Directing
Dean Martin had a laid-back charm that made him successful in everything from big-screen comedies to television variety shows to live acts in Las Vegas. Filmmaker Tom Donahue explores Martin’s varied career, including his complicated relationships with Jerry Lewis, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, and others. We hear from admirers such as critic Gerald Early, actor Jon Hamm, and Hip-Hop artist RZA who testify to Martin’s enduring mystique.
An East Village performance space fought against the Bowery homeless shelter who threatened to shut them down. Some of the most iconic figures in music have performed here.
Bad Brains are one of the most important and influential American bands still working today. They melded punk and reggae into an innovative style that has yet to be copied. Their impact and influence can be heard in groups like Beastie Boys, No Doubt, Nirvana, Jane's Addiction and countless more. Despite the troubles of an eccentric front man they have stayed together for 30 years without ever reaching the level of success so many think they deserve. Using rare archival footage and original comic illustrations the film re-constructs Bad Brains' rich and complicated history.
On September 12, 2004, just two-and-a-half days before Johnny Ramone's death, a group of musicians and friends-among them Deborah Harry, The Dickies, X, Eddie Vedder, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers-staged a benefit concert to celebrate The Ramones' 30th anniversary and to raise money for cancer research. Mandy Stein's touching rockumentary captures that unforgettable evening.
You See Me Laughin' is a personal journey into the lives and music of the last of the hill country bluesmen who've kept their music alive on the back porches and in the tiny juke joints of the Mississippi backwoods.
