Wednesday's best bets Jul 24, 2006
Capturing the Friedmans. A Sundance Grand Jury Prize went to filmmaker Andrew Jarecki's explosive 2003 documentary exploring the 1987 arrests of teacher Arnold Friedman and his son, Jesse, on multiple and increasingly lurid charges of sex crimes against minors. (Buffalo News -- Entertainment)
Forty Shades of Blue scores at Sundance Feb 15, 2005
Why We Fight was directed by Eugene Jarecki, brother of Andrew Jarecki, whose Capturing the Friedmans won the Sundance documentary prize in 2003. The audience award for dramatic films, chosen in voting by Sundance film-goers, went to Hustle & Flow, the tale of a two-bit pimp and drug-dealer (Terrence Howard) who enlists an odd assortment of allies in a bid to break into the hip-hop music scene. (MSNBC -- Movies)
The new golden age of documentaries Jun 29, 2004
Balseros by Carlos Bosch and Josep Maria Domenech examines the plight of Cuban refugees making the harrowing journey to the U.S. and what their lives were like once they arrived; The Weather Underground by Sam Green and Bill Siegel tells the story of a band of radicals in the 60s and 70s bent on overthrowing the U.S. government; Nathaniel Kahn, the illegitimate son of famed architect Louis Kahn, takes a look at his fathers complicated life in My Architect; and... (MSNBC -- Movies)
Documentaries Move Into Film Main Stream Mar 19, 2004
The controversy fueled by "Capturing the Friedmans," in which the filmmaker was accused of favoring convicted child molesters Arnold and Jesse Friedman, is a sign the genre has "arrived," Urman asserts ... "The intellectuals in society, who still exist, and some of the average Joes, want to see a more complex version of reality than `Headline News' something richer than a sound bite," "Capturing the Friedmans" director Andrew Jarecki observes ... com to buy "American Splendor" are advised... (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
Master and 'Commando' Mar 13, 2004
Celesta Davis, the younger sister, documents this fearsome task with video, intersplicing home movies to create a Capturing the Friedmans-like montage of emotional revelation ... As in Capturing the Friedmans, it is difficult to know to what degree the abuser is self-aware, or even how truthful he is, in the end. (Metroactive)
'Lord of the Rings' dominates Oscars Mar 1, 2004
Three films nominated at the Oscars this year make reference to child abuse and its lasting consequences, including "Monster" and the documentary "Capturing the Friedmans." Advocates for the issue had urged nominees to speak from the stage to raise awareness about it. Backstage, Robbins said his character had been stigmatized by abuse, and his character's parents had ignored it, hoping the problem would disappear. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
International Herald Tribune Mar 1, 2004
"It is sometimes the strongest thing you can do to stop the cycle of violence." Three films nominated at the Oscars this year make reference to child abuse and its lasting consequences: "Mystic River," "Monster" and the documentary "Capturing the Friedmans." Advocates for the issue had urged nominees to speak from the stage to raise awareness about it. Blake Edwards, the writer and director of the "Pink Panther" movies, who also directed other classics like "Days of Wine and Roses" and... (Google News Australia -- Top Stories)
Predictions: One 'King' to rule them all Feb 29, 2004
The documentary branch of the academy has spent years ignoring the best nonfiction films in favor of obscure entries that, if they find an audience at all, usually do so on PBS. Not this time, as 2003 turned out the finest batch of documentaries in ages, including "My Architect," "Capturing the Friedmans" and the film I think will finally bring director Errol Morris a long overdue Academy Award: "The Fog of War," a compelling look at the mistaken assumptions behind the Vietnam War as told... (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA -- Arts)
• ACADEMY AWARDS: Who Will Win Golden Precious? Feb 29, 2004
Documentary feature: "Balseros," "Capturing the Friedmans," "The Fog of War," "My Architect," "The Weather Underground.". Advertisement. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
An Oscar chase without the mud Feb 29, 2004
And two victims of a father and son convicted of child molesting, Arnold and Jesse Friedman, have said that the nominated documentary "Capturing the Friedmans" should not win an Oscar because it misrepresents the abuse they suffered. The one major category up for grabs appears to be best actor. (International Herald Tribune)
[Full Story] Feb 28, 2004
The strongest competition comes from Andrew Jarecki's highly unsettling Capturing The Friedmans, the account of a New York family's dark secrets of sexual abuse. But a smear campaign against the film by victims of the abusers will likely hurt. (Toronto Star -- Arts)
Oscar notes relating to Our Tribe in Hollywood Feb 28, 2004
The Friedman family of Long Island is the subject of Andrew Jarecki's Oscar-nominated documentary, "Capturing the Friedmans." Jarecki's film leaves viewers unsure whether the Friedmans are really guilty of sexually molesting children. Also competing for best documentary Oscar is "My Architect," about the life of the famous and highly influential Jewish architect Louis Kahn. (Cleveland Jewish News, OH)
Picks for the 76th annual Academy Awards Feb 27, 2004
Balseros Capturing the Friedmans The Fog of War My Architect The Weather Underground. The finest documentary of the year was Capturing the Friedmans, but with pedophilia as its central focus, don t look for Oscar to sit on that mantle. (Louisville Cardinal Online, KY)
