Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields

Oct 27, 2011

1h 29m

★ 6.8

Overview

Ten years in the making, Strange Powers is an intimate documentary portrait of songwriter Stephin Merritt and his band the Magnetic Fields. With his unique gift for memorable melodies, lovelorn lyrics and wry musical stylings that blend classic Tin Pan Alley with modern sounds, Stephin Merritt has distinguished himself as one of contemporary pop's most beloved and influential artists.

Genres

Documentary

Music

Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields Trailers

Cast

Self

Stephin Merritt

Self

Laura Ballance

Self

Carrie Brownstein

Self

Ethan Cohn

Self

Peter Gabriel

Self

Neil Gaiman

Self

Daniel Handler

Self

Sarah Silverman

Self

Emma Straub

Twenty years ago, novelist Salman Rushdie was a wanted man with a million pound bounty on his head. His novel, The Satanic Verses, had sparked riots across the Muslim world. The ailing religious leader of Iran, the Ayatollah Khomeini, had invoked a little-known religious opinion - a fatwa - and effectively sentenced Rushdie to death. This film looks back on the extraordinary events which followed the publication of the book and the ten year campaign to get the fatwa lifted. Interviews with Rushdie's friends and family and testimony from leaders of Britain's Muslim community and the Government reveal the inside story of the affair.

0.0

Les ludions

Jan 1, 1965

No overview available.

No Image Available

6.4

In Paris Parks

Jun 4, 1954

This short film displays the dynamic movement of people as they enter and exit parks in Paris.

0.0

Keepers of the Fire

Apr 23, 1994

For half of a millennium, First Nations women have been at the forefront of aboriginal peoples' resistance to cultural assimilation. Today, Native women are still fighting for the survival of their cultures and their peoples--in the rain forest and the city, in the courts and the legislatures, in the Longhouse and the media. Keepers of the Fire profiles Canada's Native 'warrior women' who are protecting and defending their land, their culture and their people in the time-honoured tradition of their foremothers.

5.0

Plains: Testimony of an Ethnocide

Jun 1, 1971

A documentary on the massacre of Planas in the Colombian east plains in 1970. An Indigenous community formed a cooperative to defend their rights from settlers and colonists, but the government organized a military operation to protect the latter and foreign companies.

4.0

The Little Incident

Apr 1, 1975

A cult of diners, restaurants and an excessive eating prevails in the City of Joy. Different contests are held in cooking the Georgian cuisine. Makro, a famous singer, decides to lend some spirituality to the city of gluttons. For that purpose she decides to set up a gallery of beautiful paintings in one of the city’s restaurants. The owners of the restaurant oppose that decision, but due to Makro’s agility the tenants of the city carry the paintings to the new museum.

5.6

The Domino Effect

Nov 28, 2014

Rafael - the minister of sports of an unrecognized country, and Natasha - a Russian opera singer, try living together in Abkhazia - a war-torn future-less country. Observing their difficult relations, we see life in a place marked by war and nationalism. The film portrays trapped people dreaming of peace, normality and happiness.

0.0

Bizet: Carmen

Nov 19, 2013

With the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and conductor Brian Castles-Onion, a gritty set design, sumptuous bold costumes, stunning choreography, and the inestimable direction of Gale Edwards and Bizet's glorious opera is brought to life like never before in this second Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour.

6.9

Beyond Silence

Dec 18, 1996

Beyond Silence is about a family and a young girl’s coming of age story. This German film looks into the lives of the deaf and at a story about the love for music. A girl who has always had to translate speech into sign language for her deaf parents yet when her love for playing music grows strong she must decide to continue doing something she cannot share with her parents.

5.6

Bollywood/Hollywood

Oct 25, 2002

Rahul Seth is a dashing young millionaire who believes he is "western" enough to rebel against his mother and grandmother. They are not too keen about his Caucasian girlfriend Kimberly who, to make matters worse, is a pop star. Before you can say "karmic intervention," Kimberly dies in a freak accident and Rahul is devastated. Instead of allowing him to mourn in peace, Rahul's mother sees the opportunity she's been waiting for. She threatens to call off his sister's wedding unless he finds himself a "nice Indian girl." Rahul enlists the services of Sue, a fiercely independent escort whom he believes to be Hispanic, and therefore not "married" to the conventions taught to young Indian women. With a wink in her eye, Sue accepts the deal to pose as his Indian bride-to-be. She needs the money and having never been a fan of the typical Indian male, she feels her heart is safe. The charade begins....

0.0

Miró, The Painter

Jul 10, 1979

Short piece for the TV series Aujourd'hui en France [Today in France]. Reporting on a Joan Miró exhibition at the Maeght Foundation, Sarah Maldoror enjoys filming the Spanish painter and sculptor engaging with children during a theatre piece. The filmmaker's central themes are in full bloom here: the theatre, the interrelationship between the arts and the transformation of the childhood experience through art. The ensemble is like a work by Joan Miró translated into real life.

0.0

Dying Green

Mar 1, 2012

A doctor's efforts to live a green life near the Appalachian Mountains lead to the development of a radical idea to use green burials to conserve one million acres of land and to create wildlife reserves.

7.0

Witch Hunt

Sep 7, 2008

Executive Producer Sean Penn presents "Witch Hunt," a gripping indictment of the American justice system told through the lens of one small town. Voters in Bakersfield, California elected a tough on crime district attorney into office for more than 25 years. During his tenure he convicted dozens of innocent working class moms and dads. They went to prison, some for decades, before being exonerated. He remains in office today. This story on a micro level mirrors what the US has experienced over the last eight years. When power is allowed to exist without oversight civil rights are in jeopardy.

6.0

Our Brand Is Crisis

Mar 12, 2005

A documentary on American political campaign marketing tactics and their consequences.

7.8

Pressure Cooker

Jan 1, 2008

A committed, passionate teacher tries to make all the difference in the lives of disadvantaged students.

0.0

Namrata

Jan 1, 2009

This short documentary tells the intensely personal story of Namrata Gill – one of the many real-life inspirations for Deepa Mehta’s Heaven on Earth – in her own words. After six years, Gill courageously leaves an abusive relationship and launches a surprising new career.

7.5

The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story

Oct 8, 1999

There's not a person in the world who wouldn't recognize Mickey Mouse. But until now, not many knew the man who originally gave shape, movement and personality to the world's most beloved icon. "The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story" takes you behind the scenes to meet Walt Disney's best friend and chief animator.

No Image Available

0.0

Mannequins

Sep 30, 2017

Mannequins examines the suburb as a state-of-mind through the eyes of a 7th grade teenage girl.

7.5

King Coal

Aug 11, 2023

The cultural roots of coal continue to permeate the rituals of daily life in Appalachia even as its economic power wanes. The journey of a coal miner’s daughter exploring the region’s dreams and myths, untangling the pain and beauty, as her community sits on the brink of massive change.

7.9

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse

Nov 27, 1991

A chronicle of the production problems — including bad weather, actors' health, war near the filming locations, and more — which plagued the filming of Apocalypse Now, increasing costs and nearly destroying the life and career of Francis Ford Coppola.