A trailer for the new White Stripes documentary, Under Great White Northen Lights, has been released. I really wanted to see this at Toronto International Film Festival, but couldn’t fit it in. I’m very happy to see it’s a getting a DVD release on March 16th. Check out the trailer below, along with details on the massive box set. Be sure to check out the very neat official website as well. Read the full story

Sundance has announced it’s 112 films that are entering in U.S. and World Cinema Documentary and Dramatic film competitions. The films represent “38 countries by 43 first-time filmmakers, including 24 in competition. These films were selected from 3,724 feature-length film submissions composed of 1,920 U.S. and 1,804 international feature-length films. 79 films at the Festival will be world premieres.” The festival takes place between Jan 21st and 31st at Park City Utah. Some interesting films to note are Mark Ruffalo‘s directorial debut, a new documentary by Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, It Might Get Loud) and films starring Jesse Eisenberg, Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Natalie Portman, James Franco, John Hamm, Melissa Leo, Laura Linney, Orlando Bloom, and more.  Check out the full list below. Read the full story

Guggenheim’s work ranges from his Oscar winning An Inconvenient Truth to working on television’s 24 and Deadwood. During the interview we do of course talk about his very entertaining film It Might Get Loud, but we also delved into some of his career choices and his past experiences with film. This is one of those interviews where it became more of a conversation instead of feeling as if you are just going down a checklist of questions to ask the whole time. The film revolves around musicians Jack White, Jimmy Page, and The Edge talking about their passion for the electric guitar while also revealing details of their past. If you are a fan of these three musicians then you’ll undoubtedly be impressed with this and if you’re not, then there’s plenty for you to admire and connect to. Here’s what he had to say about his highly enjoyable film.

So congrats on the film, I saw it about a week ago and I really enjoyed it.

Davis Guggenheim: Thank you very much, that means a lot to me.

So do you enjoy the press process and doing all these interviews?

Davis Guggenheim: (laughs) You’re the first person to ask me that. I’ve been on a three week tour doing different cities and I enjoy it when it’s a thoughtful interview. Sometimes, if you’re not careful you’re basically saying the same things over and over. Often there is a journalist who wants to know what went behind the filmmaking and that’s fun to talk about.

I’ll try to make this a good interview then.

Davis Guggenheim: No, no, no! I mean I was going to say that doing this is important for a little film. It is important for it to be written about so I don’t resent it at all.

Now I know the film premiered at the Toronto film festival in 2007, why has it taken so long to come out? Did the film not pick up distribution there?

Davis Guggenheim: Yeah we made a deal right away and we had a bunch of offers. It’s more like… it was Sony’s decision. I’m not a marketer or distributor, but they sort of say it’s perfect for this spot. So, we still had a few months of finishing with mixing and stuff. It took about six months to get out before completing it which isn’t very unusual.

How long ago did you start working on this and shooting it?

Davis Guggenheim: Well, for about a year up until that Toronto screening…

So in about 2006, is that odd for you to finally be talking about the movie when you shot it while a back?

Davis Guggenheim: (laughs) No. I mean there’s been many screenings since and this is the fun part. I show it almost every night and get different reactions, it’s a pay off to see that. There was that six month gap of just waiting though and we were just working on something else.

What were you working on?

Davis Guggenheim: I worked on a documentary about the public school system in America.

Could you talk a little more about that?

Davis Guggenheim: Yeah, we shot a lot at the [Washington] DC schools. It’s us all over the country talking about how schools are doing and why it’s such a hard problem to fix.

Was it tough getting these musicians together and especially Jack White who comes off kind of reclusive?

Davis Guggenheim: (laughs) Yeah, well I think a lot of rock stars are kind of private. It certainly helps them build a mystique, Jimmy especially since he hasn’t done any press. I think it’s all about the movie’s intention, it wasn’t looking to cover dirty details like car wrecks.

Were you ever concerned the film wouldn’t be able to appeal to non-music fans?

Davis Guggenheim: The only concern about that is marketing and distribution. You know, I mean you might just think that this is a movie for guitar heads, but the response I’m getting is that it’s really about the creative process. It could have easily been about three novelist or three filmmakers.

Read the full story

It Might Get Loud is an admirable and highly entertaining documentary. Fans of these three musicians will undoubtedly love this film, but there’s also plenty of aspects for non-fans to enjoy too. It’s a film that is easy to get involved in not just because of its outlook on music, but also due to the fact that these musicians are actually interesting.

The film revolves around rock legends Jack White, The Edge, and Jimmy Page. It gives insight into their lives and why music is so important to them. As the three of them conduct a jam session together focus goes deeper into their backgrounds and unveils their passion for electric guitars. Jack White, the lead singer of The White Stripes, is inspired by blues and doesn’t care for expensive guitars. The Edge, the lead guitarist of U2, is a quiet man who takes influence from the events around him. Jimmy Page is a classic rocker who seems to love nothing more then music.

The most engaging guitarist here is The Edge. He also is the easiest one to connect to. He’s the most down-to-earth out of the three and the way he is inspired by the events around him is the most intriguing aspect of his persona. Its understandable to wish that the film was more focused on The Edge. The most eccentric out of the three is Jack White whose passion for music is consistently felt throughout. The opening sequence with him conveys how creative and invested he truly is in his music. While some may feel distance from White it’s only due to his reclusiveness. The film paints him in an understandable fashion that leaves the audience able to grasp his passion. Led Zeppelin veteran Jimmy Page is actually the most isolated and quiet and isn’t as involving as The Edge or Jack White.

Read More >>

Today we have  trailers for two smaller independent documentary films. The first is for It Might Get Loud. This documentary is directed by Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) and tells a story about the electric guitar from the point of view of three significant rock musicians: The Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White. The second is for the directorial debut of Louie Psihoyos. The Cove tells the story of dolphin abuse in Japan. Check them both out in HD after the jump.

Check out the trailers below >>