Salon.com > Documentary http://www.salon.com Fri, 03 May 2013 21:57:36 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Tale of lost Vietnam vet reunited with family in “Unclaimed” deemed false http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/tale_of_lost_vietnam_vet_reunited_with_family_in_unclaimed_deemed_false/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/tale_of_lost_vietnam_vet_reunited_with_family_in_unclaimed_deemed_false/#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 20:31:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13287073 The remarkable story of a Vietnam vet, who had been reunited with his American family after being presumed dead in 1968, made international headlines earlier this week thanks to an upcoming documentary, "Unclaimed."

But if it sounded too good to be true, it's because it was.

The ambitious project by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Jorgensen charts veteran Tom Faunce's journey to reconnect Special Forces Green Beret Master Sgt. John Hartley Robertson with his family. Though the filmmaker makes no claims, the conclusion seems firm when Robertson's 80-year old sister declares: “There’s no question. I was certain it was him in the video, but when I held his head in my hands and looked in his eyes, there was no question that was my brother."

But new information has emerged, debunking the conclusion of Jorgensen's film. From the Independent:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/tale_of_lost_vietnam_vet_reunited_with_family_in_unclaimed_deemed_false/feed/ 4 Catch a glimpse of Ke$ha’s “Crazy Beautiful Life” http://www.salon.com/2013/03/28/catch_a_glimpse_of_kehas_crazy_beautiful_life/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/28/catch_a_glimpse_of_kehas_crazy_beautiful_life/#comments Thu, 28 Mar 2013 19:53:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13254993 The home video/documentary series that tweens everywhere are anticipating, Ke$ha's "Crazy Beautiful Life," is almost here. Predictably, there is lots of glitter--though there is no urine.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/28/catch_a_glimpse_of_kehas_crazy_beautiful_life/feed/ 0 Fox making a documentary about Rihanna’s disastrous 777 tour http://www.salon.com/2013/03/18/fox_making_a_documentary_about_rihannas_disastrous_777_tour/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/18/fox_making_a_documentary_about_rihannas_disastrous_777_tour/#comments Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:42:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13245040 Fox will be making a documentary about Rihanna's now-infamous 777 tour, which made headlines last year when 256 fans and journalists were more or less held captive on a 777 jet with Rihanna as she spent a week performing around the world.

The documentary is meant to give a behind-the-scenes look at the entire promotional event for her 7th album, "Unapologetic," which debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200. The publicity, though unflattering, paid off: Her single, “Diamonds” topped Billboard Hot 100 the day after the tour ended.

A Gawker post, written anonymously by one of the journalists on board, offers a glimpse into what the documentary might cover (or not cover):

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/18/fox_making_a_documentary_about_rihannas_disastrous_777_tour/feed/ 4 “Makers”: How the feminist revolution was (partly) won http://www.salon.com/2013/02/26/the_makers_how_the_feminist_revolution_was_won_%e2%80%94_and_lost/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/26/the_makers_how_the_feminist_revolution_was_won_%e2%80%94_and_lost/#comments Tue, 26 Feb 2013 20:27:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13212817 Social movements are the stories of many, often only temporarily aligned, if that. And to tell one story means leaving things out. "Makers," the new documentary about the women's movement airing tonight on PBS, is noticeably aware of that, assiduously covering the bases of nearly every fissure that tore women apart in the last half-century: race, class, gender, sexuality, core political ideology, generational change.

But to tell it all would take more than a lifetime, so here are three hours that are an excellent place to start, especially for those not particularly inclined to start anywhere. (The next place to go is the documentary's website, an enormous archive of interviews, some of them with rare candor, from coal miner Barbara Burns to Hillary Clinton.)

The story begins where most everyone would expect it to, with "The Feminine Mystique," the ennui of white, educated suburban women, Betty Friedan launching it all. (Even as her homophobia and other severe limitations are called out, you have to feel for the deceased Friedan when the camera slowly pans from her, sitting exhaustedly at the edge of the table, to introduce a cigarette-laced, effortlessly charismatic Gloria Steinem at the other end of the table.) But it doesn't stop there: Black women -- particularly Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton -- give voice to the general inapplicability of the problems of the suburban, single-earner households to the longtime realities of their lives. Lesbians talk of being openly shut out of the movement for fear they would hurt its image. Phyllis Schlafly, a woman identified as a "homemaker/writer," and Fox News commentator Monica Crowley rep for right-wing women and their hostility to the f-word.

To "Makers'" credit, there are famous women here -- famous in the world at large, famous in the retellings of the women's movement -- but there are also women whose names we never heard or forgot, like Kathrine Switzer, the first woman who ran the Boston marathon (and was physically blocked by an official for her audacity), and Dusty Roads, a flight attendant who sued over discrimination. There is attention to cultural barriers and to legal and political ones, to violence and to resistance.

Watching the documentary, it suddenly seems starkly clear that the most profound unresolved conflict of women's progress is not all of the competing struggles of identity, although they obviously matter, but an ambivalence about traditional female roles and activities. That ambivalence lies at the heart of unresolved questions about motherhood, the pleasures or pains of domesticity and fashion, sexuality and "objectification," the persistence of "pink ghetto" jobs held by women -- whether they're being rejected, embraced or reclaimed. (Interestingly, the often-bitter battles over pornography and other forms of paid sex work, for example, are hardly mentioned, unless you count Madonna and the picketing of the Miss America pageant.) And too often, this ambivalence is dispatched with a pat assertion that feminism is about women making choices, so all choices are good. It's beyond the documentary's provenance to solve these disputes, but it provides plenty of fodder to examine them.

Madonna didn't sit for an interview, but there's an archival clip of her saying, "To the feminists, I would like to point out that they're missing a couple of things. Because I may be dressing like the typical bimbo or whatever, but I'm in charge, and isn't that what feminism is all about?" It functions as a book-end to the end of the documentary, which deals (with far less deftness, from this biased, 29-year-old observer's perspective) with whether young women are properly carrying on the mantle of the movement. Ms. co-founder Letty Cottin Pogrebin and her daughter Robin are presented as the archetype of semi-ungrateful younger women finding their mother's feminism to be incomplete. Of the younger Pogrebin's work-life conflict, narrator Meryl Streep intones, "Pogrebin quit her all-consuming television job. Instead, she worked shorter hours from home as a writer, relying more on her husband to support the family." Somehow, this problem, which is given a lot of airtime considering that just critique of the limits of Friedan, is posited as the problem of too much feminism, as opposed to not enough of it informing policies and norms.

Shortly afterward, Michelle Rhee and Marissa Mayer -- controversial figures in their own rights -- come out to essentially shrug off feminism, followed by Monica Crowley saying, "I think modern feminism has sort of come full circle, women are saying, I don't need a movement, I don't need female leaders to tell me what I want to get out of my life. I know what I like. To me that's the great victory of so-called feminism is we are now here to say I can reject the feminist movement or I can go out on TV and have a different opinion from the so-called feminist leaders, and that's OK." It is certainly "OK," in the sense that women have a range of experiences and ideas, and that is both good and not going anywhere. But the documentary itself makes crystal clear that women have never all agreed on what their lives should look like and what would constitute progress. Backlash was happening all around the pioneers; certainly, not every woman embraced feminism even in the 1970s. The only thing that's changed is that some of them are now getting paid more to say so.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/26/the_makers_how_the_feminist_revolution_was_won_%e2%80%94_and_lost/feed/ 4 Oscar Pistorius documentary on its way http://www.salon.com/2013/02/21/oscar_pistorius_documentary_on_its_way/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/21/oscar_pistorius_documentary_on_its_way/#comments Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:15:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13207406 As the saga of Paralympian Oscar Pistorius continues to unfold, it seems inevitable that a media outlet would move to relay the tragic story of the disgraced athlete, accused of murdering his girlfiend on Valentine's Day, on film. Moving quickly (and perhaps boldly), BBC Three has commissioned an hour-long "fast-turnaround" documentary detailing the death of South African model Reeva Steenkamp and subsequent murder trial of the fallen Olympian, reports the Hollywood Reporter.

"BBC Three is never afraid to tackle current affairs, and we are committed to showing bold, thought-provoking programs for 16-34-year olds," said BBC Three controller Zai Bennett. The production company, Mentorn Media, "will be producing this program at incredible speed."

A broadcast date has not yet been set, but executive producer  Steve Anderson emphasized the speed as well, saying, "The story of Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp has captured everyone’s attention. It is hugely important, and Mentorn has the expertise to deliver it quickly to BBC Three.”

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/21/oscar_pistorius_documentary_on_its_way/feed/ 0 Ken Burns wins legal battle against NYC over “Central Park Five” http://www.salon.com/2013/02/20/ken_burns_wins_legal_battle_against_nyc_over_central_park_five/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/20/ken_burns_wins_legal_battle_against_nyc_over_central_park_five/#comments Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:30:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13206510 After New York City officials issued a subpoena against "Central Park Five" filmmakers Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon in October 2012, they hoped to obtain unreleased footage examining the wrongful conviction of five black and Hispanic men in the infamous, racially charged 1989 Central Park jogger case. The five, who have since been exonerated, nine years ago filed an as-of-yet unsettled $250 million lawsuit against the city; Burns and his team have been vocal in their hopes that the case will be settled soon. City officials -- who did not cooperate in the making of the film -- had planned to obtain Burns' footage and find material to present in defense in the ongoing lawsuit, claiming that Burns and his team shouldn't get reporters' privilege because they were making a "one-sided advocacy piece."

Yesterday, however, Magistrate Judge Ronald L. Ellis of United States District Court in Manhattan ruled against the city, upholding the filmmakers' argument that "Central Park Five" was constructed as independent, investigative journalism. He argued that, “Indeed, it seems likely that a filmmaker would have a point of view going into a project,” but having an opinion does not have to be in conflict with independent reporting.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/20/ken_burns_wins_legal_battle_against_nyc_over_central_park_five/feed/ 0 Ke$ha drinks urine in upcoming documentary http://www.salon.com/2013/02/13/keha_drinks_urine_in_upcoming_documentary/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/13/keha_drinks_urine_in_upcoming_documentary/#comments Wed, 13 Feb 2013 23:10:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13200511 In case you were wondering what makes pop singer Ke$ha's life so crazy and so beautiful (which you will get to know intimately in her upcoming movie,"Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life"), it's that she drinks her own pee. When talking to BBC 1 about her upcoming home movie documentary, the "Tik Tok" singer said, "It's my brother and his weird friend following me around for the past two-and-a-half years. We didn't know what we were doing per se, but it's my little brother and he's my best friend. He's got me wasted at 6am ... He got all the things you would want to see and all the things you wouldn't really want to see - making out with dudes, drinking my own pee, jumping out of a building, jumping out of aeroplanes, swimming with sharks..."

She elaborated on the urine: "I was told drinking my own pee was good, I was trying to be healthy ... Somebody tried to take my pee away from me and I said, 'That is mine!' So I snatched it up and took a chug and it was really gross so I don't do it anymore."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/13/keha_drinks_urine_in_upcoming_documentary/feed/ 11 Beyoncé reveals all — or nothing? http://www.salon.com/2013/02/13/beyonce_reveals_all%e2%80%94or_nothing/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/13/beyonce_reveals_all%e2%80%94or_nothing/#comments Wed, 13 Feb 2013 21:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13200314 Beyoncé’s self-directed, self-produced documentary all about herself, “Life Is But a Dream,” premieres on HBO this Saturday, following weeks of high-profile Beyoncé-ing, at the inauguration and the Super Bowl, and with much more Beyoncé-ing soon to come. Beyoncé’s persona has always been an exercise in extreme control, control so complete and perfect it’s sometimes indistinguishable from omnipotence. The woman — or, as some would put it, the robot, which is exactly the point — does not mess up, part of why the recent lip-syncing at the inauguration incident became such a melée, the rare human misstep, ultimately resolved with an overpowering show of vocal force.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/13/beyonce_reveals_all%e2%80%94or_nothing/feed/ 7 Beyoncé wonders “How do I stay current?” in her new documentary http://www.salon.com/2013/01/14/beyonce_wonders_how_do_i_stay_current_in_her_new_documentary/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/14/beyonce_wonders_how_do_i_stay_current_in_her_new_documentary/#comments Mon, 14 Jan 2013 21:13:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13171018 "How do I stay current? How do I stay soulful?" asks Bey in the trailer for her HBO documentary, "Life is but a Dream," which came out this weekend.

Judging by the month that Beyonce's having--announcing a new album, being named the sexiest woman of the century past 11 years, singing for the President and releasing a movie she made about herself --it's hard to take the insecurities of the power-obsessed megastar seriously. Does anyone really believe that Beyonce won't remain "current" for the forseeable future?

But nonetheless, the documentary attempts to make the diva more relatable and human. "I get scared, I get nervous," says Beyonce, "just like everyone else."

"Life is but a Dream" premieres on HBO Feb. 16.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/14/beyonce_wonders_how_do_i_stay_current_in_her_new_documentary/feed/ 2 Exclusive clip: “Let Fury Have the Hour” http://www.salon.com/2013/01/10/exclusive_clip_let_fury_have_the_hour/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/10/exclusive_clip_let_fury_have_the_hour/#comments Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:05:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13167606 New York-based writer, producer and artist Antonino D'Ambrosio made his directorial debut with "Let Fury Have the Hour," at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year, a documentary based on his eponymous book about the 80s punk movement. Patching together art, history and interviews from 50 influential artists, musicians, writers and comedians (think Shepard Fairey, Tom Morello, Edwidge Danticat, John Sayles and Lewis Black), the filmmaker demonstrates how artists organized to create a dialogue, thereby creating a movement, in America.

View the clip below, released exclusively to Salon by CAVU Pictures, in which street artist Shepard Fairey discusses his vision for the future:

The film opened in theatres in New York City on Dec 14th, and extends its reach to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle in the coming months (Jan. 18, 25 and Feb. 15, respectively).

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/10/exclusive_clip_let_fury_have_the_hour/feed/ 0 Colin Quinn is excited about Martin Scorsese’s Bill Clinton documentary http://www.salon.com/2012/12/18/colin_quinn_is_excited_about_martin_scorseses_bill_clinton_documentary/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/18/colin_quinn_is_excited_about_martin_scorseses_bill_clinton_documentary/#comments Tue, 18 Dec 2012 20:55:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13148916 Like many of us, comedian and "SNL" veteran Colin Quinn is amused by the news that legendary director Martin Scorsese — he of "Mean Streets" and "Taxi Driver" and "Gangs of New York" and all the best gritty New York films about mobsters and violence and guilt and redemption — will be directing an HBO documentary about former President Bill Clinton. What would a Bubba in "Goodfellas" kind of movie be like? Quinn and friends have a few ideas:

From Quinn's Twitter feed:

[embed_tweet id="281106894209298432"]

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[embed_tweet id="281112778369032192"]

[embed_tweet id="281112162737475584"]

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[embed_tweet id="281107992013844480"]

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/18/colin_quinn_is_excited_about_martin_scorseses_bill_clinton_documentary/feed/ 1 Martin Scorsese to deliver Bill Clinton documentary http://www.salon.com/2012/12/17/martin_scorsese_to_deliver_bill_clinton_documentary/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/17/martin_scorsese_to_deliver_bill_clinton_documentary/#comments Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:19:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13147621 Legendary film director Martin Scorsese is partnering with HBO to produce a documentary about former President Bill Clinton. "A towering figure who remains a major voice in world issues, President Clinton continues to shape the political dialogue both here and around the world,” Scorsese said. “Through intimate conversations, I hope to provide greater insight into this transcendent figure.”

Scorsese has the full support of the 42nd president, who said, “I look forward to sharing my perspective on my years as President, and my work in the years since, with HBO’s audience.”

This will be Scorsese’s fourth collaboration with HBO, including a documentary about American author Fran Lebowitz ("Public Speaking") and the Emmy-winning "George Harrison: Living in the Material World." He also serves as executive producer for the network's "Boardwalk Empire."

h/t The Wrap, Deadline

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/17/martin_scorsese_to_deliver_bill_clinton_documentary/feed/ 1 Beyonce to make intimate documentary about Beyonce on HBO http://www.salon.com/2012/11/26/beyonce_to_make_intimate_documentary_about_beyonce_on_hbo/ http://www.salon.com/2012/11/26/beyonce_to_make_intimate_documentary_about_beyonce_on_hbo/#comments Mon, 26 Nov 2012 22:01:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13107860 Now that Beyonce Knowles has successfully taken over the radio and the Internet, she's off to conquer a new medium: filmmaking. The singer will direct, co-produce and star in a documentary about "a vibrant, vulnerable, unforgettable woman" (herself) due out in 2013 on HBO.

The L.A. Times reported in August that the documentary would be "a mix of music and personal study, blending concert footage with confessional interview," but Knowles has only now sealed the deal with HBO, saying "HBO has a history of pushing every boundary with class and authenticity." She added, "Some of my favorite shows are on HBO, so I am excited that my film will be part of its bold programming. This film was so personal to me, it had to have the right home."

h/t Huffington Post

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/11/26/beyonce_to_make_intimate_documentary_about_beyonce_on_hbo/feed/ 4 Spike Lee remembers the good of Michael Jackson’s “Bad” http://www.salon.com/2012/11/21/spike_lee_remembers_the_good_of_michael_jacksons_bad/ http://www.salon.com/2012/11/21/spike_lee_remembers_the_good_of_michael_jacksons_bad/#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2012 19:55:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13101945 How does anyone, even Michael Jackson, follow up “Thriller,” the world’s greatest-selling album of all time? That’s the question that drives Spike Lee’s celebratory doc “Bad25,” airing on ABC Thanksgiving night. After “Thriller,” a lesser artist would have thrown down his mic and declared “game over.” But for all of his public soft-spoken charm and shy demeanor, Michael Jackson had incredible chutzpah. Few around him truly believed that lightning could strike twice. That never deterred the little boy who had sung and danced his way out of working-class Gary, Ind. — he didn't just set out to create another “Thriller"; he planned to top it.

Creatively, MJ took even greater control with “Bad,” writing all but two of its 11 singles. He was also largely responsible for the creative direction of the album’s visually arresting videos — short films, really. His reward: “Bad” became the first album in history to land five consecutive No. 1 pop singles. “This Is It,” the docu-concert rehearsal film glimpsing into what MJ’s comeback tour may have been, showed MJ as an aging master reminding his audience of his greatness. “Bad25” revels in MJ’s solidification of the throne at a time when his talent was still relatively innocent and raw.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/11/21/spike_lee_remembers_the_good_of_michael_jacksons_bad/feed/ 13 “Crossfire Hurricane”: Stones doc doesn’t give much satisfaction http://www.salon.com/2012/11/14/crossfire_hurricane_stones_doc_doesnt_give_much_satisfaction/ http://www.salon.com/2012/11/14/crossfire_hurricane_stones_doc_doesnt_give_much_satisfaction/#comments Wed, 14 Nov 2012 20:47:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13072502 Hail, hail the Rolling Stones, for making it to the half-century mark, relatively intact.

Pioneering a career that has lasted as long as it has, filling arenas 50 years in, with shows that still have edge and swagger, is a remarkable achievement. Maybe more of an achievement than breaking through in the early days, remaking American blues, forcing themselves to write their own material, and creating a mystique that became almost bigger than the band, though not big enough to ward off the epic bad vibe that was Altamont.

It is those early days and the first 25 years of the band that are the sole focus of the new golden anniversary film they threw themselves, “Crossfire Hurricane,” making its debut on HBO Thursday night.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/11/14/crossfire_hurricane_stones_doc_doesnt_give_much_satisfaction/feed/ 5 The Rolling Stones cover the Beatles in never-before-seen video http://www.salon.com/2012/10/19/the_rolling_stones_cover_the_beatles_in_never_before_seen_video/ http://www.salon.com/2012/10/19/the_rolling_stones_cover_the_beatles_in_never_before_seen_video/#comments Fri, 19 Oct 2012 16:55:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13046016 The only thing better than watching intimate footage of a young Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards performing is watching them perform music by their billboard chart rivals the Beatles. (Though they're rumored to be personal rivals as well, Flavorwire notes that Keith Richards shared a great respect for the Beatles.)

The never-before-seen footage comes from the upcoming expanded release of "Charlie Is My Darling," the "legendary, but never released film" by Peter Whitehead. Whitehead documented the Rolling Stones' tour across Ireland in 1965 weeks after their hit "(I Can t Get No) Satisfaction" topped the charts.

Watch the Stones' laid-back rendition of  “I’ve Just Seen a Face” and “Eight Days a Week”:

h/t Flavorwire

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/10/19/the_rolling_stones_cover_the_beatles_in_never_before_seen_video/feed/ 12 Big story you missed http://www.salon.com/2012/08/27/big_story_you_missed_4/ http://www.salon.com/2012/08/27/big_story_you_missed_4/#comments Mon, 27 Aug 2012 21:35:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12993881 The new conservative documentary "2016: Obama's America" is looking like a sleeper hit. The film, which portrays President Barack Obama as a radical hell-bent on downsizing America, is based on a New York Times bestseller by Dinesh D'Souza.

Variety described "2016" as a "cavalcade of conspiracy theories, psycho-politico conjectures and incendiary labeling." But according to Entertainment Weekly, the indie documentary "is headed for mainstream success." Since premiering at a single theater in Houston six weeks ago, it has spread to 169 theaters -- and its per screen grosses continue to increase.

The movie is slated to play in 1,090 theaters within coming weeks. Though its sales don't approach liberal documentary hits like  "Fahrenheit 9/11," it could play a role in the 2012 election.

Watch the trailer below:

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