E. coli? Obesity? Illegal immigration? Hardly a day goes by, it seems, when one of these issues doesn’t appear somewhere in the news. The new documentary film Food Inc. does something that few in the mainstream media have tried with these issues: it demonstrates how they’re all connected to our food system, and the mass production methods that now dominate food processing in the United States.

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As artists continue to draw inspiration from childhood fears and fairy tales, it comes as no surprise that classic stories like Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (more commonly known as Alice in Wonderland) are being tapped. Coming up on the 2010 film lineup is Tim Burton’s much anticipated ALICE IN WONDERLAND with Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter (who else?), Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen. But Burton is hardly the first to put a unique spin on Carroll’s tale. With the first official photographs of WONDERLAND released last week, photographer-extraordinaire Annie Leibovitz’s editorial for Vogue US December 2003 have “resurfaced,” thanks to the efforts of bloggers everywhere.

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Catherine Deneuve stars in APRÈS LUI - premiering on Sundance Channel July 2nd.

Arguably the most well known French actress in America, Catherine Deneuve continues to mesmerize her audiences on both shores with her deeply realistic portrayals of women in desperate circumstances. As Junon in 2008’s UN CONTE DE NOEL, Deneuve faced leukemia and a highly dysfunctional family with dignity and humor and was awarded a special prize at Cannes for her performance.

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The great stop-motion video below was the senior project of a Savannah College of Art and Design student named Bang-yao Liu. The music is by one of my favorite groups, the Norwegian electronica duo Royksopp:

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Wait for Me - Moby’s new album to be released Tuesday, June 30th

Check out these cool “video blips” from Moby’s new album, Wait for Me:

‘Jltf 1′ Blip from Moby on Vimeo.

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BLOOD, SWEAT + GEARS on Sundance Channel now!

In response to the doping scandals that tarnished the reputation of professional cycling, former racing cyclist Jonathan “JV” Vaughters formed Slipstream, a team whose members agree to compete without the aid of any performance-enhancing drugs.

Documentary filmmaker Nick Davis chronicles the dramatic story of “the clean team” throughout 2008, a year in which the team leader was superstar David Millar — making a comeback after a doping scandal sidelined his career — and sees Slipstream win their first invitation to the Tour de France.

Check out the film in June and July on Sundance Channel (check screening times here) and read our short Q & A with David Millar below!

Sundancechannel.com: Do you ever second guess your decision to race clean? 

David Millar: No, never, it is hard for me to express how emphatic I am in that response. 

Sundancechannel.com: What is the most difficult aspect of training?

David Millar: Starting.

Sundancechannel.com: Why are you involved in professional cycling? 

David Millar: It’s a love thing.

Sundancechannel.com: What are the team members from the film up to now? 

David Millar: Training, racing, eating, sleeping. A lot of us that you see in the movie –
myself, Christian, Danny and Julian – are gearing up for our second Tour as
a team.

Learn More:

Slipstream Site

Tour de France Official Site

BLOOD, SWEAT + GEARS on Sundance Channel

There aren’t any jaded directors in Nollywood. Spirited and optimistic more appropriately describe Nigeria’s booming film industry as seen in NOLLYWOOD BABYLON, a documentary that follows its most important filmmakers as they battle low budgets and low technology to create “stories that explore traditional mysticism and modern culture, good versus evil, witchcraft and Christianity. Nollywood auteurs have mastered a down-and-dirty, straight-to-video production formula that has become the industry standard in a country plagued by poverty.”

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Tatia Rosenthal’s stop-motion animated film $9.99 slipped quietly into theaters this week after almost a decade in the making. Based on the short stories of Israeli writer Etgar Keret, the film is an ensemble piece about the sad and delightful residents (including an angel) of an Australian building and a $9.99 guidebook to the meaning of life… or how to swim like a dolphin!

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A neat sneak peek into the behind the scenes of renowned and controversial street artist Shephard Fairey at his studio. If you’ve just woken up from a Rip Van Winkle nap and have no idea who he is, Fairey’s fame is bookend by his OBEY stickers early in his counter-mainstream days and most recently, his iconic Obama “HOPE” poster.

Shepard Fairey from Arkitip on Vimeo.

Michael Lucas, the flamboyant Russian-American porn mogul, will soon be heading mainstream with a walk-on role on ABC’s hit Ugly Betty. Not cast in the traditional sense, and no, I do not mean on the director’s couch either, Lucas simply bought his way onto the show.

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After reading the reviews for Woody Allen’s latest, I was less than hopeful going into the theatre, and even though I think much of the criticism the film received is true, I liked it anyway.

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