The Movie:

Not many people are aware of Jaco Pastorius, a bass player who tackled most every musical genre that he wanted to be challenged with, be it jazz, fusion, what have you. And if you haven't heard of him, chances are he's worked with a gamut of musicians, or influenced them, like Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, jazz legend Miles Davis or folk artist Joni Mitchell. Pastorius' talent was only surpassed by his volatility, succumbing to injuries suffered from an assault at the age of 35. Friends, family and admirers remember the peaks and valleys of his life in a documentary entitled Jaco.

The film is co-produced by Robert Trujillo, bassist of Metallica, who was part of a separate documentary about his then-new bandmates in Some Kind of Monster). Featuring interviews from some of the af...Read the entire review

In 1988, Kevin Tomlinson, a young would-be filmmaker traveled to a "healing gathering" in rural north-central Washington State to interview aging hippies who still adhered to the countercultural values of the '60s and '70s. Though he didn't do anything with the footage then, twenty years later he sought out those participants again to see whether they were still living lives in conformity with the principles they'd espoused then.

Back in '88, Tomlinson's interviewees were motivated to varying degrees by the desire to live simply, cultivate community, and embrace spirituality. Twenty years later, they're keeping the faith. Although one woman now works for Microsoft and drives an SUV, none appear to live the typical, high-consumption lifestyle typical of boomers.

Two of t...Read the entire review

These are dark days for American progressivism. Voters appear poised to turn control of the House of Representatives over to the GOP, while giving the Republicans enough Senate votes to easily filibuster Democratic initiatives for the next two years. While the shift in sentiment among independents is to be expected given the anemic economic recovery with its continued high unemployment, record deficits, and growing likelihood of a double-dip recession, what is surprising is the loss of confidence among progressives themselves. To mark but two instances, in September, Shepard Fairey, the graphic artist that created that iconic Hope poster for Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, expressed disappointment with the President, and now, the Ironweed Film Club, a monthly DVD subscription service renowned for its politically-progressive documentaries, has released Overdose: The Next Financial Crisis, ...Read the entire review

When you look at the world's most precious resources there are few which stand out as being vital to the support of life on our planet. Water pretty much tops that bill because without it, we're screwed. It's the giver of all life and the planet is covered by it, but as you're well aware there's a smaller percentage of H20 that is actually suitable for drinking. But what would happen if that water all dried up? How would the landscape change? What would happen to the plants, animals, and people who live in the region?

Put together by the Chronicles Group and released on DVD by Iron Weed, Running Dry is an 82 minute documentary that focuses on the global water crises. Narrated by Jane Seymour, the material is harrowingly truthful and will really put your position on the matter into perspective. Sure some of the documentary feels like an environmental promotio...Read the entire review

The Movies
"Make not your minds your prisons." – William Shakespeare

As DVD Talk's fearless leader Geoff Kleinman explained earlier in 2006, Ironweed Film Club "is a new DVD club focused on creating discussions around socially relevant and progressive topics. It is a subscription-based club which sends out a monthly ... DVD containing at least one feature and several shorts." Now in its eighth incarnation, the Ironweed Film Club seems indeed dedicated to providing, as it says, "independent movies by fearless filmmakers ... provocative films you won't find at the local multiplex or chain video store."

It's a unique concept, one which encourages group viewing of challenging, often compelling films that might otherwise slip through the cracks unnoticed – it also provides helpful context to further flesh out films that might not otherwise be digested and fully cons...Read the entire review

In my hometown of Harrisburg, PA, there's a house on Walnut Street populated by a person I refer to as "Anti-Abortion Guy". I'm actually not sure whether a man, woman, or entire family lives there, but that's the nickname I've given to the owner of the house. The front lawn is adorned by a large sign decorated with all sorts of fist-clenching phrases, like "Planned Parenthood is a Friend of Pedophiles", "God Bless Pat Robertson" and large, graphic photos of aborted fetuses. It makes driving to and from work all the more enjoyable, believe me.

In Shelby Knox's hometown of Lubbock, TX, her school won't educate students about safe sex, including the use of condoms. They've been directed to tell students that abstinence is the only way to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases---and whil...Read the entire review

Politics can be an ugly beast. While national elections have grabbed headlines lately local elections have wasted no time matching them for spitefulness. The 2002 mayoral election in Newark was a particularly heated battle that not only pitted two fierce competitors against one another but found two completely different political ideals duking it out for power.

Marshall Curry's Street Fight follows the Newark race with notable depth and bravery. He gets under the skin of what makes this ugly election so important and pulls no punches getting to the truth. He mostly follows challenger Cory Booker as he tries to unseat incumbent Sharpe James, Newark's mayor for several decades. Booker, a political outsider with an Ivy League education, has a serious uphill battle against James, on old fashioned politician who gains his support by throwing parties for his constituents and appealing to their s...Read the entire review

In 10 Words or Less
The only blacklisted American film

Reviewer's Bias*
Loves:
Likes: Old movies, subversive films, the Ironweed concept
Dislikes:
Hates:

The Story So Far...
Ironweed Film Club offers subscriptions to their monthly DVD, which features two or three films that fit progressive political and social themes, mostly in the documentary genre. The theme changes each month, and the production run is limited, which means you have to jump on a title if you want it, because it won't be available for long.

Ironweed has released four issues so far, and DVDTalk has reviews of the previous three:
• V...Read the entire review

In 10 Words or Less
A look inside a truly foreign world

Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Documentaries
Likes:
Dislikes:
Hates: Human suffering, Egomaniacal dictators

The Story So Far...
Ironweed Film Club offers subscriptions to their monthly DVD, which features two or three films that fit progressive political and social themes, mostly in the documentary genre. The theme changes each month, and the production run is limited, which means you have to jump on a title if you want it, because it won't be available for long.

Ironweed has released two issues so far, and DVDTalk has reviews of both:
• Volume 1Read the entire review

In 10 Words or Less
The revolution will be on DVD

Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Good one-man shows, documentaries
Likes: Liberal, progressive politics/causes
Dislikes: Being depressed
Hates: Corporate ideology

The Movies
Power Trip
Sitting here, typing out this review, electricity is humming around me. It's powering my laptop, the router feeding my internet access, the monitor I am watching the movie on, the DVD player playing it, the receiver pumping out the sound and the central-air system heating my house. That's just the items in my field of vision at the moment. There's a blizzard bearing down on the area, and there's a chance all this power will go away, but...Read the entire review

Some Background:Ironweed is a new DVD club focused on creating discussions around socially relevant and progressive topics. It is a subscription-based club which sends out a monthly volume DVD containing at least one feature and several shorts. Many of their features are critically acclaimed and award winning films that have played key film festivals. At this point there is limited availability of the Ironweed DVDs after they are released, so if one of them interests you, it's best to snag them up before they're gone.

The DVD:
The spotlight title on the first volume from Ironweed is Wetback - The Undocumented Documentary, a 97 minute film by Arturo Pereze Torres and Heather Haynes. While most Americans are aware of the growing population of migrant workers and 'illegal' immigrants, few truly understand why so many Cent...Read the entire review