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Music fans rejoice! Two of Canada's greatest documentarians have returned to Hot Docs in 2014 to examine one of the most enduring stories in rock 'n roll: Alice Cooper, in "Super Duper Alice Cooper." Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen are a pair of super-duper filmmakers that have so far given us "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey," "Global Metal," "Iron Maiden: Flight 666," and "Rush: Behind the Lighted Stage."

This production super duo have a real knack at getting you to care about bands you may have never wanted to know anything about. Alice Cooper has legions of fans around the world, and they will love this film, but for many, he's just the guy in the scary make-up. If that describes you, prepare for a highly enjoyable Alice Cooper education.

The real heavy lifting in "Super Duper Alice Cooper" is carried by the story itself. It's unreal. Born in Detroit, raised...

I've often said this to fellow metalheads, but it's pretty much true: Bruce Dickinson can make anything interesting. Not only is he the air raid siren vocalist for Iron Maiden, but he is also an accomplished solo artist, professional fencer, author (he wrote a kids' book!), and of course, a qualified pilot.

In fact, for those who haven't seen the Iron Maiden: Flight 666 documentary, Dickinson actually pilots Ed Force One, a customized 757 that carries the personnel and crew and gear for Iron Maiden when on tour. It's pretty mind-blowing seeing that stuff all set up in one single plane, watching Dickinson pilot it out into the skies, land it, and then change into his stage gear to scream it out loud on top of the very gear he just flew across the world. Seeing this in action in the Sam Dunn documentary is damn impressive.

Anyway, Dickinson recently recorded...

[1] As the year comes to an end, anybody and everybody are posting their best of the year lists. Most of these lists contain variations of the same 15 or 20 films. To break the mold, some are even posting lists of the best films of the year that you probably haven't seen. I find that even these lists are filled with the same movies. And if you're a film geek reading a site like /Film, chances are you know about most of the movies on these lists. I wanted to do something different and compile a list of the best films of the year that you've never heard of. The selections should be movies that (for the most part) none of your family or friends have heard of, and you might even have to do some extra legwork to get your hands on. It is not an easy task. Even though we...

Being Human is back! Nurse Jackie heads back to UK TV screens! Charlie Brooker's How TV Ruined Your Life begins! And there are loads of upcoming films on British telly, too...

There are only a few new shows starting up in the coming week, but the next seven days brings some precious gems of telly programming...

Your humble, scouring servant of the telly schedules is not a huge fan of medical dramas. But last year's first series of Nurse Jackie has undone an admirably long run of avoidance of hospital-set shows and ruined a perfect record. Edie Falco (Oz, The Sopranos) owns the role of pill-fuelled ER nurse, Jackie Peyton, a character who's almost as equally admirable as she is deplorable. Jackie's addiction leads her to make amoral choices, while her nearly ferocious dedication to her job makes her almost heroic at times in her defence and care of patients and family.

By Todd Garbarini

Rush is a band that has been playing live since 1968 and recording and touring since 1974. They rank just behind The Beatles and the Rolling Stones for the most consecutive gold or platinum studio album sales. They have toured the globe many times over in support of their 19 studio albums and have played to millions of people for 36 years. Despite all of this, little is known about this Canadian rock group outside of the circles of their most ardent fans. Rush is comprised of three fairly private individuals who don’t think of themselves as interesting enough to warrant media scrutiny. Fortunately, there are those who disagree. Among them are filmmakers Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen, both Rush fans who met with the Holy Rock Triumvirate in August 2007 during a stop in Dallas, TX while on tour in support of their “Snakes and Arrows” album. During the visit,...

Longtime fans of the Canadian rock group Rush may sometimes get annoyed by the fact that however long one has been following the band, the trio of musicians tend to be so cagey and secretive, we rarely learn much about them outside of their music. Fortunately, the band whose work has been a favorite among musicians while at the same time being misunderstood by the mainstream public for decades, are the subject of a new documentary called Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage courtesy of Scott McFadyen and Sam Dunn, the filmmakers behind Metal: A Headbanger's Journey and the Iron Maiden concert movie Iron Maiden: Flight 666 . While it may be a fairly straightforward and linear examination of the band's music and history since their formation in 1971, what longtime Rush fans will...

The first time I heard Rush, everything else I was doing suddenly didn't matter. My body just started releasing Dopamine like some sort of excited puppy with a weak bladder. I had been playing drums for about five years at the time and was listening to guys like Rod Morgenstein of the Dixie Dregs, John Bonham, Steve Smith, who played with Ahmad Jamal, Montrose and Jean-Luc Ponty before joining Journey, Billy Cobham, Steve Gadd and Stuart Copeland; anyone who gave me inspiration. As I sat there completely immersed in the syncopated precision of this Canadian power trio, I remember thinking to myself, "Who are these Gods?" Twenty-five years later, that question was skillfully answered by writers/directors Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen, creators of Metal: A Headbanger's Journey and Iron Maiden: Flight 666. Their latest in-depth documentary, Beyond The Lighted Stage...

Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage Directed by: Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen Featuring: Neil Peart, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson Interviews: Sebastian Bach, Jack Black, Les Claypool, Billy Corgan, Kirk Hammet, Taylor Hawkins, Vinnie Paul, Mike Portnoy, Trent Reznor, Gene Simmons, Matt Stone, Zakk Wylde There are three types of people in the world: people who love Rush, people who hate Rush, and the rest of the world who have never heard of Rush. Regardless, after 36 years the band has accumulated two-dozen gold records and fourteen platinum records, and are responsible for influencing many of the modern metal and hard rock bands of today. Their story, like any other band, has its ups and downs and the most interesting aspect is that they have strayed away from complete mainstream acceptance from traditional press and critical praise. Director Sam Dunn (Metal: A Headbanger's Journey,Iron Maiden: Flight 666) has thoroughly dug through...

HollywoodNews.com: VH1 Rock Docs’ latest feature will be “Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage.” The 2010 Tribeca Film Festival Audience Choice Award documentary gives a comprehensive exploration of the history of legendary Canadian power trio, Rush – from their early days growing up in the suburbs of Toronto, through their landmark albums and tours, and finishing with them in the present day. This documentary offers an in-depth look at the band’s evolution: starting with their progressive hard rock sound of the 70’s, through their popular rock sound of the early 80’s, continuing through the keyboard influenced mid/late 80’s, and deciding in the 90’s to return to a sound more resembling that which made them famous.

“Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage” explores the phenomenon behind what could be the world’s biggest cult band, Rush. Directors Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn (“Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey” & “Iron Maiden: Flight 666″) tell...

DVD Playhouse—July 2009

By

Allen Gardner

Do The Right Thing: 20th Anniversary Edition (Universal) Spike Lee’s groundbreaking fable about race relations in an ethnically mixed Brooklyn neighborhood during a sweltering New York summer remains as potent, timely and prescient as it was in 1989. Lee is among the cast, which also includes John Turturro, Danny Aiello, Samuel L. Jackson, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, and Rosie Perez (to name a few), that provide the tableaux-like framework for this stunning work. Criminally ignored by Oscar (it wasn't even nominated for Best Picture, but did garner nods for Supporting Actor Danny Aiello and Lee’s screenplay), it endures as a timeless classic. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Commentary by Lee, Ernest Dickerson, Wynn Thomas, Joie Lee; Documentary; Deleted and extended scenes; Featurettes. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS 5.1 surround.

Coraline (Universal) A young girl moves into an old Victorian house with her parents...

It's February 1st, 2008, in Mumbai, India. Thousands of crazed Indian rockers bounce in unison as British metal icons Iron Maiden perform “Aces High.” This is the first show of twenty-three in a most ambitious undertaking. Filmmakers Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen are along for the ride, aboard a custom outfitted 757, complete with the band, the entire road crew, and twelve tons of equipment. They're destined for the far reaches of the globe and, perhaps, rock n' roll history. Iron Maiden: Flight 666 chronicles the first leg of the band's 2008 “Somewhere Back in Time” tour, taking them 50,000 miles around the globe, playing some of the most unlikely venues imaginable. From Bogota, Columbia to Santiago, Chile, the band set out to prove what promoters claimed was an economic and logistical impossibility—to play countries no other bands have played and do it at break-neck speed. Oh, and while we're at it, why...

DVD Links: DVD News | Release Dates | New Dvds | Reviews | RSS Feed A few tidbits before we get started with this week's releases begin with news Howard's End is the film that won the Amazon.com online voting to become one of Criterion's next Blu-ray releases. A release date has not yet been announced, but a preorder has been made available at Amazon. Next, I previously listed The Soloist for DVD and Blu-ray from Paramount Home Entertainment, but have since been asked to remove the August 4 release date as it was apparently mistakenly added to the official release schedule. I will have an update once Paramount revises their schedule. Finally, Deadline Hollywood is reporting The Weinstein Company's recent financial troubles have caused the studio to relinquish the DVD and Blu-ray rights to Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds with co-distributor Universal Pictures now set to step in. And now, on with this week's releases.

Metal gods Iron Maiden have been in the news a lot lately, mostly thanks to the huge buzz surrounding the release of their award-winning concert film Iron Maiden: Flight 666. Now, PR Newswire reports that the film will receive its exclusive Us television premiere on 6/06 (well, two out of three sixes ain't bad), on VH1 Classic and MTV's HD music channel Palladia. We've got more info below the jump! Flight 666 is a documentary detailing the first month and a half of Maiden's ambitious 2008 Somewhere Back In Time world tour, shot on high-definition video with a 5.1 Surround soundtrack. It premiered in theaters worldwide earlier this year, and it's already raking in critical acclaim and awards (including...

'Iron Maiden Day' was launched with the premiere of the band's new documentary in London last night (20.04.09). Band members Bruce Dickinson, Janick Gers, Adrian Smith and Nicko McBrain were greeted by fans at the launch of 'Iron Maiden: Flight 666', which follows the group's groundbreaking 2008 tour. The film - which shows the band chartering their own private jet, flown by lead singer Bruce, for the concerts - will be simultaneously launched at over 450 screens in 41 countries today (21.04.09). Many cinemas will show the film for one night only. Guitarist Adrian said: "I think it gives a great insight into touring with Iron Maiden, it's a great fly-on-the-wall experience. And if people want us to...

"Iron Maiden Day" was launched with the premiere of the band's new documentary in London Monday night. Band members Bruce Dickinson, Janick Gers, Adrian Smith and Nicko McBrain were greeted by fans at the launch of "Iron Maiden: Flight 666," which follows the group's groundbreaking 2008 tour.

The film - which shows the band chartering their own private jet, flown by lead singer Bruce, for the concerts - will be simultaneously launched at over 450 screens in 41 countries Tuesday. Many cinemas will show the film for one night only.

Guitarist Adrian said: "I think it gives a great insight into touring with Iron Maiden, it's a great fly-on-the-wall experience. And if people want us to come and play, we'll do it, that's our philosophy - we take our music out to people, whoever wants it."

The "Somewhere Back in Time" tour included stops in South East Asia and South America, and saw...

Documentaries about musicians gravitate towards dysfunction, because that's how you get drama into documentaries and most musicians — especially in bands, where too much time spent together yields unnatural tensions — seem to be pretty dramatic anyway. So it's curious that both Anvil!: The Story Of Anvil and Iron Maiden: Flight 666 played at SXSW, because they're about as diametrically opposed as movies about metal bands that've lasted over 30 years could be. They're both love letters, but one has to convince the audience to care; the other is pre-sold. As for which is better, that'd be Anvil. This is made out of love as much as any sense of "what a story"; the last shot (a post-credits photo of director Sacha Gervasi as 1985's best-coiffed teen metalhead with his then-favorite band) confirms that it's a gift from a former teen fan, wh ...

The South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival on Thursday announced the short-film lineup for this year's fest, which runs March 13-21 in Austin, Texas.

A total of 127 shorts, selected from 2,071 submissions, will screen at the festival in eight categories. Music videos and high school shorts will screen as well.

"We're always very proud of our shorts programs," film conference and festival producer Janet Pierson said. "Not only are they carefully curated with an eye towards a cohesive and entertaining 90-minute program, but we feel shorts provide an extremely fertile ground to discover new filmmaking talent."

Several features were added to the full lineup released last week, including Alex Vlack's Bill Withers documentary "Still Bill," Barbara Kopple's Woodstock work "My Generation," Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn's rockumentary "Iron Maiden: Flight 666" and Marc Webb's fictional feature "500 Days of Summer," starring Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.