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The Minimalists: Less Is Now

   2021    Culture
Longtime friends Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus share how our lives can be better with less. The film's title was inspired by the popular maxim 'Less is more,' popularized by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who used this aphorism to describe his design aesthetic; his tactic was one of arranging the necessary components of a building to create an impression of extreme simplicity. The Minimalists have reworked this phrase to create a sense of urgency for today's consumer culture: now is the time for less.
Series: Minimalists

Facing Ali

   2009    Culture
Muhammad Ali was arguably the greatest boxer of the 20th century, and that rare fighter whose presence in the culture of the day was equal to (or perhaps even greater than) his remarkable skills in the ring. Ali was a superb fighter who squared off against a variety of gifted athletes during his career, and filmmaker Pete McCormack offers a new perspective on Ali through this documentary, in which some of his opponents speak about their experiences with the man. Facing Ali includes interviews with Joe Frazier, who speaks of the bitterness that still remains of his rivalry with Ali; George Chuvalo, a Canadian fighter who recalls that while Ali defeated him, he went dancing with his wife afterward while the winner went to the hospital; George Foreman, whose memories include a powerful punch that Ali chose not to land; Leon Spinks, whose 1978 upset victory over Ali thrust him into a level of fame he was not prepared to handle; Ernie Terrell, who discusses the technique and strategy behind Ali's approach; and many more.

Art and Copy

   2019    Art
This film reveals the work and wisdom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of our time -- people who've profoundly impacted our culture, yet are virtually unknown outside their industry. Exploding forth from advertising's 'creative revolution' of the 1960s, these artists and writers all brought a surprisingly rebellious spirit to their work in a business more often associated with mediocrity or manipulation: George Lois, Mary Wells, Dan Wieden, Lee Clow, Hal Riney and others featured in ART & COPY were responsible for 'Just Do It,' 'I Love NY,' 'Where's the Beef?,' 'Got Milk,' 'Think Different,' and brilliant campaigns for everything from cars to presidents. They managed to grab the attention of millions and truly move them.
Art & Copy is a powerful film about advertising and inspiration.

Stories We Tell

   2012    Culture
Polley is both filmmaker and detective as she investigates the secrets kept by a family of storytellers. She playfully interviews and interrogates a cast of characters of varying reliability, eliciting refreshingly candid, yet mostly contradictory, answers to the same questions. As each relates their version of the family mythology, present-day recollections shift into nostalgia-tinged glimpses of their mother, who departed too soon, leaving a trail of unanswered questions. Polley unravels the paradoxes to reveal the essence of family: always complicated, warmly messy and fiercely loving.
Stories We Tell explores the elusive nature of truth and memory, but at its core is a deeply personal film about how our narratives shape and define us as individuals and families.

Food Evolution

   2016    Nature
The film looks at one of the most critical questions facing the world today-that of food security-and demonstrates the desperate need for common sense, solid information, and calm logical deliberation. Using the often angry and emotional controversy over genetically-modified foods as its entry point, Food Evolution shows how easily fear and misinformation can overwhelm objective, evidence-based analysis.
Food Evolution takes the position that science and scientists hold the key to solving the food crisis. But whose science? In the GMO debate, both sides claim science is on their side. Who's right? How do we figure this out? What does this mean for the larger issues of food security, sustainability, and environmental well-being? Food Evolution seeks to answer these critically important questions.

The Revelation of the Pyramids

   2010    History
An apocryphal view on the pyramids, starting in awe at the amazing achievement of the Pharaonic architecture and sculpture, most specially at Gizeh, given Cheops's pyramid's size, weight, incredibly precise carving, four pairs of slightly shifted half sides, stunningly precisely measured shapes and symmetry. Then it questions and challenges conventional Egyptology beliefs, which it calls unproven or even impossible to verify, such as the absence of machines, a wharf duration of only 20 years or accidental equinox-orientation. Next it elaborates the theory that other major pyramid technology sites in Precolombian America, Easter Island and China can't coincidentally lie on two lines intersecting at Gizeh, even if not contemporaneous and without known contacts in their ages, and have several improbable things in common, like some of their cultures. Elaborate mathematical theories and measurements indicate the Egyptians must have known some astronomy, pi and the golden number