Documentary

James-Cameron-Steven-Spielberg-AMC
Documentary

‘James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction’: Cinema’s Sci-Fi Master Plays Favorites on AMC

April 30, 2018 Lori Acken Comments Off on ‘James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction’: Cinema’s Sci-Fi Master Plays Favorites on AMC

From the moment Arnold Schwarzenegger’s part human, part cyborg killing machine strode onto movie screens in 1984’s The Terminator, movie buffs counted cowriter/director James Cameron among the go-to guys for cinematic sci-fi thrills. This month, AMC turns over its Visionaries docuseries franchise to the Hollywood multihyphenate for an exploration of the beloved genre’s roots, evolution and massive popularity via interviews with Schwarzenegger, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Greg Nicotero, Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan, Will Smith, Sigourney Weaver and others. “We tried to pick a few milestone pieces of popular culture — often movies or TV shows — and then go back […]

Symphony for our World
Documentary

Nat Geo Wild, X Ambassadors Set Mother Earth to Music with ‘Symphony for our World’

April 22, 2018 Lori Acken 2

On Sunday, April 22, Nat Geo Wild celebrates Earth Day — and the splendor of Mother herself — with the unique one-hour special Symphony for our World. And as the special’s stunning trailer says, it’s an event you have to hear to believe.   The perfect way to relax after your Earth Day efforts, Symphony for our World combines the gasp-inducing nature footage National Geographic and its television channels are known for with an original symphony created by Hans Zimmer’s Emmy- and BAFTA-nominated Bleeding Fingers Music, featuring composers Austin Fray and Andrew Christie. The duo’s five-part composition brings viewers on a journey through five […]

Elvis Presley The Searcher on HBO
Documentary

‘Elvis Presley: The Searcher’ on HBO: We Sit Down With Priscilla Presley And Music Documentarian Thom Zimny!

April 2, 2018 Lori Acken 6

Let’s start with what you do know about Elvis. Like “Hound Dog” and “Blue Suede Shoes.” “The Pelvis” nickname coupled with said pelvis’ Ed Sullivan Show debut. The stint in the Army, where he met a pretty girl named Priscilla. The feel-good films and the triumphant ’68 TV special. And the endless tabloid fodder that followed, even after his 1977 death at just 42. But do you know why Elvis moved the way he moved? Chose the songs he sang? Suffered so beneath the weight of the very fame he craved? Priscilla — Elvis’ only bride and lifelong confidante — […]

Katie Couric America Inside Out
Documentary

‘America Inside Out With Katie Couric’: The Veteran Journalist Puts Everyday Faces to National Agonies

April 2, 2018 Lori Acken Comments Off on ‘America Inside Out With Katie Couric’: The Veteran Journalist Puts Everyday Faces to National Agonies

For her 2017 National Geographic documentary Gender Revolution, veteran journalist Katie Couric crisscrossed the nation to put compelling faces and poignant personal stories to America’s complex relationship with gender identity. The experience proved so fulfilling that Couric hit the road again, delving into more crackling social issues that both inspire and undermine unity in our “United” States, challenging our individual moral compasses and coloring our outlooks far beyond any neighborly chat over the backyard fence. Issues like gender inequality; the plight of American Muslims; the economic uncertainty of the white working class; the intersection of history and oppression in our […]