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Citizen Yuppie (1987)
Character: Citizen Yuppie
Citizen Yuppie is a 1-minute long short film directed by noted film critic Roger Ebert, originally shown alongside his partner Gene Siskel's short film (A Confessional Documentary) on the 1987 broadcast of their annual Holiday Gift Guide program. It was shot entirely on a (then-new) Fisher Price PixelVision PXL2000 low-fidelity camcorder in monochrome on compact audio cassette, inspiring Richard Linklater to utilize the same technique in his 1991 feature SLACKER. The film recontextualizes Citizen Kane to provide some self-reflexive commentary on the filmmaker's status in the world.
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Don't You Forget About Me (2010)
Character: Self
Throughout the ’80s John Hughes defined the teen movie genre and spoke not only to that generation’s teens, but every generation that has followed. Then in 1991 he hung up his director’s hat and disappeared into obscurity ala J.D Salinger. In 2008, a group of young Canadian filmmakers set out to complete a documentary about the man with what they hoped would culminate with an interview, which would be his first since 1999.
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The Outsider (2005)
Character: Self
Nicholas Jarecki follows director James Toback on the 12-day shoot of his thriller, When Will I Be Loved -- a movie made without a script or distribution deal.
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It Conquered Hollywood! The Story of American International Pictures (2001)
Character: Self
A 60-minute salute to American International Pictures. Entertainment lawyer Samuel Z. Arkoff founded AIP (then called American Releasing Corporation) on a $3000 loan in 1954 with his partner, James H. Nicholson, a former West Coast exhibitor and distributor. The company made its mark by targeting teenagers with quickly produced films that exploited subjects mainstream films were reluctant to tackle.
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The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo (2007)
Character: Self
Cinematographer John A. Alonzo was one of the driving creative forces in the resurgence of expressionistic American movies of the late 1960s and '70s. Director Axel Schill's documentary explores Alonzo's work on key films of that era and beyond. Clips from Chinatown, Scarface, Internal Affairs and other movies accompany interviews with stars such as Richard Dreyfuss, Sally Field and contemporary cinematographer Haskell Wexler.
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Television: The First Fifty Years (1999)
Character: Self
Trace the history of television and its impact on American culture with clips, newsreels, and exclusive interviews from television greats like Walter Cronkite, Carol Burnett, and Jay Leno.
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Independent's Day (1998)
Character: Self
Filmmakers at the Sundance Film Festival discuss what it is like to be an independent filmmaker, and what Sundance has done for them.
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Chicago Filmmakers on the Chicago River (2004)
Character: Self
A documentary feature that reveals the creative process of Chicago moviemakers. Using the city's famous river as a location, directors are placed in a variety of boats and share stories of how Chicago has influenced their careers.
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Bienvenue à Cannes (2007)
Character: Self
From its simple beginnings in 1939 in a sleepy beach town in the south of France, the prestigious Cannes Film Festival has become the must-attend red carpet event of the year. Filmmaker Richard Schickel's fascinating documentary captures the glitz and glamour of the festival's incredible 60-year run with archival footage and unforgettable moments. Hollywood's biggest names including Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Sharon Stone and Harvey Weinstein talk about the politics, madness, and thrills of competing for one of the industry's highest honors - the coveted Palme d'Or - and what it's like to be at the most fabulous festival by the sea.
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Ballyhoo: The Hollywood Sideshow! (1996)
Character: N/A
This documentary celebrates the ridiculous stunts used by Hollywood over the years to market its worst movies. These include the ’50s drive-in where moviegoers could drop off their dirty laundry and pick it up after the show, horror filmmaker William Castle’s vibrating seats and producer Sam Arkoff’s offer to pay for the funeral of anyone scared to death by his film. Amusing interviews with critic Roger Ebert and director John Waters, creator of Smell-O-Vision, enliven a program that has one central failing: host Frankie Avalon, who remains as schlocky as ever.
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Junket Whore (1998)
Character: Self
A documentary film that explores the relationship between publicists and journalists in Hollywood.
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Reflecting Thought: Stan Brakhage (1985)
Character: Self
Stan Brakhage is a film maker whose work is shown mainly at film festivals. His work has been likened to poetry. Brakhage explains his techniques and his motivation.
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Biography: Humphrey Bogart (2003)
Character: Self - Film Critic
He was one of Hollywood's greatest tough guys. His charisma and electric on-screen presence propelled the success of classic films such as The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, and The Big Sleep.
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Siskel & Ebert 1991 Holiday Video Gift Guide (1991)
Character: Roger Ebert
Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert slug it out with SNES tennis in this hour-long syndicated special. Includes Gene using a camcorder with a steadicam attachment, a Danny DeVito interview and plenty of classic home video recommendations.
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Abby Singer (2003)
Character: Roger Ebert (uncredited)
Chronicles the life of Curtis Clemins, who is torn between the love of his life and accomplishing his dream. When hitting rock bottom during the Sundance Film Festival, Clemins' calls upon his old college chum, Kevin Prouse, giving the now drunken acting instructor in the throes of a divorce, the only clue that will salvage Clemins' rapidly deteriorating life.
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Pitch (1997)
Character: Self
A Canadian documentary featuring two young filmmakers attending the Toronto Film Festival to pitch a film concept to various celebrities. Their film idea, titled "The Dawn", concerns a Mafia don who goes for a hernia operation but gets a sex change instead. During the 1996 Toronto Fest, they approach Roger Ebert, Norman Jewison (at a packed press conference), Eric Stoltz (leaving a limo), Al Pacino, and others without much success. On a roll, they leave Toronto for Hollywood, getting advice from Arthur Hiller and Neil Simon and finding an agent who expresses interest in their pitch.
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Dead Teenager Movie (2006)
Character: Self
DEAD TEENAGER MOVIE is a short-format documentary examining a specific sub-genre of teen slasher films; namely the Dead Teenager Movie - a term coined by movie critic, Roger Ebert. Through the use of interviews with cultural professors, film historians, directors, writers, producers and film critics, and with visual aids from movie clips of several dead teen horror films, the documentary explores the origins of these stories from their beginnings in urban legends to their jump to the big screen in the late 70s to their modern incarnations (like FINAL DESTINATION 3 and its two predecessors). It look sat what clichés and stereotypes define the sub-genre, and how they have developed in cinema over time, particularly finding a home at New Line Cinema.
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Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003)
Character: Self
Examines the relationship between sex, women, and the role of female sexuality in popular Hollywood culture, focusing on Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Jean Harlow, and Sharon Stone.
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Sesame Street: A Celebration of Me, Grover (2004)
Character: N/A
He's furry, he's blue, and he's everyone's adorable, old pal, Grover, in his very own special! Come to the Flyers' Club Roost where everyone on Sesame Street has gathered to celebrate the many sides of Grover.
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Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009)
Character: Self (archive footage)
By the mid-1980s, the fabled animation studios of Walt Disney had fallen on hard times. The artists were polarized between newcomers hungry to innovate and old timers not yet ready to relinquish control. These conditions produced a series of box-office flops and pessimistic forecasts: maybe the best days of animation were over. Maybe the public didn't care. Only a miracle or a magic spell could produce a happy ending. Waking Sleeping Beauty is no fairy tale. It's the true story of how Disney regained its magic with a staggering output of hits - "Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast ," "Aladdin," "The Lion King," and more - over a 10-year period.
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The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault (2020)
Character: (archive footage)
THE AGFA MYSTERY MIXTAPE VAULT is a 2-disc, 500-minute odyssey that collects eight feature-length VHS mixtapes from the crackpots at AGFA—including two that have only ever been available theatrically.
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You Can't Do That! The Making of 'A Hard Day's Night' (1995)
Character: Self - Host
Thirty years after A Hard Day's Night, its producer, director, writer and others describe its making. United Artists Records came to Walter Shenson, asking him to produce a movie so UA could issue a soundtrack album. Shenson signed Lester to direct, and they got the Beatles to agree to star. Shenson sent Owen to Dublin to spend time with the Fab Four; from this came a script built around their being prisoners of their own success. Phil Collins, himself an extra on A Hard Day's Night, hosts this examination of a seminal film: what was ad-libbed, why was it a hit, what was its influence on other movies, and how did it define the way the public viewed each Beatle for years to come?
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Jiminy Glick in Lalawood (2005)
Character: Roger Ebert (uncredited)
Hungry for an A-list interview that could launch him into the gossip-page stratosphere, Jiminy Glick, a small-time journalist with big aspirations and an even bigger appetite, drags his wife and kids across the country to the star-studded Toronto Film Festival. But in between the nonstop parties and all-you-can-eat buffets, Glick soon finds himself in the middle of an outrageously scandalous mystery that becomes the celebrity scoop of the decade!
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もののけ姫 in U.S.A. (2001)
Character: Himself
This short documentary follows director Hayao Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki as they attend two film festivals showing the film Princess Mononoke and answer questions. Miyazaki discusses his experience in LA before founding Studio Ghibli.
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Mysteries of Love (2002)
Character: Self (archive footage)
Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern, and producer Fred Caruso are interviewed for this 68-minute documentary about the making of David Lynch's Blue Velvet
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Howard (2018)
Character: Self (archive footage)
Though legendary lyricist Howard Ashman died far too young, his impact on Broadway, movies, and the culture at large were incalculable. Told entirely through rare archival footage and interviews with Ashman’s family, friends, associates, and longtime partner Bill Lauch, Howard is an intimate tribute to a once-in-a-generation talent and a rousing celebration of musical storytelling itself.
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Welcome to Hollywood (2000)
Character: Roger Ebert
A film director decides to chart the course of a young actor as he tries to make it in Hollywood...
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Burden (2016)
Character: Self (archive footage)
A probing portrait of Chris Burden, an artist who took creative expression to the limits and risked his life in the name of art.
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Searching for Debra Winger (2002)
Character: Self
Rosanna Arquette talks to various actresses about the pressures they face as women working in the entertainment industry.
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Life Itself (2014)
Character: Self - Film Critic
The surprising and entertaining life of renowned film critic and social commentator Roger Ebert (1942-2013): his early days as a freewheeling bachelor and Pulitzer Prize winner, his famously contentious partnership with Gene Siskel, his life-altering marriage, and his brave and transcendent battle with cancer.
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AGFA Mystery Mixtape #3: Sequelitis (2020)
Character: Self
Unleashed from the video vaults of the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA), AGFA MYSTERY MIXTAPE #3: SEQUELITIS is a brand new compilation of the most electrifying found footage mayhem that you’ll see this week. For our third tape, we’re diving into the most controversial, hotly debated topic of all time: HORROR SEQUELS! Thank you for your generous support during these difficult times. And remember: “This makes Guns N’ Roses look like THE BRADY BUNCH.”
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Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation (2000)
Character: Self
This biography, shown on American television as part of the PBS "Great Performances" series, examines the life works of one of Hollywood's most celebrated animators, Chuck (Charles M.) Jones. He is best known for Warner Brothers cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, and Pepe LePew. Included are plenty of behind-the-scenes descriptions of how an animated film is made, and (best of all) many clips from Chuck's cartoons.
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All the Love You Cannes! (2002)
Character: Self
Known for what must be the cheapest and cheesiest of the indie film world, Troma films takes on Cannes with gallons of fake blood, the Tronettes, and numerous hijinks by an uncontrollable group of volunteer Troma fans, costumed, naked, and did I mention covered with blood? While any publicity is good publicity, the low budget Troma films must wonder what this will do to their reputation. And I think they're thinking, woohoo!
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Sesame Street Jam: A Musical Celebration (1993)
Character: Self(segment "Monster in the Mirror")
Sesame Street Jam: A Musical Celebration is a special produced forSesame Street’s 25th anniversary. Released in a slightly different form on video as Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years in October 1993, the special was shelved for its broadcast premiere on PBS until 1994, during pledge drive season, and in many markets, aired as part of a marathon block with three show episodes. The special was a companion to the prime-time network special, Sesame Street's All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!
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An Almost Perfect Affair (1979)
Character: Self
An idealistic first-time director lives for his art — until he meets a wife of an Italian producer at the Cannes Film Festival. A passionate affair begins, but the couple's romance is tested as they face the temptations of fame and fortune.
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