Watch Surfwise (2007) Online

Surfwise
As far as raw eccentricity is concerned, few American families could top the Paskowitzes. The patriarch, Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz, began life on a commendable, even enviable course, with an M.D. under his arm, rippling sandy-haired good looks, and experience almost single-handedly teaching the country of Israel how to surf. But in the years to follow, bitterness and inveterate disappointment ensued as Dr. Paskowitz tried to settle into a conventional existence. Two broken marriages and a medical career that Dorian would later describe as "miserable" left him clawing his way out, desperate for an "alternative" lifestyle. He soon met, courted, and married his third wife, a ravishing, sexy young woman named Juliette; these two free spirits jointly decided that they would live life, budding family in-tow, on the open road, in a series of low-budget trailers.
As one child after another cropped up over the course of a decade, the family toured the country winning one surfing competition after another, and Dr. Paskowitz accepted low-rent medical jobs for the poor that reeled in little to no income. In theory, this all seemed idealistic, even utopian; in reality, Dorian Paskowitz was reportedly a severe disciplinarian who denied his children the benefits of school and financial security, forced everyone to stick to an almost unbearable diet of a gruel-like substance, and -- even more alarmingly -- felt comfortable having open and noisy sex with his wife, with the children only a few feet away. In time, as one child after another grew up, left the clan, and attempted to survive, they found it difficult, if not impossible to function in the day-to-day world without the education, social skills, and monetary know-how that so many young adults take for granted. With his documentary Surfwise, filmmaker Doug Pray tells the Paskowitzes' strange, bewildering, and ultimately heartbreaking story via incisive interviews with family members, still photographs, and telling archival footage. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

R, 1 hr. 33 min.
Documentary, Sports & Fitness, Special Interest
Directed By: Doug Pray
In Theaters: Sep 1, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Jul 29, 2008
US Box Office:$0.2M

7.2

Surfwise (2007)

Watch For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) Online

For the Bible Tells Me So
The place of gay and lesbian congregation and clergy within various Christian denominations has become an increasingly controversial issue in recent decades, and many conservative Christian leaders have justified church polices which limit the participation of homosexuals in the church (as well as support of legislation against gay marriage or civil rights for gays) by citing certain passages of the Holy Bible.
But what do these passages really mean? How accurate is their translation from the original holy texts? And have they been used outside of proper context to justify a political agenda that runs counter to Christian ideals of acceptance and forgiveness? For The Bible Tells Me So is a documentary which looks at the ongoing battle of gays and lesbians to celebrate their faith without denying their sexual preferences. The film includes interviews with a number of conservative Christian families as well as V. Gene Robinson, who became the first officially ordained Anglican bishop; political activist and spiritual leader Bishop Desmond Tutu; and Chrissy Gephardt, the openly lesbian daughter of Congressman Dick Gephardt. For The Bible Tells Me So was directed by Daniel Karslake, longtime producer of the PBS news and public affairs series In The Life. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Unrated, 1 hr. 41 min.
Documentary, Faith & Spirituality, Special Interest
Directed By: Daniel G. Karslake
Written By: Daniel Karslake
In Theaters: Oct 5, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Feb 19, 2008

7.7

For the Bible Tells Me So (2007)

Watch The Devil Came on Horseback (2007) Online

The Devil Came on Horseback
In late 2006, former U.S. Marine captain Brian Steidle traveled to Darfur, Sudan, with the African Union peacekeeping force -- and found his life and perspective on the world forever changed. Devastated and racked with horror by the Janjaweed-driven genocide in the western region of the country (which has claimed 400,000 lives), Steidle set out to work against these atrocities -- atrocities systematically denied and publicly buried by the corrupt Sudanese government.
Despite his initial hesitancies, Steidle ultimately agreed to plunge headfirst into the conflict -- and to work toward achieving social change not through violence but through peaceful, humanitarian efforts. His efforts carried him to a myriad of countries and multiple continents; throughout, Steidle took over 1,000 photographs to document the horrors, thus spreading awareness of this crisis to the remainder of the world and roundly defeating Sudanese governmental denials of the genocide. In their nonfiction work The Devil Came on Horseback, documentarians Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg bring viewers along with Steidle on his intensely moving personal journey, and shed light on a region of the world rapidly plunging into its own inescapable hell. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Unrated, 1 hr. 25 min.
Documentary, Special Interest
Directed By: Ricki Stern , Anne Sundberg
In Theaters: Jul 25, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Oct 30, 2007

7.6

The Devil Came on Horseback (2007)

Watch The Band's Visit (Bikur Ha-Tizmoret) (2007) Online

The Band's Visit (Bikur Ha-Tizmoret)
When the Ceremonial Police Band of Alexandria, Egypt, journeys to a gig in Israel, they can hardly anticipate getting stuck in a rut. But upon arrival at the Israeli airport, their hosts and transportation fail to show. So begins first-time director Eran Kolirin's fish-out-of-water comedy The Band's Visit (aka Bikur Hatizmoret, 2007).

Trapped in a middle-of-nowhere desert town, the group members try to figure out what to do and where to go. In desperation, two of the musicians -- conductor Tawfiq (Sasson Gabai) and playboy Haled (Saleh Bakri) -- accept an invitation from sexy café owner Dina (Ronit Elkabetz) to bunk at her residence, and seemingly within no time, the unlikeliest of interracial (Israeli-Palestinian) romances begin to blossom -- not only between Tawfiq and Dina, but between Haled and local wallflower Papi (Shlomi Avraham), whose night together at a roller disco turns into a veritable comedy of errors. Meanwhile, the remainder of the bandmembers room with local resident Itzik's (Rubi Moscovich) family, which produces overwhelming conflict and innumerable tensions. As the days roll on, the co-mingling of Egyptian bandmembers and Israeli residents imparts each individual with insights into his cultural identity and that of the others. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

PG-13, 1 hr. 29 min.
Drama, Art House & International, Comedy
Directed By: Eran Kolirin
Written By: Eran Kolirin
In Theaters: Dec 7, 2007 Limited
On DVD: Jul 29, 2008
US Box Office:$3.0M

7.5

The Band's Visit (Bikur Ha-Tizmoret) (2007)

Watch Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2007) Online

Anvil! The Story of Anvil
In 1981, Canadian heavy metal band Anvil released their first album, Hard 'n' Heavy, which earned them a potent reputation among discerning headbangers and established them as one of the pioneering acts of the speed metal movement. Anvil had a loyal following in their native Canada and they shared stages with some of the biggest names in heavy rock, but the lucky break that would have elevated them to real stardom never came, and legal troubles helped to derail the group's career in the mid-'80s.
Years later, the likes of Metallica and Slayer would cite Anvil as a key influence, but lead vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner struggled to keep the band alive, recording new material for tiny independent labels and trying to organize club tours as they juggled day jobs, families, and adult responsibilities. Documentary filmmaker Sacha Gervasi follows Kudlow and Reiner as they struggle to keep their ambitions alive despite 35 years of missing the brass ring in Anvil! The True Story of Anvil, which paints a sympathetic but warts-and-all portrait of the unexpected consequences of the rock & roll dream. Anvil! received its American premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.
Documentary, Drama, Musical & Performing Arts
Directed By: Sacha Gervasi
In Theaters: Apr 10, 2009 Wide
On DVD: Oct 6, 2009
US Box Office:$0.5M

7.9

Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2007)

Watch I For India (2007) Online

I For India
In 1965, Yash Pal Suri left his native India with his wife, Sheel, to follow a career in medicine in Great Britain. Suri, who was very close to his family, bought a Super-8 movie camera so he could shoot film of his new surroundings and send them home, allowing his friends and relations to see how he was doing. Years later, Suri's amateur films have become the basis for a documentary by his daughter Sandhya Suri, which tells the story of her family as well as the often rocky road for Indian expatriates in the United Kingdom. As Yash and Sheel had three daughters and made a home in England, the growing number of Indian immigrants became a subject of great controversy with the rise of the extreme right-wing National Front in the 1970s. Fearing for the safety of their son and his family, Yash's parents began pressuring him to return to India, but his decision to abide by their wishes in 1982 creates a whole new set of problems for himself, his wife, and his children. I for India received its North American premiere at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Unrated, 1 hr. 10 min.
Documentary, Special Interest
Directed By: Sandhya Suri
Written By: Sandhya Suri
In Theaters: Nov 14, 2007 Wide

6.5

I For India

Watch Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer (2007) Online

Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer
The world lost the defiantly unpredictable, trend-busting bop vocalist Anita O'Day in November 2006, to dementia and pneumonia. A year or so prior, documentarians Ian McCrudden and Robbie Cavolina (perhaps foreseeing this loss) set out to create the definitive film portrait of the chanteuse, entitled Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer. This biography recounts O'Day's life story by intercutting archival performance footage of the vocalist with fond reminiscences from friends and colleagues and cutaways to O'Day's original reviews and publicity material. Interviewees include Bryant Gumbel, Harry Reasoner, Dick Clark, Annie Ross, and Johnny Mandel. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Unrated, 1 hr. 31 min.
Documentary, Musical & Performing Arts, Special Interest
Directed By: Ian McCrudden , Robbie Cavolina
In Theaters: Apr 30, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Jul 21, 2009

7.2

Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer (2007)

Watch The Order of Myths (2007) Online

The Order of Myths
In director Margaret Brown's The Order of Myths, she explores the parties, parades, and lesser-known gatherings that encompass the hedonistic event known as Mardi Gras, discovering that complex issues of class, race, and politics are seldom left behind, even in the name of celebration. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

Unrated, 1 hr. 37 min.
Documentary, Faith & Spirituality, Musical & Performing Arts, Special Interest
Directed By: Margaret Brown
Written By: Margaret Brown
In Theaters: Jul 25, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Jan 13, 2009

6.9

The Order of Myths (2007)

Watch Taxi to the Dark Side (2007) Online

Taxi to the Dark Side
From the producer of Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room and Who Killed the Electric Car? comes a documentary that takes a critical look at the Bush administration's policy on torture by investigating the death of an Afghan taxi driver who, after being taken into the custody of American soldiers at Bagram Air Force Base, suffered fatal injuries at the hands of U.S. soldiers. In 2002, American soldiers accused an Afghan taxi driver of taking part in a deadly rocket attack. Five days after being handed over to the U.S. military for questioning, the man was found dead -- the victim of a brutal bout of torture and abuse according to the medical examiner who inspected his body. The examiner concluded that the taxi driver's hands had been bound to the ceiling, forcing him to stand for hours on end as his assailants repeatedly -- and relentlessly -- kicked him.
Compelled to finally unearth the truth about the mysterious fate of the deceased taxi driver, filmmaker Alex Gibney takes viewers on an illuminating journey from a tiny Afghani village to Guantanamo Bay to Abu Ghraib, and ultimately the White House, to explore why the man who turned up in the morgue wasn't the only victim to fall prey to the Bush administration's controversial foreign policy. By examining the sad fate of the wrongly accused, the toll that the War on Terror has taken on an exhausted United States military, and Justice Department official John Yoo's internal memo concerning interrogation techniques, the filmmakers behind Taxi to the Dark Side encourage viewers to weigh out the issues for themselves, and never accept what's told to them on face value. The film won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 80th Annual Academy Awards. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

R, 1 hr. 46 min.
Documentary, Special Interest
Directed By: Alex Gibney
Written By: Alex Gibney
In Theaters: Apr 28, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Sep 30, 2008

7.9

Taxi to the Dark Side (2007)