Current Film: The Last White Knight
“It is compelling, unnerving, and challenging.” - Anthony Marcusa, Scene Creek (Full review)
“No topic is off limits, no question goes unanswered and some of the responses are astonishing.”
“With a supporting cast as diverse as actors and activists Morgan Freeman and Harry Belafonte and a trio of shockingly dim-witted KKK members preaching white intellectual superiority, Saltzman adds depth to the interviews at the heart of the story.”
- Linda Barnard, The Toronto Star (Full review)
“Paul Saltzman has made a remarkable film from an ethical point-of-view: The Last White Knight challenges viewers in complex and moral ways.”
- Marc Glassman, Point of View (Full review)
“The Last White Knight is both timely and daring, insisting that racism is not only alive and well in the United States, but a matter that can be as firmly gripped as a handshake.”
- Geoff Pevere, The Globe and Mail (Full review)
Download the PDF of the Dork Shelf interview with filmmaker, Paul Saltzman.
Current Film: Stolen Seas
3.5 out of 4 stars. “‘Stolen Seas’ is one of the more dramatic documentaries I have seen, recalling Tony Scott’s “Enemy of the State” with its quick edits and pounding score.”
- Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun (Full Review)
“Riveting”
“‘Stolen Seas’ assembles an impressive array of articulate experts on such subjects, cramming everything from Somali history to ethical introspection — everyone who buys imported fish and goods is implicated — into a head-spinning, pulse-pounding thriller.”
- Peter Debruge, Variety (Full Article)
“Thymaya Payne’s bold debut feature steps back for a view of Somali piracy that’s both broader and more incisive than most mainstream news coverage.”
- Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter (Full Article)
“Stolen Seas is a gripping and eye-opening film about Somali piracy that shows us that things are often not what they seem. Full of rich moral dilemmas, fresh perspectives, rigorous journalism and visually striking storytelling, Stolen Seas takes us on an emotional journey where we are forced to re-examine our prejudices about a misunderstood African reality.”
- Palm Springs International Film Fest Jury (Full report)
Download the pdf of the Foreign Policy Magazine interview with filmmaker, Thymaya Payne.
Check out other press the film has gotten:
Review by Andrew Schenker of Time Out New York
Review by Jeannette Catsoulis from The New York Times
Review by Peter Simek of D Magazine’s FrontRow
Review by Alan Scherstuhl from The Village Voice
Article by Allison Willmore for Indiewire
Article by Joe Warminsky in the Washington City Paper
Upcoming Film: The Last White Knight
“It is compelling, unnerving, and challenging.” - Anthony Marcusa, Scene Creek (Full review)
“No topic is off limits, no question goes unanswered and some of the responses are astonishing.”
“With a supporting cast as diverse as actors and activists Morgan Freeman and Harry Belafonte and a trio of shockingly dim-witted KKK members preaching white intellectual superiority, Saltzman adds depth to the interviews at the heart of the story.”
- Linda Barnard, The Toronto Star (Full review)
“Paul Saltzman has made a remarkable film from an ethical point-of-view: The Last White Knight challenges viewers in complex and moral ways.”
- Marc Glassman, Point of View (Full review)
The Last White Knight is both timely and daring, insisting that racism is not only alive and well in the United States, but a matter that can be as firmly gripped as a handshake.
- Geoff Pevere, The Globe and Mail (Full review)
Download the PDF of the Dork Shelf interview with filmmaker, Paul Saltzman.
Past Films: Big Boys Gone Bananas!*
4 out of 5 stars. ”Gripping.” - Xan Brooks, The Guardian (Full Review)
“Compelling and often shocking.” - Dave Calhoun, Time Out London (Full Review)
“A David-and Goliath story that delves into corporate scare tactics, legal effrontery, brand protection, media manipulation, online propagandizing and craven behavior.”
— John Anderson, Variety (Full Article)
“A provocative look at what can happen when corporate power takes aim at independent film. (…) With his shaggy, hangdog look and mild, unflappable demeanor, Mr. Gertten easily solicits empathy for his plight. Making no pretense of giving Dole a voice (in fact, a spooky voice recording and a shadowy image are pretty much all we get of this multinational company), he instead questions media alignment behind the food giant. Pointed comments from journalists, spin experts and Mr. Gertten’s stoic colleagues lighten the mood, but there’s no doubt that this director has ended this battle significantly more chastened and exhausted than when he began.”
— Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times (Full Article)
Check out other press the film has gotten:
Review by Mark Adams of Screen Daily
Review by Sheri Linden of the LA Times
Review by Brett Simon at Shockya.com
Past Films: Battle for Brooklyn
4 out of 5 stars. – Time Out New York
NY Times Critics’ Pick — Neil Genzlinger, New York Times
“The movie…has heart, soul and chutzpah…Feisty but fairly reported…The time line that drives ‘Battle for Brooklyn’ makes it as urgent as any Hollywood thriller.”
— Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News (Full Article)
“The movie proves a deft look at a reluctant crusader and how financial sway and political override can so effectively trump the power of the average citizen.”
— Gary Goldstein, The Los Angeles Times (Full Article)
“…Battle for Brooklyn is at its best showing how Atlantic Yards used the pretense of democracy to enrich the powerful, but how it also energized actual citizens to fight the good fight…”
— Chris Smith, New York magazine (Full Article)
“Battle for Brooklyn transcends typical left-right politics, unites all who believe in self-respect and democracy, and invites Americans to join together in the fight against the elite’s abuse of eminent domain.”
- Bruce E. Levine, The Huffington Post (Full Article)
Download or read the Village Voice interview with the filmmakers.
Check out other press the film has gotten:
Review by Donald Levit of Reel Talk Reviews
Review by Moira McDonald from the Seattle Times
Review by Mark Jenkins from NPR
Review by Andrew O’Hehir at Salon
Review by Omar Moore for the Examiner
Review by Matt Brennan from Indiewire
Review by Terrence Butcher in Pop Matters
Review by Clint O’Connor at the Cleveland Plain Dealer
Past Films: Charlie is My Darling
3.5 out of 4 stars. “The Rolling Stones: Charlie Is My Darling—Ireland 1965 captures this charged moment in the band’s history with a stylish intimacy absent from Stones in Exile or even Shine a Light.”
- Ted Scheinman, Slant Magazine (Full Review)
“A riveting reminder of when they were a generational lightning rod” – Jon Savage, The Guardian (Full Review)
“Long a legendary, unseen artifact among Stones fans and cinephiles …’The Rolling Stones: Charlie Is My Darling — Ireland 1965,’ is an essential addition”
- A. O. Scott, The New York Times (Full Review)
“Charlie Is My Darling captures the quintet at their most impossibly vernal and beautiful.” - Melissa Anderson, The Village Voice (Full Review)
“It’s as rousing as it is intimate, witnessing a brilliant band’s ascent into greatness,” - Chris Cabin, Slant Magazine (Full Review)
“The footage really humanizes the band, giving us a ride on their train, a couch in their riffing sessions, and a front row seat to their very early concerts.”
- Frank Pasquine, Paste Magazine (Full Review)
“Absolutely staggering: The live footage alone is arguably the most exciting video document of the Stones’ early years, capturing both the primal energy of their performance and the hysteria it evoked in their audiences.”
- Jem Aswad, Billboard (Full Review)
Check out other press the film has gotten:
Review by Edna Gunderson of USA Today
Andrew Loog Oldham on Rolling Stones film, ‘Charlie is my Darling.’ from the LA Times
Review by Ronnie Scheib at Variety
Review by Prairie Miller at News Blaze
Review by Patrick Doyle for Rolling Stone Magazine
Review by Jim Farber for NY Daily News
Review by Andrew Pettie from The Telegraph
Article by Zach Wigon from Indiewire