Fahrenheit 9/11 Archives - The Playlist

Ranked: The 21st Century Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or Winners So Far

Oliver Lyttelton — Tue, 10 May 2016 17:14:32 +0000

‘Twas the night before cinephile Christmas… Film critics and fans from around the world, including Team Playlist, are heading to the south of France for the Cannes Film Festival, the world’s most prestigious celebration of the movies. The 69th festival kicks off tomorrow with the screening of Woody Allen’s “Cafe Society,” and George Miller’s jury will start getting a look at the 21 films in competition soon after that.

Continue reading Ranked: The 21st Century Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or Winners So Far at The Playlist.

The Playlist’s Best Documentaries Of The Decade

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:33:00 +0000

Reading our Best of the Decade film lists, you’ve been asking us, “uhh, where in the hell are all the documentaries?”

Well, we didn’t want to ghettoize them in a lesser category, but we did want to give them their full due, so therefore here we are. This list is slightly different than our best of Decade list and tends to favor our favorite documentaries, rather than the ones we think are definitively the best, though we endorse every single doc here as well (perhaps a few in our last spots could be switched out for some of our honorable mention if we really thought about it; “To Be And To Have,” “49 Up” and “Lake Of Fire” being three docs we really admire).

Continue reading The Playlist’s Best Documentaries Of The Decade at The Playlist.

Is Michael Moore New Economy Crisis Doc Called, ‘Bailout’? Director Asks Wall Street Insiders To Participate

Rodrigo Perez — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:47:00 +0000

Last we all heard from muckracker Michael Moore, the filmmaker had changed the focus of his post-“Fahrenheit 9/11” documentary cum “sequel” from foreign policy to the economy. The move was smart, the economic crisis/recession, and the number of workers who have received pink slips in the last three-four months is basically the only thing in the news and on people’s minds anymore. When was the last time you heard CNN talk about foreign policy?

So in his latest email blast on his website, Moore has written that he’s looking for help with his new film and he wants Wall Street employees, insiders and people on the ground floor to participate and tell the real story of what happened with our economic downturn.

Continue reading Is Michael Moore New Economy Crisis Doc Called, ‘Bailout’? Director Asks Wall Street Insiders To Participate at The Playlist.

The “Napoleon Dynamite” Effect Is Destroying Netflix Recommendations

astrudsands — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:09:00 +0000

The New York Times Magazine posted an interesting look into the public race ($1M prize, tech geeks!) to improve Netflix’s Cinematch recommendation software and the fascinating conundrum that all the civilian programmers working on it now are facing: we call it the “Napoleon Dynamite” Effect.

To summarize the Cinematch software and this contest: Netflix offered up a giant cash prize to anyone who can improve the recommendation software by 10%. Sounds small but every time the software is improved even a tenth of a percentage point it recommends more overall and more accurately to users, who then rent more movies.

Continue reading The “Napoleon Dynamite” Effect Is Destroying Netflix Recommendations at The Playlist.

Michael Moore Changes Focus Of Next Documentary From Foreign-Policy To Economy

Rodrigo Perez — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:49:00 +0000

Current events have compelled documentarian Michael Moore to change course. Initially his “sort-of” (but not really) sequel to “Fahrenheit 9/11” documentary and its subject were under wraps for a long time.

“Its scope is large-scale,” he told Anne Thompson at Cannes. “It’s not a sequel to ‘Fahrenheit 9/11.’ It’s for me the next logical step in a series of films that began with ‘Bowling for Columbine’ and went through ‘Fahrenheit’ and now bring me to this particular place… In this film I’m going to take a look at the empire we have created and how did we get there and exactly when are the lights going to be turned out on this empire?”

Well, according to the Hollywood Reporter, the film was to examine a foreign-policy scope, but now that the economy is in the press everyday and the political topic du jour, Moore has changed his mind and refocused.

Continue reading Michael Moore Changes Focus Of Next Documentary From Foreign-Policy To Economy at The Playlist.

Michael Moore Gives Hints About His Not-Sequel To ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:58:00 +0000

Michael Moore is adamant that his next film is not a sequel to “Fahrenheit 9/11.” He’s said it a bunch and told the NYTimes recently again (it seems dubious that the title will be “Fahrenheit 9/11.5” as some were calling it).He didn’t tell the Times much but did give some small hints. The Grey Lady says the director remains “coy” on the subject matter of the film, but he did not refute reports that it will “explore what he views as American imperialism.” And the recent stock market crash is apparently more grist for the mill.

Continue reading Michael Moore Gives Hints About His Not-Sequel To ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ at The Playlist.

Michael Moore: ‘Farenheit 9/11.5’ Is Not A Sequel, Jackasses

Rodrigo Perez — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:53:00 +0000

Michael Moore thinks you’re dumb. Yes, he’s doing a follow-up to his provocative documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11,” about the events and aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September, 11, 2001, but no, the film is not a “sequel,” and if you use that language, well you’re just a big jackass (or something).

“To just say it’s a sequel is so wrong,” Moore told The Associated Press on Friday at the Cannes Film Festival (he’s currently there trying to sell it though it’s still a work in progress).

Continue reading Michael Moore: ‘Farenheit 9/11.5’ Is Not A Sequel, Jackasses at The Playlist.

Umm, Way? Micheal Moore Making “Fahrenheit 9/11” Sequel

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 13 May 2008 19:00:00 +0000

Wtf? How do you do a documentary sequel to an event that happened seven years ago? Do you follow the aftermath of those events?

That appears to be what Michael Moore will be doing with his sequel to “Fahrenheit 9/11” (not subtitled: “This Time It’s War” or “Payback Is A Bitch” unfortunately). The controversial documentarian/ed-op director will attempt to shop the project to international buyers when the Cannes Film Festival and market get under way today according to Variety.

Continue reading Umm, Way? Micheal Moore Making “Fahrenheit 9/11” Sequel at The Playlist.