels to aspects of The Wizard of Oz,...
- 7/5/2022
- by Michael Frank
- The Film Stage
Legion M and Exhibit A Pictures are partnering on a new documentary directed by Alexandre O. Philippe (Lynch/Oz), in which screen icon William Shatner takes off the countless masks he’s worn throughout his career, to reveal the man behind one of the most recognizable faces in the world.
The 91-year-old Shatner is best known for his legendary role as Star Trek’s Captain Kirk in various film and television projects over the course of 30 years. He also notably portrayed the titular character in Columbia Pictures Television’s police drama T.J. Hooker and won an Emmy for his role as Boston Legal’s Denny Crane, having notched a total of two wins and seven nominations over the course of his career, along with a Golden Globe and other accolades.
The documentary’s producers will be providing an early look at footage during a Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con later this month,...
The 91-year-old Shatner is best known for his legendary role as Star Trek’s Captain Kirk in various film and television projects over the course of 30 years. He also notably portrayed the titular character in Columbia Pictures Television’s police drama T.J. Hooker and won an Emmy for his role as Boston Legal’s Denny Crane, having notched a total of two wins and seven nominations over the course of his career, along with a Golden Globe and other accolades.
The documentary’s producers will be providing an early look at footage during a Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con later this month,...
- 6/30/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
William Shatner has offered his stamp of approval on a new documentary about his life from Legion M and Exhibit A Pictures. The pair of production companies announced the documentary Thursday.
“For years I’ve had people approaching me to do a documentary about my life, but I turned them all down because it didn’t feel like the right fit,” Shatner said in a statement. “When I heard how Legion M wanted to incorporate audiences to be a part of it, it was perfect. Fans have been responsible for my career — it only seems right that they should own this doc.”
Alexandre O. Philippe will direct the documentary, which currently has no official title.
The 91-year-old “Star Trek” legend will introduce first-look footage of the documentary during a Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July. Actor, director, comedian and “Trek” fan Kevin Smith will moderate the event.
“For years I’ve had people approaching me to do a documentary about my life, but I turned them all down because it didn’t feel like the right fit,” Shatner said in a statement. “When I heard how Legion M wanted to incorporate audiences to be a part of it, it was perfect. Fans have been responsible for my career — it only seems right that they should own this doc.”
Alexandre O. Philippe will direct the documentary, which currently has no official title.
The 91-year-old “Star Trek” legend will introduce first-look footage of the documentary during a Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July. Actor, director, comedian and “Trek” fan Kevin Smith will moderate the event.
- 6/30/2022
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
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