Editor’s Note: Our new writer Kristen will be covering Sundance 2010 this year. Look for reviews and interviews in the coming days!

On Friday, January 22, actor/director Adrian Grenier will premiere his new documentary Teenage Paparazzo at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Read the full story

From Focus Features’ impressive 2010 line-up comes the trailer for a new documentary titled Babies, directed by Thomas Balmes. I saw the trailer before Precious last week and was wondering when it would be released online. Check it out below or in HD on Yahoo.
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Michael Moore’s new documentary Capitalism: A Love Story is a mixed bag, containing all of the poignant sections of something like Sicko and all the crass parts of the director’s more controversial Fahrenheit 9/11. The film takes a look at the current U.S. economic crisis and what led up to it. The film, like all of Moore’s other films, contains voice-over narration by himself throughout and a few comical situations. Also, like Sicko, this film does not take one side. He bashes Republicans and Democrats equally, blaming both parties for the current catastrophe.

One topic will hit close to home for young students, concerning the future of the student loan debt which continues to rise as college tuition rises as well. For those Buffalo-based (as this Web site is), a section concerning the poor airport-to-employee operations cites the tragic Continental plane crash in Buffalo that occurred earlier this year. Moore finds plenty to talk about and plenty for viewers to relate, so most everyone will take something of worth from the film, no matter what.

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Lionsgate | USA | 92 minutes

Built like a heist film with the added subconscious tension that the stakes are real and danger is actually imminent, The Cove sneaks in you into a small and seemingly innocent Japanese fishing village plastered with art and propaganda that makes it obvious that the small village of Tajii in fact loves whales and dolphins. The reality is however that the small village of Tajii is actually the focal point of a dolphin capture and trade organization that supplies most of the dolphinariums worldwide with the next cute swimming and flipping tourist money trap capitalizing on public dolphin interest established by Flipper in the 1960s. Unless you are an animal rights activist you’re probably wondering why you care that dolphins are being captured and put in aquariums. While that issue is tackled in this Oceans 11-esque documentary and upon seeing the facts you may change your mind on if these dolphins are really happy in their  5000 gallon homes away from home, it is far from the main and most disturbing issue you will discover in your visit to The Cove. There is no Hollywood blood in the water special effects magic happening here. You will witness one of the most horrific and disturbing annual events in the world — The herding of thousands of dolphins into a small cove where they are brutally killed in what could aptly be called a massacre. You may not be an activist today but you will walk out of this film angry, possibly crying and with a vastly changed worldview on the cruelty towards animals.

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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.

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Yes this is another cash in on a dead celebrity story but you might actually want to hear about this one. Variety is reporting today that the 2008 documentary Don’t You Forget About Me which chronicles the journey of four film makers in search of John Hughes after his drop out of the spotlight in 1991 has found a distributor in the form of Alliance Films. Alliance has released many notable independent and foreign films over the years such as Zack and Miri Make A Porno and District 13. Until Hughes’ death last week many thought that the film was going to be shelved and never see the light of day. Apparently the morning of his death a bidding war started as to who was going to get the rights to the film. It is a shame that it took the death of a man who was such an inspiration to many to get this film out.

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The controversial documentary producer Michael Moore is back at it again with a new project based on the economic crisis and government bailouts. Although the movie is still untitled, it was announced that teaser trailers would hit select theaters this weekend. The studio kept true to their word, bringing the “trailer” to theaters in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington DC in a very unexpected way. Patrons entering the theater were warned by signs that they would be recorded and surrendered rights to their images being used if they continued to their seats.

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