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August 3, 2006
Lazy Heat Wave Links
I think the heat wave is making me lazy (it's certainly making me sleepy), so here are two quick comments about things I've been planning to mention: First, it looks like Fayetteville, North Carolina will be getting its very own chapter of Drinking Liberally in the next few days. I really enjoyed the two DC groups quite a bit, and when a new friend here in town suggested we start a chapter here, it sounded like a great idea. I don't think that many of my readers are from here in Fayetteville, but if you happen to come across this entry, be sure to check for updates on the main DL page or drop me an email. Right now, we're planning to get things started by mid-August, with the hopes that everyone's schedules will be returning to normal by then.
Second, for my readers who don't read Green Cine Daily, I just wanted to mention that David's "summertime quetsion" for me was posted today. Regular readers of my blog will probably not be surprised that he asked me to name the "documentary of the year" so far. I still stand by my response (I mentioned Black Sun as my favorite thus far) , but of course I can think of several others I wish I'd listed. The documentary that has been bringing the most traffic to my site recently is Jesus Camp, which focuses on an evangelical camp for kids, and given the doc's treatment of the mix between religion and politics, I think it may provoke some interesting discussions in the months to come.
Update: Speaking of Drinking LIberally, I just got an email notice that the DC Drinking Liberally Thursday group will be hosting a preview screening Sundance's new documentary series, The Hill, which is set in the office of Florida Congressman Robert Wexler (Dem), and depicts the professional and personal lives of many of Wexler's staffers. Several of The Hill's subjects will be attending the preview screening, which is set for tonight (Thursday) from 6:30-9 at Timberlake's, 1726 Connecticut Ave NW. Now that I'm no longer in DC, I guess I'll have to wait until the TV premiere on August 23, but The Hill looks like really compelling TV.
Update 2: I've been getting tons of hits lately from people looking for information on or reviews of Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's documentary Jesus Camp, in part (I'm guessing) because of the recent controversy over whether the film would be playing at Michael Moore's Travese City Film Festival. Originally it was implied that Jesus Camp distributors, Magnolia Pictures, had decided to pull the film, but Cinematical, among others, is reporting that Magnolia merely requested the film be pulled and Moore denied the request. I may be wrong, but I don't think that viewers are significantly more likely to dismiss the film as "liberal" because of the association with Moore's festival, and in fact, this controversy may even bring a larger audience to the film. Once again, I'm very curious to see how the publicity surrounding a film will ultimately shape its reception.
Posted by chuck at August 3, 2006 1:05 PM
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