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Stop reading if you’ve seen this movie before — a wooden mannequin with the face of Greta Thunberg greets a horde of kindergarteners emerging from a steampunk Trojan horse under a dome of gigantic smartphones bathing them in hot blue light.

Alright, keep scrolling.

That singular image is one of the many goofy but eerie arrangements that Godfrey Reggio conjures in his newest odyssey, “Once Within a Time” — a dense, trance-inducing 43-minute feature that sees the “Koyaanisqatsi” director sounding the alarm on the technocratic foundations of our digital age.

“No festival wanted this film,” Reggio tells Variety, smoking American Spirits and sporting a gray bushy beard while speaking on a Zoom call in his Sante Fe, N.M. studio. “Not even Telluride, where they celebrated the 40th anniversary of ‘Koyaanisqatsi.’ They didn’t know what to make of it.”

Perhaps the festivals could be forgiven, as implied meaning isn’t...

Tom Luddy, co-founder of the Telluride Film Festival and producer of numerous films for Francis Ford Coppola’s Zoetrope Studios, died February 13 at a nursing home in Berkeley, CA, where he had been under care for dementia. He was 79.

The festival announced Luddy’s death this morning. The news comes two months after the death of another Telluride co-founder, Bill Pence.

Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Bill Pence Dies: Telluride Film Festival Co-Founder Was 82 Related Story Telluride Review: Werner Herzog's 'Theater Of Thought'

“The world has lost a rare ingredient that we’ll all be searching for, for some time,” said Julie Huntsinger, executive director of the Telluride Film Festival. “I would sometimes find myself feeling sad for those who didn’t get to know Tom Luddy properly. He had a Sphinxlike quality that took a little time to get around, for some.

You could, rightly, characterize director Bryan Fogel’s Academy Award-winning documentary “Icarus” as the product of dumb luck. It began as one film — a “Super Size Me”-type concept whereby Fogel, a cycling enthusiast, attempted to expose the ease of illegal doping by injecting himself with steroids — that became an arresting investigation into Russia’s decades-long use of performance-enhancing drugs, with the colorful Grigory Rodchenkov, head of the country’s anti-doping laboratory, as the primary whistleblower. With Rodchenkov’s testimony, Fogel made the pervasive rot of Russian sports into an enthralling piece of storytelling.

And yet, despite its envelope-pushing search for the truth, “Icarus” ended as almost all documentaries do: The audience’s eyes are opened and the subject who did the revealing fades into the background. Toward the end of the film, Rodchenkov’s lawyer, Jim Walden, appears to explain that his client is now in hiding, dodging the Russian government’s hit squads.

Prisoners of the Ghostland screenwriter/producer Reza Sixo Safai joins hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss his wildest cinematic experiences.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Infested (2002)

The Howling (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings

Hollywood Boulevard (1976) – Jon Davison’s trailer commentary

Bela Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla (1952) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary

Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021)

Mandy (2018)

Candy (1968) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary

S.O.B. (1981)

The Shining (1980) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary

Robin Hood (1973)

The Story of Robin Hood (1952)

Modern Times (1936)

The Kid (1921)

The Deer (1974)

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

Qeysar (1969)

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The Warriors (1979)

New Jack City (1991)

Colors (1988)

The Whip And The Body (1963)

Blow Out (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

Porky’s (1981)

Cinema Paradiso (1988) – Glenn Erickson’s Region B Blu-ray review, Glenn Erickson’s 4K Blu-ray review

Circumstance (2011)

Ninja 3: The Domination (1984)

Flashdance (1983)

Debbie...

One of the most astounding contributions to cinema is the Qatsi trilogy, which comes from director Godfrey Reggio and is scored by Philip Glass. Created over the span of twenty years, 1982’s Koyaanisqatsi, 1988’s Powaqqatsi, and 2002’s Naqoyqatsi show humankind’s effect on the planet in stunning, devastating ways. The duo reteamed a few years ago for Visitors and now they have another project in the works.

A few days ago the duo gathered for a conversation at Wbur CitySpace in Boston where Glass revealed, “I can say that we’re involved in a movie.” As reported by Bedford and Bowery, Reggio added that the initial idea is actually for “an opera which would be made into a movie.” Glass added, “It could be an opera. We even wanted a friend of ours [Robert Wilson] to work with us on it. And he likes the idea of the opera, but I actually...

Godfrey Reggio’s 1982 documentary “Koyaanisqatsi” is both a landmark cinematic tone poem and a beloved cult classic. The movie, featuring a score by Philip Glass, features no dialogue and simply juxtaposes slow-motion and time-lapse images from around the world. The result is a meditative examination of the relationship between humanity, nature, and technology, so naturally somebody on the internet decided to remake the film using random GIFs.

Created by Rico Monkeon, “Gifaanisqatsi” uses an algorithm to pull random GIFs from Giphy.com tagged as “slow motion or time-lapse” and assembles them in the style of “Koyaanisqatsi,” featuring the iconic Glass score that is the hallmark of the original documentary’s experience. The result is bafflingly random and oddly beautiful as the generator can juxtapose something as breathtaking as the Northern Lights with something as absurd as a cat scaling the side of a building.

“Koyaanisqatsi” was the first entry in...

This Blu is a fascinating hybrid of experimental film and historical documentary by Bill Morrison of Decasia fame. Lost film history and the vanished era of the Dawson Gold Rush blend into one story — all touched off by the discovery of tons of rare silent film, buried in the cold ground of the Canadian Yukon. And Donald Trump’s in there too! In the show, not the snow.

Dawson City: Frozen Time

Blu-ray

Kino Lorber Kino Classics

2017 / Color & B&W / 1:78 widescreen & 1:37 Silent Ap / 120 min. / Street Date October 31, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 34.95

Starring: Kathy Jones-Gates, Michael Gates, Sam Kula, Bill O’Farrell, Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo, Bill Morrison.

Film Editor: Bill Morrison

Researchers: Kathy Jones-Gates, Michael Gates

Original Music: Alex Somers; sound design John Somers

Produced by Bill Morrison and Madeleine Molyneaux

Written and Directed by Bill Morrison

Bill Morrison is the celebrated filmmaker of Decasia, a wonderful film...

Director and documentarian Mark Hartley scores both a film history and comedy success with this ‘wild, untold’ account of the 1980s film studio that was both revered and despised by everyone who had contact with it. The ‘cast list’ of interviewees is encyclopedic, everybody has a strong opinion, and some of them don’t need four-letter words to describe their experience!

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films

On a double bill with

Machete Maidens Unleashed!

Blu-ray

Umbrella Entertainment (Au, all-region

2014 / Color / 1:77 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date April 4, 2017 / Available from Umbrella Entertainment / 34.99

Starring: Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus, Al Ruban, Alain Jakubowicz, Albert Pyun, Alex Winter, Allen DeBevoise, Avi Lerner, Barbet Schroeder, Bo Derek, Boaz Davidson, Cassandra Peterson, Catherine Mary Stewart, Charles Matthau, Christopher C. Dewey, Christopher Pearce, Cynthia Hargrave, Dan Wolman, Daniel Loewenthal, David Del Valle, David Paulsen, David Sheehan, David Womark, Diane Franklin, Dolph Lundgren, Edward R. Pressman,...

At the bitter end of a ten-year slide into ever-cheaper productions, The Cannon Group sends stars David Bradley (a nice guy), Steve James (everyone's favorite) and Marjoe Gortner (a stiff) to South Africa for an anemic entry in this series. Cannon is considered a 'fun' subject this year because of those funny documentaries that came out. Savant cut the trailer for this particular picture, so takes the opportunity to talk about the wild life and times in the Cannon trailer department. American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt Blu-ray Olive Films 19 / B&W / 2:35 1:85 widescreen / 1:37 flat Academy / 90 min. / Street Date August 16, 2016 / available through the Olive Films website / 29.98 Starring David Bradley, Steve James, Marjoe Gortner, Michele Chan,Yehuda Efroni, Alan Swerdlow. Cinematography George Bartels Film Editor Michael J. Duthie Original Music George S. Clinton Written by Gary Conway from characters by Avi Kleinberger & Gideon Amir Produced by Harry Alan Towers Directed...

Don't let your boss see this movie, it'll give them ideas. Writer-director Kaneto Shindo reduces the human drama to its basics, as an isolated family endures a backbreaking existence of dawn 'til dusk toil to eke out a living. It's a beautiful but humbling ode to adaptability and human resolve. And the show has no conventional dialogue. The Naked Island Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 811 1960 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 94 min. / Hadaka no shima / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date May 17, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Nobuko Otowa, Taiji Tonoyama, Shinji Tanaka, Masanori Horimoto. Cinematography Kiyomi Kuroda Film Editor Toshio Enoki Original Music Hikaru Hayashi Produced by Eisaku Matsuura, Kaneto Shindo Written and Directed by Kaneto Shindo

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Writer-director Kaneto Shindo started his own production company in the 1950s earning critical attention but not great success with pictures on topical themes -- the legacy of Hiroshima, the story of the fishing trawler irradiated by a hydrogen blast.

Our look at underappreciated films of the 80s continues, as we head back to 1988...

Either in terms of ticket sales or critical acclaim, 1988 was dominated by the likes of Rain Man, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Coming To America. It was the year Bruce Willis made the jump from TV to action star with Die Hard, and became a star in the process.

It was the year Leslie Nielsen made his own jump from the small to silver screen with Police Squad spin-off The Naked Gun, which sparked a hugely popular franchise of its own. Elsewhere, the eccentric Tim Burton scored one of the biggest hits of the year with Beetlejuice, the success of which would result in the birth of Batman a year later. And then there was Tom Cruise, who managed to make a drama about a student-turned-barman into a $170m hit, back when $170m was still an...

George Lucas is out making the press rounds for his upcoming animated movie Strange Magic. In an interview with Screen Rant, the filmmaker talks about Star Wars: The Force Awakens and how he doesn’t know what the story is. As you know. he was developing Episode VII before Disney came on board, but it seems like J.J. Abrams may have changed a lot of what Lucas was initially planning.

“I haven’t seen anything; I mean I saw the trailer, it looks great, it looks interesting. But as I’ve said before: one thing I regret about Star Wars is that I never got to see it, you know? I never got to be blown away by the big ship coming over the thing, or anything. But this time I’m going to be, because I have no idea what they’re doing.”

It’s good to know...

George Lucas is working on two movies that he does not intend to release to the public.

The Star Wars filmmaker is writing the experimental films as personal projects in the style of his student days.

"The way [the films] are, they're not really movies that can be released," he told Hero Complex. "They're movies more for myself and maybe I'll show them to some of my friends.

"It costs more to put them out there than it does to make them. These are movies that are never going to make any money or anything."

Lucas intends to return to the more experimental approach he had as a young filmmaker before the success of Star Wars.

"They're like things I did in school or movies I produced, like Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, things like that," he said of the new projects. "But it's different because they're dramatic films. It's very hard to explain because it's never been done yet.

Free of traditional storytelling methods - there's no dialogue, no narrative, no cast nor characters - director Godfrey Reggio's Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi present exquisite widescreen imagery that weaves and dances, slows and races to the dizzying tempo of Philip Glass's extraordinary scores, tracing life's shift from nature's cycles to technology's inescapable forward momentum. To celebrate the Blu-ray release of these two visionary films this coming Monday (12 May), we have Two bundles of Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi to give away to our loyal readers, courtesy of Arrow Films. This is an exclusive competition for our Facebook and Twitter fans, so if you haven't already, 'Like' us at facebook.com/CineVueUK or follow us @CineVue before answering the question below.

"The stunningly photographed, often difficult, always transfixing film was not the most satisfying creation on display at Tiff, or for many cinemagoers, its most alluring. But it was without question its most important," correspondent Christopher Schobert wrote in his review of Godfrey Reggio's "Visitors" from Toronto last fall. "Here is a movie that defies simple interpretation and renders reviews—this one included—almost meaningless." And it's hardly a surprise the man behind the still influential trilogy "Koyaanisqatsi," "Powaqqatsi" and "Naqoyqatsi" has once again created a cinematic experience that is beyond words. But to help provide you with context, we've got a pretty terrific 8-minute, behind-the-scenes look at the movie, featuring along with the filmmaker, the participation of Steven Soderbergh (who is "presenting" the film), composer Philip Glass, editor Jon Kane and is narrated by musician/performance artist Laurie Anderson. And it's fascinating stuff....

Koyaanisqatsi (1982), a genre-defining, landmark film that features stunning time-lapse photography and a hypnotic score by Philip Glass, expanded the boundaries of film. It garnered a cult following and spawned countless imitators in the commercial, documentary and narrative film worlds (most recently, Samsara). Its director, Godfrey Reggio, followed it with Powaqqatsi (1988) and Naqoyqatsi (2002) to complete the long intended trilogy.Reggio insists his films are not experimental, but rather, experiential. He asserts this notion again with Visitors, his first new film in more than ten years. It's a visual tone poem presented in stunning monochrome 4K. Like his previous -qatsi trilogy, the 'life unbalanced' theme is still present. But consisting of only 74 shots, the film is a much more graceful, subtle, abstract experience. As...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Godfrey Reggio with Philip Glass, Jon Kane, Steven Soderbergh: "The template of the film is the moving still." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Steven Soderbergh is presenting Visitors, Godfrey Reggio's latest illuminating film collaboration with composer Philip Glass and assistant director/editor Jon Kane.

A girl wears her necklace off-center, a mouth quivers, freckles form constellations on a curious nose. When is there life in a face? Where it goes when it disappears and how fingers become ducks without eyes talking is what can move us in Visitors.

Glass, who collaborated with Reggio on five previous films - Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, Anima Mundi, Evidence, and Naqoyqatsi - described the unique way they work together. "Godfrey is very skillful in taking the technology and figuring out what to do with it…We've done six movies together and every time he says 'I want something completely different.' The music making and the...

You really can't keep a good Steven Soderbergh down. Supposedly retired from directing after “Behind The Candelabra”, the hyperactive movie-maker is using his time off to lend his name to worthy cinematic projects, and none worthier than “Visitors,” which is to be “presented by” Soderbergh, and for which a new trailer has arrived below.And what is “Visitors”, you ask? Only the first film in 10 years from Godfrey Reggio, perhaps the most celebrated experimental film-maker around today: his “Qatsi” trilogy (“Koyaanisqatsi,” “Powaqqatsi,” “Naqoyqatsi”) released from 1982 to 2002, is a genre defining, strange and powerful set of wordless, plotless mood pieces about man's relationship to the planet and to technology. They're not the easiest films to love, but no one forgets them, and our correspondent felt the very same about “Visitors” when it played at Tiff in September (read our review).“Visitors” will get a wider release on Valentine's Day 2014, but until then there's the trailer to.

Submarine Entertainment has licensed UK rights for Godfrey Reggio’s Toronto special presentation Visitors to Metrodome and struck an Italian deal with Feltrinelli Films.

Cinedigm previously acquired all North American rights and plans a fourth quarter 2014 release while Films We Like will distribute in Canada.

The Ire Production in association with Optic Nerve, Noyes Films and Phi Films isReggio’s first film in more than a decade and explores humanity’s relationship with technology.

Reggio’s previous outings include the feted Qatsi documentary trilogy of Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi and Naqoyqatsi.

Lawrence Taub, Reggio, Phoebe Greenberg, Penny Mancuso, Jon Kane and Mara Campione produced and Steven Soderbergh, Dan Noyes and Dean Chenoy served as executive producers.

David Koh and Dan Braun of Submarine and Taub negotiated the deals with Metrodome head of acquisitions Giles Edwards and Feltrinelli managing director Anastasia Plazzotta.

The world premiere of Qatsi trilogy director Godfrey Reggio’s long-awaited and eagerly anticipated “Visitors” provided the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival with something extraordinarily unique: its greatest cinematic experience. The stunningly photographed, often difficult, always transfixing film was not the most satisfying creation on display at Tiff, or for many cinemagoers, its most alluring. But it was without question its most important. Here is a movie that defies simple interpretation and renders reviews — this one included—almost meaningless. Booking Reggio’s first film in more than a decade was always going to make waves; his immaculately filmed, non-narrative Qatsi trilogy—“Koyaanisqatsi” (1982), “Powaqqatsi” (1988), and “Naqoyqatsi” (2002)—is rightfully ranked among the most important artistic achievements of the last thirty years. But that was just part of the excitement. For the premiere of “Visitors” at Toronto’s ornate Elgin Theatre, Reggio and his...

The filmmaker behind Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi and Naqoyqatsi returns this year with his latest feature. This one is called Visitors, and it's being presented by Steven Soderbergh at the Toronto Film Festival this fall featuring a live performance of Philip Glass' score by Members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The first trailer is out and it's rather odd, with the camera panning across the faces of numerous people. The concept: "Visitors offers an experience of technology and transcendental emotionality, taking viewers to the moon and back to confront them with themselves." If you like the Qatsi trilogy, you'll want to see this. Here's the latest promo trailer for Godfrey Reggio's new film Visitors, found on YouTube: Thirty years after Koyaanisqatsi, Godfrey Reggio—with the support of Philip Glass and Jon Kane—once again leapfrogs over earthbound filmmakers and creates another stunning, wordless portrait of modern life. Presented by Steven Soderbergh...

Yesterday, the first batch of 2013 Tiff titles dropped sending cinephiles into a frenzied excitement with a pretty killer lineup, with many now wondering how many extra days they can stay in Toronto this year. And the advance looks continue to roll out, as today a new trailer has arrived for one of the more intriguing question marks of the forthcoming fest. Godfrey Reggio, the man behind the acclaimed "Koyaanisqatsi, "Powaqqatsi" and "Naqoyqatsi" has a new movie to show off entitled "Visitors," and it looks like it could be his most challenging yet. Bold visuals and a score by Philip Glass are once again key components, but it now features actual performers, staged scenes and more. Plus, Steven Soderbergh — whose had some effusive things to say about the movie — has put his name to the effort with a "presented by" title. Here's the official synopsis: Thirty years after Koyaanisqatsi, with support...

Fans of the Godfrey Reggio/Philip Glass "Qatsi" trilogy can look forward to a fourth movie, "Visitors," which Cinedigm has acquired for North America. The black-and-white digital film will world premiere with a live Toronto Symphony Orchestra performance of Glass's score at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival this September. Cinedigm plans to release "Visitors" theatrically in 4K throughout Fall 2013. Seven years in the making, this collaboration from director Reggio, composer Glass and filmmaker Jon Kane follows "Koyaanisqatsi," "Powaqqatsi," and "Naqoyqatsi." “For a world on speed, in rush hour, this film is counter-intuitive to contemporary image-making," said Reggio. "Face-to-face with more to say then can be spoken, one might leave expectations at the door. Cinedigm's enthusiasm for theatrical release and its commitment to innovative marketing and exhibition, offers this odd-one-in an opportunity to seek a life of its own. I can only feel anxious joy as I prepare...

Cannes isn't even over yet, but the Toronto International Film Festival has already announced the first official selection for its 2013 edition. The festival has nabbed the world premiere of Godfrey Reggio's "Visitors," which will screen in 4K digital projection with a live orchestral performance by members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra of the Philip Glass score. What's more is that Steven Soderbergh is "officially presenting" the film. Update: Cinedigm has just announced that it will handle North American distribution for the film. “Reggio’s 'Visitors' is a poignant, powerful film. Coupled with live performance by 65 Members of the Tso, this event is an opportunity for Toronto audiences to be moved and to experience film in a whole new way,” said Piers Handling, Director and CEO, Tiff. "Visitors" is the fourth feature length collaboration between Godfrey Reggio ("Koyaanisqatsi," "Powaqqatsi" and "Naqoyqatsi") and famed composer Philip Glass, together with...

Our heads (and in some cases, our actual bodies) are still in Cannes, but it's not long at all until the fall festival season starts off. Indeed, the Toronto International Film Festival reps aren't waiting for Cannes to wrap up to make their first announcement, as news has come in of a high-profile screening that, while it won't exactly be grabbing tabloid headlines, will certainly interest a certain kind of film fan very much indeed. Deadline are reporting that Godfrey Reggio, the experimental filmmaker behind the acclaimed "Koyaanisqatsi," and its two sequels "Powaqqatsi" and "Naqoyqatsi," has completed a new film, his first in eleven years, entitled (in a break with tradition) "Visitors", and the film will premiere at Tiff on September 8th. If you've never seen the films, they're art/documentary hybrids, stunningly shot, and accompanied by scores by Philip Glass, dealing with industrialization in the first world, and the increasing influence of technology.

The Qatsi series is made up of several compelling contradictions. On the one hand, the first film, Koyaanisqatsi (1983), was a unique-for-its-time, one-of-a-kind event; but on the other hand, that film used many of the same cinematic tactics and strategies common to “pure cinema” (or “absolute film”) projects that characterized experimental filmmaking in the 1920s, like Dziga Vertov’s Man with the Movie Camera, Fernand Leger’s Ballet Mechanique, and the geometric filmmaking of Viking Eggeling. On the one hand, the Qatsi series is often celebrated as a series, or as an accomplishment characterized by a long-term vision realized across several films; but on the other hand, celebrations of the weight and accomplishment of this series are often relegated to the first film. Koyaanisqatsi’s sequels, Powaqqatsi (1988) and Naqoyqatsi (2002), are only mentioned a fraction as often as the landmark first film. On the one hand, this trilogy is one of the most radical critical critiques of capitalism and...

By Allen Gardner

Killer Joe (Lionsgate) William Friedkin’s film of Tracy Letts’ off-Broadway hit about a family of Texas trailer park cretins (Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon) who hire a cop-cum-hitman (Matthew McConaughey) to take out their troublesome mother, then foolishly cross him, is a stinging satire, given double-barreled audacity by Friedkin’s sure, and fearless, directorial hand. Earning its Nc-17 rating in spades, “Killer Joe” reminds us that daring, frank material like this is why movies exist in the first place. McConaughey gives the performance of his career, hopefully redefined after this. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Featurettes; Commentary by Friendkin; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 5.1 surround.

The Dark Knight Rises (Warner Bros.) Christopher Nolan’s coda to his “Batman” trilogy finds Christian Bale returning as a brooding Bruce Wayne/Caped Crusader, this time faced with a hulking villain (Tom Hardy) with respiratory...

In so many ways, Godfrey Reggio’s Qatsi Trilogy (consisting of Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, and Naqoyqatsi) defy expectation and definition. For one, with each loosely dubbed a “documentary”, uninformed viewers quickly discover that none of the films are like any documentary they've ever seen. The lack of any kind of narrative or traditional structure makes all three films a unique experience outside of arthouse cinema, and yet they each still managed to find widespread acclaim in mainstream culture. Reggio’s films are pure, unfettered spectacles of aural and visual hypnosis; each follows a different theme of natural progression, but all three share a common bond in their focus on the patterns that occur in nature and civilizations around the world, and all are set to the mesmerizing music of Philip Glass. Few films ask as little of you of the Qatsi Trilogy—to simply sit back and let the sights and...

Godfrey Reggio's Qatsi trilogy is a brilliantly realized, influential piece of cinema that bridges the gap between experimental film and documentary. Completely free of dialogue or any sort of obvious narrative, these three films combine visuals and music to provoke a visceral and intellectual response from the audience, allowing themes to emerge from seemingly disparate images in a freedom of interpretation. The Criterion Collection has finally given the series an HD upgrade and outside of one exception, I'm pretty thrilled with the results. The first film in the series, Koyaanisqatsi (life out of balance), is definitely my favourite. The film casts wider conceptual and thematic net, allowing the audience to decide for themselves what they take away from its imagery, if anything at all. It claims ownership over the originality of its visuals, indulging in long sequences of time lapse photography set mostly in cities and factories. This brand...

Chicago – Godfrey Reggio’s “Koyaanisqatsi,” “Powaqqatsi,” and “Naqoyqatsi” comprise one of the most fascinating trio of documentaries in the history of the form and whoever works at Criterion that decided to collect these landmark works into one Blu-ray and DVD box set deserves a raise. Not only is eash film lovingly restored for the release and accompanied by hours of special features but being able to fully appreciate “The Qatsi Trilogy” as one body of work is something all film fans should experience.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

“The Qatsi Trilogy” is more than a mere trio of documentaries. Each of the films feels more like a visual poem than a traditional piece of film work. Working with compositions by Philip Glass, Reggio uses time-lapse footage that often contrasts the natural world versus the man-made one. These are works of music and visual compositions that try to move the viewer to think or even act without words.

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Tripping With Godfrey Reggio & Philip Glass

By Raymond Benson

When I walked out of the New York cinema in 1983 after viewing Koyaanisqatsi for the first time, I overheard someone say, “That was the trippiest movie since 2001.” I had to agree. I’d never seen anything like it, but it was a feast for the eyes and ears. I’d been mesmerized for 86 minutes, lost in a swirling and exhilarating journey through North American landscapes of deserts, canyons, skies, and big cities. Using slow motion and time lapse photography by Ron Fricke, director Godfrey Reggio presented a feature-length music video that defied categorization. Accompanied by the vibrant score by Philip Glass, the film seemed to be saying that man was screwing up nature and that we’d better watch out. Life was “out of balance,” as the Hopi Indian one-word-title of the movie meant. Koyaanisqatsi was one of the most...

The Qatsi Trilogy is a collection of films made by Godfrey Reggio between 1983 and 2002. Each film offers an extraordinary and unforgettable cinematic experience, and their messages are, astonishingly, even more pertinent and vital today. The visual and aural wonders of The Qatsi Trilogy fall into no preset genre or easily explainable category of filmmaking. The simplest description would be a grafting of somber political treatise with I-Max style sensory joyride.

To fully understand these unique works, one must understand the filmmaker, and his singular background and sensibilities. Godfrey Reggio is not an assembly line graduate of the USC film school. In fact, he spent the 1960s as a social worker and political activist, founding several community programs for disadvantaged youth in New Mexico. He also spent 14 years in training for the priesthood, but abandoned that quest to pursue a deeper understanding of the philosophy and mysticism of the Hopi Indians.

Following (Criterion Collection) I received this and Criterion's release of The Qatsi Trilogy only yesterday evening so, no, I haven't had a chance to watch any of it, but I'm really excited to give it a watch considering the new 26-minute interview with Christopher Nolan that accompanies it. The rest of the features, including an audio commentary with Nolan, a side-by-side look at the shooting script and the film and a chronological edit of the film have all been available on DVD before. Following isn't Nolan's excellent lost film, but it is a fascinating film and a great, early look at the director that would go on to receive global acclaim for The Dark Knight and Inception... just to name a couple.

 

The Qatsi Trilogy (Criterion Collection) I have never seen and only heard of the three films that make up the Qatsi Trilogy -- Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi and Naqoyqatsi. I...

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Dec. 11, 2012

Price: DVD $79.95, Blu-ray $79.95

Studio: Criterion

Filmmaker and artist, Godfrey Reggio is best known for his galvanizing trio of documentary-like “moviescape” films Koyaanisquatsi, Powaqqatsi and Naqoyqatsi, which comprise The Qatsi Trilogy.

Astonishingly photographed, and featuring unforgettably hypnotic musical scores by Philip Glass (Mishima), the three films are immersive sensory experiences that meditate on the havoc humankind’s fascination with technology has wreaked on our world. From 1983’s Koyaanisqatsi (the title is a Hopi word that means “life out of balance”) to 1988’s Powaqqatsi (“life in transformation”) to 2002’s Naqoyqatsi (“life as war”), Reggio takes viewers on a journey from the ancient to the contemporary, from nature to industry and back again, all the while keeping our eyes wide with wonder.

Technology overruns the world in 2002's Naqoyqatsi.

Here’s a breakdown on the three films:

Koyaanisquatsi (1983)

A sensation when it was released in the early 1980s.

Christopher Nolan will join the Criterion Collection's roster of directorial heavyweights this holiday season, as the highbrow label releases Nolan's 1990 stalker chronicle debut "Following" on Blu-ray and DVD. Criterion's version, recently unveiled as part of the brand's small-batch December lineup, will feature a new interview and audio commentary from the director, as well as a chronological rendering of the film's fragmented story.   Also arriving from Criterion in time for Christmas shoppers will be Godfrey Reggio's "Qatsi" trilogy. A mostly wordless trio of films produced in concert with composer Philip Glass, this best-known entry to Reggio's oeuvre examines the relationships between man, nature and technology through stirring interplays of sound and image. The box set containing "Koyaanisqatsi," "Powaqqatsi" and "Naquoyqatsi" will include an early demo version of...

Besides the two dozen operas, the symphonies, concertos and solo works, Philip Glass, who turns 75 today, has composed literally scores of scores for films, beginning most famously with Koyaanisqatsi (1982), an essay film as dependent on its music as any other. Glass and Godfrey Reggio would complete the trilogy with Powaqqatsi (1988) and Naqoyqatsi (2002). Another crucial cinematic collaboration has been with Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line (1988), The Fog of War (2003)), and other notable scores would be, for example, those for Paul Schrader's Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985; sample it here) and Martin Scorsese's Kundun (1997). And whatever you think of Stephen Daldry's The Hours (2002) — and chances are, if you're reading this, you may not think much of it at all — that soundtrack, aimed straight at the mainstream and nominated for an Oscar, holds up better than you might remember.

"Glass is the only living classical composer with anything...

It’s a phrase out of the music industry: one-hit wonders. Those bands that come out of nowhere, hit the top of the charts with a catchy – maybe even impressive – single, or have one chart-topping album, and then never seem to be able to hit that sweet spot again. Anybody remember Boston’s second album? Another hit single after “96 Tears” from Jay and the Mysterians?

But they’re not alone. There’s not an area of entertainment where the phenomenon doesn’t exist. Rod Serling never topped The Twilight Zone, and Chris Carter never came up with another series as good as The X Files. Fitzgerald wrote a lot of impressive stuff, but never matched The Great Gatsby, and drank himself to death over it (well, Zelda being crazy didn’t help). Michael Cimino copped an Oscar for The Deer Hunter (1978), and then began a long, spectacular flameout.

It happens.

If you have yet to see the “Qatsi trilogy” from director Godfrey Reggio, you can get started right now as the most notable entry, Koyaanisqatsi, is available in its entirety YouTube. Also including Powaqqatsi and Naqoyqatsi, the trilogy features an experimental, dialogue-free examination of nature, humanity and technology with scores by Philip Glass.

The team is getting together again for a new project titled The Holy See and details are scarce, but our friend Chris Campbell at his Documentary Channel blog dug up two trailers for the film that were made for the Cannes film market. The film is currently still in post-production and seeking funds and if interested in helping, their Vimeo page provides this e-mail to contact, but we can get a glimpse at footage that includes amusement parks, gorillas and many staring humans. Check out both trailers below.

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

The Cinema Arts Festival Houston...

Certainly not a Sundance starlet like Elizabeth Olsen or a storied Sundance vet like Miranda July, British filmmaker John Akomfrah has been making critically-lauded films for two decades – mostly under the public radar. Finally, after years of producing documentaries for companies like the BBC, Akomfrah found himself in a position to make the film he’s wanted to make since the beginning of his career, The Nine Muses: an emotional, abstract look at the intense period of migration to England after World War II up until the 1960s. This rush of diversity spread just as much racial prejudice, forcing those migrants to assimilate to a way of life in England they would never fully fell comfortable being a part of.

The Film Stage spoke with Akomfrah about getting the money, time and material to make this dream project come to life, and how he feels now that it’s...

George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Three and a half decades after their breakout successes, they remain arguably two of the most potent brand names in American entertainment and understandably so. Probably more than any other two individuals, they have been – for good or for ill — responsible for a massive reconfiguration of media entertainment, expanding from film into TV, merchandising, and new media, constantly exploring the ability to cross-pollinate all these strains, and sparking a re-thinking of the kinds of movies Hollywood makes and the way they’re made.

Lucas and Spielberg are credited – and sometimes blamed – for launching, expanding, and perfecting the concept of the synergistic, merchandisable blockbuster franchise. After their commercial breakouts in the late 1970s, their movies regularly dominated the all-time best box office performers list for most of the following decades, and even today, after such recent additions as Avatar (2009), Titanic (1997), The Passion of the Christ (2004), the Spider-Man,...

Now that the 2010 line-up for the Criterion Collection has finally been announced with last week’s December titles, we can begin speculating on what we’ll get in 2011. With over 50 spine numbers in 2010, will we see # 600 in 2011? At the rate that Criterion is churning out these discs, we have to assume so. Where will they get all of these upcoming titles from?

Well, over the past few months we’ve seen several titles from MGM’s catalog announced, and hinted at in their monthly newsletter. Most likely due to MGM’s current financial problems, it’s nice to see Criterion stepping up to rescue these films from the abyss of “out of print”. If you head over to the various forums (CriterionForum.org, Mubi, etc.) you’ll find many people speculating on the MGM titles that Criterion has acquired the rights to. While some are mostly speculation, I have had...

The re-released cinematic head-trip Forest of Bliss adheres firmly to the purer school of documentary-making

The lowest form of documentary involves a presenter setting off on a journey to discover why he or she didn't yet know something about which we, the audience, were already adequately informed. Near the opposite end of the documentary spectrum are those quiet, almost anonymous films such as Être et Avoir or Sleep Furiously, in which a community is observed and recorded with minimum fuss and no overt manipulation. Beyond those are films – so seldom seen that one could be forgiven for thinking them extinct – with no presenter, no commentary, no characters, no specific setting and no narrative or story. Godfrey Reggio's Koyaanisqatsi (a Hopi Indian word meaning "life out of balance"), made in 1982, is the classic of its kind: a compilation of ravishing footage of cities and natural wonders, seen at night and in the blaze of day,...